#i'd hate to see it divided and conquered

[tomzomodest]

Cw: transphobia, bigotry, queer discourse

I was initially gonna sit on fencesit on the transandrophobia thing. Let it sort itself out and be beholden to whatever outcome it gave us, no matter how bitter it would have been. But after a bit of digging, I feel the need to add my two cents. Especially after I found out the person who's spearheading this whole thing has fallen so deep into callout culture they've come to the conclusion that "Kiwifarms is fine, actually, and we need to go return to the good ol' days of the internet." The good ol' days of the internet, of course, being the time when going on harassment campaigns and casual bigotry towards minorities was normalized. Moreso than today.

And well... speaking as someone who lived through this time and participated in it to some degree (the first social media site I used was iFunny during the zenith of internet bigotry. If you know how bad it was/is... yeah...), like, do we really want to follow the words of this kind of person? Someone who goes to great lengths to harass callout others they're willing to be an apologist for fucking Kiwifarms?

So, I must ask my transmasc friends on this site- and I ask these completely in good faith: is your suffering with transfems not the same? Sure it will be worded differently, but the endgoal is still the same. In a transphobic society, such as ours, you're still a freak, a degenerate faking your manhood the same way transfems "fake" their womanhood. Under a patriarchal society, such as ours, you're still a woman trying to reach a mans status and need to be put back into your place. Under both, you're still less than human.

Would it not be more constructive to say that transmascs suffer under the same umbrella of transphobia? Would it not be better to discuss and fight for each other, rather than burn bridges for the sake of transandrophobia?

Let's talk about transandrophobia. And by that I mean let me monologue about my findings browsing the tag and checking related blogs.

For context, most of my (second hand) interactions with it are from additions to the posts of transfeminists where random people antagonize them. Also from knowledge about how a certain user who helped popularize the term and gets referenced on posts about it (and other adjacent pawns) just happens to be a piledriver for callouts that just happen to target trans women. So you will excuse me for being biased and not going into this with a naive mindset.

And I will say that I've engaged with this in significantly more good faith than it deserves. My hope was that perhaps most people using the term were doing it out of ignorance and not malicious intent. I haven't really "counted" or done any actual note taking for this, it's more of a general observation that coalesced over a few days after I did all that digging so numbers are rough estimates and not accurate numbers. I checked about 50 pages on both "latest" and "top" on the tag, aswell as checking the recommended blogs.

Ignoring certain users who use the tag to highlight how absurd the mere concept of it is, since it's just mainly one woman having fun(?) cluttering (neutral) the tag and a few others mocking posts about it; we can roughly put the people who talk about transandrophobia in 3 groups. There is potential for overlap and I reiterate, my good faith is going to skew this toward a more positive vision than reality.

The first group are mostly trans men and a few trans women who would define transandrophobia as transphobia targeted at trans men, which is not at all what the term means nor what its history or actual use is. This group was around 30-40% of the posts, but one has to keep in mind that this was from going over the posts with the tag on their blogs. Posts that would talk about their experiences being the targets of transphobia and calling it transandrophobia.

Not to sound condescending, but getting treated differently to your cis peers (before coming out OR even knowing you are trans), pushback against your transition and toward the closet, bureaucratic hurdles and general hostility to being "the other" is not a transmasc exclusive thing and it's in fact "just" transphobia. Even the supposedly unique to trans men experience of having issues with reproductive health... also happens to trans women, it's the general transphobia of medical professionals. It manifests in different ways, that's it.

Most of the transmascs on this group seem to be under the impression that transandrophobia is an analogous term to transmisogyny that simply describes the targeted transphobia to transmascs and transfems respectively. I understand their posts and it was painful to read many of them, but ultimately what they describe is called transphobia. Most of the (few) transfems on this group were making additions in defense/support of trans men on those same previous posts.

That's as good as it gets though. I really hope the 30-40% estimate is real because the alternative is grim, and as a disclaimer I have (over time) blocked a massive amount of those users who go on posts about transmisogyny to start fights. Those hostile users are very likely to use the tag and be part of the second or third groups, which means that accounting for all the people I've blocked the first group percentage is likely to be <30%.

The second group are cryptoterfs. Or alternatively, people with ideas so bioessentialist that they are indistinguishable from cryptoterfs. I have found only two blogs that were openly "gc" and straight up interacting with open terfs, but many of them had their rethoric and semirelated posts all over and sometimes even the recommended blogs would give it away. Possibly 10% of the tag users belong to this group.

The main giveaway beyond the previous ones seems to be a really transphobic view that what trans men experience as transphobia is really just misogyny. So when they experience that misogyny as trans men it's called transandrophobia. Don't ask me what logic this is, but I've seen it repeated on their blogs so whatever is going on in their brains they seem to commonly agree that trans men are "just" experiencing misogyny. The obvious implication always, always being that trans men are women, a very transphobic idea.

There were some users who are part of the previously mentioned overlap. They will have some posts that tangentially allude at that trans men = women idea but never quite reblog or interact or expand those transphobic views. But they would also be part of the third group.

The third group are transmisogynists. No other way to put it. And I don't mean it in the casual way, we are all kind of transmisogynistic due to society and that's it; I mean it in the openly in opposition to transfeminists and actively spreading hateful and harmful rethoric kind of way. More than half the users of the tag are part of this group.

It's a key difference but a very telling one; where the first group talked about their experiences and how they are affected by transphobia (incorrectly labeling it) the third group engages in reactionary behaviors, always blaming/harassing/critizicing transfeminists posts. It's a genuinely weird feeling to see a post you agree with, along the lines of "men benefit from patriachy" and the "critique" from these users being "how dare these [insert misgendering term] insinuate that trans men are oppressing them".

Reading anything in bad faith, calls for "unity" while at the same reblogging from and interacting with known callout spearheads, honestly shocking hostility to trans women all over their posts and a general very open opposition to any transfeminist theory. Like I was genuinely speechless at some of the posts.

Literally calling random trans women transphobic. Screenshots without context to make it seem like the OP is saying the literal opposite of what she was saying. Congratulatory posts about getting people banned. Straight up callouts.

And I was hoping that the first group would be the majority, with a few bad apples and the expected bad actors.

My conclusion is very simple. Stop using the term transandrophobia. It has no good faith uses, what trans men experience is transphobia since misandry is not a real structural force and misogyny is. Most of its users are hostile to and a danger to trans women in this website, and somehow terf rethoric is generally accepted by them.

Transandrophobia doesn't exist.

[wileys-russo]

I heard that Mary is obsessed with to do lists on her days off, imagine her reaction to the reader constantly messing with her lists like adding her own name to the to do list!

to do list II m.earps

you exhaled deeply as your body slowly started to awaken, a high pitched grunt left your lips as you stretched your limbs out against the soft silk sheets of your bed, settling back into them and blinking a few times.

you frowned when there wasn't a body still in bed beside you, instead only half a neatly made bed which had you rolling your eyes at your girlfriends odd habits. you adored her regardless though which is why a grumpy mood set in that you'd been deprived of a lay in with her on your day off.

but not wanting to waste the day away in bed if you were doomed to be alone you weren't long to get up, making your half of the bed and donning it with the ridiculous amount of throw pillows you loved and mary always hated, but she found it near impossible to say no to you at times.

nodding satisfied with your work you padded off to the bathroom. washing your face and doing your morning skincare, you exhaled through your nose as you were now much more awake.

it didn't surprise you to make your way downstairs and see your girlfriends back turned to you as she hunched over the dining table, furiously scribbling something down. "good morning baby." you settled behind her, arms draping over her shoulders and tucking your face into her neck.

"hello sleepyhead." mary smiled, pushing away her notebook and intertwining her hands with yours, pressing a few gentle kisses to your knuckles. "it's nine thirty mary that is not a sleep in!" you protested with a laugh, your girlfriend squirming as your breath tickled her neck.

"we're normally up by seven love. sounds like a sleep in to me!" she teased, scooting her chair back and nudging you with her shoulder as you rounded her and settled yourself on her lap. the two of you sat wrapped up together in silence, your girlfriends hands gently slipping up your top and tracing lines across your back as yours tangled in her mane of hair, scratching lightly at her scalp.

you pulled away to smile down at her affectionately, leaning in and pressing your lips to hers. you sighed in pleasure as her tongue invaded your mouth, tightening the grip you had on her hair as the two of you made out for a moment before your girlfriend gently pushed at your chest far sooner than you’d have liked.

"right. up we get! things to be done." mary announced as you sighed, head falling to her shoulder as you knew what this meant. "it's the first thursday of the month, isn't it?" you groaned, feeling her nod and tap your back a few times as you huffed, standing up and off of her.

"where's your stupid list then?" you rolled your eyes, following her into the kitchen and pulling yourself up and onto the counter. the first thursday of every month mary insisted the two of you do a deep clean of the entire house, despite how tidy the two of you kept it on the day to day.

"they are not stupid!" mary scolded with a scowl, sticking the lists up on the fridge as you rolled your eyes when she wasn't looking. "babe why have we got one each!" you protested noticing your individual list beside hers.

"divide and conquer my love." mary smiled as you threw your head back with a loud groan, hopping down and venturing over to the fridge. "it's our day off mary honestly i know you love your lists but this is overkill!" you scoffed as your eyes raked down your list of assigned tasks.

"it's one day of the month, we have monday off where we can relax and be lazy all day. today we will be productive!" you jumped as her hand smacked your bum with a cheeky grin, handing you a pen.

"you're lucky i'm blinded by your beauty or else i'd have left you the first time you pulled out your bloody lists." you sighed dramatically, crossing your arms and squinting lightly as you read through your assigned tasks.

"charming as ever darling." she kissed your cheek and you shook your head with a smile as she ticked a few things off your list.

"wake up, have a good morning kiss and a cuddle, moan about the lists. very funny!" you gave her a playful glare as she only grinned, tapping your next task with her pen.

"i know i am. now put your glasses on or you'll give yourself a headache!" "mmm but i don't see that on my list babe?"

~

you sighed as you ticked another couple of tasks off your list, which thankfully was growing shorter and shorter as the day seemed to fly past, the hours feeling like minutes.

your patience was also wearing thing, hardly having seen mary all day besides a quick kiss as you'd glance past one another, flitting from room to room and task to task, the house filled with music at least to spare silence.

looking to your left and seeing mary was also narrowing down her own list, and then turning and seeing her notebook on the counter an idea popped into your mind and a smile curled onto your lips. ripping out a piece of paper you scribbled down her existing list, adding a few new tasks of your own as you did, replacing her list with yours.

she must have been busy as it wasn't for another forty minutes until she'd seemingly noticed your little changes. "baby!" you looked up from the pile of washing you were sorting at your girlfriends calls for you, standing from the bed and jogging downstairs.

"yes?"

"why does my list now tell me i need to remove the stick from up my ass?" mary asked, lips pursed into a thin line of disapproval as your own curled into a grin of amusement.

"no idea love, guess you better do it quick though. daylights fading!" you winked, returning quickly upstairs before you could give her the chance to yell at you.

another hour passed, the house filled with a soft golden sunlight of the afternoon shifting over slowly into the evening, the sun starting to duck away behind the horizon.

you exhaled heavily as you ticked off the final task on your list, body just as sore as if you'd trained anyway. glancing over to marys list you ran your finger down the page, tapping on it and making your way to where you knew she'd be.

you stepped into her office, seeing the blonde heavily focused on the desktop in front of her, clicking away at something for her clothing brand which seemed to be the approval or disapproval of some new samples.

"hello." you mumbled into her neck, hugging her tightly from behind. "hi stranger." mary chuckled, clicking out of her browser and shutting down the computer, tapping your leg as you let go of her and she pushed back her chair, standing to her feet and stretching.

"i'm fucking wrecked." you sighed, wrapping around her and breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume, allowing it to drown you in a sea of comfort as her arms drew you in even closer.

"i know, and i know you hate my lists but i appreciate that you always follow them." mary mumbled into your hair. "like i have a choice." you smiled into her skin as she flicked your ear playfully.

"you still have one thing left on your list though." you pulled away from her as your girlfriend raised a curious eyebrow, almost certain that she'd done all of her tasks. with a smile you handed her the list, watching her eyes scan the words.

"and why is your name at the bottom of my list baby?" mary questioned, smirk tugging at her lips as she knew why. "cause i'm the last thing you need to do, obviously." you replied with a grin of your own, watching as mary shook her head, crumpling up the list in her hand and tossing it over her shoulder, advancing toward you with purpose.

"well, you know i am a stickler for doing what my lists tell me."

[bbraespam]

Raven said that it took her a whole year to stop hating Beast Boy? I mean do you suppose it means the team knew each other between the events on Go! and Nevermore? I mean in Raven’s mindscape she actually believed Beast Boy didn’t like her and vice versa.

Actually, I thought things went pretty well. Took me a year to stop hating Beast Boy. -Raven to Terra in Titan Rising

What happened between Go! and Divide and Conquer is a question that will live in my brain for all time, so let's talk about it!

So, my interpretation of Raven's line there is that it places Nevermore approximately a year after the events of Go!. (And I recommend taking a look through my Beast Boy vs Creepy tag for an idea of my thesis here. (mobile link))

In Go!, Raven and Beast Boy get along surprisingly well for how we see them by Divide and Conquer. What I think happened is this:

Beast Boy's discomfort over Raven's dark energy powers came up at least once again, probably more, and Raven interpreted this as Beast Boy rejecting her as creepy. So she started icing him out, and taking any of his attempts at humor towards her as him being fake. In return, Beast Boy got frustrated because he does tentatively like her as a person and has been trying to befriend her, but at the same time is unsettled by her powers that he doesn't understand (in that scene, if he was really truly scared of/didn't trust her, he wouldn't be literally reaching out).

That's why by Nevermore (about a year after they initially met) they're both operating under the erroneous assumption that the other one doesn't like them. I think Raven later framing that period as "hating Beast Boy" is a bit of a defense mechanism over how rejected she felt. After all, she was plenty nice to him whenever he was real with her and wasn't putting on that jokester front.

To answer the other part of your question, which sounds like it's about how long the Titans have been a team pre-Season 1? I'd put it at only a couple months since they've officially been in the tower and operating as a team. The early episodes of S1 feel like they've been a group for long enough to be mostly comfortable working together as an established team, but not long enough to really know each other on a personal level yet—Robin and Cyborg already have a coordinated move, but either the team's never gone out to pizza together or haven't yet gone enough that anyone knows each other's orders or Star's gotten a look at the menu.

(a couple extra thoughts under the cut)

For ideas about how the team formed:

After Go! they seem to be at least temporarily separating. It feels easy to assume that some of them started using that communicator to call each other up post-Go! once they ran into trouble they couldn't handle alone (was it Beast Boy, who was really hurting for friends and somewhere to belong? Cyborg, who wanted to keep his neighborhood safe? Star, who'd just gotten a taste of niceness and liked it? Raven, who wanted to do some good for the world before her father showed up? Robin... I think is least likely, despite him having a hand in making the communicators. He'd be there if asked in a heartbeat, but I see him having trouble admitting he needed help)

After a few times it becomes clear that not only could they do some real good together, but most of them could use some housing help. (After all, the only one who seems to be native to Jump City is Cyborg, and maybe even that is somewhere he moved away from his dad post-accident? Everyone else seems to have just drifted into town). So forming a team and moving in together is a perfect solution for everyone. (Maybe the city asks them formally to stick around? is there even a mayor here who's running this town shh not important)

Nevermore's narrative function

One interesting thing I didn't fully notice until just now looking at the episode list, but Season 1 uses the plot of character-disagrees-with-Raven-and-they-learn-to-understand-each-other as great excuses for displaying the characters of (almost*) each of the main cast, in Nevermore, Switched, and Car Trouble. (Notable because not every pair on the team gets an episode focused on their relationship, only sooort of BB & Star in Forces of Nature, and Cyborg & Robin in D&C, but those plots are much less focused on the characters opening up to each other than the Raven ones.)

(*Robin's the only one who doesn't get one, which I think is due to this being his season. Every "Robin" ep in S1 needs to advance the overarching plot, which doesn't really leave time for Robin-and-Raven-have-a-wacky-self-contained-adventure. It also just doesn't seem necessary, since he gets plenty of time for both his character and relationships in those episodes.)

[fishsticksloser]

aloha friendo!! first off, I hope you're doing well & encouraging ya to stay hydrated and laugh a lot!! <33 to start off, I love love looooove your writing! so, I was wonderin if I could send in a request! 👉🏼👈🏼😄

can I request headcanons for a platonic/sibling fat-tailed gecko reader 🦎 who's also selectively mute? i'm curious to see how the dynamic would be between the tortugas 🐢 and a different species sibbie. I think it'd be sweet! :'))

they're a deadly opponent in battle - as they all are pfft - but otherwise sweet and soft off the field! however, biiiig middle child energy (right above Mikey in age ;D) also, despite being a selective mute, they have a reeeaaally beautiful singing voice when they do speak up (verbally)? 🌸

in advance, of course, you don't have to do this if it's not in your interest! (⁠☞⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠☞ your health & comfort comes first always. remember that.

but if you do choose to consider it I'd highly appreciate it!! sibling readers have a special place in my heart 🤲🏼🤍

be breezy, beautiful! cheers! ☕

[swishes cape and steals away with a flourish!🌷]

Fat-Tailed Gecko!Reader

RotTMNT + gn!reader

Warnings: Platonic fluff, gecko facts (mostly African Fat-Tailed Gecko), also pretty short

A/N: I'm gonna split this up, so this will just be the Fat-Tailed Gecko part and I'll make a separate part for the selective mute part, it was just a lot to get my head around together so... divide an conquer. I hope you stay safe and healthy, thank you so much!

Previous  |  Next

Being a Fat-Tailed Gecko, you have to stay pretty warm, warmer than your brothers

They prefer anything from 60-75 degrees (because their half human most turtles prefer 70-80), while you prefer 70-85 (fat-tailed geckos prefer 80-90, but you're a mutant)

This means you wear layers upon layers during winter, Leo says you look like a marshmallow during winter

When you were younger, the boys often worried and went a little crazy when you didn't eat, especially when your tail slimmed out during that time

It took Splinter making a google search to cheer the boys up that you weren't starving

This actually became very handy when helping Donnie in his lab

One day while you guys were fighting some bad guys, someone grabbed your tail and it fell off

The guy screamed, you screamed, everyone screamed

You'd never done that before

Thank God for google... But your tail was rounder and had a different pattern than before, not that you really minded.

Your detachable tail became pretty useful, though you hate losing your tail

You're manly carnivorous due to your gecko genes, the boys being complete omnivores made dinner hard sometimes

Unlike most gecko species you lack adhesive lamellae - or the sticky pads geckos typically have

You found that out the hard way when Leo and Mikey learned that geckos have that and took you topside to see if you could do it

You were later informed via Donnie via google search that your species was one of few that didn't possess that ability

You are slow, slow moving that is

Especially during the day as your original state was just a gecko, you're nocturnal

You also have a bunk bed as you prefer to be off the ground, another gecko thing

Shedding season is also pretty rough

The boys using water to help, you don't like water and have to be in a steam room

Thank Donnie for that

[crow-caller]

Hello! I hope you're doing well. I've enjoyed your book reviews on YouTube for the past six or so months (finished The Blessed/Precious Blood a couple hours ago), and they've gotten me a little curious. To my understanding, you do or at least did post book reviews on your blog, some or all of which you went on to turn into videos. As someone who wishes to try his hand at writing book reviews, I was wondering if you had any advice, insights, or sage wisdom into the craft based on your experience. I understand if you'd prefer not to answer, and my apologies if this is something you've already been asked.

Thank you very much for reading, and I hope life treats you well!

I've talked about it a bit before, but only briefly when drunk. It's very annoying on tumblr to search archives anyway. This was the breadth of my advice:

"When I first started, my strategy was a very solid one: divide and conquer. It can be hard to understand your thoughts on a book until you understand it in parts. I usually did it as : premise, plot, characters, writing, other details. Dividing into sections can help put words to feelings you may struggle with. Earlier reviews usually fell into this format, ish. Nowadays I usually put it mostly into a plot summary, discussing issues as they come u— I find this smoother. But really, making sections is incredibly helpful and can really assist in finding your “voice”."

I've been writing reviews for several years now. Like since 2016 actually, I did it first formally as an assignment for uni and was previously writing shorter reviews on goodreads because with my memory issues, I would find I totally forgot half the details of what I read a few months later. This was especially annoying for series!

Reading reviews is a first good step. You don't have to take notes- it's just helpful to read how other people review things, in general. You'll naturally notice stuff you wish they talked about more or where your opinions might differ- it's good to read reviews of stuff you have experience with and don't.

I'd definitely suggest reading say, a negative review of a movie you love and a positive review of a movie you hate. Or book, or whatever. See how the argument is made and where you think the reviewer is being an idiot. See where you wish they went into more detail or where they were caught up on something pointless. I think it can be way more helpful than just reading opinions you agree with!

But also do that. And try different formats and people- I used to read a LOT of AVclub reviews for tv shows and movies I never watched, and reading different styles of review helps.

Honestly, it might be good to even look at my early reviews versus recent and see how I've grown! Even though I normally don't really advocate my oldest stuff as it's just. not as good. But check out Relic and then The Commandment and you might notice some stuff in how I've improved.

It's not just studying though. The best method is really just getting started. When you read/watch/play/whatever something, review it. Start with a skeleton (Plot, characters, world) and get better at linking each subject fluidly. Finding an easy transition is hard but great practice for thinking about something as a whole. Reread your reviews, not just before posting but a few months after the fact.

A lot of my own style is based purely on what I'd most value in a review and I'd suggest you center your work on a similar concept. I wanted long, very detailed reviews that spoiled all the ridiculous twists of books I was never going to read. Not enough people provided that, so I did it myself.

Anyway hope it helps!

[perspectivestarters]

Perspective's Sentence Starters; Dolls by Bella Poarch

BUILD A BITCH

"This ain't Build a Bitch."

"You don't get to pick and choose."

"I'm filled with flaws and attitude."

"If you need perfect, I'm not built for you."

"[Name] told me I need fixing."

"That's the kind of girl he wants."

"Boys are always playing dolls, looking for their Barbie."

"They don't look like Kеn at all."

"Hardly have a heartbeat."

"So he can play Prince Charming?"

"If that's the kind of girl he wants, then he forgot."

DOLLS

"Don't I look nice?"

"Isn't it pure perfection?"

"Got your full attention?"

"Think that you can play with me?"

"You better watch your back."

"The last thing that you'll hear will be my laugh."

"Dolls kill."

"Don't provoke us or we will."

"Might be pretty, but we're still bitter as much as we're sweet."

"Knife hidden under the sheets."

"How does it feel to be walked all over?"

"Baby, there's power in numbers."

"Better warn all of your friends."

"You're down to less than an hour."

"We all know how this ends."

"No, that's not what we're made of."

"Go ahead and pray."

LIVING HELL

"You know I don't believe in ghosts."

"I'm good at letting go."

"Think you're in control?"

"I should let you know."

"The good guys don't always get the glory."

"Can't you see the warning signs?"

"I can make your life a livin' hell if I wanted to."

"Wish this was a love you never felt."

"You know it's true."

"Love me."

"Trust me with that heart of yours."

"I can watch you drown."

"You think that I could change?"

"I've always been this way."

"I'm haunted by the words you say."

"I can't say that I feel the same."

"You'll always be alone."

NO MAN'S LAND

"I'm gonna break every heart 'til it's no man's land."

"I'll draw all my scars on them."

"I'll make 'em scared of the dark so they understand."

"I want a no man's land."

"Every pair of high heels is a knife in disguise."

"Be nice or goodbye."

"I don't ever knock unless I'm knocking someone out."

"Takes more than a lock to keep me out."

"Conquer and divide, baby, it's fate."

VILLIAN

"I don't know why I'm like this."

"I'd love to piss you off."

"Somethin' in my psychosis finds it a little hard."

"I always got good intentions."

"I saved your life."

"I'm cravin' your attention."

"You know that I got two sides."

"I'll be the villain tonight."

"I kinda like when you despise me after we fight."

"You say you hate my guts, but you're still comin' back for more."

"I know that you get jealous, so I'll play the fantasy."

"I know it gives you hell when everyone looks at me."

"Some of my favorite moments usually start with tears."

"Swear that you'll pull me closer whenever we flirt with fear."

"What's you and I without a little pain?"

"Tastes bittersweet each time you say my name."

"If love was poison, we would drink it anyways."

"Feels so good playing these wicked little games."

INFERNO

"I'm the reason why Hell's so hot."

"I'm the reason why bad's so fun."

"Terribly terrible."

"She's a villain."

"One as sweet as caramel."

"She's my saint."

"Think I'm getting butterflies, but it's really something telling me to run away."

"That's so fun."

"Marie Antoinette 'cause she's lost her head."

"I know I'm afraid."

[prismatoxic]

if there is one thing i really hate, it's queer people pitting themselves against each other. my least favorite/most fucking beloathed example is trans men being pitted against trans women and vice versa.

if you feel the need to explain "most" trans men or trans women as behaving a certain way (usually negative), you are encouraging a divide between those two identities. i do not care what bad experiences you have had with some binary trans people--if you are trying to generalize one or the other as being worse, you are the fucking problem.

i usually see it against trans men, but as a trans man myself i am more sensitive to that specific derision and probably notice it more than i notice anything else. one weird thing i saw very recently however is someone claiming that people are saying "most trans women are/were transmeds", which... is just patently false? and a weird insult to levy at trans women.

i was a transmed for several years in my late teens/early 20s. most of us were trans men, with a handful of cis people thrown in. (yeah, i see the issue with that now. hindsight.) the person who coined the term "tucute", to combat transmed ideology, was a trans woman. (the term came from how we had "reclaimed" the term truscum, which was our main label until someone came up with transmedicalist.)

now, we all know transmeds are bad. however in the thick of things, at the time, the tucutes actually were not behaving better. it was very Trans Women vs Trans Men. do you know how often me and the other guys i knew got "shrimpdick" levied at us? the coiner of tucute was a HUGE part of that, but everyone who liked her or was friends with her was pretty much just as bad. this was very specifically two ideologies at war, but almost all of the people involved made it about our identities instead. none of us were in the right on that front.

transmed ideology is wrong, i agree. however, attacking the people espousing a certain ideology for their personal identities is never fucking okay! ESPECIALLY in queer spaces! you cannot base your fucking argument on how someone identifies their gender. you cannot.

what drives me the most bonkers about the whole thing is how often it is based on the idea that men are bad, in general. not only is this not true (the patriarchy is bad, the men At The Top are bad, this does not filter down to every fucking average joe on the street), but you straight up cannot generalize the trans experience that way. you can't! identifying as a man or even just as masc does not make you fucking evil. it does not predispose you to a certain way of thinking or behaving. that's radfem shit.

we know, by now, that infighting is the tool of the oppressor, don't we? TERFs and conservatives want to divide and conquer, and the more we fight, the more we try to claim our identity is The Superior One, the easier it is to take us down. i am begging everyone to try and see fellow queer people as worthy of protection, no matter what label they choose.

we have to stop relying on sweeping generalizations in our arguments. we have to stop alienating people who are not Exactly Like Us. the people who want us dead see us all as the same brand of degenerate, and trying to pick a side amongst ourselves is not going to convince them otherwise.

i want to make it clear that i am in no way trying to exclude anyone who lies outside the gender binary; i just see this gender infighting the most on that binary. but, if you have your own experiences with any of this, i'd love to hear it. these are just my personal thoughts and i am by far not an authority.

[shawnjacksonsbs]

It's still a push for, perspective. 10-5-24

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers” - Voltaire

It changes everything, perspective.

It can change the way we look at the world, the way we look at other people, and the way we look at ourselves.

I still feel like I see the folly in so much around me. But at least, right as or right after, my judgment of others starts to set in, I understand that I don't truly know anything, outside of my own thoughts, my emotional state, and my life. Which is obviously super limited.

I'm not as worldly of a man, as I'd like to believe that I am. I used to walk around in a kind of ignorant bliss, even though it didn't feel blissful.

I "feel" so much now. Most of the time, it feels like a blessing, but sometimes it does feel like a curse. Super happy, generally at peace, or times of nostalgic-sadness (maybe grief) are inset.

Still, I should give myself some credit for the ability to show love and tolerance to those whom I used to think weren't loveable nor did they deserve tolerance, but . . .

But what?

Who the fuck am I to even believe someone, anyone, doesn't deserve some love from someone(s).

~

Conspiracies and this "proud division" is killing this country, our culture, and society, especially with a pretty even split on political lines. And I feel like I live more among the opposition here in the Midwest as far as my outlook on politics, and even religion. And although I stayed confused on how the otherside thinks and feels, I can honestly say I know that they are not the enemy I once thought.

I have family and friends on the other side of most things, that I have so much love for that it hurts . . .and I don't know what to do with that most of the time, except staying hopeful for the days where we can talk about areas of difference without the hate. And do it like . . .adults(?).

We are not our sports teams. Needing to pick a side, instead of choosing feelings per issue.

Does that make sense?

Granted . . .

I'm still all for the whole "burn 🔥 it to the ground" and start all over with different. . .rules for compassion and empathy that the majority of us want but don't know how to achieve. (And that's on purpose by the way, by the powers that be believing it keeps us in check).

Anyway. . .I feel like most of these entries of mine stagnate faster than they get read, but it still keeps me sane and with my moral compass in ✔️, whether or not it's "true north" is definitely a matter of Perspective.

Keep sharing your love and laughter with the world around and don't fall for the divide. That's an easy conquer, because we all lose.

Until next week;

“When you understand that every opinion is a vision loaded with personal history, you will begin to understand that all judgment is a confession.” - Nikola Tesla

[destineeallison]

For him, I am supposed to do everything. The labour, we say it is too much; that under the burden of love we are crushed. Meant to be cared for and protected, but over time we've become unappreciated and neglected.

Disgusted by men, I'd rather see them burn. Greed and lust leading nations, singed, at every turn. A cost hauled on the backs of men. All evil roots up from him, and stems from birth into war. Thrusts the youngest to fight for someone else moor.

Opposite sex, be them same or seperate, divide while hate conquers. There is no question, we invented this lack of direction and now each gets left pleading with the other. Dont you see it? We're stuck on this planet, defeated, screeching, we no longer need it.

Opposite sex, be them close or distant, say we hope for regress but we don't mean it. We've taken care of our generations men. In the end, we'll bare children that end up just like them.

In the beginning, the knowledge provided was misguided, men and woman began to rely only in themselves. Control took hold and now there is no incentive to keep creating. The world is ending, so there is no more pretending...

Future generations bare witness to our downfall.

[clockworkprism]

Rewatching umbrella academy and after watching the sit in scene I just can't understand why people got so angry because black people entered a diner. Like, I get racism as a tool to control people, divide and conquer etc., but I just can't get in a mindset where seeing someone enter a restaurant causes me to get angry.

I'm not saying I'd be a hero if I lived then and would have used my privilege to help the movement, but I certainly wouldn't be yelling at them to leave. It just takes a certain hate against a stranger I never understand. Sure they were breaking the rules and I know people who think all rule breaking is evil no matter the rule. But it still doesn't make sense to get so angry. Especially random customers in the diner.

And this is a historical event! This actually happened! You can find the footage of people reacting this way to a group of black people just sitting at a counter.

[catras-breakup-song]

this is the last time i'm going to be discussing this "sisters" discourse (i hope), but i feel like i need to get the last word in for my own peace of mind; no hate to the OP but this was subposted about without my prior knowledge and i don't want to get confrontational by responding directly. if OP see this, by the way, i'd be okay with talking in DMs to get stuff sorted out peacefully, but i'd really rather not debate or even discuss this topic any further altogether. this response is for myself and my followers only for archival purposes, so for my own safety because i can't change the settings, please do not reblog if we aren't mutuals.

i talked about it more with one of my mutuals (who has asked to remain anonymous), who shared some thoughts that i agreed with and has allowed me to post them here, which i've re-worded and added to, in case i could ever make use of them for reference again in the future.

firstly, someone else and i have acknowledged & disputed the canon sources which say they're sisters in a different thread from this as being inconsistent with what's true to the story.

To fix this issue, all the writers had to do was to have Adora be raised by Hordak, and Catra by Shadow Weaver. That's it, problem solved. The ship is no longer incestuous because Catra and Adora, in this scenario, were raised in the same place since childhood, BUT BY TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. There would be no goldenchild/scapegoat dynamic. There would be no jealousy on Catra's part regarding the fact that she thinks Shadow Weaver will never "love" and "cherish" her the way she "loves" and "cherishes" her sister.

this comes across as a little dismissive of the abuse that adora faced as well since it mostly revolved around expectations of her and actions done to catra were in part to make her feel guilty, and suggesting they be "raised" separately tears apart the foundations of their dynamic which sets up the story in the first place ─ whether they were destined to be sisters or lovers, their turning into enemies heavily relies on their conjoined relationship with shadow weaver. for as terrible as a person as hordak is (he's literally the one who brought the horde to etheria in the first place and was a mass warlord who terrorized & conquered more territories than anyone else ever would, besides maybe prime), he's not a guardian of any type. not a parent, teacher, mentor, or what have you. he's definitely not a master manipulator either; as we can see in the third season when his arc kicks off with entrapta, he's not very sociable, so that wouldn't make much sense. i guess if the backstory was written a bit differently he maybe could have trained adora to be a ruthless soldier without anyone ever knowing of she-ra (though it's worth noting that shadow weaver sensed her existence in a flashback from season two), as i've somewhat seen in edited AUs many times before (credit apparently goes to @/sapphiscientist, whom i cannot find), but he would never single her out as "special" or have the same motivations to gain power from using her specifically.

with all that being said, the golden child & scapegoat dynamic isn't even exclusive to siblings, it's just the most common form. it still could've theoretically worked even if hordak (supposedly a better and more involved "parent") & shadow weaver had mentored adora & catra separately but worked together to divide them so intentionally, as long as they interacted enough throughout their childhoods to be close (which, again, the whole show relies on).

"If she was just their caretaker, then why do Catra and Adora have a goldenchild/scapegoat dynamic that mirrors sibling rivalry? Why does Adora admit to Glimmer that Shadow Weaver raised her as a mom would? Why is Catra filled with genuine happiness after Shadow Weaver caresses her cheek? Why does she gently touch that spot and smile? Why is Catra so heartbroken and furious when her mind basically tells her: 'Shadow Weaver betrayed you.' Why does Catra immediately give up her potentially happy life with Scorpia once she reveals to her that Shadow Weaver once again chose Adora over her"

the centering around a nuclear family structure here is very assuming and interpretative, but none of these gestures are exclusive to that. the soft caressing of faces means something special (or is supposed to) as long as it comes from someone the recipient looks up to and idolizes. also, shadow weaver also attempts to cup glimmer's face the same way in season four, so again, if it's a motherly act then what does that say?

Like… this rivalry is at the heart of C//A. Not romance, but rivalry between two adopted sisters who have a toxic and abusive adoptive mother.

essentially this hints that the heart of catradora's romance would be better off removed from the story because it's incestuous... but to quote the person i was talking to: "Except it's not, because rivalry is not exclusive to siblings. Any adult mentor/caregiving figure can pit children against each other. I get that this level of attachment to Shadow Weaver is really only shown in media as familial dynamics, but imagine having no caregivers or mentors except the people in the Horde. They depended on them to survive as kids. There is going to be a bond there. They're going to seek those people's approval. I know why it comes off as parental and in a way, it does have that energy. However, I really do not see how this parental dynamic is exclusively different than something that could develop between, say, caregivers and kids at an orphanage. I just don't see a fundamental difference enough to see this as having to be parental/like adoptive parents." regarding the last sentence, i feel like even if catradora's relationship can be technically read as sisterly in any way, it's enough to overlook for the main plotline that we were given, which was intended to be a romance.

"Uhm… no. Close friends ≠ siblings, unless everyone admits that they see each other that way. Then they wouldn't consider a romantic relationship in the first place, unless there's some confusion present."

it seems like i was misunderstood again...? the whole point was that glimmadora aren't sisters, because it was arguing against the inconsistency of that logic when they can be paralleled back to catradora, especially in regards to how angella sees adora as almost familial, if not so (remember of course that "family" has a broad and open-ended meaning, and doesn't necessarily mean relatives or whomever would share the structure of adopted relatives). i don't agree with the sentiment that angella adopted adora, but it would be as valid of a statement to make as about shadow weaver taking on adora + catra. besides, i don't think there are any actual siblings in this show, that aren't outright stated to be anyway, except for micah & castaspella.

"Angella was a mother figure in Adora's life (and in Bow's life, too), but she was not her, or Bow's mother. Shadow Weaver was Adora and Catra's mother, until the end. Why? She. Raised. Them. She. Taught. Them. Everything. They. Grew. Up. With. Her.

this implies there's a cutoff to how far you can go in life before considering someone you met as parental. it's a bit insulting to many families out there to say you can't be adopted by someone once you hit your late teens (which is the legal cutoff limit in the US before you're released from the system on your own anyway) just because the person you've grown to love didn't raise you until that point.

also, do we even know how long bow has known glimmer and therefore angella? there is an old drawing by nate of them as kids, with angella included too, so if you consider his work outside of the official series itself canon then who's to say bow didn't have a third parent/mother since she was present for a good chunk of his life?

"Shadow Weaver was Glimmer's mentor (why tf would she view her as a mother figure??? It was out of despair that Glimmer had to learn from SW, not genuine affection. Also she still had her biological mother???)"

again, i think this is kind of playing into my point a bit because i wouldn't unironically argue that shadow weaver is a mother figure to glimmer. considering she mentored micah and glimmer is his daughter, it would be weird to see them that way and make it seem like she was a (grand)parent. that being said though, since she does small but similar things to glimmer that she's done with her "actual daughters" that are motherly apparently, it would be difficult not to make the comparison.

it's also strange that you would mention her biological mother still being alive, just absent, considering this whole argument is based on parental figures who are not related to their supposed kids. it's oddly specific, since aside from the fact that glimmer missed angella dearly, what she needed as queen was not just guidance/mentorship and motherly love but also simply support in general because she wasn't ready for the role. it doesn't necessarily matter how she gets it or who she gets it from in terms of relationship dynamics, she was still unstable and desperate. if there had been another character in the show besides angella & shadow weaver, they could've very well been parental, in fact if the events of season four had played out earlier and/or differently then micah would've been that person and she might've been able to step down as he regained his kingdom.

"About that "argument"… the underlying issues and insecurities Adora and Glimmer acted out are literally present between Catra and Adora, so… yeah. Case closed, goodbye."

this is still exactly what i'm talking about... i'm sorry, no offense, but this reads to me in favor of my point. the conflicts between catradora & glimmadora are similar, and if one pairing is sisterly and the other is friendly then that just proves these dynamics are not exclusive to one type of relationship or the other. they (either duo) can't be an example of schrödinger's cat as both sisters and not sisters simultaneously.

aside from quoting parts of the post, for whatever it's worth, it may also be worth mentioning that not only to catra & adora not see themselves as sisters despite everything, but adora didn't even know what an aunt was, which is a pretty basic familial term. i guess this point could really go either way since i've seen it speculated before that they were dating in the horde without really having the words to describe being girlfriends, so it could apply to sisterhood too, but i'm just throwing it out there for now.

another thing i never really see get brought up anymore (although i think it has been in the past), unrelated to sisterhood specifically but along the same vein, is that catradora are technically of different species, but both are humanoid enough for it to not be strange or otherwise socially unacceptable with the way their world's biological compatibilities work. does this discomfort to a small percentage of the viewers mean scorptra would be weird as well, since the fandom thought they were headed in that direction for a while, and scorfuma since they're implied to become a canon couple? my understanding is that this would be more analogous to interracial couples rather than comparable to interspecies ones as we consider how they'd be built on earth.

anyway, as i stated when i initially came across the subpost, it was kind of baffling to me how this person was so respectful to me when approaching my inbox the other day (which is a good thing because i would've gotten really defensive and not been so cooperative otherwise), but a couple days before that he came across as so aggressive in the tone & tags when talking about me behind my back originally. i hope this doesn't come across as too hypocritical for me to also be responding without direct notice, but as i said it's mostly for my own circle rather than for him and i'm trying to be fairly humble here.

if you (general audience) read this whole thing, then i'm not really sure what to say... i definitely don't want to cause anymore trouble, so i'm going to leave it here and not come back to it unless i feel attacked. i wanted to get this rant out because i felt obligated to for my own sake, sort of like an egotistical fear over my reputation if that makes sense. both the OP and i have acknowledged that we can't change each other's minds beyond this point, so that's not what i'm attempting to do.

seeing your defending catradora/catradora antis dni post, do you have any arguments against the whole "they're sisters" thing?

i do, yes!

growing up together does not make your friendship a sibling bond/dynamic unless you choose for it to. i saw someone claim that it inherently does unrelated to catradora specifically, but like, surely that has to be a troll because there's no way. 💀 i guess that means lonnie, kyle, and rogelio are also catra & adora's siblings, like a family of 5? what about the other unnamed human-looking characters (i think one had short green hair and another with a dark purple mullet)?

shadow weaver was never their mother (figure). she was their caretaker, basically just the supervising adult in that segment of the fright zone. but like, even if she was, it doesn't take a genius to infer that she was disowned once they both got out of there.

if catra & adora are sisters, then glimmer & adora are too, and also bow is their brother, which crosses glimbow off the list as well. you can't ship anyone without it being incestuous, unfortunately (sarcastic). considering queen angella is a direct parallel to shadow weaver, and angella's last nurturing words to adora before kissing her forehead was that the best friend squad needed to take care of each other, and shadow weaver's last act was ensuring catra could take care of adora the rest of the way to the heart... well, i guess love can only be familial.

in S4 shadow weaver took glimmer under her wing and taught her the same lessons in sorcery that micah (her father) would have if he was around in her life, literally after he learned from her first, so by this logic, glimmer & adora share two adoptive mothers; especially when you take into account their "argument" (canonically it was fake for a setup, but there were some underlying issues & insecurities there) about being the "favorite" with regards to the "golden child" method shadow weaver uses against scapegoats.

i would suggest reading this great post by @witch-apologist, which is where some of the points above come from, and you could probably also search sisters/siblings on their blog since they've challenged antis about this topic before!

[emma-what-son]

(Echee post) Emma Watson says J.K Rowling's quote about Hermione ending up with Harry was taken out of context and it was a joke

Posted March 6, 2014

From mtv.com/news may 2014, "Watson also seemed somewhat pessimistic about the longevity of the popular pairing, sharing at the time, "I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy." But Watson's tune may have changed just a bit, as the starlet took to the red carpet at tonight's Oscars (her first time attending the big show, if you can believe it) and told MTV's own Josh Horowitz, "It was a real shame, because the quote that she gave was completely taken out of context." Emma change her tune? Noooooo way she would never do that!! =)~ MTV left out the part where she said it was just a joke From ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com March 2014, "It was a real shame, because the quote that she gave was completely taken out of context, and if you read the whole interview it was completely not how it was framed but it was actually kind of a joke." You know the funny part is? This is the Wonderland Magazine that Emma herself guest edited and Emma herself conducted the interview with J.K. Rowling. How could it be possibly taken out of context or even be considered a joke? There is nothing in the writing that suggests it's a joke. Maybe if the interview was conducted by video you could see their facial expressions that would tip you off that they were joking. This is typical Emma changing her tune but only because the HP fandom lost their shit over fictional characters. JK and Emma are back tracking now. I don't really care because to me it's a book made into a movie but this is Emma deceiving others as usual.

Actually I read the entire interview and what is being taken out of context and where is the punch line? Here is the part of the interview with JK about Hermione ending up with harry instead of Ron. From ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com Feb 2014 Emma: I thought we should discuss Hermione... I'm sure you've heard this a million times but now that you have written the books, do you have a new perspective on how you relate to Hermione and the relationship you have with her or had with her? JK: I know that Hermione is incredibly recognizable to a lot of readers and yet you don't see a lot of Hermione's in film or on TV except to be laughed at. I mean that the intense, clever, in some ways not terribly self-aware, girl is rarely the heroine and I really wanted her to be the heroine. She is part of me, although she is not wholly me. I think that is how I might have appeared to people when I was younger, but that is not really how I was inside. What I will say is that I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione with Ron. Emma: Ah. JK: I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility. Am I breaking people's hearts by saying this? I hope not. Emma: I don't know. I think there are fans out there who know that too and who wonder whether Ron would have really been able to make her happy. JK: Yes exactly. Emma: And vice versa. JK: It was a young relationship. I think the attraction itself is plausible but the combative side of it... I'm not sure you could have got over that in an adult relationship, there was too much fundamental incompatibility. I can't believe we are saying all of this – this is Potter heresy! Emma: I know, it is heresy. JK: In some ways Hermione and Harry are a better fit and I'll tell you something very strange. When I wrote Hallows, I felt this quite strongly when I had Hermione and Harry together in the tent! I hadn't told [Steve] Kloves that and when he wrote the script he felt exactly the same thing at exactly the same point. Emma: That is just so interesting because when I was doing the scene I said to David [Heyman]: "This isn't in the book, she didn't write this". I'm not sure I am comfortable insinuating something however subtle it is! JK: Yes, but David and Steve – they felt what I felt when writing it. Emma: That is so strange. JK: And actually I liked that scene in the film, because it was articulating something I hadn't said but I had felt. I really liked it and I thought that it was right. I think you do feel the ghost of what could have been in that scene. Emma: It's a really haunting scene. It's funny because it really divided people. Some people loved that scene and some people really didn't. JK: Yes, some people utterly hated it. But that is true of so many really good scenes in books and films; they evoke that strong positive/negative feeling. I was fine with it, I liked it. Emma: I remember really loving shooting those scenes that don't have any dialogue, where you are just kind of trying to express a moment in time and a feeling without saying anything. It was just Dan and I spontaneously sort of trying to convey an idea and it was really fun. JK: And you got it perfectly, you got perfectly the sort of mixture of awkwardness and genuine emotion, because it teeters on the edge of "what are we doing? Oh come on let's do it anyway", which I thought was just right for that time. Emma: I think it was just the sense that in the moment they needed to be together and be kids and raise each other's morale. JK: That is just it, you are so right. All this says something very powerful about the character of Hermione as well. Hermione was the one that

stuck with Harry all the way through that last installment, that very last part of the adventure. It wasn't Ron, which also says something very powerful about Ron. He was injured in a way, in his self-esteem, from the start of the series. He always knew he came second to fourth best, and then had to make friends with the hero of it all and that's a hell of a position to be in, eternally overshadowed. So Ron had to act out in that way at some point. But Hermione's always there for Harry. I remember you sent me a note after you read Hallows and before you started shooting, and said something about that, because it was Hermione's journey as much as Harry's at the end. Emma: I completely agree and the fact that they were true equals and the fact that she really said goodbye to her family makes it her sacrifice too. JK: Yes, her sacrifice was massive, completely. A very calculated act of bravery. That is not an 'in the moment' act of bravery where emotion carries you through, that is a deliberate choice. Emma: Exactly. I love Hermione. JK: I love her too. Oh, maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counseling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counseling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical. Emma: I think it makes sense to me that Ron would make friends with the most famous wizard in the school because I think life presents to you over and over again your biggest and most painful fear – until you conquer it. It just keeps coming up. JK: That is so true, it has happened in my own life. The issue keeps coming up because you are drawn to it and you are putting yourself in front of it all the time. At a certain point you have to choose what to do about it and sometimes conquering it is choosing to say: I don't want that anymore, I'm going to stop walking up to you because there is nothing there for me. But yes, you're so right, that's very insightful! Ron's used to playing second fiddle. I think that's a comfortable role for him, but at a certain point he has to be his own man, doesn't he? Emma: Yes and until he does it is unresolved. It is unfinished business. So maybe life presented this to him enough times until he had to make a choice and become the man that Hermione needs. JK: Just like her creator, she has a real weakness for a funny man. These uptight girls, they do like them funny. Emma: They do like them funny, they need them funny. JK: It's such a relief from being so intense yourself – you need someone who takes life, or appears to take life, a little more light heartedly.

^This post made Ron cry, lol I really don't care who ended up with who because it's a movie. I lost no sleep over it or thought about it much until I read the quote of Emma changing her tune as MTV pointed out. I will say this. In the Half Blood Prince when Ron was in the Hospital after mistakenly consuming a love potion meant for Harry there was an exchange between Hermione and Lavender Brown where Hermione said, "I've always found him interesting" meaning Ron. There was also that scene in DH2 where Hermione said she couldn't destroy the horocrux and it took Ron to coach her up to do it. There was that scene after that where they were looking for Harry using the marauders map and Ron remembered what Hermione told him about the room of requirement not being on the map and she was surprised he remembered. Then there was the Order of the Phoenix when Ron tricked Malfoy and the rest of them (with a spell of which I forget) and they got away while Hermione and Harry lead Umbridge into the Forrest. When Hermione came back she was impressed by him. I think Ron and Hermione would be just fine if they were real. They actually compliment each other by being total opposites. I'm sure true Potter fans have better examples for Ron and Hermione. Btw Emma was about Ron and Hermione for years and years. I'd post the quotes but I think true Potter fans know this to be true so there would be no argument there. It's something me and Emma fans probably agree on. I think hell just froze over. As for what Emma said about Ron making Hermione happy and stuff. In my opinion she's purely speaking from her own taste in men since she goes for the Viktor Krum's (Matt Janney/Tom Ducker) and Cormac McLaggen's (Will Adamowicz/Jay Barrymore). Emma is more of  mix of Sam (Perks) and Nicki (TBR) than she was ever Hermione. Emma would never date a Ron Weasley in real life. It's beneath her and there would be a reality gap between them since Emma lives in her own head and is out of touch with normal people. So really that statement is a full on Emmione moment where she's doing her thinking for a fictional character that is totally different from "the real Emma Watson". I've said this numerous times. If Hermione were real she would not think too kindly of Emma. Shy and introverted post is coming one of these days. I keep on saying that but it is. I put this post together in 15 minutes. I've been working on the other one for two weeks on and off by procrastinating with it mostly. It's not that complicated I'm just being lazy getting all the photos and quotes together I need. And while were on this shipping business

She supposedly interviewed JGL in Wonderland Magazine but it was not formatted like her other Interviews where she talked just as much as the person she was interviewing so this leads to believe she actually didn’t interview JGL. It was a straight Q&A without it reading like a conversation between two people in the same room like the others. And JGL has done Wonderland a few times in the past so I don’t think this was Emma’s request. Then they presented together at the Oscars. Coincidence or more Hollywood smoke and mirrors? Fans are shipping (weirdo movement) these two and it was all for show. Ok I’m going to join this weirdo movement of shipping! JGL and Dan forever!!

[whenimgoodandready]

What do we do now!? The knights can’t do anything, Globgor’s bedridden, Eclipsa is to drained out to cast her powerful spell, even “The Greatest Warriors of Mewni” were all hit with the Solarian Blade, who can save us all from the new Solarian army led by psycho b*tch Mina Loveberry!?HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!:

*Here to Help-Plot Twist! That wasn’t Mina Eclipsa, Globgor, Star and The Marcnificent Seven 2.0 we’re battling agsinst! Damn! Mina has her own personal Mecha Knight Suit (pigtailed), but where the Hell did she get that army from!? She can’t do magic! She’s just super empowered!

While the wounded with the Solarian blade cut were being tended, Eclipsa tries to figure out what to do and no people! She can’t use that “Spell with No Name” spell cuz that takes a lot outta her! Hey look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a pla-No wait! It is a bird! But what’s on the bird!? It’s coming down into the window of Monster Temple! Take cover! Oh! Hello Moon! (and River who’s still wearing that bear suit from before). Hey Moon! Are you here to finally tell the gang that you knew the entire time that Mina was coming for Eclipsa!? Cuz you’re too late on that sister! Could you just help! Great! What’s the plan!? Cuz Mina gives Eclipsa until the crow of the rooster to surrender and Moon wants Stars friends to get to the sanctuary ASAP before it’s too late while River tends to Globgor. From one dad to another, he’s there. Even if he can’t understand vegetarianism like Toulas aunt. Hey! He’s on Eclipsas side! That’s cool!

Okay so here’s the plan:Eclipsa will in fact do that spell again, but this time be more focused so as to just hit Mina, Buff Frog will get the wounded to the sanctuary and get the Monster village to safety, Sir Dashing will prepare provisions and uh, uhhhhhhhhh, Star and Marco will put the pig goats to safety! Wait what!? Are they important? Okay, well, go tend to the pig goats I guess (shrugs). Uh, Moon, what are you doing? Why are you opening the enterance for Mina to come in and attack?........Moon?................excuse me!? You want Eclipsa to what now!? Surrender!? 8O.

Marco asks why they’re tending to the pig goats since it sounds inconsequential and Star admits she’s just overwhelmed by everything. All her friends are wounded and she’s just here staying on the sidelines. She thought she was done with all this after the Mewmans finally accepted Eclipsa (“Corononation”), but nooooooooooooo, here she is helping Eclipsa once again! First it was clearing her name (“Butterfly Trap”), then it was getting the Mewmans to like her (“The Ponyhead Show!”/“Surving the Spiderbites”) and now it’s saving her a** from Mina! (“The Right Way”). It’s tiring! 😓 Marco makes her feel better by kicking open a door and pastering the pig goats! Huh. You know what, I realized something. Whatever Star does I consider it stupid (ex.kicking open a door), but when Marco does the same thing, I’m cool with it! I guess it’s because he’s the sane one compared to Star and that people like him can do just about as many crazy things. Which is fine. So the two go in and slap some a**.............On the pig goats people! THE PIG GOATS! Get your minds outta the gutter!

Now comes my final question for the season, the one we’ve been waiting for, the million, no billion! No trillion! No zillion! NO AJVKSTIXKHGIA-ion dollar question of “Star vs. The Forces of Evil”. ⭐️7. IS STARCO GONNA HAPPEN!? Star tells Marco she heard what he said about his “I love you” confession at The Realm of Magic (“Mama Star”) and asks if it was legit him or his drug induced subconscious talking. It was so him! It was 1000% pure unadulterated Marco there! He admits he’s felt this way since day one! Like, all the way to the premiere!? (“Star Comes to Earth”). And that the whole Blood Moon thing (“Blood Moon Ball”) was what I mentioned before in my reviews, BALONEY! His feelings were what he thought was platonic, but overtime, as the journey (the show) went on, it got more intense and so, it had to be love! Is it mutual though!? (Official Starco kiss happens. Screams gleefully)🎶 I want you to want me, I need you to need me, I'd love you to love me, I'm beggin' you to beg me, I want you to want me, I need you to need me, I'd love you to love me, I'll shine up my old brown shoes, I'll put on a brand new shirt, I'll get home early from work, If you say that you love me, Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I, See you cryin'🎶 Lol! I’m sorry, but when Star said that line, “I want you to love me”, that song was what automatically played in my head! 10 Things I Hate About You was on tv a lot recently too and I love that movie as well. She said it too! It’s happened! YES! Two love confessions! Wa-hoo! I’m just so happy Starco finally became canon! 😂 And it wasn’t a Last-Minute Hook-Up either! But a SECOND TO Last-Minute Hook-Up! I know one svtfoe blog that loves that idea ;).

The happy and Official/Alpha Couple come out and to their shock, see Moon and Eclipsa in a heated magical showdown! What happened there!? Oh! I get it. Moon told Eclipsa that she knew about Mina earlier and Eclipsa got pissed that Moon didn’t tell her sooner huh!? Huh!? Yeah, I’d pissed about that too. Wait, that’s not why their fighting? Then what about!? Don’t tell me Moons on Minas side! No!? Oh Phew! That’d be scary.............huh?.............Moon made all this happen!? WTF!? (rooster crows) OH SH*T!

That “Spell With No Name” spell just might work again since Eclipsa seems perfectly well enough to use it again, so if she’s cool with using it again then great! We can do that! Stars friends need to get to the sanctuary quick before they’re time runs out and they’re all dead! We can’t lose any good minor characters here! What I’m grateful for is that after 4 years, 4 LONG GRUELING YEARS! Starco has been officially made canon! They’re song played! You know that song, right!? The one Brain H. Kim made a few of just for those two! Yeah, it played right when it happened too :’). Some of you might say that Starco was “rushed”, but I’m guessing since this was their last season and that they needed to wrap things up, it was forced to finally make us Starco shippers happy. Even if it was, at least it wasn’t in the series finale that they got together and only just near the end. I’m sure if we had gotten a 5th season, we would’ve had a better build up, but in this case, it was alright. Kinda odd place to hook-up though. In a pig goat shed! Then again, it looked to be an innuendo of teenagers sneaking away to do the “frick frack”! Lol! So yeah. I get it! Let’s talk about Starco for a sec here. Ahem! So Star and Marco got along after kicking Ludos army’s butts (“Star Comes to Earth”) and from then onward, became best friends. Their bond got closer when Marco thought he lost Star forever (“Mewberty”) and then there was that whole Blood Moon thing (“Blood Moon Ball”). However, that was all bullsh*t cuz there’s no magic on this Earth that could force these to love each other! XD. Their bond is strong! To the point where Star would give up her own wand, the most important in the universe! To save Marco! (“Storm the Castle”) Even if they didn’t know about their feelings (“Sleepover”), the longer they stayed together, the more their feelings grew. They were willing to die together (“Gift of the Card”) and it even came to a point where other people can see their love! (“Face the Music”). They couldn’t stop talking about each other (“Sophmore Slump”/“Lake House Fever”), They need to be together (“Lint Catcher”), They’ve fought together to save Mewni, twice! (“Battle for Mewni”/“Divide”/“Conquer”) and even though it was too late for them to be together (“Just Friends”/“Lava Lake Beach”), it didn’t stop them from getting closer (“Booth Buddies”). No amount of magic can erase what these two have built up over time (“Curse of the Blood Moon”). Together they can be happy no matter what obstacles they’ve been through (“Beach Day”) and that if anything were to happen to them, they’d still be aware of their love for each other! (“Mama Star”). 🎶THAT’S THE POWER OF LOVE!🎶. 🎉CONGRATULATIONS! STARCO!🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Okay, now comes the hard part. Moon. YOU CALL THIS HELPING!? You mean tell me that ever since “The Ghost of Butterfly Castle” you’ve been plotting WITH MINA!? I thought you were gonna back out cuz you’re not the queen anymore!? Whatever happen to “letting Eclipsa take care of this”!? Huh!? Huh!? HUH!? WHAT MADE YOU THINK THIS WAS THE BEST APPROACH!? You better explain yourself! (rooster crows) SHUT UP! ROOSTER!

[shawnjacksonsbs]

It's still a push for, perspective. 10-5-24

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers” - Voltaire

It changes everything, perspective.

It can change the way we look at the world, the way we look at other people, and the way we look at ourselves.

I still feel like I see the folly in so much around me. But at least, right as or right after, my judgment of others starts to set in, I understand that I don't truly know anything, outside of my own thoughts, my emotional state, and my life. Which is obviously super limited.

I'm not as worldly of a man, as I'd like to believe that I am. I used to walk around in a kind of ignorant bliss, even though it didn't feel blissful.

I "feel" so much now. Most of the time, it feels like a blessing, but sometimes it does feel like a curse. Super happy, generally at peace, or times of nostalgic-sadness (maybe grief) are inset.

Still, I should give myself some credit for the ability to show love and tolerance to those whom I used to think weren't loveable nor did they deserve tolerance, but . . .

But what?

Who the fuck am I to even believe someone, anyone, doesn't deserve some love from someone(s).

~

Conspiracies and this "proud division" is killing this country, our culture, and society, especially with a pretty even split on political lines. And I feel like I live more among the opposition here in the Midwest as far as my outlook on politics, and even religion. And although I stayed confused on how the otherside thinks and feels, I can honestly say I know that they are not the enemy I once thought.

I have family and friends on the other side of most things, that I have so much love for that it hurts . . .and I don't know what to do with that most of the time, except staying hopeful for the days where we can talk about areas of difference without the hate. And do it like . . .adults(?).

We are not our sports teams. Needing to pick a side, instead of choosing feelings per issue.

Does that make sense?

Granted . . .

I'm still all for the whole "burn 🔥 it to the ground" and start all over with different. . .rules for compassion and empathy that the majority of us want but don't know how to achieve. (And that's on purpose by the way, by the powers that be believing it keeps us in check).

Anyway. . .I feel like most of these entries of mine stagnate faster than they get read, but it still keeps me sane and with my moral compass in ✔️, whether or not it's "true north" is definitely a matter of Perspective.

Keep sharing your love and laughter with the world around and don't fall for the divide. That's an easy conquer, because we all lose.

Until next week;

“When you understand that every opinion is a vision loaded with personal history, you will begin to understand that all judgment is a confession.” - Nikola Tesla

[siiinfully]

"If we're going with that, we should get rings. I don't think they'd be completely sold if both our fingers are bare." She lifted her right hand and wiggled the ring finger, using the tip of her tongue to glide up and down her canines to see if her 'fangs' had magically appeared again. Relieved that they hadn't, she leaned back and relaxed until he eased the truck into a parking spot. Kisa had seen several towers on their way there, so she didn't push the internet availability any longer.

She did laugh at the new ranch and got out of the truck, joining him on his side. "Yes to everything, including the coffee. I think I'm sticking to an iced Americano this time. And if you hate most people, maybe staying in the countryside might be better for you. I think the city's dangerous for us right now." Even though the facility had been located close to a remote dam, they might have assumed the pair of them had chosen the city to disappear in. With the large crowds, it would be very easy for them to. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people in the store when they entered, but the ones who were turned to stare at them, a mix of curiosity and wariness. "Normally I'd suggest 'divide and conquer', but since we're supposed to be newlyweds, I'm sticking with you," she told him in an undertone.

The drive felt nice even though it was long. They didn't live close to the town center and it was clear that they would need to take a good chunk out of their day if they ever wanted to get some supplies. "A cover story? Maybe we can say that we are recently married and relocated here in the hopes of starting in a place where there aren't so many distractions." He imagined the county would have traditional values which meant they needed to have a reason they were living together besides being friends.

He parked the truck in the grocery store parking lot and looked over everything they had just signed up for. "They probably have internet. What else would they do out here?" There seemed to be one of everything besides the couple coffee shops. "It's going to be strange getting used to all this. I'm used to a lot more of a city vibe though I hated most the people." He shrugged while turning off the engine. "Let's go grab some groceries then we'll go to the hardware shop and get a couple things we need for improving this new ranch you signed me up for. End with some coffee?"

[ngame989]

I'd like to follow on spiritpelt's recent ask please :). I think that a large part of the "Jackie problem" is due to how much we all overhyped her, which shows how the writers are really good at holding our expectations every second. That also has the scary thought that they're also good at making us perceive things as interesting when in-universe reality they're flats and serves important yet underwhelming roles compared to what we expect. Toffee, mysterious, vile, insidious, cunning and (1/3)

knows exactly how things will go without any outside aid, was just the catalyst and Stage 2’s Boss for Star’s growth, and wanted just his finger, petty revenge and act out of spite. We’re also guilty for thinking Marco’s cape had weight, but Marco had to go back for his own good and not be a jerk, and now we only need to say goodbye for the cape for good. The list goes on. The thing is: they could make ANYTHING look compelling when it isn’t in the long run. Next thing they could have Starco be only because of the blood moon and every reason for their bond and even their friendship are moot, have the blood moon as evil or comes with an OFF switch (Anti-Starcos’ wildest dreams). But then again, these bridges were cut off thankfully, and we only have to enjoy things while they last, even really good things. (parts 2 and 3)

So my disclaimer for this post: I’m fully aware that hindsight is 20/20 and that I don’t have a crystal ball into the future, but I think there’s still some clear patterns we can observe from these incidents you mention (and others) that can guide predictions with some reasonable degree of confidence. (Throwing this in the tags for once because I actually think it’s important)

You’re right about all those things not having the roles we expected, but here’s the thing about that - Jackie and Toffee and the cape all did have weight! It’s a fandom meme to say Jackie is worthless because she isn’t, sure she wasn’t a main character and didn’t get all kinds of complex personal issues and development, but she was an important figure in Marco’s life for a while and helped him mature. The issue isn’t that those things all “fell flat” objectively necessarily, but that expectations overreached beyond the bounds of what the show provided. And that’s not to say “oh it’s super easy anyone could’ve seen how they’d be used, you’re just dumb” (well, OK, anyone could’ve seen that Jackie specifically wasn’t gonna be a main character let’s be real here), it’s absolutely true that the show doesn’t reveal everything right away.

But you can still take away some important information here - Toffee did do everything the show hyped him up for. We knew he hated magic, we knew he hated the Butterflies, and we knew he was a ruthless and cunning schemer. He executed a long-con scheme that involved destroying magic and defeating the Butterflies, and there you go! Everything he was built up for accomplished. Perhaps his backstory was the most underwhelming part of him, but again, all the hype was people reading into it and making up their own possibilities for what it could be. None of this is to say you can’t personally feel disappointed by any of it (I even have at times myself), but the point I’m trying to make is that the show executed on the buildup it delivered. It didn’t introduce something with Toffee as critical and then drop it in any way. Same with Jackie, and the cape is way more minor compared to those two but the same applies even there! It was pretty critical as a symbol for Marco’s attachment to his newfound life (specifically via Mewni, and even more specifically via Star). Hell, I was one of the people speculating all about the cape, and yeah sure Marco didn’t become a badass cape-wielding knight in 3A, but I think the whole thing was executed fairly well as a device for Marco’s arc.

If you want another, much more controversial example of something fan expectations overblew unreasonably, I’ll tack on a heaping helping of self-awareness and say Star’s romantic feelings for Marco in Season 2. Yes, absolutely the growing feelings she had for Marco were very important, but the nature of them as romantic wasn’t some fundamental, unshakable pillar of the show by itself. Considering how much she tried to repress them and beat them down and how they caused her nothing but pain, it was honestly (once again, in hindsight, I know) foolish to assume anything along the lines of the statement “Star has strong romantic yearning for Marco” never, ever being able to change for any reason, even temporarily. But the depth of the overall connection they shared that had been built up as part of her feelings in S2 remained and only grew more during S3.

So my point in all of this is that there are absolutely things contained within the show itself that are factually present arcs and factually present buildups, and the show should be trusted to deliver on those and not drop them. And it’s something really fucking difficult to gauge what those things are and what things are just speculation, yeah, which is why I’m being measured here. The Blood Moon? I have no idea! It’s quite possible that particular aspect isn’t executed in a way I find satisfying as payoff, but I can at least trust that it will be addressed in a manner that covers the bases that it’s set up (so basically, something with Marco’s cheekmarks, at least). And when it comes to Star and Marco’s relationship, the show has never, not a single time, actually dropped its importance to the show, and Star and Marco themselves have only grown closer. The handful of times they put distance between each other were done with a concrete purpose, and that purpose was to lead to a moment where they became closer than ever. Do I think there could be another thing like that, a Storm the Castle 2.0 where they actually have a major rift in their relationship that needs mending? Absolutely, but things will overall keep marching the direction they always have been.

(EDIT: Also, it's worth noting that of course similar principles apply to Tom, too. He's certainly had a sizable amount of development, and the nature of his relationships with Star and Marco and more important how he himself views those relationships get much deeper, so it would absolutely be a failure on the show's part to drop him as hard as they did Jackie, hence why it's not a worry - he's on the poster after all! But nothing about this implies in ANY way that Tom is equal with Marco now to either the show's own hierarchy or to Star's life, and any takes on it as such are the same overblown reaching that I mentioned at the beginning.)

So right now I can say with utmost confidence that Star and Marco have already committed themselves to each other, that they aren’t going to abandon each others’ company for any significant length of time (maybe Marco goes to Earth for an episode for Marco Jr. or something, idk). That itself was a HUGE theme of Season 3, and the time apart they spent in 3B because Marco was keeping his distance was directly addressed in Booth Buddies and rectified heavily in Divide/Conquer (with the results continuing to show in Season 4 Episode 1, as Marco is adventuring with Star and chatting with her and overall being back to his usual self, happy to be her best friend, and Star contemplating the Beach Day picture that seems to represent the best in their relationship to her). And Booth Buddies tackled the additional topic that the very essence of their relationship is more than friendship, and both of them know it now (”OK Marco we need a picture that represents what our relationship means to us” “OK cool let’s do it” whoops they kissed I wonder what that means). 

Once again maintaining as balanced of a viewpoint as I can, they have simply hit the point of no return where they know their relationship is more than friendship and have committed themselves to it anyway, and drawing the connections for what that implies about the near and far future is practically easier than a Connect-the-Dots book. I don’t know what exactly the future will hold, and I’m making it a point to not extrapolate or read into things that aren’t simply right there. I don’t have to unreasonably extrapolate how Star or Marco will act after the confession (like we did after Season 2) because we saw it in action already. I don’t have to unreasonably extrapolate how Tom will react, because we’ve seen snippets of it already. I don’t have to unreasonably extrapolate that the show will continue developing their relationship into something stronger throughout Season 4, because come on now that’s what the show does all the time. We had a big turning point, and had the luxury of seeing the direction everyone is going after that turning point, so there’s some actual concrete information we can use there. So if you want to point fingers at things the show might do in unexpected ways that might let individual expectations down, point them at the specific symbols themselves if you want (like the Blood Moon), or at things we haven’t yet seen with our own eyes in the show (like, idk, the exact way Star and Marco will start their official romantic relationship). But pointing them at the very nature of Star and Marco’s relationship is the falsest of false equivalencies, and we've been slapped in the face with the information we need to at LEAST know the basics of the next steps and where we're headed.