#including my own mother

[from-ib-to-asshai]

controversial take and i in no way wanna take away from queer brienne headcanons, but i think its actually kinda cool and good if brienne is straight and cis. i think it's important that we have masculine women characters that are straight as well as queer mascline women characters because that is real life baby!! the same way you can't look at every feminine man and call him gay for that either, because thats not how sexuality works at all.

i think there is that correlation tho due to the fact that queer people are usually more willing and open to gnc presentation due to already being, you know, gnc to begin with, but i always wonder how many more non-queer identifying people we would see presenting more openly as gnc if we stopped trying to correlate the two things (i see a lot of jokes about it on tiktok by queer people that kinda pisses me off)

anyways, back to the babygirl at hand: a worse writer would have written brienne to be cold, hard and masculine on the outside, and then having a soft, feminine inside hidden away (which is also honestly what i first thought of he was going for when reading her first few mentions) but she just straight up is not that. her "masculine" associated traits of her strength, her honor and bravery segway flawlessly into her "feminine" associated traits of being caring, kind and gentle. they coexist on the same level because these aren't masculine or feminine traits, these are just straight up her traits. it has little relevance to her how these traits are sided up since she is so strongly led by her sense of what is right. to live the life she wants to she had to give those notions up; to become her true self she had to give those up.

brienne is not feminine "in spite" of her masculine presentation, nor is she masculine "despite" her femininity: she is brienne and a fantastic human being in spite and despite the feminity and masculinity everyone else tries to force her to be, or percieves her as.

sozs if this is very rambly and not quite coherent

[lotus-pear]

free will is drawing ur two favorite characters together and making them gay

[dandelionsandderivatives]

I cannot STAND Mr. Rochester.

Personally I think he might have been reformed to my liking, had the story gone on a bit longer, but as it is he didn't get enough reformation for me to believe it fully. Trying to save his mad wife from a fire is surely a fine thing, but I simply don't feel confident that he's truly reformed. I don't, for example, feel sure that he wouldn't tire of Jane in time. Jane, sweetie, you deserve better. Better a dinner of herbs and spinsterhood than living with a man who had no qualms about marrying you bigamously without your knowledge or consent.

Finished Jane Eyre and would like to gain some general data, just out of curiosity

If none of these apply at all, you're free to abstain and tell me why in the notes—I just thought trying to sum up the spectrum of opinions usefully was hard enough without adding an easy "other" option.

[burst-of-iridescent]

seeing the same people who complained that zutara fandom adultified katara & insisted that she was just as much of a child in the show as the rest of the gaang now having a meltdown over some vague ass interviews that might imply katara is no longer taking as much of a motherly role in the live action because “it ruins her character”… funny, i thought yall said zutara shippers were just making that up?

[mishy-mashy]

3 reasons I can think of, for why the first Three vestiges were too hard to find information on

[Reason 1]

The time they were born in.

Their births, and any records of them, could just be completely undocumented or non-existent.

They were born in times where systems and governments were down, and it's everyone for themselves.

People aren't going to register their existence, especially the Metas, when they all want to stay under the radar and hide from everyone else.

If you're in the middle of a war zone that spread to where you live, and your baby brother was just born, are you really going to go [Oh no! I have to register his birth for that sweet sweet child tax!]?

Or something like that. But still.

There are more important things, like survival, than registering a baby's birth and going through hospital paperwork. And it's been explicitly stated that the first appearance of Abilities caused a Great Depression all over Japan.

The government is gone. There's no point in registering anything anymore.

Yoichi was literally born at a riverside, and never went to a hospital. By the time the first Three are toddlers / young children, Japan is already chaos and up in flames.

Children are actively avoided because they're the most likely to be Meta Humans. No one wants anything to do with them.

Chances are, the records about the first Three never existed, or were destroyed in all the strife.

Or maybe, if some did exist, Kudo destroyed them. I can see him doing that, to protect themselves from AFO or anyone else having the chance to track their personal histories down.

It makes them ghosts. Exactly what would be best for not only their own survival, but anyone affiliated with them. Like family. It makes them untraceable, and invisible to bodies of old authority.

[Reason 2]

The three were a part of the Resistance. They could've kept information about themselves under lock and key, to protect themselves.

Like how Kudo is referred to as Leader, and never by his real name. Even in the void, up to the very end, Bruce still says "Leader" to address him.

I actually HC them as using codenames in the Resistance, exactly to protect themselves from each other, and outsiders. This makes Yoichi an anomaly among them, for going by his real name. Meanwhile,

Leader, Boss = their leader

Bruce = a reference to his Quirk

Codenames about their Meta Abilities, or roles in their cause, to better remember whose nickname belonged to who.

Outsiders won't know the Resistance members' real names. The Resistance can't betray each other by selling each other out for personal information as easily, if no one knows each other's actual names.

At the same time, this alienates them from who they are, and their humanity. They have to make tough choices that would classify them as monsters. And they're locking themselves under a false name.

They're protecting themselves from everything and everyone, including themselves. At least the person committing all these atrocities is [CODENAME], not me.

[Reason 3]

Bruce, when he was supposed to pass previous information to Shinomori, couldn't.

Maybe he didn't have enough time to tell Shinomori the whole story.

Or maybe he did, and passed on the previous holders' histories, but Shinomori didn't pass those on himself.

Or maybe reminiscing Yoichi and Leader as actual people just broke him, and he could only stick to the bare minimum of the history of this Factor.

Notably, the OFA story is known as "All For One's younger brother was sickly and frail, but he had a strong sense of justice."

We never, ever hear Yoichi's name in the spoken history of OFA. All Might couldn't even get their names. And since AFO hides himself so easily, and birth records just don't exist for him as an undocumented birth, Yoichi legally doesn't exist even as a birth.

Bruce is the first one to find the existence of Yoichi's "unformed dud". The Factor that let him pass on his current Quirk to others. How could the information of that dud be passed on, if not from Bruce?

Somewhere, the information breaks during Bruce or Shinomori's turn with OFA.

Bruce never passed on their names. Or maybe Shinomori didn't. But their names weren't necessary to pass on anymore. All Might only managed to dredge what he could, starting from the time society started trying to stand on its feet. Exactly because that's as far as the records went.

[Reason 2] could add credence to why the first Three's names were never passed on. Bruce could've kept quiet about Yoichi and Leader's personal details, not just to help himself stay together, but to protect anything they might've left behind.

[motof1bfs]

forget to tell the world i bought a custom flag with this design, made by me ofc

[debbie-anniversary]

So, maybe this is just a fan theory and not officially canon, but I'm 99.09% sure that the goblin Beetleglum that shows up in the Labyrinth: Coronation comics:

Is the same goblin who tells Jareth that Sarah will never give up (far left):

They have the same oil-can hat and everything! Has anyone else noticed this?

[archersartcorner]

Totally understand this isn’t everyone’s thing, but unfortunately for y’all I love fucked up family dynamics, SO

[charmingradiobelle]

I know Titanic AUs are overused and extremely corny but like. I can’t help wanting to make one for SMB. Like come on Mario and Peach are literally perfect for the love story; protective lower class guy with a sense of adventure and rich girl longing for a little freedom from the high expectations. Bowser would also be perfect for the douche bag fiancé who likes to control her because reasons

[wonder-worker]

people really do not know what they're talking about when it comes to Elizabeth Woodville's social status, huh?

[sananaryon]

Marcille as the Elf-Queen's daughter, is that anything?

[banished-away]

feeling slightly vindicated watching an RAS interview bc keep getting this feeling from the drizzt books that theyre very italian-american (as in, i see a lot of things i recognize from italian culture in it, but influenced and changed by american culture) and he said that he based off the culture of menzo partly on his hometown and then the sopranos/godfather which confirmed it to me

also he pronounces menzoberranzan the way i used to before someone else corrected me JKNDSKJFKDS

[sirenium]

I hate being loveless. Send post.

[haveyouthoughtaboutcomicstoday]

One thing that can get overlooked in discussions of Arthur and Mera's relationship in pre and post-crisis is how self-absorbed and single minded he can be. This can show itself in the way he dismisses Mera's requests and concerns when he has his attention caught by other things, such as stopping Orm as seen in Aquaman (1985), or his absence during the Death of a Prince storyline.

This obviously can have far reaching impacts on their relationship and Mera’s mental health. Mera is regularly the only person staying and handling the fallout of Arthur’s actions, or managing Atlantis’ day to day activities. There is a reason that even with all of the issues that hang over Mera’s head, you can often see the citizens of Atlantis demonstrate loyalty to her above him.

Despite how long Mera and Arthur have been established (they first married in 1963!), their entire relationship has been incredibly tumultuous. Mainly, this is due to factors outside of their control. Mera’s writing has had some very poor periods, and even ignoring the writers or editors role in this, in universe she has suffered through semi-regular instances of mental and physical manipulation.

Overall, this has lead to several periods where the two of them are not together. When Arthur and Mera are on the outs, typically, you can see a distinct decline in Arthur’s temperament; he gets more violent, easily agitated, and he often avoids any self reflection. He also consistently closes off parts of his emotions that cause him distress and becomes non-communicative. This means shutting Mera out emotionally, and not telling people important things about himself i.e. the existence of his wife and dead child.

Due to the instability he often feels, he can become very fixated on things he thinks he can or should control. This includes the people in his life.

As a result, his friends, and even an ex girlfriend, have made comments about him needing Mera to balance him out.

He has shown periods of learning from his mistakes and reflecting back on his faults such as in Justice League of America #242 and Aquaman (1991) but he often forgets those lessons when the next writer takes over.

Importantly, Arthur never gets particularly controlling over his wife. He can disagree with her, but when she says she does not want to be with him, or if she decides she is needed elsewhere, he will bow to her wishes.

Furthermore, it is not just when they are together that he becomes a little calmer, it can often just be having her in his life. While he was uncomfortable with the idea of her possibly starting a relationship with another man, he still respected her choices, and went so far as to make jokes about her crush just to make her laugh. Even when he is in a bad mood, Mera is the one person that can remind him to be playful, something that does continue into new52 and onward, even if most of his more negative traits have been sanded away.

Arthur's tendency to be self absorbed is most blatant in his relationships with women who aren't Mera. The primary women he begins romantic relationships with outside of his wife are Dolphin and Esther. As shown above, his dynamic with Dolphin was unhealthy in a number of ways. In addition to those, the second he found out that Mera was alive, it did not even occur to him that his current girlfriend wouldn't be as pleased to get her back as he was. In Esther's case, he stood her up on their first official date because he found out Mera needed help.

Luckily outside of some strong emotions when they first meet each other, the women are all shown to be quite gracious when the shock wears off, and Mera is able to form friendships with both.

Ultimately, while Arthur does struggle to be a perfect husband, it is always very clear that Mera is the only person he ever really wants to be with. Despite everything that has happened and the many ways they have hurt each other, they will always forgive one another and find it in themselves to try again.

TLDR: I really love Arthur but whenever Mera tries to kill that man this is my general reaction

Disclaimer: Can't even get into Mera's flaws here because that would require me outlining all the times she's been turned crazy/put in a trance/trapped in other dimensions/made purposefully ill so the atlantean court could use her as a figurehead etc.. And this would become unbearable long. But she has them too and they're meant for each other (derogatory) (affectionate).

[sisterdivinium]

(One thing I find peculiar and unfortunate in current fandom business is the seeming lack of pointed discussion, so here is a humble attempt to spark a conversation and I more than welcome commentary.)

I came across someone in the notes to a post somewhere talking of how Jillian had been better styled in season two than in season one and I agreed, already seeking the justification for it in my mind. My observations are as follows:

S1 Jillian is Arq-Tech's mastermind and public face. Even though we first meet her in Morocco, in her explorer, Indiana Jones-like garb, it's the image of her running her company that sticks with us, her statements to the press, her corporate persona opening metaphorical fire upon the Church. A "powerful woman" as mainstream media constructs for us everyday, in subtle but visible makeup so as to diminish the effects of age on her face, in heels so as to peek at the rest of humanity from above, with controlled gestures meant for the inherent theatricality that comes with introducing life-changing technology to society. It is a role she plays—well, but a role nonetheless.

The scene she shares with father Vincent is worthy of mention, for while he sits without taking up much space, his body restrained to the side of a couch, his legs crossed in what is deemed a more "feminine" posture, Jillian takes up the traditional "masculine" attitude: she commands the room, her body expanding upon her seat, in the broad pose where an ankle rests upon a knee, complete with a generous glass of alcohol in hand and talon on foot. Yet this is also for show­—it's a little too calculated, a dance that was so perfected in exhaustive practice that it lost its dynamic.

Our glimpses into the more authentic Jillian come in the scenes with Michael—not only because (coded in white and blue as the Virgin Mary of immaculate conception) she plays the part of mother, but because, in her intimacy, far from journalists and employees and the public's prying eyes, she can be more herself within the areas where she conducts her studies. Starting from when Ava asks Jillian to "science her", we never see the doctor in uncomfortable shoes again, as she retreats from entrepreneurial life and into the lab.

This is clearer in season two, for, as Kristian says, she is on sabbatical, thus isolated from general view; S2 Jillian has nobody around her, nobody to impress. Locked away in her Spanish villa, consumed by her son's disappearance, she need not wear a mask. There are no more tellingly feminine accessories, no staged stunts; her clothes and footwear are even more practical, her movements less grand but more human, more expressive (here, of course, we owe it to Thekla Reuten's underrated range). Even as the OCS invites itself into her house, making it a makeshift HQ, she doesn't fall back on the act we saw in the first season.

Jillian's stepping back from the head of her company is not just in name and contract, but in body, too; she leaves the CEO role in her office and comes home to her science and her cause, to her limited inner circle of which only Michael was privy to and into which the OCS nuns end up finding their way.

Colours also indicate a shift—we begin the series seeing her associated with light hues such as white, beige and baby blues, but when season two comes in, Jillian's striking all-white attire is nowhere to be found. The Holy Mother parallel is in shambles after Michael has gone through the ark's portal, the intangibility of this "saintly", aseptic rich genius broken down, her person brought back to Earth after flights of fancy trying to open a gate to Heaven.

We see her in a darker palette, in greys with dashes of white, yes, but never again in full white. It is not just the authorisation to be herself rather than her company's face while in her private world, but also the reflection of her inner darkness and her loss upon her very appearance.

What a more definite loss could mean, now that her son is gone for good, remains a mystery.

For instance, unlike the nun who served as her superior, our Suzanne rejects the characteristic blues of the Order of the Cruciform Sword to don a heavy all-black outfit, more reminiscent of Orthodox priests than it is Roman Catholic nuns; her resurrection through Ava does not lighten her habit, if it does lighten her burden, so we can only assume, going forward, should there be any relation between how each character expresses their inner workings through clothing, that Jillian Salvius would keep the mixture of white and grey that season two brought along... Or go darker still.

[running-in-the-dark]

a random thing I just thought about: I had chicken pox when I was a kid, I think maybe 9 or 10? I remember being sent to my grandma's house for two weeks until I was better. I always thought that made sense so that my youngest brother, who would've been quite young, didn't get it too. but I just remembered that I'm pretty sure my other brother also had it at the same time?! and he stayed at home. so I think my mother just didn't want to deal with me when I was sick.

that would also explain a memory I have of lying on the couch when I was sick and my mother bringing me a bowl of soup. I was so confused. I remember that feeling so clearly. like 'what is she doing? why is she being so nice and giving me soup?'. I genuinely didn't get it.

every other time I was sick it was just: stay in bed with no entertainment or company whatsoever, and shitty home remedies - seriously, having onions strapped to my ears NEVER made my ear aches any better, and having thyme essential oils put on my pillow + in an oil burner thing in my room only made my face hurt (I'm allergic or at least very sensitive to most scents), and homeopathy... well obviously that didn't do anything.

so, I guess I'm glad I was at my grandma's for those two weeks. at least I got to lie on the couch and watch tv all day! and she was nice to me! I'm sure she made me lots of soup, or whatever I asked for.