#its making us poc feel unwelcome

[greatwyrmgold]

(raises hand) I think the Terrible Popular Worm Fandom would have a Nazi problem. Sorry if this clashes with the tone of other Terrible Popular Worm Fandom speculation.

Worm was written at a time where white people like me and Wildbow thought of neo-Nazis as Blues Brothers villains; they're bad people who want to commit unspeakable crimes against humanity, but they're too unpopular to be an actual threat. So Wildbow was kinda sloppy with Empire 88; on paper, there are points being made about white supremacy, but most of those were still half-formed when Kaiser got axed and E88's remnants quickly faded from narrative significance.

About nine months after Worm wrapped up, GamerGate knocked over the biggest domino that lead to neo-Nazis becoming an actual political threat, and one of the proto-alt-right's big targets was online fandoms. And the Parahumans fandom already has a notable minority who see Kaiser as a kinder, more honorable villain compared to the savage ABB and fillty Merchants.

If Worm was more popular, there would be more people in its fandom. There would therefore be more Nazi sympathizers and more apolitical teens, both of whom are useful targets for the alt-right. So they'd probably poke their way into /r/parahumans (and possibly other Worm fan communities) and do their radicalization pipeline thing. Make POC and queer people and so on feel unwelcome, spread reactionary rhetoric and memes, etc.

Two specific traits of Wildbow's become relevant at this point. First, he consistently tries to support everyone Nazis hate. He's often hilariously unsuccessful, but he tries. Second, he is perhaps too involved with his fan communities.

So once Wildbow realized his community had a Nazi problem, he would almost certainly try to do something about it. I have absolutely no confidence that it would be effective.

[the-bjd-community-confess]

I wondered if this would come up with the repeated mention of being for or against using religious iconography on doll clothes, but I guess someone needs to mention something important about human culture and the nature of symbolism.

The reason crosses on things is problematic is because ultimately they will always represent an affiliation to Christianity. The nature of symbols is that they are inherently symbolic and thus they communicate to people a relationship to the belief or group which the symbol has been known to represent.

Because of history and the many complications of colonialism, Puritanism, and bigotry, I personally view symbols of Christianity (the cross, the crucifix, Jesus, etc) as akin to hate symbols, and therefore those who brandish them are unsafe and unwelcome to me. Obviously, other people feel the opposite and see Christianity as a beacon of love and faith and therefore the symbols make them feel safe and those who brandish them are felt to be friends or community. Ultimately, the lesson is the same. The cross communicates an affiliation to that particular religion, and to say that it can exist neutrally is frankly ignorant and naive, but it happens a lot actually because Christianity is so deeply ingrained in human culture that most languages heavily incorporate direct references to capital G God as colloquialisms, and because of colonialism and missionaries, and evangelicalism, there is nearly no part of the entire globe which has not in some way been touched or influenced by Christianity (or at the very least, Abrahamic religion). This creates a sense of easy assimilation that has existed for hundreds of years which makes us complacent to the oppressive thumb of Christianity, making us blind to its influence and heavy presence in everything we do, see, and consume.

So allow me to make an extreme example which will be easier to separate from the normality of Christian and Abrahamic iconography:

If someone started selling doll clothes (think gothic Lolita) but instead of crosses as decorations, they included sw*stikas, but the creator proclaimed that they “just think they’re pretty” or that they “believe in the original representation of peace, unity, and fertility” and are therefore unaffiliated with n*zis and believe the symbol to be neutral. Would this bother you?

I don’t think any reasonable person would say that it wouldn’t. Some may say that that person can do as they please, but ultimately the only people who would buy the clothes would be people who are entirely ignorant and naive to the implication, or people who directly identify with n*zis as no non-bigoted person would ever want to accidentally or negligently indicate to others that they hate Jewish people, poc, the disabled, or lgbtq+ people, or any other people that have been victimized by the people who have proudly brandished that symbol and gave it the infamy it has today.

It’s a outlandish example for sure because most people believe the n*zis were/are bad, and the majority of the world still feels some favor for Christianity as Christians are a lot of the time in the majority, but ultimately, the message is the same.

Like the sw*stika denotes n*zism, wearing a cross tells other people that you approve of Christianity (whether that is a good or bad thing in your opinion is entirely up to you) and similarly wearing a cross upside down tells people that you disapprove of it or even are affiliated with Satanism or some kind of anti-Christian faith and would therefore cause discomfort in people who believe in or hold dear God and Jesus. Trying to say that symbols hold no weight or meaning would, in essence, dismantle the fundamentality of language and culture in relation to humanity as every language and translation between languages began with an image which became representative of an idea or thing.

Sure it’s a lot to read into a metal charm, but I think it’s important to always question why we do something as human beings. Why is one symbol, beloved by a group that unfairly victimized a minority people (the sw*stika), seen as terrible and far too heavy to be used so carelessly or neutrally, but another symbol, also beloved by a group that has been known historically to unfairly victimize several different minority peoples and cultures (the cross), is comfortably used in neutrality because it “looks nice” and its “not that deep”? It’s mostly food for thought, but I think in this day and age we should not so blindly submit to these forces for the sake of complacency, neutrality, and conformity without asking ourselves “Why would I wear this symbol if I don’t agree with what it represents?” Especially in an age where people are educating themselves about brands which use child slave labor and actively pollute the world for profit, and then also trying to warn people off of wearing their logos or publicly displaying their use of that company’s products to limit the control those companies have on our day-to-day lives.

~Anonymous

[cedarnommer]

I need to write this down or I'll forget it.

One essential character of any minority is their environment. That environment exists and warps as we move through life. That environment can in some cases be warm and kind. But it's often times hostile, aggressive, unwelcoming and hateful.

I've grown up in 2 different parts of my country. My early childhood at a small town and my later years in a medium sized city. During that time, I've switched between 4 different schools and commuted to a university for my bachelor's degree.

What I've experienced at home shifted many times from red undertones to complete darkness. School was a mixture of shifting shadows, rays of light being completely blocked without my consent. And the area outside of home felt like how an animal trapped in a cage must feel when they see such an image. University felt like a hopeful yet distant picture, never to be seen. And the city surrounding the university was hope for the future.

All of these artistic descriptions have a deeper meaning for my life and my experiences. I was born in the former Eastern Bloc. And this can be seen in the architecture, attitudes and overall feeling you get of everything. Rust and concrete is mixed with asphalt, cracks and potholes. In-between is overgrown grass, dirt and gravel. A mixture of grays with some new buildings here and there.

The buildings feel rundown on the outside. The inside is greeted by poorly lit delapitated corridors leading to rooms and apartments that look renovated, cozy and lived in. The outside streets transform from a pure hopelessness of grays during late autumn to early spring to a blooming and blossoming environment of greens that look like they'll consume the barely hanging towering buildings and infrastructure surrounding them.

This character changes their outfits and their attitude a lot. Sometimes you feel safety and security. But often times you're instead greeted by dread, by fear and by loneliness. The environment warps into a monster that you can either try to mute with music and sounds, or alternatively scream and hurt yourself until that very monster doesn't register in your mind. Running away doesn't work, as the monster encompasses everything and everyone around you. You can't defeat it. You can only dull its senses.

The environment also prepares some cruel tricks on you. When the humans that live within the environment force you into their shape, the environment mocks and laughs as it offers surfaces that reflect your image. Time and time again you're greeted with the "person" that you were assigned to be.

I think one of the important things about being a minority being crushed by everything around them, is that no matter the pressure, it's not like you'll become any more similar to the majority group. If you're a poc, they can't just make you "white". If you're queer and trans like me, they can't just make you cis and straight. If you're neurodivergent, they can't make you neurotypical. Disabled, poor, a woman and a variety of other identifiers aren't "curable". The terrifying images I've shown you of the environment can still pop up a lot in my life. And that's exactly why I need to know I'm not alone and to be seen and loved by others.

I think a missing character in our stories we tell others is our surroundings and how they make us feel. I think it's important to ask ourselves the cost of the environments around us and whether those environments are any good to us or even those they're supposedly built for.

I'll leave you with one final food for thought, but our environments are often built for people older or more dead than us. I consider that eastern Europe is the corpse of something now lost. The people inhabit and modify a corpse in an attempt to make it more comforting. But we'll always see the festering wounds of open concrete and rust. And you know, I somehow don't think your country is any different.

[jaskicr]

if only some people used their influence and large followings to bring attention to, say, the racism and misygyny embedded so deep in the fandom that most people don’t notice and it’s just become something unconscious, rather than throwing a fit over issues that are far less consequential

[lvpnm-moved]

I think it's also the fact ranboo specifically made himself a voice and said he would use his platform to support poc and then didn't. that's part of why he's being focused on rn. he specifically said he would do more and put himself in position to use his platform and then didn't really follow through. other ccs have been called out for not supporting poc or using their platforms, but rn people are pointing out ranboo's hypocrisy specially bc he talked about the issues the queen dying caused in england but (to my knowledge) hasn't talked about any poc struggles

Yeah like it's not being unfair and "holding him in a different standard " for waiting him to follow through his promises.he was basically the only cc the acknowledged the problem of poc being ignored ofc we gonna get mad at him.

Its so frustrating bc we get nonblacks talking Abt how it makes sense and it's ok for ccs to ignore us and focus on queer ppl. Like they have all the time and energy in the world to do shit for pride but we basically get not even a single tweet Abt black history month.

And when we talk about how this community is unwelcoming to blk and other poc, both from the fans and ccs sides, we get it ignored, told we are self-centered and acting entitled, have the racist shit that was done undermined and ignored,that we should praise them for not being racist, being villanized bc we critized their favorite white guy, etc etc

Like it's a problem within all the community if u feel that ppl don't call other ccs out yall either ignoring poc and shutting or y'all aren't being good enough talking Abt it.

The only time in the last two years I've seen white ccs "did something Abt" poc issues and struggles was last year when a dono told tubbo Abt bhm and he donated to black charity and.... Ranboo promising he would be more openly supportive of poc after realizing he was part of the problem of ignoring us, and then he forgot Abt it yesterday . Just bc others ccs are doing bad shit treating us as afterthought doesn't mean ranboo should just get way with being a hypocrite and continuing treating us like that after saying he would do better

[endcant]

i used to be very active in the cottagecore realm in 2018. im not alone in this, but i had my cottagecore blog before the word “cottagecore” was coined, and thus before it was presupposed that the lifestyle and aesthetic being posted about had anything in particular to do with cottages. a lot of the relevant posts found their way to me through other tags— dirtcore, plantcore, grandmacore, solarpunk, diy, etc— or just through the sheer natural popularity of the posts that ended up defining the cottagecore style

over the time between like 2016-2018, i had been pivoting away from my 90s/arcade themed aesthetic that i had fostered since like 2013 or something, because the colorful carpets and cheap plastic toys and bubblegum dispenser candies and slimes were beginning to be presumed to be part of something called “kidcore”, and kidcore was having a problem

the issue at hand for kidcore (and stim tumblr as well) was that ageplay and other controversial/triggering kink accounts were openly interacting with and advertising themselves on posts that were either meant for kids and age regressors, or themed around the original poster’s own childhood. as a result, kidcore/age regression and ageplay/kink were getting weirdly and uncomfortably conflated. it was a huge issue that i found really offputting, so i just bailed from the use of that visual language in general

the way that many, many kidcore and stim bloggers responded to these kinds of issues was to diligently put a DNI banner at the bottom of every single post, no matter how unsightly or combative that seemed. at the time, i thought that this was kind of a hopeless exercise. i thought that kidcore as an aesthetic would never really manage to extricate its content and reputation from that offputting area of kink tumblr, but it seems like i was wrong. through just like the sheer saturation of in-post DNI banners, it seemed to work. kidcore was more safe for kids and age regressors to blog and reblog about without getting weird fucked up interactions, and people seemed to be under less scrutiny for having a kidcore blog at all because it was no longer uncomfortably conflated with kink to that degree

the thing i admire most about this is that so many kidcore and stim bloggers decided all on their own that they wanted make it clear who their blog was and wasnt a safe space for. more of them could have decided to ignore the issue, more of them could have said that naysayers “just dont get it”, and more of them could have decided that they didnt mind added traffic, no matter who it came from. but these posters were uncomfortable with the issue, so they made that discomfort known at every opportunity.

this sort of stands in contrast to how most cottagecore bloggers ive seen have responded to the realization that cottagecore was growing to be popular with ecofascists and weird patriarchal tradcath & colonialist bloggers, esp since like 2019 or so. some bloggers sacrificed the simple aesthetic by adding DNI banners, but compared to the DNI saturation of kidcore bloggers, these were few and far between. also, weirdly, most of those banners also pertained to the kink-related boundaries that kidcore and stim bloggers had to set, and generally said little about politics except sometimes that terfs were unwelcome. anecdotally, i dont personally recall ever seeing a banner that said something like “dont interact if youre an ecofascist or christian nationalist!” or anything like that underneath any of the crafty and pastoral cottagecore imagery that ive encountered over the years.

the most common response that i saw from cottagecore bloggers to all the criticism and suspicion in 2019-2020 was every cottagecore blogger going on the defensive— “the accusations of cottagecore bloggers being right-wing or colonialist are false and not worth our time. anybody who spent any time in our community would know that plenty of us are leftist or poc!!” — for roughly one or two posts, and then never responding to the criticism again unless it came to their askbox specifically.

in short, the message a lot of cottagecore bloggers sent with their posts was not “ecofascists are unwelcome here,” but instead “critics who point out the ecofascist issue are unwelcome here.” and ecofascists and their ilk kept reblogging the same mushrooms and lace curtains and transparent homemade pie pngs as everybody else, unperturbed. there was no concerted effort to make it clear at every fucking turn that fascists were unwelcome

i ended up just drifting away from the cottagecore tag family over the course of 2019 to focus my gardening/naturalist/diy energies more directly on leftist environmentalism rather than aesthetic. since then, ive been thinking about the difference between cottagecore and the previous tumblr aesthetic i unintentionally joined and intentionally abandoned, kidcore. i have watched the response of both groups to these kinds of issues from a short distance, and i feel like kidcore posters better rose to the challenge of community infiltration by parties with harmful views and intentions. less kidcore bloggers have their DNIs directly in their posts nowadays from what ive seen, but the popular DNI banner phase of the kidcore world seemed to be essential and effective in establishing who the tag was and wasn’t meant for. no effort like this has been widespread on cottagecore tumblr, particularly among popular cottagecore posters, and so the reputational damage and the failure to exclude literal fascists from the main bulk of the aesthetic’s ecosystem continues to persist.

i guess overall the stories of these aesthetics (as i witnessed them) are just an interesting anecdotal comparison of how tolerating individuals that make vulnerable/marginalized members of a community feel threatened lead to that community becoming de-facto dominated (or assumed to be dominated) by those who are making others feel threatened, as vulnerable/marginalized members leave and additional vulnerable/marginalized people are deterred from ever joining. whereas proactively stating boundaries again and again and again leads to the creation of a better safe space, as well as a culture of awareness about the issues at hand

[lucidpantone]

You all really doing this to me again, aren't you?? I just spent months going through this with the Belgians and now the Germans. Ughhh am so tired of this argument. Why is it so hard for people to understand how micro-racism or unconscious bias impacts a poc. We (as in people of color) know full well that a person is not a racist because they harbor the tendencies mentioned above. WE KNOW! However, just because we know doesn’t mean you don’t say and do things that are incredibly hurtful to us and that we don’t get angry or frustrated or just want to scream into the void. Seeing people call Ava aggressive and or unwelcoming because she is legitimately frustrated about probably for the 100th time having to explain to another white naive girl why her pov lacks education is valid. I feel like am in a deja-vu I just went through these exact conversations with wtfock and now am wondering is this what it would have been like if wtfock had only made kato display one or two acts of racism on Moyo? Versus being a blatant racist. Would you be asking the poc to forgive her to excuse the horrible things she did to Moyo because��“she didn’t mean it”. Newsflash folks most racism poc experience is not blatant. It is overt, it is hidden in plain sight. Yes, acts of violence occur all over the world but most of it isn’t like that. It is someone looking at your resume 10sec less than everyone else’s because you have a foreign name or derives from your heritage. Or a cop merely asking you what you’re doing because your hanging out on a side walk even tho they passed 40 other kids hanging out on other side walks but you happen to be black. Its some corporate bro being impressed that you went to a good school because “they just didn’t expect that from you” even though they have no other information to make that assumptions aside from the color of your skin. It is frustrating going through these exercises day in and out because it is a daily reminder that there is some deep embedded sickness in society that deems you the other and not equal. So, yea am sorry Ava doesn’t raise her hand up in the air to once again sacrifice her time to try to educate someone who should seek to try to educate themselves. We know Mailin isn’t a bad person but it doesn’t mean she isn’t ignorant to how society operates at large.

[jindogay]

.

[for-a-muse-of-fire]

chivalry fell on its sword

the wench and the witcher

“chivalry fell on its sword”

Fandom: The Witcher (2019)

Paring: Geralt of Rivia x Fem!POC Reader

Summary: Geralt witnesses one of the many perils involved in your profession. It rattles him enough to try and do something about it.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and violence. Geralt and reader continue to be foul-mouthed little darlings.

A/N: Holy crap, guys, I wrote something that wasn’t smut. “You know what that is? Growth.” Full disclosure, there is no real, actual plan for where I’m going with this series, thing. I’m just here to write shit.

@coconutxraikage​ ; @pantrashtic​ ; @kingniazx​ ; @onyour-right​

“Geralt, is this really necessary?”

“Yes.”

You eye the dirk in your hand. “I cook with these, I don’t fight with them - I’ll fucking stab myself.”

“And that’s why we’re here – so I can show you how not to fucking stab yourself.”

You glare at him. ‘Here’ happens to be the courtyard behind your tavern. The witcher has been with you for three days, warming your bed and keeping you company – even your regulars have started to get used to him. Well, mostly. At the very least, they’ve graduated from ‘outright hostility’ to ‘passive distrust’.

Baby steps.

Your only problem with Geralt’s extended visitation is the fact that he’s become annoyingly protective. He mostly keeps out of the way, doesn’t expect you to change anything about your daily routine to suit him, but having a very large, somewhat menacing companion at your back takes some getting used to. No, you’re not exactly what most people would term as ‘threatening’, but you’ve managed the damn place for near-on five years. Belligerent drunks are simply a hazard of the job. You have a very particular way of managing people when they get out of hand at your establishment, and while it does work – most of the time, kind of – the previous evening was a wholly different story.

_-_-_-_-_-_

“I think you need to leave, friend!“

How the bastard had managed to get this drunk on your watch was beyond you. You were going to have a talk with the staff about over-serving. Right now, you’re more about getting the sod’s hands off the barmaid – he’s ignoring you in favor of trying to drag the poor girl into his lap. “Hey,” you bark again. “I’m talking to you – “

Your hand grabs his shoulder and yanks. The girl he’s pawing manages to worm free as the drunk reels about with a shout of indignation, “Get yer fuckin’ hands off me, daft bitch!”

You have to laugh at that, “I may be a daft bitch, but I’m the one who’s name is on the lease here. You’re harassing my waitstaff, now get the fuck out.”

The bastard scoffs at you and has the unmitigated gall to turn his back on you; you see red. Somewhere behind you, you here the rumble of your name – Geralt, trying to tell you to stand down. You ignore him, obviously, because who’s going to take you seriously if you can’t deal with one drunken shithead? With an irritated growl, you grab said shithead by the back of the collar.

“That’s it – “

“Get off, you fucking slut!”

CRACK. Your vision flashes white for a second, like a firecracker has gone off next to your face. The impact of the back of the drunk’s hand sends you stumbling into the nearest table, bell thoroughly rung. You manage to catch the end of the table before you go spinning to the floor.

Geralt shouts your name. Behind you, your assailant gloats, “Come on, girlie. More where that came from.”

There’s blood in your mouth. You spit, grimace, and grab the nearest heavy object you can find; one of your solid clay pitchers.

It’s makes a satisfying “thunk” when it cracks the drunk across the face.

“Fuck you, prick,” you gasp.

_-_-_-_-_-_

 You’d woken up this morning with an impressive shiner, but that son of a bitch had been dragged off with a shattered jaw, according to the gossip. By your standards, everything had been taken care of, but Geralt didn’t seem to be of the same mind. He’d grumbled something about men and fragile egos - ‘reprisals’, blah blah blah- then hurried you through breakfast, and promptly dragged you out of doors.

So, here you were. Staring at a knife. “Geralt, come on – “

“No, you need to be able to protect yourself – “

“ – I’ve managed just fine for most of my life, thank you very much – “

“You have a black eye – “

“ – and I caved that other guy’s face in!”

“That was a lucky shot and you know it!”

You startle so violently that you almost drop the blade on your foot; you don’t think Geralt’s every actually shouted at you before. He’s glaring at you while a muscle in his jaw ticks and you feel you’re your own temper start to bubble – he can’t just yell at you, and you’ve a mind to rip him a new asshole, because fuck him your goddamn face hurts and you don’t have time for this, but then he’s marching up to you and you give a small grunt of surprise when he grabs you by the shoulders.

“You can’t…” He growls, obviously frustrated, before he continues. “You can’t just hope for the best, sweetheart. You’re tough, and smart, I’ll give you that much, but if someone bigger comes along and decides you’ve got something they want…”

He trails off, lets you go, and paces away. You open your mouth to argue, but then he turns and pins you with those pretty golden eyes – oh.

Oh.

He’s worried.

It’s… unexpected? Yes, that’s the word.

But not unwelcome.

You drop Geralt’s gaze and look at the thin blade in your hand. It’s quite nice, actually – small and light enough to palm against your wrist. Hell, you could probably slide it down the front of your dress, if you ever needed to.

“… So I don’t just jab them with the pointy end?” you finally ask with a weak smile.

The witcher blinks, narrows his eyes, and finally exhales on a chuckle. You tamp down on your smile and do your best to keep your sarcasm in check with he begins instruction. He helps you find the balance point on the dirk, shows you how to hold it underhand, then overhand, followed by a breakdown of how to easily switch your grip.

Next is vital points on human anatomy. You learn that the fastest way to drop a man is to stab him through the neck and let him bleed to death. Stabbing for the heart his more difficult; if your blade glances off a rib, it can get stuck. Same thing with the kidneys in the back – hard to get to, but effective if you can manage it. Geralt shows you on his own torso. You stand in front of him while he guides your hand, keeping the sharp point of the dagger tucked to your wrist and away from his vital parts.

“Aim for the middle, if worse comes to worse,” Geralt tells you. “Stab the bastard and get the fuck out of there – he’s not going to be moving very quickly with a blade in his gut.”

With that, he draws a small-ish knife from his boot and moves to stand beside you. He slowly walks you through defensive stances, watching you like a hawk to correct anything he sees as a potential opening. Each movement is numbered and he has you drill through each one, first in order, and then in random patterns of his choosing. You only realize how long you’ve been at it when your arms start to ache. Tending bar can be hard work, but this is a different sort of practice – you’re a little winded, and a little sweaty, but you grin and shake your head when Geralt asks if you want to stop.

“No,” you tell him. “No, I think I’m getting it. Give me more.”

There’s a fierce kind of pride behind his eyes when he nods. Flipping the grip on his blade, he turns to face you and raises an eyebrow. He attacks with slow, even movements and you counter just as slowly. It’s like dancing. When you stumble or misstep, he stops, and the dance begins again.

You only make it through two sequences, at first, but then it’s three.

Then four.

Then five.

And then you realize that Geralt hasn’t stopped to correct your form in some time. He’s gained speed, as well, and you’re able to keep up. You find yourself watching not just the glint of his blade in the sunlight, but the tension and flexion of his arm, or the way he twists at the waist – all of it gives you a clue as to where he might go next. The dance flows back and forth over the cobblestone courtyard, accompanied by the whispering of your blades when then slide together and deflect. Geralt’s smooth, flowing steps push you back towards a wall, but you find an opening, spinning under his arm and back to the center of the courtyard. The witcher is hot on your heels, sweeping a wide arch that you duck under.

Then Geralt missteps. You swipe forward without thinking and leave a thin line of blood on his forearm. He swears and hops back.

Shit – you drop your blade immediately, let it clatter onto the stones below. “Geralt,” you gasp. “Fuck it, I’m sor – hmph!”

Geralt sweeps you up, careful of his unsheathed weapon, and kisses you quite thoroughly. You’re startled for a moment, but it doesn’t take long for you to relax; you melt into his touch and wind an arm around his neck. When he finally draws back, you’re more than a little breathless, and it’s not just from the training.

“Good,” he murmurs. Honey-gold eyes stare down at you, and he lifts one hand to gently push your sweaty curls away from your face. “You did good, sweetheart.”

You’re only a little sorry when he lets you go and picks up your knife, holding it handle-out for you to take. “Find a place to keep that,” he says lowly. “Your bodice, your boot, your garter – doesn’t matter, long you can reach it without fumbling. Understood?”

You smirk. “Understood,” you confirm.

Geralt gives you one of his almost-smiles, offers you one more brief kiss, and turns back for the tavern. “Just think how good you’ll get when we have you working at this every day,” he calls over his shoulder.

You blanche. Every…

Shit. “Son of a bitch,” you mutter as you follow the witcher inside.

[derbycityjbgc]

To the Louisville Protest and Movement Community from Medusa:

A dox was recently released about me by a group calling themselves Louisville Radical Federation. This group consists of Louisville ARA members, RAM (Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement) members, Louisville Street Medic members, and others associated with them. It contained a lot of information, incorrect information, while also revealing information about myself. I would like to take this time to address accusations against me and highlight the who and the why behind all of this.

Poor Security/Snitch:

These accusations against me come on the heels of attempts to call me a snitch and blame me for poor security culture. The basis for this accusation is me mentioning “the uhaul dox” on the LMPD live feed from Sept 26 (which is no longer on their Facebook page). 

The “uhaul dox” was a reference to a situation created by Louisville ARA members who rented a uHaul in their own names, but with an old address on their license 

Well-known (both locally and nationally, and in far right, white supremacist circles) Louisville ARA members were recorded on video unmasked handing out gear (hard banners, masks, goggles, etc) to protesters in an open parking lot

They were identified by far-right activists and the uHaul truck identified by its license and serial number

An employee at uHaul leaked internal call logs with the account information related to the rental with names and addresses included

A phone call of someone pretending to be uHaul was recorded with an ARA member where questions are answered and more information is given away 

All of this is documented over and over again on YouTube. 

It became a national story, trending on twitter, with even New York Times and Politifact articles written about it, with many right wing media incorrectly attempting to connect organizations and people to George Soros

While it was absolutely a poor choice on my part to mention “the uhaul dox” to anyone, especially police, there is no grounds for blaming the entire situation on me. In fact, the use of poor security culture by Louisville ARA created and enhanced the entire situation from beginning to end. 

The accusation of poor security culture is a deflection of their own poor security culture choices highlighted above. Repeated actions of those associated with Louisville ARA, RAM, and other groups have created unsafe situations at the park over and over again. 

Unwanted Sexual Advances:

Yes, I have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol while engaging in sexual activity. I admit to that, while also wanting to point out that I have also taken steps over the last year to minimize my usage of different substances and when I have slipped up, have been accountable for it and asked for forgiveness with a renewed promise to do better. Those people know who they are and there is no reason to drag them into anything. 

In regards to the specific instance mentioned in the dox:

Both individuals involved were under the influence of substances

We had sex twice - once before sleep, once after sleep

I repeatedly asked for consent during the interaction, as each step progressed

This person then stayed at my house for multiple days after the interaction

The insinuation of a power dynamic around age disregards the other power dynamics that existed, such as this person’s connection to a founding member of Louisville ARA

I was later told by this person’s friends that they were in a committed relationship with someone else during the time of our interaction

This person denies that they were in a relationship at the time, but I have been approached by others given similar information much later after the interaction occurred

The twisted version of this interaction is not what was told to former partners of this person

This person repeatedly approached me this summer regarding our interaction describing it as “great” and saying “I wish we could do it again”

The interaction took place almost two years ago and I have not been a part of the community for almost a year, there has definitely been ample time to address the interaction or any issues with it before now without power dynamic issues or threat given that I was not a member of the community

I have not once been approached by Louisville ARA or their affiliates regarding accountability for this interaction since it occurred

The other individual a part of the interaction in the past has been repeatedly called in regarding consent issues, defense of far right political personalities, sex work shaming, transphobic behavior, toxic masculinity, and other issues and in fact, left Louisville ARA because of the accountability call in for those things

If the intent was to hold me accountable, spreading rumors of rape in bars or a public call out without any attempts at restorative and transformative justice is not constructive or appropriate. 

I do want to hold space for those I have hurt though, intentionally or unintentionally, with my actions. I am truly, deeply sorry if anything I have done has resulted in making anyone feel unsafe. Should there be a genuine request for an accountability process, I would wholeheartedly engage in it. 

Ignoring/Disregarding POC on Sept 26:

The accusation was made that I presented myself as a police liaison on the night of Sept 26, despite being asked not to do so by several POC. 

I never once refer to myself as a police liaison, nor have I ever

The decision to approach the police line was made by a group of people tasked with protecting protesters and the church, and clergy:

Clergy and armed protection asked folks to go into the church building when the explosion occurred

Multiple intel sources, including bike scouts, indicated LMPD was gearing up to enter the church property with or without a warrant (confirmed by Interim Chief Schroeder in testimony to Metro Council)

LMPD sent all media away from the location, so we invited a 502Livestreamer to come with us to document the exchange

I was not approached by any POC or Black organizers at any point during these conversations 

Multiple members of the armed protection team were initially going to the police line but the others were called back to deal with a situation

When a group of three Black individuals approached the police line after we had already talked to police, I immediately stepped away and created space for them to negotiate.

All of this is recorded on camera, including church security footage with sound, and can be confirmed by members of the clergy and the other people who were a part of the interactions

Ultimately attempts at negotiation were finalized by the Black woman who came forward 

When the offer to return home between 3-3:30am was given, I actively encouraged people to stay at the church, but later was informed that members of Louisville ARA and their associates went behind me and told people to leave, that staying was a trap. 

In fact, the trap was telling people they could freely and safely arrive home

LMPD arrested 28+ protesters on their way home, some were disappeared for a number of hours before it was known what happened to them

POC Claim:

The accusation is made that I am falsely claiming to be a person of color based on an immediate relative’s DNA test. 

At no point did a “calling in” conversation take place, no actual conversation around this specific issue ever took place. Comments made in passing or a two minute conversation absolutely do not qualify as a calling in.

I did not know it was considered an issue to others until it was screamed in my face during an outburst that had nothing to do with my identity

This is being claimed by a group of people who have no knowledge of the growth, journey, insights, or nuances I have experienced, nor was there ever an attempt to have those conversations

This group repeatedly discussed their feelings and thoughts about me without my input, knowledge, or clarification, including with other organizers in an attempt to discredit me

Out of state persons with whom I had never conversed about my identity publicly dragged me in a large group Signal chat referring to me as “Rachel Dolezal” among other name calling and abusive behavior

This is complicated. Yes, I discovered Roma in my family through a DNA test, that is true. I spent a large amount of time studying the culture, digging into my family’s background to understand better how we tied into the Romani, learning my heritage and history, and had many, many discussions with POC and Black folks about what I was learning. In fact, several of the POC I had discussions with, who had encouraged me to identify as POC and to embrace my Roma heritage are the same people now accusing me of being fake. The main source of those accusations though, come from white people, specifically ARA members who have been unsupportive from the very beginning and showed their indifference to even attempting to engage in conversation.

I am not going to try to convince anyone of who I am or am not. I have spoken with Roma elders; I know my Vitsa; I have Romanipen. I practice my beliefs as Roma. I am Roma. Who I am, my identity, is not up to someone else to debate. 

I have never attempted to engage in oppression olympics with anyone. I have rarely ever even discussed my own experiences regarding racial profiling. I have occasionally shared articles or images highlighting Roma history and present, which is a story of oppression, and held discussions around educating people about oppression and profiling Roma have experienced, including the use of slurs such as g*psy or the appropriation of aesthetic such as bohemian or g*psy “soul”. I have argued that the fight against white supremacy and Nazism is a fight for Roma, because it is. Unfortunately, Roma and other ethnic minorities have been excluded from the conversation of liberation at the square to such a degree that most feel unwelcome and unwanted there.

If the disagreement is around the concept that someone cannot discover parts of themselves late in life and find a source of identity in that, I would argue that is engaging in gatekeeping, exclusionism, and toxic internalized white supremacy.

If the disagreement is around the concept that Roma people are not people of color, that is racist. 

Roma are not even recognized as a people group in the US. Claiming that my identity is invalidating to POC is antiziganism. My identity is mine. Those who take issue with it are transferring their own insecurities regarding their identity on to me. It is toxic, racist, and unfair.

Bad Intel Sharing:

Intel is a communal effort and comes from many, many sources, not one; generally intel/information I share has been passed to me by others

Constantly moving actions, pieces, and groups create an impossible situation for having ALL the information before making decisions

Louisville ARA, RAM, and others associated with them refused to participate in standard communications that other groups and people were a part of (including Signal chats, Zello groups, radio comms, etc)

They encouraged people at First Unitarian Church to leave the property despite curfew causing multiple arrests

They have repeatedly attempted to spread wrong intel about fellow activists to discredit them and push them out of the movement

They have failed to show up to situations when back up or help was requested

They refuse to cooperate or engage with information that comes from any source other than themselves, gatekeeping regarding issues of safety and security for protesters 

They have gone as far as claiming that the vouches of other people are invalid based on their personal assessment, not on any empirical evidence

Grifter/Jumping from group to group:

I am not originally from Louisville and I have only been a part of the leftist scene here for about four years. Many of the people in different organizations and communities have a history that I do not share. So, yes, I have spent time in different groups, trying to find my place in the movement. 

I truly thought I had found that place with Louisville ARA, but after the two years of toxicity, I couldn’t handle it anymore. When I distanced myself from them, I lost my friend group, my community and it broke my heart. 

However, I believe in cultivating healthy relationships and community, not one based on codependency and narcissistic centering. When I left Louisville ARA, I immersed myself in studying intentional communities, transformative and restorative justice, and how to address conflict/harm. 

I wrote out my dreams for a community. I shared those dreams with some others who I thought also believed in them. Rather than engaging healthily when the dox came out, most of those who I thought shared my vision of community left me standing alone rather than putting the ideals we had agreed to into practice. It’s been a very painful realization for me to know where people truly stand, but I would rather know who is true than not know. 

Conclusion:

While we all make poor decisions, and I am not excusing mine in any way (and have been willing to admit to them, accept correction, and remove myself when necessary), I have always maintained that if people feel unsafe, they should only engage to their comfort level. 

Certain people who are now accusing me of these things had inserted themselves into conversations that they were intentionally not invited to because of their discomfort with certain actions. In every instance of an action or idea, I have made clear that only people who are willing to take on the danger of an action should be involved. I would not want it to be any other way, even if that means people backing out or removing themselves from an action. Safety is, and always has been, my greatest concern. 

Many actions and ideas were brought up throughout the summer that eventually were tabled or decided to not complete due to safety issues. I am certainly not the only person who has had ideas in this movement and it is the height of hypocrisy to claim one person is unsafe, a subjective term at the very least, during a revolutionary movement in which so many engaged in “unsafe” actions.

The accusations against me are a spiteful smear campaign and an attempt to divert attention from their own actions that have created unsafe situations for multiple people

It’s an attempt to lash out and place blame on anyone other than themselves for their actions

I distanced myself from Louisville ARA in Sept/Oct of 2019 and officially left the organization in December 2019, having not been a part of their work for several months

I did not reconnect with members until May 2020, when the movement kicked off

I left Louisville ARA because I witnessed, and was the recipient of, toxic, manipulative, abusive behaviors

I had multiple anxiety attacks due to narcissistic, controlling behaviors

I felt they no longer represented or acted in connection with their supposed points of unity

By doxxing me, they revealed my legal name to the far-right movement - despite pictures of myself on social media, I had been so far undoxxed by the alt/far right 

Doxxing of fellow activists is a huge faux pax in the antifascist community

I had not yet been publicly doxxed by anyone 

They deadnamed me, as a trans person, by giving far right activists my legal name

This is completely against any sort of socially acceptable standard 

Put me, my partner, and my child in danger

This was an act of betrayal, a way to manipulate against someone to cause them hurt and harm. 

The lies, manipulation, and mind games existed from the early stages of the movement in May behind my back

Louisville ARA, specifically, manipulated and used me to gain information 

They used my connections to people they thought were undesirable to work with as a way to manipulate the movement 

Once I became independent of them, I was considered undesirable to work with as well

They fabricated relationships with me as a way to continue to use me for their enjoyment and gain

They have continued to terrorize and threaten me, implying that physical harm would take place, even so far as to stalk me at the memorial for Travis where I was grieving the loss of a friend (who, incidentally, was someone they refused to work with and had no relationship with)

They have consistently engaged in a “my way or the highway” attitude toward relationships and the moment someone doesn’t fall in line, they are ostracized

I truly believed I was in community with them. They took advantage of this to manipulate and abuse me

Louisville Radical Federation has also displayed incredibly abusive and unsafe behavior outside of simply doxxing me: 

Cis members of Louisville ARA physically threatening trans people, and when there was push back on it, declared they did not care of it made them transphobic

Stealing untold amounts of money from comrades, including using my debit card without my knowledge or permission after their dox in an attempt to terrorize me

Repeated fatphobic comments and behavior

Openly threatening physical harm on myself and my partner

Making disparaging comments about fellow protesters, houseless folks, organizers (including Black women), and others

Engaging in clique behavior, while mocking those not “in” constantly (and often behind people’s backs)

Refusing to return borrowed items totaling around $500 including my tactical kit and body armor plates

Running abuse survivors out of the movement because the abuser is their friend

Allowing abusers to remain in the community with no accountability process and making excuses for behavior

Constant misgendering of trans folks, often intentionally

Behavior indicating non-binary trans people are not trans or not trans enough to be a part of conversations around the murders of trans folks

Conducting medic trainings with old, outdated, and incorrect information without certification and refusing to correct their inaccuracies when they were pointed out

Actively engaging in gatekeeping, gaslighting, and disrespect toward others, going so far as to claim to others that vouches or recommendations were invalid

Political purity and gatekeeping of the movement 

Repeatedly re-escalating dangerous situations during high risk actions that had already been deescalated by Black folks and other protective minded folks

Deliberately choosing to not respond to information about Nazis or local alt-right figures being at bars or other locations, failing to uphold their own points of unity

Lying to therapists, psychiatrists, and other mental health workers to keep from being accountable for actions, behaviors, and abuses

Centering whiteness in conversations about race and racialization

Tokenizing POC and Black people, as well as trans comrades

Gatekeeping trans, POC, and other marginalized communities with standards set by themselves as cis, white folks 

Disregarding claims of abuse against individuals in their community, gaslighting survivors

Stalking and harassing former members of the community

Building a reputation of toxic, manipulative, exclusionary behaviors among antifascists circles

Appointing themselves as the authority on antifascism, especially in regards to organizing, being in the streets, and actions

Invalidating the trauma of other antifascists from actions such as Charlottesville

Consistently carrying firearms without proper training or discipline and/or without knowledge of the specific firearm they were carrying

Using their trauma to manipulate others from being actively engaged on the streets when it was needed

Engaging in oppression olympics, especially with a mindset of harmful behavior toward others when they were the most privileged people in the space (having a complex about anyone with more oppression than themselves)

Putting businesses they frequent at risk by bringing in underage people to drink

Hosting parties and events where underage people engaged in drinking and substance use, putting everyone in the space at risk (sometimes without consent)

Stigmatizing certain mental health issues and using them to manipulate others against persons 

I am in no way absolving myself of bad, toxic/harmful behavior. I am absolutely guilty of causing harm, of engaging in toxic attitudes, and making very poor judgment calls. We all are toxic. We all have caused harm. We all engage in bad behavior. No one is innocent. Should I be called in about some things, most assuredly. And those who have taken the time to sit with me, to ask questions, to discuss the issues, have not shied away from telling me where I have faulted. If I have made anyone feel unsafe, compromised, and invalid in any way, I want to apologize sincerely and would love the opportunity to do so in person. 

A community that supports and believes in itself exercises grace, compassion, transformation, and restoration with itself, with each individual. To intentionally dox, ostracize, and scapegoat a person is not community. It’s not engaging in liberation work. Harm does not fix harm. We will never get free if we can’t free ourselves from the internalized toxicity that each of us has. Liberation is undoing toxic behaviors, not branding someone as unfixable. Liberation is freedom to fuck up and do better. Liberation is grace. Liberation is learning, transforming, restoring. Liberation is who we choose to be, how we choose to live, what we choose to believe in. I chose liberation.

[nonipsduck]

Hey fellas, I’m back again with our Indruck- oriented server, Eggnostic! I’m Alexander, and 1/3rd of the mod team, but more importantly, I’m here to say that we will be accepting members again for a short period of time! Details under the cut.

We’re friendly, chatty folks- if you’re not interested fast-paced convos we probably aren’t for you! We do our best to keep things fresh and active, but as a result of such, have found it necessary to implement several rules. I ask you read over them before you decide if this server is for you or not.

1) Be Cool

   1A) This includes respecting these creators. Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to their face, both in terms of subject and tone. The language you use conveys a different meaning (ie saying ‘griffin goofed that a little vs berating him) and that matters.

   1B) Going off of the above point, we have decided to ban hypothetical “maybe whys” regarding late episodes. While often well-meaning in giving them credit for not being perfect-content producing machines, it does not change the fact that theories are for characters, not real people.

   1C) We also have decided to ban anxiety-ridden “What-ifs” regarding on why episodes may be delayed: if it is causing you serious emotional distress, it belongs in vent (however if the conversation spirals into people spouting off what-ifs we will intervene).

2) c'mooooooon

   2A) We discourage hyper-analysis of TAZ as it is simply put, not built or meant for that and will not stand up to such analysis, which can be a big downer on a server about loving TAZ. There is no actual prohibition on such conversations… for the time being.

   2B) Our stance on art/fic shaming is as follows: If it falls under obama's second amendment, such as whitewashing tones or features, conflicts with LGBT/ND/POC canon or headcanons (bearing in mind lots of folks are projecting their own real-life struggles), or the content is so horrifically awful (:remyvore:), you're fine. Direct attacks on the arts style, quality, and general artistry will not be tolerated.

id like to make sure everyones actually reading these to some extent, so please tell me your favorite amnesty character n why when you ask to join!

   2C) Related to the aforementioned headcanons, there will be little tolerance for "but why"-ing POC,ND, and LGBT headcanons. It is also unnecessary to insert that you disagree with someone else's headcanon on such topics. Serious, genuine discussion is fine.

   2D) Minimum server age is 14, Maximum 25. Please do not invite anyone to the server without privately asking a moderator. Public requests will be ignored and/ or deleted.

   2E) We want to highlight everyone art fairly, so #art-and-stuff has a 5 minute (ish) cooldown between art posts. We just ask you wait five or so minutes before posting your art after someone else.

   2F) Please be conscientious in both vent channels. Obviously ‘mood’, ‘same’, ‘kin’ ‘f’, ect are entirely inappropriate and won't be tolerated, longer messages with the same message (‘yea i’ve been there sucks man, oh yeah me too, ect) are equally unwelcome. Overly dismissive, Overly aggressive, or condescending (in nature or tone) solutions are also not appropriate.(edited)

3) nice.

   3A) We love goofs and japes, and for this we have #really-wild-shit . For serious and horny NSFW discussion, we have exactly no channel because we don’t want it here. At all. Thanks.

4) We'd like to keep a deeply connected server, and in that case it does not make sense to have everything fall under the mods jurisdiction. If you find something to be in poor taste or in violation of OMA, simply respond with an :eye: emoji. If you need immediate action, or would like a mod to address a situation in any way, simply shoot us a ping.(edited)

5) Blacklist content. Not to be discussed or mentioned in any context. DM mod to add.

   - Drug Use

   - Alcohol

   - Self Harm

   - Suicidal Ideation + Threats

It is worth noting that these are rules for members already within the server, who have already established that they have many hc’s, theories, ect in common. While we cannot ask, much less enforce the following, know the following going in:

> Duck content is all presumed Trans unless stated otherwise… although if you feel the need to state otherwise you probably won’t enjoy the server anyways.

> George is the result of a 3+ hour debate over voice call and is the collective child of not only Indrid and Duck, but our server as a whole. He was and continues to be something we bond over. I’m not saying you gotta know all the lore (because good lord I dont even know it all) but realistically you’ll wanna at least enjoy the little raccoon king we’ve created.

> The rules are clear about NSFW content, but to elaborate on an area in particular: this server is Indruck and Barclane oriented. Chatter of other, conflicting ships isn’t… restricted, but folks are allowed to nip and tease ya. The exceptions only being age gap content (Duck/Pidge, Duck/Leo, Duck/Ned, basically anything around a 20+ age difference. ) and Anyone x Beacon content (he’s a sword with a mouth, and we know you aren’t thinking of him whispering sweet nothings).

> That being said we loooove a good goof. There are several running jokes and recurring topics that may make you uncomfortable, including but not limited to: vore, oviposition, piss, monster and robot fuckers, ect. They’re 110% ironic, but do occasionally spill out of the wild-shit channel for the sake of us being funny bastards.

if you’d like to join, reply to this post, do NOT dm me. im busy this week and it lets the other mods help out too.

We’ll be accepting 10 new folks, and its not super first come first serve. If you join and find that we aren’t for you, no worries: we do not have public exit messages. Thanks for reading!

[piccolina-mina]

My apologies @witchwolfmouse. I realized I kinda hijacked your post regarding M*ribel:

Y’all there’s room for people to ship Isobel/Maria and there is room for other people to be critical of the ship considering Isobel’s treatment of Maria and how deeply Maria dislikes Isobel because of how she treated Rosa... If you’re going to ship the two of them, considering what’s unfolded between the two of them onscreen thus far, then you’ve got to be prepared for some people not to be about it, especially fans of color and wlw of color and especially black fans who fall into either or both categories.

And I admittedly got in my feelings and droned on more than anticipated, so I made my reply into a post, since it was so long.

I'm ship and let ship. I have been that way from the beginning. The only reason I even became as vocal about shipping in this fandom in the first place was because of how unwelcoming it was for anyone who shipped anything alternative from the canon ships. There should be equal space for shipping and for those critical of it, and for a long time there wasn't equal space just all of one or the other depending on the ship.

Ironically, now it's slightly more equal but ridiculously divisive for silly reasons, but I digress.

I do think that an inability to take shipper goggles or whatever goggles off to actually understand certain criticisms about race and its relation to shipping, fandom, and within the show and how it's handled there has led to a lot of defensiveness by some who only see criticism as negative attacks, then respond in defense, which prompts defensive responses back and a host of others feeling genuinely invalidated and unheard, especially when what they are pointing out is skirted over.

There are genuine people who ship maribel, and hey, if you like it, I love it for you. I don't have to ship it or agree with it, but for those who genuinely love it, more power to them. Flood the tags for them. Make content.

Ironically, that's literally all I personally wanted from the beginning. Diversified content and discussions even if it's not my thing. By doing so, it makes me smile. It's all I ever wanted so it's not a nuisance for me personally.

Plus in this case, while I don't care for Isobel or the ship, I'll never say no to more Maria content. Fk it up!

Regarding M*ribel and discourse. To put it bluntly, and to go back to where some of the original friction and frustration stemmed in this fandom. The beauty of it is how much space there is to discuss in detail all angles of the amazing queer representation which I love, but the inability to discuss the race representation and issues and even the intersectional aspect of race and queerness, not without it always somehow stepping on the toes of queerness.

A wlw ship would be amazing. Hell, if it's done well, maybe this wlw ship could be amazing. Ship away, but also, please, know that someone criticizing it for legitimate reasons doesn't have to mean they are invalidating you or the wlw representation, especially when someone's criticism may be coming at it from an angle of a POC, or WOC, or QWOC who also feel invalidated. Quite damn often.

There are a lot of racial aspects of this show where despite the show's diversity, are very problematic or uncomfortable (a diverse cast does not mean all diverse issues disappear, if anything, it highlights them more so). And fans of color who voice them or have a different take than you should not have to be lambasted because they are approaching something from a different angle you may or may not have the experience with or know about.

LGBTQ fans some of whom may not be of color can look through their lenses of their own representation and what that means good or bad. But fans of color also do the same. We're always going to do the same. We can't shut that off as it's our identity and how we see the world through our experiences. Just like many of you, and those of both do it from both angles too.

There's a heterosexual bias willingly acknowledged frequently in fandom "the straights" or "the heteros" and that's fair and valid. Rarely does anyone enter the space and get pissy about that and not without being checked directly or indirectly. But you can't enter the tag and present something from a POC viewpoint or a WOC viewpoint without being directly or indirectly checked and often by people who honest to goodness aren't in the position to do so and show that based on how they choose to address or frame something.

Why? Why the "I don't see it that way so it must not be true?" Or "prove it or your lying" angle? Why do fans of color--too many to be dismissed as a fluke-- have to explain or otherwise be invalidated? That is what that is. Invalidation.

A racial bias being acknowledged or even a gender one makes people defensive or uncomfortable or unkind. That isn't fair. That isn't awesome.

And it has been a problem for a very long time.

Now if we're talking about m*ribel. Where some may see a wlw ship, a classic enemies to lovers ship, two beautiful women who could be something magical... Maria being in on the alien secret via Isobel... snarky personalities and sniding becoming something deeper ... hot hate sex ... two badass women who have been through some sh!t being a badass couple together... I do get the angle.

Where some people see that, I personally see a ship that makes me uncomfortable. I understand not everyone will see it as I do, and that's okay, as I said, ship and let ship.

But for me, when I think of Maribel, I think of Isobel violating Maria and her mind without her consent. I think of how disturbing it is that another woman did that to another woman without thinking about it as a violation (you don't have to agree, but much like what Noah did to Isobel at more extreme levels, it makes ME think of the rape and power dynamics and abuse dynamics).

I see someone who has had a total disregard for humans outside of her presumed husband violating them at will with powers she has yet to fully gain control of thus putting herself and those she violated at risk. I think of how unusual it is that she doesn't even have friends she hangs out with and doesn't know how to be one, or to be nurturing, or kind, or considerate.

And I don't know if I would like to see her with someone who is snarky and such, but also all of those things too. I see someone who is selfish in general and selfish in all of her relationships, and it's troubling (to me) when someone so inherently selfish is ever combined with someone who isn't because of how draining that is.

And to me, Isobel is the most selfish character with no give, and I don't care for the (far too common) trope of a black woman having to guide her into the light as a project and build her into a better person.

I think of an unfortunate history of women of color being violated not just by men but also white women that goes back centuries.

I see Isobel's total disregard for Maria's life and agency. I see Isobel's sense of entitlement she cannot seem to shake where she thinks she is entitled to Maria's acceptance and attention and her anger that Maria has the audacity to dislike her because apparently people are supposed to like her even when she treats almost everyone terribly. Which is a very subtle but very insidious barely noticeable dog whistle type of example most people of color can attest to as an example of white privilege.

I see someone who has clung to Maria specifically despising her on behalf of Rosa (and maribel shippers are welcome to interpret it as confirmation of a crush or attraction, and they can do so I understand that take, too) so much so that her primary reason for believing that Maria was an evil alien killer was the fact that Maria didn't like her nor as a psychic with legitimate abilities didn't allow Isobel to violate her.

The racial context of that scene alone was bothersome because of two cops jumping to a conclusion and sharing their theory with citizens with no concrete proof before speaking to their suspect (Maria) and using the word of a known racist and an entitled white woman with a grudge (Isobel) to support their theory, which if that doesn't parallel real life and how POC can find themselves at the mercy of the criminal justice system due to this, I don't know what is.

I see a woman who didn't have the slightest grasp of mind violation until she was violated by a brown man (who subsequently ended up being the presumed big bad of the season). That's what I see with M*ribel.

Where some shippers are able to see the chance for more LGBT rep and that's valid. I see troubling racial undertones that genuinely make me almost as uncomfortable as Noah and Isobel, and that too should be valid, and considered, and respected, and not dismissed, or misconstrued deliberately or otherwise.

There should be space for the criticism too, and the different takes, especially takes deeply rooted in another form of disenfranchisement. Just, consider and respect that sometimes. Not all fans of color will have the same take, we're all different people, so no one person can speak for the others, which means sometimes there will be opinions that differ on reasons that relate to race, and that's okay too.

From the first episode until now. Through Maria sidelining, and maricael/miluca shipping, and Malex angst, and Echo obstacles, and Liz decentralization, and the demonization of Noah, and Rosa injustice...through all of, there are things that should be discussed freely without being invalidated, dismissed, or made into something else.

There are many ways in which there will be race perspectives and things fans of color will present and ponder that other fans may not consider at all. And sometimes it will spill into something you like or enjoy, but those feelings especially about something so personal and specific and real ... even if you don't like them, or agree with them, or they make you uncomfortable or defensive, they matter too.

[santamonicayachtclub]

#the presence of poc crew members doesn't invalidate the discomfort felt by other pocs who chose to move on. THANK YOU for this. god i was getting so upset with how people are defending Mythical or questioning Saagar's job performance instead of understanding that maybe he wasn't treated well >:(

Hey nonny nonny, bless you to infinity and beyond for reading my tags. It turned my stomach when I saw so many responses trying to justify a work environment that clearly made Saagar uncomfortable. We know so little of what happened that grasping at straws to paint him as the bad guy is just ridiculous. For all we know, the rest of the POC crew members have no issues whatsoever, but for all we know there could also be some of them who feel as pissed off as Saagar. Either way, it’s unfair to say that Mythical can’t be an unwelcoming environment simply because there are still POCs working there. 

I’m a member of a facebook group with the word dyke in its name, which is a term I’m super uncomfortable with for a variety of reasons, but I stick with the group because I’ve made some good friends and they put on fun events. At at glance, some people might think all of us are 100% cool with being called dykes since surely anyone who isn’t wouldn’t be a group member. At the same time, there are people I know who embrace the term dyke but recoil at queer, which is my identifier of choice. Intersectionality is complex shit and presuming to know someone’s feelings based on the barest evidence is rarely a good look.

This got a little “I am uncomfortable when we are not about me” but in all fairness, so did some of the responses on that post. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

At any rate, it’s okay to have faves who sometimes do problematic things! Rhett and Link are intelligent, caring people and I doubt they would ever intentionally do anything to make an employee feel unwelcome (leaving aside all the costumes they force Chase into). I do wonder if, before he left, Saagar detailed his rationale and gave them some food for thought, though he certainly wasn’t obligated to do so. There are clearly still some areas they need to work on, and that just makes them human.

[bandomslayed]

The thing is if you’re a white person reading all of this and you truthfully know you are not the problem then you have no reason to feel offended. If you’re white and you know you’ve been very welcoming of POC and received them into this space with a willingness to listen and right your wrongs then none of this applies to you. POC aren’t trying to drive white writers out either. They’re not saying if you’re white you cannot roleplay in bandom anymore. They’re pros at co-existing alongside white writers by now. They’re actually not that desperate to fit into your white spaces anymore either. We’ve had to make peace with the fact that we are not wanted here and we’ve created our own spaces where we do feel safe with mods we trust. We also have white friends so we are very aware #not all whites. Just because we’ve made our peace it doesn’t mean we have to always be quiet either. There are times where we do wanna be heard because none of this is a recent development. Some of us have been here for years dealing with the same situations in different forms and contexts. The only real difference is that some of us are less docile and willing to let things slide after years of being secluded and disrespected.

Which brings me to my other point. This pattern of leaving one group for another group by conveniently blaming mods for all the disasters is pointless. The ongoing issue of isolating POC and disregarding their existence and concerns within the community doesn’t start with Fever and its mods and it won’t end there. They’re just the new fall guys in a long list of fall guys. Like Bandomslayed said the mods are accommodating the outlandish requests and demands of their members. Mods will continue to do that because they don’t want drama and all these anons prove why mods are obliging to these requests. White writers cannot take no for an answer and refuse to look at things from a different perspective. They’ve built this space for so long around prioritising their ignorant demands even when those requests and demands are rooted in racism or offensive to someone else’s existence. The issue with POC being unwelcome isn’t exclusive to a politics tag. Making mod notes or posts claiming how you’re not like the mods before in your brand new groups and boldly asserting you’re gonna create safe spaces for POC is meaningless when this issue runs deep and is the fault of the bandom community as a whole. Leaving one group for another isn’t gonna fix anything. Majority of the time they wouldn’t even leave these groups if there wasn’t any backlash to begin with. These writers only leave these groups for the sake of performative appearances so they assure themselves they’re not racist. When it comes down to having an actual conversation with POC or accommodating their needs or apologizing for a misstep we know how often white writers have responded with “I didn’t like your tone” “You were attacking me”. Pulling out of Fever doesn't mean a thing. Fever is not the issue and it never was the leading culprit. The issue is this community and the white writers in it who are quick to self victimize and dismiss anyone who tells them they're in the wrong. Saying you want to create safe spaces for POC is meaningless when you’re only willing to maybe facilitate POC if they hold your hand through it. If you really wanna make the space welcoming for POC stop putting your rage towards them in every instance and take collective responsibility.

i can't believe u went out of ur way to be so nice and eloquent i hope they read this i truly do.

[saltoftheao3]

1/3 I saw a post on here about how fandom is supposed to be about possibility and it made me laugh. Fandom is not canon it said. It shouldn't be, but unfortunately fandom, aside from being very 'white man gay', pretty much falls in line with everything canon is: a space that is unsafe, unwelcoming and devoid of both POC fans and POC fictional characters, a space where female characters and ships fall into the background or simply dissapear, a space where interest begins and ends with males...

2/3 a space that is completely unwilling to accept criticism especially one that comes from mlm or POCs, a space that exploits real life pain in the name of art, and oh no no better not hear a peep from people who felt and feel that pain! because ‘censorship!!’ and ‘how dare you limit me’ and ‘DLDR!’, because of course art should be limitless right? and how lucky we are to have people willing to take it that far huh! and explore the darkness of humanity 

3/3…except when you point out the limits of fanworks suddenly its ‘well I’m limited by canon u see’ or ‘I’m limited by my knowledge’ or ‘I only write for fun’. Apparently writing a slavery AU is within reach, but writing a POC character is just too hard. If you think fandom is a perfect place of fun possibilities, it’s probably because it caters to you and is centered around you, for some of us its just same ol’, except we have to shut up and drink the kool-aid cause nobody like a party pooper            

Hey anon, those are all very valid concerns, and it’s true that fandom often sucks. Here’s a very good list of tumblr blogs on POC representation, to put positie diverse content on your dash.

In general, I find it hard to criticize people for just, you know, liking things. Yes, the reason why particular narratives/characters are appealing and why other are dismissed is often shaped by internalized mysoginy, racism etc. - but that happens mostly on an unconscious level, and therefore is hard to change through actively calling people out on it. Being passionate about fictional stuff doesn’t feel like a political act to most, even when on some underlying level, it is.

I do hope that movies like Black Panther or series like Brooklyn 99 will be game-changer and set new trends in fandom, make fans be invested in POC and wlw more.

Anyway, I can relate to your bitterness, representation, even fictional one, matters so much.

(p.s. followers, I know this is a touchy subject, but let’s keep the discussion civil, shall we?) 

[beameized]

Tbh, I agree with this sentiment as someone from a country who has always been neck-deep in US Imperialism. But I sincerely hope you guys stop using POC to mean non-white people outside US, Canada, UK or other countries that adopted the term because they also primarily deal with Racism.

Here's a chart to illustrate how the term should be used.

The use of POC for us is doing more harm than good. It places local supremacist or foreign non-white supremacists in positions where they can cry out racism and oppression when they literally are the oppressors themselves.

My country (the Philippines) has always been hurdled by US Imperialism but it is now facing CHN Imperialism too. There are fuel substitutes found under the West Philippine Sea and China wants them. They have taken over our islands and claim the area as theirs. They even have warships deployed there. Our Administration are good buddies with them. They allow big CHN business operations to go untaxed while they'd target even the smallest Filipino online seller. Other Southeast Asians can also attest to China's actions towards Southeast Asian waters.

Imperialists used the POC/Racism argument with rise of CHN Imperialism. People were mad about Imperialism but somehow, we were painted as the one's at fault for making "People of Color" (Rich Chinese Nationals) feel unwelcomed--- for aahh yes, *checks note*: (1) leaving Filipino fisherfolk to die at sea after destroying their boats but thankfully they were saved by a Vietnamese boat; (2) buying off our administration; (3) taking islands of the Philippines and making military bases in them; (4) conducting business but not getting taxed for it; (5) did I mention buying off our politicians yet?; (6) having our country called a Province of China, (7) did I mention taking the island in Southeast Asia that Japan used to invade us in WW2 and refusing to give it back to its rightful Southeast Asian owners? the list continues.

I know this post means well to call out White Imperialism in the international setting but like using POC for Native Asians (like Japan and China) just doesn't work. It does more harm than good because the socio-political climate in Asia is vastly different and isn't necessarily racially-inclined the same way it is in US/Canada/etc.

Words carry with them implications and POC used in Asia confuses rather than enlightens.

Let's call "overseas intervention" what it is- white imperialism.

And that's not to say that countries led by people of colour are incapable of imperialism- Japanese imperialism comes to mind as an example of that- but I'm talking about the USA and Canada.

I'm talking about military invasions and drone strikes and coups and missionaries, all designed to pillage resources and keep people in line, as well as the age old racist idea of 'civilizing the savages'.

To add insult to injury, white people from the States and Canada then turn around with their smug superiority and talk about how they're 'helping', while people of colour die at the hands of the military.

Fuck imperialism, and fuck the USA and Canada.