#i know there aren't any women and that is because i literally cannot remember what jeez-its thinks are good qualities in women

[myfaveisfuckable]

Yamato: carpentry themed, weird parent situation, good dude who respects women and just wants people to get along and do their jobs,

Neji: sacrificed on a wooden construct, character growth, forgiveness,

Gaara: character growth character growth character growth, powerful father who uses him for the betterment of the greater good, just a little guyyyy, repentance,

Kakashi: eternal suffering for humanity, literally died for the village, gentle teacher,

The uchihas: defined by love and suffering and still persisting and ultimately returning to the "flock" (way of fire)

Hinata: strong, devoted, devout woman who supports her beloved, protects her family, and in spite of her trials in life chooses to be kind and gentle

[creepy-friday]

YOOOO THAT WAS SO GOOD 😫

Although I couldn't help but think about the deer in forest watching them do this 💀

But ok, I actually have an idea:

Do you think you can make headcannons (they can have NSFW if you want) about what would happen if the three Proxies actually fell for/grew attracted to Y/N? 👀

Like I think that would be such an interesting concept, the rivalry would go through the roof 😰

But again! Only if you want to!!! 💖

I love this! 👀 inspiration kicked in!

What if the three Proxies would fall for you?

AFAB READER

Warnings:suggestive themes,misogyny,

abuse,mental illness and violence mentions

if you are unfortunate enough to be the object of affection to these 3 gremlins then all I can wish you is good luck!

since you're a proxy you would be mostly  assigned missions with the other minions of Slenderman,on very rare occasions you would work with the other creeps (I will get into that later)

you're also the only feminine presence they come in contact with,I'm also gonna press the fact that they are touch starved men in a manor filled with rapists,mentally ill and paranoic people.Things aren't pretty so I'm not gonna sugarcoat it

altough you're powerful given your rank and all,they are fully grown men.It's NEVER safe to be unarmed when spending time with any of them,including Toby who sometimes gives off the impression of being this sweet lost unfortunate boy

He's also the first one to be delusional enough to think you can be into him given your role to mediate others and to keep things under control.

he doesn't know shit about women,sure he can remember fragments of how his sister used to be,but he can't compare you to her.Given his experience with Clockwork+the constant bullying from Masky, he's insanely insecure

he has a mommy kink

he fell for the way you take care of him,even if it's just your job.If you do nice things like checking up on him even when you two aren't working it results into fuelling his delusions

because of his feelings he's a literal ticking bomb,wanting to spend as much time with you as he can but in the same time to stay as far away to not make a fool of himself

you cannot please him.He will literally want to crawl into your skin and head to know exactly what you're thinking 100% of the time.

at times,he knows he's wrong.He knows he's unhealthy,but he cannot give up on you now that you're stuck with him.His fights with Masky will get even more violent,resulting in him being patched up by either EJ or you

he will also fake bad moods,anxiety attacks and will even cut himself so that you pay attention to him.He can be a very good actor and knows how to manipulate his way into your arms

he takes out his sexual frustrations on his right hand tbh,thinking of like 100 scenarios under 5 minutes then repeating for half a night.Don't ask about his dark circles the next day,he will feel even more disgust towards himself than he feels already

whenever he's alone he acts like a horny teenager and whenever he's alone WITH YOU the scenario would go two ways: it's either complete silence with him acting all creepy and stealing glances in your direction or him acting even more creepier and being all over you.This results in two tic attacks,one worse than the other

I feel like Brian would be his biggest problem in order to get to you.He gets very clingy whenever the hooded man is around,and gives off the impression of being in control even tough he's in a constant state of anxiety

Masky is one son of a bitch.He will get all violent with you over every inconvenience and argument.

couldn't sleep last night?It's because of you.(I mean,it kinda is but still)

he has no power over you but desperately wants to.

makes nasty comments about your body whenever you're in a state of undress or if you wear clothes that accentuate your body shape.The comments might vary from slut shaming to cat calling he insists are "compliments" (he knows they are disrespectful,he does it on purpose to piss you off)

as long as your attention is on him he can sleep well at night.

this is how he started.You never gave in the fear nor the disrespect coming from him.Sure,you had your meltdowns,but he found your strength endearing ,he wanted to break you

he's sure you'll grow up on him.He counts on Tim to woo you with his gentlemanly behaviour,but he's just as mentally fucked as his other side.

Masky wants to own you.He daydreams of doing atrocious things to you while you either cry or praise him.He's one sick man,and he knows it.

at the same time,a small part of him wants you to fuck him and that big mouth of his.The only between is Tim,who wants to be by your side and to protect you from the other animals in the mansion

his fights with Toby get intense,but also longer than usual.If he loses in front of you he would have a bad day for the rest of the week tbh

arguments with Brian might also result in fights,but his friend has a way of slipping out of them since he knows you're the reason for his sudden increase of hormones

as I previously mentioned,on the rare occasion you might work with the other creeps,Masky would start to be a little fuck and make assumptions to whoever stayed in your presence for far too long,might also result in violence if said creep happens to be male.

Brian is way more manipulative than Toby when he needs to be,he laid eyes on you the first time you arrived there.

altough he's one tall boi,he blends well into his surroundings,that gives him the advantage to watch your every single move and to analyse your behaviour

you're fascinating to him,you're fearless yet you're sickly sweet.From your rare smile to the way your hair sticks to your forehead during long training sessions,he found himself way too attracted to you

couldn't care less about that prick nor anger issues in a person,he could simply get what he wants during a matter of time

he finds Toby pathetic but takes pity on him,and finds Tim irritating from to time to time,but more in a sibling type of way,he would be up for sharing tbh

he respects his work so he respects you as well,altough he won't take your side whenever Masky starts to insult you,no,he wants to see your reaction,the way you carry yourself

he sees you as his equal in the line of work,but has moments when he looks down on you,sometimes he's sure you won't last long in such a cruel world

Hoodie is the rival of no one,in terms of looks and strength he's intimidating,he could beat his teammates if they would ask for a fight,but he thrives off of mind games

Masky pissed you off?you can trash talk him to Brian.Toby made you uncomfortable?That's okay,he's here to listen!

he will be your shoulder to cry on,and he really listens to you without the need to mansplain or to invalidate your feelings.He has a way with women

he's unapologetic for the times he closed his eyes and pretended you're whimpering on his lap

Hoodie can act cold towards you whenever he wants your attention,he can be all touchy fuzzy for a day then the next day to treat you like you're no longer friends.Keeps you in hot-cold games to test your limits and to keep you interested in him

he can also be a little shit and to give others a side smirk whenever you choose him to partner up someplace

you got yourself in quite the situation. Good luck getting out! The woods are a dangerous place,so leave no marks behind as you run,some might enjoy the chase~

[very-straight-blog]

Making Aegon a r*pist was lazy writing, and it only further demonstrate how the screenwriters aren't able to understand the concept of "grey character".

Do I think it should be completely overlooked? No. Because even if he didn't hurt Helaena he did r*pe Dyana (it was completely useless to his character and it only served the purpose of making him appear more irredeemable, but that's beside the point), and he should be held accountable for it by the viewers at the very least.

Do I also think Aegon's sexual trauma — that would be having to sire children at FUCKING FOURTEEN — was grossly overlooked and glazed over not only by the viewers but also by the screenwriters, and that it could have been represented in a vast variety of more poignant ways (for example, instead of making Aemond an SA victim because yes, they could have given Aegon that kind of relationship with the madame and dive deeper on how he seeks the love he doesn't receive from his family elsewhere)? Do I also think the screenwriters treated Aegon unjustly just because they are not capable of handling a male character with such deep, complex scars that cannot be fully explained in an eight-episodes-long series, and have therefore decided to butcher him because they prioritized hype instead of delivering an actual good product to the public?

Yes. Yes to all of that. As a mainly TB fan I felt myself being forced into my faction, because "who would support a r*pist?", and I came to find unjust how unreasonable this argument is: Daemon and Viserys are r*pists too, with the former literally asking young virgins be set aside for him in brothels and the latter being seen forcing himself on Alicent. Neither of them is held nearly as accountable for their misdeeds as Aegon, and to this day I don't understand why.

I agree with everything here in general and will talk a bit about this topic (I like to talk about Aegon, in case someone suddenly didn't notice).

Yes, the show certainly manipulates facts to endear viewers to one character and make them hate another. Almost everyone in this story has done terrible things, but a lot of fans behave as if the incident with Dyana was the worst of them. Well, I don't know, what about those women Daemon slept with in the brothels? Who often didn't want to be there, who were very young, because he preferred virgins. What about that servant who was killed to hide Laenor's escape? What about Rhea, whom Daemon killed in cold blood to marry Rhaenyra? And so on and so forth. And believe me, such planned crimes shock me much more than what the drunken idiot Aegon did without even remembering it later. Once again, did he do a bad thing? Yes. Is he a good person (character)? No. But at least I'm not trying to make him into someone he's not. And yes - Aegon is still an interesting and complex character that I adore. Not a villain and not just a "drunk and r*pist."

The problem is how his actions are presented to the viewer. Our acquaintance with adult Aegon literally begins with this rape scene, this is our first impression of the character. Aegon has eight minutes of screen time in the first season, and three of them are devoted to the discussion of this incident. Plus, they don't give him anything that could justify it. Did Daemon kill his wife? Well, he did it for love. And this is deeply explored, we're forced to sympathize with the character and then we easily forgive him for such an act. Aegon is shown simply as an asshole without any redeeming traits.

Time skips cleverly mask the fact that Aegon and Helaena were teenagers at best when the twins were born. Helaena gave birth to TWO children at such an early age, they became parents against their own will, not being ready for it. It's interesting, it adds depth to the characters, it might explain why Aegon drinks so much - but of course the screenwriters won't show us that.

Again, Aegon's hypersexuality isn't something funny, it's not what makes him an asshole, it's a sign of trauma. He uses it to numb his loneliness. I believe that Aegon literally didn't have the opportunity to feel what love is in any form. His father disliked him and showed it openly. His mother loved him, but she never knew how to express it the way he needed to. He was married to his sister (the tragedy for both of them) and it was a matter of duty, not feelings. At the time of the first season, Aegon is deeply unhappy and this is obvious. I have every reason to believe that his need for physical intimacy is based on the fact that this is the only form of love he can receive. Considering that Aegon is quite smart, I even think that he himself understands how ugly this form is, but there's nothing he can do. During the act, I guess in some unhealthy way it really saves him from loneliness, longing and the need to be loved, but in the end it makes him even more unhappy.

My thought turned out to be a bit messy and it's time for me to shut up, otherwise I'll never finish, but the point is that the show manipulates the audience to create "the right" point of view for them and it's very annoying. And they also don't know how to create deep, controversial characters at all.

[violetasteracademic]

Hello!! I absolutely adore your posts and how well you've researched and thought everything out. I am curious what you think about Mor being Azriel's mate. I go back and forth on the question - it's a lot to tackle with Mor's sexuality and how mates are chosen etc. I feel like there's some language that could indicate they're mates, but I know it's not a popular theory in the Elriel bubble and ACOTAR fandom as a whole. It would also solve the question of "what would Azriel do if him and Elain aren't mates, but he found his mate later on?" Just curious if you have any thoughts on the matter. :)

Hello my love! First of all, I want to genuinely thank you for your kind words. I have quite a few days in this fandom where I wonder if I fit in here, but my deep enjoyment for writing theory posts and fanfics keeps me going! You caught me on a day I was sort of in my feels about it, so it was really lovely to see a kind word attached to the ask!

I am 100% a Morrigan and Azriel are Cauldron breeding mates just like L/ucien and Elain truther, and I have soooo much to get into about it and am bringing my usual receipts. I'm pretty convinced that even if she ultimately opts not to go that direction, she for sure was thinking heavily about it.

This post is EXCEPTIONALLY long (as usual) because I think Morrigan is a character that receives unjust hate in every microcosm of the fandom and some things need to be noted, and I hope you all will give it a chance even if you dislike Mor or hate this theory!

It is important to remember that every character is in fact *not* a real person, but the author. And sometimes character flaws are not intentionally curated for arcs and development, but they are author flaws. I believe this is partly the case with Morrigan. I don't spend a lot of time critiquing SJM. This is not because she is above reproach, it's simply because there are plenty of people out there doing it and there are valid spaces for that. That being said, I cannot address the Morrigan situation without addressing the very real issue of SJM and her blind spots when it comes to representation. This is something that SJM and Bloomsbury have addressed and made necessary steps to improve:

Time article published January 30th 2024, found here.

SJM has fallen into a lot of bad tropes and stereotypes when it comes to her BIPOC and LGBTQ representation, to the point where she has hired sensitivity readers to ensure she does not continue to so do. This is a great thing, and personally I think sensitivity readers should be the bare minimum and the absolute norm and not solely employed in response to criticism. Alas, it is a new addition and her past mistakes live on.

Sexuality is a spectrum, and while some people might identify with the way SJM has represented it, she had a pattern that she did not break until recently: Tokenizing sexual representation as bi characters interested in having sex with all genders and orientations without experiencing emotional attraction outside of their preferred gender.

*TOG spoiler* The Aedion bi reveal in the second to last book served literally no purpose other than- look! More representation! He had no romantic or emotionally intimate experiences with men throughout the series, but very suddenly and randomly reveals he has sex with men. It is mentioned once, then never again, because he is pursuing a heterosexual relationship. That is a valid experience with sexuality but in the context of ToG it was a brow-raising and unearned attempt to throw in an extra queer character because she was being criticized. That's a hey you tried but maybe do better next time.

But then it happened again with Helion- freely having sex and experiencing physical attraction with both men and women but only suggestions of having fallen in love with a woman, and will likely only persue a hetero relationship.

Then it happened again with Morrigan (with a slightly flipped script), who only experiences love and romance with women but freely has sex with men. Now we see a *pattern* and at this point its like, mmkay, skill issue. Even if it does feel authentic and representative to *some* readers, it is also a reflection of the authors limitations exploring emotional intimacy with her bi characters and just treating them as wanting/willing to have sex with anyone while only like liking just boys or just girls.

I bring all of this up because I am going to bring in my usual methods of comparisons, themes, development, ect- but I am typically talking about things SJM did exceptionally well. When it comes to Morrigan, I don't necessarily think she has done things all that well. But the threads are still there, and my love for Morrigan and experience with her themes live beyond an irritating skill issue on the authors part. Lets get into it.

I've made quite a few posts about the usage of the mating bond as a plot device and the development of theme. The best one to catch up on if you'd like is probably this one here.

The biggest indicators to me that Morrigan is Azriel's corrupted Cauldron (aka breeding) mate are twofold: parallel behavior between Mor and Lucien as well as the development of Morrigan's theme of her value being tied to her breeding in ACOWAR alongside the introduction of the mating bond being nothing less than a tool for powerful breeding, also for the first time in ACOWAR.

With the confirmation that the Asteri corrupted the Cauldron, along with the conversation regarding the Asteri forcing mated pairs outside of sexual orientations and not caring (*HOSAB), SJM doubled down on all of this. The Asteri need powerful offspring. They will force queer women to mate with men to do it.

Spoiler alert: Celestina does *not* prefer males. And the Asteri do not care.

CC also, in my opinion, cemented the two-bond theory. The Mother Bond (also known as Urd or Wyrd) the true soul-mated pairs, and Breeding Bond- created at the behest of the Asteri.

With breeding bonds, you can experience a sense of ownership and possessiveness over someone you are not even remotely romantically interested in:

Both Mor and L/ucien go stiff during representations of their *alleged mates interacting romantically with someone else even when there is no attraction or emotional intimacy. For L/ucien, he doesn't even know Elain. He doesn't automatically assume they will even be together, because he wants to know more about her personality and decide if they are a good fit. Honestly? Super healthy and valid.

Morrigan is having her moment during ACOFAS. She is very much out as queer (again, with some confusion of whether or not she is bi due to a skill issue on the author's end, but 100% confirmed to not be romantically interested in men) so why is she going tense at the sight of Azriel acting like a BDE husband to Elain? The unjustified and unsympathetic take (imo) is that she is being weird and jealous and wants Azriel's attention even though she doesn't want him. This makes no sense. She has actually only ever acted positively towards Elain, and before this dinner mused on Azriel giving Elain truth-teller without a shred of jealousy. But then to see them together, even though she does not want Azriel and only wishes for his happiness, she tenses, then recovers quickly. To me, both of these moments indicate a jerk reaction to the breeding bond at work.

There is also this idea of feel a pull to explore their *alleged mate just once:

L/ucien actually has already seen Elain, and although he had some immediate instinctive reactions, it didn't leave him immediately feeling like this was the woman he was supposed to be with. Alternatively, Morrigan deeply loves Azriel, just not in that way. She loves him so much that sometimes she wonders if she should try, just once, just to know for sure, even though she is not capable of falling in love with men. Both of these scenes are from ACOWAR, and tie into the way mating bonds are finally described, and how most mates feel like they should try:

Even though neither Mor or L/ucien experience romantic feelings for their mates, they feel a pull to try. They think about giving things a chance just to be sure. This is not something any of our other mates have experienced.

This passage also leads me to another important note- which is the severity of mating bond rejections. Again, all of this is in ACOWAR and thematically connects. Both Elain and Mor have very good reason to be afraid of a mating bond rejection. It can drive a male mad and make them go violently insane. We can criticize both women all day long about how they should just reject their mates and have the conversation so everyone can move on, but when this is what is on the table for them? A man possibly killing because of the power of the mating bond? That is no joke.

The only reason Morrigan slept with Helion is because she was sick and terrified over Azriel handing Eris his ass because he called her a slut. Mor has already seen Azriel act in an uncontrolled and violent manner that could not easily be stopped on her behalf. If she is afraid of what a mating bond rejection will do to Azriel, the depth and complexity of her decision, and her behavior to try to distance and avoid the conversation is a lot more sympathetic. I also believe that Morrigan, Azriel, and Elain will be doing some work together in Vallahan, and the issue of the Cauldron being wrong for both Azriel and Elain will resolve during that storyline. You can read more about that here.

And then of course, there is this:

Rhys only brings up Mor when Azriel brings up the Cauldron. That feels extremely intentional to me. I think Rhys either knows or assumes that Azriel and Mor have a mating bond. I think both Az and Mor know (I also think Azriel absolutely knows Mor is queer, and their weirdness and his constant confusion and staring at her has more to do with that than being in love with her, because he doesn't understand why she is sleeping with men at all.) Crack theory, but I think Eris knows. What happened between Mor and Eris isn't a secret, it was all revealed in ACOFAS. But I think somehow, for some reason, Eris is also aware of the mating bond between Az and Mor, which is why Morrigan gets so pissed when Eris needles her about not telling the whole truth. She isn't trying to hide what Eris did to make herself look better (he didn't do much, really, still left her to die even though he did her a solid by not accepting her as his wife) but he also knew that a Blood Duel could be called by Az over her.

Here's the thing: ACOWAR states that some courts allow men to kill each other over their mate choosing or having other partners. The bonus chapter clarifies that violence as the Blood Duel. I do not believe the Blood Duel can be called over anyone over any situation- it is specific to mates. I could be wrong, but it seems strange that Rhys would talk about outlawed violent practices that is not allowed in his court but is in others, and then we would see the Blood Duel brought up as the Autumn Court tradition, and not see them as one in the same:

Ultimately, all of these characters are grappling with their choices being affected by deeply held cultural beliefs about the mating bond.

If Azriel and Mor are breeding mates, she is struggling with genuine love for him but being unable to love him romantically. She thematically is dealing with hiding her sexuality because there is no greater dishonor to the culture of her family than a woman not being used for sale and breeding. If Azriel and Mor are mates, so much of her behavior and her themes and experiences make so much more sense. Rhysand's response to Azriel thinking the Cauldron was wrong when he has a mate in the Inner Circle whom he already loves makes more sense. Azriel knowing Mor is queer and not understanding why she sleeps with men but also not pushing her to have a conversation about their bond makes more sense.

Everything makes more sense if Az and Mor are mates.

If they are not, well, skill issue, I guess.

Either way, I truly hope Mor gets her HEA and SJM's employed sensitivity writers will help her do it justice.

How did we do? Did anyone stick with me on this one? Have I won you over? I can't wait to see what happens, however it pans out! And I'm grateful for the addition of sensitivity readers to Sarah's work. I hope she does her best to represent as well as she can!

[jedi-enthusiast]

I am once again asking anti-Jedi people to get the fuck off my page--and yes, this poster was specifically anti-Jedi because they literally made a post about "sure the Jedi are better than the Sith, but anyone can be better than those and the Jedi are still evil/red flags/etc."

I have made it very clear through many of my posts and my fucking blog description that I don't tolerate anti-Jedi propaganda on my blog, but apparently I haven't been clear enough--so here's another:

KEEP YOUR FUCKING ANTI-JEDI BULLSHIT OFF MY FUCKING BLOG, EITHER POST IT ON YOUR OWN BLOG OR SHUT THE FUCK UP ON MINE

Is that clear enough for you assholes?

Now, first of all, on the post this was commented on I didn't even mention Athena Andreadis and I want to make it clear that 1. I've never even heard of this person and 2. I've never read this essay. I was just venting about how I can't talk about SW without some anti-Jedi jackasses popping in with comments on how "the Jedi were evil," but apparently now I can't even fucking complain about SW shit without anti-Jedi jackasses popping in their two-cents.

The irony.

Now, I've looked up several iterations of "Athena Andreadis strange horizons anti-Jedi essay" and I cannot find it--so I won't be picking apart the specific points made, since I can't find them, but I will be picking apart the general points here.

First of all, I have no idea how being anti-Jedi could possibly be seen as a "feminist" thing.

Like...there are plenty of female Jedi, most are viewed in-canon by other Jedi--both male and female--as good and wise (how fandom views them is out of my control), there are female Jedi in leadership positions, there are both modest and non-modest dressing Jedi and neither of them are viewed negatively for how they dress--nor do any Jedi comment on how they dress, they're diverse in both their looks and beliefs, as far as I'm aware there aren't any rules the Jedi follow that are specific to the women...

Like, I'm just not seeing how the Jedi Order is sexist or how it's feminist to be anti-Jedi.

Can singular characters be sexist? Yes, of course, obviously. But unless I'm remembering wrong, it's actually Anakin (y'know, the baby-murderer guy who's horrible at being a Jedi and turns into a fucking Sith Lord?) who's shown to be sexist in SW media. Other than his behavior, I don't really remember other Jedi being shown as sexist--someone feel free to correct me if I'm forgetting something, though.

Second, the Jedi also didn't want to join the war, but they had no better options.

It is made clear throughout the movies and TCW that the Jedi don't want to be generals in this war, Mace Windu even spells it out for Palpatine by saying "we are keepers of the peace, not soldiers" in AotC. However, in the end, they're forced to take up the role in order to work towards the greater good.

There's literally an entire episode in TCW where the "the Jedi should've just been pacifists and not fought" thing is addressed, and there have been many many posts made by many people about how the Jedi did the right thing and also about what might've happened if they didn't--I specifically recommend looking at @antianakin and @david-talks-sw's posts, if you want an actual in-depth response on those.

I'm not gonna regurgitate their points on this post, but I will pose you the same questions I did on the post this comment was under:

So the Jedi should've just stood by while Dooku conquered and enslaved the rest of the galaxy? That would've been better than them fighting to protect the people and planets Dooku was enslaving?

Finally, everything we're shown about the Jedi in-universe--and what we know of child development irl--shows that the Jedi's way of life isn't harmful, and is even helpful, in childhood development.

First of all, we're gonna dispel the myth that the Jedi teach emotional suppression--what they do teach is emotional regulation which, as others have pointed out, is something taught in therapy and is a good and healthy thing.

But guess what? You also teach emotional regulation to children at a very young age!

When your child is throwing a tantrum, screaming and breaking things, and just generally losing it because they're unhappy with something, what do you do? If you're a good parent, you-

1. help them calm down.

2. teach them how to work through their emotions in a healthy way for next time (taking deep breaths, counting to ten, walking off the anger, etc.).

and 3. talking with them about what made them upset and helping them understand why they were upset so they can avoid it or deal with it better next time.

All of that is emotional regulation. Parents all around the world teach it to their kids every day because it is healthy, and just because the Jedi need to emphasize teaching it more than most because Force-sensitives are susceptible to the Dark Side doesn't mean that it's any less healthy than regular people teaching it.

Secondly, the Jedi Order is a community and--like it or not--it's shown that children raised in a community setting are actually generally better off than children raised strictly in the nuclear family model because they have more support and access to a more diverse pool of opinions, beliefs, and people. All of which we see reflected in the Jedi Order--community support and teaching.

Anakin fell specifically because he didn't follow the Jedi's teachings, and even he was a fucking outlier. The Jedi that fell in the Prequels either fell because of the War (which was orchestrated by Palpatine) or because they were directly manipulated by Palpatine. Neither of those things had anything to do with Jedi teachings and all but one of the Jedi that fell were adults, again all of which except one that lived in the Order perfectly fine for years until Palpatine started doing shit.

Now that that's covered, I'm gonna make my own point.

All of you "the Jedi deserved their genocide crowd" people sound like fucking Nazis and fascists.

Everyone who's saying that "the Jedi were the real bad guys" have like 0 media literacy and obviously take issue with anything that isn't strictly following western ideals--and, frankly, I think you're all willfully being ignorant and stupid at this point.

When you're anti-Jedi, those are the people you're aligning with.

Now, it's none of my business what you believe or what you post on your own time, but keep it the fuck off my page.

This is my space.

Keep your shitty opinions to yours.

[delta-altair]

Angry rant ahead. I've been holding back on this one but I woke up at 3am this morning to prep for a virtual astronomy conference in a European time zone next week so whoops it's what I actually feel in words instead of in vague reblogs.

Just as I have never forgiven the people who caused 2016 to happen, I will *never* forgive the Beltway media, podcast bros, pollsters who think they're the goddamn oracles at Delphi, and fauxgressive fucking idiots for this.

First of all, if I here one sniveling whining "But Kamala is a cawwwwwp-" -- if you do not posses the common sense to understand that a chaotic, open convention where the disunity of the Democratic party is on full national display would be a stake through the heart of the campaign -- WHOEVER is chosen -- then sorry but you aren't smart enough to comment on this!!! Sorry if that's fucking mean but it's true. For once the left (and I mean from the center to the wall, the whole thing yes) collectively needs to shut the fuck up, get in line, and focus on one goddamn thing for the next three and a half months.

Second, I had a much longer post with plots and everything I was going to make about the last Canadian election, but I'll make it short now. This is about *polls*, aka the "reason" why this happened (it's not, it was the media forcing the issue by refusing to show the public anything else about Biden and his accomplishment, but anyway...). Feel free to skip (but there's a cat at the bottom for anyone who actually reads my rantings), the tl;dr is that you should not trust any poll more than a week out from the election because the average person is a fucking moron.

So polling just before the previous election was called (Canadian elections are different, they can happen before the 4 year mark if the PM decides) all showed a healthy Liberal (center-left) lead. Probably majority if it holds. "If an election was held today, who would you vote for?", that was the question. But then the Liberals call the election and SURPRISE, guess what happens? They tumble in the polls so drastically they fall below the Conservatives (right) in overall vote share almost immediately. They held onto a minority in parliament because of how our systems works (we have 5 seat holding parties), but still, they took a huge hit. Why? Did some scandal happen the week after the election was called? Did the Conservatives promise everyone a free puppy if they won? No.

No, nothing happened. The reason why the Liberals fell in the polls was that people were mad that they called an early election. Despite the fact that the polls that some of the same people definitely took asked the question "If an election were held today, who would you vote for?" I guess the average person didn't have enough brain cells to rub together to understand that if an election is happening then the Liberals would have necessarily called an election. I know this sounds circular and stupid but that is literally it!! A bunch of people said "Yeah I'd vote for the Liberals if an election was happening today. Oh the Liberals (the only people who CAN) called an election, I don't like that, so I'm not going to vote Liberal."

So miss me with literally any poll that is not a week out from the actual election event. They are all nonsense. It turns out that you cannot predict human stupidity to a statistically significant degree.

We are *also* in a regime where the only thing that really matters now is turnout, and turnout is much harder to poll than voter preference, so that's another kick against polling.

I don't really have a coherent ending for this. I'm not in total doom mode because a lot of things can still turn out ok, technically. But I still remember the feeling I felt when a huge portion of American said "actually, saying you can assault women and grab them by their pussies any time you want is actually not disqualifying for being president, but we're going to make up a bunch of bullshit to explain why we're not voting for Hillary" and I still do not trust most of you because of this.

You have once chance to not totally fuck this up. Treat it seriously.

Here's my cat to brighten your day. Her name is Jupiter.

[nothingspecialapp]

How's believing\calling Sasuke "sasugay"\gay or shipping sns\hating any heterosexual Sasuke ship, is not offensive to Sasuke? How some pro sasuke not consider sns\any Sasuke gay ships-- fics to be bashing\insulting to Sasuke?

Are many of these ship fics laugh on Sasuke's canon decsions, character, look, etc? Yes

Are many of these ship fics put naruto (and kakashi, itachi, basically every character that antagonized sasuke at some point) in pedestal and used as tool to insult Sasuke in every aspect possible? Yes (One don't need to read fics to get what I mean, a little trip to their profiles is sufficient)

So, Who are u kidding? Why not confess and admit that being "bottom" is literally considered insulting in many fandoms( just...why the hypocrisy? many hated charcters are bottoms in fics, why people lie that gay ships aren't used as bashing/slander? And many hated characters are called twinks or any word that will turn into slurs just like how pretty boy turned into a slur) I mean, there is a reason why NH/naruto, kakashi wankers hate ss ship and like sns, and it's not for the good reason you might think it's.

Cannot you people connect the dots between Sasuke being hated in the western fandom, and him also being shipped in gay pairings? 

What's the difference between A-holes saying "sasugay" and these people\shippers, anyway? Just the pro lgbt make someone entitled? Is that it? As long you are pro Lgbt\anything then you can just practice being an anti as a "joke" and it's just "fun"? (and it gets worse when one knows their standing on real life issues, as many of these people are openly zionist or one of the "it's a complicated situation" crowd, or when they're anti-asians and consider every male mangaka to be a misogynist)

And I'm not talking about the fujoshi here, to be clear, even though these people practice pedophilaia openely and I see none poiniting that out, but I should not excpect things from fandoms, the good thing here is that they're (fujoshi) in thier own spaces(most of the time), and that's a different topic, anyway

It's ridiculous how hypocrite the western(pro queer) fandom is. They talk alot about equality and sexuality, etc,  and how being feminine is not an insult, and then they just go and practice that exactly; what they accuse male incels of:- misandry&misogyny(what's up with whining whenever someone ship Sasuke with karin or ino or any girl? What's up with many clowns here getting pissed that Sasuke fit the "casanova" type, especially in east asia? I mean there's different between dislikng SS for logical reasons -being a real pro sasuke one of them-, and getting pissed that your Yaoi fantasy isn't real?), internlized racism (anyone believing Uchiha to be an incest clan and slander them for this is racist to asians), white supremacy (there's a reason why many western fandom believe naruto to be "manly" and attractive(lol), or they consider any calm-darkhaired-pale(asians) male to be "twink", and any hetersexual women to be less of a woman and insulting to women in general -becuase she's attracted to men,the bad type of men, ya know? Because being attractive to itachi, kakashi, any character but Sasuke is smart and "logical"- so they turn her into some queer hero to, somehow, redeem her -sakuino shippers for instance-)

If you're Sasuke fan(shipper or not) and don't (even at core) admit that, then you're lying to yourself or one of the weird fans who hate thier own favs.  There's a thin line that differentiate someone between being a fan and a hater.

It's ridiculous how little of the so called "Pro" Sasuke don't realize that, but there are so little genuine Sasuke fans out there, and I don't blame the people who hide thier liking to Sasuke, cuz sometimes I believe Sasuke fans aren't really his fans (just remembered a male sasuke fan saying that Sasuke has "meh" abilities\skills, and his post become a hating sasuke playground in reddit, and it's not the first kind of such posts that exists in internet)

I agree, one should be objective as possible even when it comes to one's own favs, but not in this way, not when the fandom is already split-up, not when the hystrical Sasuke haters uses anything against him (they even reached a point where they bully anyone who says they like Sasuke, and "Any girl who likes Sasuke have a bad taste" and "who even likes Sasuke lol")

Fandom discourse, in general is bad because it' all about and filled with with hate, not love. Even their love is about hating another. It's a dangerous, disgusting pendulum.

[lunarsilver]

We're all different, but the fact we can understand each other, empathize with each other, relate to each other is what makes us human ngl. And like, c'mon, a lot of messages in art are pretty universal, and pretty much everyone can relate to them to a certain degree.

My first thought was Chappel Roan's music, because of the whole "dOn'T bRiNg YoUr CiShEt BoYfRiEnD tO hEr CoNcErT" drama (which was just straight-up biphobic). It's pretty obvious that "Good Luck, Babe!" is about lesbian comphet. The lyrical subject sings about a woman who "can kiss a hundred boys in bars" but she'd "have to stop the world just to stop the feeling". So, obviously, lesbians will relate to the song. But hey, gay guys can relate to this as well, just change genders. Other queer women (or people in general) can experience comphet, too. And cishet women may relate to the fear of "[waking] up next to him in the middle of the night" and being "nothing more than his wife" in a patriarchal society. And guess what, cishet guys can relate to the song, too. Because the feeling "I love you, but for my own well-being I have to leave, because you'll never give me what I need, and you keep pretending you're someone you aren't, and make yourself miserable despite me trying to help you, and so you make me miserable as well" is pretty universal, and can also apply to non-romantic love. And so, a song with a pretty obvious meaning and context can still be relatable to people who didn't experience this exact situation.

Sure, it's good to have safe spaces where you talk just with people similar to you. Gals gonna need to talk together about girls' things without any guys sometimes. Cishet guys (or at least straight-presenting; you would be surprised how many guys, who you assume are straight, are actually bisexual but scared of social reaction and therefore coming out only to like three people who they trust to keep it to yourselves (yes, I'm the people)) gonna have some conversations only with each other. Because, guess what, they also have unique experiences of being raised in a specific setting, and patriarchy is also harmful for them - just in a different way than for girls or non-binary folk. However, while it is good to have such spaces or conversations, it's also really important to understand that acting like we cannot understand each other is harmful to all the people in the long run. You know, we cannot act like we're some other species, literally othering ourselves and, therefore, dehumanizing ourselves to people who aren't like us. Don't act like you have to prove yourself to be "worthy" of their attention and empathy, of course, but also don't practice the "we vs. they" rhetoric. Dunno about you, but instead of isolating and othering myself, I prefer to make fun of people who claim they cannot relate to Turning Red because they never were a second-generation immigrant Chinese girl living in Canada in 2002. And you can do only one or the other.

 I guess that's why I didn't really vibe with "Felix Ever After" by Kacen Callender - because while I totally understand all the problems the book talks about, it sometimes does so in a rather condescending manner  (probably not on purpose, but still). Like, I've read the conversation between characters where one of them stated something among the lines that they could never be friends with a straight person because they wouldn't understand each other (read it quite a while ago, don't remember the exact quote) and no other character disagreed with this statement. I just thought about how I am friends with cis, nonbinary, straight, bi, gay and aroace people and thought "skill issue".

I'm also kinda tired of all these "USA vs. Europe" vids, or the, quite condescending and infantilizing, "you expect a white person to pronounce this Indian/Chinese/[insert here anything that applies] name correctly?" jokes, because you just know people making these vids think about only a few West-European countries, or only about a specific group of white Americans. POC people aren't a monolith, white people aren't a monolith, queer people aren't a monolith, straight people aren't a monolith, no group of people is a monolith, and acting like they are only dehumanizes everyone.

This came out longer than I expected, but tl;dr "don't dehumanize yourself or other people".

hot take apparently but i think it's good for white people to relate to poc's art. i think it's good for straight people to relate to queer art. stop acting like we're different species who could never possibly understand each other what the fuck is wrong with you

[vtori73]

Ugh... I just, personally as a genderfluid person don't get how people seem to TRUELY believe trans masc/men are more susceptible to being misogynistic than LITERALLY anyone else. EVERYONE has the ability to be misogynistic, EVERYONE!!! I would argue cis people in general are more prone to being horribly misogynistic than any trans person, honestly. I mean... do y'all seriously forget how misogynistic white conservative women can get?

So why the fuck do y'all think trans masc/men are an extra special case that are somehow worse about it? Misogyny isn't stored in the testosterone or gender you know, if it were we wouldn't have horribly sexist women but we do so what EXACTLY are y'all actually trying to say here???

Look, all I'm saying is the way people are speaking & treating trans masc/men feels & looks no differently to how people treat bi people, ace people, etc. It just feels like y'all found a new acceptable target to punch down or sideways at because why is it that trans masc/men seem to be singled out for supposed "bad" things they do that aren't at all limited to them BUT also at the same time are ignored anytime anyone brings up the specific oppression and problems they face. And what's extra "funny" about all this is that it all comes from the same place, terf/rad fem talking points that y'all REFUSE to actually learn from & finally move past!!!!

Again, this especially reminds me of talking points people use against bisexuals, specifically bisexual women, because of our assumed proximity to men we get treated like we're sapphic traitors regardless of who we are dating and are told we have to make sure we aren't prioritizing men even though ANYONE has the capacity to do that (romantic/sexual relationship aren't the only ones that exist you know) yet for SOME reason we are told we have to stay vigilant & watch ourselves & who we are with because we can put the fragile pure sapphics who don't date men in danger & that we are basically asking for it if anything happens to us because our our assumed proximity to men. It's all just so *screams internally* ...frustrating.

I've come to honestly distrust a lot of the online queer community because of this, no, not specifically because of anti transmasc/men sentiment but because of this continued refusal to dig deeper and learn about/from the past & queer politics and finally learn to see the patterns of infighting and bigotry repeat themselves because NONE of this is new!!!!!! All of this basically has its roots in political lesbianism (if your queer & don't know anything about political lesbianism you should, but basically the gist is they were a group of straight women who infiltrated the lesbian community & kicked out anyone who wasn't basically a "pure lesbian" & spouted ideas that ANY involvement with men was a betrayal to each other/the group & very sexist puritanical beliefs/ideas on sex & the damage caused from that still lives on today. It just takes on a slightly new form when it gets exposed again & again but so few of you learn from this shit and seem to forget immediately what it once looked like and just happily continue the cycle because shitting on other queer people is easier & more fulfilling to yall than actually doing something productive for the overall community).

I've also said this before on a different post but y'all lumping in trans men with cis men to talk about how much "privilege" we have is not at all progressive especially since it's the only time you ever bother to remember trans men/masc people exist. Say it with me, trans men cannot and never will have the privilege cis men have because that is not how our whiteallocisheteropatriarchal society works. Trans people are not desired or wanted in our society & thus do not have or are given the same privilege that cis men get for being CIS, same with men of color, disabled men, etc. Can marginalized men punch sideways or down at people that are equal to or less privileged than them? Yes, but... that's not unique to us specifically, not even close, & honestly the people I believe we should be most concerned about leveraging their power over others & being a hindrance to the community/our liberation is any white queer person/ally, I mean even Silvia Rivera basically said this.

It honestly happens all the time too, especially in these vast instances of infighting because white people do not like acknowledging they have the capacity to oppress others and want to believe they have no privilege because of their other marginalized identities like being queer. It's no different from the allocishetero white people who do this in other marginalized spaces they are supposedly being allies in only the marginalized white people can't & refuse to see the privilege they have for being white because it didnt/doesn't protect them from the bigotry they face for their marginalized identity/ies. The white privilege they were promised at birth doesn't shield them as much as they were expecting it would and thus refuse to believe they have any at all because of it.

Oh, and also on a related note passing privilege isn't really a legit thing or is a concept I at least refuse to entertain. If you have to hide who you are in order to pass which is something that's not even accessible to all that many trans people in general it wasn't/isn't really all that much of a privilege to begin with meaning it's conditional and thus null in void. Personally I feel this is just white people pushing the blame off of them & their white privilege onto this so called "passing privilege."

...

(Read more below because the thoughts below aren't as articulated as I would hope so while I stand by them I'm probably not explaining them well enough for others to understand)

It's also a continued way to punch sideways/down at other identities and people they don't like & refuse to understand such as bi, pan, ace, aro, trans, enby & whoever else despite the fact that many seem to glaringly ignore a hole in their logic that if passing privilege is real legit concept then anyone who isn't allocishetero can obtain it, not just identities you THINK can pass more easily. If other queer people can choose to pass so easily then everyone else has the capacity to do so as well. It's not really all that different from the argument made by homophobes that gay people choose to be gay, if it's such a choice why would it be so much harder for you to ignore who you are to gain/maintain this so called privilege then? And, not to mention this concept can't exist in a vacuum, many other factors can affect "passing" that is hard/impossible for specific marginalized groups and will be heavily influenced by white patriarchal ideals. Those able to obtain this so called privilege the easiest would, again, be white middle/upper class people & yet this concept is used willy nilly on huge swats of groups that are full of a various individuals who can't really obtain or access "passing privilege" but are treated like they can.

Tbf, when I say this it's based more so on my location/the US and some of this may apply less in other areas around the world but regardless i do believe anyone can gain passing privilege so long as you hide who you are which in my eyes makes it a useless concept then because having to live your life a lie doesn't really seem all that much of a privilege especially since it can and will be revoked if you get exposed and may even lead to extreme harassment or violence.

[automatismoateo]

My Father Wants me to Marry a Muslim Woman via /r/atheism

My Father Wants me to Marry a Muslim Woman For context I'm 23 Male we are Arabs living in a Christian country and I've never been in a relationship yet, I've gave up my faith in Islam and my parents are still Muslims but they don't know I've left their religion. And my Father Wants me to marry specifically an Arab Muslim woman and have a family with her, the problem I that I don't want to do that, and I don't know how i should tell him and make him feel disappointed. I don't want to marry a Muslim woman because what I've noticed from them is that they are bad mothers, they are bored all day watching TV with friends, literally doing anything but taking care of the kids, and I don't want to seem that I stereotype them but these are experiences I've lived or Seen with my mother and other mothers, and I remember from young age that's how my mother was with me and my siblings, we used to be neglected for most of the time which is the last thing I want for my future children. He told me that European women aren't sticked to a man, they will cheat and disobey you and he told me it's only ok to have a European girl for "fun" but Arabic are the ones worthy of a family. And I don't think I'd be happy I think relationship considering I'm not a Muslim anymore and I don't want to have any relation with Islam, which is a reason for me to not marry a Muslima and I don't know how she would react to me being an Atheist either, which proves that religion kills love and separates people from each other but whatever. And yes my father's opinion cannot change my actions of who to marry and who not to marry, but its still something that kinda concerns because I don't want to make him feel sad and disappointed by marrying European woman (which I feel like it's the superior choice BTW) And I'm at this stage where I have no idea what should I do, do something to make him feel happy, or me, or not get married at all? All of this is fault due to a brainwashing cult. Submitted January 09, 2024 at 11:55AM by Impressive-Step6377 (From Reddit https://ift.tt/0fbzgnu)

[thatdogmagic]

Hi just wanted to say your art is so so beautiful & also it matters so much to me to see women Beasts and Creatures that are also Sexy and Attractive and having fun and just being rambunctious and suchlike, there's not enough werewolf art of ladies OR of werewolves just. Having good lives??

You draw them so lovingly; and... sorry to go off on a rabbit-trail here but... it's so obvious that you aren't using the body hair or fur as a symbol of/short hand for Ugliness (you know what I mean? I see this a lot!), and that matters a lot to me ;m; As someone who struggles with that particular side of body image, seeing art where fur or hair is just like, normal and expected, like... idk like having eyes or something. Something neutral like that... it just. It's Important. Thank you. For doing that. It's healing.

I draw primarily for me - I've never minced words on that - but comments like this are what really give me confidence in that work, and how unabashed I am with all of it.

I am AuDHD in a big way, and regularly forget these little grooming habits that the Standard American Woman is supposed to keep up with, so routinely find myself at the receiving end of odd looks if I have to pull up a pantleg, only to remember right then that the last time I shaved was literal years ago. There's a brief flash of 'ah, for fuck's sake' aimed internally, and I find myself fishing for reasons why it's not that hair is bad, but why my hair specifically looks gross and bad, because hair is fine so long as it's not on me.

So-- I get it. I really do. Monstrousness is the lens through which I find a lot of comfort, not just because I was raised hearing religious doctrines telling me I was - for everything from being sapphic bisexual to just being angry, generally - but my complete and utter failure to perform femininity in a way the secular world finds acceptable. I quite literally cannot do it, and this is a very visible component piece of that. So it's been a regular source of pain for me, too, and at the age of 41, it sucks that it's only now that I've started to get more comfortable with lifting my pantleg.

As an aside, this exact conversation is ground I plan on covering with Nina, who very much hasn't been allowed to get comfortable with any of this. She's like me in the sense that she's on board with whatever other people want to do with themselves, and recognizes her performance of femininity - to the extent that she's capable - is an important component of keeping herself safe and shielded, but the difference is that she’s fashioned a strict routine to keep up with (most of) it.

I'm not entirely sure how that arc will look for her, or how it’ll break down, but I plan on approaching it with all the rawness and clarity that comes with a lifetime of, frankly, bullshit experience. So I am very, very, very glad these decisions are noticed, that they resonate, and especially, that you were kind enough to let me know that it did.

So. Thank you! Truly. You got me all misty (in a good way). ;u;

[flowerflamestars]

Your response was so thought provoking.

It’s funny how Rhysand describes his mother as sweet and kind then mentions things that she did that directly contradict that (LOL). Giving her ring to the Weaver and going to the camps knowing that some of them might attempt to clip her and her daughters wings show the strength of her character and the love she had for Rhysand as a mother.

I think she had a lot of freedom and agency, which essentially led to her death, because no one was guarding/protecting her, so Rhysand overcompensates to atone for her death by being very protective of Feyre. It was cute at first but it veered into strange territory when he gave Feyre the handmade dresses of his dead mother. When I read that scene I was genuinely so confused - how did his mother know if the dresses would fit Feyre as she never met her - and it slightly creeped me out - his mother is literally dead. I always knew he had Daddy Issues, but Mommy are definitely also in there. The dresses are good keepsakes, but it strikes me as odd that he would give away the House of Wind if it was specially built for his mother. I had no idea that the House of Wind was built specifically for Rhysand’s mother, do you know the book this was written in? His love for her is clearly apparent as he built her the House and let her make her own choices, so I wonder why this mentality kind of skipped over Rhysand’s character?

His behaviour in ACOSF was not out of character per say, but it showed that he controls Feyre in a way that is slightly concerning. I genuinely wonder how he is going to handle Feyre once she goes to the Illyrian camps. You said you cannot see him letting her walk around and I genuinely agree. She cannot walk in Velaris without the company of Inner Circle members, so there is no way she will be freely moving about Windhaven. I wonder how the fandom at large is going to respond to that, simply because it is very clear that controlling Feyre’s agency (even if she is in the Illyrian camps) goes against everything that the book series represents - feminism and a women’s choice.

Thank you! Yeah- I think it's sort of fundamental, the way all the tragedy and death get both flattened and utilized as justification. We don't even know Rhysand's mother's name- she's a saint and a gesture and device, not a person.

As for the House of Wind, I remember it as a throwaway line in acomaf, but I could easily be misremembering! If so, it still feels important that in Rhysand's memories of his family, their primary home is the House. The center of their domestic life is not the grandeur of any number of other palaces or situations- it's a home whose fundamental comfort is his mother's safety/autonomy. Acosf equates the House to a prison, for faeries who can't fly. It's his mother's domain.

It must be said, Feysand has never been the ship for me.

It had it's moments- a hot bad powerful man on his knees, calling the heroine his salvation? Yes.

Basically everything else? I'm not telling anyone what or who to ship- books don't have to be good or pure or portray good people or model flawless behavior.

The problem is, for me personally, that the books are marketed and lauded for being not just good romances- which, I'm sorry, extremely arguable considering the quality of the smut in acosf- but as hugely, definingly feminist.

I think you're completely right to say that Rhysand's actions in acosf aren't out of character. And that's the whole thing for me- Rhysand is a villain.

The core relationship is based on violating Feyre's agency, and no matter how many titles he gives her or how much he loves her, that never changes.

I'm not even going to argue about the whole SA under the mountain thing people really disagree on (I think my opinion can be uh, very easily inferred) but let's take it all the way back. Very beginning: Feyre is slowly dying in her filthy, freezing, conveniently completely private for Plotting cell.

Again, they're ALONE.

She has this horrifically broken arm, which in moments, Rhysand will magically heal to the point of perfection despite the fact that the bone is visible.

He grabs her arm and twists it, to make her agree.

She has no power in this situation, is almost certainly dying of an infection, and he's throwing around his superior might and sheer shittyness what? to frighten her? for fun?

And yes- the eternal he had to play the part.

In private...where it's safe enough to start this plot that will both get them killed. I have thoughts about Rhysand's insistence on acting that I'll get to, but the primary take way is: he hurts her.

And then he convinces her to agree to a bargain that guarantees him a week of her life, every month, until her death.

HE IS HELPING HER IN SECRET, THE BARGAIN IS NOT A ROLE HE IS PLAYING.

So babes, what the actual fuck.

She is, at this point, a human girl who is 1) at his mercy and 2) that he's attracted to and has decided to kidnap.

COOL COOL COOL

Control is a defining aspect from the start. And we're told it's to piss off Tamlin. Or to defeat Amarantha. Or to protect Feyre. Of course, we later learn they're Mates and Rhysand Would Never Ever kidnap her unless she needed/asked for it....but this? in this moment. He doesn't know that.

(I believe this was further retconned as the books went on- first he Knows on the balcony. But THEN we're told about him dreaming about her? And also, possibly, that he recognized her at Calanmai. The books can't seem to decide.)

The thing with all of Rhysand's acting is that...it's not acting. At a certain point, being shitty to people for hundreds of years isn't a smokescreen it's just...being shitty for hundreds of years. The Amarantha situation takes brief precedent to make his actions False for Reasons, but everything else his court publicly does? not so much.

Is part of all this that he never got over the violent deaths of his family? Yes, probably.

But much like how Rhysand's mother is distilled down in memory to these extremely femme, acceptable, not at all subversive when she was probably a badass, traits, so too, does Rhysand flatten Feyre.

I can't even talk about the pregnancy plot without completely boiling over with rage.

I hate it.

HATE.

But from the perspective of talking about Rhysands let's say, vast maternal guilt, there's even more wild, alarming shit to seen.

Because the way he blames himself for his mother and sister's death is directly textual. He admits it, talks about it, it's clear in both some of his softer and some his just. bonkers terrible actions this is the drive.

He'll do anything, not to lose Feyre like he lost them.

Except, you know, believe for even a second that the POSSIBILITY OF A SON ISN'T WORTH MORE THAN HER IMMORTAL LIFE.

Sidenote: this is so silly in all the other stuff, but I've always thought it was crazy they accidentally conceived and immediately decided it was forgone because an maybe evil? possibly apparently psychic? ancient god/monster showed them a specific kid. they're immortal. even with faery fertility issues there's a whole infinity. what the hell.

But anyway.

So, I think there's a difference, between being willing to sacrifice yourself for someone you love and making a death pact to die with them the second they die. Especially if you plan/ believe a primordial being/ entertain the idea of parenthood. Not to mention just...the fact that they're rulers of a country (well, a ruler and a ceremonial ruler, but still) and have no seeming plan???

Rhysand deciding to die is neither surprising or compelling to me, sorry yall. I think the latent urge is kind of...there? I don't know. Him coming back at the end of acowar always felt wrong and his behavior after feels..off.

The issue is that Rhysand's whole defining justification for EVERYTHING he does is that he's protecting Feyre. He's always been 'protecting' Feyre, from making her dance mostly nude down to this moment, where he finds out that their child will certainly kill her, and lying about it.

And he just lets the situation spiral, on and on (and, you know, threatens to MURDER the person who tells Feyre the truth about what is happening TO HER OWN BODY).

A parent (Rhysand) choosing, full knowing, to die for their child? That's something.

Feyre not knowing right up until the end she's going to die, and her death won't even matter because the baby is also going to die- And Rhysand having chosen that, for them both, is a violation beyond belief.

There's no secondary option until Nesta literally creates one out of impossibility, which no one knew she could do.

But all the while, there's Rhysand, talking about their future son with Feyre. Their child, who'll have his eyes. Feyre's never a full partner, arguably, much less a full person, but the damning second she goes from idealized Perfect Mate Second Chance to incubating an heir, that's what matters.

Rhysand has run out of guilt, into something worse.

[visionmarred-archive]

I know he is a very controversial character, how would you would change Xander character?

What would you change in his arc? Lines, motivations, whole scenes?

And what would you keep the same?

I didn't think anybody was paying any attention to my BtVS ramblings so ty! I'm flattered you'd like my opinion on it :o

I'm putting my longer and Opinionated (tm) answer under a cut because wow I cannot shut up when asked my opinion on smth, sorry about that. TL;DR: Wh/don doesn't get Xander anymore, my OC now bc I know him better and I love his potential. also J/ss Wh/don critical bc uhh yeah. a lot of my issues are w that guy.

what I like: Xander is meant to be the heart of the Scoobies - literally, via the fight with Adam - and he has these amazing moments where it shows! he's loyal and he loves his friends. he's a guy who, at 16 years old, decided that he was going to help this girl he'd only just met. his worldview's just changed, one of his best friends just died, but he stays and he helps. I don't think he's given enough credit for just how brave he is. him disliking Angel's presence in s3 bc of Angelus's crimes in s2 feels like Xander is meant to be the bad guy, since Buffy and Angel are the main romance, but imo Xander was totally justified in calling Buffy out there. (that could just be me not like Angel in BtVS but liking him in AtS though, so grains of salt ksdfjsg)

what I don't: the misogyny that's present with his character in every season. the cheating arc in s3, which feels stupid all around as a plotline ngl?? his tendency to be like "okay honey" long-suffering with Anya even though he loves her. his crush on Buffy. the character shilling for Riley. the slut-shaming, as part of the misogyny; how he consistently talks to Cordelia and his reaction to Buffy sleeping with Spike in s6. which is... hmm. bc remember when he thought Buffybot was Buffy banging Spike?? and was concerned but not nearly as aggressive? okay Xand

these are just the top of my head, I'm sure I could add more to both if I thought about it? but that's the gist of it. get rid of a lot of those issues and emphasize the heart and loyalty he has, and I think that would be an improvement over what we got in the show is my shortest answer there 🥴

it's kind of like... I guess to preface, a lot of my issues with Xander are things that pop up all over in Wh/don's writing? or seem to be Wh/don issues in general? now these are absolutely just my opinions here, nobody has any obligation to agree or w/e, but Nicholas Brendon himself said that Xander is meant to be a stand-in for Wh/don iirc. "that's why he gets all the best lines" or so the quote goes, I think.

in my opinion, it shows in ways aside from the sarcasm; Xander is often used to give Wh/don's opinions about things going on in the show, and imo, represent Wh/don's own relationship with women. it's something that pops up later with the Trio in season six, who are mocked routinely for their nerdy interests. it's something that comes front and center with them in most of their scenes, at least until they stop being a joke in the second half of the season, and even after that they're still made fun of for it. and back to Xander: there are a lot of issues with his character, he's controversial like you said, but imo, what he's usually called out for in-universe is being a nerd. the jocks pick on him for it for sure, but the ladies too. Cordelia, for instance, tends to go for the "loser" insult if she's gonna rag on him. Xander slut-shames her in return when they argue. idk how to explain it terribly well, but that feels like a thing that pops up a lot in Wh/don's writing: men are insulted because they aren't manly enough and/or they have nerdy interests, women are slut-shamed or called other slurs. definitely not every single instance, but enough of a pattern that feels like Wh/don's own feelings on the matter and it affects how Xander is written and characterized, imo. Xander is either in the right about issues, or he's being punished and mocked for the wrong reasons.

also, the character shilling with Riley; he wasn't a popular love interest for Buffy, but afaik, Wh/don was tired of the vampire romances and wanted Buffy to have a more "normal" guy, so enter Xander's speech about how great Riley is. to me personally, it feels like Xander's been taken over to be Wh/don's "look what you made Buffy give up" to the audience. his relationship with Anya also feels like symptoms of the larger problem, how Anya was relegated to a blunt walking punchline instead of this amazing 1000+ year old woman who's experienced a lot. Xander is affectionately long-suffering, which reflects how the writing, imo, wants us to feel about Anya.

so I guess it's like... Xander on his own, the concept of him as the heart of the team? I love that guy. I love him a lot. one of my absolute favorite Xander scenes is in "The Freshman", when he makes that unexpected return from his road trip and gives Buffy a pep talk that gives her her confidence back. or another instance, the famous yellow crayon and "I love you" talk that cooled Willow down at the end of season six. I don't think this trait is shown as much as it could be, but Xander has these amazing moments of showing his absolute love and loyalty to his friends. it's my favorite thing about him and, ultimately, why I still like him for the most part. I think they should've emphasized that more. it's the Xander who's supposed to represent Wh/don's views on things happening in-universe or about topics in general that I loathe. no, pal, you aren't single bc you're a nerd, you're single bc you're being creepy around women and make those gross comments. Nice Guy (tm) fedora syndrome.

what I'd change is... mildly complicated bc a lot of it feels like symptoms of the show's writing in general?? but to start: get rid of the Nice Guy attitude he has w Buffy. and in general. just drop that crush bc I don't like it much, personally. give him a better relationship with Giles! it makes me sad that Giles just kinda tolerates him at best where he's basically adopted Buffy and Willow. have him confront his issues with women; I would've loved to see Xander start, like, taking women's studies classes at a community college or something after he starts dating Anya, because women scorned and issues with men are sort of her thing?? that could've been really nice to see with him, especially since Anya came to Sunnydale because of him in the first place. confront some of those issues he has with women there. he comes out as bi bc that's my hc for him lol. also, mentioning Jesse and how that affected him :( dude gets forgotten after the first two eps and that's sad. I read a meta a while back about how much more powerful Xander's march to save Buffy in "Prophecy Girl" would've been if it was motivated by platonic love and the desire to save his friend this time, as opposed to a crush on Buffy. also also: Xander very clearly has an awful home life, if the dude is willing to sleep outside in Sunnydale instead of be inside with his family on Christmas. maybe we could explore that a bit??? you see bits of it in "Hell's Bells" and vague references throughout the series, same w Willow's home life, but Joyce is p much the only parent that's really ever talked about. once again, we could give a better relationship w Giles there by having Giles take Xander in for the night when things are rough. let him show some affection and sympathy, man. let anybody show affection and sympathy please?? also also also: wtf is w him and Dawn in the comics. that just squicks me out, personally. please let's not.

if you read all this then bless ksdfjghdsg I hope this made sense?? I feel like I rambled a bit and it's not as coherent as it could be but them's my thoughts! I'm adopting him as my OC now so that he can't be used as a mouthpiece anymore and he can just be his own dude.

[a-room-of-my-own]

I’m sorry if this question is too intrusive for you, and please feel free to ignore this,

I’ve been thinking that I’m transgender because I am unhappy with my anatomy and social experience, (not having male anatomy and not being able to have male friendships in that way)

But I really don’t want to be transgender because I know that my parents would reject me, and I know I will not be able to be a boy, just some sort of in between, no longer fitting with the girls but still not a man; yet I cannot shake the feeling of longing for a male experience, there is no good reason for me to feel this way but I do, do you have any advice on how I can keep going as a girl?

It's something that many many girls have felt during puberty and teenage. When I was a little girl I had boy friends, and when I turned 12, it was then my second year of 'collège' the french middle school, suddenly there was a pressure to date. We were literal children, but it was suddenly an imperative. Friendships couldn't be just friendships. I had a good friend back then, a boy, and we spent hours talking and hanging out. When we both turned 13, it became complicated to remain friend like we used to because we were pressured to date each other or other people, as if we had something to prove.

And I remember one thing that really hurt me back then, he had just broken up with his girlfriend at the time, and he asked me out. Not because he wanted to be with me, but because he "had" to be with someone. I told him I had no time for this, and our friendship didn't end there, but it was never the same. Those same two years, boys in my class started to grope girls "for fun". I gave a bloody nose to one who tried it on me, and was painted as the crazy one who would never have a boyfriend. And I have a million stories like this up until I finished high school.

I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that it is normal to be shocked, and even sometimes traumatized, when misogyny hits you like a ton of bricks the minute you start puberty. Not only from boys your age, but also from grown men, old enough to be your father or even grandfather.

I had my period and a big growth spurt at 11, and right away I started being sexually harassed by adult men, who commented on my body. It's not something boys face, boys don't face this awful - it was really awful to me - loss of innocence, paired with dramatic changes in their bodies that aren't celebrated, but shamed, or a source of danger. You get your period you become afraid of pregnancy, you get breasts and the sexist comments start.

It's only natural to long for what boys have. To be able to have friendships with them without second thought, to be able to walk free and have fun, to be able to be silly and immature and not always the one who has to behave, not to be pressured into seduction, into making yourself look older with make-up, into dressing like a little doll, into forcing yourself to be interested in things you don't care about.

It doesn't mean you want to be a boy, you just want to be a person. Even girls who do everything they're supposed to, and who play the femininity game 100%, struggle with their self-esteem, with their body image, with their relationships with boys and other girls. You're absolutely not alone in this and there's nothing 'wrong' with you.

The transgender movement is fundamentally conservative and sexist, it's completely dependent on gender roles to function. So it will push the idea that any discomfort with gender roles is akin to a disorder, and if you're not perfectly content with your place in society then you need to 'transition'. Well as a woman, it's normal to be frustrated, angry, sad and disappointed at the way women are treated in this world and to long for equality, emancipation and autonomy.

This ideology is also predatory in the way it targets children and vulnerable teenagers by telling them their parents will reject them, or that they should keep secrets from their parents and trust strangers on the internet instead. This is basically what's called grooming, isolating you and making you vulnerable to manipulation. You should definitely talk about your discomfort to your mom, or another woman in your family you trust, and you'll see she's probably been through the same thing. I talked about that many times to my own mother when I was young because I was so disappointed in boys and so scared by adult men and their comments. Well I found out my mom had been exactly through the same things... And much worse.

The way out of feeling this way is to understand that misogyny doesn't define you or who you should be. You have the right to affirm yourself as a person who shouldn't be bullied into doing anything. Being a girl, being a woman, is being born in a female body, and that's about it. All the rest is you, your personality, your self. You don't need to change anything ! Take care and don't hesitate to come back to talk, or to reach out by DM.

[yellowocaballero]

sending one of these feels like cheating but ⭐ for no chip (dealer's choice on which one)

You're right, it is cheating, and it's fucking mystifying to me why you find any of my incessant dead birds interesting.

“Here’s your mission, Rex,” Padme said, as the baby sucked in a gasping breath. “I’ll be your strongest leader. I’ll be stronger than the damn Emperor. And you will keep my children alive.”

And Rex couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, ma’am.” Just to be an asshole, he added, “I’ll be waiting for you to slip up. The minute you do…that traitor Jedi won’t be able to save you.”

“It’s ‘my lady’,” Padme said coolly, and Rex barked a laugh.

“Yes, my lady. I’ll protect your children.”

“I have a war to fight, Rex,” Padme said. Her insane eyes were growing clearer, sharper - no less intense, but more focused. She needed a mission as badly as she did. “I won’t always be able to be there. You’ll have to do better than that.”

“I’m a clone, my lady,” Rex said. “I’ll be whoever you need me to be.”

I cannot remember for the life of me if I've talked about this section before, I'm so sorry. I feel like I have. If I have let me know and I'll say something else about the story (which, honestly, I mostly all said in the text).

I wouldn't be surprised if I've talked about this scene before because it's the scene that stuck out most in this fic to me. Just the mental image of a half-dressed new mother with crazy eyes grabbing a homicidal fascist and telling him to nanny her children or else is. Good.

This is like the third time I've mentioned today my recurring thing of 'clones are who they need to be'. Obi-Wan needed a father, and Cody gave it. Jango needed a son, and Boba gave it. Rex needed a protector, and Cody gave it. In this fic thematically, they need that purpose, that mission, in order to be clones. Inhuman, strong, soldier, Imperial, clones. And if they don't have that - if they're left just to be people - then what do they have?

Rex is doing a great job but he's like HELLA fucking brainwashed and he's fighting it incredibly hard. He's not at the point where he can survive without that sense of self as a clone. So he runs off and finds the most insane and traumatized woman in the galaxy, tells her that he will be the most competent and qualified and devoted caretaker her children will ever see, do everything for her children that she cannot, BUT there's like a 10% chance he'll kill you lol.

Padme needed that mission too. Crippling postpartum depression (also big shoutout to strong, amazing women who deal with postpartum depression!!!), her world's crumbled around her shoulders, and she is terrified of her children. She can't be a mom, but she can be a leader.

They aren't friends (they are). They aren't family (they are). It's just a very specific arrangement. As Padme expresses later, it was KINDA unhealthy. But they both needed it - Rex needed it until he could find out how to become a person, and Padme needed it until she could find out how to be a mother and overcome what happened.

And of course the third member of this 3 man band is Ahsoka, who literally killed her son last Monday. Go ahead and compare it with the other Daddy Issues Squad, with less attempted murder but equal amounts of codependency. Insane & fun.

[gemsofthegalaxy]

having a certain idea of something and then listening critiques of it based on a very different understanding of it is wild.

like. from my experience in the 2010s, Sex Positivity was not about women specifically having sex callously with men they don't care about just to, idk, pwn them and say "fuck you, men have meaningless sex, i can do it too". I'm watching a video from Khadija and it seems like that's one of the main arguments on how sex positivity went "too far", but I feel like that was just not what the intention of sex positivity ever was.

Sex positivity/sex positive feminism to my memory was about treating sex as morally neutral and recognizing it as a normal thing that many people like to engage in, and not being ashamed of ourselves for that. It also had a laaaaaaaargeee focus on consent, pleasure, and communication when having sex, as well as promoting sex education and reproductive health and rights. To be clear, my idea of sex positivity as a movement was gathered from time online as well as women's studies and sex-based courses at university, and workshops taking place on campus, including ones from Venus Envy, a sex shop/book shop that focuses on consent, pleasure, and education.

so, watching a video of someone critiquing sex positivity on what I gathered to be the assertion that, "tons of people were hooking up, treating each other as Human Vibrators, without any care for each other" to me is like, what? i dont remember sex positivity being about the idea we should all "Just Have Meaningless Sex Because Thats Something We Should All Do." it was about not judging other people's sexual decisions, even if we don't understand them, while also making the sexual decisions that make sense for ourselves regardless of what others think about them.

i just feel like. idk. basing critiques of a movement off what appears to be a version that was taken up by people who weren't even remotely connected to the ethos of it is odd. And then suggesting 'improvements' that were already part of the actual definition is like, well, boderline frustrating to watch. However, if it ends up promoting consent and pleasure regardless then I guess i can only be so mad about it, it's better that people have a good takeaway message in the long run.

Lastly, I cannot say that there weren't/aren't people within the movement that DO imply or outright state that we should all be having sex or certain types of sex, and go out of their way to alienate people who don't want to have sex. Those people exist. But, I think they're misintrepreting the message, whether intentionally or not. Anyone can be sex positive if they do the work to de stigmatize and remove judgement/shame from their attitude around sex, regardless of whether they want to have it themselves.

edit: and i mean. maybe the actual origins of a movement really don't matter if the way it gets taken up in mainstream, the vast majority understand it to be something like, "women should be comfortable showing their body and shaking their ass because #liberation. also have tons of casual sex girl you'll love it (except it sucks and you'll be just as dissatisfied and feel bad about yourself sorry)" but that just still makes me sad, you know? like, bastardizing the definition of movements just. it sucks. it sucks to know how something started and see it used in a way that literally has nothing to do with the actual origin of it, then have people calling for it to be dismantled on the basis of shit that wasn't actually part of it at all? idk. maybe i'm wrong and my idea of sex positivity is never what it was about and the idea that i had about it was like, a different thing entirely.