#i don't think there was a canon conformation that he was the one to call her that but it checks out with his usual behavior

[cutetanuki-chan]

John: hey guys, here's my first companion, my bodyguard. her name is Alecto

Mercy: Alecto

John: no, not like that >:c

[shizucheese]

Hey guys, we need to talk. Because a certain little something in TMAGP 8 is causing what is genuinely the most toxic part of the Magpod fandom at large to once again rear its ugly head. So let's talk about podcast character appearance head canons, shall we?

I'm tagging this with the Magnus Archives, TMA and Magpod tags because I am absolutely calling all of you out, but if you don't want spoilers for The Magnus Protocol episode 8 then stop reading right now.

.

.

. Okay, so, Gerry exists in the TMAGP universe. He's happy (or at least acts cheerful). And some people have headcanoned this to mean that he is no longer goth, or at the very least isn't dying his hair black with bad box color. And other people have decided to get seriously agro over this. I have literally seen with my very own eyeballs someone call "un-gothing" Gerry a "hate crime" and calling the person they were talking to "gothphobic."

Let me make this absolutely clear for all of you: podcasts are a purely audio medium and unless a physical trait of theirs is explicitely stated, everyone's headcanon for how a character appears is valid. Goth TMAGP Gerry is valid. But also

Rainbow Goth TMAGP Gerry is valid. Pastel Goth TMAGP Gerry is valid.

Not Goth At All TMAGP Gerry is valid.

Bald Gerry who has actually gotten his brain cancer diagnosed in time and is getting treated for it is valid. Somebody's headcanon of a character that has no canonical description to them, or whose headcanon matches the few crumbs of canonical description we have but otherwise doesn't look the way you imagine them to, is not going to take away from your own headcanon of what a character looks like. If someone imagining or drawing a character looking a different way from how you imagine them looking somehow takes away from your enjoyment of the fandom or otherwise makes you feel like you need to barge in and tell them that they're Wrong and need to conform to your headcanon or else, that is a reflection on you, not them.

And this problem way predates TMAGP, let alone TMAGP 8. The only description we have of John is that he is in his early 30's and has prematurely greying hair.

If someone thinks he looks like the pastiest motherfucker to ever dwell in a basement, an extra-in-the-Adam's Family or Tim Burtan protagonist of a man, let them.

What's that? You want to tell them that John is BROWN and if they don't headcanon him looking that way they're WRONG and RACIST? Back away from the keyboard and go outside.

(Ironically, as someone who started getting grey hairs in my hair in my 20's myself, I'm pretty sure everyone's headcanon of John, with tiny little whisps of grey in his hair, is wrong, because if he was so grey that people were surprised to learn he was "a child of the 90's," he was probably full on salt-and-pepper when he was in his 20's.)

The only description we have for Martin is that he (man who canonically has the self esteem of a used doormat) describes himself as "not the smallest guy", Not-Sasha called him "roomy", Melanie is skinner than him, and Jonny said he imagined him as a "bigger guy" who would beat Alex in a physical fight. If someone decides to take this information and conclude that it means he's tall, broad and has muscle, rather than that he's overweight, fucking let them. If your first instinct to this is to run to your keyboard and call them "fatphobic" or otherwise bash them for it, I once again urge you to back away from your keyboard and go outside.

Someone headcanons Basira not wearing a headscarf? We have exactly 0 canonical physical description of her and the people who headcanon her as having one are basing that purely off of her name alone. Fucking let them. Someone headcanons Melanie and/ or Georgie as a skin color you don't agree with or a hairstyle you don't like? Fucking let them. As long as someone's headcanon of a character's description doesn't contradict the few canonical descriptions we have of a character, why do you care? Them having a different headcanon from you doesn't take away your right to imagine the characters looking however you like, anymore than it should take away their right to do the same. Someone headcanoning John as white (or Black, or Asian, or Mixed, or whatever) isn't going to make all of the fanart of John as brown with long hair suddenly disappear, nor the fanfiction describing him as such (although I do often wonder if the opposite is not true; is the fact that John looks the same in so much of the fanart I see on here really because of fandom "consensus", or is it because people are absolutely awful to anyone who draws him Different?). Someone headcanoning Martin as not fat isn't going to make the mountains of fanart of him as a fluffy little marshmallow vanish into the void (although I do remember hearing about someone getting bullied off the internet for daring to draw Martin as not fat). And someone headcanoning Gerry in TMAGP as not being goth isn't going to take away your preciouse goth TMAGP Gerry headcanon. That should be part of the fun of it, shouldn't it? Seeing what different images people have conjured in their heads of these characters we only get to experience with our ears, and celebrating the differences as well as the similarities? Why are we bullying people into conforming to one appearance of a character when no actual canonical appearance of them exists?

[pr1ncessasuke]

Why Sasuke's Physical Beauty Matters

Thinking about this again, Sasuke’s characterization is super interesting to me, especially how he’s physically characterized with his beauty.

Firstly, I think his extra stylized, iconic “duck butt” hair is integral to his character. It’s spiky and edgy, meant to be rebellious. He’s the ultimate revolution. Even Naruto and Itachi had pretty normal hair! But in Boruto, Sasuke's hair looks plain and flat (neutral terms--not a diss to other people with this hairstyle). The edges are completely gone--matching his newfound conformity and detachment.

And further, why is he canonically attractive and what does it mean? I think the army of Sasuke admirers Kishimoto depicts throughout OG Naruto and Shippuden adds to his characterization as the anomaly—the one who goes against the grain. He questions the chunin exams and analyzes why and how they take place. He challenges the status quo in Konoha. Kishimoto actually keeps up with this motif whereas he seems to forget about other motifs (ahem, the Hyuga clan curse).

Sasuke's beauty also emphasizes his determination and focus. He could have had anyone he wanted but remained disinterested even as an emotional teenage boy. Kishimoto even has Sasuke call it out when Kakashi brings up Sakura’s feelings, with Sasuke literally saying, “I don’t see why I should love her and why she should love me.” (Now, I will add an important caveat that in an ideal world, I don’t think he’ll stay this disinterested forever, because Sasuke too deserves love and healing once he’s ready for it and grows up more. People don't stay stagnant, and trauma deserves to be healed).

Sasuke is fiercely single-minded and driven, and is a character that acts as a foil to the protags, the main narrative, and Kishimoto furthers these motifs through Sasuke's physical characterizations.

[t4tstarrailing]

afab, amab, fem, and masc: basic terminology 101

hi! are you wanting to be more inclusive towards trans audience members and are an x-reader writer? well, this is the guide for you!

my name is jules and i'm a trans x-reader writer. i focus mostly on true gn!readers, trans!m!readers, and cis!m!readers. i also like to read x-reader fics. unfortunately, i struggle to find x-reader fics to read, because i don't want to risk having my gender dysphoria triggered. and i am hoping that this guide will help you be more accessible to trans readers.

and you may have seen this guide before and yes, that was also me. i lost the post, am too lazy to go and look for it, and i am also a certified yapper and would like to add some additional things.

so in this guide, i am going to be over the terms afab, amab, fem, and masc; explaining how i see people using them incorrectly and what they actually mean; explaining what words you should be using in what scenarios; how to be even more inclusive towards trans readers; and emphasizing why trans isn't a dirty word.

if you are trans yourself, please feel free to add any additional notes or experiences that you have personally had, especially in fandom spaces. and if you aren't trans yourself and want to double-check yourself, see if any of your trans mutuals are willing to chat about it! sometimes they aren't, sometimes they are, but don't be afraid to ask.

so what do the terms afab and amab mean, and where do they come from?

simply put, afab means "assigned female at birth" and amab means "assigned male at birth". it means the doctor looked at you at birth and designated your gender based off your genital presentation.

the terms were never intended to describe someone's present sexual anatomy. in fact, they come from the intersex community and how doctors designate intersex individuals at birth, either surgically or sometimes taking a guess. the terms, however, have been adopted by the wider community, sometimes successfully but many times unsuccessfully.

i see a lot of people using these terms to designate what sexual anatomy the reader has, which is wildly incorrect. not every afab person has a pussy. some afab people have dicks. not every amab person has a dick. some amab people have pussies. not every afab person with a pussy refers to their anatomy as a pussy. sometimes they call it a front hole or just a hole. not every amab person with a dick calls it a dick. sometimes they call it a strap, or they call their own hole a pussy.

afab and amab should also not be used in sfw settings. you're more than likely looking for a different term, such as masc!reader or fem!reader, or just f!reader or m!reader.

what terms are frequently used by the trans community to refer to their anatomy?

bro, there are so many. off the top of my head, for trans men and trans masc, there's front hole, mancunt, boybox, boypussy. for trans women and trans fems, the only ones i can think of off the top of my head is girlcock, girldick, and strap.

when in doubt, go the gender-neutral route and say "hole" or "chest" if you're referring to the chest/breast area.

with that being said, there's nothing wrong with trans men calling their anatomy a pussy or trans women calling their anatomy a dick. in fact, many do.

however, there does come a point where it becomes a tad bit uncomfortable seeing non-trans men/mascs people insistent on using pussy/cunt for trans men and mascs, or non-trans women/fems insistent on using dick/cock for trans women and fems. especially if people flatout refuse to entertain the idea of using other words that trans folks may find more comfort in, or force the character to conform to characteristics stereotypically associated with the anatomy (eg. usually assertive guy in canon is depicted as being submissive and needy [example: dr. ratio in honkai star rail, childe in genshin impact, kabru in dungeon meshi], only difference being he's being written with a pussy. usually quiet girl in canon is depicted as being a dommy mommy [example: hanya in honkai star rail, ayaka in genshin impact, falin in dungeon meshi], with the only difference being she's being written with a dick)

so what do fem and masc mean?

fem and masc just refer to gender presentation. it doesn't have anything to do with gender or assigned gender at birth. fem =/= female, masc =/= male. fem cis gay guys exist, masc cis women exist.

so if i go into a fanfic and it's labeled fem!reader, i'd expect a fem reader with a slightly more feminine gender presentation. words like perfume, clothes like skirts or dresses, etc. if i go into a fanfic and it's labeled masc!reader, i'd expect a reader with a slightly more masculine gender presentation. words like cologne, clothes like suits and ties, etc.

nuance: yes, this is a very basic breakdown of gender and gender presentation. mascs wear skirts and fems wear suits, i am well aware of that fact. but this is fandom, and this is what i have personally noticed in fandom spaces. i'm not trying to teach gender studies 101. i just want to read fanfics.

how are these terms being misused? again, it is improperly designating the reader's sexual anatomy. fem does not automatically mean pussy. some fems have dicks. masc also does not automatically mean dick. some mascs have pussies. these terms also do not have anything to do with sexual preferences. some fems like to top and/or dom, some mascs like to bottom and/or sub.

if you're wanting to designate a female reader, the most common usage i see is f!reader. same with male reader using m!reader. if you're wanting to specify that you're writing a cis reader, you can always write cis!f!reader or cis!m!reader.

is your reader truly gender neutral?

there's been a few times where i'll go into a fic that's labelled as gender neutral and be slapped with gendered terms. most of the time it's a one and done thing, but other times it'll be throughout the fic and i'll need to exit out of it. and, to be honest, a lot of the time i just chalk it up to people not editting.

my advice is just comb through your work very carefully. look for any instances of gendered terms, like pronouns or pet names or descriptions of clothing. if someone is willing, find a beta reader to go over it and maybe pick up on something you've missed. learning to degender your thinking is difficult given how heavily a gendered world we live in, and people are bound to slip up every once in a while. hell, i do it as well and find myself having to correct myself in my writing sometimes.

gender neutral does not mean non binary!

this isn't as common as other instances, but i do see it every once in a while. not every non-binary person uses they/them pronouns and may, in fact, use neopronouns or he/him or she/her. or use multiple pronouns! so gender neutral fics aren't inherently non-binary fics.

trans is not a dirty word!

this is honestly kind of inspired by a recent uptick in people describing male characters as afab!male character, and seemingly refusing to use the word trans in any of their content. and to be completely honest, when it's coming from non-trans people, it's kinda weird and an auto block for me at this point. because like, you're wanting to write about fucking men with pussies or fucking women with dicks, but it reads like you're scared of using the word trans like it's a bad word. it also sounds like you're centering the fact that this male character has a pussy, or this female character has a dick, and making it like a "ohhhh look at this!!! this is so unique!!!". and fandoms are notorious for fetishizing trans people, so it feels a bit borderline fetishy, especially when it comes from non-trans folks.

side note: i am a single trans person. i do not speak for the hundreds of thousands of trans people in existence. please do not harass people that do this, i am just stating my own personal opinion. as said at the beginning, i am a yapper with opinions.

this is also about non-trans men/mascs writing afab!male characters or non-trans women/fems writing amab!female characters, i am not talking about trans men/mascs writing trans men/mascs or trans women/fems writing trans women/fems.

but men with pussies exist in real life! women with dicks exist in real life! trans people exist in real life! trans is not a dirty word! just say trans and explicitly state the anatomy terms and pronouns you're using! it's so much easier to communicate to your readers what to expect!

so what formatting would you recommend to communicate well with my readers?

honestly, it's gonna sound weird, but just lay everything out so the reader can make a choice on whether or not they want to read your content. some examples that i've used in the past as well as a few others i can think of atm.

this is for specific characters i write bc i got tired of writing reader over and over again lmao.

blade is depicted as trans masc and uses he/they pronouns. he is non-op for both top and bottom surgery. his chest is referred to as his chest with descriptions of him wearing a compression top, and his anatomy is referred to as tdick and tcock. his strap is referred to as his dick.

jing yuan is depicted as a trans man and uses he/him pronouns. he is described as having top surgery scars and a fully healed phalloplasty. his anatomy is referred to as dick and hole. his partner calls him "prince" and "handsome" throughout the series.

pantalone is depicted as a trans masc and uses he/him pronouns. he is described as having top surgery scars, silver bar nipple piercings, but no bottom surgery. his anatomy is referred to as chest and tdick/tcock. his partner calls him "sir".

reader is gender neutral and uses they/them pronouns. they are described as having a chest, and their anatomy is referred to as hole. there are references to wetness, but it can be interpreted as spit, natural lubricant, or artificial lubricant. their partner does not use pet names with them.

sampo is depicted as crossdressing in this fic, but continues to use he/him pronouns. he is described as wearing a dress and heavy make-up. his chest is referred to as breasts, while his anatomy referred to as dick and hole.

luocha is depicted as a trans woman and uses she/her pronouns. she is described as having breast growth but no bottom surgery. her chest is referred to as breasts while her anatomy is referred to as clit and pussy. her partner uses the terms "princess" when talking to her.

ningguang is depicted as a trans fem and uses she/her pronouns. she is described as having breast growth but no bottom surgery. her chest is referred to as breasts while her anatomy is referred to as her strap.

if it sounds weird me using the word "anatomy" for a person's sexual anatomy, it's bc i'm trying to avoid any possible moderation lmao.

anywho. i'm done yapping for now. if you've got any well-intended questions, please feel free to shoot me an ask and i'll try to get to it in a timely manner. i'm also happy to discuss how trans people are frequently fetishized in fandoms, or anything else that people may be curious about.

but please do remember that i am one single trans person, i am not the end all be all of trans opinions. i just yap a lot.

[verosikastrikerstellaexcuser]

Prior Anon again.

Viv admitted that she didn't have any real plan for HB and that she changed Stolas' character in one of those Live Q & A panels.

The whole not having a plan for HB was in I believe 2 tweets, where she didn't know how long she planned for HB to go on and that she only had some rough outlines.

Put that all together and with how Stolas really seems so different compared to S1 to S2, among other things....yeah it's all just winging it.

There was nothing ever to suggest in S1 it was arranged, in fact as the song implies it really wasn't. The only thing people latch onto in that it was 'arranged' is when Stolas is trying to explain to Via the situation.

....But this is not realizing that these were all incomplete statements and even if they were? That doesn't nessecarily mean it was an arranged marriage, because you know....parents can fall out of love, parents can later on realize that they never really loved eachother etc.

Which you know, fits with what S1 was seeming to hint at in dialogue and song within EP 2?

Or they just assume because they are Royals so they MUST be arranged marriage...which again isn't an argument.

Just because they are Royals, doesn't mean it has to be arranged. Was it a thing? Yeah it was, but we aren't in this show, in this setting....given any reason that it's a thing. Them being Royalty isn't enough evidence. It was usually due to land, money or what have you, status and so forth. A mutual benefit of sorts between Families.

....But Stolas already has everything, he has the house, he has the servants, he has the power both figuratively and literally, he has the money. Nothing in S1(other than....her phone) is Stella's, she doesn't have claim to anything or have anything property wise. Stella doesn't even have any innate powers from what we see, if anything S1 comes across as making Stella not giving anything of value to him.

In fact given the implication of Stolas being extremely old in S1, this means he's an immortal which we know is still true, he's still an immortal. He has all the time in forever to gain his own land, to gain his own money and status. He's not going to die from old age.

The only thing of value between them is Octavia, but she's not an indication of an Arranged Marriage in S1 either, it's just as likely that they could have had her without all that nonsense. Which again fits with...

"I used to think that I was bold. I used to think love would be fun."

and

"I want that CHEATING PRICK DEAD!"

Why call him a cheating prick Stella? You weren't hurt by anything right? Why'd you use these specific words Stella, hrmm? You don't like him right, why does this whole thing piss you off if you like to torment him?

Why did Bryce say "She has a lot of pain inside of her" (Insta Reel with him and co-star, but unfortunately deleted)

Why did Georgina like a tweet saying she was heartbroken and doesn't think clearly?

Baffling really, when S2 tells us the complete opposite of...all this stuff.

They don't lean into the Arranged Marriage thing until S2 rolls around, which thus starts making S1 look a little weird as a whole as the episodes go on.

S1 at least from where I'm sitting, was written in such a way that...many fan theories cropped up and honestly that's where I feel things took a wrong turn.

I feel as if Viv, took a lot of the more popular fan theories and just made them Canon, so writing wouldn't have to be such a chore. So she's using fans to basically write things for her show, that she can't be bothered to actually write out other avenues to the story. She'll just pick something that is popular or something she likes and that's that.

So then fans could say "AH HA! SEE WHAT DID I TELL YOU!"

Or

"IT WAS SO OBVIOUS!"

So their headcanons/fan theories can be fine, but others can't if they don't conform to what many others are saying?

Now I'm not saying writers can't take things from fans and made stuff Canon, but doing so constantly? Or writing in such a way, where you could then just 'farm' for ideas later on?

It just seems then like there isn't real creativity there. Especially when taking such ideas in the first place, but then it kinda ruins what story was already being told.

Anyway this is getting very long winded, so apologies.

No genuinely I appreciate the long windedness, I really do, because these are all valid points.

"That doesn't necessarily mean it was an arranged marriage, because you know....parents can fall out of love, parents can later on realize that they never really loved each other etc. Which you know, fits with what S1 was seeming to hint at in dialogue and song within EP 2?" You're right. This is one of those retcons where I took them at their word but you're right - the arranged marriage is a retcon. And that makes sense, because I always thought the way it operated was just bizarre. Why do royal Goetia women have 0 power/property rights and are things to be shoved into arranged marriages to make heirs when the rest of hell's society does not seem to work that way at all? It seems to mostly just be about power as in physical abilities, combined with wealth. There are plenty of female overlords and Beel's female, and the sins have massive power, being above overlords and goetias. When they revealed that the house was all Stolas' and that Stella owns nothing it always felt just extremely bizzare given the rest of the show and its women? It seems to operate mostly like an Earth society in 2024, aka women have rights even if misogynist attitudes are still a thing. Why would the Goetia women have less rights than all other women in hell and why are they still able to force arranged marriages on each other? I'm not saying that couldn't maybe be interesting, like the monarchy had exceptions written into law for themselves, but I would have liked to see that properly actually established. I'm so sick of this show's inconsistent lore and things not being shown properly. Stuff like the different rings each ruled by a different sin, those concepts are really fun and powerful. But they're so messily executed and no proper rules are really ever established, making it feel clunky and confusing. Lmao guess they wouldn't bother though since that would make it harder to go back on things all the time since they really do appear to be just winging it as they go and sweeping any "mistakes" that are no longer convenient under the rug.

Its ridiculous to me that they had no plan going into this show. I mean seriously, what a fucking joke? NOTHING? How can Viv say "Stolitz is the heart of this show" This shows heart is whatever is convenient that writing week and whatever fans gush over the most, don't lie. Unmake it the heart, because deciding thats what this shows about on the fly has been an absolute disaster, dear God. You are right about leaning too much into fan theories and appeasing fans etc... thats part of how we got into the Stolitz mess, because people liked it so much. But leaning into solely what FANDOM likes, given that fandom regularly ships anything and everything (which isn't bad however the point of fandom is to be creative not to make a coherent show) it leads to characters lore etc becoming muddied as dozens of people input different ideas that don't work coherently with each other and other plans you as the creator have etc. Imo creators should avoid theory content and stick to supporting fanartists, song makers etc only, and minimally too. In general I feel like staying a healthy distance away from fandom is best, especially as your show is ongoing, for a multitude of reasons tbh but that would be veering off topic.

Anyway, thanks for making me realize all this, seriously. Most other retcons I spotted, but this is one I didn't spot for being what it is.

[david-talks-sw]

The fact that Dave Filoni called Anakin “the greatest Jedi ever” is proof that he’s bias AF. His anti-Jedi rhetoric is bupkis.

I wonder if he means "the greatest" in terms of in-universe fame...?

Dunno if this is the case in Canon (then again Dave Filoni blatantly ignores any *non-motion* transmedia elements in Canon so meh), but in Legends he's:

"Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with no Fear™, handsome, dashing, the face of the Republic's army during the Clone War, the only Jedi who tried to resist the nefarious Order's coup and was treacherously murdered for it".

And I seem to remember that, in Canon, he's like the Jedi Temple's superstar anyway, every Jedi recognizes him on sight. I mean, that line from Baylon about "Anakin speaking highly of Ahsoka" must have some meaning beyond artificial personal stakes.

So from a fame and a "power level" standpoint... sure.

He's the greatest.

I'm giving Filoni the benefit of the doubt.

While I've talked about why Filoni's entire headcanon about the Jedi doesn't track with what George Lucas' intended narrative, I think it's worth acknowledging that Filoni's bias comes from part of his duties while directing The Clone Wars was.

One of the goals of TCW was humanizing Anakin, expanding upon his character make him go from "a character whose only purposes is to embody the themes presented in three movies based on the matinee serial format" to a relatable person, a good man, the hero Ben mentions to Luke in A New Hope.

I think it's normal that he'll see Anakin in a more positive light.

Also (and full disclosure this is just me theorizing I am no authority on any of this so if turns out I'm wrong just come right out and say so)...

I'm pretty sure that Filoni, Lesley Headland and most of the recent Star Wars authors are all Gen X, raised by baby boomers forced to conform to society, obey authority and have proper decorum (boys don't cry!) all of which they strove to rebel against. Add to that the corruption they witnessed growing up and coming out of high school, and you see a kind of jadedness emerge. "The rules aren't as black and white, the world is grey."

So while most of them and the boomers despised the Prequels upon release, a few of them projected a more individualistic headcanon onto those movies that fit with where their head was, at the time.

As such: Anakin isn't interpreted by them as a cautionary tale about what happens when you're greedy. He's a misunderstood rebel, a non-conformist who has his flaws but is ultimately good at heart. Which isn't entirely inaccurate, but it is very clearly an embellishment of a character who will one day become a space nazi.

The fact is... the Prequels were made by a boomer. One with very liberal values and who was himself a rebel, but a boomer all the same. The whole point of his story is...

"we all must come together and fight as one, if push comes to shove; we must all be compassionate and selfless if we are to survive; don't be greedy, let people go when it's their time to leave".

And then he makes the Jedi say that, making them beacons of truth and good and compassion in his fairy tale, now aimed at Gen Z kids.

Gen X-ers hear/read that and project all the boomer BS they had been told onto the Jedi...

"oh, so the Jedi are saying you shouldn't love yourself, you shouldn't be yourself, you should give up on what makes you an individual to fit in, you shouldn't feel any emotions"

Because nobody is that good, realistically, right?

This happened in other mediums. The one that comes to mind on the spot is the relationship between Mufasa and Scar.

In The Lion King, Mufasa is strong and noble, Scar is weak and conniving. Simple enough. Around that same time, in A Tale of Two Brothers, young Mufasa is shown to be pretty nice with Taka (Scar), who is framed as a spoiled brat to begin with.

Skip to the 2019 remake, and it's hinted Mufasa gave Scar his wound, and in The Lion Guard they explain that Scar got his nickname from Mufasa mocking him for a misadventure.

He went from being a noble king to a bully who had it coming, Scar is an underdog who got picked on. Because again: nobody is that pure, right? Fairytales be-damned.

Nothing is black and white, it's all grey.

So yeah, long story short I do think that Filoni being part of the generation that wasn't the target demographic but was old enough to retcon the crap out of the Prequels also plays a role into his view of Anakin.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Todomomo is literally the closest you can get to a autistic4autistic t4t ship without it being canon or intentional.Shouto's dad is an abusive hypermasculine prick who's implied to be misogynistic(teaching Touya his views on women as a kid,that they're 'useless' based off their genders)and Shouto wants to grow up to be the man he never could and refused to be and dosen't care about gender at all,much less conforming to it's roles and gets called a pretty boy a lot and is way closer to his mom and sister than he is to either of his brothers,Momo is the daughter of a rich couple who adultified her to the max in order to make her the ultimate 'proper prim lady' with little regard to her emotions and mental well-being and only care about her when she lives up to their impossible expectations and she had to get that 'I have to be perfect or else i'm WORTHLESS and NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ANYTHING' mentality from somewhere and it's not like she wasn't isolated from her peers by not being allowed to be a normal kid in any way(her mom didn't even let her go festivals and she had to sneak off on her first one with a fear of her finding out in the back of her head the whole time!That is NOT normal behavior for your child to exhibit,Doña Yaoyorozu!!!)and she presents femininily in a way that's viewed as artificial by assholes but it's just genuinely who she's made herself to be!Shouto explicitly inhereted his mother's build and hates that he keeps looking like his dad as he gets older and Momo's said to look older than her girl classmates even disregard her body type and towers over most teen guys!!!

Shouto has a neutral expression that looks purely deadpan and just a bit angry/annoyed and he's awful at socializing and he's insanely good at flirting with Momo but IT'S NEVER ON PURPOSE and Momo has a resting smiling face as her default look and she gets scandalized at regular teen behavior and she's an expert at navigating social situations with practiced politeness and they both take things literally and don't understand the dumb kind of norms and have a special fondness for a particular food because it gives them comfort(cold soba + tea types)BUT ALSO!!!!They have matching additional food motifs(bubble tea specifically + strawberry based things)and cordinated outfits with their own aesthetics(their sweaters,,,,,,that got turned into a running thing in the games and i believe official art too)and are canon cat people(*insert that 'All cats have autism' pic here*)and Momo is a bookworm while Shouto is a comics nerd and Momo got into alt music thanks to Jirou and has a love for desserts and Shouto writes platonic love letters to Rei and perfers the spicier/savoury kinds of japanese food AND THEN THEIR ACTUAL RELATHIONSHIP

Shouto voted for Momo because he thinks she's the best they're is but didn't verbally communicate it to her because it never occured to him he'd need to and Momo admires Shouto just as much and said it outloud to his face from the start and Aizawa being the only that helps them clear up the mix up?????His old autistic man ass that's married to audhd icon Mic?So Shouto goes into detail to Momo's face too about how cool he thinks she is and that's when they officially becomes friends and he never shuts up about her to anyone from then on,this nigga's new special interest is his best girl friend he's got a crush on,and he did notice she was sad when no one else did in an earlier part but had no clue what to do or say to cheer her up so they spend time together now that they're really buds and they both know just what to say to eachother by the War Arc and Momo finds Shouto being a fucking doofus with geeky ass tendencies and moments she could make a youtube compilation out of it if she was lil meaner to be so attractive she says he's perfect for Prince Charming as a role in a play Class 1-A did in one of the novel's.Izuku broke Shouto out of his ice,Jirou and Mina broke Momo out of her doll shell and now neither of them need to mask but what brought them together was being next to eachother at their worsts and at their bests and only thinking the latter no matter what or who said otherwise.Including themselves

[bluecatwriter]

So I watched a tv movie called Bram Stoker's Van Helsing (2021) that's only about the London Lucy segment of the story and… you know how no one (despite Van Helsing's fear) is seething with jealousy over Lucy? well, it's a love triangle now because they wanted to make it more interesting. Arthur and Jack keep headbutting for dominance and Arthur is so jealous that he's the one who throws the garlic away at night, for Jack to not be the one who becomes the hero in Lucy's eyes.

Putting this on the pile of Dracula stuff that includes Arthur, but completely changes him to "fix how boring he is"... (see also Anno Dracula (allies with Dracula, becomes a serial murderer all because the Newman loathed Arthur in the book), The Athena Club series (allies with a demon to become a fascist ruler), Dracula 2006 (huge rich jerk, invites Dracula to fix his syphilis), Dracula 2020 (loves to publicly humiliate Jack, horrible person)

Every day I learn about a new adaptation in which my boy is massacred... :'( Bless you for watching so I don't have to.

Turning the Suitor Squad into a love triangle (square?) is just lazy writing, period. Ohhh, multiple guys are interested in one girl and they're jealous and fight over her?? HOW ORIGINAL. *eye roll* It's such a cliché that there is NO excuse for using it, and triply so when the source material doesn't have it in the first place! Arthur throwing the garlic away because of some male ego thing makes me want to smash a chair through my dining room window.

It's honestly discouraging how little imagination adapters seem to have. All right, adapter guy, so you think Arthur Holmwood is boring... it's not a completely unreasonable statement. But look— look at the actual source material and see what's buried there! Just off the top of my head...

-Being someone who cries so openly and on so many different people is a huge character trait. Show how he's defying Victorian masculine norms by freely expressing emotion (or how he's conforming to the stereotype of Sighing Lover) and do something with that.

-What kind of person travels literally all the way around the world, having tons of wild and wacky adventures, and yet never tells any stories about it? What is his motivation for not trying to impress his girlfriend with tales of running from wolves or crashing a ship in Polynesia? What does this say about the way he experiences life?

-The story is ripe with little hints about how incredibly close he is to both Quincey and Jack. If adapters weren't so homophobic, they could explore all sorts of possibilities there.

-He likes dogs! That's a whole character trait!

-All right, adapter doesn't want to engage with any of that and is set on making him evil? Okay, then, make him evil in a way that fits the source material. Once again, making him jealous of other men or a philandering spoiled lordling are super-cliché. How about thinking about what could make him actually go off the rails? Is he haunted by how obedient he was in killing Lucy, even when he didn't know exactly what was going on? Does he carry a grudge against Van Helsing for making him into a killer? Do we take the text at face value that when he set his mind to it, he was ruthlessly effective in ending Lucy's undead life— does he get addicted to that feeling, does he get righteously caught up in vampire hunting (or just murder) because he can't bear the thought that he could've been wrong?

People making adaptations don't have to follow canon, of course, but it seems reasonable for the decisions to be rooted in canon, for readers/viewers to be able to draw a line from point A to point B. At the very least, there's no excuse to fall back on tiresome tropes.

Thanks for giving me the chance to rant about this. :D

[notabumbleb33]

Transfemme Skwisgaar Thoughts

I wanted to shares my transfemme Skwisgaar thoughts!! A little NSFW warnings because this will mentions sex a bit but nothings too explicit! So i specifically sees Skwisgaar as transfemme and usings both he/him and she/her. But i thinks she deals with lots of shame and represses that parts of herself and is deeply closeted about it. To the point of denyings it all together.

Before i continues….i dont believes in sluts shaming. As long as all parties ams consenting and ams adults then go them! So when I speaks about Skwisgaar's mom, Surfetta, and Skwisgaar himself and the amounts of sex they has….its not really that them hasing lots of sex in itself is bad, but more so how it can effects others/themselves.

i thinks Surfetta was never prepared to be a mothers or maybe she nevers wanted to be ones. I means she has a lots of sex and yet Skwisgaar ams her only child (i means that we knows of and its never hinted that she has other kids) so despites all her sleepings around…..for the most part she's been protected enough. I can't imagines Skwisgaar was a planned pregnancy. I do thinks Skwisgaar was loved as much as she coulds have loved him though. But love isn't enough to raise a child well or to be a good mother. Surfetta's promiscuity had negative effects on Skwisgaar. It led him to be bullieds and I personally thinks it skewed the ways he views women. I also thinks Surfetta unintentionally neglected him in ways. I'm not sure she knews how much he was being effecteds....or maybe she didn'ts care. I dunnos. I do really thinks she loves him, but just wasn't fit to be the mothers he neededs.

I thinks Skwisgaar growings up could never fully conforms to the idea of masculinity physicallys. I can imagine him as the types who would be called queer and the f slur….maybe evens the t slur….just because he ams a "pretty boy" and grows out hims hair long. He always felts different from other boys and men. I think later in hims life he excuses it as being a god amongst men and that beings why he doesnt feels the same as others. But clearly its not just that.

If he couldn't conform physically….he conformed to masculinitys in other ways. Having loads of sex with womens is pretty macho man of him i guess lol. I think he tries to carries himself in a way that seems confidents and suave and a real charmer because he associates that with beings a man ig.

Hims relationship with womens is a whole lots of things to me. Canonically, Skwisgaar represents life/fertility in the sames way Toki represents death so ofc he has lots of sex cause he ams spreading his seed and giving life. And I thinks that his mothers promiscuity rubbed offs on him. Aaaaand obviously rock stars are usually known as sluts lol. But I thinks if we are thinksing about my HC…..I also thinks sex with womens kind of acts as like…..experiencing their femininity and womanhood in a ways he feels comfortable. He could nevers admits part of him wants to be like them. He admires their bodies sexually ofc, but I thinks he also envies what they has. If he can'ts be thems then at least he can has sex with them and just admire thems that way. And at the ends of the day they leave. He can separates himself from thems and convince himself thats nothing changed. Nothing was permanent (hopefullys no STDS!!).

I also think Skwisgaar just has this fears that ifs she was her true self….she'd be no betters than hers mother. She's already neglectful to alls those kids she bears…..she sleeps around with random womens all the time…..Skwisgaar is holding on to any difference she has with Surfetta. They also looks alike in ways. And I means this probably goes withouts saying but she worries judgment and hate as does any trans persons. I don'ts know that she could trusts her bandmates to understands it or accepts it or that Dethklok fans would gets it either. She thinks it ams easier to just push it down forever. Hopefully my ways of typings wasn't too hards to read....my bad!! ^_^; Also the scene i posted withs this is so trans coded to me like omg....

[sailorblossoms-snowbaz]

A reason I wrote so much about Simon and Agatha as a couple – a subject I would prefer not to dedicate a second of thought to – is spite. Another is because I'm too annoying not to overthink every single detail, and because I notice imagery of romance and shortcuts being applied to them, and I'm sure it happens without much thought involved. It happens because we're used to them, because we take them for granted, because it's hard to question even when we're told it's wrong.

Like the blushy boy looking at the pretty girl while she walks in slow-motion while romantic music (or music that talks about desiring a woman) plays is a movie cliché, and I knew damn well some people were reading Simon's memory about meeting Agatha like that, not because of what Simon actually says, but because of how used we are to that type of scene. Simon's words aren't about desiring her, but about wanting to be like her, about wanting what he believes Agatha's beauty gives her (acceptance, protection... notice how he keeps talking about being untouchable while being associated with her instead of talking about having feelings for her – he doesn't have them!). Same with the ideas of teenage romance, the image of young love I've seen associated with them (like the blushy kids bumping heads or the boy twirling the girl in the air or lying on the grass staring into each other's eyes as sparkles float in their air and so on) or the dozens of times I've seen people get that they're obviously not in love at the start of CO, but then they ruin it with "but they must have been at some point." Gonna be real here: if we were meant to read these two as "used to be attracted or in love but not anymore," I would question the quality of the writing. I would question the author's ability in the genre, because at no point do they ever say anything that gives me the impression that actual love or attraction had anything to do with their choices. But I know the author is good at romance, so I take them seriously when talk about being together like it's duty and expectation and they have no idea of what else they're supposed to do, and the idea of not conforming is too scary to even contemplate, because if you don't belong here something is wrong, etc. In a moment where Simon should be like "I don't want to let her go as a gf, because [insert romantic feelings here]" he's talking to you about how they became friends and how it would suck to stop being friends after so long. He's not ever like "she used to awaken [insert romantic feelings or attraction] but now I just feel nothing"... there's nothing indicating a romance that run its course!

I'm rambling here (don't even get me started on the assumptions regarding the attraction part, especially the ones associated with Simon because he dares to be a boy who happens to not be great at processing and thus doesn't always present things in obvious exposition) but something less important that kind of bugs me....

The image of Simon towering over Agatha. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I neither remember nor care about the canon heights, but this one bugs me in the way heteronormativity and its imagery bothers me when it's not applicable… isn't Agatha supposed to be tall? I mean, neither Simon nor Baz, who I do remember is tall, should be fitting in that girl's hoodie if she were supposed to be a petite pretty little thing who needs to stand on her toes to reach the boy she's dating (I think Baz mentions the sleeves are a bit short for him, but he should not be able to wear that shit at all if Agatha wasn't at least a bit tall, she doesn’t seem like the type to have clothes that are way too big for her). Isn't that an image that pops up simply because there's a boy and a girl? Even if I'm wrong and she's not tall (which I'll call an inconsistency, given the hoodie business) I'll be willing to bet not everyone indulging in this imagery remembers the canon heights either. I mean, a lot of people forget Agatha's eyes are brown, not blue (which I think also proves Simon's lack of attraction to her. Part of his attraction manifest as obsession – he won't ever let you forget Baz's eyes are grey, and he's very detailed about all the shades of gray those eyes can be. One would think Simon is intentionally getting close – close enough to be in Baz's personal space – to be able to catalogue those shades so clearly)

[mazzystar24]

OMG i still feel like I'm in a fever dream. I keep refreshing tumblr just to make sure that it HAPPENED.

We've been waiting for this for so long, i can't believe that they made Buck Bi!! Also here is the thing i want Buddie to happen and I am a hundred percent sure that it's happening (i don't know why people are thinking that it's not like???) the way i could see this going down is buck and tommy exploring their relationship and Buck beginning to question more and more things such as his relationship with Eddie. I WANT and him and Tommy to be in a relationship for a while (because they're actually pretty cute) and eddie pining. tommy will be the catalyst for Buddie.

Also: Oliver stark literally said, Buck has a crush, gets the person (exactly what happened with tommy) and that he has to work for his relationship to work and ryan saying "closer than ever??"

I also hate the fact that so people are mad and hating on the actors , that it wasn't with Eddie. Like of course a Buddie conformation would've been great, but we all knew that that wasn't gonna happen in this episode? We got FUCKING BI BUCK !!! Let's just celebrate this and just watch this beautiful story unfold. I really love reading your prediction and your positivity, please continue with that !!!

What do you think is going to happen in the next episodes? Sorry for the long ask!!

Sameee like I keep trying to be normal then I REMEMBER I’m like wow I didnt hallucinate that??

Exactly like they flat out called Tommy a plot device, confirmed he’s here for a little bit and that it’s a fling, so enjoy it as much as you want to while it’s here but don’t lose hope for buddie people? like legit this is the biggest confirmation buddie is on the horizon

YES THE INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN REALLY FEEDING INTO MY DELUSION

Like let’s not forget Ryan saying they’re trying to give the people what they want🫡and that they are closer than ever - like legit he has no reason to say this in the same season buck realises he’s bi unless something BIG is gonna happen for buddie (maybe not full canon but vibes???)

Anyone hating on the actors can legit fight me.

Oliver and Ryan have been such troopers for the fandom and Oliver now with this storyline you can tell how much he genuinely loves buck and like understands him as a character but also how to give this storyline what it deserves. Like Oliver has been endlessly respectful to the fandom too like he’s been making sure that he doesn’t get peoples hopes up while also trying to play buck in a way that is true to the character. Like did you guys see his message to the fans? Or his interview talking about how he was gonna actively play buck as bi this season as much as he can even before he got told abt the kiss. Like that man hasnt just been supportive of the fandom he’s been an advocate for us and for buck which is such a wonderful thing.

Also yeah it wasn’t Eddie but do people realise that it’s VERY hard to write an up to now presumed straight character’s self discovery in their 30s LET ALONE TWO?? Like Tim found the easiest way to set the scene for the new audience and the GA who won’t have picked up on early seasons undertone and the little things planted throughout and while I would’ve loved buddie without the middleman I completely understand why they did it this way and I’ll enjoy seeing it unfold

And YES EXACTLY BI BUCK like that alone is a MASSIVE win like we are getting such rare bi rep of not only a guy in a very “macho” job and a womaniser type character BUT ALSO a person figuring stuff out in their 30s not in a repressed full of sex shame and guilt way but in a they genuinely just never explored that side of them!! Like that’s so huge we can talk for hours about how many queer rep stories are just plain depressing but this one is so authentic while also being quite light and sweet

Also aww thanks I genuinely love these asks sm (me? In love with everyone who sends me an ask? More likely than you think🤭🤭🤭)

Also omg I’m sorry this is so long like I spent most of this talking about everything except your question😭😭

Okay so predictions:

So we know that Buck is gonna tell some people and some will be surprised some not so much and some will be like it’s about damn time, my bets are:

chimney- surprised but maybe not through insider info (Maddie)

Maddie- KNOWS HAS KNOWN but the only shocker for her is that it wasn’t Eddie like I can imagine the confused and so tired face rn, I think she probs has either thought he knew or knew he didn’t and just was giving him the time and dropping as many hints as she can in the meanwhile

Bobby- supportive father icon, KNOWS (and while he also I fully believe is the buddie captain as well he will play it a little closer to vest if you get what I mean- but inside he’s going insane and his eye is twitching because he poached Eddie for his dumb bi son only for them to ACT married for six seasons and go to him for dating advice abt other people constantly and now that his son is a man kisser it’s not the man Bobby was hoping for😔 pray for him y’all)

Hen- she’s the it’s about damn time response

Athena- also might be the it’s about damn time response

Ravi- in a permanent state of confusion- not about this he’s just confused always (also still fully convinced the poor guy thought buddie had been married cos that headcanon is endlessly amusing to me)

Now for actual plot I think that like the date is low-key a train wreck after the Eddie and Marisol interruption and that either we get a chenford-like double date or we just have a brief intereuption from Eddie and that’s a minor thing and like it’s buck admitting it’s his first date with a guy who hates throws a lot of questions in the air because Tommys reaction was a bit 👀 like I think it’s more or less confirmed that Tommy was repressed for a while when working with captain dickhead so maybe he’s like gonna be taking a step back cos he thinks buck needs more time to like explore this part of himself (but I hate that trope so hoping not) or maybe we get the buddie shipper daydream and Tommy is like more aware of buddie than buddie are and he either says that to buck as the reasoning but buck doesn’t tell Eddie that OR he says something cryptic about it to buck and buck doesn’t fully understand and he’s like you will eventually👀👀👀 (I need a lobotomy yes the delusions are a part of me now)

I hope that Marisol gets the fuck out right about now but I say that every episode 🫡 (edy’s face and voice make me wanna scream I hate her homophobic, transphobic ass sm)

Anyways I’m gonna shut up now bye love ya thank ya and sorry 🫡🫡

[finalgirlagatha]

rate them on the homophobic scale from 1-10: chaddick, sophie, rhian, beatrix, tedros, kei, and agatha

WAITT this is fun. going off what i think from the books but also all of these characters are gay to me and i don't trust soman a single bit so. we do our best here.

chaddick: 8/10... something internalized going on there for sure. and externalized of course i didn't forget that 'fruit boy' comment from awwp.

Sophie: 7/10 i feel like until she realized the grip her village had in defining how she views sexuality, gender, and her own attraction to femininity she would definitely be the type of straight girl who thinks every lesbian is in love with her. she rejects masculinity in women because it's so unnerving to her she'd be the type to say "well if there's women like that what will the guys do? no one will want them." and then not realize. (lesbian sophie you will never die TO ME).

rhian: 9/10 i think he'd be like Sophie thinking every gay man is in love with him and he likes the attention but judging by the fallout out of jaric (which. fair) i think he'd hold some prejudice and even repulsion. "like have you even tried to kiss a girl though." and then if we dive into the layers of him and kei i think he'd refuse to look past the surface level of "he's my head of guard of course i need and love him don't be delusional. that's literally my dog." so. however there is something super interesting about how he introduced lionsmane as a literal deviation from the typical narrative of the storian favoring the rich and powerful hetero-patriarchal fairytales. it was a means to secure power but there is something there.

beatrix: 6/10 has been homophobic will not be again? came out? awwp is a hot garbage mess but I think that her liberation induced by the hands of Agatha and Sophie choosing each other was a big game changer for her. i've talked about this before but she definitely was in love with Agatha upon her return. beatrix was ready to go, her facade from the head ever girl went away with the snap of the finger. so i think the homophobia (which of course in the text was never quite homophobia but was also defined as forcing this hetero-patriarchy standard and the status quo) was just tool of that facade. it was real, but i don't think it was deep seated in her mind like these other things. beatrix is soo fascinating actually because YES awwp is so fucked up and stupid but to see her pursue a future without a prince with the same force as she endeavored to catch Tedros attentions in the first book shows how radical that was for her. NO MOM, A PRINCE WAS YOUR DREAM. and etc.

tedros: 6/10 this boy is bisexual 🙏 but he is not immune to the years of frat boy mentality heaping up from his dad and the other everboys.

kei: 7/10 he's gay but i don't think he's an ally... let me explain. i think that sexuality is just another tool to him to further the advances of rhian who is like. front and foremost in his mind. i'm referring to his manipulation of dot (and if you want to make it a little more interesting and relevant, tedros). also calling aric a monster in acot is super interesting.... drawing the lines there, huh. i see you.

agatha: 0/10. to put it shallowly, in my experience lonely weird girls are so sweet and accepting. to put it deeply, agatha grew up rejected by her village so she has a level of solidarity with those also rejected for not conforming. she didn't grow up in a house headed by a man, her mother was in charge and she doesn't really have that gavaldon hetero-patriarchy ideology baked in her like sophie does. my sexuality headcanon for Agatha fluctuates between bi or lesbian but she is definitely not straight (unless it's for a gag about canon!agatha). do you guys remember edgar and hester. yeah.... i got to reread that scene idk why that just popped in my head.

thank you for this ask!

[princelylove]

Prince, I come back with another ask, I hope you don't mind (I have bubble tea this time, I hope you like it🧋🧋)

Ask relate to gender bender and this time is about Jolyne my beloved~ Do you have any headcanon for Jolyne male version, about physical form and personality?

I think male Jolyne will not so different to female version, at least about characteristics. Properly still very clingy and have daddy (or mommy if Jotaro gender bender too) issue.

Thank you so much for your great writing 💓 I look forward reading your work everyday

~ 🏵️ anon ~

Oooh. 🏵️ anon always hits my need to genderswap characters.

Deadbeat mom Jotaro is sooo funny. Went through the process of birthing an entire human being just to leave because of perceived danger.

Jolyne is an interesting case. She's not very gender conforming, I find her to be leaning masculine in terms of fashion sense, but she's putting up a front. Jolyne wants to be pampered and given princess treatment. She wants to be called "Jojo" and given lovey pet names, she wants kisses and gifts and to be taken on dates and-

Hey, stop looking at that. That's personal. Wanting to be spoiled isn't not masculine, but Jolyne counts it to be a bit emasculating.

Male Jolyne is the same in terms of personality. He's one of those boyfriends that act tough in public but baby talk you in private. The type of guy that clears his throat and says "Yo what the fuck" when they catch you recording them doing said baby talk.

He enjoys being pampered, but finds it even harder to open up. Oh god. I'm resisting making a "guy who's still in love with his 'first love'" joke. He's not really into Romeo anymore but GOD does it hurt. You're not gonna leave him like that, are you?? You're not out to hurt him??

Jolyne's normal fem body type is a bit bulkier than her canon body type, she coped with getting dumped and, you know, framed for murder by eating and working out. She has a distinct waist and a smallish (leaning, really) chest, it's probably very close to her masc body type. She's tall for a woman but short for a man- it's kinda funny, I consider Jolyne to be the second shortest Joestar- she's not insecure about her height, but loooves praise for it anyway.

Any and all praise, really. Poor thing is starved.

[rollercoasterwords]

PLEASE tell us your barbie opinions!!!!! pls pls i also have opinions

happy 2 share but i will be putting it under a cut bc. a lot of people seem 2 think this movie is god's gift 2 earth and i am not in the mood 2 deal w barbie evangelists lol so if u do not want 2 see barbie movie criticism just scroll away

will preface by saying i enjoyed the movie i thought it was fun etc + i don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying it or finding it fun or even feeling very personally empowered/seen by what the movie had to say. that's all very nice on a personal level and i understand why so many people are finding the movie cathartic.

that being said i do not think the movie was feminist or subversive by a long shot and seeing so many people talk about how radical it was makes me feel like i'm being gaslit!!! like. did we watch different movies lmao. maybe i'd understand a little more why everyone was being taken in if barbie had like, gone to the real world and fought patriarchy in the movie--but she didn't even do that! they introduce the concept of real-world patriarchy only to have barbie go back to barbieland and destroy fake barbie patriarchy (which is rooted simply in one man's insecurity and easily resolved by gently encouraging him to seek self-worth outside his relationship--not exactly a cutting examination of the material investment that men have in patriarchy which makes it so difficult to challenge) and leave real-world patriarchy intact at the end (the big #feminist moment for real women is...mattel's sexist ceo saying he'll use a woman's idea for the next barbie, since he can make a lot of money off it? he doesn't even say he's going to pay her for the idea lmao).

so all in all the whole "barbie destroys patriarchy" bit of the movie just. did not feel particularly feminist to me beyond a very surface level acknowledgment that sexism exists and is bad. and like--i get that it's the barbie movie, and people could say "well of course it can't be that subversive but it did a good job for what it was!!" but i'm just like. ok yeah then let's call it what it was...instead of calling it subversive?? also every feminist message the movie tried to champion was immediately undermined by its fundamental investment in gender essentialism, which remains unchallenged throughout the whole film. like--barbies are literally canonically sexless and so u can't even try to argue that the gender binary which their society is based around is anything but 100% socially constructed, and we see that that gender binary affords privilege to some and not to others and also leads to ostracization of those who fail to conform to it, yet the happy ending of the movie is barbieland just...staying that way. and i feel like the movie then kinda says the quiet part out loud when barbie becomes a "real woman" by getting a vagina like...ok. lol

so like. even the interior politics of the film i struggle to understand how it could be considered groundbreaking feminism; and then when we zoom out and look at the material impact of the movie that just cements it as un-feminist to me. this is a really good article about the beauty standards being pushed + perpetuated by barbie marketing, and of course as with basically any hollywood movie the rich (and mostly rich men) will be getting richer, cycles of consumerism will be perpetuated, etc. honestly the "feminist" aspect of the film almost feels insidious to me in this context, as if it's meant to provide the catharsis of feeling like there's been some big challenge to patriarchy while quietly reinforcing the systems of oppression it publicly decries.

and like. at the end of the day i was not expecting barbie to be a subversive feminist film nor do i think it like...has a responsibility to be one. and it's nice that so many people feel like they're getting something out of it! but i think it's important to evaluate both the personal and societal impact of the media we're critiquing, and in that context it just seems silly to me to claim that barbie is subversive. i also find the amount of rhetoric i've seen about how the movie "encapsulates the female experience" so fucking irritating lmfao like...i am sorry but the idea that watching a group of hyperfeminine women flirt with men as a method of destroying patriarchy (<- not an exaggeration that is literally the plot. flirt with each other's boyfriends to make them jealous so they fight each other. zero lesbians in barbieland i suppose) is THE quintessential experience of #womanhood...well alright then.

anyway. there is more i could say but i am going 2 get dinner w a friend so. stopping here <3 not gonna post the link but i do have a full/in-depth review on my substack if u wanna poke around over there!

[pixiecactus]

dumb headcanon on the way but i think it's a little bit funny how house baratheon seems to be the most varied in the sexuality spectrum:

robert is aggressively heterosexual, that we already know, a sex pest, if you will, i'd dare to say that he was one of those men that would never consider any other option than being straight and having sex with woman as valid for himself so he overcompensated in that field, but i just have the inkling that he was so "in love" with the idea of lyanna and marrying her, because she was ned stark's sister, alas the closer he could get in marriage to ned. yeah, we can say all of this was because robert saw ned as truly his brother and has always wanted ned to approve of him, but that just remind me of something i read once about how some men use women's bodies to actually have sex with other men while masquerading as seeking approval from them. and don't get me started with ned's very own "muscled like a maiden's fantasy", all of this is probably just stupid nonsense but it has a degree of homoeroticism that just speaks to me.

stannis seems to me, like a sex-repulsed asexual trapped inside a heavily heteronormative lifestyle, as we know, selyse and stannis haven't produced a "right" heir yet, and sadly in the westerosi society, the only child they have, shireen baratheon, is considered a double failure, since she's a girl that would grow to be a women, and is a sickly child since she contracted greyscale as an infant that left her desfigured. and since it's pretty much accepted that she will be burned alive in the books too, rip shireen, you deserved so much better than this. selyse and stannis doesn't have love for each other, and rarely share each other's bed other than the time that duty calls for it. and stannis sleeping with melisandre in the books is very ambiguous, and if shadow assasins are created as a product of sexual intercourse, the way i see it, that would meant for stannis duty most than anything else. and yes, even sex repulsed asexuals partake in sex for a myriad of differents reasons. being asexual doesn't equal not having sex, that's celibacy.

and renly, well renly is one of few canon queer characters we have in the books, even when it was never explicity stated, but various characters point towards a relationship between him and his wife's brother, loras tyrell. and their relationship gave us this quote that is one of my own favourites: "when the sun has set, no candle can replace it." the raw passion and romanticism unmatched to this day.

also shoutout to some of the bastards from house baratheon:

mya stone for being a gender non conforming woman who is also straight, something that this fandom considers the weirdest thing possible.

and gendry who is at the very least demisexual, if you don't want to think of him as demiromantic as well.

[findafight]

With the whole "Munson doctrine" bs. Eddie wasn't just against the jocks and the bullies (and there's no proof that he was seriously bullied? Just a bit of an outcast?). He was against anyone that was a part of what he called conformity. In that stupid speech on the table he called out people in band and those who like science for forced conformity. Other outcasts, other people that would have been bullied. Because they liked something he didn't.

It wasn't about self defense, it was an I'm right, you're wrong mentality, that his interests were the only valid interests.

Also, this is why I *hate* the idea of Eddie and Robin being friends or having some sort of alliance pre-s4 (or even pre-s3) because she's in band and likes band and he canonically criticized being in band as forced conformity. Why would she be friends with someone who is so vocally against something she enjoyed?

Oh yes I think Eddie has a bee in his bonnet about people who don't......conform.....to his brand of nonconformity. But I do think part of it is self preservation, or at least started out that way but grew into something else? Eddie is an outcast, has a non-nuclear family, and is poor, and all that shapes his view, but it also doesn't stop him from ostracizing people who he thinks aren't outcast enough or in the correct way (Subconsciously, at least.) Eddie thinks the only way to be a weirdo and a freak is to be loud about it, to be purposely obnoxious, to not even consider the normie hobbies or interests as something worth your time.

But as you've said band geeks and science nerds would also be in the crossfire. Heck, the party are all science nerds! I guess that didn't actually interfere with Eddie's interests though. Until inevitably a big county/state science fair or something would be on Hellfire night, and then it might have (except the Duffers would not have done that because they want to continue the nerd v jock thing happening that's just so stupid). He left Lucas out to dry, what's to say he wouldn't do the same to the other boys?

Part of what makes Eddie a fun and interesting character is that we get a glimpse of him starting to realize the strict us vs them, jocks vs nerds, conformity vs nonconformity binaries he's built around himself are not so clear-cut when he talks to Steve in the upside down. But it took him seeing Steve being a chill and kind guy, as opposed to Lucas who was in Hellfire since the beginning of the year to make him see that. Maybe he viewed Lucas as betraying them by joining basketball, but Steve, moving in the """opposite direction""" away from ""jockdom"" was what made it click for him. Eddie has a lot of issues to work through regarding expectations and nonconformity.

Oh. Yes I don't think, in canon, Eddie and Robin would be friends pre S4. Like I think aus that show us how he works through things (or at least tells us he did) can be fun. But when there's just the assumption that they'd be friends pre S4 or even pre S3 without either of them changing from how we were introduced to them? Uhg. Robin thinks Eddie is an annoying weirdo who stepped on her lunch one time :( and said the band uniforms were stupid and she took offense to that because he acted like it was their fault and not the school's. Eddie thinks Robin is some boring band dweeb and never thinks about her unless it's a vauge sort of "oh she's talking to Dustin" way.

It's also frustrating because Steve is often left behind in these AUs, and Eddie replaces him as Robin's best friend [at least at the start] One of the reasons stobin is so powerful is because they were both lonely losers who happened to find their forever friend in scoops ahoy. Robin having a close friend she's out to before that doesn't make sense, especially since it's heavily implied Steve is the first person she's told, which is why that scene means so much!