#like as someone with a lot of friends from families with a lower socioeconomic status than mine

[pjharvey]

i’m like solidly upper middle class i attended a very bougie private liberal arts college before dropping out and i would not have the resources to move to LA to be a pop star without a backup plan after going to the most expensive music camp in the country as a teen and only THEN coming out as queer bc i literally live in LA… this is a girl who clearly comes from money and she claimed to have lived in a trailer park up until she really blew up and it got quietly removed from her wikipedia page. and there r still people who buy her whole trailer park white trash queen shtick and see her as a working class pop star For the People

[maxdibert]

James is not only the one who didn’t pay, he’s the only one who didn’t have any mitigating circumstances. Sirius is vicious, but he comes from a vicious family, and him deciding he was going to back James in everything makes perfect sense for a boy trying to break from his background and wishing he had parents more like James’. Remus is a coward, but him failing to stand up to his friends makes perfect sense from a boy whose condition meant he’d never been accepted before. Peter? Who cares, he’s a plot device.

But James? James had no excuse whatsoever. He was well loved, well cared for, well off financially. He wanted for nothing. He didn’t learn cruelty at the knees of his parents, they doted on him. Which means he’s just a sadist who enjoyed the rush of power he got from humiliating easy targets. And Lily is of questionable character for thinking him hot boyfriend material when he never displays any remorse.

It’s why I always say that, to me, James Potter is nothing more than a Draco Malfoy with “progresist” parents. He basically has the same abusive, classist, and violent attitude as Draco, except that, unlike Draco, James believes he is morally superior because he doesn’t share the typical pure-blood ideals. This makes him an absolute hypocrite, in addition to being a violent bully and a rich brat who takes advantage of his economic and social position to abuse those who are at a disadvantage.

It’s funny how people defend him with arguments like “he’s not a racist” because he accepts Muggle-borns. So, because he accepts Muggle-borns, are we going to ignore the fact that he’s a classist jerk who actively mocks people for having a lower socioeconomic status than him? Or that he uses his economic and social capital against those who don’t have it? Or that, knowing he has the upper hand, he torments those who don’t have the same resources? Like, why should I care that he boasts about a supposedly progressive ideology that’s entirely fake, and never really shows any understanding of, when his actions in the canon prove he’s just another member of the elite oppressing those below him, simply because he has the capital to do so?

He reminds me a lot of several guys I met during my time in political activism at university. I used to hang around leftist groups with Marxist tendencies, and there was always that typical rich kid raised in a bourgeois left-wing family, who was there because they were taught it was the right thing to do, but had no clue about the root of social problems or the reality of working-class life. In fact, their supposed political commitment stemmed from a sense of superiority, which manifested in incredibly patronising attitudes toward the working class. And yes, they’d date girls from humble families because it reinforced the persona they’d created, but in the end, they were the same rich jerks you’d find in right-wing groups. At least the rich jerks on the right didn’t have the audacity to give moralising speeches while still acting like pricks. They were just pricks, plain and simple.

That’s how I see James, but translated into the magical world. And god, how much I’ve hated, been disgusted by, and fought with guys like him. They’ve always made me sick. I’ve literally had better relationships with people whose politics are the polar opposite of mine than with guys like that, because I find them a cancer to any political group. But anyway, I digress. I don’t think there’s anything impressive about James joining the Order or dating a Muggle-born. It’s the bare minimum expected of someone who has had every single privilege, support, and education needed to choose the right path. I think it’s basic. Just like it would be basic to expect someone who’s had no problems in life and everything handed to them on a silver platter to be a decent person rather than a bully. But James Potter chooses to be a bully because his ego, as a rich heteropatriarchal man, can’t handle the fact that a poor kid with a non-normative appearance by masculine standards is friends with the girl he likes. And for that stupid reason, he decides to use all the power he has, and the other doesn’t, to bully him for 7 years. But hey, we should forgive him because, at the end of the day, he joined the Order. I mean, what? No, that’s not how it works.

I could say a lot about Lily too, but I’m just going to copy and paste something I said the other day because it basically sums up my opinion of her:

Honestly, I don’t know if Rowling didn’t think much about this, or if simply because she herself is a terrible person, she thought it was compatible to portray Lily as the epitome of goodness, a kind of perfect being like the Virgin Mary, while also having her marry her friend’s abuser—because, honestly, she’s not. To me, it seems like Lily was a person of questionable morals and ethics, which is ironic because her supposed moral superiority is what leads her to break off her relationship with Severus. What I find illogical is presenting a character who constantly talks about what’s morally right or wrong when her actions are quite contrary to her supposed value system.

I’ve had friendships throughout my life that have ended badly, for one reason or another, and that happens. But I would never, ever think of dating someone I’ve known for years as someone who abuses others, much less people who were my friends. Sometimes I think this is either a plot hole or that Lily was just your typical superficial “pick me” girl who wanted to “not be like other girls,” but deep down, she loved that a rich, popular guy like James was chasing after her. That’s the only explanation that gives her actions some sense—that deep down, her inferiority complex (being a Muggle-born and from a family that wasn’t even middle class) manifested in the need to be liked, be popular, and end up as the object of interest and admiration of rich and popular boys. That would actually be interesting because it would give her character some depth. The problem is that, in canon, all we see is a girl lecturing others on morality and then acting with ethical standards that leave much to be desired, with no explanation.

Because no, sorry, you don’t marry a bully. You might marry a bully if you meet them at 30 and you’re unaware of what they did as a teenager. But you don’t marry a bully you’ve seen harassing and abusing people for 7 years—like, what kind of sense does that make? And even less so do you do that and then give yourself the privilege of judging other people’s behavior and decisions. Lily Evans had no moral ground for that.

I could rant for hours about why she’s a terrible friend and a hypocrite, but I’ll settle for defining her as the typical basic girl who tries to act interesting. Unfortunately, many female characters in the series are like that: “pick me” girls. But then again, that’s nothing more than Rowling’s internalized misogyny coming to light, along with her insecurities projected into the need to be “one of the boys” and her unfounded hatred of women with traditionally feminine traits. And that’s another story.

[alliluyevas]

Here's a potentially controversial AG question for you.

Do you think adult Felicity would continue to own slaves?

Oh, wow, yeah, this is a heavy hitter. Honestly, historically and statistically, almost certainly yes. But there is definitely a semi-plausible chance otherwise.

I'm going to reframe this question slightly, because due to the legal system of coverture in her time, if Felicity marries, which she almost certainly will, her husband will have ownership of any property either of them bring into the marriage. So the question is more accurately: will adult Felicity be the wife and mistress of a household that owns slaves?

I don't mean to reduce adult!Felicity's moral or personal agency, but the answer to this question may also depend on who she marries, both in terms of his socioeconomic status and his personal beliefs about slavery.

Felicity's father and maternal grandfather are both slaveholders in the book series, though in different socioeconomic niches. Mr. Merriman is a shopkeeper in town with two enslaved laborers, Marcus and Rose. Grandfather is a plantation owner and there is presumably a larger workforce. (I can't remember exactly what the legal situation is after Grandfather dies in the final book, but I believe Mr. Merriman inherits the plantation through his wife which would imply she has no brothers, and then administers it while primarily living in town. I could just be completely making that up, though, and I couldn't find confirmation online and don't have my Felicity books on me at the moment.)

If she marries a man who is similar in socioeconomic status to her father (ie, a relatively prosperous shopkeeper or artisan in Williamsburg) he will likely own or rent slaves. If she marries someone similar to her grandfather, he definitely will. I can see either of these routes as plausible for Felicity. Living primarily in Williamsburg, she may be most likely to encounter townsfolk, but she would also potentially be courted by young men attending college at William and Mary, who would likely be from plantation families elsewhere in Virginia, or she might marry the son of one of Grandfather's neighbors or something. (Side note: there is one existing character in her books who might be a potential future Mr. Felicity: her father's apprentice, Ben. Felicity and Ben clearly get along really well and have a lot in common, and when Felicity reaches the age where she is thinking about marriage, Ben will likely be around, either still working with Mr. Merriman or a business acquaintance/family friend. It wasn't uncommon to marry someone with that kind of family/business connection at all. If Felicity were to marry Ben, he would likely eventually be in a similar socioeconomic niche to her father.)

So, what are the possible futures where Felicity and her husband are not slaveholders?

First of all, she could marry someone who is socioeconomically in a position where he simply cannot afford to do so. This is, imo, the least likely. I don't think her parents would encourage this. (I think Mrs. Merriman may have married slightly "beneath her" as I kind of got the vibe that Grandfather is wealthier than Mr. Merriman is, and he certainly is in terms of ownership of both land and slaves, which is how wealth was generally calculated in Virginia. On the other hand, this might also be a town/country divide, and Mr. Merriman is evidently able to comfortably provide for his family.) Also, if she was to fall in love with and marry someone of a lower socioeconomic rank, it is possible that her family would financially help him rise rather than that Felicity would just go off and be broke with him.

I think a more plausible route would be that Felicity either marries a man who is actively against slavery and her beliefs are then influenced by him or she independently develops anti-slavery convictions prior to her marriage and then chooses a man who has similar beliefs.

I do want to point out that there were a lot of Virginians in this general period who expressed anti-slavery beliefs while still continuing to own slaves. I think in many cases these people were experiencing genuine moral discomfort and conflict but ultimately chose to prioritize their own financial well being. I think, unfortunately, the most likely future may be one where Felicity experiences some moral qualms over slavery and questions some aspects of the society she lives in, but ultimately chooses to stick with the status quo.

However, I think there are some semi-plausible paths where Felicity and her husband might end up in a situation where they choose genuinely meaningful opposition to slavery. There are other situations in the AG books where characters get an ending that is better if historically less plausible, after all. (IE Addy's family is able to reunite. Samantha's relatives adopt Nellie.) Even if it's unlikely, this outcome for Felicity would not be unheard of.

For instance, she might marry a Northerner and goes to live wherever he is from. (If he chooses to move to Virginia permanently, he might also choose to conform to the economic system of the slave culture in his adopted state.) This happened with one of Thomas Jefferson's granddaughters who married a man from Massachusetts and moved up there with him. This would have been a woman about a generation younger than Felicity, but it's not outside the realm of possibility to happen earlier, either. I can't really picture Felicity wanting to leave her home and family, but if she's already developed anti-slavery beliefs on her own she might think it's worth it.

She might also marry a Virginian who believes slavery is wrong and is actually willing to do something about it. I wish I could remember the man's name, but I was just reading about some young plantation owner who wrote to Jefferson in the 1820s about his deep discomfort with slavery and his desire to free his slaves. Jefferson basically advised him to go slow and do nothing for the time being, and this man wrote him again chewing him out saying it wasn't enough. He ultimately chose to leave Virginia, and settle in Ohio, where he purchased plots of land so that his newly freed former slaves could start their own farms. This is later than Felicity would have been finding a husband, and this man's decision was one very few of his peers would have made. But, again, it's not impossible.

I think the man I just talked about had primarily ethical objections to slavery, not religious ones, but I think the most plausible way for Felicity to develop meaningfully anti-slavery convictions is through religion. The Second Great Awakening would have begun when Felicity was in her mid-twenties. Some people in Southern states who became evangelical Christians during this time period began to believe that slavery was a sin against God. The most famous example of this is Robert Carter III, a Virginia plantation owner who became a Baptist and ended up freeing over 500 people. (He also ended up having to flee the state of Virginia because people were threatening him over this and lived the rest of his life in Baltimore.) Evangelical conversions were most common among the lower classes, especially in the beginning, but also took off among women from higher social classes. Robert Carter notwithstanding, wealthier men were the least likely to be born again. So I think it's very plausible that Felicity might choose to become a Methodist or Baptist, but if she was 25+ at the time she would likely already be married and it is less likely her husband would also convert. So she might end up in a situation where she is opposed to slavery but her husband, who does not share her religious beliefs, is not, and he controls their property. Or, it's possible she marries later than the average, or she is widowed young and remarries a man from her church, or manages to convert her husband.

So, I can definitely see some pathways for an anti-slavery adult Felicity, but it would require both her and her husband to develop convictions and the moral courage to enact them that were highly unusual for people in their class and context. Unusual, but not unheard of.

[mcknighted]

[ Scott Eastwood, male, he/him ] whatever you think you know about ROWAN MCKNIGHT, the 35 year old, ABROSEXUAL, LOCAL, it is likely time for you to start reconsidering. the rumored WENDIGO is often described as SINCERE + FORGIVING, but don’t let them fool you; they can also be ALOOF + COMBATIVE, which often has them regarded as the BEAST. they are a PARK RANGER at CREATION RIVER PARK, but it’s also said they are a ROGUE RESIDENT. whatever you hear, you can’t deny there’s more to them that meets the eye, and it’s time we start uncovering the truth.

Demographics

Name: Rowan Leigh McKnight.

Age: 35

Sex/Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Occupation: Park Ranger

Socioeconomic status: Lower middle class.

Education: Some college; criminal justice.

Physical Appearance

Eye color: Blue/green.

Skin color: light tan. 

Hair color: brown.

Height: 6’ 4’’.

Weight: 185.

Body type: muscular.

Tattoos: “momento” on his right leg above the knee, “mori” above the left knee in similar position, melting smiley faces on both feet. In American traditional style, a growling wolf on his right shoulder facing into his chest, and on the left in a similar style is a growling leopard. 

Scars/Birthmarks: a decent amount of long white scars from claws, as he says, though they were probably knives. 

History

Birth date: May 1st.

Place of birth: Creation Peaks.

Key family members: two living parents, John and Michelle, two sisters, Poppy and Grace, and a younger brother, Alder.

Notable events/milestones: realized in his teen years that his parents didn't pay a lot of attention to their kids, wonders often if it's just their nature. Got his welding certificate in high school to support himself while he went to college. Got an associate in criminal justice, considered going to college for Forensic pathology, but decided against it. He didn't want to get someone on his table that he knee, so he decided instead to look into park service, since his hunting ground was the park anyway. 

Criminal record: has a misdemeanor for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Affiliations: he tends to stick close to the park earlier in the day, but does venture into town for books, take out, drinks, and has been known to pop into strip clubs and bars on occasion.

Skeletons in the closet: once tried to satiate his appetite with a family dog, and learned pretty quickly that it wouldn't do. He has also accidentally killed and eaten a woman he had a crush on in middle school when his appetite was particularly stretched.

Bio

Rowan was born into a working class family. His father was a truck driver, spending long hours away from home, and his mother was a server. Poppy, his oldest sister, worked at a different restaurant, but similar hours. He typically took care of his same age or younger siblings, doing a lot of the hunting, the killing, and worked with his mom to cover it up. It never got easier for him. Rowan didn’t want to belong to the group of beings he was born into.

Eventually, he was begging for any way out – he tried animals, he tried not eating. Rowan didn’t like how much he enjoyed who he was in the moment, when emotions were flushed away and all that was stretching out in front of him was the path to his next meal. There didn’t seem to be an ethical way to be who he was.

It bled into every part of his life – he would date, and as time went on, he couldn’t hide his true nature. Or, if he could, his partners knew he was lying. Something had to change for Rowan. It was quick and bloody, that change. He’d chosen a lot of things for his life: the simple clothes he wore, the cologne, the truck, the food he kept in his fridge, his job, the books he read. But when he’d shed his skin, when he’d drift off and a strategic, hungry rage would set in, it would choose other things.

On one particular night, late in the summer, when people were usually packing their camping gear away for the summer, a woman and a couple friends stayed in a more remote area of Creations River Park. They were cornered, really. Rowan doesn’t remember any of it, but knows the implications of waking up on a trail in bloodied clothes and finding bones and gear.

Long after he’d gotten rid of the bones, the gear, the torn tents, and any other trace, a missing person’s alert came in for Mariah Coleson. Rowan fretted for a time, vaguely remembering that name. A mutual friend reminded him of her, and the little crush he’d had in sixth grade.

Now, Rowan has nightmares. The wendigo in him makes a toy of him too, just as it would an outside person. He tries not to think about it. He accepts it for what it is, but now, he wouldn’t risk getting close to another living person, because even if they’re long gone, he fears he’ll find them.

—-

Also I’ll probably add to this as play happens.

What’s up, I’m Steph, I’m 27, central time, and I am absolutely down to clown.

[maddicsldthoughts]

Week 11 - Social Class and Disability Identity Development

This week while reading, I felt conflicted about my own socioeconomic status. Before getting a full-time job in 2022, I had always seen myself as someone with a lower socioeconomic status. If a survey asked me to place myself on a ladder from 1-10, with 10 being the best off in society and 1 being the worst, I’d put a 4. My extended family is all extremely wealthy and they get upset when my sister and I say that we are not well-off because we are from Plano, Texas, which is an affluent city, and we lived in a two story house in a nice, safe suburb. What they don’t consider is that my dad was racking up debt while supporting himself, me, and my sister on a $30,000 salary.. Reading the textbook definition of low-income, I felt weird. It mentioned that many low-income students are first-generation students, and I’m not. Both of my parents went to college and obtained master’s degrees. My family just fell into difficult circumstances and my dad has no idea how to manage money, so we have a low family income. Talk about impostor syndrome, feeling like I shouldn’t feel like I’m poor when I went some nights without dinner.

As an adult with the ability to manage my own money, I’m doing fine, and I no longer feel like I am a low-income student, but I reflect on a lot of my college experience through the low-income lens. I read the MacInnis, et al. article about socioeconomic status and friendships, and it was interesting to me that they predicted that cross-group friendships would benefit those with lower socioeconomic statuses. In high school, I compared myself to all of my friends because my dad got me a car that cost $3000 cash while they got fancy new cars. There were luxury cars in my high school parking lot. (I drove a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am, RIP Rusty). Going to a private university, many of my friends could pay out of pocket and received allowances from their parents. They got their first jobs in college for fun; I got my first one as soon as I could drive. Financial comparison was a huge theme throughout my college experience, and I frequently felt impostor syndrome when trying to fit in with my friends. Cross-group friendships are fun because then you can go use your friend’s pool or their parents’ lake house, but the daily toll of comparing yourself to them is incredibly difficult. 

The MacInnis article also talked about how some low-SES students lack knowledge of how to become involved with the university. Even if you have that knowledge, some opportunities are not on the table for people without money. I will never forget having to turn down an event put on by a club I was in because it cost $10 to rent roller skates and I didn’t have $10. My roommate was incredibly confused about how I didn’t have $10, which made me feel ridiculous and like an outsider. I also sent myself into a spiral because I had spent much of the money I’d saved for college on college things, and then got hit with textbooks and other required goods during the first week of class. My choir dress cost $80 and I remember breaking down because I didn’t have $80 to spend on it. I will never forget either of these instances; they’ve stuck with me since 2017. Despite financial aid and loans, the social activities of college are not always accessible for those with lower incomes.

[realmermaid333]

How I Imagine Annie Cresta’s Hunger Games went!

It is always interesting to read people’s opinions on what they think happened during the 70th Hunger Games, whether or not they think Annie was a career, whether or not she was reaped on she volunteered, etc. 

After thinking a lot about it and considering lots of different storylines and possibilities, I have developed what I think happened based on my interpretation of Annie and clues we get in the books. I am very against the idea that Annie is some frail, innocent, damsel in distress, so I am not particularly fond of storylines where Finnick saved her by sending her tons of sponsors. Mentors can’t really do that as far as I know, sponsors are super expensive especially as the game goes on longer. She would have needed to be very charming and popular among The Capitol to get bets and money like that. And even then, most tributes don’t get tons of sponsors, look at Katniss and Peeta, they didn’t get tons of sponsors, and they were the star-crossed lovers of Panem!

I think Annie would have had very average training scores. I think she would have been a little awkward and quiet in her interview, so it isn’t like people would be rushing to bet on her and get her money for sponsors. And I don’t think Finnick and Annie were in love when she was in the games, I have seen some fics make it so Finnick went super out of his way to get her lots of sponsors, but I don’t think that could have happened at all. We have to remember that Finnick was like the “playboy” of Panem, if he liked Annie, no one would be allowed to know that. 

I think Finnick and Annie cared about each other and they were kind of friends, I think  Finnick was fond of her and really wanted her to win, I can imagine he was very sad when he thought about how she might die. Maybe one or both of them had a small crush, but I do not think they started to like each other non-platonically until months after she won the games. With Finnick saying that Annie “crept up on him”, and with how different they were as people (especially then, at 18 and 19, before they had character development together), and how they differently they each were viewed by Panem, I think they may have even disliked each other for a while. I think they annoyed each other a lot after she won. 

But, back to Annie’s games. I do not think she was a Career, I think she joined the Career Pack, but I do not think Annie trained in the academy, or that she volunteered. In my fic, I write Annie as being of lower socioeconomic status, living with her sister, Bethany Cresta, her mother, who I have named Brooke Cresta, and also has her aunt Ariel (I have not given her a last name lol). I also write her as having a father who was abusive, and her mother being someone with severe mental health issues, I think she would have had depression and paranoia (possibly paranoid schizophrenia) that got worse throughout Annie’s teen years. This family history of mental health issues, trauma, and being on the poorer side of District 4-- would have left Annie with a predisposition for developing PTSD with psychotic features, after experiencing the trauma from The Hunger Games. (I also believe Annie Cresta is autistic and I have autistic-coded her in my writing, I can make a post on this too if anyone wants :D)  

I believe that Annie was good at spear fishing and used those skills to help her win The Hunger Games. Her and her sister illegally fished sometimes to get extra food for the family, so Annie was already good with spears and was able to train before the games in spear throwing, which I think she would have caught onto pretty quickly. In my fic, I write Annie’s district partner as an 18 year old Career tribute named Merwyn. He and Annie become close and he helps her get better at spear throwing, I think Finnick helped her a little too but I think he would have been too busy with the Capitol selling him to people that he would not have been able to be super present. Her and Merwyn bond in the few weeks they have before the games, and they promise to keep each other alive for as long as they can so one of them can go home. 

I think it is important for me to add my two cents on how I think the Career system works in District 4, so I can explain how I view Merwyn. District 4 seems to be like the weakest link when it comes to Career Districts. It seems that 1 and 2 are the most likely to win and 4 is 3rd, or maybe even 4th place, with the number of victors it has. I think District 4 is a Career District because they are 1. Favored by the Capitol a bit because they supply seafood, which makes many of The Capitols luxury dishes, 2. their tributes would be good swimmers, able to use spears, and able to tie nets and get their own food source in the games easier than many other tributes, and 3. Correct me if I am wrong, but District 4 citizens are seen by The Capitol as like exotic mermaids, I remember there being many comments, from Caesar Flickerman I believe, in the Catching Fire book where he described District 4 in this way. So The Capitol may also favor them in almost like a fetishizing way. 

So, it would make sense that a District with these advantages would use them. I don’t think they volunteer for The Hunger Games because they like the Capitol or because they see The Hunger Games as an honor, but because it is better to send a prepared, strong, older kid, than a small 12 year old. It also wouldn’t make sense to me if they felt that way about the games, since District 4 was one of the more rebellious districts and one of the first to join in on the uprisings in Catching Fire. So, I like to imagine that Merwyn sees what he is doing as making a sacrifice to protect other kids in his district and hopefully win to bring more food home. I do not think he was bloodthirsty like many careers are. 

So finally, after I have given you this long ass background info--- if you have read this far I love you muah!--- Here is how I think it went down. 

I will be using Merwyn as the name for Annie’s district partner. 

Annie was 18, it was her last reaping and she did not think she was going to be reaped. To her surprise, she was picked, and no one volunteered for her. She was prepared to die, she accepted her fate but promised to try to get back to her mom, sister, and aunt. Merwyn, also 18, volunteered for a young 12 year old boy, and was then the male tribute 

 I think Mags mentored Merwyn and Finnick mentored Annie (it was probably also Mag’s last year being a mentor since she was 75 years old at the time and I imagine in the future Mags chose to stay home with Annie each year when Finnick left for his mandatory Capitol duties). 

Merywn and Annie become chatty with each other once their nervousness eases. They become close friends. Merywn was really good with spears, he helped Annie learn and practice spear throwing. Annie and him become sad as the games grow nearer since one of them will have to die, but they promise each other that one of them is going to win. 

Merwyn talks with the Careers and becomes acquaintances with them in training so Annie and Merwyn will have them as possible allies in the games, something I don’t think Annie would have liked the idea of. 

I think at the beginning of the games, it was just Merwyn and Annie. They survived the bloodbath and only got as involved as they needed to be to get their hands on a few backpacks and some spears. A week or so into the games they ran into the Career pack and decided to join them to avoid trouble since District 4 is supposed to join the careers. 

I am sure Annie would have disliked the other careers, she would have hated how they hunt down the smaller kids and how they are so violent. Annie would not like killing but she would do it in self defense if she needed to. I think there would have been arguments and altercations between the careers, particularly between Merwyn and some of the other boys. I think they would have all disliked Annie because they underestimated her and saw her being sensitive as her being weak. They’d want her dead, but of course could not attack her as long as she had Merwyn on her side. So after a while Annie and Merwyn tried to break the alliance, which led to a bloody battle between the six of them. 

Annie killed a few of the other careers with her spears, but not the one with an axe who ended up beheading Merwyn. This led to Annie feeling extremely guilty, wishing she would have thrown her spear at the right person. Then maybe Merwyn would not have died as awfully as he did. This would make sense with how much Merwyn’s death seems to haunt Annie, not only did she watch her friend die in such a horrid way, she felt like it was something she could have prevented if she would have killed the “correct” person. 

Annie escaped the last Career tribute, Merwyn’s attacker, and managed to run off by herself where she spent the last few days of the games. I think she would have been in shock, she would have almost died of dehydration because she was so stuck in a trance she was not able to move to get water or do much of anything.

I like to imagine that she got a sponsor from “Finnick, Mags, and District 4″ that was a piece of the seaweed bread from home, thanking her for her loyalty to her district partner, I think District 4 would really value that. I believe this would be the thing that brought her out of her trance and gave her hope, the sound of the silver parachute as it descended from the sky. 

Annie survived not just because she was a strong swimmer. I don’t like that people make it seem like her surviving was simply because she got super lucky for some reason, like that isn’t how almost everyone wins the games, luck. I guess I can’t blame them cause the books made it sound like that too (darn you Suzanne!). She was not a completely helpless wimp who only won because of the flood, I think that is highly unlikely. She fought a bit! She killed like most tributes are forced to do at some point! 

Annie promised her family she’d try to make it home, and she had a promise to a dead boy. A promise that she’d win if he didn’t, and she was not about to let Merwyn down. The boy who was beheaded, the boy she watched die, the boy who’s death she felt partially responsible for. Annie had the will to live. 

So, she was in survival mode, she was running on adrenaline and the fish she was able to catch with her only spear she had left. She hid from other tributes, she was absolutely terrified, but she tried her best. And when the dam burst and flooded the arena, she was the strongest swimmer, the other 4 tributes left died in the flood, and she survived The Hunger Games. 

[logicalbookthief]

Class Disparity and Narrative Framing

Since a bunch of people liked my tags on this post, I thought I’d expand on this this topic.

I’m hoping we delve more into this once we get a proper backstory for Mr. Compress / Oji Harima, as it seems to be the basis for Harima’s actions in his era.

This was originally going to be just an analysis of how similar characters of different classes are treated by the narrative (specifically in regards to Ch 299) but want to first establish the role that class plays in the story overall.

Let’s start with the Peerless Thief (Oji Harima) and what we know of his ideology.

And his criticism isn’t unfounded. Heroes make a lot of money.  And that’s in addition to the benefits they receive, such as medical care, education, internships. All free of charge. Once you become a hero, you’re pretty much set financially. That’s the main reason Ochako enrolls in UA, because she wants to help her struggling, working-class family.

But why did Harima find this system so unfair? If everyone has an equal opportunity to become a hero, where’s the harm in it being so profitable?

Except. Not everyone can become a hero. That is a fact Izuku had to contend with his entire childhood. For one thing, they need to have a quirk. So this eliminates the quirkless portion of the population automatically.

You need to also have a quirk that is useful in rescue & combat situations (eliminating more mundane quirks / quirks that have drawbacks that outweigh its ability) and a quirk that is marketable to the public (eliminating any quirks that are off-putting or unpalatable to people, such as Toga drinking blood or mutation quirks that aren’t “cute” or “aesthetically pleasing” enough to tolerate).

Essentially, you need to win the genetic lottery to get a quirk that qualifies you for heroism, an opportunity that offers a large degree of wealth and influence. And that’s where we get into the issue of class.

Class is defined as a group of people who share a socioeconomic status; and in BNHA, this is determined not only by birth, but also can be tied to quirks. The socio part is non-explanatory, as Izuku begins the manga showing how not having a quirk caused him to be treated differently by his peers.

The economic aspect of this is more subtle, but it’s started to come into focus with characters like Twice, Hawks and Compress.

Probably the reason Harima called for reform is this: Children inherit their quirks from their parents. Just as they inherit their socioeconomic status. Someone with a quirk that enables them to become a hero will not only pass on this wealth to their child, but also will likely pass on a quirk that would allow the child to pursue a hero career. This is why you see legacy heroes like Tenya, Shouto, etc.

This ensures that wealth remains in the family, generation after generation. Likewise, it can ensure that another family remains in poverty without any chance for mobility. In a sense, it’s the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.

Obviously, you have examples of mobility — Hawks and Ochako are the first that come to mind — but they had/have this opportunity because of their quirks.

Yes, you can still be a hero without the permission of the Hero Commission. Without a license, though, you will a) not be paid and b) be labeled a vigilante, which is the same as a criminal.

As an side-note, because I’m a nerd for words and history— in English, the origin for villain comes from the Medieval Latin villanus, or villa, a dwelling where poor farmers in the village would live. Yeah, that’s right: Villain used to just refer to a person of lower class. If you look at the etymology, many words with these connotations began as words associated with the poor. And in the hands of the aristocracy, they were effectively used to criminalize the poor.

And with that, we’ve circled back to the analysis of characters I promised at the beginning: Thief Takami and Enji Todoroki. Many have pointed out their similarity since Ch 299 was released. Rightfully so!

Both abused their children.

Both isolated their children.

Both of their wives (idk if it’s confirmed Tomie was married to Takami but that’s essentially how they lived) viewed their children through the lens of their fathers due to the unhealthy relationships they had with their husbands.

Both of the mothers were driven to a point where they couldn’t take care of their children, due to either the father’s presence/absence in the family.

What strikes me most in this comparison is how you can’t separate these characters from the issue of class. It permeates every panel and informs our understanding of their situations.

Takami is a piece of shit who blames his child for existing, something this poor kid had no control over. He views Keigo as a burden to him and his freedom and resents him for it. 

The glimpses we get of the house show they live in squalor. A child is an extra mouth to feed, an extra person to provide for. You can’t examine the abuse without acknowledging the role of their nonexistent finances: Thief Takami was literally a criminal so he could get money.

Meanwhile, you have Endeavor, who is also a piece of shit, wrapped in a shinier package. He bought his wife with the intention of making children -- as many as needed -- so he could create the perfect combination quirk. Money was no object. 

Expenses for Rei’s decade-long hospital stay, the nanny/housekeeper to care for the neglected kids, the fact he can so casually decide to build a new house for his family... It is never addressed by anyone in the story, because it doesn’t need to be. Money is no object.

I’m curious as to what class Rei’s family was (and I’m not exactly hopeful we’ll get this info, based on she’s been treated so far) that they agreed to this arrangement. If they were poor, the idea that their daughter would be taken care of financially might’ve enticed them. Hell, the idea that her family would be taken care of financially might’ve enticed Rei. 

Through this analysis, I’ve also realized just how paranoid / concerned the Takamis act in comparison. Thief Takami isolates his whole family out of fear they will sell him out. Tomie is afraid she will be criminalized by mere association and chooses a life on the streets over the risk of going to the police.

Contrast this to how Shouto has revealed his father’s abuse to classmates he barely knew. How Fuyumi mentions in front of his friends who are interning under Endeavor that Natsuo blames their father for Touya’s death; later, Enji admits he is responsible. Remember when Endeavor flat-out told All Might, who was the most influential hero in the country at the time, that he created his son for the sole purpose of surpassing the Number One??

Yet the narrative gives this none of the weight it deserves. Because there are no stakes for Endeavor and everybody knows he will face no consequences for his crimes. The difference is that Takami & Tomie were well-aware that they would be punished if they were caught; while Endeavor & the Torodorkis are well-aware that he would not.

Suffice to say, it is telling that while the narrative has no qualms with condemning Thief Takami for his crimes and abuse of his family -- as it should -- it gives Endeavor the benefit of the doubt and chance after chance to prove he is “worthy” of redemption, even though his victims have never once denied his guilt and they certainly hold him accountable. And the only difference is that one man is from poverty while the other is from privilege.

Anyway, I could say more on this subject -- I would like to touch on how Ochako fits into the class discussion but this got longer than anticipated, so I may have to make a separate post for her -- but I’ll leave it at that for now.

[buckyisabigmood]

Basic Character Questions

First name? Hera

Surname? Kane (Murphy?)

Middle names? Lee

Nicknames? (Murphy?)

Date of birth? 9/24/02

Age? 18

 

Physical / Appearance

Height? 5'6"

Weight? 125lbs

Build? thin, muscular

Hair colour? dark brown, curly

Hair style? bun

Eye colour? grey

Eye Shape? almond

Glasses or contact lenses? reading glasses, night glasses

Distinguishing facial features? n/a

Which facial feature is most prominent? nose

Which bodily feature is most prominent? hair

Other distinguishing features? height

Skin? fair, tanning

Hands? average

Make up? occasional; sharp cat eye, foundation, dark lips, blush, dark eyeshadow

Scars? inner left bicep, mid back across spine, right wrist

Birthmarks? oval inside of right knee

Tattoos? various across entire body

Physical handicaps? bad right hip, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic fatigue, overall worn joints

Type of clothes? men's button ups, men's dress clothes, vintage men's and women's attire

How do they wear their clothes? tucked in, loose fitting

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc) callused feet, hammer toes. men's shoes, 6in heels, oxfords, good quality

Race / Ethnicity? caucasian, Irish heritage

Mannerisms? leg bouncing, lip biting, sitting with leg propped, limp on right side

Are they in good health? no

Do they have any disabilities? not legally

 

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse? like, probably, uh, I mean

Do they have a catchphrase? indeed

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? pessimist, though tries to encourage optimism in others

Are they introverted or extroverted? ambivert

Do they ever put on airs? no

What bad habits do they have? zoning out, talking too fast, not sleeping, not eating enough, binge eating

What makes them laugh out loud? whose line, crush flattering them

How do they display affection? compliments, affectionate touches, mock insults

Mental handicaps? depression, anxiety, overthinking, slight adhd

How do they want to be seen by others? strong, confident, capable, protector

How do they see themselves? crippled, broken, worthless, challenged

How are they seen by others? stubborn, loud, capable, caring

Strongest character trait? unforgiving

Weakest character trait? impatience

How competitive are they? very

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider? impulsive

How do they react to praise? hide away, deny it

How do they react to criticism? shamed, crying

What is their greatest fear? secrets being discovered

What are their biggest secrets? they are polyromantic greysexual, a feminist, have long term online friends, (hopefully) will soon be dating a woman, is an independent

What is their philosophy of life? do no harm but take no shit

When was the last time they cried? a week ago, having a mental breakdown

What haunts them? inevitability to disappoint their family and be disowned

What are their political views? independent, leaning left

What will they stand up for? the treatment of others

Who do they quote? carrie fisher, hozier, brie larson

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? both

What is their sinful little habit? listening/watching 'none christian' things

What sense do they most rely on? hearing

How do they treat people better than them? respect, positivity, optimism

How do they treat people worse than them? assuming the worst, judging, sarcasm

What quality do they most value in a friend? loyalty

What do they consider an overrated virtue? prudence

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? physical strength

What is their obsession? swords, women

What are their pet peeves? incorrect animal care, being talked down to, loud chewing

What are their idiosyncrasies? doors must always be closed and locked, gets up two hours earlier than needed, will fall asleep if reading on the computer

 

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of? big; mother, father, five older brothers, two older sisters, one younger sister, three nephews, two nieces, four aunts, five uncles, many cousins, two grandmothers, one grandfather

What is their perception of family? overrated; the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb

Do they have siblings? Older or younger? 8 siblings; five older brothers, two older sisters, one younger sister

Describe their best friend. the same as them. fight more than flight, major physical problems, mentally worn out, respect is given until proven undeserved, funny, caring, heart over head

Ideal best friend? see; best friend

Describe their other friends. overall kind, caring, considerate, musically talented, loud

Describe their acquaintances. annoyances, loud, bubbly, hyperactive

Do they have any pets? one dog, two horses, six sheep, many chickens, many snakes

Who are their natural allies? minorities, protectors, those who need protecting

Who are their surprising allies? church youth, some police, nurses

 

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child? easygoing as a baby, wanting attention and to be part of older siblings' group as child

Did they grow up rich or poor? lower-middle class, wanting some but getting few

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected? nurtured physically, neglected emotionally

What is the most offensive thing they ever said? 'it is disgusting gay people can adopt' (a lie)

What is their greatest achievement? having the courage to come out to online friends

What was their first kiss like? n/a has not kissed anyone

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? thoughts of abandoning family

What are their ambitions? to marry someone they love, have a self built farm, foster teenagers, be a freelance artist

What advice would they give their younger self? don't give up, you are not an abomination for being attracted to women, do not tell youth leader about suicidal thoughts

What smells remind them of their childhood? homemade pizza, pines, dogs

What was their childhood ambition? to be a veterinarian

What is their best childhood memory? being with older siblings and hanging out with their friends

What is their worst childhood memory? figuring out they were polyromantic, the fear of being found out and disowned

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend? n/a

What past act are they most proud of? talking to other kids first

Has anyone ever saved their life? doctors; had major kindey infection at age of two, had major uti at age of eight

Strongest childhood memory? disappointing parents

 

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight? infatuation at first side, that may develop in to love

Are they in a relationship? working on asking a woman out

How do they behave in a relationship? caring, prioritizing spouse, lots of gifts

When did you character last have sex?

n/a, does not desire sex

What sort of sex do they have? n/a

Has your character ever been in love? currently in love

Have they ever had their heart broken? no. has ghosted a fuckboy and thought they had broken his heart

 

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat? defensive, posturing, threatening

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? fists

What is your character’s kryptonite? children, sob stories

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? electronics

How do they perceive strangers? men are possible threats, women are in danger

What do they love to hate? disney villains

What are their phobias? aquaphobia, entomophobia, atychiphobia

What is their choice of weapon? longsword

What living person do they most despise? larry nassar

Have they ever been bullied or teased? yes

Where do they go when they’re angry? bathroom, bedroom, outside

Who are their enemies and why? n/a, enemies are unknown

 

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job? apprentice horse trainer and farm hand

What do they think about their current job? too physically taxing, worsens already poor physical condition

What are some of their past jobs? n/a

What are their hobbies? reading, writing, drawing, video games, research on medieval times, watching tv, movies, youtube

Educational background? homeschooled highschool graduate

Intelligence level? low, cannot do simple math, does not know history

Do they have any specialist training? n/a

Do they have a natural talent for something? art, slightly

Do they play a sport? Are they any good? equestrian sports, intermediate

What is their socioeconomic status? low social status, seen as unlikeable, n/a economic status

 

Favourites

What is their favourite animal? wolves

Which animal to they dislike the most? insects

What place would they most like to visit? mountains of utah

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? mountains

What is their favourite song? in a week by hozier

Music, art, reading preferred? alternative, metal, emo music. realistic, stylised, comic-esque art. fantasy, medieval, adventure, action books.

What is their favourite colour? black, blood red

What is their password? "I love you for who you are"

Favourite food? steak, homemade rolls, pizza, salad

What is their favourite work of art? women with umbrellas, reunited

Who is their favourite artist? mambo

What is their favourite day of the week? friday

 

Possessions

What is in their fridge? frozen pizzas, salad stuff, soda, beer, snacks

What is on their bedside table? mace, a notebook and pen, phone, cologne, empty cans

What is in their car? mask, air freshener, large knife, window breaker, charger

What is in their bin? candy wrappers, cans, bottles

What is in their purse or wallet? pepper spray, bible, book, keys, pen, pencil, mints

What is in their pockets? knife, carmex

What is their most treasured possession? their truck

 

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel? Gabriel

Do they believe in the afterlife? Yes

What are their religious views? non-denominational Christianity

What do they think heaven is? where there is no pain, or hurt, where you can be with your loved ones (including pets) for eternity without getting tired of their company

What do they think hell is? suffering, eternal torment, both physical and psychological pain

Are they superstitious? no

What would they like to be reincarnated as? a sandcat

How would they like to die? by sword

What is your character’s spirit animal? house cat

What is their zodiac sign? libra

 

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? rape, mutilation, taking away loved ones

What is their view of ‘freedom’? being able to do as you like, as long as it does not harm others

When did they last lie? earlier in the day

What’s their view of lying? not necessarily good, but needed on some occasions for safety

When did they last make a promise? tonight, promising to get a full night's sleep

Did they keep or break their last promise? break it

 

Daily life

What are their eating habits? hectic- binge eating one day and eating nothing the next. usually eating on impulse rather than specific times

Do they have any allergies? lactose, sulfa

Describe their home. medium sized, lots of storage space, including many closets. an organized mess, knowing where everything is exactly without putting it away, unless it is clothing

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? somewhere in the middle, though leaning towards clutter hoarder. loves collecting shot glasses

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? get dressed, feed the animals, have breakfast

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? eat pizza, hang out with friends or family, watch a movie

What do they do on a Friday night? drink with friends at home, hang out

What is the soft drink of choice? dr pepper

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? whiskey

 

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype? The Trickster

Who is their hero? Gal Gadot, Gideon the Ninth

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween? Gideon the Ninth

Are they comfortable with technology? somewhat

If they could save one person, who would it be? Hozier

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? best friend

What is their favourite proverb? the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb

What is their greatest extravagance? clothes

What is their greatest regret? not being who their parents wanted them to be

What is their perception of redemption? if you truly change and do your best, most everything is redeemable, but there are some things which can never be forgiven

What would they do if they won the lottery? buy a cottage, clothes, animals, and put some into savings

What is their favourite fairytale? the three bears, by robert southey

What fairytale do they hate? the little mermaid (original)

Do they believe in happy endings? yes

What is their idea of perfect happiness? being loved, loving others, and being content with what you have

What would they ask a fortune teller? will they find a spouse who loves them wholeheartedly?

If your character could travel through time, where would they go? the 1830s, dressed as a man and supporting women, whom know they are a women themselves

What sport do they excel at? n/a

What sport do they suck at? all. unable to do physical sports

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose? super strength

[whatshouldwecallchronicillness]

So I have weird relationship with my mental health because I feel like I can't prioritize it since I have many health issues to worry about (autoimmune disease,multi-organ issues,etc..) Does anyone else feel like this? I start to feel kinda jealous of people who do get to prioritize mental health cause I struggle with mine but I feel I have nowhere to turn to receive help or think about it cause everything else is consuming me and I already see many doctors for a variety of things. Any advice?

I think that we tend to focus whatever is most important for survival and what gets us through the day, and that’s ok.  Survival will mean different things to different people - for some that would be prioritizing physical health, for some mental health, for some making sure they have food/water/shelter, for some seeking safety.  I don’t think prioritizing one thing over another is wrong, though it may be a bummer.  Like, I think that being able to concentrate on mental health isn’t privilege necessarily (and if it is, that’s ok! having privilege isn’t a fault!), but maybe more reflective of what other people need more at that time.  Ideally we can get to a place where we can fulfill all those basic needs and focus instead on wellness - not just solving problems but creating health and happiness.   

So when you are in the trenches and are fighting for survival, focus on the fight, whatever that is to you.  And when things calm down, there’s lots of ways you can cultivate better mental health.  I’m feeling another list coming on...

Professional Help

-Don’t let the barriers make you afraid to try!  It’s hard to gain access to professional mental help, but it’s important to try anyway if it’s something you want or need.  

-Do some reading about the different types of mental health professionals so you know who you may want to see.  I personally feel that seeing a psychiatrist first is best because they can rule out (or in) any chemical stuff going on, diagnose when appropriate, and they are usually very helpful when it comes to either providing therapy themselves or offering referrals to therapists.  They also may be more likely to be covered by insurance.    

-If you have health insurance (I’m assuming you are in the US), you can go to your insurance company’s website and look up which local doctors/therapists are on your plan.  Look through a bunch until you find someone who looks good and give them a call.  You may need to sign in to your account to do this, but not always.

-If you are in college, most campus health centers have resources that are free or low cost for students.  This may be accessible even if you aren’t on campus due to COVID.

-If you are in high school or junior high, you also may still be able to access services through your school even if you don’t go in person.  You can ask a teacher or your counselor about that.  Their contact info would likely be on your school’s website or paperwork that has been sent home at some point.    

-Some medical groups/hospitals may have resources available through their website.  

-During your next hospitalization, they should ask you at some point if you want to meet with a social worker.  Say yes!!!!  In my experience, the yes was ignored, but it’s worth a shot.  A social worker can help you find a therapist that is financially and otherwise accessible to you.  When I’ve worked in mental health we got most of our referrals for from social workers.    

-If you don’t have health insurance, google something like “free therapy in (your county)” or look up health programs from your county’s government website.  Call your county’s public health office and ask for ideas.  If you have ever been a part of any government programs, you may find resources through those by asking your caseworker.  There are also programs that may cater to specific demographics like people with certain health conditions, people of certain ages,  people in lower socioeconomic status, being a survivor of domestic violence, belonging to a certain race/ethnicity/religion/background, etc.  It’s funny that despite working for lots of places that offer free therapy, I don’t really know how the average person finds us other than through social work referrals.  Maybe someone else has good ideas?    

-Whether or not you have insurance, you may need to be on a waitlist before you start seeing someone.  So get on that waitlist!  A wait, even a long wait is better than never!

-If local health isn’t feasible or while you are waiting on a waitlist, there are a bunch of online therapy options that are sprouting up.  As I haven’t personally used any, I don’t want to give a recommendation, but maybe someone else can?  

-If you have any higher education nearby, there may be local studies you can join and receive mental health services that way.  If not locally, there may be options online.  I did an art therapy program for a few months through an online study.  They even sent me art supplies!

Non-Professional Help

-There are so many books, blogs, podcasts, and videos out there with self-help stuff.  A lot of it is complete rubbish, but there’s lots of gems too.  Sort through it with a discerning eye, ask for recommendations from people you trust, and see if anything feels like a good fit for you.  Stay away from anything that promises too much, sounds too much like a cult, or activates your BS meter.  I find that trendy bestsellers or celebrity endorsed anything is usually terrible.      Look for sources that clearly state which school of thought they come from and what their qualifications are.  (For example, I really like cognitive behavioral therapy.)  When you can’t manage consistently going to therapy, you may be able to squeeze in a 15 min podcast, a few pages in a workbook, or reading a couple chapters in a book before you go to sleep.  Keep in mind that just like taking care of physical health, being overseen by a professional is still safest. Be careful, but don’t rule this avenue out!

-Aside from a guided self-help experience, you can also work to educate yourself about mental health and types of interventions/treatment.  I learned a lot that has helped my mental health by becoming an occupational therapist.  Now maybe a masters degree is a bit much, but even some surface level academic perusing could be helpful.  And being more informed can help you find a professional to work with who will be a good match.  

-Talk to people you trust.  Now your friends and family aren’t professionals (or at least not your mental health professional), but they still can offer support or a listening ear.  Sometimes talking things out can help if it’s with the right person, boundaries are respected, and you can trust their advice.  

-Do things that improve your mental health.  Not just things that make you happy, but things that help you process your emotions, regulate your emotions, and feel more content.  Maybe it’s art, or watching stand up comedy, or volunteering at the local humane society, or writing.  Do these things and remember to acknowledge them as things you are actively doing to improve your mental health.  Each time you chose one of these things over something that doesn’t contribute to your mental health, it’s an accomplishment to celebrate.  (You may find that you do more than you think for your mental health everyday!)

I hope you someday have the spoons to find something that works well for you!  

[scriptlgbt]

My story is about pirates. The MC is a trans guy and the captain is a lesbian who is some sort of big sister/mother figure to him. It's quite violent. I was wondering if it could be problematic? I know it's problematic to show trans woman being overly violent in fiction but what about cis lesbians and straight trans guys? Also, do you know about real any queer pirates i could read about? And what did pirates think about homosexuality/transness?) How was it being queer in the pirate world?

A conversation that I had, that is relevant:

ME: [PARTNER], do you know anything about queer pirates?

PARTNER: I know that there were many, and they’d sometimes be like -

ME: Sea husbands kind of thing?

PARTNER: Yeah, and one would inherit from the other’s booty, and when it was divided up, they’d share their share of the booty.

ME: [mischievous grinning face]

PARTNER: [nodding] And they might share each other’s booty.

Disclaimer: This whole thing is going to largely focus on what is known as the Golden Age Of Piracy. I’m also not a historian, I just hardcore, love pirates with my heart and soul. This is going to be a long post.

So, this is super generalized, but pirates, and even sea-faring folks in general (see: - or sea, hahahahaha - the LGBT+ history of Brighton in the UK), have tended to have a much higher rate of LGBT+ folks and minoritized people in general, throughout history. As far as most research I’ve done goes. Being in a travelling situation and having the anonymity of being able to move around with chosen family generally has great appeal to folks whose existences are filled with oppression and a sense of not belongingness. This has also applied for racialized people, women in general, impoverished folks in general, a lot of different people who wanted to reclaim a place in the world that ostracized them.

Another fun fact, the use of the term “Friend of Dorothy” as a euphemism for gay folks was investigated by the US Navy. They misunderstood it as meaning that there actually was a woman named Dorothy who could be routed down and coerced into outing her “friends” to the military. Cruise ships and others have also used this phrase to covertly advertise that there were meetings for these folks. (Source: Wikipedia | “Friend of Dorothy”) 

But to get to the pirates, specifically.

Most pirate ships largely had their own code that everyone on their ship had to agree to. Some had things like, “you’ll be marooned with one knife, and no food if you are caught not reporting loot to be divvied up by the crew fairly” and things like that. But generally, whoever ran the ship, the Captain, would get to pick the rules. And with the partial-democracy that comes with the idea of mutiny, and the more notable reliance on the labour of it all, in general, things were able to be slightly more consensus-based than the on-land governments.

There are numerous women who became pirates to take ownership of their lives in ways that weren’t permitted on-land. Anne Bonny and Mary Read are historical figures that might be worth looking into. The two of them shared lovers, sailed together, had intense care for one and other and with their dressing up in masculine-coded attire and the like, there’s a lot to go off of in assuming they may have been romantically involved with each other. If not, at least they had some iteration of what a lot of contemporary folks might find comparable to a QPR.

The concept of “sea husbands” was also called matelotage (or bunkmate) depending on your crew. It was kind of the buddy system, but gayer. With little need to consistently explain it to outsiders, folks at sea were freer to explore the different ways a relationship with another person can be, without so much worrying about how it looks to others at a passing glance. And as pirates, there’s less concern that you’ll get shit from the law for gay stuff Of All Things. 

Buccaneer Alexander Exquemelin wrote: ‘It is the general and solemn custom amongst them all to seek out… a comrade or companion, whom we may call partner… with whom they join the whole stock of what they possess.’  (Source)

It was just normal. They also had a version of health insurance where someone was compensated if they ended up disabled from battle. The compensation of death of your partner also works into this.

As for transness, these kinds of things have had fickle definitions and historically, it’s hard to be able to pinpoint specific people as fitting cleanly into contemporary cultural definitions of transness, because frankly, the past had different culture to now. When it comes to writing canonically trans characters in contexts where the language might have been different, it’s important to focus on making sure that a trans reader can identify the personal connection with that character’s experiences and feelings, just as much as it is to use language to name folks as trans. 

Representation can go deeper than surface terminology and the like, and in cases where the terminology doesn’t necessarily match, it has to. Language like, “I never really felt like a [assigned gender] - I see myself more like [desciption of actual gender identity or name for it].” - is as good as just saying the character is trans in my opinion.

Depending on where the character is from, they also may have just outright had a word in their language for their identity. 

Gender presentation was significantly freer with pirates than it was for folks on land. Things like earrings, frilled sleeves, varied hair length and similar, were not uncommon, although the gendered coding associated with these aspects of appearance had different implications than they do now. Gold earrings on seafarers were there to fund a proper burial if someone’s body washed ashore. Gendered clothing was also coded in more binary ways on land. Folks who wanted to be coded as men could do so by wearing pants and folks who wanted to be coded as women could do so with skirts and dresses. (Tangential but fun fact yet again: dressing in those big poofy skirts usually included massive pockets. They were generally not physically attached to the skirts, but if you wore it all properly you would easily be able to reach into them.) 

Pirates and other seafarers also had clothing referred to as ‘slops’ for cleaning (if they were of the rank that cleaned anyway) which were pretty wide-legged pants that could almost pass for a skirt. 

Material that pirates used for clothing was largely what they stole, but it was cut and sewn into the same shapes a lot of other seafarers wore. At the time, it was largely illegal (under English rules anyway) for people who weren’t the bourgeoisie to wear anything made with nice fabric. Rich people saw this as deceitful, and these laws enabled richer people to not mingle on an equal level with those of a lower socioeconomic status.

As pirates, if you’re already shunning the law, may as well wear full calico suits. (Like Calico Jack Rackham.)

There’s more info on pirate and privateer clothing here. (The link is to a free book in HTML format, complete with illustrations and talk of materials, and how the clothes worn at sea varied from clothes they wore when they came into shore and towns.)

I could write a book on this and still not have covered enough. But the gist is that pirates were a big counterculture of outsiders living their lives. LGBT+ people and racialized people got thrown into the mix (and jumped right in) and experienced much more liberated lives than they might otherwise. That isn’t to say they were flawlessly inclusive - there still definitely were a lot of things people thought of in congruence with colonial beliefs. There was racism and homophobia - but it looked a lot different, and was a lot lighter than you’d think. And there were some ships which banned women, but mainly I think that was because they typically didn’t have the background to hold their ground on the ships, and were considered more of a plus one to certain crew members (who brought them - the rules were specifically about bringing them onto the ship rather than them being there of their own accord) than part of the crew. Sometimes women were part of the crew.

Notably, Anne Bonny and Mary Read were in a polyamorous triad with Calico Jack Rackham. (I think a cis + het historian might argue about this but that would seem like denial to me tbh. There is much, MUCH more evidence pointing in this direction than against it, and it would be extraordinarily hard to argue otherwise.) I would definitely do some research on them!

I also recommend this book (link is the free text on WikiSource), A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates. It is perhaps the most famous contemporary record of the lives of a number of pirates from the time, including Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

As for the sensitivity aspect of this ask, I’d say that what you are describing is completely fine. As long as the violence isn’t used to dehumanize or completely demonize, I would even say that I don’t have any warnings for you about it, or precautions to advise on.

Thank you for this opportunity to infodump about LGBT+ pirates. I hope this is not overwhelming, but I’m also happy to parse out segments of this better upon request. (Our ask will be open eventually, I promise.)

- mod nat

[cela-astral-projection]

Celeste Stuff

Basic Character Questions

First name? Celeste

Nicknames? Cela 

Date of birth? September 23rd 

Age: Thirty-three

 Physical / Appearance

Height? 5'

Build? She's got a soft build. Wide hips and full, heavy breasts. No real muscle tone, except for her legs and backside.

Hair color? Dark brown at the roots, fading to a lighter tone at the ends. Shock of dark blonde at the front of her head. 

Hair style? It's just...so much hair. She keeps it pinned up for the most part, but if she let it down it would fall to the tops of her thighs. She twists it up like a crown at the top of her head, framing her face with what can't be contained, tucking the strands behind her ears. 

Eye colour? Green, like seaglass

Distinguishing facial features? A heavy smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

Which facial feature is most prominent? Her lips. The top lip has a sharp cupid's bow, the lower lip is full and pronounced. 

Which bodily feature is most prominent? Her hair. There's just so damn much of it. Second would be her chest. A lot of that, too. 

Hands? Long elegant fingers with short, manicured nails. She pays a lot of attention to her hands, as often as she has to scrub for examinations and deliveries, her skin dries quickly. She loves a luxurious lotion or oil.

Makeup? Not a fan in day to day practice. If she's invited to the palace for a formal affair, she has no qualms about a dramatic eye with lots of violets and a bold brow, soft lip. When the mood takes her, she'll wear dark red lipstick. 

Scars? A few burns on her arms from miscalculating the angle of removing things from the oven. 

Type of clothes? She tends toward linen and cotton dresses when she's home in gem tones. She likes to "borrow" Asra's tunics. At work, she wears a structured uniform of Julian's choosing, with a lot of piping, high collar and long skirt. If it's cold, she's usually sent out in massive furs. 

What are their feet like? Her feet are as immaculately manicured and kempt as her hands. She wears short, ankle-height leather boots with a pointed toe and thick, short, sensible heel. 

Are they in good health? When she's making good choices and not draining all her magic, generally. 

 Personality

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?  Optimistic. Or, rather, stubborn. She can get in her head about somethings but knows that if she goes at it at the right angle she'll usually succeed, even when it's hard. 

Are they introverted or extroverted? Introverted. She decided to live with the hermit, after all. 

Do they ever put on airs? When Lucio is around. It's not even conscious, she just hates him so very much and wants him to know that she's superior in every way. Pretty much the only person she has that strong negative opinion of. 

What bad habits do they have? Giving too much of herself and not knowing when to take a step back. 

What makes them laugh out loud? So many things. 

How do they display affection? Acts of service and physical touch. 

How do they want to be seen by others? As someone that can be relied on. A healer, putting others first.

How are they seen by others? Trustworthy if a bit strange. Townspeople can never quite figure out what's going on with her and her men, so she has been a source of gossip. It hasn't hindered anyone from coming to her in their time of need. 

Strongest character trait? Boundless love and devotion. 

Weakest character trait? Not knowing when to quit. 

How competitive are they? There's a little streak of it. Maybe more than a little. 

Do they make snap judgments or take time to consider? A little from column a, a little from column b. 

How do they react to praise? She loves it. It gives her warm, tingly feelings. Unfortunately, it all comes out a little "Shut up, baby, I know it." 

How do they react to criticism? Poorly. Not the person to offer criticism to, constructive or otherwise. She will shut down. 

What are their biggest secrets? Her private "birthday parties" for Julian. She sees it as a necessary evil, but not one that will be particularly well-received if word got out. Hence, wiping his memory the next morning. 

When was the last time they cried? All the damn time. She's got a lot of feelings, okay? 

What are their political views? That there's always more that can be done to improve the lives of the people, and when that gets clouded, society suffers. 

What will they stand up for? Justice, Equality, Love. 

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? Outdoorsy. 

What quality do they most value in a friend? Knowing when to intervene on her behalf. 

What do they consider an overrated virtue? Temperance. 

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? Not a damn thing. 

 Friends and Family

How big is their family?  Growing. She has Asra, his parents, Muriel, and Julian. She will have the babies, too, soon. 

What is their perception of a family? It's the most important thing. Even if it isn't blood, you can forge your own family. 

Describe their best friend. How do you describe Julian Devorak? 

Do they have any pets? Inanna and Faust. She hasn't found a familiar that truly suits her. 

 Past and Future

What is their greatest achievement? Arguably, beating the devil. Getting Muriel to accept that they were just going to be in love forever and that he needed to calm the hell down is a close second. 

What was their first kiss like? The first one she remembers was like fireworks and rainbows, which seems silly and childish, but that's what kissing Asra is like. Pure, childlike innocence and all-encompassing passion. But, there have been a lot of first kisses, and they are all magical. 

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? Gave up and moved on after holding on for too long. 

What advice would they give their younger self? It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. 

What past actions are they most ashamed of? She has a lot of pain surrounding Julian and not being able to just fully let him go, and it leads to her making some questionable choices. 

Has anyone ever saved their life? Too many times. 

 Love

Do they believe in love at first sight? Absolutely. 

Are they in a relationship? Oh, yeah. 

When did your character last have sex? This morning. Twice. 

What sort of sex do they have? Um...What kind of sex doesn't she have? 

Has your character ever been in love? A lot. Too much.

Have they ever had their heartbroken? Yes. Badly. 

 Conflict

How do they respond to a threat? It depends on how immediate the threat is.

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Magic first, fists next. 

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? Anything can be replaced. But, if pressed, the ring that Muriel and Asra created for her when they wed. 

What is their choice of weapon? Magic. 

What living person do they most despise? Lucio. Depending on your definition of "living". 

Where do they go when they’re angry? Bed, or to the waterfall. 

 Work

What is their current job? Midwife and healer. 

What do they think about their current job? It's important, necessary work that she feels passionately about. 

What are some of their past jobs? Royal magician, shopkeeper. 

What is their socioeconomic status? There's a lot of bejeweled shells to go around. She doesn't accept payment for her services.

 Favorites

What is their favorite animal? All the animals. 

Which animal to they dislike the most? Not big on spiders, but she leaves them to their own devices. 

What place would they most like to visit? She would like to go back to Nopal once the babies are born. Possibly to the steppe, if Muriel can manage it. 

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? Muriel and Asra tangled up in each other in the moonlight. It is heartbreakingly, achingly gorgeous. 

What is their favorite song? I'll just say her "theme" is Crystal by Stevie Nicks from the Practical Magic soundtrack. 

Music, art, reading preferred? Reading. 

What is their favorite color? Greens and Purples. 

Favorite food: She loves seafood, but enjoys most food and loves to cook. 

 Possessions

What is in their icebox: Fresh Eels, black ale, blue-tongued skink, lots of fruit and vegetables, cider, cheeses. 

What is on their bedside table? A vase with belladonna and forget-me-nots. 

What is in their pockets? Gems and shells. A gold compact with a mirror. Extra hairpins. 

What is their most treasured possession? Her heart. 

 Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel? Asra. 

Do they believe in the afterlife? Yes. 

What do they think heaven is? 3 am, half-awake, in the arms of her lovers, one at each breast, snoring softly. 

What do they think hell is? Absence. Separation. Emptiness. 

Are they superstitious? Yep. 

How would they like to die? At home, with her family sending her on. 

What is their zodiac sign? Libra. 

 Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? She firmly believes there are no ambitions great enough to justify the breaking of someone's heart. 

What is their view of ‘freedom’? Choice. 

When did they last lie? March 12th. 

What’s their view of lying? Fairly intolerant. She has been known to make exceptions. 

 Daily life

What are their eating habits? Love eating. Love cooking. 

Describe their home. A cozy cabin in a clearing, built by Muriel when he realized she really wasn't going anywhere. 

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? She's a minimalist that lives with hoarders. It can be a bit trying. 

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? She pulls herself out of bed and goes to get ready for work. 

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? Spends all day making dinner, then all evening laying around, snuggling up. 

What do they do on a Friday night? She might sneak off to Portia's for a girl's night. 

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? Moscato or a nice spicy hard cider. 

 Miscellaneous

If they could save one person, who would it be? Too hard to answer. Save everyone or die trying. 

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? Asra. 

What is their favorite proverb? Love is blind. 

What is their greatest extravagance? She has some lovely jewelry. Delicate gold pieces with rare gems. 

What is their greatest regret? Failing Julian. 

What is their favorite fairytale? The Little Mermaid. The original version, where she has to do good deeds to earn her soul. 

Do they believe in happy endings? How could she not? 

What would they ask a fortune-teller? What time will you be home for dinner? 

If your character could travel through time, where would they go? Before. Just to fully understand. 

[madsthecreator]

Doris: 1, 2, 3, 6, 42; Ellie: 7, 8, 11; Elizabeth: 1, 2, 3, 18, 34; Isabella: 5, 7, 8, 15, 25; Jean: 11, 12, 21, 26, 28; Kitty: 1, 9, 16, 29, 31; Madison: 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 34, 38; Mads: 42, 43, 44, 45; Madé: 1, 4, 8, 9, 18, 20; Skylar: 22, 23, 24, 25; Sophia: 29, 35, 36, 39; Willow: 42, 43

@bpdanakins

Thank you so much! This is pretty long, so I put a “keep reading”. If this breaks the app since it’s so dysfunctional smh, please let me know! Also, please excuse the different types of formatting throughout the answers, MDR.

Want to ask questions, too? Check out the list.

DORIS (PJO)

1. Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

Doris is a demigod, so she is bound to have some siblings! Her father is Hades so while he does not have too much offspring, they’re still there. She is very close to Nico and Hazel, who are both slightly younger than her. Her Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades) cousins are all close to her in age, too. She respects Percy the most, for he never really took a hostile attitude towards her like many people do with the children of Hades.

2. What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

I’m still somewhat developing her backstory/family life, but like all heroes and children of Hades: dead mother. Unlike her other siblings (and most people), Doris can still communicate with her mother. I like to think that even with her mother technically being dead/a ghost, Doris has a good relationship with her. Her mother is also motherly towards Nico and Hazel, too, which is lovely.

3. What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

Somewhat paternal and somewhat professional Doris does find herself hanging out at her dad’s place a lot, but she also runs a lot of errands for him. (Nico does it, too.) While they may not have a close, warm relationship, it is not hard to find that Hades does care for his children, and that they would defend him against the others. BTW, there is also a lot of banter between Hades and Doris, and I dig it.

6. Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Not really but like many demigods, her dreams often hold significance. Dreams tend to help guide what is needed to be done next, or there may be a message she needs to hear.

42. Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them? 

I haven’t really thought about this. Technically, everyone in the Greek world is related but I like to think that Doris has a positive relationship with Persephone, her stepmother. Perhaps she also gets along with Mr. D, lol.

ELLIE (RE)

7. Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Events of Raccoon definitely affected her, especially for the first couple of years. This has faded away (as nightmares of different outbreaks took over, lol) but it still lingers. It will never really go away.

8. Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Yes. Her boyfriend, who was training to be a cop at the time, kind of showed her the ropes which was good in hindsight.

11. In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

Raccoon City comes to mind, but specifically when she thought she was going to lose Leon. The initial outbreak, however, was quite terrifying because she was all alone and had to navigate her way to RPD all by herself.

ELIZABETH (TR)

1. She’s an only child. She has cousins on her maternal side, but she never sees them.

2. & 3.

I’m combining these two. Liz has a very strained relationship with her parents. They can both be described as deadbeat. Liz’s mother also never aspired to be a mother and after her relationship with Liz’s father dissolved, she went off the radar. No one really knows where she is. Liz’s father (Lara’s brother) is also not in the picture. The reasons are not fully known, but he and Lara have bad blood with each other. (Specifically, the issue of their parents but there is more to it.) Let’s just say that Liz’s hates both of her parents. They abandoned her. They never come to visit. Why should she care about them?

18. Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

I definitely believe that she admires ambition over wisdom. However, she sees value in both…she just discards advice from those who are not her family. (She even discards Winston’s wisdom at times!)

34. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?    

Depending on context, she may retry a solution/method once or twice, thinking she made a mistake but after that, she’ll figure out a new solution/method.

ISABELLA (GTA: VC)

5. On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?    Before she fully rehabilitated, traces of cocaine. There may be a few coins and a knife. She can’t afford to not have protection on her. Maybe some condoms, because the people she used to live with made her go on condom run so they wouldn’t get…busted. It became a habit to have them.

7. Her nightmares consist of her family meeting their ultimate demise and her (former) addiction ruining her.

8. I like to think that her first target was at her dad’s boss (who had him sent to jail) but more realistically, the first time she fired a gun was a warning shot for a rival family to step back, or someone trying to assault one of her family members (specifically, the people who raised her).

15. Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

She was raised to think money first. Materials are good (especially for business/merchandise), but money is the ultimate power. That’s what people care about the most.

25. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?   

Pretty quickly. Mafia is supposed to be about family, but Isabella definitely trusts no one. Especially not the Forelli Family after her father was sent to prison. Like her father, she takes loyalty seriously and therefore, do not cross her.

JEAN (ST)

11. This is a hard one. I think one of the scarier moments of her life is when her father was no longer in the picture. Her mother did her best to raise Jean and her brother by herself but at the beginning, it was hard. Jean’s mother fell into a depressive episode. She was active with her children, but Jean could tell that her mother wasn’t entirely there, and it scared her.

12. In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

Hard to say. Jean is generally a calm, laid back type of girl. However, when she is too calm, that shows how angry or afraid she really is.

21. If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

It depends on that situation. For example, if something happened to her family or friends, she blames herself. She could have protected/save them. Why couldn’t she? However, if we are dealing with the supernatural side of her life, she blames the people responsible for that and claims that she will kick their ass.

26. How does your character behave around children?   

Pretty well. Dustin is her younger brother and while they are super close, they would also probably try to choke each other or have really heated banter. That’s just how siblings be! She also finds herself around the Party a lot, often having to drive them to places since none of them have their license lol. El and Max often go to her, asking for advice and having “girl time”, since they like and trust her. She doesn’t mind, though. El and Max are cool and when Billy was harming his sister? Watch out: Jean’s about to throw hands.

28. How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?   

You would have to get Jean really, really pissed off if she resorts to physical violence.

KITTY (ST:AOS)

1.

Kitty has a sister who is about seven years older, but they have a good relationship. Her sister also has children who close to Kitty’s age (Kitty was around ten when her niece was born). She’s close to her sister and family, even while she’s enlisted in Starfleet. If you count in the Enterprise family, Kitty is also one of the younger ones. She’s around Chekov’s age, so they have a close and developing relationship :)

9. Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?   

I don’t doubt it. The best way I can describe Kitty’s family is lower middle class. However, since joining Starfleet, she’s been making money which has lifted the family socioeconomic class up a bit. (She sends money back to help support her family, whether they like it or not.)

16. Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?    Happiness. She can find success very easy, but being happy is harder. Much harder.

29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

Okay tbh, I’m kinda still deciding on what the dream is specifically but I can confirm that Kitty’s dream did come true :)

31. Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable. 

On the Enterprise, she likes to wear comfortable clothing (yoga pants and large t-shirt), hair pulled up in a ponytail, and she’s streaming media (tv, movies, youtube; stuff like that) while reclining on her bed and eating junk food.

On Earth, she feels comfortable with being reunited with her family. She loves her home base, and family is important to her.

MADISON (TR)

4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Uh…yeah. She survived Yamatai, and she also goes to Siberia and Peru later on (yes she’s in all the reboot trilogy games don’t @ me). She has seen a lot. Others do know about this. Her fellow Yamatai survivors know and her family has a concept of what happened to her, but not really. The only ones who do understand is Lara and Jonah.

5. Pockets. What pockets? Madison does carry a purse, and a lot can be found in that. Her wallet, pads, pens, snacks, a hairbrush when needed, earbuds, keys. When she’s on expeditions, the purse is replaced with a backpack and has more stuff in it, like first aid and research supplies.

7. Nightmares are definitely PTSD-related. Events from Yamatai, Siberia, and even Taititi have all affected her the most. Yamatai definitely struck her; it was horror on that island. She may also have nightmares of her loved ones either haunting or being killed (because of her).

8. Her first target was at one of the Solarii Brotherhood members on Yamatai

11. Yamatai is probably the most traumatic experience she’s ever endured (haha). There’s also this one time where a Trinity member attacked her at her university, when she was on her own home turf, and that was pretty terrifying itself.

34. She’ll quickly move on to find a new solution/method but if she’s tried everything, she’ll rebound to the original or may combine certain aspects of everything she’s tried.

38. Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?  

She will try her damn hardest to remove a problem/threat. She’s not the main player for it, she’s more side-kicky. She knows when she needs to take a step back, removing herself from the situation.

MADS (RE)

42. Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

It depends how she views it. She had a really good mentor for her job post-Raccoon City. English teachers from high school could count, haha.

43. Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?

Yes. She’s kind of a kid magnet. She’s also one of the more feistier and protective type of person, so this could apply to her friends too.

44. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

Difficult. She can say “I love you” to her brother easily but with other family members it’s hard. I don’t think she wouldn’t say it without meaning it because she realizes that it is correlated with strong responses, both with her and with other people.

45. What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

She doesn’t like to think about death. She’s dealt with numerous “zombie” outbreaks over the years since Raccoon City, and has a big fear that she’ll turn into one of them. She’s also not a big believer of heaven or hell, but she does wonder what happens after life on Earth.

MADÉ (SW)

1. Madé is the oldest out of four daughters. She’s not really close to any of them, but it doesn’t mean that she loves her sisters any less! She lived in Naboo’s capital and later moved to Coruscant, so her visits were somewhat sparse. Then she moved to a desert planet, when contact was even more rare. I will say that the sister she is closest to is the sister who had Paige and Rose Tico. (Still trying to decide if Madé is their aunt or great-aunt, haha!)

4. I would say so. The Fall of the Republic, Order 66, and the death of Padmé were some of the biggest events that affected Madé. After all, watching something you fought so hard for crumble (she never liked Palpatine, let’s be clear on that right now), as well as a group of people slaughtered (she can’t help but think of the padawans and younglings the most), and watching someone she cared so much and dedicated her life to dying right in front of her? And then having to figure out how to keep her children safe? That would be hard on anyone.

I would say Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Bail Organa and the Skywalker OC I have yet to develop/name, lol are some of the more prominent people who know about these traumas.

8. She was Padmé’s handmaiden and bodyguard, so yes she has fired a gun. (Blaster would be the more appropriate term.) The first target? Someone who was trying to harm the Queen of Naboo or one of the other handmaidens.

9. Hm….no. Madé didn’t come from a rich family and while she had a better economic/social status when she became a handmaiden, it depleted after the fall of the Old Republic. Actually, her status now might be lower than she originally started out with.

18. She has seen a lot of ambition in her lifetime, so wisdom is always a welcoming change. (However, fuck the Jedi Council. lmao.)

20. In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

This is hard! I would have to say her age somewhat concerned her as she was at Padmé’s side. She is one of the oldest handmaidens, and on Naboo they valued youthfulness in their monarchy. It kind of worried her how the Naboo governors viewed her (Palpatine didn’t particularly like her, because she saw his true character). A lot of people also judged her for staying with Padméfor all those years. Shouldn’t she move on? Have her own life? (Ouch.) So, I guess she would have compared herself to the other handmaidens but she really didn’t let the criticisms affect her. She knows what she wants in life.

SKYLAR (OUTSIDERS)

22. What does your character like in other people?

She likes those who have integrity and stand up for themselves and for their loved ones. She likes reliability and stability, too. While she needs someone serious, she also likes to kick back and have fun, too!

23. What does your character dislike in other people?

Those who harm others just for the hell of it; bullies. People with big mouths AKA those who don’t know when to mind their own business. She doesn’t like those who think that they are better than others, especially those who are of upper class. Fuck them.

24. How quick is your character to trust someone else?

Hm. She’s not one to trust quickly but she doesn’t take awhile in trusting someone. I would say, especially after the death of her parents, she can be wary of others. Not only for herself, but for her family too. She wants to keep them safe as much as she can. Honestly, in order to gain her trust, you have to prove yourself to her and to her friends/family.

25.Suspect can be quick if something has been brought to her attention. She will give the benefit of the doubt but she can also read people pretty well. She doesn’t like to be paranoid but she has to keep her guard off for her family.

SOPHIA (IT)

29. What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

Sophia doesn’t remember what her childhood dreams were, so she can’t really say if her dream came true. However I can say that while she grew up, she really didn’t know what to do. She did always want to save people so technically, in that way, her aspiration came true.

35. How does your character behave around people they like?

In general, she gets super nervous. Butterflies in her stomach, blushing, the whole nine yards. She would also try to be as interactive as she can with her crush.

36. How does your character behave around people they dislike?

She makes it very clear. She’ll scowl at them and when they insult her friends, she throws clap-backs that are either very eloquent or very brash.

39. Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?

She’s been nipped by dogs, but it never affected her. However, she remembers Pennywise’s rows of sharp teeth, and that stirs uneasiness within, even if when she couldn’t remember why. (She always associated with not liking sharks thanks to Jaws.)

Also, I just imagined as a kid, she got bitten by a raccoon or something while she and the rest of the Losers were in the woods LMFAO

42. Yes. Her stepfather. We can even argue that Stan and Patty (who she and her brother refer to as their uncle and aunt) have been parental figures to her, too.

43. No one I can think about. Maybe like, the Marshcom (is that the ship name? idk lol) baby or a small pet, but that’s about it.

[5ivebyfive]

Hi quick question about the outsiders au. So when I read the book, being a poc, I've always wondered if race had anything to do with why the soc's hate them. Like do you think Trini/Billy/Zack's ethnicity kind of also factor into the soc's hatred for them? Like in general do you think the class separation also has to do with race as their status?

I really love this question, and this is actually going to be a long answer, so I’ll put it under a break.

When I originally was deciding who would be the greasers, race didn’t come to my mind. The two things I considered were socioeconomic class and simply who I like as Trini’s bros. 

We can deduce that Trini’s family is lower-middle class. Given the state of the economy and how last generation’s middle class is now lower-middle class. They didn’t appear to be poor or well off. To me, this would put Trini in the greaser class more so than the socs. I, of course, changed their status to be much more poor to align with the state of greasers we see in the book. I chose Zack, because he comes from a single-parent household, and they’re very obviously poor. Billy, I chose for a similar reason. He comes from a single-parent household. We don’t know for sure where they lay money-wise. I don’t think they were hurting, but it can be reasoned that they weren’t well off. And again, I chose Zack and Billy because I love both dynamics with Trini as friends. 

But let’s talk about race. Could that be a factor? Absolutely. Both in terms of their struggle to get up in the rat race, and in terms of the socs hate for them. The movie was incredibly white, so we didn’t really see race as a factor, and I saw the book as the same. Different people obviously see it differently, as it’s a book and we imagine things the way we see them. I think we can consider Ponyboy and his family white, just for the whole bleaching his hair part. Like, if he were not white then I think a bleached head would bring more attention to him in that time. But that’s a discussion for another time. In my story, it’s modern day, and whether we like it or not, a larger portion of the world’s lower class are people of color. It would make some sense that a large portion of greasers would be various races. Probably a lot more diverse than the socs. Especially since it’s California. The socs aren’t all white though. There’s Tommy for one. She’s indigenous. But her family has money, and they have status, and her people don’t hate her for what she looks like. I’m not sure where she’s gonna show up yet, but Aisha is going to be a soc as well, and she’s black. So it’s really a matter of perspective, I think. I also think it’s possible to be racist with exceptions. Like...okay, we hate this group of people for who they are, because we have been raised on a generational war with them, and a lot of them look different, they don’t look like me. However, here are a handful of people who don’t look like me, but they’re elite like I am, so I associate with them. So yes, race could absolutely be a factor. These socs could absolutely be racist as well as classist, even if they don’t realize they are.

But what it truly boils down to is who has money and who has status. Where you were born. In the movie it was west side versus east side, in the book I believe it’s south versus north. My story takes place generations after canon. That’s decades of this divide, of families teaching their children who to hate. Of it only getting worse. It comes instinctually at this point. This person is a greaser, no-good nobody, and I hate them. That person has everything they could want, they look down on me, I hate them. I think that....black and white world overshadows race. Again, the greasers are most definitely more diverse. Those greasers of color have it even harder, no doubt. The hate they get can be fired at them with terrible words about their skin. It’s harder more so for them to get a foot up. It got this way somehow. And race definitely played a factor in so many families getting thrown into the greaser class.

Now, you also have to take everything I say about this with a grain of salt, because I’m white. I come at this in a different way that someone else might. And I don’t want to make it seem like I’m saying race doesn’t matter, because it does. Trini, Zack, and Billy are all minorities, and their families struggles are impacted further because of it. Race can never not play a factor, in my opinion. 

I don’t want to turn this into an essay about race in our current economic climate, but a lot of it falls back to that. I think now, if modernized, the book and movie would be very diverse in the greasers and not so diverse in the socs. That’s just how it is, unfortunately. And it almost feels...wrong. To take this group of diverse kids and say they’re the poor kids. Like it’s stereotyping. And I’m not doing that. As I started with, I mainly went with their class statuses. But it could easily be seen as stereotyping minorities. Unfortunately, again, that is the world we are living in. 

I hope not to make anyone upset with this post, or my views. I’m not good at explaining my headcanons the way I see them. But I hope this answers your questions. And, by all means, think whatever way you want about how the classes are separated. That’s what stories are for. Interpreting it the way you see it. That’s just how it naturally happens.

Thank you for your interest, and I’m so glad it got you thinking further. Thanks for asking.

[divinecuriosity]

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode-- BOG!!!! Al

ALL? is that what this is supposed to say. bc im gonna do All 

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with? He’s an only child! Maybe a few cousins his age, he probably was close with them before he went away!

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like? Good, his moms really supported him to the point where he couldn’t do anything wrong in their eyes. Mom #1 was raised in a temple of Ioun, and is a half orc half elf. She works in the temple she and Bog’s other mom founded and tried to teach him to become a cleric like her, but once he voiced his desire to pursure the arcane she was happy to support that

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father  mother #2 like? Mom #2 was less ready to support the arcane, having converted to worshiping Ioun after meeting mom #1 and never really having a knack for magic. Both Bog’s moms see him as the perfect blessing he was intended to be and dont see any faults in him, and though they are hurt by his leaving they trust in their god and in him that it will be ok (not that he’s had contact with them to know that...)

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know? YEs! He first stumbled upon magic when he started to just be able to Do Things, but there was a wizard to came to his town when he was a child and showed the kids magic tricks, and Bog came up to him one day and basically said “i can do that too! my mom doesnt know this bc im scared to tell her but here let me show you” and this like, seven year old half orc kid does some medium level spell and the Wizard was just like. damn we gotta teach u. 

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets? Uhh, not much tbh? maybe some jerkey, a rag for sweat/cleaning things off, whatever coin he has on him? But he always has his drum on a sling over his shoulder, his flute on a chain around his neck, and in a trunk on the lower deck he has his spellbooks and Violin!

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams? haahhhh he gets periodic visions from Ioun being like,,,, hello my Blessing hows the Doing God’s Work going?? oh youre still on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean? thats chill like ur moms i think you are Perfect and fully believe you will get back to it eventually, go find some new Knowledge and fill up that brain of yours thanks ok bye

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares? He doesn’t really get them I think? hes a happy guy

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target? Do guns exist anna???

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up? UHH hes a pirate now so. probably less consistent access to money ? he wasn’t rich at all like, medium middle class at best, but now its probably a lot more sporadic access to like , a lot more money

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing? Uhh he wears the same thing like all the time just loose shirt and flowy pants and drum. if he doesnt have his drum he might as well be naked. But he probably hates having to dress in fancy clothes/layers bc Tactile Bad 

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been? Uh he’s pretty Freaked Out now tbh, but probably the first storm they had at sea, or the night before he left Bard School

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been? Hmmm, thats tough idk? Every time he plays music for a group of people and they chime in/dance/just pay attention he feels  p calm and good

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way? Not really, he doesn’t like seeing people hurt but he isnt grossed out by it

Does your character remember names or faces easier? Names, they get confused when people change their hair or outfit rip

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not? They arent usually, but since being a pirate he kinda,,, goes along w it and has the mentality of “this is nice!” but its not rlly his end all

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success? Happiness

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child? Hmmm, probably drums

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others? Wisdom

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before? They get crushes rlly easily and then get distant if the feelings arent returned bc they dont wanna talk about Hard Emotions bc they never...had too

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism? They don’t compare themselves to others past like, oh they have more x than me and i wish i had more of that? More jealousy than him actually putting value to differences

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others? Uhh nothing rlly, tragic happened but his whole thing is he has a destiny he doesnt feel like he earned and is running from it but also feels Immense guilt for doing that so, lots of self blame in this buddy

What does your character like in other people? They like people with passion for something

What does your character dislike in other people? Uhhh being rude to others (like more than a joke, when its obviously upseting them)

How quick is your character to trust someone else? Fairly quick, he needs more friends

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person? Uhh idk tbh?

How does your character behave around children? He’s great with them for short periods but once he’s run out of little songs to play/sing and funny jokes he. gets anxious and gets out of there.

How does your character normally deal with confrontation? If its an authority figure? ANXIOUS! if its someone he sees as an equal / he has power over, hes more level headed

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation? Uhh hes weak and slow so, p slow. even spell wise hes more about protecting his friends than damage

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true? He’s pretty much always wanted to study magic and be a bard. maybe early early five yr old Bog dreamed of working at the temple

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting? Uhh, standard icky stuff like x-phobias 

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable. Playing for an Audience

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable. Talking about feelings, especially ~romance~

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve? A mix of willing to improve and self-deprecating, depending on whos doing the criticism

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method? They move from solution to solution pretty fast, they arent super patient

How does your character behave around people they like? Trying to impress them and also not look dumb

How does your character behave around people they dislike? Glare glare glare

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status? Honor ig?

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat? Remove the problem

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)? Uhh probably not? hes good w animals

How does your character treat people in service jobs? As well as he can!! 

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first? EARN EARN EARN

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them? Hmm, not really? 

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them? nah

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it? They say it really quickly and usually mean it, they just get close to people fast

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them? He’s pretty sure if he manages not to Fuck it Up he’ll go to Ioun’s realm or whatever, but hes not sure hes gonna,,, not fuck it up,,, or that he even wants that? death scares him so he just doesnt think about it if he can manage

[cockingballs]

some thoughts on class and privilege after discussing these things at college and seriously dating someone who is of a significantly lower socioeconomic status than i am (under the cut bc it got really really long)

class is SO relative. you really can’t 100% realize your place unless you befriended every single person in the world and saw how many people are actually not coming from your background

like i’ve been in a lot of groups where i was the Rich one but i’ve also been in a few communities where i was the Broke one so i think it’s always gonna be hard to really understand where you are on the ladder. i recently learned that the middle class is a lot smaller of a class in america than we think because SO MANY people call themselves middle class

if we say like, the top 15 or 20 percent is upper class then i’m definitely upper class. but i feel like i was under the impression for much of my childhood and adolescence that you have to be a multimillionaire to be upper class. i think it’s more like you have to be comfortable and then some. 

my family boards a fucking horse which honestly is enough to be like yeah i’m upper class. we don’t need that at all

i thought about it a lot in recent weeks bc my boyfriend visits my dorm about 3 or 4 times a week, he drives south about 40 minutes in a real shitty hand-me-down car and has to pay for gas cause i don’t have a car yet (i say Yet because it’s not like we can’t afford a third car we just haven’t gotten one and one of the points i’m trying to make while writing this is that we can afford shit like that) and he’s here so often he keeps a t-shirt and shorts here cause if his clothes get gross at school he dont have time to change before he comes over

he goes to his local community college on fafsa loans in a very conservative county and i pay 58k a year in tuition at an acclaimed private four year liberal arts college. 

even the kids here are wildly different in privilege. we did an activity in a class where we basically all started on a line and then stepped forward or backwards in response to questions like “if you have ever been discriminated against by peers because of a marginalized identity, step back” that kind of thing, and i did (along with a few other kids) make it so i was up against the far wall, because even at this affluent college i am still extremely privileged

a mixture of merit scholarships and family money means i will graduate with no debt or very very little. which is crazy. my boyfriend is at a much cheaper school but he’s going to be in debt because of loans

but its not even just that huge thing?? i mean college is a huge expense and priced like a luxury and it totally divides people but its also like the littlest things???? he stayed over at my parents house this weekend with me for the ren fest and when i told him i’d let him use a new toothbrush and keep it there in case he came back cause we had plenty of extras he laughed and was like “are you serious??? that would be a cardinal sin in my house” like he was gonna not brush his teeth cz it would be a waste of a toothbrush you might need later. my mom gave us a hundred dollars in spending money for the festival and i got him some nice earrings and he was just like “you are so fucking rich” and i seriously had not thought about it that much up until that point cause its like. normal for me??? but its not normal

you can make anything normal if you grow up like that of course and ya just dont realize it until later

and i decided to write this cause he was talking to me about his friends and i noticed that a bunch of them were joining the military. normally i would like totally red-flag that and sirens would be going off like yikes are they gun nuts or something but i thought about it and realized that it’s probably just the affordable option

and i guess,,, the us military really does swoop in on underprivileged students who can’t pay for college. especially in a conservative county

its also weird to be in a relationship where money is uneven. theres such a weird power dynamic with money

i had been buying him shit all weekend, my mom gave him her gas card and $20 for running an errand, i got him some really nice sunglasses for the drive home, paid for some of his food, got the earrings, helped him pay for a literal actual fucking sword lmao, and then we’re like discussing this viking outfit he wants to do next year and he wanted to use contact lenses to be “blind” in one eye and we found some and i offered to buy them and then he told me very earnestly he wanted me to stop spoiling him

like i really wanted to treat him cz he does a lot and doesnt have much spending money but when he said that i did realize that when one person is spending all the money it can make the other person feel,,, weird, like maybe a little guilty and possibly embarrassed 

anyway i could probably write a whole paper on how privilege is so significant but we been knew, this is just my experience with it this weekend

[wileds]

so does he have a lower opinion of faunus since a lot of his houses help were faunus

wakes up early, sees this in my email notifs, hewwo ??

i can’t emphasize enough that love grew up a bit sheltered especially in the years immediately after he came into his semblance. his power is activated by shedding blood and being exposed to it. it was not a pleasant experience and it had real legal ramifications between the victim and love (a minor at the time of course) which brought on a surge of protectiveness from his parents as well as them using their political/social clout to win a favorable solution for love, basically sweeping the event under the rug, while also keeping love ignorant about what exactly happened to the person. which is why i still say that he has no criminal record. quite a bad idea in hindsight - love feels certain that he killed them and he was not given the chance to personally apologize to the family for it, if they would even have him at this point, and all of this began his feelings of shame around his semblance alongside its celebration from his tribe as a mark of charisma / a good warrior / what have you, which is why i’m always inches away from saying that love has a bit of a complex around his affinity which is … pretty unfortunately janus-faced when you really think about the contrary natures of his supposed fate: greatness or madness, or greatness even in madness - greatness is the central destiny here, the contrariness bolstered by stories of previous inheritors of their hereditary semblance who always fell into one of the two categories. the inheritor immediately before him was for sure bloodmad. which doesn’t help matters. love has a feeling that he would become so too if he fully indulged his semblance. maybe that’s paranoia or the aforementioned shame talking, but whatever, it’s genuinely how he feels.

why am i talking about semblance again.

back to the point, he was sheltered more after this event. a lot of the house help and hires were faunus so he did spend a lot of time with them when his parents were busy. yes seeing faunus in certain roles affected him, i know how iffy it can sound to say ‘i have a __ friend so i understand ___!’ or ‘i know many __, so __!’ his curiosity about some faunus traits will come across as ignorant or even affronting if done in the wrong way. and a question like ‘can i touch it?’ always vacillates between ok and wtf no. but in actuality he typically doesn’t bring attention to faunus traits at all because then he knows he won’t make a social faux pas and he’s taken way too many etiquette classes to blunder too badly at this point idk how he was as a kid, he was a fucking handful. but today he is a naturally sensitive person. has more tact than you might expect from his abundance. he’s not afraid to apologize or be corrected, at any rate. tends to notice/comment on someone’s overall attractiveness rather than specifics (he takes note of people’s attractiveness like people do the weather. it’s just a part of how he meets someone and it doesn’t need to mean anything). there’s no intentional othering going on when he thinks of faunus or meets one. also like … i’m sure historical figures such as the faunus queen of vacuo who led during the great war + the apparent egalitarianism of the society (but is it tho) has introduced some levity into vacuoan society and into love’s mind even if through history books or lessons or moments of exposure. going too far into the i don’t see species i see people direction is also an issue (kind of like the i don’t see color argument which negates imp history, current social/criminal/etc injustices, prejudice & racism, etc). but. i answered this ask a year ago and it’s still faithful to his attitude.

… after going to shade academy he at least feels ok to ask mai and aris questions too lol, rip if he’s ever said anything awkward or offensive to them. i am sure he has been offensive due to some part of his upbringing.

that said, all of the faunus in love’s life were not in subservient roles while growing up. some of his most impactful tutors were/are faunus. including one of his primary weapons & combat trainers who i am currently trying to create. her name is leila and she’s one of the lakhdari’s (alt name for the akhdar clan which his tribe belongs to) most formidable warriors. even though she flitted in and out of love’s life because she needed to go and kick ass somewhere, she is like one of his most favorite people ever. not pictured: little love, an only child, precocious and celebrated and sometimes feared with very few friends his own age, telling his badass adult trainer that they’re friends now ok? can i visit? what’s your scroll number? then they actually became friends and leila is always like, well, alright i guess. leila is an arabian oryx whose faunus trait are those horns and she is also literally a golden-eyed warrior (they have their own lore for golden-eyed warriors) (it’s a wip from my end but i gesture vigorously at love’s own gold eyes. when i say he’s fated he’s fuckin fated) … leila’s profile post is forthcoming mostly because i don’t know how the hell to edit gifs in ps for her graphic.

AND NOW THE CONNECTION.

the point of his tribe’s endogamy (marriage within one’s own group) is to preserve their hereditary semblance. it already skips generations instead of being passed down faithfully from parent to offspring. there is an element of blood purity for a blood affinity going on here. in a difficult place like vacuo you can understand why one might want to keep a semblance like that close and alive. the clarkia semblance plus their role as prominent dust merchants contributed to their wealth and influence today. in addition, the clarkias are a human tribe. so that reinforces things. the akhdar clan they belong to have both humans and faunus though, hence folks like leila. this dynamic even goes into his and ksenija’s relationship, who are second cousins i think … there was reluctance from some people in love’s life about letting them meet a lot, although their parents got along fine because love’s parents went the exogamous route. exogamy is when one marries someone outside one’s own group. isa married amina who is way outside the kin group although still of an equal (or higher tbh) socioeconomic status than isa, when the general tradition of the clarkia tribe is to marry within one’s own group. basically they all married for love and so they didn’t really give a fuck about faunus heritage when love like, cried and begged to skip out of lessons in order to see ksenija when he was little. family is so important to them.

the clarkias are a failing house because they’re in the dust industry, and that hasn’t been doing too hot in vacuo for a long while. love is trying to help save his family from obscurity. part of this means him keeping traditions and expectations like the above going. part of his decision in choosing to become a huntsman is because of this desire to keep them from obscurity, when the clarkias really have no reason or tradition of buying into the idea of a huntsman when they’ve been warring and fighting against grimm generations before shade academy ever popped up as the ““““only real source of order.””””” so love fully expects to marry a human too. it doesn’t stop who he associates with, befriends, flirts with, or sleeps with. but he’s gonna marry a human. he is currently engaged to one even if they kinda want to break it off, but even then love is gonna marry a human. if anyone thinks that’s problematic please call him out on it but he never talks about his betrothed or marriage expectations unless he has to, not because he’s ashamed (they’re actually very compatible! they just don’t want to marry each other) (also i have not ‘created’ his betrothed yet because this is going to be all disney aladdin / 1,001 nights mythos which i haven’t had the time to watch/read for the past. year … lol.) 

he is a member of vacuoan elite and marriage prospects or who his family has hired / continue to hire seriously does not mean that he personally thinks lesser of faunus, only that he grew up in an environment that has informed his life and expects certain things from him.