#once again thinking about the rampant misogyny of it all

[exhelluvafan]

Helluva and hazbin hotel being made for porn is true given certain characters such as Loona: She’s 20 years old adult just so it’s fine for her to be depicted in sexual manner at merch and have porn to be made of her aping did shipped with adult characters when her role and personality is her being a stereotypical bratty teenage daughter

About this, I've heard rumors that Loona was actually meant to be 17 by the time that the Helluva pilot got released, but they aged her up so she could be sexualized in merch without anyone saying a thing, but once again, all this is alleged, so take this as a grain of salt. (This is also, allegedly, the same reason why Octavia hasn't received any suggestive merch of her own, btw, but take this as a grain of salt.)

Outside of that, why do you think that Ozzie became the big softie, buff, dom top daddy of Fizzarolli? Why do you think that Fizz and Stolas became defanged and became uwu soft babies bottoms, outside of being Viv's clear Creator's Pet choice (Stolas)?

That's because all of this is just a device that Viv can use to express her twisted, sheltered views of the world, while also making it clear that she has a very obvious problem of fetishizing and stereotyping gay couples, while paying little to no attention to the lesbian / sapphic couples and makes almost all the pansexual males in shows rampant sex deviants that'll fuck anything that moves, while making pan / bi women whores and disgusting individuals, clearly showing Viv's clear misogyny and aversion towards other women.

Also, not so fun fact: before Twitter privated likes, Viv used to like copious, and I mean, MASSIVE amounts of gay porn on her Twitter account, making it pretty clear that Viv doesn't see gay couples as normal relationships, but rather as walking fetishes that she can get off to, so her having a clear problem of fetishizing gay men couples isn't an unfounded claim.

[altruistic-meme]

once again thinking about how the fandom treats Kristina like she’s the devil incarnate and often refuses to see the same amount of depth in her as they do the other characters

once again thinking about how there are less than 25 fanfics on ao3 currently tagged “Good Parent Kristina” and over 100 tagged “Bad Parent Kristina”

once again thinking about how i can hardly ever find a fic, even that isn’t under the bad parent tag, that doesn’t have Kristina acting like a horrible terrible villain

once again thinking about how just because the way that Kristina behaves isn’t “Perfect Ideal Mother” this means that she must not love her children at all and will actively never choose their happiness or ever consider their feelings 

once again thinking about how Linda’s problems parenting are constantly ignored just because we do see her show affection to her kids, and apparently that’s the only thing that’s needed to make a good parent and any absence of this makes you a terrible parent and person

once again thinking about how Ludvig shows little interest in understanding Wilhelm, actively ignores what he says at the table, never speaks up for him, and yet the fandom would constantly rather make him a perfect and loving parent over Kristina, who we see doing what she thinks is best to protect her son, implying that she fought with the royal court to make sure Wilhelm would stay heir (something that, despite his outbursts, Wilhelm has said he wanted, if only to honor Erik), and specifically stating that she loves him and has no problem with his queerness, or with him liking Simon, aside from the scandal of the video.

once again thinking about how people will give August the benefit of the doubt, talk about how his character is deep and complex and how much they love that about his character, but absolutely refuse to see any deeper meaning or possible feelings in what Kristina does because clearly she’s just a horrible person and there is no depth to her at all 

once again thinking about how much of my own mother i see in Kristina and how much it pains me to see people saying that Kristina is an irredeemable villain who only exists to bring pain to her son because i know my mother loves me even when she makes mistakes and says things that hurt sometimes, because i know my mother is also human and thus not perfect. 

[pruneunfair]

Ranking all the OI and manhwa I've read part 2: the moderate.

The decent stories. Just a little better than average

The tyrants only perfumer

My favorite fast food webcomic to this very day. It's characters are tolerable and there's just something some satisfying looking at the perfume bottles, the little bottles remind me of those DIY kits they'd sell at target. That being said it's still a fast food manhwa, the characters are flat, the plot goes too quick and the villains are easily defeated so as much as I enjoy it when I just want to read something quick and light, it's not a good option for something more serious.

The empress wants to avoid the Emperor.

This was actually one of my very first manhwas I've ever read. I thought it was one of the greatest stories ever told when I was still in my revenge phase and it's definitely not terrible when I reread but it's not the greatest piece of literature either. Still for a basic revenge story at least Louise actually gets away her fuckass husband.

Tears of a withered flower

I like it, just not as much as everyone else likes it. I've already made a few posts on it and my current opinions still stay the same but besides all the self insert this and the predictable that the dialog definitely improves from cartoony to poetic. I'm just hoping the rampant misogyny problem in TOAWF is only a fandom problem and not something the author is planning on incorporating into every other woman that isn't Hae Soo

I will divorce the female leads brother

Okay I won't lie this one is kinda funny given how it calls out the absurdity of protagonist centered morality in a better way. Ethel as a protagonist is okay as protagonists go and while the villains are played off as stupid thats because the story actually plays into how idiotic they are instead of claiming they are the smartest around when they aren't, specifically the brothers and father. Also the Og fl of this one has by far the ugliest designs I've ever seen. It's the kind of design where you can tell the artist did not like her at all and gave her the Miku special with those unflattering color combos. I think the weirdest part is the implied incestuous feelings the family has for Reina but once again, it's meant to be seen as vile so it gets a little pass.

Into the light once again

The pain I went through when I realized the 14 year old Aisha was being paired up with guys way to old her with this one because it was so good before it just ruined what could've been 😔. Outside of the obvious I adore both Aisha and Marianne as polar opposites and characters that aren't immediately nice or honesty to Aisha aren't put to death, for the most part at least, they are allowed to grow as better people and get character development. The magic system is pretty easy to remember though I think Aisha can sometimes get too deep in her "super powerful nice girl" archetype but it's not to the point of being awful.

The empresses lipstick

more of a comedy than a traditional rofan but it works, it's one of the first I've seen to get the rococo style a little bit better than others. (It's still not the greatest accuracy but since it's meant to be silly it has more leeway) however it sadly is brought down by the fact that Jane is heavily implied to be on the younger side when her mom bugs her about school and implies that she'll be going INTO high-school implying she's 15-16 based on Korean school systems and she's already being paired up to marry male leads older than her.. damn you age gap trope and damn you 18th century for reminding me of gross yet true history. If it weren't for the fact that I can't remember anything about the ML's age this would be lower.

The villainess turns the hourglass.

What I think of when someone asks me to think of the OG era for manhwa. The concept of the hourglass is easy to follow and it actually comes with a drawback so Aria can't be too overpowered, the bright colors make it all pop and having an actual villain for the FL in a villainess story ties it all in, people can complain about how awful she is but villainess is literally in the title so..you get what you bargained for. There are still cons though about it I don't care for, first of all I wish Mielle could be an actual threat so there would be a fun ongoing mental battle between two evil women, Isis and Mielle could've been smarter as a duo, Asher could've had a little more personality and the twist that Aria was actually of noble descent all along really killed the charm of her being a commoner who could prove she was just as smart as the aristocracy.

Perks of being the villainess

Deborah's already climbing up the ranks of one of the prettiest FL in my opinion because that shade of purple is DIVINE! The plots rather basic as most villainess manhwa tend to go. Deborah is hated by everyone except instead of a backstory claiming she's misunderstood, the og Deborah was actually an asshole to everyone she met except for Pilav so it gave her an actual obstacle. I do think some of them went too fast but I'm just glad we actually got to see the effort being done at all. I'll admit this was better then I thought so it moved up on my tier list. My only complaints are that the chapters can sometimes drag on and on to the point of being bottle episodes.

I shall master this family

I would like this so much more but it drags on so much! Florentia was nice at first but as the chapters went on and on I was less impressed and just thinking "yeah this is just getting boring" with how many times you know she's gonna best her opponents, don't hate her but shes becoming a little too meh right now. That said I like reading it, definitely suffering from a overpowered MC that could use some work but when it comes to politics it's so much more interesting if you can get past that one major issue.

Pretty good: almost better then average but I either haven't read all of it to place it higher or if there's just better

I will become the villains poison taster

I love my underrated girlie's ✊️ the plot is certainly unique, Giselle has the strange of ability of being not only immune to poison but the poison also tastes like fruity snacks/drinks. It deserves a little more traction then what it gets, the ML Reniel actually has emotions instead of stoicism plus actual critical thinking skills because the FL acts nothing like the OG villainess and Giselle, despite how it may seem, isn't the born sexy yesterday trope, she's just allowed to be a sweet heart while still being a person. It's not much but it's still pretty good.

Serena

Fashion and character designs are absolute peak but plot comes before art. At first I was pretty harsh on Serena but when I actually read more of it to form a more concrete opinion I realized it's not the worst and actually got a little entertaining. As a FL Serena isn't bad, I like that she comes across as a nepo baby who needs to work hard to uphold her predecessors legacy so we have flaws to work with here and at the very least the story seems to be kinda self aware that Serena isn't a terrific person. It's also a drama not a romance so while I don't like either Eiser or Frederick as love interests at least Serena can say the romance isn't supposed to be the center of the plot.

Your throne

After so many people telling me how good it was I finally caved in and began reading last week but I already got spoiled so I know most of what happens. Obviously I like the fact that Medea and Psyche actually team up instead of hating eachother and even though it's through spoilers Psyche is my favorite. It's so dang long though it's probably gonna be a while before I make any your throne related posts. Only cons is it can sometimes get too boring to follow.

Seducing the villains father

Proof you can make a stereotypical rofan and it can still work. Yerenica is the perfect balance of girl failure and likeability where her flaws are very common for most people and yes while she is kinda dumb she's not so dumb it makes me wanna slam my head against the wall. Erudian is pretty good as ML's are concerned, just a tad basic and the villain Soleia isn't dumbed down either. Love the second half of the story which gives a little more focus on Yenis family instead of just her love life and while it does get cringe inducing and the plot tracks off from time to time, I still like it.

The crownless queen

The FL is a recently retired history expert who transmigrated in her daughters inaccurate novel and because of those inaccuracies, there are new problems to face while Delia has to survive in a world where Barons and Dukes are switched and she has to climb to social latter. There's little things that really prove how much thought was put into it (such as Delia not knowing the exact date in time shes set in since she's in a different world)

Beware of the villainess.

A little similar to your throne but it keeps my attention longer then the former. Once again women working together instead of being forced into enemies! Really like that! The Yuri baiting though? Boo 👎, don't tease the audience like that (especially considering the og fl is literally called Yuri) can be over the top but I think that's what makes it stand out, it means to be funny and in your face with Melissa's antics but the best character by far is Yona, home girl just wants that check and I can understand that feeling.

Another typical fantasy romance

I gotta stop procrastinating and finish this one!! 😭 first off, Pellus is my 2nd favorite ML with his design being my number 1 favorite in terms of character design. For once we have an actual cold duke who accurately looks intimidating instead of basic BTS member. Best part though: it is one of the greenest of green flag relationships to the point where Lithera and Pellus are worthy candidates to face off Pereshati and Therdeo in terms of who's the best manhwa couple. Actual communication instead of miscommunication that goes on for chapters, relationship actually has steady progression that's just in the middle of how they get to together and Lithera is a great FL. Then I found a bunch of other manhwa and forgot about this one until it came up in my head while I made my first tier list. It'll probably go up once I complete the story.

This one took longer then I expected but part 2 is finally out and now I have to start rereading for part 3.

[just-antithings]

I was once part of an fancop group (not by my will, shockingly), and most, if not all of them were TERFs. I'd like to talk about my experience as someone from the sidelines.

The ex-friend that dragged me into it said "Oh don't worry, they just don't like BAD Trans people!" And that already made me raise an eyebrow, but I stayed and watched, I hardly interacted because I was secretly proship anyways.

But the kind of blatant Transphobia, the rampant misogyny, and the Nazi/TERF dogwhistles left and right, AND clear racism.

They would pick smaller queer artists or POC and get any information they could on them, they would purposely out the queer ones if they were in a red area, and the POC ones were met with ""anonymous"" slurs in their DMs or asks. (They would make fake, blank accounts)

These people would boast and cheer over how they got these people to feel so bad they either quit their socials, or worse.

Sometimes these campaigns would go on for months on end, and it was clear their goal wasn't to "protect children".

So, there's my experience. It makes me sick thinking about it again, but I'm so sick of fancops.

The ones claiming the term fancop is "racist" really need to check themselves and what people they're choosing to buddy up with. Fancops ARE racist.

.

[nerdishpursuits]

I want both Marta and Fina to get their pound of flesh. Death by a thousand cuts isn’t punishment enough for Santiasco and I look forward to them figuring out how to neutralise the threat he poses (with this kind of man, investigating his past could prove beneficial; his obsession with Fina feels pathological, so there should be a pattern with previous behaviour; his rabid desire that she rots in prison for being a lesbian is borderline fanatical). So I really cannot wait for this spineless, narcissistic misogynist to get his comeuppance (kudos to the actor though, for doing such a great job at making Santiago utterly loathsome)

Once again it’s proven Mafin has no equal on this show. Theirs is the healthiest, most beautiful and awe-inspiring relationship. It’s on an entirely different level and, on the cusp of 200 episodes, still eclipses all that surrounds it. They’ve set the bar so high nothing else compares or competes. The way they love each other, so selflessly and unconditionally, so fervently and self-sacrificing. The rest can only shield their eyes, for you can stare at the sun but not at Mafin. They burn that brightly.

Digna and Marta’s heart-to-heart has been a treat. I’m glad my initial suspicions about Digna seem to have been exaggerated (then again, the actress has this way of keeping you guessing which way the character will sway, and it threw me; she lulls you into a state of complacency, then has you questioning her motives, then has you eating out of her palm again; well played, Madam, well played). That being said: I’m glad Marta and Fina have more support during this devastating time, so they can take off their masks, if only for a moment. And support, empathy, love and affection are sorely needed.

The Mafin jail scenes we’re getting? Devastatingly beautiful. It’s all so cataclysmic, brimming with anguish and hopelessness but the drama is exquisite. And damn, if Marta and Alba aren’t taking their acting, and us, to new heights!!! Fina’s unwavering valor though shrouded in terror, Marta’s crippling despair though mustering all her bravery and resilience. They’re down in the gutter for now but I can’t wait for Fina’s liberation and their desperation to reconnect, to feel safe in each other’s arms again.

Tasio, the consummate troglodyte. I struggle to see what Carmen sees in him, especially given his character arc is one step forward, one leap back. His lack of empathy and rampant misogyny are off-putting and I don’t know why I expected more from today’s scene. Presumably, he’ll grow at some point. But until then? The little discourse about his stomach turning at the thought of Carmen having shared quarters with Fina? Despicable and infuriating. Whether 1958 or 2024? Like my partner likes to say: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Someone raise Gaspar a statue. That man is the only one on the show who merits standing ovations (except maybe for Mateo). He can run circles around his fellow men in terms of empathy, loyalty, kindness and friendship. They’d all do well to follow his example. Alas, we know they won’t. Not really. Luis and Joaquin most likely, given their father’s personal history. And Andres is an ally but, apparently, only there for decoration. Damián is at least helping, in his own way, given he’s terrified for Marta and wants to keep her safe. (I think he grasped there’s no separating his daughter from Fina, so he needs to think of them as inseparable). Conclusion: #OneManArmyGaspar

The rumor-mill is already hard at work within the colony and damn if that’s not the last thing they need on top of everything else. Funny how no one’s talking about Santiago’s unwanted advances towards Fina or his aggression towards her. They can’t catch a break, can they? Oh well. One hurdle at a time.

Finally: at this point, does anyone not know what Fina is being accused of? The news is spreading like wildfire and seems impossible to contain anymore. I shudder to think at the damage control that might require. At this point? I’d say Damián could marry her, thus giving Fina the lawful protection of the De la Reina family. Far from ideal but it’s not like he’s going to marry anyone else, given the Digna boat has tanked spectacularly and irreversibly. Least he can do is secure Marta and Fina’s future in a way that’s harder to contest in the eyes of the law, ensuring they can be together without raising too many suspicions. A far-fetched idea, of course, but it does feel like a plausible scenario to me. Rather outlandish, but plausible.

[atopvisenyashill]

So I came upon your blog while looking through the asoiaf tag and explored it a bit. Would you please explain to me how are you against Targaryen incest, but find Jonsa fine? I’m genuinely curious, as I’ve just started reading the books (I’m half-way through a storm of swords) and find nothing fine about any form of incest, whether it is or not considered as such in-universe. I also find little to no Jonsa moments. Could you help me? Thank you!

okay so first of all i got sent an ask forever ago about what the appeal of jonsa is and i’ve been working on explaining basically where i see the plot going and why it’s thematically relevant and is2g i’m still actually putting it together it’s just doing that in a middle of a reread is tough bc my ideas are kinda all over the place lmao (just like this ask is about to be sorry!) (also once again, sorry if my tone comes across very weird, i swear i reread like twelve times to make sure i don’t sound too snarky and wasn't just vomitting up a thousand words of nonsense lmao!!).

BUT. Well there’s three points to this: what the characters may feel, what i feel about jonsa, and what i feel about targ incest. so first the characters:

I think it’s important to point out that first cousin marriage (and auncle/nibling marriage, esp if it’s a “half” relation) are not considered true incest in westeros and in many parts of our world. rickard and lyra, ned’s parents, are cousins. joanna and tywin lannister are first cousins. jonnel and sansa and edric and serena are uncle/nieces, and you’ll note that when alys karstark comes to jon for help, he is disgusted that her uncle is trying to steal her inheritance and not that he’s her uncle attempting to marry her. i point this out because not only is there nothing legally stopping a jonsa marriage, the characters themselves may also see it that way (as not incest). and if your next point is “well they grew up thinking they’re siblings” my answer is - yes and? One of the influences on this series is Mervyn Peake, who wrote gothic medieval stories, and both incest and pseudo-incest is very much a big part of gothic stories! A lot of the storylines in this world are dedicated to exploring incest as a force of socialization and romanticism, from Naerys pleading to live “as brother and sister” and Aegon insisting “we already are” to Alysanne’s “Alyssa is meant for Baelon” to Jaime’s “he heard none of it" in the sept. I don’t think it’s that far of a stretch to posit that two characters we have POVs for will fall in love and grapple with what that love says about them, about society, about their role in the world - and in fact, about half of Jon’s most popular ships are between him and a female relative. Sansa makes more sense to me because she’s closer to his age than Arya, has a more troubled relationship with him, is involved in the political aspects of the story just as much as he is, and isn’t likely to immediately start setting people on fire after they meet.

Now as for me, basically - i think both types of incest are the result of socialization + extreme trauma, and I fully expect that if Jonsa goes canon it will have a tragic ending. I think Jonsa takes some of the inherent misogyny of targ incest and plays around with it - Jon having significantly less societal privilege than basically every other Targaryen and what that means for Sansa as an heiress - but just because I think an exploration of that dynamic will be interesting, doesn’t mean I don’t expect it to be rife with problems.

because the problem with incest is the power dynamic ultimately, and you cannot escape that power dynamic bc people don’t exist in a vacuum. For all the Starks have some fucked up skeletons in their closet, Lyanna doesn’t show up in Ned’s bed naked and ask him to stop her betrothal to Robert, does she? This is the fundamental difference between targ incest and Jonsa or even Lannicest; Lannicest is rampant with toxicity from both of those deranged weirdos but they feel entitled to each other's bodies because of their own trauma surrounding their tumultuous childhoods (and probably some normalization of incest from their parents and proximity to Aerys/Rhaella/Rhaegar), but no one is saying "Jaime you are owed Cersei's body" or "Cersei your womb belongs to your brother and your brother alone." So I don't feel the need to sit here and go "Lannicest is toxic" like yeah? Clearly, lmao, these two feel like they are so damaged, and made so special by that damage, that they can only love one another, that's not what anyone would call healthy. I don't think it's necessary to sit here and explain that dynamic has abuse problems; it's right there in the text!

"well what about the power dynamic between jon and sansa?" YES WHAT ABOUT IT. that's the point! i'm interested in how a dynamic that is inherently abusive will play out between two people who were raised to believe some types of incest are okay but not others, who are victims of abuse and societal alienation themselves. because at the same time that i condemn targ incest, there are obviously real feelings and genuine care in these relationships and in these people, because again, people don't exist in a vacuum. daemon backs rhaenyra into this corner and then crucially does not kill any of her children because he realizes that's a step too far, she'd never forgive it, perhaps even because he grew to love them (i mean, Lucerys and Joffrey likely barely remember any other father but Daemon!). maegor is a monster who very specifically never harms rhaena's daughters! aemon is a useless pos but it seems likely he had a hand in raising naerys' son to be better than aegon because he could see the harm he and his brother were doing to naerys even if aemon was too much of a coward to actually stop that harm in any meaningful way! the difference, to me, is that jon will see that this relationship built on trauma and grief may be the only love he and sansa will ever allow themselves to feel but it is not healthy for them, and jon will leave! and sansa will realize she is not the impassive, frozen, detached symbol that the men around her want her to be, but a living, breathing person with her own wants and desires and agency, and will let him go!

Ultimately, while i think romanticizing and sexualizing the taboo is fine and even healthy, for me, there has to be some acknowledgement that you are in fact romanticizing the taboo. This is why the shitty dudes in asoiaf work for me in a way shitty dudes outside of asoiaf don’t usually - my general bitching about parts of the narrative that don’t click for me aside, there’s firm condemnation of the people engaging in these behaviors, from cersei sexually abusing lancel to sandor creeping on sansa. just because the narrative also shows us and wants us to feel empathy for sandor and cersei and why they’ve become bad people doesn’t mean what they’re doing isn’t bad. that’s what i like! i don’t want a story that holds my hand and drags me to the moral nor do i want a story that presents a god awful person who is supposed to be morally upright and not mean for us to dig deeper into them!

(this is why i like the pt but not the st of star wars, if you want an example - for all the prequels are um. flawed. lucas has an overreaching story about the effects of war, slavery, and interpersonal abuse that he’s dedicated to, and we are meant to be horrified by anakin choking padme just as surely as we’re meant to mourn their relationship and love for each other when palpatine gleefully tells anakin she’s dead and ani destroys the room in grief. vs like. what were the sequels even fucking doing man).

So the thing here is that I actually do in fact find Targaryen incest interesting while being morally repugnant as a practice, and I'm positive Jonsa will play around with both the morality of incest and the romanticism of it in a way that I find just as interesting, varied, romantic, and fulfilling as like, the Jaime/Cersei(/Brienne/Tyrion) mess or the Daemon/Rhaenyra/Laena/Harwin debacle! I like incest and I also hate it! I contain multitudes!

[homiro]

I don't give opinions because I don't have the mental sturdiness to deal with being misunderstood either by accident or on purpose. And some people seem unable to disagree with other people's opinion without immediately jumping their throats, making assumptions, and overall implying that the person is stupid. And I already know I'm stupid, I don't need any more confirmation of that. So this is ranty vent where I ended up calming down by thinking about how much I love martial arts, especially boxing.

So this isn't an opinion, this is a vent. I felt the same about Caster Semenya and once again we're seeing the same fucking bullshit with Imane Khelif. Let's get Phelps out the way, frist. That guy is a giant, he snatched all the medals when he competed, nobody said a damn thing. Why? He's a cis white Anglo-Saxon male. Case closed.

But transmisogyny is rampant in official competitions, especially the Olympics. Trans people are not even allowed to compete. LET THAT SINK IN. TRANS PEOPLE CANNOT COMPETE. NOT EVEN IN FUCKING CHESS. I'm not even following it, I'm just seeing the shitshow from the news and posts on here. And I'm not talking about Caster or Imane BECAUSE THEY ARE CIS WOMEN SO THEY ARE NOT FACING TRANSMISOGYNY. They are facing misogynoir, that is, misogyny specifically targetted at black women. Because it's more vile than regular misogyny since black women are stripped of their femininity because they don't fit the European standards for what a woman looks like. And that is because transphobic ideas of what a woman is are rooted in WHITE European standards. Short, white, straight nose, light eyes, straight light hair, etc, etc. You know what I'm getting at. The real and most ideal woman for a transphobe seems to be Aryan. There I said it. Transphobia is rooted in white supremacy and the idea that women MUST be short, white, and frail. Transphobes and incels share a lot of the same ideas of what constitutes a "woman of value", whatever that fucking means.

And to show why this upsets me so much, and why this isn't an opinion coming from the outside and why I'm so fucking angry I needed to say something, I'll share some things.

Look no further than k-pop. The guys are called women because they're pale and wear makeup and are slim and I've seen AND HEARD racists say they can't tell if an Asian person is a man or a woman. Not only about East Asian people, but also South Asian people and Brown people. And it wasn't being said to me or around me but within earshot and I am blessed and cursed with very good hearing.

I have seen several videos of black women saying that transphobia affects every woman, not just trans women, and especially it affects women of colour. One of them is Brazilian and got hit with some transphobe saying he could see "his" dick under "his" dress on the subway. There was no dick, she is cis. This motherfucker just looked at this black woman and decided that she wasn't womanly enough. And that is not transmisogny and she clarified that. She said that transphobia affects everyone, especially women of colour who don't fit the white European standards for what a woman is.

And now me. I'm pale but Mediterranean. I am AFAB and I bleed. I have an intersex condition, and it affects my ability to fucking bleed for months at a time, but it happens. This intesex condition doesn't affect my ability to lose or gain weight, but it makes me have male pattern baldness and facial hair along with thick, black leg hair and arm hair. My chest is mostly flat. This intersex condition isn't what made me trans, by the way. If that were the case, everyone with it would also be, and that is really not the case. People with this condition by and large are AFAB and undergo female HRT, which was what they immediately suggested when I got diagnosed with it. Needless to say I didn't accept it. I recurrently get mistaken for a transfem and it leaves me torn because okay so I don't look cis, and to me personally, that's nice especially because I can't be subjected to transmisogyny and can easily embarrass the transphobes, but considering all of the above and the fact that transphobes think trans women are all ugly, it's bad. Not because of me, because I know I'm ugly, but because they're implying by extension that trans women are ugly, which is simply fucking wrong.

I think the most horrible incident that happened to me and honestly I fear for Imane at this point, was one time when I was at the pool and this cleaning lady looked at me "funny" and when I went to take a shower there (it doesn't have booths there), she randomly popped up and I saw her look at what the fuck I had between my damn legs. And I was startled and she quickly pretended to be looking for a bucket. But no, trans people are the perverts and predators and creeps /sarcasm. I haven't returned there yet and this happened over a year ago. And it's important to say that the locker room was empty save for me and this transphobe. And all this to say that while I'm a trans man, I relate to these women because I've been subjected to similar shit, only that wasn't that dangerous, so it's personal and it makes me really mad. And I will repeat that this is not transmisogyny because I cannot be subjected to that since I am AFAB. And I will reiterate that these are not opinions, this is a rant and a vent based on facts and personal experience.

I'll just put four pictures here of four boxers, and allow you to have silent reactions to them and their stats:

Top to bottom, left to right:

Imane Khelif (Algeria) - Lightweight (60kg/178cm; 132lbs/5'10'';

Lin Yu-Ting (Taiwan) - Featherweight (51kg/175cm; 112lbs/5'7''.

Claressa Shields (USA) - Light Middleweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight in Boxing - (currently 76kg, 173cm; currently 168lbs, 5'6'';

Savannah Marshall (UK) - Middleweight, Super Middleweight in Boxing - 73kg/180cm; 161lbs/5'11''.

(The last two have fought against each other)

A tangent here since this isn't an opinion and looking up fighter stats calmed me down since I love martial arts. Height is not a factor in categorising people into weight classes. If transphobes actually cared about the arts/sports, they would know that reach advantage is a thing and is listed when you look up fighter stats. And reach advantage would be the arm length. That's why shorter fighters tend to prefer to fight inside their opponent's reach, that is close to them, because that puts them at an advantage since it's unlikely to get hit with a straight jab in the face if you can almost kiss your opponent's chest. And what's more, if you're a shorter fighter in a weight class where people tend to be taller and thus have longer arms (which is an advantage for them since they can punch harder from further away and step back to avoid an instant counter attack, in case that wasn't clear), it's good to master the clinch. The clinch is what they call when the fighters seem to be hugging and can't really fight, especially in boxing where blows below the belt are illegal, blows to the back of the head and neck are illegal, and kicks are also illegal (that's why kickboxing exists). Because it's close quarters and if you master it, it's a good way to catch your breath during a round, since being shorter against a taller opponent requires being faster and thus spending a lot of stamina faster.

I'm a big fan of Muhammad Ali and of Claressa Shields (and I'll admit my bias towards heavyweight fights, though I also like welterweight fights) and they both exude an amazing confidence. Muhammad Ali called himself the boxing GOAT and Claressa Shields calls herself the boxing GWOAT. And I personally agree with both. If this piqued your interest, look them up and see their wins. Claressa is too young to have a lot written about her, but Muhammad Ali was the one who started the boxing taunts thing, and it was pretty terrible at the time because people saw it as disrespect, but it wasn't. He was just a jokester and when George Foreman won against him and his family was mad at Muhammad Ali for what he'd said, he apologised and said he didn't mean to disrespect him (it wasn't anything super mean, he just said he was slow and fought like a mummy and then mimicked it. And that's because what distinguished Muhammad Ali from other heavyweights was that he was very fast). Muhammad Ali was so goofy that even after he retired because he had Parkinson's, he called his manager and friend out into the snow, and was really stubborn about it, much the latter's annoyance, and said "I'm the fastest puncher in the world" and the manager said "In the heavyweight class, yes" "no, any class" "that can't be" "want me to show you?" "sure" *Muhammad doesn't move* "well? where is it?" "want me to show you again?". Geeking out about my fave, sorry. Just to show that he wasn't a bad person (which is also corroborated by all the tapes he recorded for his daughter since he couldn't spend a lot of time with her and said that one day she'd maybe value those). Claressa has lost against Savannah, but I'm kinda torn towards the latter because she talked about this situation with Imane and the Italian. She's playing devil's advocate, but she did highlight that the qualification criteria for Olympic boxing is ridiculous, mostly because nobody knows exactly how they evaluate people, especially women. In regular, official competitive boxing, it's all very clear.

And finally, you want to see what I look like? I'll put that shit under the break so that you're not immediately jumpscared. My stats in boxing, based on AGAB, are: Junior Featherweight or Super Bantamweight (54kg/166cm; 119lbs/5'5''). And yes, I have training. Mostly boxing, but also Jiu-Jitsu and Muay.

The last one was when I had to present fem for a wedding. The others are how I normally look and I did the Joker makeup and a closet cosplay, because my hair pulled back looks like his and I joke that I'm getting jokerised all the time. Or rather, half-joke. This picture was never publicly posted anywhere before today. I wanted some body pics but only have that available on this PC. That one at the top is a vintage outfit. I lost a lot of weight due to trauma but my bone structure is still wide and "not-feminine", that is, I'm very fucking androgynous. I once tried asking for opinions on reddit and lol I got told that I was ugly in every possible way. The only positive comments were of people saying I'd look good as a guy lol And if you clicked this read more, sorry for the jumpscare again. I just wanted to showcase where I'm coming from. Again, not an opinion, this is a vent. That turned into a bit of a lesson on boxing I guess.

[ladyaj-13]

Thank you @ronniebox for the tag!

Rules: List ten books that have stayed with you in some way, don’t take but a few minutes, and don’t think too hard - they don’t have to be the “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you.

1. 'Witches Abroad' by Terry Pratchett

My first Discworld. I was immediately sucked in and knew it would be a new love. My dad bought me the book, and I remember starting to read it on a gloomy beach, laughing out loud and getting weird looks from my family. "You mean everyone brought potato salad?!"

2. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

An assigned book in high school, but one of the only ones I've returned to multiple times. I say it's my fave when I want to sound intellectual.

3. 'Good Omens' by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Came for the Terry Pratchett, stayed (and re-read maybe 10? 11 times?) because it's utter perfection. My actual favourite book.

4. 'Take Six Puppies' by Bette Paul

I don't know how many times I read this as a young child. My copy was almost in pieces, and the dogs on the front were embossed so you could run your fingers over them. I actually can't remember it much now, except the cover, but my God. I loved this book.

5. 'Claudia and the Middle School Mystery' (Babysitters' Club #40) by Ann M. Martin

I must have had about fifty of this series. I absolutely adored them, and used to play 'Babysitter's Club' in the garden. This one was the first book I ever bought with my own money. I remember it very clearly, handing over a £5 note in Wetherly's bookshop and feeling incredibly grown-up.

6. 'Goodnight Mister Tom' by Michelle Magorian

A lot of kids books on this list...! Another that I read over and over again, so much that the cover fell off. I think it was actually my sister's, but I commandeered it early on and never gave it back, and last re-read only a couple of years ago. As I got old enough to cook, I would fry bacon and cut thick slices of white bread, with a mug of tea, to mirror Willie's first meal at Tom's.

7. 'All Creatures Great and Small' by James Herriot (the whole series)

As a child I gave up on the idea of wanting to be a vet pretty quickly (too many distressed animals), but still devoured book after book about animals (special mention for the 'Animal Ark' books by Lucy Daniels, which I would get off the shelf and mix-up so they could sit next to other 'friends' for a while... I was a weird kid 😄), and discovering this series hidden away in my family's garage was a goldmine. I later got an 'all volumes in one' massive hardback edition. It led on to reading Gervase Phinn's school series and Gerard Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals' series.

8. 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' by Hiromo Kawakami

A bit of an outlier in that I've only read this once, but it seemed worth including as it really stuck with me. Not the story so much, not a whole lot happens, but the vibe. It inspired me to read much more Japanese literature.

9. 'Past Mistakes' by David Mountain

I'm a bit of a social history magpie (love a BBC documentary), and this book was so readable and full of titbits - all those things you think you know about history, turned on their head. Just what I want out of a non-fiction book.

10. 'Hogfather' by Terry Pratchett

Another Pratchett?! Yes. This one is seasonal.

Wow, wordy. I could have mentioned many others, such as Wild Horses by Dick Francis (see how I snuck this one in 😛). I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but it was the first 'grown-up' book I read. (My mum gave it to me because it was about horses and I loved horses... possibly I was a bit too young for the sexual content and rampant misogyny she must have forgotten it contained, but there we go.) I'll tag @lemonistas, @londonfoginacup, @incognito-insomniac, @astridcontramundum and anyone else who wants to!

[eroticcannibal]

I’ll just get this out of the way: I believe in transandrophobia or whatever people want to call it, I believe in listening to trans mens experiences.

BUT. I cannot stand most of the big people on here who discuss it for reasons similar to the recent post you made about how privileged women still experience violence.

I once saw a thread of trans men all saying that cis white women who fear violence and being kidnapped murdered, shouldn’t fear that, and that any cis white woman who is scared of misogynistic violence has just been brainwashed by mainstream true crime and crime shows, and a couple people said “lol they don’t want you why are you scared”.

I am a white cis girl (I’m also a trans guy but that’s not super relevant rn lol). I fully know my privilege and frequently have discussions along the subject of white privilege with friends of color. I don’t shy away from the topic.

but I have almost been kidnapped twice in the short 18 years I’ve been on this planet. One of my earliest memories is that experience in a shopping mall. Every cis girl I know, white or not, has had real life experience at least once with this kind of thing.

and when I saw that thread, it made me feel ill. To me it feels like so many other trans guys on here decided that the “being a man doesn’t make you bad” doesn’t apply to any other privileged group because they didn’t want to be seen as deniers of other forms of privilege. I also saw an entire thread where a shit ton of trans guys were literally saying that, because white cis women are the physical “vessels of the white race”, then apparently we are not at risk of domestic violence because cis white men need us to keep their dream of a white supremacist world alive. and many people responded with righteous outrage just to be dismissed as “well they are just trying to defend white women”.

the fucking rampant misogyny in these spaces is so fucking hard to deal with, and they complain all day about how people ignore issues men have, then turn around and act like one form of privilege means your other experiences of oppression don’t matter.

so long story short thank you for those posts I’ve been so ducking exhausted lately trying to find a balance between discussing transandrophobia with other transmascs, and protecting my mental health from all the misogyny in those spaces. it’s so fucking tiring.

U get it. U get it. And yeah this sickening attitude towards women is rampant in spaces that support the idea of transandrophobia (and honestly I think this most recent wave of "progressive" misogyny is squarely on trans men who believe in transadrophobia, and insay that as one of them) I wasn't sure if I was gonna call out that group specifically myself but since u bring it up!

Also I think we saw the same post cus that sounds like one of a few that set me off lol

Like im not even shocked at ur experiences there. I have experienced and seen some SHIT while playing the role of a white cis woman. And it was all normal. The women who raised me to always be on guard did that for a reason. The distrust of men among white women isnt from brainwashing, its from knowing half your friends were molested by their male relatives and seeing their mothers get beat every evening.

But also that other example you discuss... now I've not seen it in these spaces specifically but I have seen *some* people dismissing violence against white women due to something something white supremacy and just. Its truly sickening. Its evil. (And shows a fundamental misunderstanding of white supremacy, female subjugation is an intrinsic part of it).

And yeah like you say. Any time someone brings attention to any of this shit its "how dare you defend WHITE women". As if they arent still women.

And especially when the social space i occupy still overlaps with the experiences considered that of white women, when I'm facing these justified fears of violence (again) in my day to day life.... yeah. Its fucking exhausting. When the spaces that claim to support my experiences as a man dismiss my experiences and fears because those are the experiences and fears of icky white women. (When they arent even mutually exclusive categories, and even people like me and the most cis of cis women have more in common than difference)

[rjalker]

anyways whatever here's the review I left for the review someone else wrote for The Cloud Roads.

February 17, 2023 at 8:02 pm

Oh my gosh this essay is like a breath of fresh air. I loved reading The Books of the Raksura series, but it has soo many blatant problems I’ve never seen anyone except my literal twin discuss, finding this article was the highlight of my day.

I think this article is just a review for The Cloud Roads, rather than the whole series, but another thing I want to add on that I noticed continuing in The Murderbot Diaries is that Martha Wells does not plan ahead very well at all, with the tail ends of her series contradicting the first installment, and once you read the whole rest of the series and then reread The Cloud Roads, it becomes nonsensical and absurd.

(This is less of an issue with The Murderbot Diaries because they’re so short, but it’s still noticeable. We’re shown later that people on Preservation casually treat robots like people,,,but then why did they all just treat Murderbot like less than any other robot?

Even if they’re thinking of it as “just a robot” and “not a person with a human-like face”….the society they come from means they should have been treating it like a person anyways. They shouldnt’ need to see its human-cloned tissue face to think of it like a person. This is a pretty drastic contradiction to what we’re shown later, but it never gets brought up again and most people don’t even notice it, even though it’s a pretty ridiculously big plot hole once you think about it, considering how short the stories are!)

One thing I’ve never seen anyone else discuss is the transmisia–

(a different term for transphobia that’s not antagonistic towards people with genuine anxiety-induced phobias like agoraphobia, ecetera. The suffix “-misia” comes from the Latin word for hatred, which is also the prefix in “misogyny”)

–in the way Chime and River were treated by that narrative, as well as the inherently classism in the way River specifically was punished for “getting above his station”.

Chime and River are both very heavily trans-coded, not identifying with the genders and gender roles their society forces upon them, and both of them receive nothing but mistreatment and abuse for this fact.

We’re not supposed to think River’s a bad person because he went around abusing Arbora, supposedly the ones the Aeriat are meant to protect, we’re supposed to think he’s a bad person who deserves to be shunted to the bottom of the social ladder because he………..wants to be a consort? Meaning he’s basically transgender???? And this is why he’s punished and hated afterward by the whole colony, but not a single person had any problem with his behavior when he was going around beating the crap out of Arbora????

And then Chime, who’s literally magically forced to change sexes, who does not identify with the new sex and gender roles he’s been forced into, is treated like a whiny annoyance whenever he expresses discomfort with what’s happened or wants to find out if he can change back. Everyone, including Moon, just tells him he needs to stop complaining and get over it because his complaining is annoying everyone else.

I remember in one of the last two books of the series–and this ties in with the biological essentialism and gender essentialism rampant in this series—he’s not even allowed to do something as simple as help pitch a tent without literally being chased away by a snarling, “Real” Arbora.

Which A is just transmisia, he’s being excluded from activities he did before just because his physical sex no longer matches his gender identity, and also just drives home the problem between the Arbora and the Warriors that we’re just supposed to think is pefectly fine.

Warriors are constantly insulted and called useless and stupid because they don’t do anything to help out around the colony, but then literally they are not allowed to help. (And again, this is Martha Wells not planning things out properly. Why do the warriors even exist if they don’t actually protect the colony? 90% of the time it’s Moon, Stone, and Jade fighting, with the warriors not really actually helping in fights at all. Except of course for when, later in the series, Balm somehow manages to take down a Ruler all on her own with no problem despite the fact that we keep being told Fell are terrifying and deadly)

Anyways I’m getting off track.

The Arbora refuse to teach the warriors how to dress kills properly, then get mad when they don’t do it right. They call them lazy, then literally chase them away with LITERAL snarling when they try to help out. And Chime isn’t even a warrior, he’s a damn mentor, he didn’t ask to be magically changed into a warrior for no logical biological or storytelling reason!

Chime isn’t even trusted to visit other colonies libraries because of the stigma against “warriors”, and no one ever even aknowledges that he’s not a warrior. It’s biological essentialism and Martha Wells equating sex with gender and gender rolls, and we’re just supposed to be fine with it.

This is also a problem in The Murderbot Diaries that I hardly ever see anyone address – Martha Wells is still equating sex with gender, which is why literally every single robot character uses it/its pronouns and is genderless. Because she thinks that since they don’t have a sex, they can’t have a gender either.

All robots are assigned genderless upon construction, and this is just. How it is, apparently. Murderbot gets praised as being awesome trans representation, but it’s not even trans (unless Martha Wells retconns and changes its backstory), it’s literally a cis robot, whose gender is determined by its lack of sex, along with its sexuality of being aroace.

And I say this as someone who is aroace, and nonbinary, and uses it/its pronouns!

This would be fine if there were other robot characters who used pronouns other than it/its, who had orientations and genders that weren’t just “no”, and humans who were explcitly trans and nonbinary who get more than a few pages of “screentime” before being shoved out of the story forever, never to be mentioned again (Like Rami, the one human character who was explicitly nonbinary and used neopronouns, was!). It’s just a bunch of stereotypes and nothing else to makes it anything more!

This has lead to people who read these books to legitimately think that only fictional characters use it/its pronouns, so it’s okay for them to misgender Murderbot and me, the real person who uses it/its pronouns who’s trying to correct them.

Martha Wells definitely has a problem with bioessentialism, and with the rest of The Books of the Raksura, it becomes even more painfully obvious and racist. The fact that the Fell are portrayed as iredeemably evil….until the magical mixed-race kids, who have Good And Moral Raksuran Blood, teach them to not be evil….

Like, one of the well-respected and wise characters literally offers straight up eugenics as a solution to the problem of the Fell being so Inherently Evil, and we’re supposed to think it’s an awesome idea and nod along in excitement rather than be horrified. This same scene also confirms that the Raksura are practicing eugenics, strictly controlling who is allowed to have kids with who.

There is so much stuff I have to criticize about this series, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg! And I loved reading them! Apparently being able to enjoy something for what it does right, and criticize it for what it does wrong, is an almost impossible feat, according to 90% of Martha Wells fans.

But anyways, thank you so much for writing this essay, this is everything I’ve been looking for and not finding since I read these books. Unfortunately the fandom on tumblr and the few other sites I’ve checked is absolutely terrible, people are just reducing the polayamory to a jealous love triangle, and whitewash the characters :| And The Murderbot Diaries fandom is even worse, oh my gods.

Please keep up the good work, and if you have read the rest of The Books of the Raksura, (It seems like this review is just for the first book, but I’m not sure) I look forward to any other essays you write about it! This is my first time visiting this site but I’m definitely going to check out the other stuff you’ve written!

[booksandabeer]

Daisy Jones & The Six - First impressions

I'm still sick in bed, so I just watched the first three episodes of Daisy Jones & The Six in one go. I'm also cranky and tired and bored, so here have some unfiltered opinions.

Overall, it's a fun watch, very entertaining, beautifully filmed with great production design and set dressing, some intriguing performances (Camila Morrone, who would've thought?), and way-better-than-expected original music. It's also a very safe show. Now, I haven't read the book, so I don't know if the show merely works with what's on the page or if they toned things down considerably, but everything here seems so carefully designed to not offend anyone. Every once in a while the show will gesture towards issues like drug abuse/addiction, racism, or the absolutely rampant sexism and misogyny of the Rock'n'Roll & Groupie culture of the era, but every time they're getting close to actually saying something about it, they back down again.

The thing is, I can't even really focus on the actual contents of the show because I'm so hung up on some of the visual aspects of it (also I'm on a lot of antibiotics and pain medication right now, so you know, please feel free to disregard anything I'm saying here). I said this back when I saw the first teaser for this, and having watched three episodes now, I maintain that everybody here looks too clean, too healthy, too put together--especially for people who are supposed to be drunk/high 24/7--and everybody's teeth and hair are just way too nice. Well, except for when they put certain actors in wigs... and then it's even worse. Like, really Amazon? ALL that money and you couldn't find Timothy Olyphant a wig that doesn't look like glued-together shavings of an old Chewbacca costume?

Also, and I'm very sorry but it needs to be said, Sam Claflin is all kinds of wrong for the role of Billy and should've never been cast in it. For one thing, he's visibly too old for the part; at one point, he's supposed to be around 21 years old, I think? Sam Claflin is a very handsome man, but he cannot pass as a guy that only *just* left his teenage years behind. And that's not on him. I like Claflin and I don't fault him for wanting to take this part (which actor wouldn't?), but I don't understand how seemingly no one with any pull in this multi-million dollar production looked at that casting choice and said "Uhm, guys? Maybe we should reconsider?" There are other problems with the performance, but I'm not here to bash one actor, especially one that I've generally enjoyed watching in other parts.

However, I think the even bigger problem is that I don't get the character of Billy at all, or more specifically, why everyone thinks that this guy of all people is some sort of hypermagnetic, genius Jim Morrison/Lindsey Buckingham hybrid? Because what I've seen so far looks more like a moderately ambitious, moderately talented guy who's simply in over his head and doesn't really care either way whether he makes it as a big Rock'n'Roll Star or not. Where's the drive? Where's the fire? I don't see it, which is kind of a problem when your whole show hinges on your two main characters being charisma machines that the audience is supposed to be absolutely enthralled by.

I would be really interested to know what people who have read the book think of this adaptation. Is it successful and true to the text? Am I'm just wildly off the mark here? Is it good, bad, or just okay? And most importantly, should I read this book?

Ok, going back to sleep now.

[bluejaybytes]

Your tag a few posts back, why do you hate the cat books?

Okay so to preface: I genuinely adore warrior cats. I do. It's been my "main" special interest since I was around 9. I have thought abour warrior cats daily since then. However these books straight up fuckin SUUUUCK. This isn't a matter of "Why aren't these childrens book for children appealing to me as an adult?", they are bad AS CHILDRENS BOOKS. I can forgive shitty writing, but warriors tries its HARDEST to make itself as unappealing and godawful as possible through bland worldbuilding and characters, and the absolute RAMPANT myraid of issues, with misogyny and ableism as the two most frequently discussed. Female characters are CONSISTENTLY written as being "unreasonable" when compared to their male counterparts, who may be on their level OR WORSE in terms of bad actions, but get excuses for their actions BY THE NARRATIVE ITSELF whereas the women don't. Disabled characters are treated as less than, once again, not just by the characters, but by the narrative. Firestar literally tells Cloudtail that Brightheart, his MATE and AN ADULT, is going to be his apprentice and responsibility because she's disabled, and that Firestar "knows" she'll never be a "real" warrior. This entire conversation happens with Brightheart present in the scene, yet she is never spoken to by either character. She is an object given zero agency in her own life because she is both disabled and a woman. Fuck, the ENTIRE FIRST ARC ends with the concept of "Our religion makes us moral", as Firestar is DIRECTLY TOLD by Barley that Scourge and BloodClan don't believe in StarClan and therefore don't feed or take care of the sick, young, or elderly. As it stands I refuse to read or engage with the current arc, as it's extreme misogyny is too much for me to tolerate without just pissing myself off.

From a story perspective, and putting aside the actual real problematic elements, the worst part of warrior cats is the lack of follow through on genuinely interesting concepts. We are consistently told StarClan is a perfect utopia and is never wrong (Which is a problem within itself), and then are given an entire arc abou StarClan making a mistake. Instead of an actually interesting discussion of how dead cats are just that, dead cats, and not mystical paragons, the books end with "Well that was sure a weird one-off occurance! Nothing about this system will change." Warrior cats has SO MANY good concepts and ideas and does NOTHING WITH THEM.

Now, the question is, why do I still enjoy warrior cats if I hate it so much? Well, frankly, that's because 90% of my engagement is taking the skeleton that is warriors worldbuilding and make 5,000 OCs. That and, there are genuinely really good aspects of warriors. Yellowfangs death scene, I feel, is actually an emotional and well written scene, and the forest fire directly beforehand is legitimately tense. Squirrelflight is a fantastic character! While I'm not a huge fan of her character in general, I think basically every concept behind Hollyleaf is incredibly interesting. There IS a lot there, its just gritting your teeth and sitting through a million pages ranging from "mediocre" to "ungodly boring" to "downright rage inducing".

Unfortunately all of my favorite OCs are also warrior cats and I own the official Squirrelflight plushie so uh. I'm not going anywhere!

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

@undianosedd 's tags

Transcript: ohh you're so right! like people praise women for taking semi nude photos all the time now (as they should)/ at every age even/ where's this kinda energy with men tho? It's really scary tbh how some people took dans photos because/ yes he is 32 but he genuinely looked good! like what fucked up standards you need to meet in order to post thirst traps on the internet/ then/ be underage?

Yeah the standard does seem to be "super skinny, very young to the point of passing as a teenager." I will say that older women (32 is not "older" but I am speaking more generally here) also get horrible treatment for posting anything like this unless they have managed to remain super skinny or get aesthetic surgeries (not shaming that btw, I am 100% pro aesthetic surgeries if you want them.) Like Dolly Parton trending the other day for the football half time show. Yes she is still a gorgeous woman, she looks phenomenal, but if she were to have a less flat stomach or more wrinkles, she would have gotten horrible comments about how she shouldn't be wearing that costume and how she's past her prime. Even Margot Robbie, one of the prettiest women ever, got called "mid," "chubby," and "too old" for the Barbie role.

This is partially why I brought up the possible homophobia actually. When it comes to women getting these comments, its 9 times out of 10 due to misogyny. Dan and Phil are men, but they are gay men and we all know how weird people get about gay sex, especially gay men. (Lesbophobic sexual bigotry manifests a little different from gay men's and its actually something I'm considering pursuing for research once I get to grad school). Dan started his career as a pretty androgynous, twig thin, emo twink. This isn't a bad thing, its who he was at the time. This also, imo, made people more "okay" with his more "risky" posts. He could be put into a more effeminate role due to his more androgynous look (think the "Tall Lesbian" memes). Again, this is not a bad thing and obviously people who look like that get hit with rampant homophobia (and transphobia) as well, but I think in a way his more androgynous look from 2009-2013 could protect him on a certain level. Those who found him attractive in his thirst traps could get away slightly from the fact that they are attracted to a man because he was an androgynous man - they're not /actually/ attracted to him, just his feminine aspects.

We actually saw a lot of this when Dan began gaining weight in 2013. The comments on so many of the old radio show videos are about how he's gaining weight, how he's bulking out more, how broad his shoulders are looking, etc. Its said a lot, but the internet really did watch Dan go through puberty (his voice cracks in 2010/2011 videos my beloved <3). By 2013-2014, he had mostly lost his androgynous look. Other than the sexy end screen dance and some videos' "unbelievably censored" bits, he also wasn't posting nearly as many thirst traps (like, I hate to bring them up because he has buried them, but the nakedbooths of 2009 are actually relevant here as they have more skin showing than the catboy photos but aren't met with the same vitriol) during this period. In this time, we were also fully in "no homo howell" mode to the point that there were genuinely people who thought he might be homophobic. Its important to remember that promiscuous photos are associated with femininity. When a guy posts a shirtless gym photo that is clearly supposed to be sexually arousing, that is "masculine" because he isn't posing in a way that is clearly sexually submissive and is a more subtle form of thirst trap. The subtle thirst trap is "masculine" while the more explicit thirst trap is associated with femininity.

This all compiles for the modern time where, when Dan - who is now much more masculine looking than he was in his late teens/early 20s - posts a thirst trap as a cat boy (a clearly submissive role), well that's blatantly "gay." If promiscuous photos on their own are already considered "feminine" (and as such flamboyant for a man), then one where he is posed with a collar on a bed with a bar implying the "submissive" role is going to get Way More Shit. Dan looks like society's idea of a man now, he is no longer forcing down flamboyancy, and is posed in a submissive manner in photos taken by his long term partner. The hatred is almost certainly not that he's 32 now, but that he's openly queer. People see queerness as something grown out of. If Dan at 21 with a naturally genderless figure wants to dress up as a woman for a skit, then that's fine because he still looks young and Kids Are Like That. But if Dan at 32, who looks 32, posts in the "womanly role" on the bed of he and his "actual soulmate," then that's him still being flamboyant and queer, and that's deemed wrong.

TLDR, I fully believe the issue isn't that he's 32, but instead that now they're faced with his queerness head on.

More serious response to people getting genuinely annoyed or insulting Dan for the photoshoot: if you had no issue with him as a 25 year old gyrating his hips for subscriptions (25 being an age which many would call "too old to still be thirst trapping" by many of the same people complaining about the catboy photos), but suddenly have an issue with a 32 year old Dan doing catboy thirst traps, then I think your issue is just that he's not an emo twink anymore so you aren't personally attracted to it and therefore it is "bad" in your mind.

Like, honestly Dan has done shit like this since Day 1, lest we forget the period where he was shirtless in literally every video, but if you only have an issue with it now that he's fully come into his adult body then maybe the issue isn't that he's "too old for it" but that he no longer fits what you personally are attracted to. Because, let's be honest here, 32 is not "too old" to be having sex or being sexually open. I'm probably asexual based on the everything about me and how I am regarding sex, but even I know the importance of not expecting sex to be reserved for people only aged 18-27 (which, btw, if you are one of those people, you're a creep!)

It's also really telling how people will be cool with guys in their 50s posting bikini shots of their 23 year old girlfriend but the moment two gay guys post photos from their bed that are promiscuous, everyone is suddenly worried about what age it becomes inappropriate to thirst trap on the Internet. Like, maybe you're just homophobic?

[newsfromstolenland]

I don't think I can fully put into words the irreparable harm that the psychiatric system in canada has done to me and many others

I want to talk about this, so for the purpose of organizing my thoughts I'm going to sort this into three parts: psych wards, substances, and the concept of functioning

Psych wards: I've known people who have had positive experiences in psych wards. but for the most part, I have heard of many negative experiences. in the interest of privacy for others, I will be basing this off of my own negative experience.

psych wards remove a significant amount of people's autonomy. most people can't leave without clearance from a doctor. there are cameras everywhere. rooms and bathrooms are often strictly gendered. phones, computers, and tablets are usually not allowed. personal items are limited and highly scrutinized, as is personal clothing. transphobia, racism, ableism, homophobia, and misogyny are rampant.

I was in a psych ward when I was 15. at the time I was a trans boy. because I refused to stay in a "girls" room, and they refused to put me in a "boys" room, they instead put me in the psychiatric intensive care unit with the adults because the rooms weren't gendered there.

In the psychiatric intensive care unit, there are cameras in the common area, bedrooms, and bathroom. every time you change or use the bathroom, you are monitored and recorded.

the staff regularly misgendered me, and refused to let me keep even an mp3 player.

the result is being imprisoned, having your privacy invaded, being misgendered and disrespected, losing your autonomy, being isolated from the world, and being stripped of any comfort items.

Substances: there's a lot to be said about the way substances are viewed in psychiatry. first of all, the use of non prescribed substances is vilified. even smoking weed is stigmatized, let alone using other substances. self-medication is treated as reckless behaviour, rather than an impact of a failed medical system. recreational substance use is treated as a moral failing. I once had a psychiatrist threaten to take me off of my medications unless I stopped smoking weed (and no, it was not because my meds interacted badly with weed). of course, all this meant was that I never told her the truth about my substance use again.

second, prescriptions are not given in an adequate way. there is a combination of over prescribing and under prescribing, neither of which are safe. for example, people are denied necessary prescriptions if doctors identify so-called "drug seeking behaviour". people are denied medical marijuana due to stigma. medical marijuana is also denied by places like CAMH, and instead significantly more dangerous drugs are prescribed. not so coincidentally, CAMH receives lots of funding from pharma companies, and not from medical marijuana companies. when I was in a psych ward, I had a prescription for a medication taken as needed when I had panic attacks. rather than giving it to me accordingly, I was given double the dose regularly three times a day. unsurprisingly, I became addicted to it and only recently (7 years later) managed to stop using it beyond when it was needed. on the other hand, when my ex was in a psych ward, they were denied their medical marijuana.

The concept of functioning: I've been a patient/client of quite a few psychiatrists and therapists over the years, and something that has come up a lot has been the concept of functioning. Being considered a functioning member of society is extremely arbitrary, but under a colonial capitalist system it typically comes down to working full time and building/maintaining a nuclear family. Obviously this is inherently harmful as a goal to set for mentally ill people, and creates feelings of self-loathing when we are unable to achieve it.

the mental health field's focus on neurodivergent people becoming "functioning" is not done for our benefit, the goal is not for us the function how we want to. the goal is for us to be able to work all our lives and contribute to capitalism.

I'm not trying to say that the mental health system never does any good. I now have the necessary medications to not struggle for every second of my life. my point is that many parts of our psychiatric system are harmful, exploitative, and dehumanizing.

something needs to change, and fast, or more people are going to be hurt by this

[immakuronaakuma]

Magical Girl Raising Project sucks so I’m gonna change it.

When I first heard the title, I thought the show would be about a project where girls with magical powers would be raised in some kind of environment, I was thinking a slice-of-school-life kind of thing. So here I go:

In my Magical Girl Raising Project Rewrite the story is exactly that, girls with magical abilities are selected by the show’s mascot, Fav, to take place studying and harnessing their magical abilities and potential before graduating, where then they’ll be granted their own magical uniform, weapon, and mascot all of their own choosing (it’ll work in a Tinkerbell sense, they may not seem to know it on the outside, but something in their soul can sense exactly what they want… maybe, I haven’t watched the first Tinkerbell movie in years.)

The main antagonist of the series are an anti-witch organization who view the magical girls as unholy creatures, looking to take control of the academy to… lessen the girls numbers (this is a decision I made purely to spite the show’s plotline of the girls culling each other in a death battle) just like in the show, they believe that too many women having power could destroy the world (once again, another decision I made to spite the show and also because the magic power is being given to women, which makes the anti-witch organization believe that it’s evil and satanic because it doesn’t require the influence of a man.)

Because of the rampant misogyny and danger the girls face, they’re magically transported to a far off school that’s as well guarded as Alcatraz Prison to keep the organization from entering, though that doesn’t stop them, as there are 4 magical girls that sneak in, “rouge magis” as they’re called (the rouges obviously being Swim Swim, the angel twins, and the dog magical girl with the big twist being that they’re close to the organization’s leader who was once a magical girl.)

The usual monsters of the week seem to come from the organization, usually monsters of dark matter brought to life by the organization’s propaganda and fear-mongering or just a member trying to kidnap one of the girls. Also, there’s a redemption arc for the robot magical girl and the dog magical girl. The robot was a product of the organization built specifically to follow orders and shut down the project, however their time within the school is slowly changing them and making them realize that they want to become a real girl just like their new friends. The dog one was just a really shy girl kidnapped by the organization and forced to play along until she was defended by Snow White and her friends, who officially welcomed her with open arms.

I wanna think of a name for it, but one thar I have come up with is “Mahou Shoujo Student Initiative”.

This all the ideas I have, but more is surely to come as think this through.

[abbatoirablaze]

Bringing Home The Gold, Chapter 3

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings:  mentions of smut, more misogyny from Lance

“Fucking pathetic,” you grumbled, looking to Andretti.  You shook your head as you tried to apologize to the gorgeous Russian man in front of you, “I-I’m sorry about this.  Had I known that he wa-“

“It’s fine,” he replied softly.  He took your hand in his own and kissed your fingertips and you melted.  You know, until you heard the relentless pounding that was going on in the room beside you once more.  You rolled your eyes at the actions of your teammates, “We should have stayed in your room.”

“My teammates would not have done this,” he admitted while agreeing with you.  You sighed as he was pointing to the wall where Lance was making Hope scream his name, “this Tucker guy, he is not a mature one…is he?  He has been very childish since I started to approach you.”

“I don’t think mature is a word that Lance Tucker knows the meaning of.”

“I think he likes you, little doll.”

“Gross,” you cringed, “Andretti, stop.”

He laughed, jokingly probing your stomach with his hands, “I think the Lance Tucker has a very large crush on you.”

“Well, I have a crush on someone else.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhmm!” you nodded.  He smiled as you bit your lip, “he’s in this very room with me.”

“I think he likes you as well, little doll,” he said with a wink.  You smiled and playfully pushed him away from you.  He let himself fall dramatically to the floor and both of you heard the rampant sex in the other room stop, the noise ceasing to exist.  Andretti raised a brow, “I think he’s listening to us.”

“Such an immature weirdo.”

He got a devilish smile on his face, “would you like to be a little immature then too?”

You blushed, your eyes going wide as you immediately thought he was referring to having sex, “A-Andretti-I-“

“Relax moya kukla,” he said sweetly as he cut you off.  Your blush deepened as he crawled back up onto the bed, his calloused hand stroking your cheek, “how you say, we mess with him back.  Pretend to be having the sex to throw his mind off of it.  He will be a mess tomorrow for the events.”

“Are you trying to get the edge in the pommel horse?”

He laughed, shaking his head, “so you do know my weakness.”

“You didn’t even place last Olympics for the pommel horse,” you said, reminding him of his last stint in the Olympics, “do you really think he’ll become distracted hearing us ‘going at it,’ the night before the event?”

“Only one way to find out,” he smirked, offering you, his hand.  You bit your lip as you took it and he let out a throaty groan, pulling you to his chest.  The second time he did it, you heard the noise from the room beside yours cease once more, “Oh, JESSI!”

“Andretti,” you moaned, trying to stifle your giggles right after by burying your face in his chest.  He smiled and nodded forward, urging you to do it again, “OH GOD!  Right there!”

He stifled his own laughter as he helped you stand up onto the bed and the two of you began to jump on it, making it creak, “so perfect.”  

He continued to moan, and you lowered your voice, “say this next.  Say ‘say it!  Tell me what I am!’ He’ll lose his mind.”

Andretti quirked his brow at you, but moaned regardless, “Say it, moya kukla.  Tell me what I am!  Right now!”

“God,” you said loudly, whimpering, “God.  Of.  Gymnastics.  AHHHH!  Andretti!”

Jessi:  2

Lance:  1

Lance had been glaring at you all morning.  Andretti had stayed over, and the two of you messed with Lance all night, on and off pretending to have sex until the two of you actually fell asleep tucked into one another’s arms. 

Andretti was amazing. 

He was sweet, and encouraged you messing with Lance, especially after he found out about Casey and just what kind of person he really was. He said that a real man would never do that to a woman, and offered his services, however you may choose to use him.  

In the morning, when the two of you left your room, Lance was waiting there, stating simply that he wanted to ‘make sure you were okay.’

But you could see it in his eyes.  You noticed the jealousy as he watched Andretti press a simple kiss to your lips, wishing you good luck for the day. 

“You know he’s just using you, right?”

You turned around to see an angry looking Lance glaring at you.  You crossed your arms, “that’s rich…you know, coming from you…the king of using people.”

“It is my forte, isn’t it?” he asked sarcastically.  He leaned against his door and crossed his arms over his chest, “and I’ll tell you this right now.  The second that he gets what he wants his going to be over you.  And you probably just gave it to him last night.  Matter of fact, I can tell you gave it to him.”

“Oh really,” You reply with a glare, knowing what really happened between the two of you, “tell me, Lance…since you saw our interaction, did he get what he wanted from me?”

He scoffed, “to think you gave up your virginity for that Russian trash.  You know, he didn’t even place in the pommel horse last Olympics.  I doubt he’ll be able to accomplish it this year.  The pommel horse is my event.”

“Jealous, Lance?”

“What do I have to be jealous of?” he asked with a shrug, “so far, he’s nothing but a silver medal athlete.  Is that what you’re settling for, Jessi?  Silver medals?  Why not go for the gold medalist athlete?”

“Rich thing for you to say…this is your first Olympics...so far you have no gold, silver, or even bronze medals under your belt.”

“By the end of the day I will, and you’ll be begging to fuck me, just to get that Russian garbage out of your system,” he said with a smirk.  He leaned towards you and you felt the urge to cringe as he brushed some of the hair from your face, “if your nice enough like a good little girl, maybe I’ll even agree to it.  But I’m telling you right now…I want you on your knees when you beg for my cock, Jessi.”

“Dream on, Tucker.”

“Did you at least make him wear a condom? He asked as he backed away, looking at his nails in an uninterested manner, “don’t need an Olympic bastard being born nine months later…or is that what you’re really after?”

“Why don’t you mind you own business, Lance!”

You used it. 

You used the rage from the conversation with him and poured it into your routine. 

And it. 

Was. 

Flawless. 

Hope’s performance, however, was less than stellar. 

And it was proven when the scores came around.  As suspected, you dominated the floor routine, getting the gold.  And Hope, well, she ended up walking away with the bronze.  You wanted to feel bad for her, especially with all of the bragging that this was her event, you really did, but when the first thing she did was run to Lance, your stomach turned. 

You had warned her.

Hell, all of the girls on the team had warned her.  Everyone made her very aware of what he did to Casey and how he’d fucked the previous women’s coach which is why Adam was a man, and yet, she was running to him like a lost little puppy.   But once he saw the bronze medal around her neck, she no longer mattered.  He simply brushed her off saying that he ‘had to prepare,’ for the event. 

But all he’d done was stare at you, up until it was his turn.  Unfortunately, his ego was fed when he won the gold.  But you were proud when Andretti was right beside him, having taken the silver in that.  He taunted you as he passed, making sure you saw the gold medal around his neck. 

“Thought you said that I wouldn’t get it, sweetheart?”

“Go die in a hole, Tucker.”

“Your little boyfriend got the silver,” he scoffed, “pathetic…you know…gold medalists should be together, Jessi.”

“I am not interested in you, Tucker.”

“Shame,” he shrugged, “that Romanian girl that got the silver is pretty interested in me, and I’d hate to leave my bed open for the night when I could take her…you know since you’re still being an uptight cunt.”

“Go fuck her then, Lance,” you grumbled.  Andretti raced up to you after he finished one of his interviews, and you giggled as he swept you up in his arms, “you got the silver!”

“You got the gold!” he reminded you sweetly, “I told you that you would get it!  The routine was immaculate.”

“That extra stretching last night got rid of all the knots I had,” you playfully giggled, exaggerating what had actually happened.  He smirked, knowing that Lance thought the two of you had sex, “maybe we go celebrate my gold and your silver for the night?”

“I’d like that.”

That night Lance did end up pulling the Romanian girl that won the silver into his room.  Meanwhile, you spent the night in Andretti’s room, the two of you talking strategy over the following morning’s events, which for you was the balance beam, while he’d had the parallel bars and rings.  Both of you were excited, because they were things that you loved. 

The following morning, proved to be a good one when you won the gold in the balance beam, bringing your gold medal count up to two.  None of the other girls on the team so much as placed and Amanda had ended up breaking her ankle, making the small team of four even smaller, as both of the alternates had sustained injuries during training. 

By the afternoon, you were grateful to be off a podium and watching the men compete.  They were competing in the parallel bars and the rings today.  And you were excited, knowing that those were two of Andretti’s specialties.

“You came,” he called happily.  He had left his teammates, instead choosing to come over to you, where you stood with the rest of Team USA.  You looked excitedly to Andretti and nodded, “I’m not going to lie, I’m feeling nervous.  China has an intense competitor for the rings in Wei. 

“You’re going to do amazing, Andretti.”

“Congratulations on your second gold by the way,” he smiled, “hopefully by the end of the day I can match you.”

“These are your events,” you pointed out, as you stuck you tongue out at him, “you better beat my medal count and get two golds today to match your silver.”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged playfully, “I’m not feeling very lucky today.”

You playfully pushed his shoulder and he smiled, so you wrapped your arms around him and pulled him into a hug, “you’re going to be amazing, Andretti.”

“I hope so.”

He looked down into your eyes and you felt your breath hitch.  Feeling bold, you leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.  Both of you melted into one another’s touch and your heart leapt as you felt his lips on yours. 

“If I win, I will be asking for a good luck kiss for every even after this,” he pointed out when the two of you broke away, “and if I lose, I am asking for a consolation kiss after.”

You smiled, a blush forming across your cheeks, “good…because I planned on giving you another kiss either way. “

Chapter 4

Tag List:  @lohnes16, @elbell20-blog