#if i just had sources to turn to and if there was never a stigma against otherkin

[bendyy-blog]

It could be my special interests about sciences speaking but I wish I WISH so BAD that otherkinity (?) was studied more. The most we have is "documentaries" where people just mock therians and forget every other label and some news articles that are either heavily against it or barely scrape the surface of this vast community. I just wish there were more sources for folk who recently discovered/became otherkin to turn to, I wish it was more commonly known, I wish there was more understanding for the psychological parts like phantoms and the causes for most folk.

I wish otherkin of all sorts weren't outcasts. I wish we could have studies that explain the more complex parts of our experiences. I wish people didn't see it as something to "fix" and rather as just. Something in most cases.

TLDR; I wish being otherkin was more known and not stigmatiseddd I wish there was more information on it other than other's experiences

[evangelic-echo]

ℭ𝔢𝔩𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔞𝔩 𝔓𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔥𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱

Part 1:

Teaser< >Part 2

Walking down the streets of heaven, sipping on a cold drink through the straw as you held a folder filled with boring paperwork you had filled out only just this morning. For the past week you've been dealing with all types of bullshit from the humans that you're trying to repair since your absence from Earth. Ever since Lucifer decided to give mankind the “gift” of free will, your job has become a lot more difficult than before.

“Thanks for the Luci”

Sera requested a meeting with you which isn’t too surprising. As the high Seraphim she was your supervisor, and she always seemed to want to bitch about one thing or another to you with her new found authority. Taking a final sip from your drink before throwing it away in a near by bin, you moved the huge folder from one hand to the next as you walked into the huge, pearlescent building in front of you.

“It’s nice to see you’re not late for once Y/N.”

You looked up at the huge Seraphim before you as you simply replied with a hum. After the whole ‘Lucifer making Eve eat the apple incident,’ Sera made sure to keep her distain towards you evident. Obviously making it clear that she blames you for the whole ordeal.

“I called you up here today to review a certain case l’m having trouble with-”

As sera was Talking the office door behinds you slams shut, interrupting the Angel before you. You look behind to see Emily, cringing as she looks back at the source of the loud noise, then look back in your direction and she smiles and waves at you.

“Sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to overlay the massage that everything’s ready”

She beats her wings to fly closer to her sister, quickly whispering something in her ear. Furrowing your eyebrows as you look back and forth between them. Sure, Sera has always has some sort is stigma towards you and always makes it a point to tell you things last minute, or hell never tell you things at all. But you could tell there was a lot more to this meeting as she was letting on, honestly making you a little more nervous than you’d like to admit.

Turning back to face you Sera gives Emily another glance before resuming to what she was saying.

“Y/N, as you may of heard. The princess of Hell was up here in heaven as Lucifer, her father demanded that she pitch a certain idea of hers”

Sera pauses as to see your possible reaction to her bringing up an old friend of yours, acting as though his name curses whoever’s tongue dare speaks his name. You raise your eyebrows in response, signalling that she should continue.

“She has some sort of idea that sinners down in hell can be redeemed through the means of this ‘Hazbin Hotel’ she’s been building. We discussed it in court but it was decided that sinners in fact, can’t be redeemed and with that she was sent back down to hell.”

“Hm, you mean the same heavenly court where it was revealed that Adam’s Exorcist go down to hell once a year to exterminate sinners? I’m also assuming you mean the same court I wasn’t invited to but yet, l’m possibly the best person who could of been there as I work with those human souls 24/7 and know the most about these kind of things more than anyone else in that court? Yes I think I know exactly which one you’re talking about.”

You keep making eye contact with the Seraphim in front of you even after finishing your rant. She glares back at you, looking down then back up to your face as you still keep that same glare towards her.

“I think we both know why you weren’t welcome to sit in that court session, who knows how you’d react. Especially when you allow your emotions to drive you so.”

Your wings ruffle behind you, signalling you were fed up with Sera’s constant condescension towards you. You slightly fidget in your seat as your glare doesn’t budge from her face.

“I would’ve loved to meet the daughter of an old friend of mine. I’m not surprised you think of me so low and pathetic that you think I’ll have a tantrum by every little thing associated with him.”

“I also think it’s pathetic that you still think of him as a friend of yours, after everything he’s still done you see him as a pure little angel who’s done nothing wrong”

Leaning further back on the chair you were sat on, you crossed your leg on top of the other as you grinned up at the unnecessarily tall woman in front of you.

“If anything Sera, that proves I’ve moved on. I don’t allow hatred to control my feelings anymore, I suggest you don’t either.”

You had to admit that you were slightly lying to the Angel as you spoke those words, as you’d be a hypocrite if you weren’t, but it was worth it for that look on her face. Finally humbling her from that high horse of hers.

“Hellooo, I am the great Ssir Pentious~ It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance~”

You looked down at the weird snake man before you as he bowed his head towards the ground, tilting your head to the side in confusion. This is what Sera was so worried about? Looking back to the Seraphim’s who lead you here to try and get a little bit more information.

“Sir Pentious here is a ‘former’ demon from hell, who has apparently been redeemed through Charlie’s Hotel and has now, been sent up here in heaven.”

Your demeanour completely changes from one of uninterested to one of astonishment. Looking between the two sisters however, the totally different attitudes upon their faces told two very different stories. Sera of course couldn’t have looked more unamused with the situation even if she tried, Emily however looked ecstatic about the evidence of redemption, her hands clasping together in front of her chest as her wide smile and bulging eyes take over her features.

“This is a great day for Heaven and for Hell! We finally have evidence that redemption is indeed possible and now reason to stop those brutal exterminations, right Sera?”

Sera looks at her sister with a completely different demeanour than before, making herself seem for hopeful about the situation at hand.

“Of course Emily! Me and Y/N here will deal with it immediately, but I suggest for now you handle matters that your assistance a lot more than this one.”

You frowned while looking at the younger Seraphim, though her smile never fading from her features. She must be too excited of the news that she couldn’t hear the dishonesty in her older sisters voice.

With Emily now out of the room, Sera went back to looking uninterested as she did before, her focus now landing back on you and the former sinner besides you.

“Watching you lie to your poor sister is honestly disheartening Sera, dear Emily has a point. If redemption is now indeed possible, there is no need for the exterminations to continue-”

“That absolutely is not an option in this situation. Yes we now have proof that redemption is possible but that doesn’t differ us from the fact that hell may be planning an uproar against us, against heaven.”

Taken aback by the interruption, you turn your focus over to the former sinner beside you, noticing the awkward feeling he’s emitting from himself.

“If I may I assure you-”

“No you may not”

Sera now all riled up and irritated, springs her wings out from behind her as her angelic form starts to poke through from her annoyance. In response the man yelps and he steps behind you for safety from that death piercing gaze of hers, which then travel over to you.

Her wings retract back in towards her but the eyes now littered across her body remain where they are.

“I except you to deal with this matter Y/N, you constantly complain I do not give you the benefit of the doubt, you can use this as an opportunity to prove me wrong and maybe make up for your wrong doings from the past.”

Now you knew you absolutely had no choice in the matter, saying no wasn’t an option at all. But knowing the fact that all she wanted to do was just push all her mistakes onto you to fix was absolutely aggravating. However, keeping yourself calm was best for right now.

Nodding back to the woman as your response, she took that as her cue to leave, not seeing anymore reason to stay in this helpless situation.

As the door closed shut, the serpent who had been holding onto your shoulder for safeguarding had finally found it appropriate to let go after muttering an apology.

At least he was well mannered.

You turned to him offering a comforting smile. He’s probably been so confused for the past hour he’s been in heaven, and by God could you say he hasn’t gotten the normal, outgoing introduction normal new residents are greeted with when spawning at heavens great golden gates. Though you can admit his situation is quite different than others, you can sense his soul is worthy than every other soul up here in heaven among him.

You extend your arms, motioning him to sit at the table near by. He follows your direction and sits as you sat along side him, summoning a pen and notebook with your magic.

“Now if you don’t mind, I have some questions.”

A/N: AAAA THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE LIKES AND FOLLOWS FROM THE LAST POST🫶🫶🫶 You don’t know how much it means to me knowing that even just 50 people liked this new idea I’m exploring and I am so very grateful 🙏 .

[anxiously-sidequesting]

Okay all of you are geniuses because a lot of you who see my necromancer posts brought up a super interesting concept that even u hadn't thought about in length, which is the possible discrimination that ALL necromancers in Wizard City probably faces due to past events, not just Malorn

Like ofc this isn't seen in canon but it's super likely that Death students in particular face certain hardships that other Schools may not. And the questions that I asked myself about this topic is super interesting:

Do Death students deal with a certain stigma surrounding their choice of study, or even their character? Are Death students in particular the only group that goes through a different type of treatment that others don't? Do Death students suffer from rumors or beliefs that are harmful to them in any way? Are Death students unwelcome in other groups of students, do they suffer from double takes or ostracization when they do or say things that typically aren't an issue if other students do them?

And another interesting part about this is the source, the fact that a majority of the essential or impactful villains to the plot are all Necromancers that come from Ravenwood. Like of course everyone in Wizard City has to know about Malistaire, but do they know about Morganthe years back, or Duncan when he drops out and is recruited in a cult?

Like I can imagine people back then have heard of Morganthe being expelled; I wonder if there had been any rumors or speculations surrounding her following her expulsion. Nobody was there except for Morganthe, Malistaire, and Ambrose; maybe there were whispers and twists to the story of what actually happened. It's unfortunately very easy to spin an exaggerated tale that maybe Morganthe was purposely violent and unreasonable, and following that, "Maybe it's because she's a Necromancer."

And Duncan, who was never really popular in the first place, after spewing all of that hot air about being Malistaire's best student, suddenly Malistaire becomes a criminal and Duncan is left with what? Was Duncan ever treated differently after that? Were people then possibly AFRAID of him? Perhaps maybe, that he'd soon end up like Malistaire in the future? And imagine how much worse it would get, if it somehow came out that Duncan took up with some bad people and attacked Wizard City's own hero. It wouldn't be about, "Duncan was manipulated during a dark time in his life and did bad things because of that", it would be about, "Duncan, who revered the former evil Death Professor, turned to a life of crime and followed in his mentor's footsteps". By the way, notice how they were both Necromancers?

And then it really puts it into perspective when you realize, why hasn't the Death School been repaired by now? How come no one has looked for Dworgyn or Mortis, despite him having been MIA for a while?

This would have been a cool topic to explore within the game if handled correctly imo, it opens up so much more into the characters and their perspective, the trauma they might be facing. It's sad and definitely unfair and unwarranted but it's realistic and a very blatant thing that just happens. TL;DR, more trauma to Malorn, Duncan, Morganthe, and every single Death student ever from me because I have brainrot

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Buck Angel

Published: Jul 21, 2023

A guest post by Buck Angel, which really should be in The New York Times—maybe they’ll republish it?

Every day, I’m called a new name. Sometimes it’s something obviously insulting, like bigot or transphobe. Sometimes it’s something more subtly designed to twist my knickers, like female. My critics assume this will wound me, because for the last 30 years, I have lived as a man. I medically transitioned at age 30, after what felt like a lifetime of struggle, and after many years of therapy and evaluation.

Transition saved my life. But being called female doesn’t hurt me, because while I changed my body, I’m well aware that I can’t change my sex. And even though I’ve felt since I was a young child that I would have preferred to be—and should have been—born male, I don’t believe that children should medically transition. I’m one of the oldest and most visible female-to-male transsexuals in the country, but because of my views, today’s trans activists not only don’t speak for me, they try to cancel me.

Let’s rewind. I grew up in the 60s and 70s, a time of tomboys, when I was one of several typically masculine girls in short hair and sports shorts, running wild. There wasn’t much difference between me and those other tomboy girls back then; I beat up the boys and earned their respect. For the most part, my parents let me dress and live as a boy. The few times I had to wear a dress for church were torture, but other than that I had an excellent childhood.

My parents assumed my tomboyism was a phase I’d outgrow, but at puberty, I became deeply uncomfortable with my female body, a condition I had no name for back then. I lived for many years as a butch lesbian, and was an internationally successful androgynous model. Sometimes I wore suits, but when they stuffed me into a dress, I would spiral.

Eventually, the disconnect between my body and my sense of myself became too great. Sad and lonely, I turned to drugs, became homeless, engaged in prostitution, lost most of my friends and family, and hit bottom.

Once I got sober, and got therapy, I also got clarity. I told the therapist I felt that I should be—no, that I was—a man, and, unlike everyone else I’d ever said this to, she said, “I hear you. I believe you.” She gave me a diagnosis of what was then called gender identity disorder, which didn’t feel like a stigma. It felt like a lightbulb going off, which allowed me to understand and accept myself. I had a mental condition. That’s why I experienced anguish. Our next task was to figure out how to treat it.

Gender clinics were hardly in existence then. She couldn’t just affirm me and send me off for drugs and surgery with a letter. We spent over a year exploring the source of my distress and what it meant to be or live as a man or woman. She dug deep, she pushed back. And eventually, together, we decided that the potential benefits of transition were worth the risks. I had already passed the “real life” test. Now I went in search of medical treatments.

We filled out an inch-thick pile of paperwork for a program at Stanford, and never even received a reply. Eventually, we found an endocrinologist who explained to me that if I took testosterone, it would be experimental. But by that time, after 25 years of navigating the world as a differently-gendered person and more than a year of intensive psychological evaluation, I was ready.  

I did something even more radical than transitioning once my body changed: I became an adult film star, a man without male parts, making space for nonconforming bodies, raising awareness and increasing body positivity for trans people. Some of my lesbian friends called me a traitor, and haters sometimes called me a tranny, but for the most part, I found acceptance and joy. Until about five years ago, I was happily living as a transsexual, or, as I call it, “a man with a female past.”

Then several things started to change. The word transsexual—a person of one sex who changes their body to appear more like the other—was eclipsed by the word “transgender,” an umbrella term that included everyone from tomboys gently rejecting stereotypes to trans women who’d had penectomies, plus myriad gender identities that seemed to have no locatable meaning. The idea that people could actually change sex, that sex was mutable or unreal, took hold in society, especially with young people.

Then, as some clinicians, including trans women, have admitted, a rash of teen girls started to declare themselves trans and transition; some said they’d had no mental health treatments before doing so. Then I started to hear about and from detransitioners, who’d taken cross-sex hormones or had breast or genital surgeries, not to cure some kind of organic dysphoria but because they’d been taught that if they felt uncomfortable with themselves or their bodies, maybe they needed to change them to match their brains. One study of detransitioners showed 55 percent felt they weren’t properly evaluated.

When it comes to gender dysphoria, talk therapy is more important than anything else. In fact, several European countries are now insisting that therapy is the primary treatment for it, with medical interventions under strict regulation. Physical transition is hard both on your body and mind; I should know. You have to make sure this is the right path for you by working with a therapist who will push back and question and explore the source of your desire to change. Dysphoria is in the brain. If you’re skipping over the brain and going straight to the body, you’re not helping trans people.

People accuse me of climbing the ladder and pulling it up behind me, transitioning and then trying to stop other people from doing so. That’s not my goal at all. I transitioned at age 30 and never looked back or felt I’d made a mistake, and I welcome adults who can adequately weigh the risks and benefits of transition to join me. But I never could have been sure without the struggle I navigated, without my brain growing mature enough to decide. Every choice I made was in adulthood.

One reason I’m so adamant about not medically transitioning children is that those tomboy girls I played with growing up, who were just like me back then, didn’t turn out like me. Some are gay women. Some are straight. Some feminized during or after puberty. Some stayed masculine. Childhood gender nonconformity or even gender dysphoria aren’t indications of any one adulthood. We can’t just slap the label trans on a kid who’s differently gendered and assume we know what path that kid should take for the rest of their life. In fact, several studies show that the vast majority of kids who are gender dysphoric in childhood resolve their distress by the end of puberty, and a majority of those grow up to be same-sex attracted.  

Instead of focusing on identity, we should be focusing on the rigid gender stereotypes kids are absorbing every day. Give them the room I had to be masculine or feminine without presuming what it means about their futures. For suggesting these ideas, my own so-called LGBT+ “community” attacks me, tries to silence and intimidate me, accuses me of condemning children to a lifetime of suffering. But that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying it may be hard to live in their bodies, but it’s important that they try, because we don’t know how to forecast the future from their current struggle, but we know it’s important that they learn to navigate and overcome hardship.

Myself, I’m glad for my many years of struggling. Struggle made me strong. Now the struggle is so different. It’s a struggle to tell an inconvenient truth in a world that thinks truth is transphobic. It’s a struggle to keep my business going amid #cancelbuckangel hashtags. It’s a struggle to feel part of a community that would oust a pioneering elder for wrongthink.

I’ve already been through so much, and I can handle it. But I don’t think suppressing knowledge, dissent and discussion is going to create more space for kids struggling today. I think those kids are best served by having time and space to understand themselves, and not rush—or be rushed—to make decisions about who they are going to be.

[anlian-aishang]

Could you write a story of Levi meeting his cute s/o’s family at their house for dinner in sina(she’s from Shiganshina but her older sister married a noble so that her parents can live in sina) and her father is like her(cheerful+funny) and her mother is sweet+gentle. But her big sister is reserved and doesn’t approve of Levi because she doesn’t trust him protecting her sister. How will levi react to her welcoming parents and her sister’s bluntness and rudeness towards him? Thank you.

Thank you for the request, anon! I hope you enjoy ~

Tags: levi x reader, fluff, just a little angst [brief argument], canonverse, food mention, gn!reader

Word count: 1500

You were more nervous than he was. It was not that you had not told him how forthcoming your sister could be, nor that he was oblivious to the importance of in-law dinners. Levi simply had confidence in himself and in the fact that nothing could be as bad as his times outside the walls. A four-course dinner in inner Sina was a walk in the park no matter who was on the other side of the table, even if it was your entire family.

Despite how many times you had been there, stepping into your sister’s house - mansion more like - never failed to take your breath away. Just the foyer was bigger than your entire suite. The hallway was adorned with paintings, each worth more than either of your salaries, perhaps combined. Gold trim on the ceilings and oriental rugs on the hardwood, her place was a short trek from the Survey Corps headquarters, but felt a million miles away. 

You turned to your side and admired Levi’s shock - lips parted slightly in awe, eyes wide open in an attempt to absorb everything. It was about as bewildered as he ever got. 

Tilting your gaze, you raised a brow, I told you. 

Levi rolled his eyes and nudged your hip with his, Yeah, alright, whatever. 

Still, he was not intimidated. Erwin had dragged him to Stohess palaces plenty of times for fundraising events over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Those high-hat bureaucrats could be insufferable, but this was your family, so they were sure to be similar to you: liked by everyone, easily loveable.

When it came to your parents, he was right. Your dad was a welcome opposition to the father-in-law stigma. Not a killjoy, but quick to laugh and laugh hard. A warm, honest smile - could tell where you got it from. Your mother, on the other hand, was clearly the source of your kindness. While listening intently to the conversation, she kept a constant eye on everyone’s drinks and would top them off the second they fell below half-empty. She continuously served seconds of salad and potatoes onto Levi’s plate, not asking, only insisting: eat more, eat more! Levi smiled at the gesture, his mother had been the same. 

It was going well. Your introvert did not magically morph into a social butterfly, but he did everything right. Cordial manners, please and thank-yous, you admired how he kept his swearing under wraps. When your parents asked the tough questions about titan kills and soldier life, he knew exactly the superlatives to emphasize and the low points to leave out. Being respectful made him respectable, and your parents were without any insight as to how rough a hand he had been dealt in life.

There was someone who knew, though, and was clutching their fists in anticipation of spilling. To her, his ironed cravat and pressed pants were a deliberate disguise, trying to throw off the scent to the lowlife he really was. 

Especially in the wake of the king’s overthrow and the subsequent coronation of Queen Historia. Your sister’s husband was a member of the Military Police, and the only reason he was not at the table with the rest of you now was because he was in custody, soon to be investigated for all Erwin had stuck him with: conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and treason. It was nothing personal, for every single member of the branch was being tried across the board. Given humanity’s vast outnumeration by the titans, it was widely understood that no one would be severely punished, a slap on the wrist at most. It was more symbolic than anything else, a message to the public that order was restored, rulers were to be held accountable, and the defining principle of the Scout Regiment: there was truth to be found out there.

That was not how she saw it, though. All she could see was the man from the newspaper’s WANTED section, sat across from her, at her kitchen table, in the spot where her husband would be - if not for that goddamned little runt. She was determined, not only to let him know he was not welcome here, but not welcome in the family. 

Irritated when your father offered him a toast. Irate when your mother showered him with praise. Worst of all was the way you looked at him: absolutely in love, blinded. 

She interrupted Levi’s thanks with a loud, deliberate clear of her throat, “So -” she propped her elbows on the table, silverware clattered, “Mom, Dad, (Y/N), would you mind cleaning up? I was going to show Levi around the gardens.”

Levi nearly choked, Gardens? It really was a different level of luxury. Still, he was keen to stay behind. If anything, cleaning up was where he could really start to impress. “Actually, I-”

“Great!” Interrupting again, she reached over the table and practically pulled him across it. 

You flashed him a look, do you need me to come with you? Because, if not... this may have been a good opportunity to get a read on your parents’ reads and boast about the feats Levi was too humble to. 

Levi raised his palm and waved you off with a few fingers, don’t worry. I’m fine. 

An hour later, he was starting to regret that decision. 

Though it was just the two of them there physically, he knew that he was actually speaking to all your family, including you, for anything he told your sister was very likely to be transmitted. In fact, Levi clenched his teeth, that was probably the whole reason for this “garden tour” in the first place. 

Either that or to fuck with him. She hit all of the targets without hesitation. You mentioned your mother. She still around? What happened? No father but an uncle who passed recently. So no family, huh? 

You used to have a squad, right? What were their names? Been so long since I read their obituaries, it’s hard to remember. 

Levi stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared vehemently at the ground. Was she fucking serious? Some host. 

If this were anyone else, he would have happily told them to fuck off and been on his way, but this was too important. He had tried deflecting, asking about her life, despite how deeply he loathed small talk. He had tried brushing things off and changing the subject, but she never settled for a non-answer. 

Levi shook his head, the last bit of composure wavering until he stopped in his tracks, prompting her to pause as well. 

Tense eye contact, Levi leaned forward, demanding. “What do you want to know?” And in that moment, she understood his title of captain. At a mere 160 centimeters, he seemed to tower like a titan. “Ask me a straightforward question and I’ll give you a straightforward answer.”

Arms crossed, she lowered her brows and raised her voice, “Everyone close to you ends up dead.” Shouting now, “Why?!” 

Levi scoffed, “You ask the tough questions, huh?”

Your sister gave him a two-handed shove. If he was not humanity’s strongest, he would have gone stumbling backward into the hedges. “They could have had a cushy, comfortable life in the capital, but you and your sacrifice squad fucked with their head and convinced them the Scouts was somehow safer.” Fire in their gaze, “How do you sleep at night?!”

A deep breath, but no rile. “Would they be more secure in Sina or in the Scouts? Likely, Sina.” Levi conceded. “But they didn’t choose the MPs, did they?” Given your brother-in-law’s situation, he omitted the obvious: And it’s a good thing they didn’t. 

“I didn’t force them to know the Scouts, either. Where the fuck do you think I met them?” Bye-bye filter. 

“Safer with me or on their own?” Levi hushed beneath his breath, “I think we both know the answer to that.”

Over a hundred titan kills. Dozens of assists to match. Not only titans, but he was capable of fighting humans as well. She kicked the dirt in stubborn admission: safer with you, more than anyone else. 

“Yes, everyone I’ve ever loved has died -” 

Your sister’s jaw fell at the open admission: he loved you. 

“- but I wasn’t there. You asked how I sleep, I don’t sleep. Every night, I’m kept awake - thinking about what I would have done if I was.” 

A healthy handful of seconds that they surveyed each other’s stares. Nothing but the sound of crickets chirping and the trees rustling. Ironically, occasional laughs broke from the kitchen, communicating that the outdoor strife had not penetrated into the happy home. 

Their joy seeped outside, though, and it started to make sense. All this poking and prodding had no ill intentions, only protective ones. She was just worried for her sibling, that’s all. Levi unclenched his fist and rested a soft yet sturdy hand on her shoulder. “I’ll never leave their side,” whether you like it or not. 

Levi spoke the truth, brutally honest yet undeniable truth, they both knew that. Tension defined their gaze until understanding melted it. There was no one better for you.

But you knew that already.

// masterlist //

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/730025691294449664/i-really-dislike-when-people-warn-about-something?source=share

This isn't about the post itself so much but I appreciate the suggestions in the replies about alternate terms to use that don't involve "warning" at all. I'm a college film professor who has often assigned content that is disturbing, and I've agonized a lot over how to do content warnings and what to call them, because while I haven't had problems so far, I know from talking to colleagues at both my and other institutions/reading studies about it that using the term "trigger/content warning" tends to turn on certain light bulbs in the heads of progressive students who are familiar with how those terms are used in progressive communities, where even if they're not that upset by that content they feel like the SHOULD be.... and those are the students who tend to cause the biggest headaches administratively if they feel like a professor who GAVE a warning didn't handle it correctly or shouldn't have been assigning the work in the first place or whatever. And that's also a thing I want to push against hard, because I've spent enough time in communities like social justice Tumblr and the feminist blogosphere before it to know that's a problem. I don't want students to think that to be a good feminist or ally or whatever that you HAVE to be unable to watch a rape scene in a film or TV show. I want to instead be able to discuss the framing of those scenes, and what is the difference between the more exploitative kinds of rape scenes we are used to vs. one that centers the feelings and experience of rape victims and is important to show because that is unfortunately a part of the human experience that we should be able to grapple with in film, like all art.

....At the same time, I don't want to just not give content warnings, because some students do legitimately need it. I've had students who had PTSD specifically request warnings from me. Ideally this should be handled by Disability Services, but we all know a lot of those offices don't do that and they often have barriers to entry that mean they don't catch every student. Plus, I want students to be able to have that who might need it but might not feel comfortable approaching me to ask for it. So there needs to be a solution that isn't just "don't give warnings at all."

Anyway, on a similar note, "warning" just isn't the right word for some of the things you want to give students a head's-up for. I for a long time resisted giving any kinds of "warnings" about consensual sex or nudity in film, because I knew American culture stigmatized that and I didn't want to add to that stigma. (And witnessing the recent discourse on Tumblr about "is it ever ok to have sex scenes in movies? is it ever useful for something besides getting people off?" (yes. easy question) has only added to that, although it's been my personal experience from teaching that the puritanical kids on Tumblr are firmly in the minority, just a loud minority, and that most of the university-age kids of Gen Z are just as edgelord about that stuff as every other generation has been at their age. I say this positively; I was an edgelord, too, still kind of am in my mid-30s, and I think it's legitimately concerning developmentally if you never go through that phase.) But I realized during the lockdown when I started screening films on Zoom - a practice I've kept up in some cases post-lockdown - and also when I assign things for students to watch on their own outside of class, that it's still a good idea to give students a head's-up for stuff, because they might be watching in public and it can be super awkward if you're in the wrong place and there's graphic sex/nudity visibly on your screen. For the same reason that most people on Tumblr asking you to tag nsfw content aren't asking because they're prudes, but because they browse at work or otherwise in public and don't want that showing up unannounced in a time when it could be awkward or get them in trouble. So I wanted to give students a head's up so they could decide ahead of time if watching in certain places was a thing they were willing to do. But I didn't want to call it a "warning," since that stigmatizes the thing.

So the stuff about "this may contain" is much better. And I feel like it's weird I didn't think about that before! Thanks!

(Sidenote: I kind of wonder if the "is there ever a reason for a sex scene?" discourse is so common on Tumblr because it's a very fandom-centric space and there are a lot of people getting their media expectations via fanfic, where when sex scenes show up it is usually at least somewhat with the intention of getting people off, and also when it shows up it tends to be a major feature of the fic - or at least people think of it that way, will decide not to read if they don't want any of that, etc. because of the way tagging systems on fic sites work. So the idea of media that includes sex where "getting the viewer off" has nothing to do with why it's there, but just because it's a part of life like anything else, or because of some other narrative purpose like "the way these two people have sex tells you about the relationship between them" etc. is just so foreign to people whose expectations are set by fanfic.)

--

TBH, last time we discussed the sex scene thing, it became clear that a bunch of people hadn't really been exposed to anything where sex scenes were well done, served a broader artistic purpose in a way that was reasonably obvious, and weren't aimed at the most cliched cishet dude audience tastes.

I don't think it's so much that fic is often horny as that fairly mainstream media contains a lot more sex and nudity than it used to, but the people telling those stories are no more varied than in the past. Some viewers feel like horny stuff that is boring and distasteful to them is inescapable, and that's exhausting.

If there's a fandom effect, I'd posit that the larger part of it is that when you hang out in a space where the default media doesn't necessarily prioritize a cliche of what cishet male viewers supposedly want, you become ever less tolerant of having the "default" shoved in your eyeballs all day long.

People have woken up to "It doesn't have to be like this" and "But I want to be the one catered to" but haven't quite gotten over the baggage of Only Men Like Porn or Sex Is Low Art or whatever.

Possibly there's some degree of effect from how fic archives are a space where people want to see only exactly what is their favorite while never seeing anything that makes them uncomfortable, which is very different from the desires of your average moviegoer at some arthouse theater.

[blazehedgehog]

If one decides to start a creative project about their favorite thing, be it fanart, fanfic, fangame etc. , which approach do you prefer, the creatives involved fully dedicating themselves to recreating and recapturing what made the original works...work, or make an active choice to be derivative (this doesn't mean artists are ignorant about the original material, not necessarily) How do you feel about either, and are there any other approach you can think of?

There's this guy who used to post at SFGHQ named Sam Beddoes who now runs Freakzone Games. He's made the official Manos: The Hands of Fate game, he did both AVGN Adventures, he's the project lead on that Toxic Crusaders beat'em'up, etc.

But he's an old guard Sonic head and I've heard him turn up on a couple of Sonic podcasts, specifically to talk fangames, and by his account he got really fed up with the Sonic fangaming scene when everybody became obsessed with perfectly replicating the Genesis games, because to him, all the creativity and magic went away.

I remember hearing that and both agreeing and disagreeing with him. And I have enough thoughts about it that I've actually considered doing a video about it, and about fangaming overall.

I think there is a stigma to replicating something perfectly that's very adjacent to people who are concerned about young artists who start out by tracing pictures other people have drawn. Plagiarism is a real, legitimate problem. But it's only a problem if you lie about tracing.

I'm of the mind that if you're starting out drawing, half the problem is just learning control. Tracing can be a valuable tool in helping you to understand hand motions and give you a perspective on the construction of an image. For the earliest beginners, I don't think there's any shame in starting out by tracing. It's building muscle memory. Just don't say you drew it.

Similarly, my game development skills went way, way, way up about the time I started to analyze and perfectly replicate existing games. Like, the long canceled Sonic Forever project used an early enough version of the Sonic Worlds codebase that I had to read the Sonic Retro Physics Guide and use their data on how to add Knuckles in from scratch. My code matched how he worked in the Genesis games almost 1:1, because it was largely me just interpreting the values into something Clickteam Fusion could understand.

Something similar happened when, in 2012, I started (and never finished) a remake of my famous Mario Blue Twilight DX fangame. That's when I started really paying attention to how the source games worked so I could get a better sense of how a Mario game needed to "feel" in order to be correct.

And that trend continued with every fangame project I worked on following that, like when I figured I could make my own version of Sonic 2's Hidden Palace Zone, since I wasn't happy with the Retro Engine version. The idea was to be accurate above all else. In some cases, I'd even watch recordings of official gameplay in slow motion just so I could see exactly how the game was created, and in some cases, count frame by frame the duration of certain actions.

And all of this just makes me think of when I showed a friend my game jam game, OverBite. He complimented me on how nice the controls felt, in that kind of backhanded way where he said "When did you learn to make games feel so nice?"

Because if you go back to those really early games of mine, they all feel like garbage to control. And I attribute it to putting in a lot of time pulling apart the nuts and bolts of real retro games and putting a microscope up to why they work the way they do. Deconstructing all of their little nuances and sub-states and then trying to put it all back together again in a different programming language.

You learn a lot when you're forced to stop and understand why a piece of code exists in the way it does. Why there are all these little edge cases that you never notice but still exist to make a game feel just a little better.

At the end of the day, yes, Sam was right. Games need to have creativity and seeking out the perfect replication of the Sega Genesis Sonic games can feel somewhat futile. Every SAGE for the last ten years, there will be at least three games that instantly vanish from my memory because they are basic, plain Sonic Worlds Delta fangames with no style of their own. They just want to make Sonic 4 and we've had a lot of different Sonic 4s by now.

But the thing about learning is, you gotta learn the rules before you learn why and where to break them, because breaking (or at least bending) all of those boring, standardized rules is where your personal style starts to emerge, and that personal style is ultimately what people are going to be interested in at the end of the day.

So I think it is vitally important to start at 1:1 exact recreation and once you've made a comfortable replica, only then should you start asking yourself what you'd change and why. Make sure you understand the material before venturing further. You gotta learn to do it right first.

[psychewritesbs]

What do you think that made Jujutsu Kaisen different from any other shounen? Also, why do you think that most people said it's overated? I don't mean anything negative, just want to know your opinions on this. Thanks to you I started JJK manga and anime, and I love it (sorry as a new fan, at first I hesitate because of the negative stigmas that I found on fandom about this series).....

Also, why do you think that Gojo is a popular character?

First of all... I'm SORRY! I've literally been writing an answer to you for like for ever and ever 😭

It's just that I've been thinking long and hard about your ask because how do I objectively gush about what makes jjk amazing, when all sense of objectivity and normalcy walked out the door in 2020?

So I'll start by saying FUCKYES I don't know what fandom you found me through, but I LOVE hearing that you decided to give jjk a shot despite what other people might say about it. Most especially if you found that you love it.

I think that, for all of its flaws, jjk is still a wonderful story exploring deep truths about the human condition.

So I'm going to glaze on jjk like there's no tomorrow under the cut'o!

Glaaaaaaaaze....

Regarding the idea that most people think it's overrated: It's really simple... jjk is a very multilayered niche story.

By multilayered I mean that everything from a meathead battle shonen fan, to a brainiac "intellectual" who doesn't care for the battles that much, and everyone in between, will find something that they can enjoy in jjk.

✅ Canon/headcanon romance ✅ Battles ✅ Existentialism ✅ Amazing characters ✅ Spirituality and esoteric concepts ✅ Power scaling

The problem is that jjk is so mainstream because of this mass appeal, that it could never live up to everyone's expectations, nor it should. That is not to mention that the more popular it becomes, the more people who are simply not going to like jjk it will reach.

In the end, jjk is at its core a niche story published in a shonen magazine, catering to a very specific audience.

To me, for every person saying jjk is overrated, there's 9 people who love it. And maybe I can't back up my totally made up statistic with facts, but jjk wouldn't have 90 million copies in circulation if most people thought it is overrated--they just happen to be the loudest and I can't wait for them to stfu lol.

🤪...

So that's really it. jjk is so popular that it has gotten the attention of people who aren't going to like it for whatever reason they might have. Sometimes it's simply personal taste, and sometimes it's them missing the point. These are the people calling jjk overrated.

How do I know? Because when I heard all of the hype surrounding csm and how it was the second coming of manga Christ, I decided to read it and found it to be incredibly overrated. That doesn't make csm objectively bad, btw, it just mean I personally don't care for Fujimoto's writing or art.

What makes jjk different from other shonen?

What I want to say is that I'm wondering if there is an objective measure for what makes jjk different. I think the obvious answer is that jjk has successfully subverted tropes time and time again. But I think it actually goes much deeper than that.

I am not sure that I speak for everyone. But... like would I be me if I didn't turn this answer into an exploration of depth? It's just that for those of us who feel jjk in our bones and don't see it as yet another basic shonen story... I feel like jjk speaks deeply to our humanity.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, stories are carriers of subjective truth and experience. And jjk is moving and shaking the collective psyche because of what it's saying about our shared humanity.

The basic shonen recipe

(source)

The thing is that I started watching Jujutsu Kaisen because I had an expectation that a shonen story had a good chance of catching my attention.

I've seen a lot of anime, and a lot shonen anime to be more specific. So I went in assuming jjk would follow a specific recipe.

Light haired, yang/Sun archetype, happy go lucky with a single-minded determination to achieve something shonen mc who goes on a hero's journey, learns about himself, and powers up as a result of his journey...

Bonus points if he has a demon inside of him and joins a tight knit 3-man squad made up by dynamic personalities that is mentored by the strongest teacher.

That said, it is the way Gege has explored every single one of these tropes that has made jjk unique in my eyes. I particularly love that there is a certain intentionality to how jjk's characters express typical shonen character traits outside of the way the recipe is usually followed...

The result is the same... but the means and the journey in jjk are explored through an existential and psychological lens that is very grounded in our humanity (aka relatable).

I think more than being a battle shonen, jjk is an exploration of the sense of self first and foremost.

In that sense, jjk is an exploration on how the sense of self is shaped. Like the panel above setting the stage for one of the main themes in jjk: how facing the existential fear of death shapes the sense of self.

So to me jjk is intentional about asking deep questions about life, and telling stories about characters who ask the same questions and how they go about finding answers.

As such, jjk asks that we question the very foundation of our identity as we come face to face with how our expectations haven't matched up to the reality of the world around us...

Similarly, jjk asks that we consider the difference between choosing a life worth living true to what truly matters to us...

...and realizing a little bit too late that what we thought mattered was not as important...

jjk is saying there are consequences to your actions and face them you must even if it all feels bleak...

And to me, that's because Gege understands people on a very deep level. To the point that if you're a jjk fan and you feel moved by any of its characters, they move you deeply.

A lot of this is in the subtext, of course, so not everyone can understand these themes on an intellectual level, nor do they care for. And it doesn't matter if they do or not because jjk still shakes and moves so many people to the point that you have people who make a sport out of hating on it and spend hours complaining about it... like who has that much energy to focus on something they don't like 😭?

Anyway... if I had to say one thing that makes jjk unique, it is how it story tells--which is ironically the main complaint people have about it. Again... it's a niche story that has mass appeal.

I love Gege's writing because to me it isn't about his technical skill, but his vision and the topics he explores. As someone who's been consuming animanga for 25+ years, an author with a unique writing style and an interesting premise doesn't come often. Gege is that author for me.

Anyways... Gege probably didn't even think of any of that...

jjk is just another battle shonen.

About why people love Gojo

Honestly? I'm the wrong person to ask 😂. I haven't a clue. Maybe because he's a cute bishoen? And also the strongest?

No clue lol. Anyone want to chime in with why they love Gojo?

But I fully agree with this and saved it just for you lol 👇🏼

(source)

Thanks for dropping by anon! :)

[ottokallenhonkai3rd]

⚜ 𝒯𝑜 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑒𝓍𝓉𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝒪𝓉𝓉𝑜𝒦𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓃 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓃

I came across a discussion on Twitter about whether OttoKallen is canon now, specifically in relation to SakuKallen. ~♥~ Otto and Kallen started out as friends. But subconsciously you always noticed that Otto had feelings for Kallen. You never really got to know how Kallen felt about Otto. And that's the breaking point where many haters stop. ~♥~ But let's start again from the beginning. Otto and Kallen met as small children. Because Otto was ill and fragile, he was of little value to House Apocalypse. Therefore, he tried to be useful in a different way and to work on inventions. Kallen was the one who praised his work, which made them friends. The twist of the story begins when Kallen learns about the true intentions of the church and also to what extent Otto is involved in it. Protecting those around her is important to her, while Otto is willing to sacrifice the individual for a greater good. And that is ultimately the reason why the two split up. Yes. They have different ways of thinking, but that´s no reason for their separation. In fact, they never separated emotionally. Their disagreement hasn't hurt their relationship.

In a conversation between Otto and his father, it sounds as if he is already engaged to Kallen. But most important is the conversation between him and Kallen about how she would like to marry him if the conditions were different.

It is also important to mention that the letter she sent Otto included two red roses. Two red roses symbolize love returned. So Kallen also had feelings for Otto.

In the letter, Kallen again explained why she turned down his marriage proposal and declared that they both did terrible things. Here is the link.

Even if Otto never received this letter, the world view is also reflected in his feelings: When you truly want to change the world, you will discover how pitiable your own strength is. The Holy Maid gave her all to the people, and was repaid with merciless shackles und nooses. The world is at chaos. It´s neither fair nor sensible. It wrongs heroes and breeds scum. It is rife with ugliness without a trace of beauty. The malice of the world shal be sundered- by the villain. Source: Thus spoke Apocalypse

~♥~ Crucially, the story portrays Kallen as a heroine with a good heart. She remains true to her principles to the death. Otto, on the other hand, deliberately chose to play the villain. Not just to bring Kallen back to life, but to change something in the world. The wall in front of which they parted is also the wall where they once met. OttoKallen is a very symbolic ship and that's why it's so beautiful. And when it comes to how Kallen felt about Sakura.... Personally, I think the two were very good friends. That's why soulmates were mentioned in the webcomic named The Graditute Arc. Very good friends can also be soul mates. In the end they live happily together in the stigma world... Kallen's soul fragments were sucked up by it. She can't leave there even if she wanted to. So the happy is probably to be put in quotation marks. And when it comes to certain poses in the Event of "Cooking with the Valkyries"... Here's a picture where best friends are leaning against each other. Here's a picture of best friends holding hands. Aside from that. If leaning and holding hands is a token of love... Otto also saw the pleasure. Here Otto doesn't hold Kallen's hand like Sakura does. They have intertwined their fingers. And please don't come at me with "There was Kallen still a child". She was 13 years old or even older. So in their adolescence and capable of loving.

And anyone who deals with Sakura will notice that she loves to flirt. Even a Theresa blushes after certain actions of hers.

So now Theresa is in love with Sakura too? It would at least be the more interesting couple. And while we're at Kallen blushing...

Look how cute she blushes when she talks to Otto. And she wasn't already drunk at the moment. It's also worth noting that this game was created for a male clientele, and there's a bit of fanservice involved in some of the scenes. Just because you blush, because someone gets too close, leans in, or allows someone to take their hand doesn't mean you're in love. But for a long time, the content of St. Freya High could be argued with. This is a webcomic linked from the official Honkai Impact the 3rd website. This showed clear love scenes between Kallen and Sakura. But Mihoyo already removed this comic as it is inconsistent with other webcomics and game content.. The chapters that showed these scenes have also been pulled off the page. But honestly. The writer can't be serious about that.

Why do people care if she loved the person? That seems pretty out of place and if I had been present at the Trial and hearing that, I would have said she was crazy too.

So let's talk a little bit about the four samsaras. The samsaras are a virtual world created from the memories of Theresa Apocalypse and part of the black box. In the first samsara, Kallen has no choice but to kill Sakura. In the second samsara, Sakura, under complete control, kills Kallen. In the third samsara, they then manage to defeat the enemy and live "happily" together. But the real Kallen was never present. Everything that happened in it was fake. Also Kallen from the fourth Samara, who was fed up with staying with Sakura and runs away.

And yes. In the sideevent named Sanka Saga they love each other. But then maybe some haters should stop calling Otto obsessed. After all, the joke of the story is that Kallen slips into Otto's role. You can tell that clearly from the fact that she wants to save Sakura from death at all costs. Just like Otto for Kallen. That she did soul experiments. Yes. Just like Otto, only in a different form. That she suffered. Just like Otto. And that she realizes that a clone of Sakura is not Sakura. Otto notices that with Theresa. But that she secretly noticed that Sakura's soul is in Kasumi, but she's still not like Sakura and therefore wasn't interesting for her. Just like Otto. So it should be noted that this event has nothing to do with the actual reality of the game. In Sangeline Knights Kallen Klon can only remember Sakura, but it was also the last big event and a very decisive one for her life before she died. And in Kallen Fantasy, they are even enemies. ~♥~ So what's left of SakuKallen ship other than Sakura's fantasy? But OttoKallen has no canon content.... Otto and Kallen got married in Gun Girls Z (Houkai Gakuen). But Kallen was certainly forced to do so? - Uh, no. Hmm... Remember the conversation between Kallen and Otto about a wedding? A marriage that Kallen rejected for the sole reason that she whouldn't be a pawn? But the conversation ended with "Maybe in another world..." The rest of the sentence went under, because Otto left the room. It´s clear that Kallen means a wedding. So this isn't a forced wedding, it's the one that's likely to take place in the timeline where Kallen thanks to Otto lives.

The Endresult is: Just because you can't see a person's feelings directly, it doesn't mean they don't have them. Especially when a relationship has had little time to develop. But Kallen wasn't forced to marry Otto. She did it for love. And in that case, OttoKallen is even more canon than SakuKallen.

[ladystoneboobs]

y'know it occurs to me that the idea of 'bastardphobia' being the source of all problems in a certain asoiaf main pov, (ie, the erasure of adultery and betrayal as factors in the very specific situation in the stark family/wf household, irrespective of any bastard stereotypes), and the accompanying assumptions that the stigma of being born out of wedlock only exists out of deeper (racial) prejudices and that blended families involving cheating husbands raising a lovechild with their disrespected wives would otherwise be perfectly natural, all of that is necessarily related to the belief that the conquereor trio and their two sons were all one big happy family all the time.

why would visenya using black magic to conceive a rival to aenys be seen as a sign of a problem with rhaenys and her son? no trouble at all in that spouse-sharing paradise! (just like there never could be between elia/rhaegar/lyanna if only the good prince's brilliant plans had all succeeded.) helping to avenge rhaenys is enough proof that the trio always had a beautiful, loving relationship. not like familial vengeance against common enemies is a basic feudal concept regardless of sentiment. (like stannis saying he would get justice for robert and even ned, while repeatedly insisting that robert was not his beloved brother and ned was never his friend.) no, two bickering little girls are the clear stannis/renly equivalent, not sisters producing rival sons leading to kinslaying in the next generation. that was all on maegor alone, and if she can't be definitevely said to have slain aenys, then what does it matter that visenya wanted her son on the throne from day one and ultimately helped him take it from his nephews/her sister's grandchildren? she couldn't have known all that nephew-slaying and niece-rape would result from empowering her bloodthirsty son, could she? could she? can we really dare to cast aspersions on the sacred love and loyalty of visenya for her family? (the fact that polygamy was clearly noted as not a common practice before the conquerors can only be a weird coincidence, right? the only reason no groups of odd-numbered targ siblings had tried this perfect arrangement before must be because they just hadn't thought of it yet. aegon the conqueror sure was a unique genius that way, huh?)

I know you trust [redacted]. But can you trust his sons? Or their sons? The Blackfyre pretenders troubled the Targaryens for five generations, until Barristan the Bold slew the last of them on the Stepstones. If you make [redacted] legitimate, there is no way to turn him bastard again. -Catelyn V, aSoS

imho the real irony here is that cat was not only wrong about the loyalty of the bastard in question, she was wrong about the blackfyres being the apt nightmare precedent. that loser bastard daemon and his loser descendents only ever succeeded in getting themselves slain without ever managing to kill any royal rival or take their throne. but curiously enough, maegor slaying his brother's sons (and forcibly marrying his brother's elder daughter) and successfully taking the crown for a few years, that does sound a bit more similar to the scenario catelyn dreaded. doesn't it?

[haikyuupaladin]

TLDR; Writing and joking about disabilities as stemming from a supernatural source (which includes SCPs) is an ableist trope that should be avoided, as it either trivializes or demonizes disabilities.

So I’ve seen some posts both recently and in the past from the SCP fandom joking that photosensitive epilepsy is actually just the SCP cognitohazards being real. I know no harm is meant by these posts, but it got me thinking about how people aren’t aware of how disability being treated as though it’s from a supernatural source is ableist, or maybe people aren’t aware that it’s a generic ableist trope, not just specific supernatural sources, or don’t realize that SCPs count as a supernatural source. But this post is going to focus on why disability stemming from supernatural sources should be avoided. I will be talking about this from the perspective of someone with epilepsy, but I’m trying to keep the discussion somewhat general to disability as a whole.

There are two general versions of disability stemming from a supernatural source in my experience. There’s the “possession/curse” type of supernatural source, and then there’s the “psychic/superpowers” type of source. Both of these sources are harmful in their own way. Both of these tropes should be avoided.

The possession/curse source of disability should be avoided because it sends the message “you’re not actually sick or disabled. You’re just a bad person and this is your punishment, and if you could just rid of all the impure evil in you you’d get better. This could’ve all been avoided if you’d simply been smarter and made better choices. You deserve this.” This is also what people are accidentally or purposefully implying when they suggest religious methods of any kind to treat or cure a disability. It turns disabled people into villains in the eyes of the audience, or even if the curse isn’t portrayed as their fault, it usually ends up contributing to stigma around medical treatment, as it can never be aided by actual medical treatments in these stories, because it’s not actually a medical condition.

Psychic/superpower sources on a surface level seem like they should be less harmful to most people. But the issue here is that it often erases the struggles of the disability in exchange for the powers or treats the powers as more beneficial than the drawbacks of the disability. The disability also tends to go away once they understand that they have powers. This makes it harder for real people to get others to treat their struggles seriously.

And I know people think that people don’t actually believe that the sources of disabilities could be supernatural in the way it’s used in fiction. But while I’ve been lucky to never have these uses against me personally, I’ve seen others in the epilepsy community who have had to explain to people that they’re not possessed. I’ve seen people in the disability community have to explain that their disability doesn’t come with superpowers, or that yes, their symptoms actually are that bad to deal with and no, there’s no silver lining to having those symptoms. People believe this stuff, and it’s harmful to perpetuate these ideas by using these tropes.

Also, one more problem with this trope as a whole, though somewhat less important than all of the above, is that it erases representation. “Oh, you thought this character had epilepsy? No, sorry, they’re just psychic. Oh you thought this other character had epilepsy too? Sorry, no, they were possessed. We just used your symptoms to convey these things because we thought it was cool/looked dramatic/mysterious.”

Please please please, reconsider using these tropes, they can be incredibly harmful.

[madama-butterfree]

Debunking the myth that Tinkaton and Corviknight can get along because this is something I’ve had to fight other trainers on.

I WILL SAY IT ONCE. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN.

A TINKATON AND A CORVIKNIGHT CANNOT COEXIST SAFELY ON A TEAM.

A TINKATON AND A CORVIKNIGHT CANNOT BE RAISED TOGETHER.

YOUR TINKATON AND CORVIKNIGHT ARE NOT FRIENDS!!!!

Look. I am completely aware that trainers alike may disagree with me and say that any Pokemon can get along. Yes, this is true and unlikely pairs can still find solace in each other’s company. BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE FOR TINKATON AND CORVIKNIGHT. IT WILL NEVER BE.

Tinkaton are apex predators. They are on the very top of the food chain. Corviknight happen to be their main and most reliable source of material for their impressive weaponry— but also their main source of amusement! It is true that Tinkaton in fact DO sometimes hunt for sport! They will gather resources when they need to! But their hunting in turn also assists others of their line who might come across the body. This also helps other Pokemon who might find the metal a quick and easy meal, and their bodies aren’t made entirely of steel, so parts that can decompose further help fungi based Pokémon find the best nutrients and helps the ecosystem flourish. So while it’s technically still for sport, there is also a good cause that can come from there to assist other’s of its line and other Pokémon in general! It’s all just the circle of life.

But generally speaking, it’s completely true that regardless of this, Tinkaton actively hunt Corviknight for its own amusement as well! These things are VICIOUS and it takes someone incredibly fit for the job to raise them accordingly— this is usually best saved for steel or fairy type experts, but any trainer who can wrangle it safely is usually considered fit *enough. (*A Tinkaton should never just go into the hands of someone with zero experience with Pokemon known to be defiant or dare I say reckless.)

Back at the point at hand, here’s the thing: Look, I know the thought of raising the two together and them “being friends” is super cute in theory. You might think you can start early and get them used to each other from their primary evolutions in Tinkatink and Rookidee. Cute, right?

NO.

DO. NOT. DO. THIS.

THIS IS 100% NOT SAFE IN THE SLIGHTEST.

Regardless of what you think, Tinkatink might be small and look scared all the time, but is STILL capable of destructive habits. And it is in their genetic makeup as they evolve to become more depended on themselves. Their predatory instincts will eventually kick in regardless. (Reminding you once again that this is a line of apex predators) Raising the two together is a death sentence for the eventual Corviknight. Corviknight are exceptional at taking commands and sticking to them and have great memory. But this can lead to it’s downfall because if raised alongside it’s predator in hopes the two can bond, this in turn teaches the Corviknight to openly trust other Tinkaton without question— which also in turn gives “unfamiliar” Tinkaton an easier target and can ultimately lead to your Corviknight’s demise.

Also, this is also considered dangerous for the Tinkaton itself! Usually picky about the types of metals used in tinkering it’s hammer, Corviknight happen to have the perfect complexity that keep their hammer together at all times which is why they love them so much. Tinkaton are also exceptionally intelligent Pokemon. Teaching a Tinkaton not to hurt your Corviknight from it’s prime can (but it’s not guaranteed it will) teach it that it should not hunt any Corviknight, therefore putting itself at risk of danger for not having the proper resources for it’s mallet AND resorting to hunting OTHER steel types it usually wouldn’t. It’s a lose-lose situation. The Tinkaton cannot properly defend itself in a battle, and now other steel types— including trainer owned steel type Pokémon— are at ultimate risk because you wanted to challenge a “stigma” that is completely fact checked and true.

Even if your Tinkaton and Corviknight seem not to have any trouble with each other, they are not friends. They have been raised to “get along with” or “tolerate” each other. Even then, they are naturally built in with the fight or flight responses for each other. Your Tinkaton is likely still thinking “kill” in the back of her head, and your Corvinknight is likely thinking “flee”.

ASIDE FROM ANY OF THIS, CORVIKNIGHT ARE STILL THE PREY AT DEFAULT. Your Tinkaton could choose to snap at ANY GIVEN MOMENT. And Tinkaton do not just faint Corviknight! THEY KILL THEM. They are not “rival Pokemon” that get into constant scuffles. They are predator and prey. Corviknight are AFRAID of Tinkaton. This does not make them rivals because they just aren’t rival Pokémon like Zangoose and Seviper that fight each other! TINKATON FIGHTS CORVIKNIGHT. CORVIKNIGHT FLEES. ITS ONE SIDED (BUT PART OF THE CIRCLE OF LIFE.).

(Tip: To consider Pokemon “rival Pokemon”, there has to be a shared about of action between both. Both have to have the will to fight the other should They need to. If it’s one sided, they are not rival Pokemon.)

If you own a Tinkaton and Corviknight together in your team, you SERIOUSLY need to rethink things because this is not safe for anyone and could even face legal charges!

(Fun Fact! It is considered an act of terrorism to keep a Tinkaton on your team should you visit Galar! Because of the flying taxi service in Galar running solely on Corviknight, having a Tinkaton travel with you is like opening it up to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and can actively put civilians in immediate jeopardy. Tinkaton is one of the select few illegal/banned Pokemon to bring into certain areas/regions. This is why if you’ve ever traveled to Galar from Paldea, you are required by law to go through a team check, regardless if you have a Tinkaton or not. Should you have one, you are immediately sent to a pc and required to deposit the Tinkaton into your box. You are heavily supervised while doing this. You will not be able to get away with anything. You can have your Tinkaton confiscated or even removed entirely from your ownership should you ever try to retaliate on this law.)

Now, you are completely allowed to raise a Tinkaton and Corviknight separately! But they should always stay separated! It’s best if you enforce that the two don’t even know of the other’s existence! Should you have one on your team, you should NEVER have the other.

(Side Note: I am completely aware that the elite four member Poppy of the Paldean league owns both Tinkaton and Corviknight together respectably. It’s a really difficult thing to fight because this is something people use to argue with the idea. They love to throw this around. The league is a form of government. This isn’t a law Geeta could have enforced herself because the Champion doesn’t actually enforce every law, especially if Poppy is getting away with this. Poppy is still very young and likely unaware despite the laws being set in stone. She might be aware but keeps ignorant, cause like I said, she’s a very young trainer. Plus, her being very young makes holding her accountable to a law very difficult since she’s not even old enough to face corporal punishment. I’d like to say that first of all: don’t trust a five year old to advocate for a lie when they haven’t even stepped foot in a fifth grade classroom. I believe Geeta picks favorites and gives them benefits, but she didn’t hear anything from me.

Take my word for it; just because someone of high, respectable rank does something, it doesn’t make it right.)

Please take my word for this. This is a PSA from your’s truly. ~🦋

[mamahersh]

@a-mag-a-day Righto, MAG 009!

So I remember a little bit from when I listened to this the first time: I was immediately curious because it was from the perspective of a serial killer's daughter. Like, obviously not a real serial killer's daughter, but the premise intrigued me as I used to listen to Sword and Scale true crime podcast when I would go to the gym. So already we had this gal who's had to face a lot of stigma in her life for things outside her control, and then she has to deal with the supernatural on top of that? Very interesting.

Alas, for all I started interested, I've forgotten most of her statement beyond the fact she was a daughter of a serial killer, and this in part was what pushed her into the Hunt if I remember right. I'm about to find out tho, so I'll get back to this…

So in summary, Julia's dad killed 41 people in service to the Dark to keep Julia safe after his wife (who was part of the People's Church of the Divine Host) was eaten by a creature of the Dark. He did this seemingly on behalf of the People's Church under the orders of Maxwell Rayner and was basically turned into a full time murderer funded by either the cult or Rayner himself. Of some note is that we know for sure that the last person Robert Montauk killed was a member of the cult, a Christopher Lorne (who I'm fairly certain is just a one off character). This opens up the floor to several questions:

Robert told Julia "it would soon be over" and then went to kill a cult member. At the same time, his house was attacked by the Dark, and Julia was only saved because Robert's sacrifice banished the creature seemingly. So the question is: were any of his other victims cult members or were they all innocents and this was Robert trying to sent a message to the cult?

Similarly, did he know that whatever he was doing would potentially put Julia at risk and cause her to feel like she needed to call the cops? (probably not honestly, or at least I don't think he expected her to call the cops. But, I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning on calling the cops on himself after he was done with the ritual.)

Also of note: this series of events were a good 10-13 years before the actual Dark Ritual. Could Robert have, in his own way, been trying to sabotage the plans of the cult from the inside out with his last sacrifice? Obviously Julia had never noticed anything weird happening with the shed previously at night, so potentially there was something different happening with this sacrifice.

Of final interest to me personally is we get a really good outline of what physical signs are associated with the Dark: extinguishing of lights and dark, muddy, "brackish" water and closed eyes. What's interesting to note is the addition of the polluted water in these signs. I wonder if that was pulled from popular Lovecraftian mythos imagery? Honestly, the Dark seems to most frequently pull from the Lovecraftian mythos, particularly surrounding Dagon and the fish people from "Shadow Over Innsmouth"; though the symbology and weird esoterica would be closer to something like "The Dunwich Horror" impo. However, I'm not well versed in horror, so perhaps there's another source of inspiration. I know even just pulling from games like "The Call of Cthulhu" would make just as much sense or even Silent Hill.

Anyways, I've wandered into the weeds. Needless to say, this was quite the episode and I had forgotten it entirely tbh. It's so interesting to go back and listen to these episodes again now that I know about the Fears and the larger cast of characters and see how they all connect to each other. Also, I think this might be the most credulous we've heard Mr. Jonathan Sims be for his end of Statement commentary.

[drachenlegend]

Fu Hua x GenderNeutral Reader x HoS (Herrscher of Sentience)

(Source): https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/88898052

Synopsis: You are Hua’s significant other. The silent, glowing moon to her radiant, blazing sun. If one faltered, the other would be ready to help them remain steady. Now, there was a third factor added into the relationship in the form of Senti.

Uses the reader from this post.

Being in a relationship with Hua was the best thing to have happened to you. She's kind, beautiful, hard-working, and above all else, patient with you - which is a given considering how much the two of you lost in the Previous Era.

Your relationship officially began after Project Sanctuary where humanity emerged after the Final Herrscher's appearance. To your dismay, Project Regulator was put into action after Su told you of Kevin's intentions of forcing Project Stigma. Hua waited for you to come back and held you tight when Su filled her in on what transpired in the Seed of Sumeru before leaving you two alone and continuing his task. Although Kevin didn't hurt neither of you too much, the notion of you sealing away the closest person you had to a brother proved too much for you.

Hua stood by your side, assisting and ensuring you would make a full recovery. She would always set aside time to accompany you inside of your shared house in Shenzhou and would even take the day off if your mental condition worsened. Her cooking filled your stomach and never failed to do so. It wasn't until Nuwa made a joke about her essentially being your wife did she stop and realize her feelings for you, but ultimately force those feelings down. No matter what she did, however, she became self-conscious of her love for you and told herself that she would wait until you were back to normal.

And, when that day came, she was no longer "The Celestial," but a flushed young maiden sputtering nonsensical words at the summit of Mount Taixuan. You remembered that day very fondly, from the orange-red color of the skies and the sun setting in the distance. None of that compared to the sight of Hua meekly confessing her feelings to you and avoiding eye contact afterward. Nor did it compare to the feeling of her soft lips upon yours after she heard your response.

From that day on, days were spent with your significant other. The two of you would switch between each other on who would handle the housework for the day and who would work on Project Ember. On the weekends, you two would go on small dates to the go-to spots on the peaks of Mount Taixuan where flowers bloomed and grass grew. It didn't matter what you and Hua were doing, it was always fun for the both of you so long as you two were together.

Flash forward to the present...

The sunlight peered through the windows of your bedroom, illuminating the room with a warm orange glow. The combination of a comfy bed and blanket made it impossible to resist the temptation to fall back asleep. Mornings always seem to begin this way with you waking up early and Hua by your side, still sleeping with an adorable expression.

Several minutes later, she too would wake up and greet you with a smile. Her smile easily outshone all of the stars in the night sky. A quick "Good Morning~" and a kiss on her forehead was all the convincing Hua needed to stay in bed with you and lean into your warm embrace, muttering a soft, "I love you, (Your Name)."

"I love you too, Hua."

However, before the two of you could do anything like cuddling, the most recent change to your life interfered.

"Hey, hey! Where's my morning kiss and 'I love you's?!'"

From the other side of the bed, someone else began poking your back. Even though you couldn't see her face, you knew that she was pouting jealously.

You chuckle/giggle before turning around and giving Senti your full attention now. A kiss on the forehead and an "I love you" made her pout quickly disappear, replaced with a happy smile. Just like Hua, she leans into your chest and nuzzles into your touch when you begin to pat her head. Soft 'yatta!'s can be heard from her and you learned to not question it.

Hua smiles and simply hugs you from behind, sandwiching you in between two birbs. YOUR birbs.

Cooking...

Hua and Senti are the polar opposites of each other when it comes to the kitchen. One can cook amazingly and the other...is developing some sort of Honkai-infused weaponry when left unchecked. And that is one of the reasons why the three of you cook together, to keep an eye on Senti.

Hua's favorites are food that is native to Shenzhou but she also learned how to cook/bake/make (Your Favorite Food). She doesn't mind if Senti asks to help and tells her to handle the more basic preparations. Hua is very patient with Senti and walks her through the steps to make sure she doesn't hurt herself.

"Welcome back, dear. Dinner's almost finished. Go wash up first." She would greet you with an apron tied around her waist and make you fall in love with her all over again.

Senti isn't on the same level as the likes of Rita, Mei, or even her "twin sister," but she doesn't care since that means she has an excuse to taste your exquisite cooking. You were taught by Dr. Mei from way back then and it certainly showed.

"Yatta!" She would shout when she learns that you would be cooking too. Her being happy is enough to make you and Hua happy as well even if she wasn't going to help out since there are already two people cooking...

Going out together...

The three of you love going out together, whether it was a date or a simple shopping trip. You three would walk around with your hands together, not caring for the odd looks directed at you three.

Hua is the more responsible between the two of them and keeps an eye on Senti while holding onto your hand with a big smile and leaning on your shoulder. She's in charge of the shopping list or planning where you three would go for the rest of the day.

"Where do you two want to go? There's a new restaurant that opened up down the block. We could also go to the mall today if that's what you two want. What do you think, dear?" Hua would lean over and kiss your cheek while a pouting Senti would pretend to not see.

Senti is the more energetic out of you three and rushes around, peeking into store windows with wide eyes of amazement. She sometimes runs on ahead, moving purely on enthusiasm, and looks back with a wide smile on her face.

"Hey! Let's go there today, (Your Name)!" Senti would grab your hand and pull you away from Hua with a huge grin on her face while Hua simply sighs and shakes her head.

Cuddling...

Cuddling is definitely a must-do when it comes to these two and you can never say no to either of them.

Hua is gentle like a flower and cuddling sessions with her reflect her kindness. You know from experience how powerful she is and to see her act so meek is an adorable sight to behold. Be sure to give lots of kisses on her forehead and tight hugs to tell her how much you love her without any words.

Senti, on the other hand, is more energetic than her counterpart and exerts more force during your cuddling sessions. Expect her to hug you tightly and to be rubbing her face against yours. Returning the hugs and patting her head always makes her happy and satisfied.

Upset/Jealous...

In a weird relationship such as the one you are in, it is expected that one of them will be given more time to the other. They (well, just one of them and you know who) understand this fact but that doesn't stop the jealous feeling in their chest.

When Hua is upset, she doesn't show it through her emotions which is makes it extremely difficult for anyone to notice. However, many, many, MANY years with her have taught you how to deal with her while she's like this.

You always hug her from behind and hold her close as you can until she eventually forgives you. She can't bring herself to be upset with you especially when you're holding her so dearly.

Meanwhile, Senti is not afraid to show her jealousy and would pout angrily at you with her arms crossed. Whenever you try to approach her, she would huff and storm away from you. She WANTS your attention and will get angry if she feels she's being ignored. Thankfully, she and Hua are similar in more ways than they both may realize.

Senti melts when you hug her from the front, whispering how much you love her and promising that you'll spend more time with her to make it up to her.

A quick and short list of headcanons for everyone reading this. Sorry for the gap in between posts, I haven't found much time to write.

[random-yandere-fandom]

Hey, can I request a Platonic Yandere!Melodias with a child he had with Elizabeth before she died? Sorry if you don't do platonics!

Of course you can! I hope you like it! I don`t have any experience with writing platonic yanderes and before I knew it I had written more than I had planned for the backstory, so... this is all that happens before the main story of Seven Deadly Sins. Btw. I`m gonna assume you meant the first time Elizabeth died.

Platonic yandere Meliodas with his child

So it`s very likely that the first few months you had both, your mother and your father. There was a war raging on but they still somehow managed to drown you in love and affection. Your parents were very protective of you back then, too. You were a hybrid and while many people of Stigma could ignore your demon genes, especially because your mother is Elizabeth, there were still a lot of glares sent your way. Nevertheless you were raised with much care and love.  

You were barely a few months old when Elizabeth was murdered and both your parents cursed. Meliodas woke up to your confused cries only to discover Elizabeth’s corpse holding your small body in her arms protectively. How you got there was a mystery, they had made sure that you were safe and secure while they would fight, not only for themselves or peace but for your right to exist. He was devastated, grief washing over him as he had to take you from her, what he assumed, last embrace. 

He wandered aimlessly for a while, making sure you were well-fed and in good health, playing with you and hoping that he`d make a good parent. You were his only source of joy and he almost burst into tears when you said your first words, took your first steps or did just about anything. Hide and seek or tag were ordinary pastimes, but your sparkling eyes and joy were contagious and Meliodas found himself enjoying such regularities. When he talked to others he was almost always asking for tips on parenting or where the next food source was. Meliodas never staid long with these people, fearing that they`d somehow harm you. However, he let you play with animals he deemed safe. Should they try anything funny he`ll simply send them a glare, frightening them into obedience.   

It was about that time that he met Elizabeth`s first reincarnation. He was carrying you and when you pointed up, babbling and laughing, he followed your gaze to meet hers. Happiness, relief, glee. Those feelings overwhelmed him and before he knew it he tried to hug her with one arm, balancing you on the other. The rejection was harsh, but he managed to stick by her side. Whenever he had doubts that this wasn`t really Elizabeth he would simply watch her play with you, the two of you having naturally bonded in no time and his doubts would disappear. Meliodas and Elizabeth fell in love again and all seemed well. 

You grew up well in the warrior tribe your mother belonged to. They treated you well, even though you couldn`t help feeling isolated from them with the way your father would sometimes usher you away from them. But it was fine, you were happy. Meliodas would train you on how to control your powers as well as how to defend yourself while Elizabeth showed you how to distinguish between plants and how to cook. You knew that you had lived off of meals made by your father before but you feared the day that would ever happen again. So you studied how to save any dish, no matter how horrible. 

You were a few years older now and you noticed something off about your father. There seemed a sadness to him, one you only understood later on. You were already entrusted with the secret of your mothers rebirth and you had no problem with that, you were simply grateful, happy that you had a close bond with her despite her not remembering your earliest months and I mean, you didn`t either. 

When Elizabeth showed signs of regaining her old power both you and Meliodas were elated. Only later did you two realise that it wasn`t a joyful occasion as you watched your mother die in front of you. Before you knew it your father had covered your vision, holding you close as tears streamed from both of your eyes. You were a happy family, so why had your mother died again? 

Going back to wandering, you and your father were alone again. He was spoiling you, anything you wanted you got, being showered with affection and praise was the norm. When there was something threatening you, Meliodas took care of it swiftly. Only sometimes would he search for an enemy for you to fight together, though he`d make sure you wouldn`t even be so much as grazed. You wouldn`t get attached to anyone else, leaving the new place before any ties could be made. Your dad made sure that no one would dare to get close to you. 

By the time you met your mother’s second reincarnation you were a teenager and it was quite the experience. People would assume you and your father to be siblings and you never stayed long enough to correct them. You couldn`t do that here. No, not if you wanted to have your mother-daughter relationship. So the two of you decided to tell her that the both of you weren`t human, you wouldn`t tell her what exactly you were but yes, Meliodas was in fact your father. And later on yes, you`d love to call her mom.

It didn`t take long for the curse to activate and by the third reincarnation you and your father became aware of its full extend. You had a mental breakdown, damned to watch your mother die over and over again. Meliodas wasn`t feeling any better but he comforted you nonetheless. He never wanted to see you in that state again but he couldn`t bring himself to forbid you and him to seek out Elizabeth. So he promised you that day that you two would never separate, that he`d be by your side forever. 

Like this, centuries passed. You would meet your mom, sometimes even as a child, spend some happy years together before she was taken from you again. Your father would always make sure to be there for you but he was hesitant to letting you make any acquaintances. there were only few exceptions to who you could interact with regularly. One would be Merlin who you soon viewed as part of your family, an older sister figure of sorts. 

Life was fine, the two of you living with Liz in a small kingdom, Meliodas was a well respected knight and you were his apprentice, going with the story of you two being siblings. Until Fraudrin appeared, at least. He took you by surprise, injuring you and murdering Liz. Your dad went ballistic and the next thing you knew you were in Liones, your mother`s next reincarnation being nothing more than a small child. 

From then on you were only allowed to walk around with at least one of the other sins. You weren`t an official member but you accompanied them and occasionally fought alongside them. One of their orders was to never let you get hurt and they followed that one almost religiously unless they wanted their cheerful Capatain to turn livid and everything close by wiped of the face of earth. 

When the country turned against you knights and Merlin sealed his powers you just barely managed to get him out of there and into a cave where you met a new companion, the talking and ever hungry Hawk. Planning to reunite with the momentarily disbanded group you opened a tavern, your father in charge of drinks and serving while you cooked, refusing to let anyone taste the hell your father called edible and he didn`t argue, preferring to keep you from those drunkards either way. . 

Work starting in the evening and ending late at night, gathering any kind of information before going to sleep and then spending some quality time with your father which included hunting ingredients for various dishes. It was peaceful for a few years but before you knew it you stood across from someone in quite the impressive armor, Meliodas shielding you protectively. Anyway, that`s how you met your mother again.   

[wolfstar-in-color]

July Colorful Column: Remus is a Crip, and We Can Write Him Better.

There is one thing that can get me to close a fic so voraciously I don’t even make sure I’m not closing other essential tabs in the process. It doesn’t matter how much I’m loving the fic, how well written I think it is, or how desperately I want to know how it ends. Once I read this sentence, I am done.

It’s written in a variety of different ways, but it always goes something like this: “You don’t want me,” Remus said, “I am too sick/broken/poor/old/[insert chosen self-demeaning adjective here].”

You’re familiar with the trope. The trope is canonical. And if you’ve been around the wolfstar fandom for longer than a few minutes, you’ve read the trope. Maybe you love the trope! Maybe you’ve written the trope! Maybe you’re about to stop reading this column, because the trope rings true to you and you feel a little attacked!

Now, let’s get one thing out of the way right now: I am not saying the trope is wrong. I am not saying it’s bad. I am not saying we should stop writing it. We all have things we don’t like to see in our chosen fics. Maybe you can’t stand Leather Jacket Motorbike Sirius? Maybe you think Elbow Patch Remus is overdone? Or maybe your pet peeves are based in something a little deeper - maybe you think Poor Latino Remus is an irresponsible depiction, or that PWPs are too reductive? Whatever it is, we all have our things.

Let me tell you about my thing. When I first became very ill several years ago, there were various low points in which I felt I had become inherently unlovable. This is, more or less, a normal reaction. When your body stops doing things it used to be able to do - or starts doing things you were quite alright without, thank you very much - it changes the way you relate to your body. You don’t want to hear my whole disability history, so yada yada yada, most people eventually come to accept their limitations. It’s a very painful existence, one in which you constantly tell yourself your disability has transformed you into a burdensome, unworthy member of society, and if nothing else, it’s not terribly sustainable. Being disabled takes grit! It takes power! It takes a truly absurd amount of medical self-advocacy! Hating yourself? Thinking yourself unworthy of love? No one has time for that. 

Of course, I’m being hyperbolic. Plenty of disabled people struggle with these feelings many years into their disabilities, and never really get over them. But here’s the thing. We experience those stories ALL THE TIME. Remember Rain Man? Or Million Dollar Baby? Or that one with the actress from Game of Thrones and that British actor who seemed like he was going to have a promising career but then didn't? Those are all stories about sad, bitter disabled people and their sad, bitter lives, two out of three of which end in the character completing suicide because they simply couldn’t imagine having to live as a disabled person. (I mean, come on media, I get that we're less likely to enjoy a leisurely Saturday hike, but our parking is SUBLIME.) When was the last time you engaged with media that depicted a happy disabled person? A complex disabled person? A disabled person who has sex? No really, these aren’t hypothetical questions, can you please drop a rec in the notes?? Because I am desperate.

There are lots of problems with this trope, and they’ve been discussed ad nauseam by people with PhDs. I’m not actually interested in talking about how this trope leads to a more prevalent societal idea that disabled people are unworthy of love, or contributes to the kind of political thought processes that keep disabled people purposefully disenfranchised. I’m just a bitch on Tumblr, and I have a bone to pick: the thing I really hate about the trope? It’s boring. I’m bored. You know how, like, halfway through Grey’s Anatomy you realized they were just recycling the same plot points over and over again and there was just no WAY anyone working at a hospital prone to THAT MANY disasters would stay on staff? It's like that. I love a recycled trope as much as the next person (There Was Only One Bed, anyone?). But I need. Something. Else.

Remus is disabled. BOLD claim. WILD speculation. Except, not really. You simply - no matter how you flip it, slice it, puree it, or deconstruct it - cannot tell me Remus Lupin is not disabled. Most of us, by this point, are probably familiar with the way that One Canonical Author intended One Dashing Werewolf to be “a metaphor for those illnesses that carry stigma, like HIV and AIDS” [I’m sorry to link you to an outside source quoting She Who Must Not Be Named, but we’re professionals here]. Which is... a thing. It’s been discussed. And, listen, there’s no denying that this parallel is a problematic interpretation of people who have HIV/AIDS and all such similar “those illnesses” (though I’ll admit that I, too, am perennially apt to turn into a raging beast liable to harm anything that crosses my path, but that’s more linked to the at-least-once-monthly recollection that One Day At A Time got cancelled). Critiques aside, Remus Lupin is a character who - due to a condition that affects him physically, mentally, emotionally, and intellectually - is repeatedly marginalized, oppressed, denied political and social power, and ostracized due to unfounded fear that he is infectious to others. Does that sound familiar?

We’re not going to argue about whether or not “Remus is canonically disabled as fuck” is a fair reading. And the reason we’re not going to argue about whether or not it’s a fair reading is because I haven’t read canon in 10-plus years and you will win the argument. Canon is only marginally relevant here. The icon of this blog is brown, curly haired Remus Lupin kissing his trans boyfriend, Sirius Black. We are obviously not too terribly invested in canon. The wolfstar fandom is now a community with over 25,000 AO3 fics, entire careers launched from drawing or writing or cosplaying this non-canonical pairing. We love to play around here with storylines and universes and races and genders and sexualities and all kinds of things, but most of the time? Remus is still disabled. He’s disabled as a werewolf in canon-compliant works, he’s disabled in the AUs where he was injured or abused or kidnapped or harmed as a child, he’s disabled in the stories that read him as chronically ill or bipolar or traumatized or blind or Deaf. I’d go so far as to say that he is one of very few characters in the Wide Wonderful World of media who is, in as close to his essence as one can be, always disabled. And that means? Don’t shoot the messenger... but we could stand to be a tiny bit more responsible with how we portray him. 

Disabled people are complicated. As much as I’d like to pretend we are always level-headed, confident, and ready to assert our inherent worth, we are still just humans. We have bad days. We doubt our worth. We sometimes go out with guys who complain about our steroid-induced weight gain (it was a long time ago, Tumblr, okay??). But, we also have joy and fun and good days and sex and happiness and families and so many other things. 

Remus is a disabled character, and as such, it’s only fair that he’d have those unworthy moments. But - I propose - Remus is also a crip. What is a crip? A crip - like a queer - is someone who eschews the limited boundaries placed on their bodies, who rejects a hierarchy of oppression in favor of an intersectional analysis of lived experience, who isn’t interested in being the tragic figure responsible for helping people with dominant identities realize how good they have it. Crips interpret their disabilities however they want, rethinking bodies and medicine and pleasure and pain and even time itself. Crips are political, community-minded, and in search of liberation. 

Remus is a character who struggles with his disability, sure. But he’s also a character who leverages his physical condition to attempt to shift communities towards his political leanings, advocates for the rights of those who share his physical condition, and has super hot sex with his wrongfully convicted boyfriend ultimately goes on to build community and family. Having a condition that quite literally cripples you, over which you have no control, and through which you are often read as a social pariah? That’s disability. But using said condition as a means through which to build advocacy and community? Now that’s some crip shit. 

Personally, I love disabled!Remus Lupin. But I love crip!Remus Lupin even more. I’d love to see more of a Remus who owns his disability, who covets what makes him unique, and who never ever again tells a potential romantic partner they are too good for him because of his disability. This trope - unlike There Was Only One Bed! - sometimes actually hurts to read. Where’s Remus who thinks a potential romantic partner isn’t good enough for him? Where’s Remus who insists his partners learn more about his condition in order to treat him properly? Where’s sexy wheelchair user Remus? Where’s Remus who uses his werewolf transformations as an excuse to travel the world? Where’s crip Remus??

We don’t have to put “you don’t want me” Remus entirely to bed. It is but one of many repeated tropes that are - in the words of The Hot Priest from Fleabag - morally a bit dubious. And let’s face it - we don’t always come to fandom for its moral superiority (as much as we sometimes like to think we do). 

This is not a condemnation - it is an invitation. Able-bodied folks are all but an injury, illness, or couple decades away from being disabled. And when you get here, I sincerely hope you don’t waste your time on “you don’t want me”ing back and forth with the people you love. I’m inviting you to come to the crip side now. We have snacks, and without all the “you don’t want me” talk, we get to the juicy parts much faster. 

Colorfully,

Mod Theo