#infantilizing her does her a disservice

[thesauce8]

i hate when people demonize sasuke for trying to kill sakura at the bridge. she initiated both murder attempts and was in a much more sound mindset. he had finally killed the man who had his entire family murdered, was having a psychotic break, was going blind, and was exhausted. obviously when you attempt to assassinate an incredibly unstable individual, they’re going to be triggered. hell, even a well minded shinobi would probably retaliate in the same way. sakura tries to kill sasuke, but he’s the one in the wrong for…trying to do exactly what she was doing first? her lack of commitment doesn’t matter because she came at him in a way that made it pretty clear she was attempting to murder him. when she hesitates, is he supposed to just wait until she works up the balls to kill him? fuck that

[eldest-of-katts]

okay because people have shown up in my dms talking smack I'm going to make one blanket statement on the 1000 year loli chilchuck thing.

yes, there has been a problem with young girls being put in suggestive positions in anime with the "uhmmm she's actually a bajillion years old" excuse. yes, other characters don't treat chilchuck like an adult. yes, he is short with big eyes.

However, chilchuck consistently acts like a grown man. he- in both the manga and the anime- straight up just is an adult. He looks like an adult when he is any other race during the swaps in the manga. When the other characters get turned into half-foots they look similar to chilchuck. He is explicitly stated to have more dungeon and general life experience than laios, and he acts like it.

The 1000 year loli trope explicitly functions as an excuse to prey on people who are inexperienced and unable to advocate for themselves. Chilchuck is a parent, is a union organizer, has explicit boundaries that he enforces rigidly, and he is treated as an adult man by everyone who doesn't have a fantasy racism-focused character arc/issue.

I can see how if you haven't read the manga and seen that he has an established life that he later reveals (and haven't paid attention to him in the anime lol) you could get a mistaken impression about him. Marcielle does too in the source material! It's part of her character at the start of her arc that she has issues with longevity!

The thing that irks me a little about this interpretation is that it leans into the child-coded discourse that was prominent a while ago (she's short!!!!! but has boob???? ILLEGAL!!1!) and it does a disservice to the themes of infantilization as a policy maneuver hurting the working class.

I saw chilchuck and his labor advocacy for half-foots both as a metaphor for racism (obvious take ik) and for ageism.

The working gen z as a cohort are being infantilized and pushed out of job markets due to infantilization, similar to half-foots in the show. gen z is being maliciously portrayed as too young to vote, enter office, know themselves, know their rights, and take advantage of their resources. Simultaneously, child labor protections and protections against workplace abuse are being rolled back in the US. In Japan, young people are being worked to the bone for nothing and are becoming disenfranchised as a generation while simultaneously expected to be the labor faction that supports the postwar generations in their old age.

Chilchuck's being treated poorly I saw as a clever commentary on the ways infantilization allows for protections to be stripped away under the guise that "oh it's just a job for teenagers- they don't need more than minimum wage" or "let the kids rescue the economy! they're always complaining about that job market!" while simultaneously stripping away rights under the guise of protection- "We can't have that on the internet! think of the children!" "to protect these young people we must raise the age of medical consent for hormones/reproductive health decisions!"

Kui's work with this series spoke to me on many levels, and specifically, the infantilization issue touched me in a way that few other pieces of media have. The struggle to be taken seriously in a stem field as someone young, as someone female, and as someone who had a high-pitched voice to the point I did years of voice training to be taken seriously, chilchuck's character resonated. I (kinda) understand your instinct to think "SHORT! CHILD! RALLY THE MASSES AND KILL THE PEDOS!!1!" but in this case, it's misdirected- mostly because the author was trying to use this misdirection to prove something to you, the reader.

Kui consistently makes cutting commentary on modern issues, the show's take on food neutrality as its headliner, but also the author's takes on cultural issues and the environment (with a focus on our place in the food web as animals). I feel that reducing chilchuck's very conscious position as a tradesman and an activist discounted due to his apparent age down to "1000 year loli ewwww let's send this random tumblr user suicide bait" just displays a lack of critical analysis of the show and a level of disrespect towards Kui and the work as a whole.

TL:DR- stop sending me kys messages I'm fucking that old man

[rodentontheloose]

Fuck it.

If you hate on Rashta and call her Trashta, you’re kind of totally missing the point. Is she a person who has done some really bad, really fucked up and selfish things? 100%. But I’m real tired of people reducing her to a greedy homewrecker because she is a FASCINATING character.

Like girly literally found the one way the escape slavery and took it. You can really see it in S1, the way her text bubble change to be cutesy and flowery when she talks to Sovieshu, her bubbly attitude, etc. Sovieshu does not get nearly enough hate for the way he infantilized and idealized Rashta into a younger, more naive version of Navier because he didn’t like how serious and mature Navier was (because she’s an ADULT), and how he blamed all of their fertility problems on Navier and threw her away so he could have an heir rather than work with both of them to find a solution.

She’s desperate and the pressure she has to be a good empress, a good mother, and to keep herself from being found out is actually driving her mad, and it’s really tragic to see how Sovieshu is willing to just… let her lose her mind. Because it serves him to get rid of his accident wife. And like she’s suffered so much that she’s lashing out to make others suffer as well, and she so desperately needs help to stay afloat. She’s by no means a good person; she’s ordered deaths, she lies, and she is fully willing to hurt others to get her way. But she’s also trapped in a snake pit where no one has ever been willing to help her out. If anything, it’s understandable WHY she so easily hurts others.

Sovieshu is the real villain to me. He threw away a perfectly happy marriage and married someone because she was pretty and childlike and reminded him of his actual wife without even talking to his actual wife. He then tossed Rashta into the deep end, unable to even really READ, and expected her to sit quietly while her heritage and legitimacy as a concubine and later empress was called into question. Sovieshu completely ignores Rashta and her needs at times in S3, treating her like she’s some horrible problem thrust upon him and not the mother of his (supposed) child who he consciously divorced his wife for. He schemed to have Glorym taken away from Rashta permanently because she was suffering from PPD and the trauma of having believed to have lost her first child. And yet Rashta is wrong for having these issues in the first place?

It bugs me how people are willing to extend every grace to Navier and Heinrey but not even a moments thought to Rashta. Nobody considers that Navier runs a nation that allows slavery, and we never hear her thoughts and opinions about it beyond that she knows it exists. Heinrey sabotaged an entire nation’s mages in order to set himself up to start a war to conquer it. They are by no means perfect people, and yet there is no additional thought about the implications and characters of these two because they’re “the good guys.”

In conclusion, Rashta is a really well written, truly interesting character, but she gets so much undeserved criticism because she’s the “rival” and yall are really doing her a disservice. She is definitely deserving of some criticism, as she is definitely not a good person, but she is not greedy or outright evil. Her spiral is real, and she’s a very full and interesting character—and a great foil to Navier. I hoped maybe Ep. 173 would help some of yall haters to see the Rashta Truther Light but here we are.

[ratboydefenselawyer]

I’m starting this out by saying THE CAT KING IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER! I SHIP CATWIN! It’s now my time to throw my thoughts into the ring. I’m not looking to argue with anybody and I am aware that he isn’t a lawful good character. These are just my takes on this very divisive and complex character.

- His first meeting with Edwin, pulls him away to talk privately, offers up the idea to get physically involved for payment. When Edwin becomes visibly uncomfortable TCK immediately verbalizes it, stands up and tells him to count all of the cats in town instead. Doesn’t force him or keep pushing. He does continue to check in and flirt throughout the season.

-Edwin consistently sees these cats without seeing a single cat a second time, they usually come in 2-3’s? As someone who has cats of my own and feeds strays, that’s not normal behavior for cats. They don’t just leisurely stroll past and most of the time aren’t in groups. I firmly believe TCK was influencing them to be in certain places for Edwin. It isn’t an impossible task for the ghost.

-Edwin on multiple occasions meets up with TCK alone, he is always standing tall and never afraid to talk back to him. We know when he is afraid that he backs up or goes quiet. He doesn’t flinch away from TCK and at times leans into his touch.

-Speaking on touch! He makes it very clear that people touching/hugging/getting in his personal space isn’t his favorite thing. But on multiple occasions let’s TCK get in his personal space and touch his face, chest, lips, arm, etc. He even invades TCK’s personal space when he’s angry.

-Monty (sweet bird baby) was made human for the entire purpose of luring this fledgling gay ghost into false sense of security and into a trap. Monty even kisses Edwin without permission. Fast forward to the scene in the woods, we know TCK is an equal punishment kinda guy. He in turn kisses Monty without permission, and I think it was his own form of punishment for the bird. On top of exposing that he was leading the boys into a trap. (No hate on Monty, I love him, it’s just to make my point).

-During the scene from my last point, Edwin lashes out at TCK, who threatens (not very convincingly) that he’s going to stop playing nice. Edwin isn’t afraid of him. He keeps walking away. Then we see Esther literally KILL TCK for exposing her plan after the feline defends Edwin and tells her to lay off him. He loses one of his lives for helping Edwin.

-When the girls come to him for help with defeating Esther he puts his neck out on the line for Edwin again, the girls KNOW that he genuinely cares for the ghost in some way. Thats why they go to him.

-The bracelet comes off when Edwin gets dragged back to the Doll House. He didn’t technically finish his task of counting the cats. As soon as Edwin got back to town, he could’ve put that bracelet back on him. Instead he lets it go. He gives Edwin the flower and wants to say goodbye, EDWIN is the one who gets close to him, kisses his cheek, and smiles. He’s the one who teased TCK about forgetting to count himself.

-Bottom lining this last one for any of the TCK is a pedo/predator/rapist people. At absolutely no point in this show does he force any sort of sexual act on Edwin. We do not know how old TCK is. I do not agree with this argument at all, I think it’s grasping at straws. Edwin obviously isn’t disgusted by his flirting. He isn’t cowering in a corner, he isn’t terrified. Edwin has been dead for 100+ years. He has thoughts about TCK, that much is VERY clear. Edwin isn’t helpless, he’s experienced so much, and I think some people who infantilize him are doing the character a disservice.

I can keep going. Do I think TCK and Edwin are going to get together? No. Do I think they could/should share a few more sweet moments in the seasons (manifesting) to come? Absolutely. Do I think they would have a sweet understanding relationship as friends/possibly FWB? Unquestionably. At the end of this rant, I know TCK isn’t a saint. He’s a trickster, he’s a slimy little grungy stray. He’s a chaotic neutral type. He’s not supposed to give you the warm fuzzies but he’s not a monster. There isn’t an argument out there that could make me believe otherwise. They’re fictional characters, I’m so very tired of people being attacked for fictional characters that they enjoy by self-righteous close minded individuals. Enjoy the characters you want to enjoy, none of it is real and if it brings you joy? All the better.

That’s all folks. Rant over.

[beddybites]

*grabs you by the shoulders* THANK YOU OH MY GOD THANK YOU

I’m so so so so SO tired of the infantilization of giyuu and Shinobu being delegated to a maternal role it’s doing SUCH a huge disservice to both of their characters

It’s unfortunate they don’t interact more in canon because from what we see at least from their thoughts on each other GIYUU if anything worries about Shinobu’s well being more than we ever see her worry about him (he says something to the affect of “I worry about how pale she is”)

On the other hand Shinobu immediately drops some of her usual fake politeness to pester and rib on giyuu like an annoying teenager which is what she IS and she so rarely gets the space to act her age

Ugh I could rant about them for hours I’m so glad you said something

tumblr user battleshipart i think you should speak your truth. rant for hours. take the shot

you make a great point of how giyuu worries more for shinobu than shinobu does giyuu. obviously they care about each other but giyuu actively makes comments about how pale she is, and he questions tanjiro a bit when he learns shinobu isnt participating in the hashira training

shinobu does have her moments where she tries to get him to smile and laugh, or she'll jab at sanemi and tell him to go and bring food to giyuu, but again, i feel its more playful than. Motherly. shes got little sister vibes if she HAS to have a label

giyuu has known shinobu since kanae was a hashira. he knows how she really is. he knows how she struggles. he would NEVER woobify himself or put her in a maternal position!!

thank you for your addition!! go off always!

[purgemarchlockdown]

I told myself not to interact too much with the voting discussion because of how much it bothers me, but due to how her votes are going I will talk about it. I know the idea is that to protect the other prisoners we need her to be voted guilty. That's the theory, I'd argue that not only would that not work out the way people expect it to and I'd also argue that voting innocent is the better option overall.

But let's talk a bit about a dichotomy first.

Something I've noticed in fandom when it comes to victims of abuse and trauma is that there's a want for easily digestible abuse victims. There's a want for victims of abuse that are easily infantilized and woobified. In other words, there's a want for a very sanitized depiction of abuse. One where the characters who are being abused did nothing wrong and are morally pure completely righteous characters.

On the flipside, once an abuse victim steps out of those bounds of sanitized digestibility the audience reactions shifts. You tend to find these characters demonized and portrayed in ways that showcase how horrible, toxic or...dangerous they are. If you are an abuse victim in fiction you have to be an incredibly idealized version of the perfect abuse victim who does nothing wrong because if you aren't people will find ways to demonize you and erase any sense of nuance from the story.

You can either be a good abuse victim, or a bad one.

Now of course not everyone voting Amane guilty is doing it because of this...like I've seen a lot of posts from people who just don't know what to do or people who just feel that the consequences of Guilty Vote Amane is worth it in the end or people who just vote her guilty cause they don't like her much. I'm biased in this regard because I love Amane Momose! I'm very much biased towards her.

However it is troubling to me that I see this sort of bias, a lot of people have talked about how this also happens with Mikoto and I'd argue there was a bit of this also involved in Haruka and his voting.

It's something In this fandom and it's something that troubles me personally because I care a lot about this stuff, stories like Amane's are important to me, and I don't like seeing people react like this to abuse victims in fiction just because they aren't palatable.

I doubt most people in real life would act the same way if Amane was real, but also I'm unfortunately very familiar with people ignore someone who is suffering just because they feel uncomfortable. So I do think it's important to mention.

And I think Amane doomed by Milgram! I think Milgram is exactly the kind of place that would trigger her trauma! But even so I don't think Amane is doomed completely. I think viewing her as someone who can never change, who's stuck forever as a devoted cult follower is frankly a disservice to her character.

The power of cults come a lot of factors, manipulation, isolation, perpetuation of abuse and abusive cycles and way more things that I can't even mention. It Does Not come from magic unbreakable brainwashing! We have accounts from former cult victims! They exist! You can google them! There are people with stories like this out there!

I'd argue that Milgram's guilty system emulates Amane's previous abusive situation. It emulates that system of rules and punishment and torture. I don't think voting guilty would help, because voting guilty means Amane has to deal with something that closely emulates her horrible abusive situation, it would drive her further into isolation and trauma. She'd be reliving the situation she just escaped.

"But the other prisoners are at risk-" They're still at risk even if Amane is voted guilty! I'd argue their more at risk because Amane would be driven further into her isolation! Cults tell people that the outside world is dangerous and out to get them! It's one of there methods of control!

If we prove that to Amane, if we prove that yes, the outside world is out to get her and there's no one out there that can actually help her, then we give her The most righteous reason to attack.

Amane from what I can tell usually attacks if she feels like she's justified, if she feels like she's in danger. It's a defense mechanism born out of the torture she experienced. It's not wild swinging at anyone and anything she hates as it seems like people think it is.

I think voting Amane Innocent actually has the better chance of really helping people out. I think Amane being innocent would help crack this image she has of the outside world which would be fantastic actually! Would she be fully deprogrammed? No, you can't deprogram someone with one choice, especially if you validated their beliefs beforehand but it certainly changes things.

I don't like the idea that Amane is completely hopeless, I Feel like it treats cults and the Real Harm they do to people as something that no one can come back from and makes it feel weirdly mystical. Like the cult gets their hands in ya and now their brainwashing is just unbreakable. There's Real Ex-Cult Survivors in the world! They Exist! They aren't an impossibility and I don't think we should treat Amane's growth as a person as an impossibility!

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

Ah, Damien, you've stumbled into my domain like a naive fly drawn to the shimmering threads of my web. Your bold critique of America's beloved pastime has not gone unnoticed, and I, the elusive reditrix, have deemed it worthy of my scrutiny. But be warned, dear Damien, for in my realm, there is no room for arrogance or complacency.

Your words, like a clumsy fly buzzing in the darkness, have attracted my attention, and I must say, I am unimpressed. Your attempt to dissect the complexities of baseball reads like the ramblings of a petulant child, grasping at straws in a futile attempt to assert dominance over a world far beyond your comprehension.

Your criticisms are as feeble as they are misguided, Damien, and I take great pleasure in dismantling them with ruthless efficiency. Your analysis lacks depth, your arguments lack substance, and your prose lacks finesse. In short, you are out of your depth, floundering in a sea of your own inadequacy.

And you know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?

Your attempt at elucidating the intricacies of baseball falls flatter than a deflated beach ball in an abandoned field. Your description reads like a botched attempt at explaining the game to a toddler, with a disjointed narrative oversimplifies to the point of infantilism.

The prose, if one could even call it that, is as charming as a grouchy umpire on a rainy day. Your attempts at humor fall as flat as their understanding of the sport, with jokes that land with all the grace of a pitcher with two left feet.

And let's not overlook the gratuitous indulgence in stereotypes and clichés. Tight pants? Really? Is this a baseball game or a fashion critique from the 1950s? Your reliance on tired tropes does a disservice to the richness and complexity of the game.

As for the portrayal of fans, it's as shallow as a puddle on a hot day. You reduce them to primitive caricatures , cave painting them as mindless drones fueled by overpriced beer and primal instincts. It's a lazy portrayal that reeks of elitism and condescension.

But perhaps the most egregious offense is your tawdry treatment of the unfortunate Helen. To use her misfortune as fodder for cheap laughs is not only tasteless but downright cruel. It's a callous display of insensitivity that reveals the author's utter lack of empathy and prowling patriarchy

But fear not, dear Damien, for I am here to guide you through the darkness—to show you the error of your ways and lead you towards the light. With each stroke of my pen, I shall strip away the layers of your arrogance and reveal the truth that lies beneath. And though the process may be painful, rest assured that it is necessary for your growth as a writer and as a human being.

So, heed my words, Damien, and tread carefully in my web. For though you may fancy yourself a formidable opponent, you are but a mere mortal in the presence of a predator. And in the end, it is I who holds the power—the power to build you up or tear you down, depending on my whims and fancies.

Welcome to my world, Damien. I hope you're prepared to face the consequences of your hubris. For once you're caught in my web, there's no escape.

I am your reditrix

You are my fifth.

Going forward....your name is 5.

If you decide to respond, don't give me any of your bullshit. Simply write: Yes I understand and thank you for your attention.

As Damien read the scathing review of his baseball rant, a mixture of emotions swirled within him like a turbulent typhoon. At first, there' was a flicker of indignation—a defensive impulse that roses up in response to the bludgeoning, merciless critique. Who does she think she is, tearing apart his work with such ruthless precision?

But beneath the surface, there's something else—a gnawing sense of fascination and intrigue. The words, though harsh, carry a strange allure—a magnetic pull that drew Damien in despite himself. There's a raw power to the prose, a predatory, confident grace that commands attention and demands respect.

As Damien read on, he couldn't help but feel a bewildering sense of exhilaration coursing through his veins. The critique cut to the core of his insecurities, exposing the flaws in his writing with a merciless efficiency that both terrified and excited him as if she had peeled back the layers of his ego, revealing the vulnerable, naked core beneath.

In that moment, Damien realized that he's met his match—a formidable adversary who challenges him to rise to the occasion and prove himself worthy of her attention. And though the prospect fills him with trepidation, there's also a spark of excitement—a tantalizing glimpse of the unknown that beckons him forward into the darkness.

With a newfound sense of determination, Damien vows to meet Ellie's challenge head-on. He may be a fly caught in her web, but he refuses to be ensnared without a fight. For in the game of literary cat and mouse, there are no guarantees—but there's also no shortage of thrills for those brave enough to play.

He responds to her message

Yes, I understand. Thank you for you're attention.

[2beaornot2bea]

Reblog cause I really liked this post (thorough/well thought out, although I disagree and think poor Az just needs a hug). So turns out I had more than I thought to say on the matter lol.

To be clear- I DO NOT ship El/Az. At. All. The only thing I ship is El doing it HER way, cause I mean girl, why choose? I felt compelled to reply though because this is just unfounded character assassination (wink) of my bro Az. 

I can’t fathom how one supposedly lusty, but really pretty chaste by ACOTAR standards scene, outweighs the months and many many examples of this male caring for El, spending time with her, rescuing her, etc. I find it hard to believe it’s that difficult for this male to get laid. 

And where is El’s agency in all this. Why infantilize her by making it some YA infatuation. This female is GROWN ya’ll. She’s been with a man. If it’s lust, then it’s lust, but at least keep them equals in this. Two consenting adults. Rhys needs to get over himself. My head canon says El is a ticking time bomb- the way everyone treats her like a maiden in a tower has to be infuriating.

And if the “issue” is REALLY political ramifications, why would Rhys not just speak to them BOTH. Like. Adults. I mean, aside from the fact that Rhys just makes terrible decisions in general, and is apparently now just straight up cruel to his friends,  but I digress.

So let’s just take El completely out of the equation. Az is still a male that has been pining after the same female for centuries, unless we’re assuming that situation is also just lust, which I think does BOTH Az/Mor a disservice. I mean if he just wanted to bag an Archeron, he probably has a pretty good shot at Nes with the filth in that head lol.

I also don’t understand at all how his jealousy over his ‘brothers’ mating bonds is evidence that he wants something quick and dirty. I think it’s the complete opposite! This is a male who can get quick and dirty when he wants it. What he’s JEALOUS of is the deeper connection. So he admits these feelings (perfectly healthy) and Rhys basically mocks him for it. Like he’s undeserving of love because he wants… love? I mean, I think Az might think that, but we don’t, right? So confused.

So that just leaves Gift-gate. It was a thoughtful gift. Bare minimum it was a nice gift. Necklace v. Gardening gloves is not a worthwhile comparison. To summarize: El liked the necklace, the gloves got lost in a dono box somewhere. My dad got my mom a vacuum cleaner once for christmas. I’m sure it was something that was needed/she would use, but I don’t think I need to tell you how the rest of that went.

And yea, the regift was weird. Cass could have told him unwanted solstice gifts go in the Sidra but we can only assume bro didnt ask. Keep in mind, Rhys lays the smack down, El spurns the gift, so he’s got to be thinking, well now this is DEF not happening. I like to think he has a soft spot for the priestesses (there’s hints of this) and he just thought maybe he could turn this whole ugly mess into something nice for someone who’s had a pretty rough go of things and avoid a citation for littering at the same time.

Finally, speaking of thoughtful gifts, someone get this male some noise canceling headphones. I can’t EVEN how uncomfortable the IC has become for this poor male. Four of his friends/FAMILY can’t keep their hands off each other, one of them has been giving him a 500 year cold shoulder, and one of them is beautiful and single and interested in him but the horrors! He dares to hope there might be something more for him and we sl*t-shame him because some ancient bathtub says one-eyed lucy is her Mate. Plus the whole Az/Mor is the longest running joke that no one thought was funny, ever, thing, and everyone thinks he should get over her, but the moment he tries Rhys throws that in his face too? Like sure Rhys, I’m sure if Az just gives it a few hundred more years Mor will come around. I guess choices are only for females that Rhys wants to fk.

I’ll do a line by line from the original highlighted excerpt: 

 “What of Mor, Az?”: Why is this the better option? This is guilt/shaming and does not even make sense. He SHOULD get over Mor, so just LET HIM already.

“The Cauldron chose 3 sisters…”: I do actually get where some might read this as entitlement, but I just didnt read it that way at all. To me this read like a lonely male who has been given the tiniest shred of Hope (due to El’s own feelings!) that he dares to question fate aloud to his closest friend only to have it thrown in his face. The cauldron is the only one ‘choosing’ and ‘giving’ females in this sentence. Az is the one that wants it to be El’s choice, cause let’s face it, he’d win that one.

“You believe you DESERVE…” Yea he never said that Rhys. I don’t think Az thinks he deserves her at all… but like I said, Hope.

“I think Lucien will never be good enough for her/she has no interest in him anyway”: This is just 2 more points for Az as far as I’m concerned. (I actually do think Lucien is good enough for her, he’s probably the least grey cast member short of El herself, but I think its sweet Az feels that way about her).

“So you’ll seduce her away from him?” He can't seduce her away from a male that doesn't have her ffs. I feel like Rhys is struggling to keep up here lol. Assuming Az is a reliable narrator, we can only take him at his word that he certainly hadn’t PLANNED to do that. I imagine it’s hard to make elaborate plans about your future with someone when you barely dare to hope that there might be a chance for the 2 of you, so at that point, why torture yourself beyond basic fantasies (see next)

“certainly not beyond the fantasies”: who are we kidding ladies? We all have fantasies. Males definitely have fantasies. That doesn’t make them incapable of honorable intentions or sincere attachment. 

:”blah blah blah my entire foreign policy strat revolves around who El is sleeping with.” There are TONS of reasons why these risks are exaggerated, possibly mostly inaccurate, and at the very least completely hypocritical (been discussed ad nauseum) to throw in his friend’s face. But lets assume things are as dire as Rhys says… why is El not part of this conversation?!?! If she decides to reject the bond (has anyone even explained to her that that is a thing she can do??? I have no reference handy) is Rhys going to forbid her from doing so feral ambush style like he just did to Az?

“Tonight had proved he’d been right to do so.” This isn’t evidence of anything other than self pity.

“Temptation, rage, frustration, need” Lust isnt technically on this list. I’m not saying it doesn’t fit, I’m just saying that other things could fit too, so how you read this line largely depends on where your mind is already at on Az’s intentions. Don’t get me wrong. He absolutely wants her in a feral way- the same way his brother’s want their female’s. I just happen to believe that he has real feelings for her too (also like his brothers). AND MOST IMPORTANTLY seems to be the ONLY one actually advocating for her feelings, or her agency, in any of this.

i think the way male characters interact with each other over a woman says a lot about how they view said woman.

it’s clear here Rhysand is worried not only about the political ramifications but also personal ramifications Azriel’s clear LUSTING after Elain will cause.

its stated and made obvious multiple times throughout this chapter that Az is sexually attracted to Elain….and that’s it. His lust and desire and ENTITLEMENT is made so clear that Rhysand has to step in and reprimand him before it blows up in everyone’s face.

Elain is obviously infatuated with him, and Azriel is playing off of that to sleep with her and then what? he literally doesn’t know because he’s so blinded by lust and jealousy that his brothers have mates he cannot see past getting Elain naked. i believe it’s perfectly implied here he only sees Elian as a challenge, and should he ever get the chance to actually sleep with her he will no longer be equally as infatuated. He won’t even admit to himself he’s not over Mor.

I’m just pointing this out as many people seem to have skipped half of his chapter after seeing the word “arousal” and running with it. if you actually read the chapter as it is written it’s actually pretty gross to see people justifying Azriel’s behavior and mindset.

I personally don’t really care who Elain ends up with, if i wrote the story she’d stay single and living her best life baking and gardening and volunteering in the community but alas this is a romance at the end of the day. but i will not ignore clear implications from the story, Az sees her as a sexual pursuit. i can’t wait to see how the next acotar will play out and if gwyn will receive the necklace / wear it as it would prove to the readers and Elain my point was correct, hopefully not though the “OW” trope is so icky to me, but as i said it would add to my point. If Az truly liked Elain for Elain he wouldn’t back down from her or from Rhys (although this seems to be a problem for both Az and Cass) and he wouldn’t give this necklace he meant FOR* Elain to another woman on some random whim. I could go on and on but i’m so tired of seeing shippers justify and ignore this bs. Az shouldn’t be near any woman as long as he’s got this jealous and entitled mindset- Gwyn or Elain or whoever yall ship him with.

[cocoartistwrites]

i really hate the way some fans infantilize taylor especially with her partners and stuff

like it’s okay that her and joe weren’t compatible anymore and now she’s interested in a more public relationship with travis.. it doesn’t mean that joe was locking her in a cage, and they started dating during a time in her life that she wanted to be off the radar if i recall

obvi i don’t know the actual details of anything but assuming that she had like no agency in the mechanisms of her relationship i think does her a disservice

It’s so embarrassing isn’t it

[antispopausandstuff]

What's your opinion on Entrapta and Entrapdak ? I personally think she deserves better tbh 😔

i don't think entrapdak works. but i'll get into that in a minute.

as for entrapta, she definitely deserved better. more so than just in writing in general, but as well just how she was treated as an autistic individual.

for starters, i want to comment on her design. she does not look like the age she's apparently supposed to be ( according to nate, entrapta is in her late 20s, early 30s ). a lot of people who have discovered this have commented something to the extent of:

"she's 30?! i thought she was 16-18!"

now, if i didn't know her age or personality, i'd assume she was 19-20. but considering that i do know her personality, i'm not surprised that people thought she was younger. her big pigtails, being short, and the top side of her overalls being out of place all are designed in a way that makes her look younger.

the reason why this is an issue is because, with her design and personality, this is infantilizing. especially because every other adult character looks their age, or at least has obvious implications of looking older ( such as wrinkles under their eyes, wearing makeup, etc. ). entrapta does not.

throughout the entire show, entrapta is extremely oblivious, forgetful, honestly rather careless, and generally is treated more like a robotic nuisance rather than a human being that deserves support and care.

she's practically ostracized by the other princesses, is pulled by them, is leashed by them, talked down to by them, etc. she is not actually treated as someone who is wanted, but rather only someone who might be needed.

this video actually discusses low empathy, how to write it correctly, and how SPOP did a complete disservice to entrapta and the autistic community by their piss-poor portrayal of low empathy and autistic people in general:

as for entrapdak...

i personally feel like nate made entrapta 30-smth yrs old, so entrapdak would be less weird. i could talk about how hordak is essentially a bum instead of a Big Bad, like he's supposed to be, but that's for another day.

the primary issue i have with entrapdak is that it paints entrapta in a really bad light, more than people might think.

many people seem to label entrapta as morally grey/chaotic neutral ( i'm p sure you can look up the spop wiki and see that ), but i strongly disagree with this label, due to how it is written and how it further pushes a bigoted idea of autistic people.

and no, entrapta being written by an autistic person ( tbh, i highly doubt that ) does not mean she's suddenly even decent autistic rep.

entrapta is perceived as "morally grey" purely because of her low empathy. they use it to demonize and infantilize her, instead of respecting it as a part of her identity.

having low empathy does not make anyone a bad person, or even a morally grey person. donnie, from ROTTMNT, has low empathy, but you can tell he deeply loves his family and tries his best to keep people safe.

entrapta's low empathy is represented as her not caring about the lives at stake, only caring about people unless it involves technology, or only doing things because of technology, and is generally either treated like a lost child or like she's a demon.

SPOP's portrayal of autism and low empathy in quite a few autistic people is harmful and gives the same message that neurodivergent in general have been given for years:

"something is wrong with you."

her being involved with hordak, a literal imperialist, someone who does not care for anyone ( except for entrapta, i guess? ), and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for the sake of his goals, in any other way but in an antagonistic dynamic is, at best, offensive and stereotypical, and at worst, dangerous.

if you are not autistic, and you want to write autistic people, you need to do it with respect. genuine respect.

you cannot treat autistic people as if they don't know what they're doing.

you cannot treat autistic people as if they don't care about anyone but themselves.

you cannot treat autistic people as if something is wrong with them.

you cannot treat autistic people as if they have to change to be accepted by anybody.

we are not your props for representation. we are people.

all in all, if you want to write autistic characters, do not do what the SPOP writers did. just don't.

and honestly, hordak is really weak in this show, i-

[differentlyweird]

Max Mayfield & Disability

*SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS 4 VOL 2*

I’ve seen a lot of people having discourse about max’s injuries and how she could very well end up permanently disabled next season. As a person with a physical disability I have some thoughts.

1. I am conflicted on a non-disabled person playing a disabled character and having the possibility of representation.

All right so I firmly believe that if you were going to write a disabled character or incorporate a disabled character into media. A disabled person should take that role, however in Max Mayfield‘s case she was not a disabled character she would become disabled. So in this case I don’t think that logic would apply, because as we know anyone can become disabled at any time. The only thing I would be afraid of is falling into the social model of disability. Which usually goes one of two ways: the I-hate-my life-I am worthless-and-a-burden-to-everyone-around-me OR the this-person-is-such-an-inspiration-for-dealing- with- a - world-that-wasn’t-made-to-include-them-but-I- don’t-care-to help-change-it. if they decide to make Max disabled(most likely some sort of blindness) then they need to make her real. Not someone that can be used as a token disabled person for inspiration or a self deprecating person that thinks being disabled is the worst thing in the world. they need to really do their research on this and do true justice to that storyline.

2.  I’m worried for the guaranteed ableism that will come with making her disabled.

I’ve seen a lot of people be very ableist on Twitter and TikTok. Saying that they should just put her out of her misery instead of making her disabled. As if that is the worst thing that could happen to her compared to all the trauma she just faced. The writers need to be prepared to handle that within Max‘s storyline. If they’re really gonna do it they need to be vigilant and aware. They need to make it known that just because you’re disabled does not mean that you would be better off dead. Although if I’m being completely honest the world is very ableist but especially the media so I doubt that this would happen but if it did it would help make max’s storyline more impactful and real. It would avoid stereotypes.

3. I’m not saying that Max is not going to struggle because she is,a lot.

It’s gonna be hard to adjust. Going from a fully able-bodied person to a disabled person on top of all the supernatural stuff going on is a lot. She’s not going to be completely content or happy but I don’t want her to be completely self deprecating either. Not only because it would fit into stereotypes but also because I feel it would do a disservice to her character. Since she first came on the show in season two she has been self-sufficient, confident, honest, caring, and brave. I feel as though Max would know even if she’s having a hard time adjusting deep down she would know that she’s still a bad ass. 

4. I really hope that they do not introduce any ableist slurs in the show because nobody needs those.

I have a sneaking suspicion that if they were to go the disabled route. Max would eventually have to deal with ableism in the form of slurs or may be being made fun of and I have to say we don’t need it. We don’t need to hear Max enduring slurs to get the point across. I know that this show is currently in the late 1980s and people said these horrible things and still continue to say them but don’t do it. I really hope that they don’t do it because it’s ugly and there’s a lot of other shit going on. There are other ways to portray that. Such as inaccessibility that people usually wouldn’t think of. architecture for example would be a great point or maybe how people infantilize disabled people. Literally anything except that. (Speaking of which they did not have to have Lucas and Erica being basically hate crimed this season that was unnecessary. Especially with the whole gun thing)

5. Although I have my reservations about how a disabled Max would be portrayed, having a positive romantic relationship for a person with a disability would be amazing.

Lumax is one of the best ships I have ever seen. Their dynamic and depth is something so special because they’re a lot more subtle. However that subtlety is very impactful. We see their connection and their friendship without ever having to explicitly say it. However I think it would need to be said or shown explicitly, because while I do love their subtlety they deserve to love more openly. Seeing it on screen would be wonderful.Lucas loves Max and vice versa. He would never leave her side, he would always support her, and I know for a fact he would love her no matter what. Seeing this type of positive relationship would do so much for representation (as well as the ship in general). Solidifying their relationship and literally having them stick together through anything. It would just be so nice to see and I think it would fit their characters and the characters relationship really well.

6. There shouldn’t be a miraculous cure when they defeat vecna and save the world.

I know a lot of people have been saying that if they go this route they would like for Max to be healed by Jane/El. I think that would be a disservice because many disabled people do not want to be cured myself included. Many of us have never felt like we needed to be different or “normal”. I do wanna stress however that if you are disabled it is completely fine to feel that way, but to assume that every disabled person feels that way is wrong. It would be going about the storyline wrong. They have an opportunity here to do something great for representation and take a positive realistic approach. If they’re going to do it they need to be all in completely. Because for them to have her magically undisabled would be feeding into stereotypes and would be ableist in itself.

These are just my immediate thoughts, since I’ve seen discourse about it and ableist discourse at that. you don’t have to agree with me and for my fellow disabled people feel free to chime in and let me know your thoughts. For my non-disabled people, especially those that think Max would be better off dead than disabled, this conversation isn’t for you and it would be best if you listen and learn. I hope that anyone that sees this maybe thinks a little longer about how/what max being disabled would look like and maybe that you assess your own unconscious ableism. Because at the end of the day the majority of ableism isn’t your fault. You’ve grown up in a world that has made these jokes, has made inaccessibility, etc. normal. It is your job however to recognize and correct it. I hope this helped.

I love Max and I think she has so much potential for this last season coming up. Her arc in season four was just amazing, and I can’t wait to see where they take her. I just wanted to make sure that people knew if they go this route they should do it the right way.



[sad-endings-suck]

I personally dislike how some Stansas gender certain actions and traits. As if being determined, resourceful, and standing up for the little guy is inherently masculine and enjoying stories, sweets and watching from the shadows is inherently feminine. I’ve noticed this weird privileged white woman idealist of “soft power” being thrown around a lot lately (in many fandoms, but especially in ASOIAF) that is often used to describe Sansa. Except it seems that people who use this talking point fail to see that having a specific term to describe women who have interpersonal power, can be seen as innately sexist. Whereas a man with such power would never have been referred to as having “soft power”. He would just be seen as powerful, with no need to differentiate what kind of power he wields based on whether or not he’s picked up a weapon in his life.

It feels like the same fans that hate Dany and Arya for being “girl bosses” forcefully paint them out that way (when they are not) and then use that fanon misinterpretation as the reason why they don’t like them. Then they proceed to infantilize Sansa and rebrand that infantilisation as “femininity”. It’s this weird practice of removing the context of Arya and Dany also being children from their analysis of those characters, and then overly emphasizing the context of being a child when discussing Sansa. I’ve also seen people go even further down that route to equate childlike attributes to femininity and “independent” attributes to masculinity. Which is deeply misogynistic in its own way, as media has a long problematic history of portraying femininity as childlike and masculinity as mature.

I also find this new brand of “reclaiming old femininity” as concerning. There has been a recent trend of people (especially young women and girls) who have (for lack of a deeper description) rebranded the 1950s housewife “aesthetic” as empowering (re: lobotomy core), and I’ve noticed it taking over certain corners of the feminist movement and various fandom corners as well, but branded as “feminist” instead of sexist (which it is).

In AGOT, Sansa thoroughly enjoys the tourney of the hand and the jousts. She is surprised by how unaffected she is by the violence and gore, even noting that her interest in it goes beyond polite and is outright “unladylike” but she doesn’t care. Do these gender essentialists ever remember that or use it in their analysis of what is “feminine” about her? Nope, never. Because having a tolerance for blood must be innately masculine, and they can’t project their weird sexist gender fantasies onto Sansa if they acknowledge she’s a dimensional character and not a blank face for them to self insert themselves into.

I think it creates a real dissonance between what is actually feminine or masculine coded and replaces it with an older and more prejudiced world view of feminine and masculine ideals. Sansa, Arya and Dany are all feminine in their own ways, but some stans pick and choose which parts of their characters to ignore or notice. And pushing old world view gender essentialism onto any of theses characters does them all a disservice.

Mind you the "girl bosses" in question are Dany: who has been sold as a bridal slave at 13, been on the run and feared for her life since she was born, rarely known safety and security, been used as payment by her abusive brother and further abused by the husband she was given too, who has made it a point to protect other women around her from further harm despite having little agency, who faced multiple assassination attempts and the painful loss of her child, vowed to defend others who couldn't defend themselves, has faced constant misogyny on her journey to doing so, has put her own ambitions on hold in order to help others, and is currently the only character enacting wild scale revolution in order to protect a class of people nobody else is fighting for. And Arya: who has been on the run since the end of AGOT starving and scared, has been thrust into a warzone and directly affected by the violent impact, was witness to the horrific torture of the smallfolk by the mountain and his men, was captured and forced into servitude at Harrenhal, was beaten and threatened with sexual violence, who has witnessed countless people she cared about die including her father, mother, and brother, and who still remembers those who lost their lives when nobody else has and done her best to get justice for them.

Yeah, It's soooooo feminist to treat these two female characters like they're lesser because they aren't traditionally feminine. I find it funny how the ones who talk about the importance of valuing "feminine" strengths are the same ones who erase them from Dany and Arya. All of their intelligence, kindness, empathy, etc. get thrown out and their characters are reduced to ones who only know violence. Even the suffering and abuse they've gone through is treated as less impactful and they're given no sympathy. It's an interesting circle of them being misogynistic so that they can justify their misogyny to themselves. It also highlights how little they believe in the things they're saying. Supporting "feminine" characters has just become a convenient way of propping up their favorites; feminism is nothing but a disposable tool. If they actually cared then they wouldn't be rewriting characters to make them seem more "masculine", and in fact wouldn't care about that distinction at all. The female characters have a lot of overlapping experiences afterall.

No one is saying you have to like Arya or Dany, but being misogynistic toward them and trying to disguise it as feminism is disgusting. There's also no way of doing so that won't inevitably reflect poorly on the characters you claim to love. There's nothing productive about making such restrictive boxes for female characters. If you really don't care about them then you don't have to talk about them. It's as simple as that. But if putting them down is the only way you have of propping up your fave, then maybe it's time to find a character that you actually like.

[onlychaosnosense]

Unpopular opinion about Edwina

Alright, I have been putting this off for far too long because I wanted to do this when I wasn’t spiralling and being pulled in all directions regarding my feelings.

Please remember my criticism is for the way the character has been written, not for Charithra or her portrayal.She was fabulous in her role. And I cannot believe that I have to state it in this day and age, but sending hate to the actors or writers or producers is not okay. And also that CRITICISM DOES NOT EQUAL HATE.

So here goes

Book Edwina was beautiful, sweet, gentle and very much the diamond of the season. But she was in no way just the diamond. She was also very perceptive and self aware. She has a mind of her own, is interested in philosophy, likes reading and wants to marry a scholar. She is well aware of her family’s financial situation and constantly feels the stress of marrying well for her mother and sister’s future. And she still hopes to find a love match. So we did not get to read a lot about Edwina, but she was her own person with her own interests and expectations and thoughts and fears.

Show Edwina is everything nice and pure and innocent. But she is extremely sheltered and the writers reduced her purpose to solely being married to a handsome, charming and titled man. What about her interests, expectations, fears and dreams? I am glad she realized how naive she was and that she got to lash out and express her anger and disappointment. I loved her growth from ep 1 (I hope they like me) to ep 8 (what can they possibly say that we haven’t heard before). But this awakening or growth could have happened over a period of time and I so wish it hadn’t come due to a conflict over Anthony.

I understand that she was trying to live upto expectations or was conditioned to want nothing but a good marriage. But she did not heed Kate’s warnings when she was adamant against Anthony and even asked Kate to persuade him to propose. If Edwina were so naive and obedient that she had always lived upto Kate’s expectations, she wouldn’t have been so set on marrying Anthony. I found that inconsistent with Edwina’s character and contradictory which I blame on the writing. And that is why I found her entire speech about how she would take her own decisions for herself post the wedding drama a bit immature. Especially when Edwina wanted the match with Anthony despite Kate’s disapproval.

In an attempt to flesh out her character they reduced her to a plot device, to act as an obstacle in Kate and Anthony’s story. The very thing the writers claimed they were trying to avoid. But in the end when Kate and Edwina both acknowledge that they both needed to find and understand their own selves, it was far more consistent with the Edwina we were first introduced to. When she gives Kate her blessing stating ‘You have spent so much of your time shining your light on me. It is time to finally shine all on your own’, that’s growth. The book never claimed she was not a plot device yet unfortunately the fleshed out show version comes off more as one.

But what is most disappointing is that the fandom is putting Edwina on a pedestal stating she is a saint or that she made no mistake. That’s a huge disservice to her character because she does grow and become a better and more self aware person. We need to stop infantilizing characters, they need to be held accountable because it means they do have agency and they are thinking,feeling, real and relatable. When we gate keep characters and label any criticism as hatred, we are refusing them the privilege of making mistakes.Let WOC, in fact, let all women be human. Women can be kind OR cruel, gentle OR ferocious, generous OR selfish, humble OR arrogant, pleasant OR annoying. Let women make mistakes and call them out when they do. Allow them to be imperfect and let them grow.

If you are still here, thank you for hearing me out. I applaud your patience. This is what I feel and think and we do not have to agree. I welcome your thoughts and comments but please remember to be respectful.

[thatclichedwriter]

i wish people would stop including kamala, riri, miles, etc in mcu young avengers fan posts - they have their own team!!! it’s called the champions! kamala leads it! it’s globally active and focuses on doing good! just because they’re young and avenger-adjacent (or former avenger) doesn’t mean they’re young avengers, they have their own thing!

it’s a team of primarily poc teens who formed their own team after splitting off from the avengers because they were disillusioned with what the adults were doing. it’s a fundamentally different team from young avengers because young avengers is about legacy, about stepping up when the avengers weren’t there, who for the most part has some familiar connections to existing avengers (except kate i guess) while the champions is more anti-avengers, about splitting off and doing their own thing because they don’t agree with the avengers fundamentally.

i love young avengers and i love the champions, but they are two completely different teams whose membership has never collided, from two different generations and two different themes or mottos, and it does a disservice to them both when we try to combine those teams into one when they really have nothing to do with each other.

let peter parker be part of the main avengers team, instead of forcing him to join teams he was never part of.

let the young avengers be an entirely separate team, coming together by legacy but remain together by choice, let them be the chosen family that main mcu avengers strived for but never really grasped. let kamala, sam alexander and miles join the avengers if they wish. let them choose to form their champions team because of their beliefs, values and choice. let eli and kate lead their own team while kamala leads hers.

marvel has a history of re-casting to age up the characters - elijah richardson, hailee steinfield and kathryn newton (cassie’s third!!! actress) are all in their twenties. in the comics, tommy and billy meet in their teens after dying and being reincarnated, but they can easily recast to be in their twenties. xochitl gomez is 15 but in the comics, america was a kid when her parents died and her origin started, and she will likely have her origin story in dr strange 2, but she met the young avengers when she was older. young avengers members are primarily a millenial/zillenial in the comics right now, with billy and teddy having gotten married and kate having a career as a PI and david and america both in college together during america’s solo run, even if eli’s been mostly absent for years (bring eli back) and maybe mcu could reflect that with a team in their twenties rather than teens when they start out, letting them be young adults as well as young avengers. let them party, have jobs, get engaged. mcu avengers were made up of people in their thirties and forties, people who were real adults and had careers and families. let the young avengers tell a different story, of people who are adults but somehow not completely adults, who is out of school or pursuing higher education and still figuring things out and being a hero at the same time. let them be young - not kids, not complete adults, but somewhere in between.

let the champions be the teenage hero team, made up of teenagers and led by teenagers, reflecting all the activist teens and politically aware teens that exist. let them be teenage kids actually played by teen actors. let them be avengers, let them have mentors, let them grow beyond their mentors and come into their own. let them be independent and have their agency and not be infantilized. let them be in high school, let them be living with their families, let them have a normal teenage life and a hero life.

let the champions be champions and young avengers be young avengers.

[masterthespianduchovny]

What fascinating about people who claim the anti Sam/Rebecca crowd are infantilizing Sam, with the implication of being racism being a driving factor, is that the aging up of Sam could also equally be argued as racist. But many lack the self awareness to see that or to account for this when lobbing out this defense and implied accusation.

More often than not, young boys and young black men are aged up to prove they knew what they are doing and are hardened criminals. They are seen as adults compared to their white counterparts even when they are legally minors and the white people are adults.

This perception of black boys and men are one of the cornerstones behind the “prison to pipeline” theory. When we refuse to see black boys and men as their age, we do them a massive disservice.

Now, this comes into play with Sam because this logic is being used for the pro Rebecca and sam defense. Sam’s consent and willingness is such a low bar to clear because many young men are interested in older women whether or not it’s to date or fuck them. This consent and willingness has nothing to do with ethics, it’s simply about legality. I’d also assert that the comparison to ted is disingenuous because it’s reactionary and not thoughtful. It pretends that these are two like things when they aren’t.

When we bring maturity into the discussion, it’s not a one size fits all type of thing either. Maturity is such a blanket term and does black children and young black adults disservice because it robs them of youth. Since they’re mature, they should know better or not act like other people their age. And it’s because in a sense, they are seen as older than they are as mentioned.

Stressing how mature Sam is and constantly accusing others of infantilizing him not only ages up Sam, but seeks to silence valid criticism about the red flags and inappropriateness surrounding this relationship.

Someone being consenting and willing isn’t enough when assessing the various power dynamics. That’s a start, not the end all be all when you see such a disparity between two people. I’d assert that due to such a large age gap and the added power imbalance, it’s even more crucial even more discerning regarding such a relationship.

There is nothing wrong with looking out and trying to protect a young black man, esp when society either demonizes them or leave them to their own devices. When such a relationship has the likelihood of blowing up in his face and him dealing with major repercussions as a result, regardless of consent.

And, although this isn’t on the same scale, it reminds me of Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. She was 21 when they had an affair, he was her boss, and it was fully consensual. However, when the news broke, who was dragged through the mud? Who was used as punchline? Who was attacked and stated to have known better?

Monica.

Where as bill’s presidential legacy is largely intact.

As a kid, I thought Monica was so grown. I couldn’t believe she did that.

Even before I turned 21 years ago, I was like, “she was young as fuck.”

She has to deal with harassment, bullying, and death threats. But she consented and was willing, riiiiiight?

Despite admitting it was consensual even to this day, which I’m not disputing, even Monica says the relationship shouldn’t have happened with one of the reasons being her age. And it’s truly fucked up what America put her through to the point she can barely keep a job, resorted to plastic surgery to hide her identity, among other shit. She has to develop a good humor about it because what else are her other options?

When we age up young adults, we don’t prepare them for if shit goes south. We pretend just because they have a certain level of maturity, that they have the knowledge, foresight, and skills to deal with a situation that turned into a shit show.

That is deeply unfair to them. Respecting a young adult’s adulthood doesn’t mean throwing them in the deep end, it means respecting where they are at and understanding the gaps in their knowledge and experience.

Christ, this doesn’t even touch how black kids are believed to be sexually mature at super young ages like 9-10. It’s not because they are, of course; but society projects these beliefs on them and treats them as teens in their later years or younger adults.

With the constant framing of Sam’s maturity and stressing that he consented, one could argue the same is happening here.

Once we get past the low bar of consent and willingness, what’s the worse case scenario of this relationship? The fact that Rebecca doesn’t even have to intentionally seek to harm Sam in order for him to be harmed in this situation should be enough to give everyone pause.

But alas, no matter what the critics say, its alway going to be called infantilization with subtle accusations of racism because these defenses lack nuance or are performative. Undoubtedly, racism exists in fandoms, however, our efforts to combat racism shouldn’t overlook the problematic nature and troubling implications of this relationship being criticized.

Although our first instinct is to protest black characters (and POC), our analyzation of what’s happening shouldn’t end there. We shouldn’t be advocating for something that is most likely detrimental to a black character to spite fans.

And considering the down spiral Rebecca is likely going through, we should want more for Sam than for him to be caught up in that shit.

[spooky-lord]

nona is an adult woman in an adult woman's body. she's also an amnesiac(or at least that's the closest approximation in a word. obviously we know it's more complicated than that) and extremely easy to read as several flavors of neurodivergent. she learns differently, loves differently, and processes the world differently.

due to the fact that she doesn't always know what she should, common amongst several flavors of neurodivergency and also due to her lacking key memories, most people around her treat her as a child. despite this, i do not believe we at any point see her think of herself as a child, simply as someone who needs extra help.

she often references sex, she wants to have sex with several people, she knows people are sexually attracted to her. and yet sex is treated as a subject she couldn't know much of anything about, primarily by her caregivers, because of that idea of her being a child to them. eventually more discussions on sexuality happen, however, it rarely feels like discussion between people who view themselves equally as adults.

those around her often keep things from her in a way they would a child, again, especially her caregivers. this seems to be a trending pattern in her relationships with pyrrha, palamedes, and camilla. her requirements for support often come at the cost of her agency, something common in treatment of "high functioning" vs "low functioning" autistics. functioning labels are not particularly reflected in reality, and often eschewed by the autistic community entirely. "high functioning" people are allowed more agency, but often denied the support they need. "low functioning" people are more supported, but often denied agency in their lives.

due to people not telling her things, nona is often kept oblivious to the dangers around her, as she is not told why something happens, only that something is happening. about the only people who are even willing to give a sliver of information on this are hot sauce's gang, and due to being actual children, their perspectives are somewhat limited and often skewed. the assumption is that one of her three caretakers will always be there to make sure she is safe, however, this is demonstrably not the case, and the refusal to engage with her as the adult she is on the dangers around her leads to more problems than it fixes in the end

one could argue that this is, of course, because of the fact that she as a personality and set of memories only came about 6 months ago, however, simplifying her to this age does her a disservice and goes against points where she is clearly frustrated with her being treated as the child she isn't. those around her only see the deficiencies caused by her neurodivergence and infantilize her for it, often mirroring how real life neurodivergent adults are treated

there's something to be said about nona the ninth and the infantilization of neurodivergent adults