#i think more women should be allowed to be strong and i dont think all men need to be macho

[unhindged-mlb]

My favourite mlb headcannon is that marinette is more obviously muscled than adrien, both in and out of costume.

My logic is that adrien probably has a strict exercise regime thats ment to make him keep his body type whilst also making him fit enough that his fans like it. Bulking would change that and it would be a pain to deal with. We know he is (probably) on a strict diet that would make it hard for him to gain muscle mass and it would probably be cut down if he was noticeably gaining muscle as it would cause problems with marketing and could impact his public image.

Marinette on the other hand has no strict diet or exercise or overbearing comments about her appearance from half of france and as such would be able to gain muscle naturally from her superheroing and doing manual work in the bakery. Marinette is absolutely primed to build muscle as it seems like she eats well and has a good balanced diet while doing hours of very intense hero-ing several times a week.

[honeytonedhottie]

hyper femininity⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🎀

im super excited to write this post because my relationship with my femininity has been something that i remember rly well and im super grateful for. i feel like embracing my hyper femininity has made me grow and glow so i wanna share ways that i embraces and strengthened my femininity 🎀

TRUST UR GUT AND INTUITION ;

we have gut feelings for a REASON. most of the times when we have gut feelings about someone or a situation we are nine times out of ten RIGHT. something that i've learned to do is listen to my body and my gut intuition more.

and to add onto this, TRUST UR OWN JUDGEMENT. a lot of the time we are used to being preached to about how we should feel and respond to certain things, and something important to always prioritize is discernment.

but please trust ur gut and trust ur own principles and judgement because no one knows u better then you. at the end of the day u know whats best for u and u are responsible for doing whats best for u so dont put that responsibility/power in the hands of others.

HAVE WOMEN TO LOOK UP TO ;

having women that u look up to is so so good for u because it gives u a role model. some women that are my role models include ; kimora lee simmons, jang wonyoung, bella hadid, megan thee stallion, jia song, alexa demie, paris hilton, and SO much more.

also having lots of female friends, watching female influencers etc i think all contribute to my girlyness. my absolute favorite female influencer is manifestelle because shes so smart and wise and AMAZING to listen to.

BUILD A STRONG SELF CONCEPT ;

know ur worth and own it. as a woman, make sure that u keep company that uplifts you and keeps ur confidence high because in this world everyone is so obsessed with "humbling" women.

do lots of confidence and self concept work to the point where absolutely NOTHING can phase u because ur so secure within urself and ur femininity. confidence is important for everything but especially important for women.

BE SOFT ;

being super in tune with and aware of my emotions has helped my femininity bcuz i used to have a bad habit of repression because i thought that being sensitive was something that i had to be ashamed of. but i learned that its NOT true and i learned to embrace it through doing lots of journalling and shadow work.

SELF EXPRESSION ;

i found that my femininity was strengthened when i allowed myself to express and be creative. doing things like dancing, song writing, journalling, keeping a blog etc has just been so good for my girlyness as a whole.

being able to express urself in how u speak and advocate for urself is also immensely important because no one is gonna speak FOR you so u need to speak for you and express urself clearly. you can do so by starting to practice saying no and saying when u like something and when u dont like something.

[kaphzzz]

so i saw a couple posts about how arthur is sexist and racist and i'm not defending him because ive got a filter on but i do think some things are debatable. a few things got blown out of proportion and overanalysed i think.

first off i agree by today's standards hes definitely got some views to correct such as gender roles and not resorting to telling a woman to go to the kitchen as an insult, but at that time hes about as feminist as you get from a man. he says he doesnt think women and men are all that different, and he doesnt show any doubt at all regarding the capabilities of the women in the gang. many times hes expressed his belief that the women such as tilly or mary beth are skilled and capable of fending for themselves. he frequently shows his vulnerable side to the women in camp. when sadie made it firm that she wanted to be a fighter he allowed her to do it, barely even hesitated. i think he only mocked her because hes irritated at the commotion she and pearson caused in the middle of the camp, and also when isnt he sarcastic?

about the womens suffrage march: yeah he goes only because he's getting paid but he doesnt mock them for their cause and isnt afraid to be seen among them or to be perceived as an ally to their cause. considering the amount of angry men gathered at the protest who would have died of shame if anyone thought they were allies to feminism i think the contrast is clear enough.

'arthur as a lover would force gender roles' i genuinely dont think he would. the girls in the gang do chores because ms grimshaw is in charge of them and arthur has nothing to do with it, hes in fact more assured of their mission success when the girls are involved. he trusts sadie in a fight with his life. he meets charlotte and offers to teach her, without her asking him, to handle a gun to hunt and be independent, not once does he tell her to go back to her cozy life in the city or find another man to rely on beyond offering to get her somewhere she can get food. he goes out of his way to help mary, even when he realises he has nothing to gain from it. these are his views on what a woman should or shouldnt do and it wont change just because said woman is his partner. and i dont even ship him and sadie but i totally get it, i think he'd love a woman who can handle herself both in life and in a fight. this is also why so many people thought he had insane chemistry with black belle and there are even fanworks out there of the two. he doesnt get to meet too many but he's nothing but impressed and respectful when he meets a strong woman. and sure, if his partner is and just wants to be a wife in a traditional wife role, arthur'd be totally fine with it, he'd probably love to have someone stay in their home caring for it and waiting for him. but i also think he wouldnt be opposed to someone who can accompany him when hes out and about and who he can entrust his life to either.

'he lost his temper at mary' okay why wouldnt anyone? thats an understandable reaction for anyone in the circumstances. he's gone to meet who is probably the only person he has ever loved romantically and still loves, and all she does is criticise him for his outlaw lifestyle while at the same time expecting him to help her using the skills he gained from that life. im not going to say shes using him or being manipulative but it comes close, which is a whole other debate and i dont want to get into it but mary isn't in the right either. they talk to each other as equals too, their argument and the way they talk to each othet just supports that. when he got angry he realises his mistake and tries to calm himself down immediately when mary tells him to be kind to her. any truly sexist man who believes in a man's role in a relationship wouldnt even have listened. there were and are enough men in relationships who dont listen to their female partners or accept criticism from them or would even escalate the situation but arthur is not one of them.

about him being racist - this is a no brainer honestly he wasnt racist in 1899 and not racist now. sure you can say hes ignorant and uneducated on racism issues but thats not the same as being racist or accusing him of racism. the only thing i see people have to support the racism argument is that he referred to javier as a 'greaser' during the boat heist, but thats i think the only time he says a slur and thats only because he's got a role to play and hes simply saying whatever the manager expected from his act. he thinks of javier as family and all of the non white people in the gang too, quite obviously.

and lastly yes i agree hes a flawed person, charles calls him out on not wanting to help the germans or the tribe of his own will, lenny calls him out on not realising that the south is dangerous for him and tilly and charles to be in, in fact many people put him in his place by telling him exactly where hes wrong. he is often offending people whether he means to or not, and in certain situations quick to lose his temper or resort to violence, but he is also a kind and caring and sensitive person. i dont think we need to be squinting so hard between the lines to know that hes a good person when he doesnt have to be the violent brute dutch shaped him into for the gang.

so anyway i totally agree hes not some pure pookie wookie cinammon roll capable of no wrong and definitely has a lot of flaws besides the crimes, but i dont think racism or sexism are among them.

everyone has their own understanding of a character, i dont normally want to get involved in debate but if anyone does want to discuss then do but keep it civil

[csuitebitches]

Interviews with Incredible Women

Here are some interviews that I think are absolutely brilliant, and I’ll explain why.

These women are trailblazers in what they do and I think, have really nailed the interview process down and you can tell because the more natural a person appears to be on camera, the more effort has gone into looking that way. Uneasiness, discomfort, shyness are easily spotted, especially with body language - and you can see the confidence just radiating from them.

Now, you may not like some of these women for whatever reason. I don’t really care about that - I’m simply looking at their oratorship, their presence in front of everyone and how they carry themselves. There’s obviously lots of powerful female orators, leaders and figures out there but I can’t possibly list them all so excuse me if I’ve missed out on your favourites - I’ll add them next time.

There’s a few things these women have in common:

1. They don’t always jump to answer. They think for a second or two before answering.

2. There are no filler sounds. They speak at a measured rate, which allows them to think ahead about their sentences.

3. They have a vast vocabulary.

4. They are not shy in disagreeing with the person in front of them. None of that diplomatic nonsense. There is clearly a strong sense of self identity and personality, unapologetically.

5. They show their vulnerabilities, weaknesses and hard times as thing of the past and accept them without a fuss- they don’t oppress themselves with it, and come across as strong survivors rather than wallowing in self pity. It’s what makes people admire them.

6. They don’t answer what they dont want to. And they beat around the bush with it, clearly stating that they will not answer those questions.

7. One thing I loved about Rekha’s interview - when questioned about an ex lover, she asks: “hey, is this interview about me or Mr Bacchan?” And it didnt come across as haughty or egoistical.

8. There’s feminineness in their strength. Them being strong in their stances is not masculine, overly aggressive or yelling - its firm, to the point, yet graceful.

This is what you should be looking at, carefully:

- body language

- Vocabulary

- Talking speed

- Gestures

- Facial expressions

- Voice modulation

- Expressing emotions

Video Links

1. Rekha

2. Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel

3. Meryl Streep

4. Indira Gandhi

5. Princess Diana

6. President Sirleaf

7. Lady Gaga

8. Naomi Campbell and Vivienne Westwood

9. Anna Karina

10. Michelle Yeoh

11. Mika Brzezinksi

[mare-sanguis]

The queercoding in Sangcheol's and Jeongwoo's relationship

Let me preface this by saying: everyone is still allowed to see them as whatever they want (a work related relationship, best friends, close friends, soulmates, lovers, and and and) but I think most (if not all at least here on tumblr) can agree it would be ignorant if we completely overshadow just how much queerness there is.

This analysis is brough to you by this thread (why JW is snow white and why SC is the prince) and @thedevildeer latest post. Its not structured and really just a ramble so excuse me if it might sound a little confusing at some points.

Let's start by looking at it through a heteronormative kdrama lense below the cut 

How often do most kdrama fans watch a drama, see the lead man and the lead woman and think "woah, they would look so hot as a couple" even when the drama isn't a romance? Quite often, that's right. That's because most M/F leads are designed to be shipped even outside of the stereotypical romance genre. If it's a crime drama, thriller, mystery etc. Where the focus should solely lie on the plot they will still most likely try to create an M/F duo so most kdrama fans will have something to latch into. It has happened so many times that people dropped a non romance drama because it had no M/F couple, but people apparently want it so badly because how else can they enjoy a non romance drama, right? And kdrama directors/writers know this- they see and read the reviews and work with them; That's why in kdrama land M/F ships are still the norm, still seen as the most canon- even if there is a 2nd ML who has insane chemistry with the 1st ML (perhaps even more than the FL, cuz let's also face it in a lot of kdramas women are written flat)

When the ML is near the FL, everyone immediately interprets all kinds of thoughts into it, even worse when they go as far as to look at each other and hold eye contact, when they worry about each other, support each other, visit each other or are just having a work related conversation. They dont need to confess their love or kiss for the viewer to know they are in love*

Those are all valid points for shipping, that's obivously not the issue- The issue starts when they genuinely can't see the FL as her own character, when they can't seem to understand that men and women can be platonic friends, the issue continues when the 2nd ML appears whos got way more chemistry with the 1st ML or even takes the place of where the FL should be. Its then where the issue peaks- their relationship will automatically treated differently (2nd ML get potentially hated by the M/F shippers even) and it creates rift within the fandom, its shipping and arguments about queerness as a whole (discrediting that queerness is a large spectrum) by cishet fans

Suddenly, if it's M/M those actions I mentioned earlier dont seem romantic anymore, suddenly it's just a simple bromance (and while the term per se isnt homophobic, in these circumstances it sure sounds like it which is why I personally dont like it and rarely use it), best friends caring about each other because homies are homies. ("why can't men stay friends?" we all know that argument) *if they don't confess to each other outright, don't kiss each other, then they aren't i love (last part especially is targeted towards specific BL fans who only think a relationship is valed if they kiss and maje out)

So, this out the way let take a look at SC, JW, HS and BO approach (intentionally or not) on queercoding and the importance of a strong man-woman friendship.

First, let's look at tropes commonly (but not exclusively) found in queer media or media that tries to imply queerness and the similarities they share with SCJW:

Found family (the most common trope in queer media, especially the media that emphasises on realness, as found family serves as a safe space for queer characters when they arent accepted at home)

A strong opposite gender friendship or a friendship that defies traditional views

Color coding (mostly a warm and a cold colour, often times its blue and red)

Language coding (do the characters say they are queer, do they use specific terms, do they confess or declare their love for each other through something deeper; just what are they saying?)

The character design (this is not just about how they look but the desgin as a whole: background story, family, friendships, career, driving force, are they representing something (like a specific color, a flower); what was the creators thought process while creating them)

How do they express love around the person they ador (for example, men express love with touches while women often times use words and actions)

Broken friendships (because old friends dont accept)

Then of course we have common tropes found in all media highlighting love

Clothes sharing

Intense eye contact

Personal space

Lingering

Caring

Hurt/Comfort

Touches

And what do we have here? That's right. Black out s well as SC, JW and HS fit right into the common tropes and the queercoding tropes and yet we see some totally discrediting its validity to exist within the universe because god forbid both JW and SC are queer or viewed as such cuz they both were with women prior and they can't possibly be one of them queers... right?

HS is a really well written female character who's got nuances, a great backstory with a fair share of suffering and the additional nosiness which makes her so special. She is sweet and caring to everyone who seems nice in her eyes. She cares about JW's mother (prior to knowng he's JW's mother so thers no point in saying she does it cuz of JW), cares about Suoh and is genuinely interested in his hobbies. Her character takes care of everyone because she's a med student (you can take a med's job away, but you can never take the job out of a med). This is what her character is about- taking care, worrying. Her purpose in Mucheon was (as we know by ep.13) to find what shes looking for, to find her way back. She is by no means not connected to eithe JW and SC but her story is canonically detached from both JW's and SC's- it takes part in a different pace, in a different setting and through a different lense and most of it happens off screen or throug her observig the people. We rarely get any of her POV's, unless it's either around Suoh or Geonoh. The other times when we do get a POV of her is when SC and JW and in the same frame. Then she is postitioned as the onlooker, the one who observes. When she is alone with JW she gets almost no POV, even less that focuses on her feelings towards him. But the most important thing I said already: her story is detached from SCJW. She grows alone unlike SCJW who grow together. She is that friendship JW needed to show him a part of humanity that got lost with his fake friends. She is to represent and tell that you do not need a large group of friends to feel at home. 

Then there is JW. Beautifully written full of nuances, a tragic yet amazing written backstory- easily to read as a story of someone being queer. A big group of friends, a beautiful home with loving parents and then you got the catalysator which sets the whole plot moving. While for JW it's murder, abuse, gaslighting by friends and people he thought were family, prison and finding new hope in humanity through one person- how can one not look at this and think "yeah it's somewhat reminiscent of someone coming out in a conservative country with traditional family values"? Family and friends ditching before the person can even stand up for themselves, people spreading venomous lies, all the guilt trips, that person shutting themselfs off retreating into their own little world. JW was obviously never meant to be read as such and some even might find this part weird, but it's undeniable he has those classic queercoding tropes. He finds true meaning in humanity again through HS and SC at the same time, yes, but it is SC alone who stands by his side the whole time- every single day. JW feels the safest around SC, falls asleep in his home (therefore also in his presence) and gives in to being taken care of only when SC is around, he also laughs at his dumbs jokes and makes sure to catch his reactions when he is sassy (handing out flyers scene or the scene at the scrapyard). JW is meant to not grow alone but together with someone else- and that someone is SC. who he shares the exact same pain with. He sees the good in people- he sees the good in SC so he keeps on pursuing him even when he would reject him. Because he can see himself in him. Because he feels he's different- just like him. (And isnt it like: Queer people know someone is queer when they see one?). We cannot forget him being a metaphor for Snow White which imo solidifies the queercoding in him even more and how he steps in to save SC and then again to support him by beating up those debt collectors. (Also, just a random little side note: I think it's funny how he's either loved or hated, there was no inbetween. BM and MS hated him, they were eaten up by jealousy; BY, NG, DE and the twins loved him (also again, random side note to me any anyone who cares: it's so easy to read the feelings GO felt towards JW prior and post time skip as more than just friendship tbh which again, adds to the queerness layer))

And then there is SC, just as complex and full of nuances like JW. Having an almost identical tragic backstory to hm even- losing the love of his life. While hes story is way more difficult to decipher as queercoding, his character is most definitely not. He is portrayed as rude and rough towards any criminal and at the beginning of the story we genuienly dont know where we stand with him with this ever fluxuating personality. He is hurt, struggles, doesn't even seem to know himself very well, has seen a lot and he also doesnt trust anyone (as seen when he immediately clocks BM as suspicious when the review the CCTV footage) except JW. How come he trusts him more, even after he had accused him of the hit and run accident, but is side eying everyone the moment the incident with the mother happens? When he should have more trust in his own people then defending and caring for a guy whos accused him of causing the car accident. Even when he finds out JW apparently killed the girls, his actions towards him are differet than the actions we see him taking against the guy he chases after in the beginning. We see him falter and struggle even more in the manhole when he's threatening to shoot JW, we see it again when they are at the shed and JW is reinacting the murder scene- he is reluctant. Even when using violence against JW. Because, just like him, SC feels they are the same. And it doesn't even take much time for him to switch side- we can see him questioning everything onwards from from episode 4 during their first team dinner. And when he switches side he suddenly becomes so soft and caring- completely taking on the role of a possible love interest in both drama, romance and fairytale. Because he has seen the good in JW, saw the same suffering, this unfair treatment. He is a character not meant to grow alone but together and this togethes is only JW. JW still has HS by his side but in SC's world there was only JW who shows him all aspects of what it means to be a good human being. It's through him he grows. 

Their shared journey:

To quote Leo Buscaglia again "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

And isn't this what SC's and JW's shared bond is about? How they grow with and around each other- thanks to each other.

The little things SC does to make JW more comfortable, to show him love still exists? He takes him home without thinking twice because he's worried he might get sick when he could've taken him back to his house. He dresses him up in his clothes, let him sleep on his couch, in his blankets, gives him something warm to eat and drink (the glass of milk will never stop making me sob), showers him in touches and shows him warmth through them, always reaching after him because he's afraid something might happen to him, watches out for him, observes his reactions and waits for him. The little things JW does to SC- giving him a reality check that not everything is as it seems, graduately bringing back his old personality, stays by his side.

It's how SC brings JW's smile back and how JW brings SC's smile back. Its how SC not once but twice declares his worries, adoration and love towards JW: once when he's so worried sick JW might get hurt so he installs that app on his phone and the second time when they say their "goodbyes"- those words are so easy to read, so full of love. The "if you move" highlighting just how much he wants and hopes JW to stay in his life a little longer. It's longing and we can clearly hear it in his voice when he says "I'm sure you can" right after the monologue and then tilts his head. It's how JW doesn't know how to approach him after this, contemplating what to do and then goes on for the hug first. This is JW's way of showing his love. 

And yet, despite it all there are still people who only see it as a bromance. Those who think JW and HS will end up together because they are at the same uni, study the same. And are a man and a woman. If either SC or JW would be a woman, no one would even bat an eye to think they aren't in love- no one would even come up with the idea to even ship JW and HS. If one of them was a woman, every little gesture would be seen as romantic, betting on it the drama would perhaps even be a lot more popular as well as the ship. It's so disheartening to see how many deny an obvious queercoding between them just because they are men and for the sake of a straight, not well manouvred, ship because again apparenlty many kdrama fans don't dare to ship queer.

We know Black Out/Snow white must die is a fairytale because it very much is just one of many iterations of a snow white and exactly because is one of many nothing is impossible and queerness is allowed to exist within it.

[just-some-random-blogger]

Hello gorgeous !

Could you make something with a reader who is a very important fighter and in her plans she somehow married daemon as a second wife and made a deal with rhaenyra and daemon to respect and not threaten her people and kingdoms .

And when rhaenyra gets the throne , the reader asks for a divorce , breaking their hearts?

Stone Cold

Daemon Targaryen x Reader x Rhaenyra Targaryen

Summary: There was nothing more powerful than an alliance of two houses, and that was exactly what you offered the Queen and her consort to win the war. It was out of loyalty, but your heart was not as strong as your resolve.

Word Count: 2k+

Warnings: Mentions of death/suicidal tendencies/war, fem!reader, second wife!reader, angst, typos, etc.

A/N: Heya nonnie (pls read this)! I saw this ask and was like OMG FRESH OMG REAL OMG YAS but then the more i thought about it, the more i was thinking it wouldnt be possible, like divorce wasn't a thing then and i know i could just make something up but i- i- dont play like that. and unless you're ok with a modern au, which idk if u are, i realized i could not write this BUT THEN while i was ranting in my reply of how i think ur req would really play out, i thought fine i'll write it anyway dw its not a modern au, but it's also not exactly your request either. its still pretty angsty tho so i hope you like it <3 ALSO IDK WHO IF I WANNA BE DAEMON OR RHEANYRA IN THE GIF I LOVE THIS GIF SO MUCH T_T Tagging: @pinksirensong @deniixlovezelda would you like to read a tibit of an epilogue for this?

Rhaenyra was my queen; she always has been even as a child. Having grown up with rugged brothers, it was clear to me that power was only gotten through force, through sheer will, and landed only on those born to be heirs.

And yet she was declared to heir the Iron Throne, regardless of her sex.

And yet she rode on dragonback as her long braids and ornate skirts flew with the wind.

She was living proof that my brothers were morons in their belief that women were less, and that if I wanted to, I could do what they did, even better.

So against everyone's wishes, my parents, my brothers, the whole of society, I stood where I wanted and spoke about my thoughts. Though I was not welcomed, I trained to be strong enough go go against my adversaries, not just with my wit, but with my sword.

I made a way for myself in court and in battle, and developed a fortress within myself that could not be felled, not by a man, not by anyone.

So when it came high time for me show my gratitude to my queen, I did not hesitate.

I pledged my allegiance to her, and watched her navigate her plans with poise. I watched her as she caressed her pregnant belly and felt my heart hurt for her. I watched as she turned to her husband, the infamous Rogue Prince, for comfort, and found it in his touches.

Oh, to be like her, to capture the heart of the heartless, and to exude such feminine grace even in a room full of men who doubt her capabilities.

And so I finally spoke my plans to her. I finally told her the loony thought I've had since the start of my stay in Dragonstone. Our families should form an impeachable alliance and strengthen our forces.

"You are suggesting that you become my husband's second wife?" Rhaenyra states plainly. Her hand is atop her belly, and her husband stood steadfast behind her.

"It would be only for show, my queen," I nod, "you are aware of my family's stronghold, and how they insist on remaining neutral through all of this."

Rhaenyra watches me intently as I explain. Daemon tilts his head.

"This would give my brothers no choice but to fight for me-- for you."

"And how would marriage guarantee that?" Daemon asks, "I am well-acquainted with your brothers' insolence."

"You are correct, Prince Daemon. There has not been a moment in our lives where my brothers and I did not go against each other's wishes, but through it all, they have a sense of honor, and they would rather die than allow our family name be put to shame. It is why they were so against the idea of me taking up arms in the first place," I cross my arms, "but since then, they have joined me many times over in my victories. They would surely not give up the chance to bask in our victory."

Rhaenyra and Daemon take in my words.

For a moment, there is only silence. Then they look at each other, examining each other's expression.

That night, I was married to Daemon by the traditions of his house.

After he kissed me, I turned to Rhaenyra and nodded to her. She offered me a small smile and nodded back.

Since then, we exercised our might against the whole of Westeros. Those who did not know of us knew soon enough that the combined power of our houses, along with all our other alliances, was not something to be taken lightly.

And so we were tasked to spearhead the war under Rhaenyra's command. Daemon would take the east, and I would take the west. Where one needed help, the other would arrive with their blade, still slick with the blood of the enemy.

Historically, men had done nothing but strike me and spit on my bones. Though he was now my husband, I thought little of Daemon. I didn't then in the fires of his youth, and I didn't now. I bring myself to care about him out of my respect for Rhaenyra.

Yet as time went by, and battles were won and lost, I grew to respect him as himself, as Daemon Targaryen, the prince commander of the troops, who knew exactly what he was doing.

"I did not think you were capable of doing anything un-serious."

I turned to him as he smirked. His eyes were on the my cup of ale, "might my lady wife spare me a drop?"

Daemon sits next to me, though on the ground, as I was sitting on a stump I found not too far off our camp.

I peer down at him as I hand him my half empty cup.

My lips part when he downs it and places the empty thing beside him. Daemon catches my look and chuckles under his breath, "oh, did you mean to finish that?"

I don't get to respond as he grabs my leg and leans against my thigh.

My stomach rolls at the sentiment. I did not know why he was acting like this towards me so suddenly.

He releases a groan as he closes his eyes, "you are my wife, are you not? Must you stare at me as though you wish to burn me with your eyes?"

That would only be the start of his affection towards me.

It was jarring, disturbing, really, how he would reach for my hair and brush it aside, how we would reach for my cheek and brush it with the back of his hand. He would not do it in front of Rhaenyra, and for that I was at least grateful.

I decided not to make issue of it, because it was not as though it was harmful really.

And yet it dawned to me that that was my mistake; he was an invader of my fortress, and I only realized when it was too late.

I could not calm my beating heart when we were ambushed.

It was not the blade against my neck that made me want to hurl, not even how the man who managed to capture me for a few minutes was gutted on my side and had his entrails gush onto my armor. It was not the violence that made my pulse deafening to my ears, but how Daemon acted out that violence.

"Release her now, and I will be swift about your death," he seethed. When he was not listened to, his face darkened. The moment he had an opening, he stabbed my captor in the gut. When I was pulled away by our men, I watched as Daemon rampaged the man with his bare hands, smothering him until he was deformed, until he was dead.

And then he turned to me, gripping my face with his bloody hands, examining my form, "are you alright?"

That was when everything changed.

Not only did I begin to anticipate, look forward to his touches, I began to lean into them. I began to look forward to his company, seek his company. I would worry if there was not word about him, and I would worry if there was, until I knew it was not grave.

I began to laugh with him, in the privacy of our conversations, in front of the troops, in front of Rhaenyra. I began to bicker with him unabashedly, for it became second nature. I began to dance and make merry with him, for why'd shouldn't I? Why not, when Rhaenyra teased us about it, when she laughed about it with us.

And then at some point, I did the worst thing.

I began to want him.

I began to want him the way Rhaenyra did.

I began to felt entitled of him, for after all, he was my husband too.

I allowed myself believe that it was alright, Rhaenyra wouldn't mind, after all, her husband was my husband.

But then I faced with the truth of how brazen I'd become.

But then Rhaenyra called for Daemon and he did not answer.

But then she gave birth too early and held her lifeless daughter in her arms.

But then he was broken because of it, and yet made no inclination to anyone.

But then I realized I was not apart of their picture, for neither of them even spoke their sorrow to each other, much less anything to me.

I was a fool to think I was deserving of anything. I was a traitor to them and our agreement. I was a traitor to myself.

And so I rebuilt my fortress, I pulled away from Daemon's touches and did not hold Rhaenyra's gaze too long.

I became reckless in battle. I dove head first into everything, not caring what the consequences would be.

It was because of my recklessness and severe injuries that we were at the precipice of victory. Daemon should have been applauding me where he was rebuking me. And Rhaenyra should not have been worried by her husband's news of me at all, not when she would benefit the most from my death.

Yet here I was, gripped harshly in Daemon's hands as I defied his wishes to stay in bed longer.

When that didn't work, he ordered me in the name the Queen to do so, because it was, in fact, her order too.

It dawned onto Daemon that it didn't matter which of them commanded it, I would not be withheld from the cries of war.

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE!?" Daemon demanded finally as I got onto his last nerve.

I did not hesitate to respond.

His expression dropped when he heard me say yes.

It was against myself that I began to bawl in front of him. I had worked so hard to keep my defenses, and yet it was all for naught.

"Why?!" he heaved, hands darting up to my face instead of my arms.

I shake my head. I would have to die first before I admit anything to him.

"I will have you chained like a madwoman before I have you succumb to your darkness," he quips, releasing my face, before dragging me to the tent post, undoing his belt and binding me there with it.

I cry out to him. I tell him to release me, of all of it, so that I wouldn't have to suffer.

"Tell me wife what makes you suffer, who makes you suffer, and I will swiftly end them."

I shake my head at the anger on his face, "Daemon, please."

"TELL ME!" he quips, grabbing my face again.

I choke on my tears finding as I allow my voice to betray me.

Daemon knit his brows, "what was that?"

"It's you, Daemon," I whine, screwing my eyes shut, "it is hell to be around you. I do not want this pain anymore."

He releases me, stepping back twice, "and what mortal err have I done to make you loathe me so?"

I peel my eyes open, chest constricting at the sight of him. I shake my head, "nothing."

Daemon's nostrils flare. He grabs my jaw tightly, face tense with hatred, eyes glassy in betrayal, "then why?"

I whine at the pain of his grip.

He heaves as he releases me, shaking his head as he walks back, "will you drive me mad along with you, selfish bitch?"

I shake my head again, "Daemon-"

"ANSWER ME!"

"Because I want you!" I blurt, "I want you so bad when I should not-- I cannot!" I grip my hands tightly, "we may be married, but you are not mine. You are Rhaenyra's, and I do not wish to ever come in between that. Not after all that has-"

I cut myself off when Daemon began to undo my ties. I myself began to back away from him when he began to rid himself of his clothing.

I threaten him with my words. When that does not deter him, I threaten him with the blade I managed to snag.

He was stoic the entire time. He asked me to kill him, dared me to kill him. Of course I could not. I threw the blade to the side.

He called me a fool as he undressed me. He called me pretty when he began to kiss me. He called me his when he began to fuck me.

I shouldn't have, gods know I shouldn't have, but I did, I let him have his way, because I wanted him to. I wanted him to touch me, to use me, to take his anger out on me. I wanted to for so, so long.

It was everything I ever imagined and more.

And enjoyed it deeply before I hated myself viscerally after.

It was clear at one point that everyone knew of us. Our dynamic had drastically changed from when we were first married to now. They all knew what he and I did in the dark, but why would they care, we were, in fact, married.

I cared though.

And I guess it was the will of the Stanger to allow me that one thing before collecting my soul.

I did not fight against it. I did not try to save myself.

When I decided to take the blow for Daemon in the battle field, it was not out of my selfish desire to find freedom in the shackles I bound myself in, it was because I wanted to save him, I had to save him.

He admonished me as he carried my limp body out of the skirmish. He called my name and threatened to do his worst if I thought of closing my eyes at all.

It was nice to have made it long enough to make it through the transport, to see Rhaenyra, and her and Daemon's children that I myself found to love in my own way.

I felt bad that they all seemed to be sad that I was fading away.

I felt bad that Daemon had to be the one to carry me here.

Where was Daemon?

"He's gone to finish the war," Rhaenyra said, holding my hand firmly in hers.

"You can hear me?" I mutter as I watch her sad face.

"Of course I can, my dear," she caresses my cheek, "why wouldn't I?"

I close my eyes, "I beg your pardon, my queen."

"No!" she calls, shaking my cheek, "you cannot sleep until Daemon has returned. He is but a fortnight nigh."

I hum, "she has been so lonely though."

"Who? Who has been so lonely."

"Visenya."

Rhaenyra pulls her hand away. One of the children gasps.

"I told her that I was not her mother, that you are," I sigh, "but she told me she wanted me to stay with her."

Rhaenyra is bewildered. For a moment she is unable to do nothing. She repeats the name she called. When she is not met with a reply, she takes another moment to collect her thoughts, "you cannot answer my daughter's call. Your duty is with me, not her."

Rhaenyra's face tenses when she does not get a reply yet again.

She calls out, one, twice. She shakes the hand in her grip, and remarks once more about Daemon, knowing that would do the trick, she knows it will, it has to.

A chill runs down her spine when she realizes was for nothing.

It is too late.

[hauntedtrait]

🐴Once Upon A Time In Chestnut Ridge: A Bachelor Challenge

Meet Dakota Blue Heron, Chestnut Ridge's most eligible bachelor!

Dakota is 29, stands 6'3 tall, living on Crow's Head ranch, primarily a horse ranch that is open for guests in the spring and summer months. The ranch is owned and operated by the Heron family, being passed down through generations for over a century. Kindly, Dakota's parents have allowed the ranch to be used this season, in hopes that the show's popularity will help bring in more guests and customers.

Dakota accepted the network's offer to be Bachelor in hopes of finding a life partner, having little time to meet new people in his regular life. Also because, in his words, "this seems fun!"

Here's a few things he wants potential contestants to know about him: he spends his days working in various different parts of the ranch (in the horse stalls and gardens especially), he grows most of his food and whatever he doesn't grow he sources from local and ethical producers, he loves being surrounded by people (especially those he holds dearly), occasionally hunts (deer and invasive species mostly). He speaks navajo, navajo sign language, english and spanish, and is a tribal member of the navajo nation. Dakota wants kids and is looking for a partner with similar desires to start a family.

Keep reading below for more info!

Likes: fellow animal enthusiasts, physical contact (his love language), his grandmother's cooking, gardening, spending his days outside, being with family, cinnamon, old hollywood films, people who are connected to their families or communities, fry bread

Dislikes: being cooped up inside, snow days, musical theater, cilantro (he's got the soap taste gene), sudden loud sounds, stand up comedy, cold showers, people who don't like getting dirty, cops, cigarette smoke

GUIDELINES:

8 contestants will be accepted

contestants should have at least 5 likes and/or dislikes

contestants have 15 skill points to distribute as they wish

contestants can have 3-5 traits, except for unflirty or romantic, do give them at least one negative trait, it's more fun that way

unfortunately, only human contestants for this one. YA and adult only, any amount of story/backstory, any aspiration except for romance related aspirations, any gender (pleaseeee give them pronouns). include all this information in your entry please.

any cc and outfits, though try to keep to 1 outfit per category. maxis match or maxis mix is fine EXCEPT for alpha hairs, no alpha hairs please.

Download can be private or public, up to you, BUT please include ALL cc in the download!

i own most of the packs except for some of the kits, but i do have the ‘kits made bgc’ so i can replace stuff if needed

i will be changing skin details and giving them more outfits, if you submit a sim you are consenting to have them be changed to fit my sim style. honestly i highly encourage everyone to use sliders and custom presets, i think sims look a lot better with those and i dont love how vanilla presets look tbh

if you do not have the horse ranch pack but would like for certain skills, traits or aspirations from the pack to be used on your sim, let me know and i will add it in game!

tag me in your posts and use the hashtag #chestnutbc

UPDATE:

NEW DEADLINE: AUGUST 14

PLEASE READ:

As stated previously, Dakota likesmasculine-leaning sims. No strict gender preference, but I am looking for masculine contestants. Be it women who are more butch, masc leaning non binary, cis or trans men on the masculine side of the spectrum. Dakota's type tends to be people with muscles, masculine-leaning, who look like they could pick him up and throw him around. Dad types are a plus too. He prefers people who aren't very skinny, who have some meat on their bones. Strong types, protective vibes, and obviously people who can and are willing to work on a farm and live and deal with animals every day, it's not easy work!

[letters-of-libertas]

I'm bi and yeah your note on women not having solidarity seems sadly true. Apart from not dating men would there be anything you would suggest to improve ones life apart from stating away from those women if possible?

I love this question because this is how to start thinking: being practical.

What it takes to "improve ones life" is subjective so with that said firstly define what a better life(style) for yourself away from moids would look like. Temporarily mentally remove xy terrorist existence. What would your habits/routine be? What would you work towards & pour your energy into? What would you want to be? What would you center your life around? Take your time with these questions or anymore that come up. Have a general idea then be more specific and start breaking your life down into sectors/sections/areas, then look at where you want to be in those areas and work towards it.

For example; I divide my life into 6-7 aspects:

Physical Strength - Not just about muscle but knowing how to fight, where to hit and when to fight. Being stronger makes it easier to defend yourself in altercations (especially with other women). Some mfs will try you & you cant always rely on others coming to your rescue. Also work on building stamina to help endurance, and keeping as healthy as possible.

Emotional Strength - If you cant control your emotions they will control you. In a world of chaos being emotionally strong will let you cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters. Building emotional strength is not easy but it's worth it. Being able to rise above immediate reactions and pace yourself will allow you to assess situations more rationally & make more beneficial choices.

Finances - Get your bag up. Having money to gain resources is imperative to quality of life. I dont care what anyone says having a certain amount of money in life WILL make you happier as you're able to meet your needs better. Having more money/resources also makes it easier to support other women should you choose to do so, it also allows you to be more influential and have more control over your life. However, dont become a slave to getting money tho because that's how you get scammed.

Network - The type of people you hang around can make or break who you are as a person. Aim to connect with likeminded women who will encourage & inspire you as you go on this journey. Hang around people that value & will be honest with you while giving you grace. Not all women you engage with have to be single & childfree but beware the moid crazy ones because they will bring danger to you in their quest for maIe validation. Life isn't perfect but you cant go wrong having the right people around you, valuable relationships are hard to find but it goes a long way even if it's just online. However, no company > bad company.

Spirituality/Guide - Having something bigger than yourself to guide you through the chaos in this world can offer guidance/purpose that keeps you grounded & focused. For many people generally this is religion/god. Not everyone needs or ascribes to religion/spirituality though, but at least consider sets of morals/beliefs to follow. However even that isn't for everyone. So if you feel better off without spirituality or a 'higher' guide at least be clear on it & your reasons why (for yourself).

Hobbies & Interests - As turbulent as the world is, find things to enjoy amidst the chaos. Constant work, doom, and gloom will not change anything you will only hurt yourself. Take time to indulge in things that make you happy to recharge & relax. Engage in hobbies that serve you, share your passion with other women & hear theirs out too. It goes a long way in terms of mental health.

Security - It takes privilege to decide to not get married or have children as a woman & live it out. Everyone's situation is different so what I'll generally suggest is to constantly look into how you can protect yourself, have backup methods, and stay in the loop of xy predation. Dont drown in it but moids are predators & being completely blind to them is being blind to danger. Elaborated on point 10 here.

Sounds like a lot? Great, it'll keep you busy because this isn't a vacation or destination but a lifestyle. And to be honest, some of y'all can do with the busyness as it'll let you focus on what actually matters. This not to say to overwhelm yourself in things for the sake of it but to prioritise your energy on effective things for your life. As you focus on building you'll find that you have less energy to care about insignificant stuff or stuff out of your control anyways. For example, Instead of getting wound up about user somerandomadjectivefem stirring discourse calling you an extremist or whining about how impossible it is for her & other women to live without romantic love n' whatnot (or even women irl pulling this crap), you either ignore or quickly shut down the conversation & swiftly move on.

Everything I've mentioned are just examples, you may feel differently do whatever you feel best applies. Also remember to enjoy the process along the way as you are living through it afterall :3

Long story short: Work on building resources & other aspects of your life up for yourself.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi its me! Cupcake berserker reader anon!

Can we get readee during the whole cake arc since she's rather new to the crew big mom isnt fully aware of who she is.

Reader tries to sneak around the island trying to find sanji and she bumps into general katakuri. She knows hes the enemy but she cant help but be amazed by him.

Hijinxs ensue as reader accidentally impress big mom and her family starts to adore reader

At the end I really want her to comfort and violently head butt sanji when he yells at luffy when judge leaves. Ive always wanted to do that she could say something along the lines of " I'm the dumbest person I know sanji but right now your the dumb one! You say that you hate everything about your heartless brothers yet you're allowing your shitty daddy get to you?! Hes right! Youre nothing that he planned but those are the parts are what I love you big dummy!!!" She would head butt him a few more times to get the message across.

I also think she would be really cold to nami after that one scene when sanji and the strawhats reunite. Think of the coldness of marika from " chilling in my 30s" if you dont know her you can get a clip of her on youtube!

I hope this is alright!

-It was supposed to be an easy mission, get to Whole Cake Island, find Sanji, then meet up with the rest of the crew in Wano!

-However, with your captain being Luffy, nothing ever goes to plan. You knew this well, but when you found yourself alone, apart from Nami and Luffy and now staring up at one of the Charlotte Family’s Sweet Commanders, Katakuri.

-He didn’t know what to make of you when you literally ran into him and almost took him off his feet, despite not even reaching his knees.

-He felt a pull towards you, you were so strong, but so soft and delicate looking, choosing to ignore the battle axe you were dragging behind you, wearing a cute, fluffy dress and looking just downright adorable!!

-Big Mom didn’t know what to make of you when her son brought you to her, she knew that you were a part of the Straw Hat Crew, much like Judge’s son who was due to marry Pudding soon, but she didn’t know much about you, since you were new to Luffy’s crew.

However, you looked so adorable! You didn’t look like a pirate at all! How could someone as dainty and adorable looking as you be a pirate?!

-However, Big Mom shocked everyone, as Katakuri had never shown any interest in women before, “You should marry Katakuri!!”

-Katakuri wasn’t against it, actually happy, but he wasn’t showing it, but you were polite in your refusal, “I apologize, but I’m not looking to marry anyone right now.” Many were surprised of your refusal, as most would never think to, but this showed how naïve you were, you needed to be protected!!

-However, when Katakuri went to grab you, you showed off your skills, showing why you were in Luffy’s crew as you easily knocked Katakuri back, using the blunt edge of your axe, showing your strength and unfortunately getting a lot of attention on you.

-Big Mom and Katakuri both were impressed with your raw strength, Big Mom knew that any children you had, especially with Katakuri, were going to be insanely powerful!!

-An hour later you were finally reunited with your crew, including Sanji, and you cheerfully called out to him, “Sanji!!” his brothers saw you and you instantly took all four of them off their feet.

-You held your hand over your lips, “Ah~? There’s four of you?” Nami and Luffy were both yelling at Sanji as you noticed a larger man walking away and Sanji sneered down at them, telling them all to leave.

-You knew this was just a front, as Sanji would never talk to Nami like that, and he had way more respect for Luffy than to talk to him like that.

-You glared hard as you leapt up, leaving your axe by Nami, “You big- DUMMY!!” as you shouted your head came down hard on his own head, head-butting him and sending him to the ground hard.

-His brothers were in shock, as you didn’t look like a fighter as you shouted down at Sanji, hands on your hips, “You’re going to let him get to you even though you can’t stand a thing about them? You big dummy! Nobody is going to be perfect- those imperfections are what I love about you- what we all love about you- except maybe Zoro.”

-You calmed down towards the end of your little rant, losing steam as he stared up at you in shock from his spot on the ground.

-Sanji then flew back, blood spurting front him nose as he got an eyeful as you turned, hearing Luffy call out your name and saw your panties and you turned, rushing over, “Sanji- are you okay?!”

-You didn’t see what hurt him, not realizing what he had seen, as his brothers were surrounded by flames of rage as you held him up, resting his head against your chest, unintentionally making things worse as Sanji felt like he could die happy.

-Nami held her hand to her face, shaking her head, a bit exasperated, but she knew that you got through to Sanji more, but that didn’t mean he was off the hook!!

-Once you were all sailing away to Wano, Sanji waited on you and Nami hand and foot, trying to appease you both, as he knew you were both upset with him.

-Nami was pettier than you were, trying to drag it out, while you were showering him with love and attention, so he would never want to leave ever again.

-He didn’t, especially if he might get to have a glimpse of heaven again, but nobody else needed to know that.

[thewitchkingiscool-ace]

My dad clearly doesn’t understand the way Tolkien intended to portray men in LotR and all his other works. I don’t think he even understands some aspects of Tolkien’s works at all.

I was watching return of the king last night with him, and we got to Aragorn’s coronation, all was well, then we got to Aragorn’s song, and this is where i get really pissed at my dad.

First let me give a bit of context. My dad sometimes gets confused on whether we are watching the extended editions or not, because some of the versions we watched used to be the theatrical ones until i told my dad about it, then we started watching all the extended ones. Anyway, i’ve never watched the theatrical return of the king, so idk what scenes are and aren’t in it.

But then whilst Aragorn’s singing, my dad says, “I can see why they cut this from the theatrical version.” (I dont know if they did by the way, my dad was just assuming). So i’m in shock at what he just said. I say to him, “did they cut it?” And neither of us are sure. Then i ask him, “why? Why would they cut it?” And my dad says, “because it’s not very kingly.”

Oh my god. Does my dad have any understanding of Tolkien’s works AT ALL?

He wants to show that both men and women can be strong and brave, but gentle as well, and respectful. He wants to show that even the mightiest of kings can cry, and he portrays men in such a beautiful way. And women. He shows that both can be tough and noble, but both can have tender moments, and can sing! Why on earth should singing not be considered “kingly”?? That’s one of the main themes in Tolkien’s works! Song!

And what about singing shouldn’t be considered “kingly” or “manly”? It’s a beautiful way of expressing emotion and I love its constant use in Tolkien’s works. Why should kings not be allowed to do it? Why can’t men have an even balance of strength and beauty?

It honestly makes me so sad, what my dad said about it. It’s pretty much disrespecting everything Tolkien put into his work. It disrespects all the hard work and effort Tolkien went through to try and make his universe rich and flowing with beauty, magic, and so many things that you can’t find in many other fictional universes. Middle earth is a place where starlight is treasured, people are one with nature, many creatures live in the woods and in gorgeous environments full of song. Song is one of the central themes to everything Tolkien writes. MIDDLE EARTH WAS LITERALLY SANG INTO EXISTENCE!!!!

“It’s not very kingly.” Ok then. Give me ONE reason why singing isn’t kingly. What, because it’s not “manly”? Why? Why isn’t it manly? Because it’s not “proper”? Why?? Why not? It’s a ceremonious action and anyone can do it, if they like! So i said to my dad, “woah, why not? What’s wrong with it?” And his fucking answer was, “well, king charles didn’t do it, did he?” OF COURSE KING FUCKING CHARLES DIDN’T SING AT HIS CORONATION. This is 2023 we’re talking about! This isn’t middle earth! We’re talking about a world where a king these days would be mocked for singing. In fact, most men in general these days are made fun of for singing. King charles didn’t sing at his coronation because he’s some boring old guy who probably just wants a nap! He didn’t sing because that’s not really our culture in england, but i’m sure there are other countries where it is! In england’s culture (and this even dates back to medieval times), it’s more a case that the people sing for the king, rather than the king singing for the people. But in Tolkien’s culture it’s not that way. Song is so, so important to the people of middle earth and my dad does not understand it.

“Because it’s not very kingly.” Yeah. You clearly haven’t read the books, have you?

[katatonicimpression]

Bobby/Romeo, you’ve probably talked about them before but I don’t remember

Oooh so i actually really like this. And, like, in a way I dont ship it - I don't make or consume fan content for it - but I really like what Vecchio and Orlando did with it. I think it's a strong storyline.

Because I'm petty and my brain is weird, I'm gonna format this by responding to objections:

A) The age thing/is this problematic?

So, Romeo was time displaced teen!Bobby's boyfriend. Canonically, when they sent the teens back to the past, they wiped their memories with one exception - bobby was allowed to retain his memories of being out as a teen, as a treat. I believe the intention here was just to make it a little less depressing, but it opened a possibility that Vecchio noticed. Present-day bobby does remember dating Romeo - he now has an adolescent crush on a character who is actually a viable romantic interest.

Romeo was late teens when we first saw him. Vecchio's comic takes place "nebulous sliding timeline" years later, but in the real world was about 7 years afterwards. On top of this, Vecchio added a line where Romeo says he was caught up in some time travel shenanigans of his own, and has aged an additional 10 years. This puts him in his 30s, the same vague age as Bobby.

Some people object to this on principle. The trope of rapidly aging a character to make them sexually viable is absolutely a thing in comics (think Layla Miller and Magik and how they both jarringly oscillate between being young children and sexualised young women. Or even think about Synch and Talon, and how they wrote an in universe reason for him to physically age, because they thought it would seem weird if he was still physically a teenager - which is bad writing but I concede it's less viscerally creepy than the magik and Layla stuff). The objection is basically that the aging up of an underage character to make them a viable love interest is creepy and weird - and I do pretty much agree with that.

Like, if someone wanted to age up an existing kid character like Gabby just to put her romantically with an adult, I would be right there with you saying that this is fucked up. So, yes, point granted.

However, not only would Romeo have been well into his 20s even without that 10 year boost, more importantly this is not an example of a pre-existing dude just being plucked out of his life and warped into a love interest role for bobby. He's a character who literally only exists to be a love interest for bobby. On top of that, weird time travel hijinks were always on the table with this. And I think that does change the situation. It's not "let's take this kid and age him up", it's "this couple transcends spacetime."

Idk maybe I could have explained that better, but the way I see it, this is a trope that you should watch out for, this particular case is not really a problem.

B) Wait, you're saying Romeo is more of a plot device than a character? Isn't that bad?

Yes, he kind of is, and no it isn't bad.

So, all good characters are plot devices. Ok, yeah in big unending serialised things like comic books and soap operas, characters do start to exist independently of story writing. But, in terms of actually writing a story, the characters are what they bring to the story. That can be in a very utilitarian plot way, or in a more loose thematic way, or, hell, comic relief. Characters are their purpose in the story. They can be more than that, but a well-written character can be identifiable by their narrative/aesthetic purpose in a given work.

*gets down off of soapbox*

Romeo's main purpose is to be a love interest for Bobby, and specifically to be a love-interest with empathy powers for Mr Emotional Repression. He is someone for Bobby to feel things with, to be vulnerable with. He's there to open bobby up (in the first place with teen!bobby) and to be the person he lets in (metaphorically). This is what Vecchio is doing; Bobby initially responds to emotional anguish by running and reverting, then eventually reaches catharsis by breaking down in front of Romeo.

With Orlando, Romeo is there to very literally facilitate the plot, but also to once again reveal Bobby's vulnerabilities, this time in a less positive way. Through Romeo we see Bobby's weaknesses, both in his powers at the time and his psychological failings.

This is good. This is fun. This is why I like romantic storylines in my comc books. I like how they can be used to tell us things about the characters, I like how they can heighten the emotional stakes, and drive conflict and resolution. It's good.

C) Bobby should be with a pre-existing character

My biggest bobby ship is with St. John so idk if I have a leg to stand on here. But one of the things I kept seeing when people were complaining about Romeo coming back was "bobby should be with Hank" and "Bobby should be with Warren" and like... erm... no?

Specifically, it was always phrased as "bobby should be given a new permanent, endgame love interest" which I think is the problem. Shipping is so often about assigning two people to each other forever and ever, but that's not necessarily a thing that canon ever needs to be conerned about in comic book world. And certainly not something it needs to bother with all of the time.

What I wanted was a romantic storyline for Bobby, and I got that. Yes, you could write a storyline with a pre-existing character (e.g. st. john) but you can have a dedicated love-interest guy instead. The important thing is that you actually write it. So, fundamentally I don't think either Hank or Warren would ever actually be considered as love interests for Bobby by editorial, but even if they were, the thing you would need to do is actually write that narrative, and it's not currently there at all imo.

I just find this so silly and weird. Let bobby date some rando it's fine. What matters is whether the story is compelling in its own right.

D) Isn't this a step backwards?

One objection to the writing that I've seen is that by dating his teenage boyfriend, Bobby is basically regressing. This is a step backwards for him, and is bad for that reason.

I agree and disagree. Yes it's a regression, and also I'm kind of into it.

What I mean is that Orlando actually introduces a lot of codependency between Romeo and Bobby. Bobby is literally reliant on Romeo to physically exist, and Romeo is physically stuck somewhere he cannot survive without him. So, like, that's messed up. Also they argue, Bobby is still closed off, uncomfortable with how vulnerable he is. Romeo is kinda clingy, but how else could he possibly act in this situation.

It is deliciously fucked up. And it's using a superhero/sci-fi premise to exaggerate an emotional conflict, to paint the internal into the external. We love to see it.

Orlando didn't really dive into it, beyond having mild conflict between them at times. But I dunno I like drama. I was excited for their to be drama. And if this storyline gets revisited at some point, I kinda hope they lean into it.

E) Monogamy Reigns

This isn't a response to any specific thing I've seen but more a vibe that's floating about. I already mentioned that when people ship, they so often favour this idea of one true endgame pairing, and monogamy is usually the norm. Hell, even polyshipping is usually an ot3, with a set limited number of partners.

Bobby and Romeo's relationship is open, like many relationships between gay men are. They are melodramatically romantic, and they are open. I love this.

We have wiccan and hulkling for cutesy wholesome gays. We have Jean-Paul and Kyle for marriage and monogamy. It's important, to me personally, to also have queer men who don't operate that way. Open relationships are very commonplace for queer men and to me there is something implicitly homophobic about seeing these relationships as less. Hell, I am a very monogamous person myself and I still feel very strongly about this.

I think people have a tendency to not understand what Vecchio and Orlando were trying to show here, and sometimes to take the romance less seriously because of it (oh, it's just a casual thing) and, no, that's not it.

So, yeah, I like it. This was a lot of words to say I like the pairing.

[lesbianlenas]

are you pro choice?

of course i am pro choice….u cannot be a feminist if u aren’t pro choice. the base core tenant of feminism is for women to have bodily autonomy which is impossible w/o access to abortion. no woman or girl should be forced to have a baby and women can’t be liberated from patriarchy w/o full reproductive autonomy. the literal basis of misogyny is men wanting to control reproduction which is the one thing they are not able to control so they have to subjugate women to do it. u cannot have women’s liberation w/o abortion access. idc if any woman personally doesn’t want to have an abortion or if they are morally against it for themselves if they want to call themselves a feminist they need to understand that other women MUST have the right to control whether or not they are pregnant. and i am not just pro choice i LOVE abortion 🤩 i dont think there is anything wrong w it at all and women should have the ability to decide what they want to do w their lives forever and ever. allowing men to control women’s bodies only leads to women being abused and prevented from taking the steps to develop their own independent lives. making abortion a moral issue is entirely religious doctrine (painting women who become pregnant unintentionally as being impure, deviant, seductresses, and immoral who should have been good catholic women waiting for marriage and doing their family planning) and has no place in secular society. you can only place “life” on a bunch of cells if u believe in the existence of souls separate from the body (ie you are a soul living in a body rather than just being your body) which again does not align w secular thought which is what laws are meant to be based on.

and in any case if there is any woman out there that wants an abortion and can’t get one and is forced to give birth to the child the quality of life of that child will probably be low. is it worth it to bring a child into an unfair life situation based on the morals of other ppl and men’s desire to force women to produce more babies to continue fueling the workforce? if anyone truly cares abt these “babies” they believe have to be born they would understand that allowing a woman to have an abortion for an unwanted pregnancy is a bigger mercy to the child than being born into an abusive environment or being put into foster care or into adoption (adoption is much more traumatic than media would have u believe) or having a mother who isn’t able to properly care for them for w/e reason. so many ppl have an inability to understand that being alive can actually be worse than nonexistence.

even more so if they want to prevent abortions from taking place instead of banning abortions (which does NOT lower the rate of abortions it only makes it more unsafe) there should be a focus on improving sex education and access to contraception for both men and women so that young ppl are better educated on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies so less will happen. lack of sex education doesn’t prevent young ppl from having sex all it does is cause them to have unprotected sex. so sex ed is a WAY better focus for preventing abortion than banning abortion but it’s not abt that anyway. it’s not abt preventing abortion at all it’s abt forcing women to have babies. and if they are more educated and not becoming pregnant they can’t be forced to have more babies (to fuel the workforce like i said).

and anyway. no woman should be forced to go thru permanent changes of her body that could result in future complications or death during the pregnancy. if a woman doesn’t want to be pregnant she shouldn’t be. period. i think abortion is beautiful and wonderful and any woman should be able to get one for any reason.

sorry for going off but like i have a VERY strong pro abortion stance i mean i have very strong feminist opinions in general but reproductive autonomy is THE basis of feminism. u cannot have feminism w/o reproductive autonomy!!!

[cindysnuts]

trigun stampede i just finished it and have so many thoughts but i can't possibly process them all so here's a more easily sharable sexuality hc list:

(oh and minor spoiler warning too)

Vash is like ace. he doesn't necessarily crave sex from any humans but could definitely be coaxed into it and fully enjoy it. if his physiology allows for that, i guess. Can probably experience romantic attraction too, but in a demiromantic way. Just demi overall

Nai: also ace but would NOT want to carnally enjoy a human. he'd hate it. has no romantic love for any human. for a plant maybe.

Meryl: idk i'm very gay and don't think about women's sexuality much, but probably bi. she could be straight but idk she has a special something I think. has been following around vash for long enough that she has a strong attachment to him. but is it love? probably. romantic love though? hmmmmm she'll have to figure that one out herself. i would like it more if it wasn't, or if she wasn't the only one... but we'll have to wait and see. she's close to Rem in Vash's mind... so no telling about that one.

Roberto: Old man, definitely straight, has definitely seen it all, has definitely made out with a man. didn't do much for him but them again what has? shared a cigarette with a man once though and it changed something about him permanently. so make what you will

Nicholas: ohhhh bitch. now this is the guy that inspired the list. he's still so young but so tired, he's seen so much. he loved that boy. catholicism has its ways though. not only does he bear that cross for the people he's hurt but for the people he's loved too. all are sins in the eyes of the cross in that way. only ever loved one man but that was enough. seeing straight into Vash's soul though... his vulnerability... his scars he's taken for loving... well let's just say this undertaker had something stir. definitely not love though. no he could never love again. monsters like him can't have love. so he definitely can't love Vash, and he didn't love Livio. or so he keeps telling himself. making that cross a little heavier. not all burdens are beared consciously.

Livio: ah yes, the little boy who fell in love with Nico so hard that he followed him to hell, to be an undertaker. a love so deep it's gonna tear them both apart. definitely gay.

Bluesummers: ah now we're on to the fun ones. these guys don't have the narrative weight to be wrapped in heavy metaphor that I don't wanna disrupt yet, so I'm a little more free with their speculation. this guy seems like he serves Knives like a god, but with that level of devotion who can tell the different kinds of love apart???? me, i can this bitch is flaming literally like f slur.

Zazie: not human, literally a hivemind, so I dont think sexuality really fits them at all. like literally i dont think they even have sex to reproduce?? so sexuality is a no lol. um that said they're also nonbinary cause they literally do not have human sex characteristics let alone human genders. unaligned evil enby you love to see it.

Rem: for catholic metaphor reasons i think she would have to be straight but she's a lesbian its why she didnt marry or have children of her own no i will not be taking questions at this time.

William Conrad: despite having two names that should make me personally feel insane he is instead a beleaguered straight man. he is a Priest, after all.

Ludia and Brad: again, straight probably for catholic narrative reasons, like Wolfwood's sexuality wouldn't be as big a burden if everyone was just gay. that said they are dyke 4 fag pair bonded permanently no i will not be taking questions at this time. actually since they live on the ship outside of the reach of the church maybe they could be gay and have it work narratively... hmmmmm.... homos

Gosef: gay asf you seen his little bowtie??

Prof. Nebraska: transgender mad scientist just loves his son.

Chuck Lee (goon from ep 1 had to google his name): straight subscribes to a space egirl's space twitch channel and buys her used space socks in a cringe fail incel way but he's supporting space swers so we kinda stan in a cringe fail way.

[rabiscalia0]

Once in a while I found myself thinking about gender identity in general and how I feel about it inside me.

I wanna share some reflections about what I am thinking today, since its Pride and this makes it a good day to share it.

Starting with the point that always have been clear for me: I don't believe in gender roles, that binary system that society made up and defines how women or men should be. To me, since I was a child, I never identified with girly stuff, I didn't see myself as cute or fragile, I had my mom as my rolemodel and despite she being very selfconscious and worrying about style and looks, she is a very strong and independent woman who never cared about doing "guy's stuff", I always had the freedom to do what I wanted, despite the gender it might "belong".

Another point I wanna clarify is that I dont really CARE about gender. Everyone is allowed to fight for their identities but I don't feel this is important to me, like, we are human beings and that's enough. But I still think about it because, well, people ask, they wanna know what I am right?!

So, I grew up being seen and identifying myself as a woman. I still do, I simply cannot look away for all my life living like that and having the goods and bads, and fighting the fights and being a group with other women.

Of course, since the gender roles exist, there was this moment when I thought "maybe I am a man cuz I dont see myself like a feminine person", like "a woman should be".. but the again, who said that?! Who decides what is to be a woman??

Still, we have to real with society and reality and I started to identify myself as a nonbinary person. (I don't feel comfy to use the trans flag as my flag personally, because I don't feel like transitioning to something else, but I consider NB as part of the trans flag and I support trans rights as well. I'd like to read some opinions on that matter.)

See, politically I still see myself as a woman, I won't leave the feminist fight, I love women and I def don't want to be a man. 🤷

But to me personally, as I said before, it really doesn't matter being this or that, and I always liked androgyne looks, and I'd love to be someone you just can't tell if is a femboy or a tomboy-ish girl, that would be a dream to cause that confusion because in the utopic world of my own, no one needs to be labeled with gender unless you want it.

Talking about labels, please let's remember this important info: gender is a spectrum, not a bunch of boxes. You also can change how you see yourself and so your gender during your life and it's fine.

All that being said, I think I'd be somewhere in the middle, where I am still NB, I totally disagree with binarity, but I use feminine pronouns (in portuguese, my first language, we don't have an official neutral noun) and neutral (in english), and I still identify more towards women, because of my life experience.

I am a woman for political reasons.

I am nonbinary for my soul.

Also I am panromantic and gray-asexual but that's for another topic.

Well, that's it I guess?

Does any of this makes sense?

Can you relate somehow?

Happy Pride everyone,

and remember, just be you, that's enough 💕

[scribeforchrist-blog]

This Is The Way; Walk In It.

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Psalm 96:9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Matthew 10:37-39 Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

‭‭=========================

** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I  AM WALKING IN GOD 

I AM HEARING HIM SPEAK

I AM STRONG 

I AM CONTENT 

********************************

THOUGHTS:

=======================

 Jesus wanted us to know that we shouldn't put anyone before him. If we do, we aren't worthy of him. Sometimes, it is hard not to put family or relationships first because we love our family and our parents, but we have to learn to put them behind Jesus . When we get married, our priority should be Jesus , spouse, family, and everything after, but some people feel that Jesus is supposed to be placed somewhere in between all of that. 

    Still, Jesus clearly states that he should be first, and when we follow him, we must take up our cross and follow him; if we don't, we aren't worthy of him. Usually, what someone wants first is to whom they dedicate most of their time. If we marry someone who thinks God should be second, we must either have a conversation or talk to them about our goals or priorities; as a single woman, my main goal is to place God first.

  1 Corinthians 7:34 And his interests are divided. The unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord and how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things and how to please her husband.

   See, when you're unmarried, you should only be anxious about the things of the Lord and how to be holy in body and spirit, but when you are married, your goal is to please your husband. Our priorities must change when we become married and when we are single. But we, as believers, must always place God first and nothing else. 

   Colossians 3:1-4 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

   Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

     Both scriptures tell us to put Jesus first and seek the things above; we can't call ourselves believers if we put other things before Jesus . If our heart is into placing the minor things here on earth first, we will tarnish our relationship with Christ. But when we have a relationship with Jesus, it must come first. What I try to do is do everything that is for Jesus or with Jesus first, and everything else I have to do comes after.

    We must not make him feel he is second in our life; the Bible says we don't place anything before God,  no idol. We might not think our actions are idolatry, but they are. We must understand that anything placed before God is an idol, even what we have in our hearts. We must check that our heart is always focused on God because what's in our hearts matters. If we dont love him as we used to, if we dont have that fire or zeal, our heart will turn us away from him. Do you all remember King Solomon, who allowed the women he was with to turn his heart away from God?

    Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

  Things of the flesh can cause us to love him less when we focus on bills, stress, anger, bitterness, and jealousy. Those things can turn our hearts were we are walking in the flesh, and we forget the things of the spirit, when we give over those things to God. We are focused on him, and we are focused on pleasing him; we make ourselves worthy of him ,to follow him. I want to make myself a worthy servant of him; I want to make sure I am in his will and doing everything in my life to please God; how do we please him? The Bible says this: Hebrews 11:6 And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever draws near to God must believe that he exists and rewards those who seek him.

  We please him with our faith; Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” it says when we are in the flesh, we can't please god, so when we walk in the spirit, we please him, so with our faith and walking in the spirit, we have to make sure we live a life that is pleasing to him, so we can keep him first ,see all of these things and steps are a chain.

When we do one thing wrong , we can break the chain; and we have a broken link we must figure out the best way to fix it and in our spiritual lives that’s connecting ourselves back to God ; every day, we must make sure all of the links are together and that we are doing all we can to walk in a way that is pleasing to him.

   ***Today, remember that God should be the head of our lives and never last; we have so much going on. We seem to think we have everything under control, and something else comes and shows us we don’t . Still, whatever comes, we must please God and keep him first; that's what he wants from us and desires that we keep him linked into our lives. Some of us haven't done it yet, and some of us dont see the point, but the more important picture matters, and that bigger picture is having a fulfilling life in God by following his will and keeping him first. If we do this, we won't have to worry if we are doing something wrong. All we have to do is listen to him when he speaks , saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

========================

Heavenly Father, we thank you for today; we ask you today, Father, that you help keep our lives balance and include you more; sometimes our times are mind is on other things, and we ask you to help us find the time to speak to you, to read our word, lord we desire to stay close to you, we desire to please you in every aspect of our lives, lord we ask that you continue to show us your way and your will, we ask that you forgive us of the sins we have done, lord every day we desire to surrender the wrong that’s in our lives to you , please change us and mold us in Jesus Name Amen. 

========================

REFERENCES

========================

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

+ Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

+ Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 4

Nehemiah 8

Joshua 2

Ezekiel 15

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[itsamatterofmind]

Throughout the healing journey...

I found it surprising that majority of the people in the healing groups that I have been involved in are women.  I am not sure if its because women are the ones who are targeted the most bc men perceive us as “weak” (which we all know is untrue) or if its because men arent “allowed” to experience emotion because of fear of what society might think.  That men think that they have to repress whatever is going on with them on an emotional level because it isnt masculine for them to express emotional pain/hurt.  I am not sure, but that is not what this post is about. 

I found myself in a relationship with a guy I really liked, and actually saw a future with because he brought out happiness and strength and provided a feeling of safety I haven’t felt in a long time.  I felt really great about our connection but my fears were mounting up from the past trauma and the bandaids I put over the wounds were coming off.  I was realizing how unhealed I was, it was a tough pill to swallow mainly because I couldnt seem to swallow it.  All of a sudden I was suffocating and my hurt inner child was sooooo loud I was communicating all the confusion to him.  Which was unfair to him because why would I place such a burden on someone else that has nothing to do with my pain?  So in my insecurity and suffocation I kept pushing him away, but then wanting him back because I knew what I was suffering from wasnt to do with him, so I placed him on an emotional rollercoaster bc I wanted to grow in this relationship that I strongly desired.   The guilt of this was eating me alive so finally I pushed him away.  When I felt ready again we hung out and it was like our connection was still beautiful, strong, and correct.  Well, I lost my place to live and that was the final straw I felt everything I healed from came back from the ashes and rose in a greater way and I realized that maybe I was just hiding the pain now and no real work was accomplished.  I started to think.. maybe I will never heal?  So I entered into MORE healing, and this time specifically trauma groups on how to navigate through this murkiness and help shed a light on my heart that would lead me to hope.   It wasnt coming, at least it wasnt coming fast enough...  As of then I have been trapped for a little over 6 years and I was extremely frustrated that I was still here.   I wanted the pain and sadness to be done, it was out of my life but still resounding fear was echoing through my existence it was like a heartbeat that was shattering through my being and the shame I felt made me feel less than the strength I know I have.  I know I am strong!  I went from being a victim of abuse to being a survivor, but that is not enough for me.  After contemplating what that means for me,  I dont want to be a survivor because that insinuates that I am still in survival mode and that I am still attacking the world around me.  Thats unfair.  felt as though I should be caged until I am solid in my healing and I could enter the world again in a light, playful, and loving way.  The dangers of isolation are greater than the risk of intimacy but this time my isolation was different I was isolating not only for me but for the people I love because they deserve the best version of me.  I know what I am capable of, and throughout the healing I am becoming more aware of what I have to offer but all that I have to offer I was not offering for myself. 

So I continued listening to stories of the survivors in my trauma groups and there was one thing that kept repeating that astounded me and that is... they all have boyfriends or got remarried.  It is something I question all the time because I cant imagine how they did it.  I am over here suffering from pain of memories I thought I overcame and these women were at a similar level to me or worse in their healing journey.... how did they find love again?  Were they trauma bonding? Are their husbands happy?  How could someone bring an unaffiliated partner into the chaos and confusion of the trauma they have yet to heal? I couldnt understand it, and I still dont and maybe thats not for me to understand because I am not one to bring someone into a situation that shouldve been healed before they arrived in my life.  No matter how much feeling, emotion, thoughts of a beautiful future together, the pure joy I felt when I was with him... I could not justify bringing him into this.  I displaced my trauma with activities for many years, and my ego was covering up how much pain I was in.  I was happy building my business, and making connections with people, and soon I found out this was okay as long as they didnt get close enough.  So I am realizing that anyone that got close enough I set fire to the connection and let it burn.  I dont want to be that person anymore.  I want to help people on a grand scale, and I believe that is what God is calling me to do.   Needless to say, the last time I pushed him away he walked away and I feel it is permanent.  He has shown zero interest, care, or concern about me and maybe I deserve that?  It is a learning experience that woke me up because I never wanted him to walk away... we never got a chance to build a relationship together, my trauma created nothing but false starts bc my fear was a heavy burden to bare. 

Soon... I will tell you, soon, about a couple of books that have been in my life for many years that completely turned my world around and gave me hope of healing in a final way.  One of the books had been appearing in my life for 3 years randomly but I always turned away from it because I didnt understand it.  It is reframing my whole mind in a way that I am viewing the world, myself, and my past trauma in a new light.  And I will also tell you about a significant healing experience that really set the stage that I am so close to cycling this out.  I am talking about these experiences because 1.) journaling is helpful and 2.) I hope that whomever reads this testimony can be  helped or shed light on things that are shimmering under the surface that need to be brought to light so you can sort through them. Our experiences may be different but the end result is the same...  We want to heal!