#one of my most toxic opinions is that yes I do believe that the simple fact of a person having kids

[lady-raziel]

Do you genuinely think that I am being rude to a baby. By posting on tumblr. A baby. Who is not affected nor offended by me venting my frustration at being screamed at for 9 hours by posting about it online. A baby. Who cant read or talk and therefore. Is screaming because they can’t understand language. Do you think the baby is reading this over my shoulder and is offended and therefore will cry more. Do you think my presence registers to this screaming baby at all. Do you think that this baby cares that I am having a bad time. Do you understand that I am the one screaming internally instead of expressing my frustrations aloud because I am an adult and that is what adults do to be polite. Or should the entire world cater to entitled parents who just let their baby scream for 9 hours and have people think others are not be allowed to be irritated because “well think of the baby.”

guys I’m gonna be so real I’m flying business class on an international flight for the first time in my life and there IS a crying baby right next to me I DO think this should be illegal

[holybibly]

I will be sharing my thoughts with you during a week filled with hard hours. 

We always talk about how jealous and possessive Hongjoong is, but darlings, I am going to share with you three of the most toxic and jealous bombshells, in my opinion. 

San is an absolute gentleman, a whole bloody "forest,"  not your ordinary green flag. But behind this perfect facade, there is a monster that he hides very well. San is clingy and possessive to the point of impossibility; you call Wooyoung clingy. Hold my champagne; San is a million times worse than him. At first, it's easy; you'd never notice how smoothly and exquisitely he begins to brainwash you. 

"Let's stay at home, Chagi, just the two of us."

"I can take care of you, I don't think you need to go to work."

"I love the time we spend together, I never want to let you go."

"I'm so in love with you."

Step by step, he draws you into a trap and completely monopolizes your attention. It's just you and him. The sex has always been so amazing. In the beginning, San would be so careful and gentle, so attentive. The more your relationship develops, the more violent he becomes. He treats you possessively and roughly, literally fucking you into oblivion. 

"You belong only to me."

"I own that fucking pussy."

"No one will ever be able to fuck you like me."

But worst of all, you believe him. You believe every word he says. You quit your job. You wait for him at home, obedient and beautiful, in his soft sweatshirts, smelling of his perfume, covered with the marks of his passionate kisses and bites. And yes, San does bite to the point of blood and bruises. 

Everyone around him thinks he's such a nice guy, but look closely. There's a darkness in those feline eyes, and if you look long enough, you'll see it. But be careful. You might just get his full attention.

Seonghwa is handsome. He is too handsome for his own good, and he uses it all the time. A real prince who will win your heart is polite, attentive, a real dream boy. 

It's hard for you to believe that someone like him could love a simple and ordinary girl like you; you don't think of yourself as ugly. Just ordinary, there are millions like you, but Seonghwa. Seonghwa is one-of-a-kind.

When you start dating, he keeps saying how lucky he is to have you. How happy he is that he has found someone so special. And he means it. Just not the way you think he means it.

For him, you're an endless source of self-gratification. He'll do anything to get you to praise him, to talk about how beautiful he is, how talented he is, how damned perfect he is. Once Seonghwa realises you're head over heels in love with him, you'll never run away again and your sweet boyfriend will become a real demon.

You have your attention on someone else, he'll fuck you in front of the mirror as punishment, constantly taunting, mocking and humiliating, so you can have a look at his gorgeous face in the reflection while he's doing this.

"You are so worthless, you should be fucking grateful to have such a gorgeous guy like me in your life. Or do you have the idea that anyone else could have a pickup a bitch like you?"

"You pathetic whore, look who's fucking you.

"Aren't I enough for you? Look into my eyes while I pulling you down on my dick."

He will destroy everything you've ever dreamed of, and everything you love, until there is nothing left in your head but him. Glorify him, glorify him incessantly, talk about how wonderful he is, and Seonghwa will give you heaven. "Because you're so beautiful" should accompany every "I love you". Every "thank you" should be followed by: "Because I have you, how could I want more?"

You're just going to stop being aware of the whole world outside of Seonghwa. That's why, my dear, you should be careful when you give a compliment to someone. You might just find yourself one-to-one with a demonic hunger of a gentle prince charming.

Mingi's in love with you. Or rather, he's in love with the idea that he's in love with you. Can't you see that? He's a puppy in love, but on closer inspection, he's more like a hungry wolf on the hunt for his sweet little prey.

The universe's softest boy. Endless hugs, cute nicknames, long kisses and a never-ending stream of words of love. He'll shower you with presents, flowers so many they'll make your flat look like a greenhouse.

"I love to love you, baby."

"Can you feel this, babe? Can you feel how much I am in love with you?" He whispers in your ear. Your whole body trembles at the powerful, rigid thrust of his thighs.

His rhythm is brutal, the bed is pounding against the wall, with such tangible force that the paint on it starts to crack.

He holds you to the bed with one hand, the other tucks his fingers into the soft curve of your thigh, his rings scratching the skin to the point of blood, his nails digging into the flesh, leaving deep blue marks.

"I'm going to love you until I die."

"l will never let you go, babe."

"No one will ever be able to love you as much as I do."

We've all heard that story about wolves wearing sheepskins. So think twice before you fall in love with that shiny puppy look - maybe it's just a clever disguise for a terrifying wolf who's on the prowl.

[adventuringblind]

If You Don't Want the Truth, then Don't Ask

Oscar Piastri x Autistic!Reader

Genre: fluff

Request: kinda...? People want more of this content, so who am I to deny them? My requests are open! Please don't hesitate to send me ideas!

Summary: One thing that Oscar loves most about her is that she's always honest. Unfortunately, it seems not everyone has learned that.

Warnings: Media being toxic, the reader gets frustrated at not understanding human behavior

Notes: written in third person

Masterlist

Oscar had fallen in love with her honesty. He never had to guess at her opinions on things or dance around subjects himself.

It was a reprieve from always being coached in media to finally not having to filter himself.

Anyone who had gotten close to her knew one rule she had: if you don't want an honest answer, then don't ask.

She struggles communicating with vocal tones. People often mistake her opinion for being judgemental. It makes her feel unable to speak up for herself. It was never her intention to cause problems. She was just saying her truth.

Emotional communication is even more difficult. She always manages to say the wrong thing. Oscar didn't believe this and felt comforted when she talked him through the truth of the day. But if she was struggling with words and emotions, she opted to communicate via physical touch.

She'd developed a code for human behaviors she didn't quite understand.

When charles was upset about a race, she hugged him. When Oscar was smiling, she kissed his cheek. When Max was being lectured by his father, she stuck her middle finger up at Jos. When Lando couldn't eat his food, she gave him one of her snacks that he also liked.

It became more natural to the grid the more she did these things.

Unfortunately for the fans and the media, they hadn't figured it out. It was ridiculous in everyone's minds how they never learned their lesson.

A picture started circling the internet once of her kissing Lando's cheek after an amazing race. She knew it was a happy moment but was too overwhelmed to deal with words. Oscar knew she did this to anyone she was comfortable with and knew she was loyal. She'd expressed repeatedly why she loved him and not Lando. Oscar only laughed as she went down her very pointed list of reasons why Oscar was better. Earning a pout from the Brit.

The fans started calling her all sorts of nasty names. It hurt her a little, but Oscar even more. He'd expressed multiple times to his fans not to involve her in drama.

Race weekend got a bit awkward. Journalists wanted to ask the two questions. Oscar was quick to deny them attention and left for free practice.

The nerospicy femal, however, was not as lucky. Somone found her hiding in the garage.

"Are you aware of the photo going around social media right now?" The female reporter asked her.

She hesitated for a moment, trying to find her voice. "Yes." The reporter waited a minute for her to elaborate only to receive silence.

She clears her throat. "Do you have any thoughts about it? Are the rumors true?"

She stares again for a moment. "I think you people are bored and want to pick apart someone else's life instead of your own."

It was the reporters turn to stay in silence. "That may be true for some." She fumbles. "But the concern of the fans is that you'll have a negative effect on the McLaren racing drivers."

"I think the fans you speak of are niave then. Not every human being is the same. I'm in love with Oscar, not Lando, as simple as that. Just because my affection looks different doesn't mean I'm doing anything wrong." The girl shrugs her shoulders. Simply stating a fact of herself.

The reporter leaves in silence. No other words were shared between them.

Oscar saw the article the next day. They were getting ready to head to the track for FP3 and qualifying. "Have you seen this article?" He asked.

"No, what article?" Oscar flips his phone to her. The reporter from yesterday had written an article about their conversation. Interestingly enough, it was exactly what she had said. The journalist was impressed with her honesty and approach to toxic rumors.

Oscar kissed her cheek. "I'm so proud of you."

~

The next time it happened was during an interview in the fan zone. She'd been standing off to the side with the other McLaren staff who follow them around. She likes listening to the fans ask the boys questions.

Then a fan asked a question about her. "Oscar, why is your girlfriend mean to the reporters?"

Both Oscar and Lando rolled their eyes. "She's here right now if you want an honest answer." Oscar smirked.

It was terrifying when Oscar and Lando were waving her up to the stage. She waited for the approval of the staff and security before exchanging seats with the Australian.

He looked so please she was up there. "The fans want to know why you're so 'mean' to the reporters, as they put it." The two boys were laughing hysterically now.

"I personally don't think it's mean. If they don't want an honest answer, then they shouldn't be asking questions." She shrugged. "Is there a specific time you're referring too?"

"When the vouge journalists asked if you were hiding something because you wear loose clothing."

Lando perked up instantly. "This is one of my favorite moments. We went out and got her favorite dinner after this to celebrate."

"Firtly, the reporter had no business asking that. I don't like it when my clothes feel weird and I was already overwhelmed so I wore what I thought was comfortable." Oscar put his arm around her. A hint of pride edging its way across his features. "Secondly, the didn't put the whole story. The reporter asked if I was pregnant, and then when I said no, he proceeded to ask me if I was wearing anything underneath."

"The comeback is the best part."

"I was confused why he asked me this, so I asked if he had anything underneath the hideous mask he was wearing. Then he called me rude." She frowned, but the fans were enjoying the story.

Oscar glances at Lando. "You should tell the next part."

Lando is still chuckling from the last statement. "I was coming around the corner and heard her say that, then I couldn't stop laughing. So obviously I joined in as well."

The other two were shaking their heads at Lando in exasperation as he continued. "When I came up next to her, she asked why he would ask something like that. It's a pretty common question between us, so I explained why he did it and why he shouldn't do it."

"Then he insulted him some more."

Oscar finishes out the story and also laughs at this point. "Most of the things in the article were what Lando said. The others were what she did say. Including asking if this was his way of flirting and turned him down on his advances."

She always missed social cues, and she'd heard some of the drivers flirt by asking what someone had on underneath their clothing. It was a genuine assumption.

Oscar found it most amusing as Lando recounted the story for the first time that evening. She had looked mildly dazed, frustrated, and confused. Oscar took the time, in between laughing, to explain some of the nuances she didn't understand. Including why they were laughing so hard.

~

Next came a conversation with Zak.

The boys were doing media things, so he'd started to try and make conversation with her.

He was a person who did not understand that she's autistic and communicates different then he was expecting. Normally, Oscar or Lando was here to help things flow, but now she was going to need to swim on her own.

"Have you been enjoying Monaco?" He asked.

She played with her fingers to help her brain stay present. Something she often did to stim when she didn't want it to be noticeable. "It's cozy when it's not race weekend. I think the race has made it crowded."

He looked a little surprised. "Do you not like crowds? I thought you did since you come to most of the races."

"Seeing them is fine. Being trapped in them is difficult."

"That's a little odd of a perspective, don't you think?" He laughed. "I feel like you either enjoy the crowds or you hate them."

She didn't understand what he meant by that. Didn't she just say what she thought? Why was he asking the same question? "Factually, I think you can enjoy seeing a crowd, like on TV, and also become claustrophobic when in one."

He didn't know how to respond. The staring became awkward for him as he tried to respond. She just waited. Assuming he had now understood her point. Then he came up with an excuse as to why he needed to duck out of the conversation.

Zak asked Oscar about it later. To which the Australian internally face-palmed. Then, he proceeded to explain the unspoken role.

Zak apologized the next day if he made her uncomfortable. She just looked between him and Oscar. Hoping for an answer as to how he could've done that.

It took a while, but they finally got their. Now Zak goes to her if he ever wants an honest opinion on something.

~

The most recent time actually hurt her. She spent days inside her and Oscar's room. Struggling to eat, sleep, and communicate.

She was lucky that Oscar was around to help her through this. His frustration almost overwhelming his own mind.

Two weeks ago, they had been in Silverstone. It was an amazing race, and she felt happy that she got to share it with him.

She had been making friends with the other WAG's around the paddock. So when Oscar was pulled away, she went to find someone to hang out with until they finished.

She found Kika and Lily in the Williams hospitality. It was warm in the building, so when she sat down with them, she decided to get comfortable and took off her sweatshirt.

Her shirt that day was not the usual baggy t-shirt and jeans. Today's she was wearing a crop-top that showed her stomach, but she felt cute and confident, and Oscar complimented her on it the entire morning. He said she looked good when she's comfortable and that's what matters to him.

Her body was not the ideal body type that meets the standard beauty criteria. Frankly, she didn't care.

She's healthy. She's comfortable. Oscar has said daily that he loves her as she is.

She wasn't expecting the fans in hospitality to ask her anything about it.

When she got up to get water, a few young women approached her. This had happened before, and she assumed they wanted to ask about Oscar or know of they could get a picture with him.

She assumed wrong.

"How come you're not wearing what you normally do?"

"Because I felt comfortable in this today."

"I think the other style suits you better. Don't you think?"

"I don't have a style. This is just comfortable."

"Is this because Oscar likes it better?"

"No, he likes it when I'm comfortable."

She was trying to keep up. All the questions flying at her rapidly. The music was reverberating off the wall. The hospitality staff were cleaning and packing.

Her head started to spin. Her hands flew up to cover her ears. She was going to cry if she didn't get out.

She was thankful the Kika and Lily noticed and got her out of the area. Blocking anyone from speaking to her and ignoring those who tried to stop them.

They ran into Oscar on the way to somewhere quiet. He immediately placed his hands over hers to try and help block out more sound until he could get her to her headphones.

Kika and Lily explained what happened. The females asking her questions were not understanding why she was giving them the same answer. Their intentions were unknown, but it was obvious she looked uncomfortable and cornered in that moment.

So he led her away into his driver room and told her she could lock the door and he'd come get her when it was time to leave. She obliged, turning off the lights to help her senses.

She curled up in the corner and soothed herself until Oscar came back.

Someone had taken a video of the encounter, and people started asking questions about her. Why does she do the things she does? It didn't make any sense to them. It made her frustrated because they made her out to be an alien on her own planet.

Her body couldn't take it anymore. She stayed in her corner with the lights off and shut out the world.

Except for Oscar. He sat in the dark with her. They ate meals on the floor. He helped her bathe in the dark. She felt so lucky to have found someone who understands and cares as much as he does.

His PR team was trying to do something about the video. It wasn't right for it to be posted, and McLaren was doing what they could, but It wasn't enough.

So Oscar took matters into his own hands. He decided to answer all their questions. With her permission, of course.

She cried when she read it. He was happy that she felt safe enough with him to let herself unmask, but he wanted her to be able to unmask anywhere. They were taking a step in the right direction, and they both ate comfort food that night.

Instagram story message because idk how people do SMAU's: "I want to take a minute to address the video that was posted about my girlfriend recently. My girlfriend is Autistic, meaning that things can become overwhelming easily. You might not understand everything she does, but you don't have to. She is her own person and has her own life. What she answers to questions is her truth. If you don't want an honest answer, don't ask the question.

-Oscar

[ravenclawloverofseverussnape]

What are your opinions on snarry?

Hi, thank you very much for asking, I hope more people ask what I think about other ships, Snarry in particular..... I don't like it and I have several reasons for this.

the age difference

veran Severus is 20 years older than him, oh 21? I don't remember, the point is that the age difference is huge for me.

He is the son of James Potter

Harry is James Potter's son, which in itself leaves me conflicted. I have no opinion of Harry, but I do of James. I hate him for being a bully and practically cheating on his wife about how he "grew up," demeaned Vernon and Petunia, and intimidated muggle police officers when he's supposed to be locked up because of the prophecy.

Oh, and don't get me started on Snape's worst memory, damn, that was UNFORGETTABLE AT ALL.

He is the son of Lily Evans Potter

you see, I don't like this character very much, I've already explained why but I'll say it in summary: the fandom, J.K Rowling's writing etc paint her as "the good popular girl who wants to be with the bully even though she knows he's a bastard and falls into the clutches of that bastard (James)" it is said that she is a good friend.... but she doesn't want Snape to defend himself, despite the fact that she knows that , although the marauders DO NOT use dark arts, she continues to defend them just because of that fact and calls Snape "obsessed with the marauders" uff That's a low blow for me.

He then doesn't ask Snape about the werewolf prank, doesn't question him if it's okay, just claims that "he should be grateful to James for saving him" and claims that's what happened, doesn't bother to ask any further questions, indicating that he doesn't really care.

Let's not talk about her lack of intervention in Severus' worst memory, she spent the whole time talking to him instead of asking if Severus was okay, Lily is a popular girl who could have tried to call someone to help her or if she's so smart she could have freed him or called a teacher if she was afraid that Sirius or Peter would attack her, she could even call Remus since he's a prefect! So many things wrong with her

Harry is the product of one of HP's most toxic couples

I don't think that Jily is a good couple, James made fun of Vernon Dursley, the fiancé of Petunia Evans, the sister of his wife Lily, bragging about riches that they do not understand being muggles, Lily does not intervene in that probably, which makes his relationship with Petunia break even more, with this point also James put Lily's life at risk by running away from home knowing that Voldemort is looking for him, he being hidden in an invisibility cloak and I firmly believe that Lily was making excuses for the (childish) behavior of her husband James Potter.

For me it seems like double standards when they say that using magic on muggles is horrible, but when James shows off his wealth to Vernon and Petunia it's okay (if these characters are detestable but they are still muggles, whether we like it or not)

Lily (even though I don't like her) deserves better than James Potter.

Why did you mention Jily in a post about giving my opinion of Snarry?

Simple, the mere creation of Harry would be a trigger for Severus, yes as a fan of Severus I am aware that Harry is not to blame for having been conceived by one of the most toxic couples in the Harry Potter series, but Harry himself would be a trauma trigger for Severus when remembering the face of James Potter, a character who... until now we do not know if he redeemed himself since he died at 21, but we have seen that Severus has a trauma when seeing Harry.

Severus would need a lot of therapy to be able to have Harry as a couple.

It would take a lot of therapy to heal his past traumas, to cope with them and not see Harry as an extension of James Potter but as an individual being.

Entiendo por qué a algunas personas les gusta Snarry: la dinámica de enemigos a amantes es muy interesante, tengo que admitirlo (como alguien a quien le gusta Snirius), pero no me gusta Snarry por estas razones, creo que Severus merece alejarse de la fuente del trauma (Hogwarts, spinner ends, etc.).

[m1lflov3rrr]

Heartless

Pairing: Larissa Weems x fem!teacher!reader

Warnings: manipulative!reader, heartless!reader, reader using people to get what she wants, attention seeker!reader, angst, jealous Larissa, fluff

Word count: 5k

Summary: You thought you were incapable of loving. That was until you met your new boss.

A/N: Sorry about the language mistakes!! Requests are open, in my bio!! I’m working on your requests, thank you for the support!!!

And there you were. Standing at the gates of the new school you were going to work in. Nevermore Academy. It was a school full of outcasts, and you were in fact, not an outcast. But fortunately, the school board and the headmistress were all very tolerant people, they weren’t discriminative towards normies. You had even heard of another normie staff member. And that made you relieved. You smiled to yourself in anticipation and nervousness. You didn’t know what was to come. But that might just be a good thing. 

A ping on your phone interrupted your thoughts. You rolled your eyes as you saw who had texted. Your ’boyfriend’ Samuel. 

Y/N, I hope you have a great start at your new job. You’re bold and they’ll all love you the minute you arrive! Good luck!

It wasn’t that you hated him. But you didn’t love him either. It was the attention that you loved. It had always been that way. Every time you’d see a man that had piqued your interest, you had made it a personal mission to make him like you. But the second the feelings were reciprocated, you losed interest. Maybe you loved the chase. Or maybe you were crazy. You really didn’t care. 

You had thought about why you were like this. Maybe you just didn’t have any emotions? No, it couldn’t be. You were, in fact, a very emotional person. But you only showed that to the luckiest of people, and only a few of them. And that was very rare. As you didn’t even have anyone close to you - you preferred solitude. And even more, you were just protecting yourself. 

You even had considered the thought, that what if you didn’t like men at all, since women had always just been more interesting to you and you naturally got along better with women. If you really thought about it, men disgusted you. You weren’t one generalize, but you had seen enough men do a fair amount of sick things to make you always be extremely attentive and careful around them. Enough things had happened to make you hate most of them. 

Sometimes you thought it was because of your father. He was a really toxic man, who, as you got older, had become more and more distant towards you. He would use silent treatment as a punishment and always put his precious wife, your awful stepmother, first. You hated your stepmother. That’s why you didn’t pay visits to them anymore. Sure, you texted with your father occasionally. And sure, things were good between you two at the moment. But enough damage had been done during your growing up year for you to lose trust and interest in him and at the same time, all men. You were into psychology, and you had learned that childhood trauma really did affect your relationships as an adult. And boy, they did. 

You sighed and typed an answer to him. You loved keeping him on his toes. He was head over heels with you, and something about you loved seeing him suffer the consequences of falling in love with you. In your opinion, men were simple. That’s why it was so easy for you to manipulate them and basically make them do anything for you. The thought of it made you extremely proud. Yes, you were absolutely twisted for thinking that. Bonkers. You should be locked away. But did you care? Again, no. 

Thank you, Samuel. Of course I will do well. I’m me after all ;)

You usually made people believe you were confident and happy with yourself. And most of the time, you were. But sometimes your overthinking would make you question everything in your life. 

You put your phone on silent and entered the school through the massive entrance. You walked along the dark hallways, your stilettos clacking on the floor loudly, making you the center of attention. The hallways were crowded with students, and there was no doubt that every pair of eyes along the corridors were set on you. You held your head up high and tried to seem like you were paying no attention to anyone around you. Quite the opposite, actually. You hadn’t met anyone as attentive and observative as yourself. You liked that about yourself, most of the time. You were always the first one to notice something happening or someone entering the room. It was a quality of yours that had helped you a lot during your years. But you usually pretended like you were the last one to notice something happening. You didn’t want to be seen as a crazy woman who was too watchful for her own good. It was safer to play dumb than to face the consequences of being too smart. You weren’t being arrogant when you thought that you were smart. You were both, book and street smart, but you were a natural street-wise. 

You heard whispering amongst the students around you. They were wondering who you are. 

You weren’t actually sure where to head to. You did know that you’d have to meet the headmistress of the academy. All you knew about her, was that when she had seen your resume, she had instantly gotten interested and reached out to you. You were exceptionally good at languages, and Nevermore supposedly had needed a new language teacher. A perfect opportunity, you’d say. 

You naturally had a pretty good sense of direction and also had a lot of common sense, so you did find your way to the headmistress’ office on your own. Asking help was not your thing. You preferred to be independent, and asking help was the last thing you’d do to find the solution. 

You arrived to the large oak doors, and observed the golden plague with the name ’Principal Weems’ on it. You took a deep breath and nodded to yourself before knocking. 

A few seconds went by until a confident ’Come in’ was heard. And you let yourself in. 

The first thing you saw was a woman, seemingly in her mid-fourties with platinum blonde hair and red lips, sitting across the wooden office desk. She looked like an old Hollywood star to you, with her million-dollar-smile and her sophisticated style. Her striking blue eyes met yours and smiled brightly, creating a sense of ease into the situation. 

She was beautiful, you thought. 

If you weren’t so caught in admiring the woman in front of you, you would have noticed that she was doing the exact same thing to you. How her eyes roamed up and down your body, examining every feature and taking it all in. When your gaze finally met her eyes, you did notice, in fact, that she was staring. Specifically everything but your eyes. Your cheeks flushed at the softness of her eyes and same admiration in them that you had for her. 

You cleared your throat awkwardly and that seemed to snap the headmistress out of her trance. Her eyes met your smirking gaze and now her cheeks were flushed. She got up rapidly and smoothed the wrinkles in her dress in a nervous way before she walked to you. She smiled a polite smile and offered you her hand to shake. 

You were absolutely astonished by her goddess-like height and her ethereal appearance. Never had you seen anyone as gorgeous as her. 

You took her hand and shook it, she had a firm, but at the same time soft handshake. 

”Ms L/N, we’re all pleased to have you joining us here today. Larissa Weems, headmistress of this fine academy.” She introduced herself, and not letting go of your hand. 

”Ms Weems, I am honoured to be here. I’m nervous but equally as excited, if not even more.” You said, smiling genuinely. Your handshake was now almost a minute long, neither of you seemed to want to let go. 

Until you thought it was too awkward and pulled away, for some reason instantly regretting your decision. It was weird, you’d never had anyone have this effect on you before. Usually it was you that made the others feel that way. 

This was definitely the beginning of something. 

-

It was time for your first class. You were dressed professionally in your favourite navy suit that accentuated your curves and made you feel most confident in. Every passing student that walked in the classroom gave you intrigued looks, sitting down in their seats. 

As the door closed after the final student had came in, you immediately silenced them all with your intense gaze. You tended to have that effect on people. 

”Ms L/N. Your new languages teacher. Welcome. I’d like you to introduce yourselves shortly before we get started.” You said monotonely. You tried to keep an extremely professional tone as a teacher, some might think of you as an uptight woman because of it. 

And everyone introduced themselves and you got to work. There were no messing around in your class, the students didn’t need anyone telling them what they already knew when they first saw you. You wanted to be taken seriously, and if this was the only way, then so be it. When you were younger, not being taken seriously was a serious issue to you and your mental health, so nowadays you’d do anything to gain respect from everyone in your life. 

And soon it was time for lunch, you headed over to the cafeteria. After grabbing your food tray, you started searching for a free table. You absolutely didn’t want to sit with your colleagues, none of them intrigued you. 

So that’s why you internally groaned when you heard the botany teacher, Marilyn Thornhill, calling your name. 

”Y/N! Come sit with us!” 

You rolled your eyes and plastered a fake smile on your face before walking over to them and sitting down across from Marilyn. There were also a few other techers you were yet to talk to. 

”So, how has your first day been so far? How’d you like the students? They’re awesome, right!?” Marilyn interrogated you excitedly. It’s not that you hated her, you just weren’t fit for these type of situations. You were just that way. You always had been and you were sure that you always would be. Grimacing slightly at her question, you prayed to anyone out there to save you from this situation. 

And as if a miracle had happened, a hand on your shoulder interrupted Marilyn’s relentless quizzing. You snapped your head around, looked up and saw your newfound boss, Larissa Weems. You thanked her with your expressive eyes, to which she chuckled and squeezed your shoulder, almost as if to say ’Calm down, I’ll take it from here’.

You slightly nodded and turned your head back to meet Marilyn, whose head was tilted and a bit confused by the wordless conversation she was just witnessing. You accidentally let out a small laugh because of her face, but soon you felt nails digging into your shoulder with deep force, almost as if piercing through them, telling you to not laugh. You quickly understood and hid away your laughing by feigning a cough attack. 

Thankfully, Marilyn or no one else really understood the situation. Thankfully Larissa interrupted and moved the conversation away from you. 

Thankfully. 

-

Your first week of teaching was nearing its end. 

”Alright guys, have a great weekend, no homework.” You announced the class and they all happily left to spend their weekends in whatever the teenagers at Nevermore did nowadays. 

You sighed and thumped down on your chair, burying your face in your hands. There was a headache bugging you the whole day. You were glad you had earned every student’s and teacher’s respect on day one, so you were certain no one would try any tricks with you or come to annoy you. Or mess with you in any way. You were above tolerating that, and it seemed no one had to be taught that the hard way. 

You continued working for a while on your desk, grading some papers the students turned in earlier and replying to a few emails. You were so caught up in your work that you almost didn’t hear the sound of a new email that you had just received. But you did. You raised your head and raised your brows in surprise - the email was from you boss, Larissa. 

Oh, God, please no. No more work today. You thought as you reluctantly opened the new email. 

What you saw was definitely not what you had expected - you thought you’d get a scolding, or she would give you a feedback report from your first week. Quite literally anything, but this. 

You kept reading those words again and again in shock, trying to drink the information in. 

Dear Ms L/N, 

I was wondering if you’d be willing to join me for a glass of wine tonight at 7pm in my office, just the two of us. I’d like to hear all about your first week of teaching. 

Let me know if you’d do me the great pleasure in joining me tonight. 

Best regards, 

Larissa Weems.

Your jaw literally dropped. You were sure this wasn’t real. Your insanely gorgeous boss was asking you to hang out with her over a glass of wine. And it would just be the two of you. 

No, why the hell would you think that?! You scolded yourself for getting giddy about a simple request from your boss. So immature and unprofessional, you thought. 

You quickly typed a message back to her, confirming you’ll see her tonight at 7. And even more quickly, you left the classroom and hurried back to your quarters to digest all of this and get ready. 

-

”Come in,” You heard from inside of her office as you had knocked just seconds prior. 

You went inside, dressed in a long elegant skirt, white shirt and high heels. You didn’t know what made you want to dress up for that woman. You thought it might be just because she’s your boss and you want to impress her by looking professional. 

Even you couldn’t fool yourself. You knew there was something up. But you did your best to deny, deny, deny. Denial was your answer for things too many. 

”Ah, Ms L/N, thank you for joining me. Come, sit down!” She said as she stood up from her desk, putting her work aside and scurrying over to the drink cabinet filled with expensive wines and other beverages. She pulled out a bottle of red as you sat down on the couch. 

She came over to you and sat down on the other side of the leather couch, handing you a glass and pouring wine in it. 

”Thank you, Ms Weems,” You said with a small, polite smile. You didn’t know the weight of the situation, if it was a professional meeting or not. So you decided to play safe. 

”Oh, call me Larissa, darling. No formalities needed, really.” 

Darling. Darling, darling, darling. That might’ve just been your new favourite word. 

You nodded and took a sip of your drink, partly to hide the faint red that developed on your cheeks. 

”So, tell me about your first week, darling, were the students behaving themselves?” 

There it was again. You cleared your throat, trying to think clearly. ”It’s been alright. The students have behaved, to my luck. I’m still adjusting to this new life here, but it’s been a great start.” You told her, fiddling with the glass in your hand. 

”That’s lovely to hear, darling. Remember that if you need help with anything, you come to me, alright?” She reminded you, scooting a bit closer so. Suddenly, you felt her hand on your shoulder, caressing it softly. You tried not to react in anyway to her touches or the petnames. She was just being polite, Y/N. Focus. 

”Yes, thank you, Larissa. It’s the people like you that make this new chapter in my life a whole lot easier and definitely more enjoyable. I really appreciate it.” You told her genuinely, placing a hand on top of hers. You really didn’t know why you were so comfortable in showing her your emotions. Usually you were cold towards everyone. Even the people you were closest to.

She seemed almost flustered as a huge grin appeared on her face. 

After that night, you would meet occasionally, the Friday nights spent together with a glass (or three) of wine became a regular thing. You did it every week. Sometimes you even made it to her quarters, of course, nothing happened. Why would you even think that, Y/N? Was a question you asked yourself a lot. Usually you met in her quarters, but sometimes she came to yours. 

You also cooked together once, another time you watched a movie. You became good friends. You always shared your events of the week on those Friday nights, and you got to know each other so well that sometimes you didn’t even need words to communicate. 

She was very special and important to you, just like you were to her. 

This unusual friendship developed between you two for three months, until one particular Friday that changed everything. 

It all began when you ended the last class of the week, and immediately messaged Larissa that you’d be there in a couple of hours, you still had some work to do. 

It was nearly 6pm when you were finally done. You gathered all of your stuff and quickly walked back to your quarters after locking up. You changed into something more comfortable and put your work bag aside. Just as you were about to leave, there was a knock on the door. Odd, you thought, frowning. Who could it be? 

You walked to the door and opened it slowly, and immediately you froze. It was Samuel. Honestly, you had forgotten all about him for the past months. Technically he was still your boyfriend, even though you had cut almost all contact with him. 

”I- uh, hi?” You greeted him, looking incredibly confused. 

”Y/N! Nice to see you, stranger.” He beamed, and handed you a bouquet of flowers you didn’t even notice he was holding. 

You took it, still a bit shocked that he was actually there. ”Oh, uh, thank you, Samuel. What are you doing here?” You asked with an awkward chuckle. 

”Well, I missed you and you’ve been completely MIA, so I thought it’d be nice to surprise you.” 

You forced a smile and nodded. You really just wanted to go and spend the evening with your friend. 

”So, can I come in?” He asked, ducking his head to see inside. 

”Oh, sorry, yeah, come in.” You said as you let him inside and closed the door behind you. 

You had to text Larissa that something had come up and that you wouldn’t make it there tonight. 

But before you could, he already interrupted your thoughts by speaking. And you forgot to send that text. 

”It’s… cozy.” He said, walking around the dorm. 

You chuckled, setting the flowers in a vase. ”It’s not much, I guess I could make this better by decorating. But knowing me, I’ll never actually get to that. It’s a bit dull, yes.” 

You spent the next hour chatting on the couch, you offered him a beer which he gladly accepted while you stuck to wine. 

You noticed that you didn’t get that same feeling of satisfaction from making him be so lovestruck with you. Manipulating him didn’t satisfy you anymore. You didn’t know what it was about, but these last months had really changed you. Some would say that it had changed you for the better. 

Your chatting was interrupted by another knock on the door. Your stomach turned as you suspected who it could be. You hoped you were wrong. You had never mentioned a word about Samuel to Larissa. 

”Excuse me,” You said and he nodded as you got up and went to the door. 

You opened it slightly, making sure not to open it fully. And behind the door was exactly who you suspected it would be. ”Darling, is everything alright? I thought you said you’d come soon? It’s been an hour and a half, did something happen?” Her tone was filled with worry, she looked really concerned. 

Your face softened at her words. ”Larissa, I’m sorry but something came up. Would tomorrow work? I really didn’t know about this.” You said apologetically. 

She smiled tenderly, ”It’s alright, darling. The most important thing is that you’re safe. And yes, tomorrow sounds good. 7pm?” 

You nodded and smiled widely at her. 

Just as she was about to leave, you felt someone opening the door more widely and froze in your place. 

”Who’s this?” Asked Samuel from behind you, laying his hands on your waist while observing Larissa. You internally facepalmed yourself a thousand times, if only you could slip out of this situation. But there was no backing down. 

Larissa was absolutely dumbstruck. Her face held a mixture of shock, confusion, anger and betrayal…? At least that was how it looked to you. But you didn’t understand. Surely she was just surprised? 

You chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease up the thick tension. Bringing your hand to the back of your neck, eyeing the headmistress’ and the boyfriend’s eye contact. 

Samuel looked genuinely like he just wanted to know who this mysterious woman was. 

But Larissa looked like she was ready to kill. She gripped her purse so tightly that her knuckles turned white, the corners of her mouth twitching up and down in barely hidden rage, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. If only looks could kill. 

”Uh, yeah, Samuel, this is Larissa, she’s my boss and also a great friend of mine.” You introduced Larissa who was anything but happy about the situation. But why would she care? 

Samuel stepped forwards and extended his hand to Larissa, who seemed like she was frozen in plaze. Larissa looked at Samuel’s hand with barely hidden disgust. You had never seen her like this. What the hell was up with her? 

Larissa, however, did shake his hand. But only for like a quarter of a second. Before she pulled her hand quickly away, like she was burned by his touch. It was evident that she didn’t like him. 

”So, I assume this is your boyfriend, darling.” Larissa said, now turning to look at you. She looked almost sad, but you couldn’t comprehend why. Or maybe you could, but you just didn’t want to believe it as true. Because it couldn’t be. No way would she ever feel that way towards you. 

Her words broke your heart for some reason. That darling sounded different than before, it sounded sad, like you were slipping away from her. You could physically feel your once non-existent and cold heart breaking into pieces as her eyes were piercing through your soul, as if she was searching for a sign that all of this wasn’t real, that he wasn’t actually your boyfriend, that you didn’t love him. 

And you didn’t. But she didn’t know that. And neither did he. 

”Pardon me, I’ll leave you be. Have a good evening, Ms L/N.” Her voice broke at the end of her sentence, causing your name to come out as a whisper, barely audible. 

Larissa quickly walked away, trying to hide the tears that were finally flowing down her face. 

You felt awful. Samuel was confused. 

You had to go after her. You turned around to face Samuel, ”It’s been really nice seeing you tonight, but I really do have something I still have to deal with.” 

The disappointment was evident on his face. ”Alright, well, I’ll see you soon again, right?” 

You nodded and feigned a smile. ”Sure, yeah. Okay, bye now.” You said, practically pushing him out the door. You couldn’t care less about being rude right now. All you cared about was Larissa, and you didn’t even know why. You waited for him to leave first before quickly making your way down to her office. 

You knocked on the door - no response. 

You made your way into her office - no one. 

You knocked on the door to her quarters - again, no response. 

You tried opening the door - it was locked. 

You knocked again. ”Larissa? It’s Y/N, are you in there?” 

You heard a very quiet, almost inaudible sob come from the room, which instantly grew you worried. ”Larissa, please, just unlock the door.” 

Nothing. 

You were starting to grow impatient. ”I swear to god, if you don’t open that door in 10 seconds, I can and I will break through it!” You yelled. 

Still, nothing. 

”Fine! One…two…three…” You started counting. ”For fuck’s sake Larissa! Open the door!” 

Absolutely nothing. 

”Six…seven…eight… NINE…NINE AND A HALF…” You shouted, dragging the last numbers. You wouldn’t actually break through, but you hoped that she would take your threats seriously. 

And she did. 

You heard the door unlock, and you immediately turned the handle. Larissa looked like a mess. Her usual neat updo was messy with strands of hair out. Her mascara was melting and staining her face, her eyes were tear-filled and red. She was barefoot, her heels thrown somewhere across the room. 

”Aren’t you supposed to be with him?” She almost snarled. You pushed past her into the room as you allowed yourself in. The room was a complete mess aswell. Clothes and books thrown on the floor, a broken wine glass, and an opened wine bottle. It looked like she had been throwing things around. Like she had just had a tantrum. You were even more worried now. 

”No, your wellbeing is far more important to me right now than him.” You said, turning around to meet her weak eyes. You took her hand and walked together to the bed, sitting down on the edge of it. 

You couldn’t understand why you cared so much about Larissa. Normally, if someone was crying, you couldn’t care less or did as little effort as possible to comfort them. Even if it was someone close to you. You simply didn’t know how to make someone feel better. And you always felt awkward trying. So you never did. But with Larissa, it was different. You felt an almost natural instinct to instantly comfort her and make her feel better. You couldn’t explain it, but you wanted to protect her. And seeing her like this made you feel awful. 

”Tell me.” You said as you took her hand in yours. 

She tried to look away from you, but you didn’t let that happen. You took her gently by the chin and turned her head towards you. She was still avoiding eye contact. You sighed and told her to stand up. She frowned, but she still obeyed you. 

”Go sit by the headboard.” You ordered her. She hesitated, but you sent her a stern look that didn’t leave room for her to argue. 

And when she was sitting there, back laying against the headboard, you climbed back to bed and straddled her lap. Her eyes widened and her whole face went red at your actions. You chuckled lightly as you took her face in your hands so there was absolutely no way she could avoid eye contact, or escape the situation in any way. 

”I am not leaving this room until you speak. I do not tire easily, so for your own sake, start talking.” 

Larissa looked conflicted. She tried to look around to find an escape, because if she did what she wanted, if she confessed and told you the truth, there would be no going back. She was certain you didn’t feel the same way she did, she knew that you only saw her as a friend. Larissa was like that. Unable to ever believe someone could love her. She was convinced that she would be alone all her life. 

”God, Rissa, why is it so hard for you to just say what’s wrong with you?! Please, I want to help you, just tell me-” 

You couldn’t finish your sentence. 

You felt her lips smashing against yours, kissing you desperately, but softly. 

She pulled away and you looked at her with wide eyes and your mouth slightly parted. You couldn’t believe it. 

Larissa realized what she just had done and looked panicked. She started breathing irregularly, she couldn’t escape - you were still in her lap. 

”Oh my god, I- I’m so sorry Y/N- I didn’t mean to do that, please don’t be mad at me- I know I just ruined everything that’s between us, just please, I’m sorry-” She rambled, but you shut her up by kissing her back. 

Larissa’s eyes widened as she felt your lips against hers. She couldn’t believe it. You could taste the wine she had been drinking. It was the best feeling you’d ever felt. 

Never had you felt this way about kissing anyone - it was always unenjoyable for you. You never really loved anyone, and in that moment you realized that it had changed. Larissa had melted your ice cold heart. She had made you feel things you didn’t think were possible of feeling. When you first felt her lips on yours, you knew it. You knew that that’s why she made you so damn emotional. That’s why you had a soft spot for her. That’s exactly fucking why she had made you - someone incapable of loving - capable. 

You were in love with her. 

Pulling away, you both were in shock, but also filled with love and relief. You rested your forehead against hers as you panted slightly, smiling at her tenderly. 

”So, that’s why…” You whispered. 

She wrapped you in her embrace, resting her face on your shoulder as you both cherished the beautiful moment. 

”That’s exactly why, darling…” 

And you stayed like that for the longest time you’d ever hugged anyone, been in anyone’s embrace. 

This was the first place you’d ever felt completely at peace in, completely calm and serene and in love and so fucking good. 

The irony of it all - Larissa, who believed she would never be loved by anyone, and you, who was incapable of loving, right there in each others arms. 

The stars had aligned. Faith had brought you together. The universe had done its job, bringing two soulmates together. 

”I love you.” You whispered at the same time. 

[w3ndytheraccoon]

C!Tommy is my favourite character, however, that doesn’t mean he gets a pass.

In simple word, C!Tommy is a narcissist, or atleast show alot of narcissistic traits. Self importance ? Check. Entitled to some degree ? Check. Arrogant ? Check. Jealous easily ? Check. Rarely believe something is his fault ? Check.

( Obviously, just because someone has some of these traits, that doesn’t mean that they’re a narcissist or a bad person, it depends on the context )

Now, I guess you can say that since Tommy is canonically 16, being a narcissist is expected, because most 16 years old is a self - centred asshole. But like I said many times, just because it’s justified, that doesn’t mean it’s okay.

Tommy has show signs of a narcissist ( Arrogant, entitled ) ever since he joined, and as the lore progresses, he starts to show more. It even gets worse when he got mad because he can’t fathom the fact Tubbo has a life out of him. He threatened to kill Michael for fuck’s sake ( I still love reading about them bonding tho ) !

And the whole “ Me and Tubbo vs Dream “ always gets on my nerves. Yes, Tommy has been hurt by Dream but he’s not the only one. What about Sapnap and Geogre who have to watch their close friend spiral ? What about Puffy who lost her fucking son and felt responsible for how he turn out ? What about Ranboo ? What about Niki and Jack and Fundy who lost their home when he blew up L’ manberg ? What about Vikkstar & Lazarbeam ? Dream has hurt almost everyone, not just Tommy, yet he believes he’s the only one.

Not to mentioned, he claims Tubbo is his bestfriend, yet hesitate when he’s asked to choose between him and the discs. Tommy has been an asshole to Tubbo and Tubbo has also been an asshole to Tommy times to times ( I will cover this more for when Tubbo’s post comes ). C!ClingyDuo is a shitshow (and when you include Ranboo and make it C!BenchTrio, it gets even worse ), they’re both bad for eachother. Sure, there are times where they act like actual, healthy friends, but half the times, their “ friendship “ is held together by shared trauma.

While Tubbo is treated like something comparable to the fucking discs, Ranboo is seen as an obstacle half the times. Yeah, Tommy covered for him when they burnt Geogre’s house, but that’s it. After that, whenever Tommy is with Ranboo, he’s just a tad bit more hostile and he always show jealousy when Ranboo and Tubbo are together. Like C!ClingyDuo, C!AlliumDuo is also toxic as hell and is barely being held together by the fact they have a mutual friend ( Tubbo ).

Don’t even get me start on Jack. I joined the fandom relatively late ( Post Prison Arc ), when the fandom’s opinions start shifting, and Tommy became a baby who can’t do anything wrong, so Jack’s death was pretty much brush over. It doesn’t help that I learn the lore solely through fan content, and as I said, opinions start shifting and Jack’s death got no acknowledgement. I didn’t even know why he was so mad at Tommy until a few weeks ago when I read a fanfic ( On Temporizing by LuckyMagicBelle ). No one in the fandom and the lore acknowledge it except Jack and maybe Niki, not even Tommy himself.

And that’s not even talking about all the casual crimes he commit, which I will not be getting into, because I’m pretty sure everyone have commit atleast 3 casually crimes at this point.

( Putting this just incase. Like in the one I made about Dream, just because Tommy is an asshole sometimes, that doesn’t mean the shit that happened to him is okay. And how he turns out is realistic imo, because I know that if I went through what he did, I’ll come out worse. But still, a flaw is flaw, and this is a call out post. He is child and someone should’ve show him how to be better, not let him continue to be like this )

Conclusion : C!Tommy is an actual war criminal that is in no way, shape or form innocent, yet most the fandom ignore that because they woobified him. He’s an asshole sometimes and it’s fine to be paranoid after the shit he went through but he needs to understand that Dream isn’t always out to get him. Also, C!BenchTrio needs to split up, have some therapy and spent some times for themselves before they’re ready to be friends again.

I still love him and will defend him with my dying breath though.

Edit : Y’all, I just saw a post that said C!tommy is a accurate portrayal of an abused victim, and now I can’t tell which of my points are actually him being an ass and which one is me being insensitive / overreacting and not realising that he’s intended to be written that way to be accurate. Please tell me because I do not want to offend anyone-

[muraenide]

This miiiiight be oversharing personal sentiments a little bit but...

Ever since I changed my rules to include an explicit list of what I'm going to write on this blog instead of just a simple, brief statement saying "dark things will be present here" and started actively following people or mutuals of mutuals whose muses or writing I am genuinely interested in/have spiked my interests, I've grown a lot happier about the contents and people I'm seeing on my dash.

I felt like tum.blr rpers have grown incredibly judgemental and incapable of minding their own business. People all around me seem to have shifted their energy onto focusing on offending as few people as possible instead of trying to actually have fun, and the rpc has become a weird circle for activism when it shouldn't have been used as a medium for (false) activism in the first place. Not all of us are here to make a point or to establish a legacy. In fact, most of us are just here to have fun and scratch an itch in the brain or fill in gaps that canon source materials haven't been able to provide. But the idea of this is incomprehensible to some people who are actively ruining the rpc and making everyone fear that they're walking on eggshells while they spiral into a depressing state of existing to not offend anyone instead of existing to have fun.

I've lost count of the number of times people tell me that I'm on a DNI for "writing with pro.ship.pers" or "writing romantic ships with an adult and a minor" (<- said ship is between a 17 y.o. and a 19 y.o.) sometimes it's also ships about fake incest.

(Just as an aside, I've grown so desensitized by being on DNIs that it's no longer something to feel anything about. I'd just go through their rules with a very confused expression if to see what they took issue with. Most of the time I don't even know the mun personally.)

I've gotten more hate directed at me for writing fake in.cest rather than real ones, which is not only baffling but also incredibly ODD bc the fandom "decides" what is good and what is bad, which reeks heavily of manipulation and toxicity in my opinion. Fandoms aren't governed by a single party or a monolithic authority that decides its rules. Fandom rules are made by the community, and in every community, there should be different rules, made to ensure everyone is comfortable and feel inclusive. That is what makes fandoms special and detached from reality. Yes, you're entitled to not want to interact with certain content for reasons no one else is entitled to know unless they have your consent, but you're definitely not entitled to silence/stomp out everyone to cater to your whims or risk getting hate/harassment. Which is why I heavily encourage tagging content as-is instead of denying the nature of said content and praying that no one notices because that is the best way to make it difficult for people with different preferences and tastes to co-exist.

And ever since I changed my rules and actively followed people again, there has been a variety of content on my dash with varying tags. It's honestly very stimulating and uplifting, and if I firmly believe if a mutual were to take offense to anything I write or choose to interact with, it's on them as they clearly did not go through my rules when they followed/followed back. Additionally, I tag all my things.

A few months ago, my dash was exhausting, and boring, everyone (or most of my mutuals) was scared. Now I see posts getting tagged "necrophilia cw". I'm very happy for both my mutuals and their muses for striving for the peaks of how far fiction writing and the imaginative side of the mind can go.

I'd highly recommend anyone who has been in a similar situation to list down your dos and don'ts so your mutuals will know what to take to your tables and what to not. Personally, it felt like my dash had curated itself and it's been very pleasant to be on tum.blr lately even if I still have to vanish for a few more days due to inrl.

I think about my dash very often this week and I love all of you guys for being here and showing me your brainrots/muses! 💗💞💓

[myheadphonesareneverloudenough]

i’m making my own post about the LS Dunes twitter drama because i have a LOT of thoughts.

the hate that LS Dunes is receiving on twitter is some of the most unfair bullshit i’ve ever witnessed within this fandom. if you’re not like me and you keep away from toxic places like dunestwt, good for you, but you also might be unaware of some of the things this band is facing at the moment. let me break it down. a full history and my own take. (there’s an entire fucking essay after the cut) <3

the internet blew up when the AI scandal happened. people who had never even heard or cared about LS Dunes before suddenly had fully formed opinions and were flooding Dunes’ comment sections and Anthony Green’s DMs. when this happened, trust me when i tell you that NO ONE was on LS Dunes’ side entirely. even us who were and still are fully a part of the fandom were disappointed in them. it was a horrible idea, lacking research and insight. something they probably had to double down on due to contracts that made them release the video despite the backlash. but do you know what the fans did? we didn’t watch the video. that’s it. it’s that simple. however, there were some individuals who decided that an appropriate response was sending death threats to Anthony Green. i think i speak for all of us Dunes fans who say to that; fuck you. that is the lowest low anyone could’ve gone to and anyone who messaged him that, you should be ashamed of yourself.

when all of the sudden this cool new band that had a smaller fandom compared to that of MCR, Thursday, Circa, and Coheed, got shoved under a spotlight that opened the floor for apparently anyone to say whatever they wanted to the members of Dunes, fans of My Chem especially were now paying attention to Frank Iero, despite never having cared about his projects outside of MCR before. He was under a microscope, just waiting for him to say something about Anthony or about AI. When he finally was spotted active online, it was in the comment section of his friend's Instagram post. This is where the irrational anger and hatred began, when the screenshots were shared all over twitter and labeled Frank as antisemetic. something that would've been a harmless joke if Frank wasn't already in that AI spotlight, now it fans the flames.

after that, most of us moved on. the small community of angry people on twitter, however, did not. if you remember earlier this year, there was a group of people who decided that Frank Iero was "cheating" on MCR due to the fact that he plugged both the MCR Australian tour and the LS Dunes California show in the same instagram post. essentially, this only escalated. there are people on twitter who genuinely believe that Frank is single-handedly preventing the production of MCR's fifth studio album due to his dedication to LS Dunes. as if Dunes didn't function as a band that worked around the members' schedules, assuring that an LS Dunes tour never collided with the touring or recording of MCR, Thursday, Saosin, Coheed, etc. etc. do you actually, genuinely believe that Gerard, Ray, and Mikey are currently sitting in a recording studio in Los Angeles, just waiting for sweet sweet Frankie to stop touring and return to them in Cali so they can FINALLY record MCR5? obviously Gee, Ray, and Mikey have NOTHING else to do in their lives and Frank is totally just destroying everything by using his free time to make amazing music with LS Dunes.

LS Dunes is a band of 5 dorky dads who, guess what? already have money! they have bands that are HUGE in the scene. LS Dunes exists because Tucker, Tim, Anthony, Frank, and Travis LOVE doing it! so yes, sometimes the band pulls funny stunts because they can do whatever they want. like selling vip tickets for a fucking pizza party. there is literally nothing harmful about Dunes wanting to hang with a few of their fans who are willing to pay to eat pizza with them. if you go to twitter, this will be one of the many many things that people are angry about. why? because they have NOTHING else to be mad at. all they know is that they want to be angry at Dunes and to be angry at Frank because they don't have MCR5 yet. however, when they can't find anything to be mad about, i guess it means we can be mad at pizza?

finally. the very recent video that is still circling. the video that was posted by one user and then immediately was thrown into a completely different context than anyone had intended in the first place. the video in question is LS Dunes on tour with PTV, between songs on their set with Anthony chatting up the audience. now, i'm not sure about y'all, but i would say that if Anthony in any way has seen the kind of shit people say about him on twitter, he would have every right to distance himself. i would say that for anyone. the internet is a horrific place where you can get attacked and insulted for pretty much anything. Anthony knows this, and he knows what kind of effect that can have on someone's mental health. believe it or not, Anthony cares about his fans and their mental health, too. so, as a word of advice, he told this particular crowd that it was okay to stop and take a break for a few days. it was okay to put a pause on constantly having to respond to anything and everything going on in the world. because if you don't take a break, you're hurting yourself. you will burn out. and no one wants that. Anthony doesn't want that. in the heat of a rockin LS Dunes set, Anthony tells his crowd "don't post political shit". lets be real, politics is one of the MOST emotionally draining things online.

now, what does the angry twitter mob say about Anthony advising people to take care of themselves? why, they make it out to seem like Anthony was spreading hate for real world tragedies and bluntly stating that he didn't give a shit about the state of the world!!!! because of COURSE thats what you got out of that!!!!!

it isn't JUST that Anthony and Dunes are getting unnecessary hate thrown at them, it's the gleeful attitude that people on twitter have when talking shit about this band. as if its okay. as if its justified and NORMAL to beat down musicians like this. (and it's not just twitter. i see the dunes haters on tumblr too. i see you. and i hope if you're reading this it means you'll take some time to re-evaluate). the main problem i run into with this attitude is that i have noticed that the people who complain on twitter are JUST on twitter, and they do not see the LOVE and the SUPPORT that Dunes has from their real fans. in their minds, EVERYONE thinks like them, so that must mean EVERYONE has decided to take a fat shit on LS Dunes. i just want them to zoom out. zoom out of your twitter circle and realize that there are real things to worry about than trying to make Anthony Green look like a villain.

if you feel the need to spread lies and hate about the members of LS Dunes, send threats or nasty messages to them and their families, and boo them off stage at the PTV tour, and yet you STILL have the audacity to consider yourself an MCR fan, take a look at yourself in the mirror. still don't see it? fine. you may not see where you're wrong, but i know Gerard, Ray, and Mikey would. you can't consider yourself an MCR fan and continue to shred apart the livelihood of 1/4 of the band.

you don't have to love LS Dunes. hell. you dont even have to LIKE LS Dunes. i would never shut you down when you share your opinions that LS Dunes' music isnt for you. the music you love/hate is for you and you only. what i WILL shut you down for is nonsensical hate against the PEOPLE who make the music.

my name is J, LS Dunes is my favourite band in the whole damn world. they saved my life, and Anthony Green continues to save my life every god damn day. clearly, i am passionate about it. if you read this far i am fucking amazed, but i hope you learned something. my asks are always open.

[writingmochi]

it is no problem at all ~

that is quite a young age to be exposed to such platforms. i am glad that your journey on starting anew is going well. it is hard to completely erase ones identity, as it is tied to you, but i believe you are doing a pretty great job.

yes, some fandoms can be quite toxic. while it is nice to bond with people over certain activities, there are people who always manage to ruin the fun for others. personally, i allow it to roll off of me at this point. i do not engage in fan wars or anything silly like that because not only is it a waste of my time and energy, but it is also completely pointless as most of these groups are friends in real life. after all, i am in it for the group, not the people who stan the group, so i do my best to support them as much as i can ~ however, i am glad that you have found joy in other interests. k-pop can be forever for some, but not for all.

the storyline is an interesting thing really. others make theories and others do not care. for me, i take note of the storyline, but i am not one to avidly keep up with it. i simply acknowledge that it is there and apart of the concept.

i can see your point with ateez and enha. enhypen’s storyline does have that webtoon. i believe that the company made it more complicated by marking lines between enhypen as a group and enhypen as characters in their storyline. so i am not entirely sure of the story myself… as for how hybe and kq treat their groups, they are rather different. they capitalize off of them in very different ways, but the most important thing in my opinion is the music and i do not have too many complaints in that department.

your ideas are very interesting and i can say that i would be invested in your career path as a creative director. i believe i saw a post where you created a group just for fun, street spirits? very cool and eye-catching.

unfortunately, this will be my last ask. i believe my time as your anon has been amazing, but all good things must come to an end. rather than simply revealing myself or ending with a grandiose gesture, i will pose a simple question to you. if you have the correct answer, then my reveal is complete ~

who in our group chat recently changed their icon to soobin? ~

signed, 🩻

lissie: hey xray! good job for lasting this much especially longer than my attempt lol my guess will be at the very bottom of the ask

yeah, i try my best with that especially knowing how big tech companies are technically "data mining" you for their business. i feel very uncomfortable with that and i much rather stay off the grid from social media platforms as best as i can. i don't know about your relationships towards social media but if you are the person i guess than you must have a good relationship with it unlike me (especially based on the others' testimonies of you when they're guessing about my anon attempt)

toxicity is everywhere in my opinion. but i guess you just have to pick between the lesser of evils you see. life is full of choices of course! also, having different interests is a very human thing to do because nothing lasts forever. we don't know how kpop as an industry will go in for the next five years because everything changes fast, especially with the existence of the information super highway currently (eg: slave contract abolishments, bts raising kpop up to the mainstream, etc)

i'm actually one of the theorists! i used to theorize for bts but after mots:7, i stopped because it doesn't seem to connect anymore. i want to try to theorize for ateez, but i have to keep up with so many things that i'll let other people take the spotlight while giving some comments from the side.

it is definitely interesting to see their strategy, especially as a business major who focuses on marketing. but that's what comes with competition: innovations that are good and bad. just like we see with twitter and threads, consumers are very fickle and they can change. i'm one of the fickle kpop consumers because i'm a multifan at best and a casual listener most of the time. yet we have to know that kpop idols are essential products for us to consume by hearing, seeing, and interacting which way you could do.

i hope so! i don't know if the music industry is my exact calling but I'll definitely work towards enhancing my creativity in my career in a way (there's a reason why i chose marketing as my focus). i was thinking of making a studio for game publishing, idk if i wanna it to be for video games or physical games but i know that i want it to be small-to-medium size and indie rather than it being extravagant like the big aaa game companies with examples of electronic arts or activision blizzard.

there's also a reason why i picked kq ent as the home of street spirit and it is definitely lore and concept! there is a missing market of girl groups with kq ent with the members between 00-03 liners (youngest in ateez and oldest in xikers). lore-wise, i'm trying to connect them to ateez's as best as i could without making to similar. while concept-wise, the group definitely has influences from le sserafim, newjeans, billlie, and a bit of kiss of life that putting them in hybe just makes it redundant...

not the call out to me with my grandiose gesture :") i felt like jigsaw when i'm doing my anon reveal (tbh the whole guess the anon between us felt like the saw movies but more pg-13) good job on keeping up because this is hard! hope you gain more insight on me and the others! i know i'm not as fun as the others lol but that's is just how i interact with people honestly...

soobin in weverse concert! hi lee @robin-obsessed !! hope you have a great time and i guess, take a rest to because it has probably been so exhausting for you~

[shivaanath]

The Art of Self Love in 9 Simple Steps

Are you feeling bad that you are not beautiful? Then its time to change it with self love. One thing that greatly surprises me about many women and young girls is that – they feel they are not beautiful. These girls and women who are naturally blessed with great beauty feel they are not attractive just because they don’t fit into the definition of beauty created by someone else. They feel they are fat, ugly, and are insecure about the way they look. They lack self-love. Because of this false perception about themselves, they put heavy makeup, go through body-torturing diets to look like thin models, and enter wrong relationships just to listen to the words – “you are beautiful,” and eventually, they harm their self -esteem, body, health, and relationships.

Is this worth it? I don’t think so. Yes, it feels great to be attractive but not at the cost of one’s health, relationships, and happiness. Beauty is beautiful only when it comes with health, joy, and goodness.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell this to every woman and girl out there. Know your beauty and be proud of yourself. People may talk, comment, and write about you, but you don’t have to believe them. Don’t get caught up in what others say about you. Know who you are and live in your truth. Your confidence to live your truth makes you a magnetic personality.

Today, take some time to practice self-love. Below are 9 tips than can help you in this journey of self-love.

Admire your self. List down all your good qualities and accomplishments. When we write down our good qualities, our self-esteem improves and we feel more confident in life.

Many of us complain about hair and skin. For a change, today take time to compliment your hair, your skin, and see your beauty.

Forgive yourself of the mistakes you made in life. We all make mistakes. There is no one in this world who is always right.

Have a ‘me time’ where you do things that make you happy. Make time for your happiness.

Gift yourself something amazing and celebrate being you.

Understand how little value other people’s opinions have in your life. The most important thing is the love you have from your family and friends and an even more important thing is the love you have for yourself.

Pursue your hobbies. Hobbies make us happy and joyful.

Follow a healthy diet. Your body is precious and it needs the right fuel to work at an optimum level.

Surround yourself with positive people. Avoid toxic relationships as such relationships break your self-esteem.

Your body and your life is precious. Don’t torture your body with unhealthy diets, unhealthy makeup, and an unhealthy lifestyle just because some random person said you are not beautiful. Cherish your body, take good care of it, keep it healthy, and be proud of it no matter what others say. Your body is a gift given to you by the divine to live your purpose in life. You are unique, awesome, and beautiful in your own way, and you don’t need to follow society or trends about being beautiful. You deserve self-love and more.

Cheers to the beautiful You 

[felyas-stuff]

Overanalysing Konstantin Baragosin before anyone else does because I had nothing better to do, fell into a rabbit hole of character analyses and decided to make one of my own

As some of you may already know, I like «Cyberfarm» and I also like to analyse my favourite characters and why they act the way they do…and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about Robogosin so here’s a compilation of my thoughts on him! Starting with…him possibly being neurodivergent!

Yes, there’s a big possibility of Kostya being neurodivergent or, at the very least, neurodivergent-coded. Throughout the first S1 of the series you can see this guy stimming and exhibiting narcissistic behaviour. The stimming is plain and simple, so let’s talk more about the narcissism thing:

Narcissists simply don’t think about how their behaviour affects others. Obviously, Baragosin considers his opinion the only right one…and, when others disagree with him, he views it as a personal attack, triggering his fight or flight response - his defence mechanism being threats or name-calling. Moving forward - narcissists think nothing of stealing your ideas or looking through your mail…which is exactly what happens in the series. Not only that, but those are what sparked the conflict between our two main characters in the first place. And, even when Kolya tries to "teach his friend a lesson" it doesn’t really work…

Because narcissists are extremely resistant to changing their behaviour, even if it’s causing them problems. Instead of changing something about himself, Kostya turns the blame on others. That’s actually what I really like about the way he’s written - it would’ve been extremely out of character if he drastically changed for the better in the span of the first ten episodes. Not to say that he didn’t even try to change…

It’s just that the only thing narcissists understand is their own needs…and thus, they don’t think twice about taking advantage of others to achieve their goals. Even when Kolya points out how bad that is to Kostya - he still doesn’t truly get it. No, in his world view everyone would’ve done the same thing if they were on his place.

Besides, how can anyone hate the most influential person in the entire galaxy who’ve made so much good for the company?! Yes, narcissists often exaggerate or outright lie about their achievements and talents…while, at the same time, projecting their faults and flaws onto others - just like Baragosin did in that one moments from episode nine.

However - narcissism isn’t the only thing that’s actively ruining Kostya’s life, so let’s move on to the next section of this character analysis.

Let’s talk about toxic masculinity - a thing as fragile as Baragosin’s robot body. This topic was already present in the very first episodes of the series - so I’ll just start with that and slowly make my way to discussion of later episodes, describing what toxic masculinity even is along the way.

Power. One of the many ideas of heteronormative masculinity is that "a man provides", and thus needs to earn money and achieve a high status. That’s the only way for a man to earn the respect of others. From what it looks like, Nikolai never really sought that out…unlike Konstantin. If they invented a truly marvellous invention - they should already test it on humans despite all the risks - only then will they take the world by storm. If Kolya was fine with a quiet farm life if things don’t work out - Kostya didn’t even consider that option. And, of course, he will never cancel that construction on Mars - his company is the only remaining piece of his power, that he clings on to like his life depends on it. And, rightfully so, considering that he already lost everything he had, including his own body. Of course all that is stressing Kostya out, which brings us to…

Aggression and "toughness". It’s believed that men should "act tough". This idea is directly mentioned in the series itself, but let’s talk about how exactly it affects Kostya and his surrounding. From the very first episode we can see how badly Baragosin reacts to criticism…which is why he deliberately surrounded himself with people whom he considers to be lesser than him. And, everytime these people question Baragosin’s authority - he lashes out or tries to get rid of them. Which is mostly noticeable with Pasha and Kolya. Things get a lot more interesting once Kostya’s consciousness gets trapped in a robot. Because now that he has lost his human body, his authority is always questioned. Now that he’s seen as just a "piece of iron" - he’s lesser and unequal to his human surrounding by default. Baragosin always viewed Pasha as a loser and still considers him such…but it’s not the same with Kolya. No, Kolya effortlessly fits into the heteronormative idea of a real man, despite being an unambiguous "softie" and thus not fitting into Kostya’s perception of manliness…which, obviously, pisses him off and results in conflicts between the two. Speaking of…

"Helping" behaviour. Studies show that people who experience toxic masculinity may not want to engage in what’s called "helping behaviour". They don’t want to help people either because "well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger" (like in Ilyusha’s case in episode five) or because they don’t wanna risk losing their status…actually, let’s talk more about the latter. As I’m writing this, Cyberfarm is still an ongoing series and we still don’t know much about what really happened between K&K…I do have some thoughts on it though. In the first two episodes, Baragosin mentions the board of directors and how things weren’t as simple and one-sided as Kolya thinks…and I don’t feel like he’s lying. Perhaps the shareholders really are the ones to blame for Kolya’s departure from the company. Though, I feel like Kostya could’ve done something to prevent that from happening and instead he just…didn’t. I suppose back then he was too scared to lose his CEO post and wasn’t as reckless as he is now.

Stigmatisation of mental health. Ok, let’s be real - Baragosin is very much mentally (perhaps physically too) unwell. The man is canonically 40 years old and is still suffering from his childhood trauma - just because he can’t let anyone see him in his moments of vulnerability and thus would rather indulge in alcohol instead of going to therapy or seeing a doctor.

Another "fun" fact about toxic masculinity - men who experience it are either homophobic or suffer from self-hatred due to being queer themselves…which results in them hating the person the secretly love the most, yet wanting to spend more time with them. I’m not implying anything, I’m just saying that…nvm who am I trying to fool here, you already know how I feel about baralibin (kostya x kolya). Not only that but it was recently revealed that the "robocism propaganda" joke wasn’t really an allegory for racism and more so an allegory for homosexuality and how it’s illegal in Russia. I suppose robots can be gay apparently if you reprogram them with a free will of their own. Which is also illegal to do. Wanna know who made it illegal? Baragosin. Who, in the very first episode, becomes a robot himself and embarks on a journey with his FrIeNd to get his human body back…idk guys sounds like a "homophobic homosexual" to me lol.

Last but definitely not least - yes, all of the above stems from Kostya’s childhood trauma and his mom’s neglectful parenting. I don’t even know what to say here because this is explored in-depth in episode seven of the actual series so like…just go watch episode seven of Cyberfarm it’s actually my favorite episode in the entire series so far!

Now, with that out of the way let’s finally talk about K&K. First things first - yes, despite everything that happened between them - they’re still near and dear to each other. Sure, Kolya’s mad at his ex, and for good reason too - Kostya stole his ideas and kicked him out of their own company…but Kostya is still his "only friend" and deep inside his soul Kolya missed him and was happy for Kostya in episode ten (that is until he realised what actually happened back there but I digress). Kolya’s point of view is plain and simple…so let’s talk about Kostya’s point of view.

Kolya is self-confident and better than Kostya in almost every way possible - he’s the kind of person insecure narcissists like Kostya would actively avoid. But, defying all odds, the two were best friends for at least a whole decade…which is very telling to say the least. I don’t think Kostya was just using Kolya for his personal gain, like Galya suggested - no, I feel like he really does enjoy spending time with his ex, even now that they’ve fell out of love. But, unfortunately for both of them - Kostya doesn’t truly understand how much harm his actions are causing to Kolya. And, even when he knows that what he’s doing is wrong - he still goes through with it. Because what other choice he has? He can’t just abandon his wealthy life he’s gotten so used to, can he? Obviously I’m not excusing any of his actions here, I’m just explaining them.

Also I can not stop thinking about how happy Baragosin was to see his friend in the first episode. So much so that he wanted to gift him and his family a ten room apartment, which is probably as far as his kindness for others goes. It is only after Kolya refuses Kostya’s offer and attacks him that Kostya finally shows some resentment towards his ex business partner too, meaning that Baragosin really missed his old pal and just wanted to talk to him…But Kolya probably ghosted Kostya and thus he had no way of knowing what happened to his ex and was surprised to find out that Kolya’s actually that one weirdo from Mars Pasha was talking about. Moving forward - my interpretation of that one "friends are with you as long as they need something from you" is that Kostya didn’t expect Kolya to just…ghost him and move to Mars once he got fired. But he did. So, instead of admitting that he fucked up real bad, Kostya decided that all this time Kolya just wanted to create a business together and now that he’s fired he doesn’t need Kostya anymore.

In conclusion - K&K are both deeply traumatised people who are still dealing with the consequences of their divorce departure. Kolya has a family but doesn’t have any friends…so he invites people to his village and takes home random robots that he then treats as if they were real people. Meanwhile Kostya doesn’t even have that. He ruined his and Kolya’s relationship and abandoned his family, becoming completely lonely and miserable in the process. Now all that he can do is bully others just to feel something. K&K need each other…but don’t want to admit it throughout the whole first season of the series due to their personal grudges with each other…I just hope things will change for the better in the next season. For now though - thanks for reading all that, I really appreciate it

Оверанализирую Константина Барагозина раньше, чем это сделает кто-то другой потому что я сейчас не в ресурсе для рисования и мне было нечего делать и меня вдохновили чужие анализы других персонажей решила тоже что-нибудь такое написать

Как многие уже знают я люблю «Кибердеревню» и мне нравится рассуждать о том, почему персонажи ведут себя так а не иначе. И особенно интересно в последнее время так рассуждать о Робогозине…поэтому данный пост является целой подборкой моих мыслей по этому поводу! Приятного прочтения (eng.version of this will be posted soon too)

Решила начать с близкой мне теме - нейроотличность. Да, Костя скорее всего нейроотличный и мне кажется, что так и было задумано…я бы даже сказала, что его стимминг и нарциссизм очевидные, но давайте разберём второе поподробнее:

Нарциссам плевать на мнение других. Очевидно, Барагозин считает единственным правильным мнением своё собственное, и когда другие ставят это мнение под вопрос а то и вовсе критикуют и осуждают - он воспринимает это как агрессию…а как говорится лучшая защита это нападение. Люди с нарциссизмом также не видят ничего плохого в том, чтобы красть идеи и читать личные письма своих друзей…что мы собственно и видим в сериале и из-за чего и пр��исходят конфликты между главными героями. И даже когда Коля пытается "проучить" друга это ни к чему не приводит, потому что…

Люди с нарциссизмом крайне неохотно меняют свои привычки, даже тогда, когда они сами страдают из-за этого. Косте явно не легко живётся с таким характером, но вместо того, чтобы меняться самому, он винит во всём окружающих. Так что не удивительно, что за первый сезон мало что поменялось и я уважаю создателей за это решение т.к было бы странно если бы всего за неделю Барагозин полностью исправился, хоть и пытался…

Но для него собственные нужды всё ещё превыше всего. Причём в половине случаев он даже толком не осознаёт, что сделал что-то плохое - в его мировоззрении любой на его месте поступил бы также и вообще обижаться тут на на что.

Да и как вообще можно обижаться на самого влиятельного человека во вселенной который сделал столько добра для компании! Да, нарциссы частенько преувеличивают и даже лгут о своих заслугах будь то работа или отношения. При этом свои провалы и недостаки они проецируют на других, как было в той сцене в девятой серии.

Но нарциссизм далеко не единственное, что мешает Барагозину нормально взаимодействовать с окружающими, поэтому переходим ко второй части разбора.

Итак, поговорим о токсичной маскуллиности - такой же хрупкой, как и новое тело Барагозина. Эта тема в сериале поднимается ещё в первых двух сериях, поэтому начну с них и постепенно буду двигаться к остальным сериям, попутно разбирая наглядно что токсичная маскулинность вообще из себя представляет.

Власть. Одна из главных идей гетеренормативной маскулинности в том, что мужчина - добытчик, который должен добиться в жизни денег и высокого статуса. Лишь тогда он сможет заслужить уважение других. Николаю, судя по всему, это уважение других особо сильно никогда и не было нужно…в отличии от Константина. Если уж они изобрели нечто великое - надо сразу испытывать на людях, не смотря на риски - только тогда они смогут покорить весь мир. Если Колю с самого начала устраивал вариант в случае чего уехать в деревню и спокойно вести там фермерскую жизнь - Костя этот вариант даже не рассматривал. И стройку на этом самом Марсе он тоже отменять не станет - потому что компания это единственный клочок власти за который он цепляется как может. Барагозин уже лишился своего тела, без которого его не то что "настоящим мужчиной" не считают, а даже просто напросто человеком - он просто не может себе позволить лишится ещё статуса. Всё это нервирует и раздражает Костю, что приводит нас к…

Агрессия и "твёрдость духа". Считается также, что мужчины должны быть "жёсткими", как и их воспитание. Эта мысль напрямую проговаривается в сериале и тут всё довольно очевидно поэтому хочу поговорить о другом. А именно - как из-за этого Костя относится к окружающим. По первой серии можно заметить, как Барагозин окружил себя людьми, как ему самому кажется, слабее себя. И каждый раз когда они подрывают его авторитет он обращается к ним как к неравным себе и пытается от них избавиться, что особенно заметно в случае с Пашей и Колей. Но эта тема становится ещё интересней, после того, как сознание Барагозина переносится в робота. Потому что теперь, когда он робот, его авторитет подорван по сути всегда. Он буквально неравен Коле и Паше в глазах окружающих. Особенно сильно его в этой ситуации раздражает Коля. Потому что если Барагозин всегда считал Пашу ничтожест��ом и даже становление роботом этого не изменило - с Колей так не прокатит. Коля не "жёсткий", не стремящийся к деньгам и власти и не доминирующий…и при этом он прекрасно вписывается в гетеронормативные представления о мужественности, причём ему для этого не приходится прикладывать никаких усилий…что, конечно же, раздражает Костю и приводит к конфликтам между этими двумя. Кстати о них…

Нежелание помогать. Вот тут начну с канона и продолжу спекуляцией. Дело в том, что как было выяснено из соцопросов - мужчины которых растили "жесткими" зачастую не желают помогать другим мужчинам. Либо потому что "трудности закаляют" (как в случае с Илюшей), либо потому что не хотят рисковать потерей статуса. С первым всё и так понятно, поэтому сейчас расскажу насчёт второго. На момент написания этого анализа сериал ещё не закончен и мы толком не знаем что именно произошло между К&К, но у меня уже есть мысли на этот счёт. Судя по вкинутым в первых двух сериях фразах Кости про совет директоров и то, что "всё было не так однозначно" - думаю, что в увольнении Коли действительно виноваты именно акционеры…однако Костя наверняка не сделал ничего, чтобы помещать этому и помочь другу. Скорее всего потому, что на тот момент он ещё побаивался с ними конфликтовать.

Стигматизация лечения. Итак, давайте честно - у Барагозина есть проблемы. И много. О чём вообще может быть речь если в 40 лет он до сих пор страдает от непроработанной детской травмы…А всё потому, что мальчикам с детства закладывают в голову, что показывать другим свои слабости нельзя, из-за чего вырастая они, вместо того, чтобы пойти к нормальным доктору и психологу, занимаются "самолечением"…которое чаще всего сводится к алкоголизму, чревоугодию и блуду. Что мы, собственно, и видим в сериале.

Ещё один забавный факт о токсичной маскулинности - многие такие мужчины являются либо гомофобами, либо квир-людьми страдающими от ненависти к себе, т.к токсичная маскулинность это продукт гетеронормативного общества и их тайные мысли и желания в это самое общество не вписываются. Отсюда появляется отторжение, неприязнь и при этом желание проводить с любимым человеком как можно больше времени. Ни на что не намекаю, но…да кого я обманываю, конечно ж намекаю, вы знаете, как я отношусь к баралибину (костя х коля). Особенно учитывая то, что в шутке с "робосизмом", как недавно выяснилось, речь шла не столько о расизме, сколько о гомосексуализме и его запрете в России…видимо роботы могут испытывать такие чувства если перепрошить их на свободу мысли. Что тоже запрещено. Барагозиным. Который потом сам оказывается в теле робота и отправляется в приключение со своим ДрУгОм чтобы вернуть себе свое тело…хз ребята звучит как "гомофоб гомосексуал" хд

Детская травма. Вот мы наконец и пришли к тому, откуда все проблемы Барагозина и пошли. Да, разумеется всё вышеописанное не появилось из ниоткуда и, конечно же, проблема была в воспитании, том самом злосчастном "с мальчиками нужно быть жёстче" и желании добиться уважения. Тут и говорить нечего, т.к седьмая серия целиком и полностью посвящена этому и упустить такое можно только если вы полностью лишены медиа грамотности.

Итак, осталась лишь одна вещь о которой я ещё не говорила и которую решила оставить напоследок. Начну опять с канона и закончу лично моими спекуляциями.

Вот мы и дошли до подробного разбора отношений К&К. Над которыми крайне интересно думать потому, что не смотря на то, что произошло между этими двумя и какие у них отношения сейчас - они определённо очень дороги друг-другу. С Колей всё понятно - он зол на бывшего не просто так - всё-таки тот украл его идеи и выгнал друга из их же компании…но он также является "единственным другом" Коли и в глубине души тот скучает по нему и явно радовался за друга в конце сезона пока не понял, что там произошло на самом деле. Мы видим точку зрения Коли касательно произошедшего на протяжении всего сезона - она простая и понятная каждому зрителю. Однако в этом анализе я хочу разобрать менее однозначную точку зрения, которую нам толком не показали - точку зрения Кости.

Ведь, как я уже писала выше, одним лишь своим существованием Коля его порой раздражает. Раздражает своей мягкотелостью, наивностью, и тем, что даже по словам родной матери Коля лучше Кости во всём…И тем не менее они дружили и к тому же дружили долго, что говорит о многом. Как минимум, если бы Косте правда не было бы дела до Коли - он бы ни за что не показал ему свою слабую сторону и не открыл бы душу, как было в седьмой серии. В моей интерпретации персонажа Барагозин не "пользуется добротой Николая" как предполагала Галя - он правда его уважает как друга. Но, увы, просто напросто не понимает сколько вреда наносит Коле своими действиями. А когда понимает то не может поступить иначе - на кону его жизнь и жизнь их с Колей "детища", которыми он дорожит также сильно как и другом. Всё это никак не оправдывает его действия, просто многое объясняет.

Я также много думаю о том, что в первой серии Барагозин действительно был рад встрече с другом и даже готов был подарить ему десятикомнатную квартиру - что, в его понимании, верх доброты и щедрости. И обиделся Костя на Колю только тогда, когда тот не просто отверг его предложение но и напал на него. Исходя из этого и из удивленного лица Кости в той же первой серии, тот давно хотел встретится с другом, но Коля намеренно игнорировал бывшего партнёра из-за чего тот даже не знал где он и как поживает…Продолжая тему - моя интерпретация момента с "друзья с тобой до тех пор пока им от тебя что-то нужно. поэтому лучше быть одному. тогда тебя никто не кинет" заключается в том, что Костя надеялся что даже увольнение Коли не помешает их дружбе. Однако Коля улетел на Марс и с тех пор Костя больше его и не видел…и тот, не желая признавать свою ошибку решил, что видимо Коле всё это время от него нужен был только общий бизнес.

Подводя итоги - противоположности притягиваются и эти двое притянулись ещё и из-за одной общей черты - К&К одинокие и травмированные люди. У Коли есть семья но нет друзей, и чтобы создать иллюзию френдзоны он постоянно тащит со свалки роботов и зазывает на Марс других людей. У Кости же нет и этого а роботов он использует как козлов отпущения, унижая и калеча их, чтобы испытать хоть какие-то эмоции. К&К в жизни необходимы друзья и они, скорее всего, правда скучали друг по другу…но весь сезон всё никак этого не признают - один из обиды, другой из ЧСВ. Довольно печальная история и как человек у которого в жизни такое тоже было понять могу, но надеюсь во втором сезоне эти двое всё-таки помирятся. а ещё я их бывшими называла не только в плане "бывшие бизнес партнёры"you know-

[skepticalarrie]

Hi Allie! I saw that someone sent you a link about people unfollowing HSHQ and posting the hashtag #FREEHARRY. I understand that this is a movement only happening on twitter so it’s okay if u don’t wanna talk about. But I genuinely curious to understand why people would do that and what’s your opinion

Hi, anon. How are you?

First of all, and let's get this out of the way first, what bothers me with these twitter things being dragged over to tumblr is the fact people need to understand how the constant back and forth is toxic. If you don't like something twitter is saying, just don't go there, unfollow people. It's that simple. I really don't want to know if you're bothered with it because I rarely even go there, and when I do, is to exclusively see things on my timeline - where I only follow some really nice people. So "hahaha look what twarries are saying" that's annoying, I don't care.

About this situation against HSHQ, I think that's definitely worth it being discussed and it goes way beyond twarries. Just a quick overview for those who are not aware: There's this big movement right now, where people are trending #UnfollowHSHQ #FreeHarry and asking for people to stop buying tickets, Pleasing products, merch.. or anything related to Harry, because they believe Full Stop Management is holding Harry hostage or something and they want to sabotage them in order to "free" Harry. I think HSHQ lost around 10k followers on twitter so far.

Personally, I do understand where this is coming from and I understand there's a real concern and good intentions there. Especially when we're talking about everything that happened with One Direction, Modest, Syco, his closeting... I mean, there's obviously a history of abuse and oppression. And I don't think that's over, it's so much bigger than Harry and his current management, it's the entire industry and some really greedy people out there in charge of big labels.

But I think it's easier when we try to define things as the good side and the bad side, seeing Jeff as a villain is oversimplifying things. Is dismissing Harry's own participation in it. Do I like Jeff? No. Do I think he's pointing a gun at Harry's head and making him do things he doesn't want to? No. I'm sorry but there's literally no indication Harry is actually being forced by his management to do stuff. *Strongly* advised? Probably. He seems good friends with Jeff and I fully believe Harry has his own interests when it comes to the stunts and everything else, and he is able to speak up about it, although he's probably not in full control of it (like most artists that are as profitable as he is). Comparing what is happening to Harry right now to Britney's situation is absurd to me. Especially because of who people are trying to blame here.

So yes I do think HSHQ needs to wake the fuck up, they made an awful mistake with Holivia. And they do need to act in Harry's best interestest from now on because they're truly messing things up and it's concerning. But I don't think fans wanting to sabotage it is the right move. Because, clearly, I don't agree with a lot of moves on his career right now but I believe him and believe he is a good person and that things are happening for a reason behind the scenes and he's making the right choices for him (maybe not right now but in a long-run, god knows what were the other choices). I don't need to take away all of his responsibility of everything to still be on his side. It's okay to be bothered and to not agree on stuff your favourite does. And I think people really need to stop and think about what they're implying when they want to sabotage so many things about Harry. I mean, they don't like anything, they don't agree with anything... So does it still make sense to be a fan? Maybe they should just move on.

[showtoonzfan]

Hi, I’m not sure if you spoke on this already but I wanted to ask for your input on this.

What kills me is the logic of some of the fandom defending the recent episode and Stolitz. They’ll say things like: “You just don’t get the subtle details.” “It was so obvious. You don’t understand storytelling or you need to wait to see the rest before complaining.”

Then I’m like, “What fucking (invisible) details! Some Instagram post (not in the show itself).” S1 was showing a clear pattern between the two…smh. Most recently, someone made a post talking about “For the people saying Blitz is using Stolas for the book, have you thought about why he hasn’t asked Stolas, who’s a prince, for money or anything else?” 🤦‍♀️

I replied to their post with, “How does that negate the fact that he tricked Stolas to get the book? He also used Stolas to get into Ozzie’s.”They didn’t even respond back to rebut my claim. Instead, they made a separate post saying, “You don’t even have to pick up on the subtle details to understand HB and it’s approach to Stolitz. It doesn’t take much brain cells. Are HB criticals even watching the same show? You’re the problem.” 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Sorry this was long. It’s just the amount of gaslighting. I appreciate your response.

You’re good! Here’s the thing, never engage with a Stolitz stan because it’s not worth it. They never listen. And yes, I say Stolitz STAN and not fan, because if you’re personally a fan of the ship, that’s fine. However like I said, these stans don’t listen and there’s no point in even replying, though you can of course if you personally want to. I’ve ranted about this ship a lot, and the fact that so many stans think that we just don’t understand what we’re watching is hilarious. I find it so funny that they say “subtle details”, when Vivzie as a writer is anything BUT subtle. The entire point of Blitz and Stolas’s relationship in the first season (or at least the first HALF of the season) was that all they were was two people in a simple fuck buddy relationship, where Blitz (an imp of the lowest species) screws Stolas (a horny perverted royal owl bird) in exchange for the grimoire for his business. Blitz’s entire thing was that he was a selfish shallow person who did NOT like Stolas at all, constantly annoyed around him and clearly only did this for the book. Stolas’s whole entire thing was that he was a horny pervert who was in a failing marriage, and wanted someone to fulfill his needs. Once episode 6 comes, the writers pull the whole “Blitz actually loves Stolas but is just afraid to show it due to the fear of dying alone”- and that was the first mistake (in my opinion) that they made regarding this ship, because it just wasn’t believable. It felt forced because all Blitz did was act like he gave zero shits about Stolas, not enjoying his flirtations at all and overall just hating him, and it didn’t help that you clearly knew the writers shipped it with all the fan service despite the ship being toxic. It ESPECIALLY didn’t help that the visual aspect shows Blitz being chained up by Stolas, symbolizing how he feels trapped, yet craves being in power. It was a toxic and unhealthy approach, and episode 7 further proved that Blitz did not really care about Stolas outside of being in charge, only using him to get into Ozzie’s.

All the two do is use each-other because they’re both selfish horrible people, so when episode 7 tries to pull the whole “Actually Stolas genuinely loves Blitz and craves something more than what they have but Blitz is hurt by him treating him like a toy and seeing him as lower but Blitz actually LOVES him he’s just afraid to die alone”- that doesn’t WORK because the storytelling tells us otherwise. Season 2 then basically erases all of this and switches the story to have them be childhood friends and then have BLITZ be the one who came onto Stolas first. Now they’re just back to flirting as if everything previously shown and established never happened, this ship’s writing and just a mess and all over the place, and the fact that fans keep saying we just don’t get it or don’t see the “details” when the writing always acts like it’s never thought out or planned is ridiculous. But again, all I do is just ignore the stans cause……ugh.

[koolfrogz]

Misconceptions Regarding MCC14

Recently there have been a load of misconceptions regarding many of the controversies that happened this MCC, especially on Twitter and Tiktok, so I thought I would make a giant post detailing these and why they are wrong so I can scroll through my dash in peace.

1. Hbomb purposely abused a glitch in HITW that got Illumina and Mefs banned from MCC on the practice server. 

This one can easily be broken down into three components: 1. Misinformation about the glitch itself 2. Misinformation about the Mefs and Illumina incident 3. When does abusing a glitch count as cheating?

Firstly, the glitch Hbomb used is actually very common in HITW and has been around since the game was first introduced. The devs know about it and have not made any complaints about it because the usage of the glitch itself is heavily luck based (depending on the ping of the player) and does not guarantee a win to any player who does get it. Take for example PearlescentMoon who has used the glitch repeatedly throughout many competitions (i.e MCC 11), yet has not gained any significant advantage through it because, again, there is still an element of skill required to use it. This glitch is not only known by the devs, but has been used before in HITW. It is not something new that Hbomb exploited as a means of getting ahead.

Secondly, the Illumina and Mefs situation is not at all comparable to the Hbomb one. Illumina and Mefs were using a completely different glitch which did guarantee a win to the player because it allowed the player to afk on the platform and allow the blocks to pass through them. They were not banned for exploiting this glitch, but rather reprimanded by Scott and the devs for not reporting it to them sooner. Mefs and Illumina are still allowed in MCC and only didn’t compete this time because the teams had already been formed.

Finally, in regards to the idea of cheating itself when using such a glitch, the idea that what Hbomb did counts as cheating is absurd considering past MCCs and the various glitches which have been abused as well. I’ve seen a lot of people mention the infamous Wilbur Glitch and I think its a perfect example. The Wilbur Glitch is from the game Rocket Spleef which was not played this MCC but certainly will be in the future. The glitch involves the player becoming stuck in a block and seemingly floating in the air allowing them to basically secure a win without admin intervention. This glitch is much more OP than the glitch Hbomb used, and we have even seen admins purposefully try to kill players for using it (i.e Philza MCC11). However, even when players have purposefully attempted to get it (Wilbur, Phil, Quackity, etc.), I have never seen the fandom react so negatively as to accuse them of cheating. It is not fair to accuse Hbomb of cheating when he abuses a glitch which has been in the game for ages and not do the same with your favourite creators who do a much more busted glitch as well. Personally, I don’t consider either of these cheating, but that’s my opinion.

2. They removed Parkour Warrior because Dream was too good. That’s not fair.

Okay, this one is very simple as its just not true. This falls under the assumption that Dream was the only player to finish Parkour Warrior which is not true (PeteZahHutt completed the course twice and was the first to ever complete it in MCC 6). While the reason the Parkour Warrior map was destroyed in MCC 11 is said to be that EpicLandlord destroyed it because “he was annoyed at how good Dream was at it”, this is mainly a joke (think of the Ranboo being banned from MCC situation, while Ranboo isn’t in MCC there’s no actual beef and he’s not actually banned.) Secondly, if you weren’t around for Parkour Warrior when it was still in MCC, or have only ever seen Dream or Pete’s POV, you might not know, but Parkour Warrior was a miserable game mode (think Build Mart/Bingo but ten times worse because there was no chance to improve your placement other than just being good at Parkour). The game was 10 minutes of pure rage and frustration from competitors, which while entertaining at times, wasn’t the best for content when only two POVs in the entire competition were deemed watchable. This also wasn’t good for a competition because it meant that only two teams at most were progressing (and by a large amount) due to one player while the rest lagged behind. It gave the teams which had Pete and Dream a huge advantage and made the game unfun and unfair to everyone else, so they revamped the game (to Parkour Tag) to make it an even playing field where everyone had a chance to win (in the spirit of MCC). 

3. Scott had an unfair advantage in the competition and should be removed from the Dev Team or the Participants List.

This one is slightly more nuanced and may not have a definitive answer. Yes, Scott does have a slight advantage due to being a part of the dev team in every MCC. However, this MCC was definitely an outlier in that fact. Scott has been known to share info and tips with his teammates in past MCCs, but it has not truly impacted their performance on a significant level because the players knew a majority of the information anyways (the game rules, maps, etc). This MCC was unfair because Scott had a bigger advantage than originally assumed (it doesn’t mean he did it with malicious intent, it just means there was a severe oversight when designing the maps and explaining the rules to players). Also, the idea that Scott was guaranteed a win because he was part of the Dev Team is ridiculous and untrue. 

Scott has always been treated on the same level as any other player and has not been giving special privileges because he helped work on the tournament. Take for example MCC 8. Scott was teamed with Tommy, Philza, and Wilbur, and they were doing very well! Then came (wait for it), Ace Race. Scott experienced a glitch which allowed him to remain with his Elytra activated for half the course and allowed him to skip over multiple checkpoints and placed him in first. However, by skipping over these checkpoints the game corrected his placement and put him in last. This was seen as not fair at the time and the Red Rabbits did complain, to which Noxite responded that there was nothing they could do and Scott would just have to finish the round as normal. This glitch severely impacted the Red Rabbits standings and possibly led to them not being able to compete in Dodgebolt that MCC. Yet, Scott was never treated differently than any other player throughout the glitch despite being a part of the Dev Team.

For the next MCC, I certainly think that Scott should be allowed to play as normal. I truly believe this MCC was a fluke, and although I too felt a little salty seeing my favourite go from 2nd to 30th, I believe that it is not worth getting up in arms about it because at the end of the day there is a whole season of competitions where any team has a chance to win. 

4. They should have restarted the round and allowed the participants to retry the map.

While I too would have loved to see a rematch for Ace Rae, I would like to say that I, and probably many of the people playing, knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Noxcrew is very strict about the way MCC is run, it’s why I think it works so well. However, this means that they will not budge on these rules even in the face of something such as this competition’s Ace Race debacle. In the entire time of MCC, Noxcrew have only once ever restarted a round. This was in MCC 7 during Battle Box after there were server issues causing extreme lag for everyone (and Wilbur and Magistrex blew up their own teammates). It was unlikely that they were going to restart the round due to the mistake, and honestly, it might’ve caused more trouble than good to reset the points and the entire round of Ace Race. 

5. The Spirit of MCC

This last one is more of a general statement than a misconception, but I would like to say that I have seen a lot of newer fans confused and upset about this MCC’s outcome. However, I would like to remind everyone that at the end of the day MCC is a for-fun tournament which brings MCYTs of every background to compete and have fun. Yes, there is an element of competitiveness as it is a competition, but it goes against the very spirit of the competitions to be toxic and rude in spite of not winning or placing lower than you expected. At the end of the day, it is a MC tournament that has no monetary prize other than a golden coin. It is immature to slander, spread misinformation, or send death threats and harassment over such a tournament and I wish shame upon anyone who’s first reaction to not winning or their team not winning was to do such a thing. MCC is a brilliant tournament that has changed the game for how MC Competitions have been done, and it is disheartening to see the hard work Noxcrew and Scott have done be disrespected as such. I hope next MCC the fandom can come together and make this the lovely fandom event it once was. 

[gimme-mor]

ACOTAR THINK PIECE: ELAIN ARCHERON, UNTOUCHABLE

*DISCLAIMER*

This will be a long post.

Please take the time to read this post in its entirety and truly reflect on the message I am trying to send before commenting. My goal is to use my background in Gender and Women’s Studies to deconstruct the comments I have seen on Tumblr and Twitter and bring awareness to the ACOTAR fandom.

The reason I am tagging “Elriel” in this post is to call attention to the arguments in the Elriel fandom that: weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions about Elain’s character and her relationship with Lucien; victimize Elain’s character in fandom discussions; and coddle Elain’s character, which limits fandom discussions about her narrative development and prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions in the same way that the fandom holds other characters accountable for their actions and inactions. It is for these reasons that I WILL NOT remove the “Elriel” tag from this post because all of the above points contribute to the toxic discourse surrounding Elain’s character.

I urge those who use these arguments to understand their implications, why they are problematic, regardless of intent, and reexamine their contributions to the ACOTAR fandom. I WILL NOT tolerate anyone who tries to twist my words and say I am attacking people and their personal shipping preferences. In fact, I AM CRITIQUING THE ARGUMENTS THEMSELVES NOT THE PEOPLE USING THE ARGUMENTS.

Also, I highly encourage the Elriel fandom to read this post because it addresses how the concept of choice as an argument enables arguments to exploit social justice and feminist languge in order to vilify Elucien shippers, among other problematic things.

Elain Archeron is one of the most polarizing characters in the ACOTAR fandom. Though opinions about Elain vary, arguments in the Elriel fandom cite society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters as the reason behind the hate, and this belief is used to provide an explanation as to why other characters in the series are favored over her. In the series, Elain is portrayed in a wholly positive light and this image carries over into the Elriel fandom, painting her character as a good and kind female who has been unfairly wronged and a victim of circumstances that were out of her control. When arguments in the Elriel fandom oppose other viewpoints in the fandom, they fall into one of three categories:

Category 1: Weaponize Elain’s femalehood to shame real life people for their opinions

Maybe people who hate Elain are just jealous of her in a weird way similar to when someone hates the pretty, nice, and charming girl in school just because she is too perfect

Disliking Elain is misogynistic

What happened to feminism? What happened to women supporting women? What happened to she can say no? All of that disappears the second you force Elain to be with Lucien

Elain antis are misogynistic

All Eluciens are Elain antis

Antis claiming they’re feminists when in reality they hate on Elain and Feyre but love Nesta

Elain antis are such sore losers. Y’all were that bunch of people who could not get over being rejected from hanging out with the cool kids so y’all are projecting your hatred towards pretty people now to get validation

I don’t get how Elain’s love for gardening equals boring for some people. I’m sorry your misogyny finds traditionally feminine activities boring

Why are you attacking a female? What did Elain do? Where are your feminist voices?

The fandom is misogynistic towards Elain

If people loved Elain they would ship Elriel

If you hate Elain it says a lot about your feelings toward women

If you hate Elain because she has no “development” then you must hate Azriel because otherwise you’re misogynistic

Eluciens are turned off by the idea of a woman that has the autonomy to reject a man for the simple reason that it is her choice

Eluciens are all about feminism and “it’s HER choice” until it comes down to females not wanting a male

Eluciens don’t respect Elain’s feelings when they ship her with someone that was part of her trauma and makes her feel uncomfortable

The way some Elucien shippers completely disregard how uncomfortable Elain is around Lucien is so hilariously not funny. Prioritizing being mates over Elain’s feelings is just regressive

It’s hard as a fan of Elain to see someone ship her with a person who makes her physically uncomfortable to be around. Wouldn’t you want both characters to be happy to be around each other

Imagine if SJM saw all the awful things her “stans” had to say about Elain

It’s true that we know comparatively little about her, but is she really boring or do you just not value stereotypically feminine traits?

So y’all are just gonna tell me you prefer Elucien over Elriel? Even though Lucien treats Elain as if she’s something that belongs to him? The only reason he wants to be with her is because she’s his mate, he doesn’t respect her, doesn’t treat her as his equal, even though that’s what mates should be? He doesn’t bother to look past what’s on the outside to see her for who she is. And Elain is obviously repulsed by the idea that she should belong to anyone or have no choice in who she can be with. Azriel is her friend and the only person who sees her quiet strength. He has so much faith in her, in her abilities; he’s the one who kept her company when no one else did, he’s the only one who bothered to see her for more than her brokenness. You’re going to tell me you still prefer Elucien over Elriel?

The more I see Gwynriels that ship Elucien out of their hate for Elain, the less I can understand Elain stans that ship Elucien. Pls Elain has made it very clear that she doesn’t want Lucien, why would you ship her with him? Do you hate her too? Smh

The real question would be, if you care and understand Elain why would you ship her with Lucien (where she canonically shrinks when he is near)?

People crying over Helion and Lucien’s mom not getting to be with each other and her being forced into a relationship she didn’t want, but also ship Elucien? Just say you hate Elain

When Elain’s book is out, Gwyn stans will look like clowns and I will laugh because they set her up by shipping her with Azriel just because they hate Elain. Watch them play the victims now because Elriels are clapping back the hate they’ve sent towards Elain

As romantic as wanting girl who is visibly uncomfortable around a guy who caused her trauma to end up with the said guy. Guess their standards for romance are in hell

Category 2: Victimize Elain’s character

Gwynriels only want Gwyn with Azriel because they despise Elain

Gwyn stans and Gwynriels are Elain antis

No one in the books dislike Elain, so why are there so many people who do?

Elain hasn’t done anything wrong or questionable to warrant the hate she gets

Not having Elain’s POV makes it easy for people to be swayed a certain way about her character if you already don’t relate to her in some way

It’s been years since this series came out and we haven’t gotten a lick of an Elain POV, but people still hate her for what? We don’t know her thoughts, dreams, or aspirations

We haven’t even had Elain’s perspective yet and people are passing these judgments off on her

Elain antis who say she’s boring are just cruel when she has obvious symptoms of PTSD like Feyre and Nesta

Gwyn is one of the most overhyped characters and that’s only because most people hate Elain and they couldn’t wait to find a random girl to ship Azriel with

Nesta was abusive to her sisters but Elain (who has only ever been kind) is painted as the villain

From the text we know that Elain is the epitome of feminine stereotypes (gentle, gardening, baking, non confrontational for the most part). Yet people still call her boring or deny that she has any interesting character traits?

You can’t love Nesta and hate Elain

People hate Elain because of internalized misogyny and lack of taste. All the girl does is tend to her garden and mind her business and they treat her worse than Tamlin

Does Gwyn deserve all this support? Of course yes! She is amazing! But where’s that support when Elain was in the same situation as she? Where’s that support for her right now? Why do they idolize Gwyn for her interactions with Azriel and hate Elain for having any interaction with him?

It’s not even a ship war anymore, they just hate Elain

People hate Elain for no reason

Some of y’all don’t like feminine traits and it shows

We know less about Eris and Helion but people don’t call them boring. Why would rejecting femininity make Elain more interesting?

Elain has had a lot forced upon her

The main reason I believe most people love Gwyn so much is to get Azriel away from Elain. It’s not a secret that Elain has been a widely hated character for years so suddenly we get a new female who has a minimal amount of interactions with Azriel and BOOM. New ship that once again doesn’t make sense (just like Azriel x Emerie after ACOFAS)

Elain hasn’t done something so terrible for her to get this hate. At this point some of you are just being misogynistic and you don’t want to accept it. Don’t call yourselves feminists and then say bs like this, it’s embarrassing. She’s pretty and everyone agreed to hate on her

Just a personal feeling, but I feel like a lot of the Elain hate stems from internalized misogyny. That to be a strong female lead, you need to pick up a sword and fight. That to be strong, you need to adapt traditionally masculine traits

Elain is feminine. She is beautiful. She loves to bake and garden. She is docile, quiet, observant, and a people-pleaser. All traditionally feminine traits. Yet for some reason, she’s like the worst in these people’s eyes?

I think also maybe a lot of people can’t relate to her femininity? That her being so beautiful and quiet doesn’t allow for the people who dislike her not to self-insert? Most of the hate stems from people not wanting Elain to be with Azriel. It’s mean, but maybe the people who hate Elain literally just can’t self-insert if they have a story and that’s why they’re vehemently against it?

Poor Elain. The Cauldron dealt her a bad deal. Upon emerging as Fae, she is immediately declared by Lucien as his mate, never mind that she was already engaged to a prick. Her love life is not good

It blows my mind how they really think that they can compare all the shit that Elain gets with some dumb jokes about Gwyn on Twitter (and yes, the “hate” towards her started mostly because Elriels are clapping back, it was bound to happen)

I would think of it as anti-feminist with Elain and Lucien because she has consistently stated that she does not want him so if she was forced to embrace the bond that would be taking away her right to have a choice but with Az she feels comfortable around so if they were mates then Elain would be happy and feel safe which again should be the priority for women to feel safe in their relationships with anything and to not be forced into any type of situation aka the mating bond in this

Category 3: Coddle Elain’s character

Elain has value the way she is, in all her domestic girly glory. Not every character has to be badass

We don’t speak of Elain’s flaws frequently because everyone else already speaks badly of her, mainly in an unfair way

There is definitely something deeper going on with Elain but by no means will she ever be evil or any less feminine. That goes against everything we already know about her

It’s ok to critique Elain because she needs growth but y’all keep forgetting the shit her and her sisters went through

The last “bad” thing Elain did in ACOTAR was not help Feyre when they were impoverished and I’m tired of people acting like she’s a terrible character when it was their father’s responsibility. It happened 4 books ago and Feyre has forgiven both Nesta and Elain

Elain’s character and the evil Elain theory are a great example of the trend where people only consider female characters interesting if they reject femininity

We don’t know enough to hate Elain

Many people want Elain to turn evil (which in my opinion seems to come from a place of internalized misogyny)

However we don’t tend to talk about her faults, at least not publicly, as that has been, and still is, done to death, and I--personally, at least--find it much more fun to theorise about potentially interesting aspects of the overall plot, than dwell on negatives

And ultimately, I would be shocked if Elain has a more karmically-charged story than Nesta, considering that Elain’s “wrongs” are so much less severe and bad than Nesta’s, and Elain has already apologized for them (or paid the price in other ways, like through what Graysen did)

I guess I also think Elain has suffered and been punished enough. I hope her story is about finding hope in terrible situations, and learning to love her new life, and choosing her own path after everything that has been done to her. I don’t think she needs to be punished anymore or face any additional trauma

Also, why is she being judged on her decisions as a human at all? Fae are monsters to humans! They enslaved them for thousands of years, and the Wall was erected to keep them out

Like I’m sorry, but think Elain would want to leave her ONLY FAMILY AND FRIENDS for the Spring Court where she has no one because--oh look, lots of flowers!--is the craziest thing I have ever heard

Her sisters are in the Night Court. Her nephew is in the Night Court. Her closest friends (Nuala and Cerridwen) are in the Night Court. Her love interest is in the Night Court. Her extended family is in the Night Court. Her home is in the Night Court

SJM isn’t going to keep two sisters together and split up the third. Especially not keep Feyre and Nesta together and separate Elain. They were either all going to end up in separate places, or together. Not 2 here and 1 there

Compared to the other female characters in the series, Elain is the only character whose femalehood is at the center of conversations; this is because arguments in the Elriel fandom fixate on it when discussing her character. While Elain, Feyre, Nesta, and Mor are all representations of white womanhood and white beauty, Elain epitomizes the most fragile version of white womanhood. It’s easy to blame society’s perception of traditional female characters in comparison to non-traditional female characters when it comes to the discourse surrounding Elain’s character because it: falls in line with the fixation on Elain’s femalehood to silence opposing viewpoints; is a simplistic explanation that fails to tackle the underlying issues with Elain as a character, the same issues that are downplayed in-universe; absolves Elain of her wrongdoings; prevents the ACOTAR fandom from holding Elain accountable for her actions and inactions within the series; and diminishes the impact Elain’s actions and inactions have on those around her. It’s not that Elain is hated in the fandom because she’s a traditional female character; it’s the fact that arguments in the Elriel fandom deflect a critical analysis of Elain’s character because she’s a traditional female character who embodies the ideal white woman in need of protection. White fans and white-aligned fans of color, especially white women, have a tendency to vehemently defend, gatekeep, and coddle white female characters in fandom; this makes it difficult for other fans to engage in critical discussions about these white female characters because they’re viewed as flawless and all around perfect characters despite evidence to the contrary. Since Elain is viewed positively by the other characters in the series, it has rendered her character untouchable to any perceived slight or criticism in fandom discussions because those negative opinions challenge what has been said about her character thus far. And as a result, her character has been placed on a pedestal and implicitly hailed as the epitome of white womanhood; and when she’s criticized, it’s seen as a direct attack against white womanhood. Arguments in the Elriel fandom: exploit feminist language and perpetuate white feminist tactics under the guise of defending Elain’s character; center Elain in conversations about female oppression in the ACOTAR world and uphold white feminist ideologies in their critique of ACOTAR’s patriarchal society; and use the fragile white woman narrative to victimize Elain in Lucien’s presence, playing into racial biases that are associated with white supremacy’s defense of white womanhood.

Feminism is a social movement that seeks to promote equality and equity to all genders, and feminists work toward eradicating gender disparities on a macro-level, in addition to challenging gender biases on a micro-level. As feminism became more mainstream, a flat and oversimplified version of feminism emerged: mainstream feminism. The mainstream feminist movement is meant to represent all women, but rarely does it center conversations around issues that concern most women. The problem with mainstream feminism is that it’s just a popularized version of white feminism. White feminism has relied extensively on an individualized understanding of women’s oppression, exclusively from the lens of privileged white women. White feminism only focuses on the oppression experienced by white, able-bodied, affluent, educated, cishet women; and it views gender as the key mode of privileged white women’s oppression, isolated from the privileges granted by their other social identities. White women can be and are oppressed under the patriarchy but only because they are women; their identity as women does not exempt them from the privileges granted by their whiteness. The term white feminist does not mean any feminist who is white, but refers to feminists who prioritize the concerns of privileged white women as though they are representative of all women. However, the term is not exclusive to white people. Because white feminism is so pervasive, people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds often buy into white feminism, believing that if they work hard enough, they may be able to reap its rewards.

Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism only recognizes the identity of being a woman, assumes that all women share common experiences of gender oppression, fails to address other social identities in relation to overlapping systems of oppression, and disregards privilege in relation to various social identities. Just like white feminism, mainstream feminism is palatable because it doesn’t seek to challenge the systems in place, instead its goal is to succeed within them. Essentially, mainstream feminism and white feminism are extensions of performative feminism. Performative feminism is a type of performative activism that’s used to describe feminist views that are surface level and solely for the benefit of one type of person. It’s a pretense which often has nothing to do with genuine activism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom normalize and promote performative feminism because the topic of feminism is only referenced when discussing Elain. This indicates that these arguments are engaging in disingenuous discourse to push a personal agenda within the ACOTAR fandom, and it becomes more apparent when they use white feminist tactics to shut down opposing viewpoints:

White feminists weaponize and exploit feminist language to silence the opinions of other women, especially when they’re called out for their problematic behaviors

White feminists use the phrase “Women supporting women” to defend other white feminists who exhibit problematic behaviors instead of holding them accountable 

White feminists weaponize phrases like “Women supporting women” and “You just hate women” to attack other women who disagree with them on any given topic

White feminists use phrases like “All women face challenges” and “Stop pitting women against each other” to sidestep conversations about privilege

White feminists divert conversations away from privilege and towards the Trauma Olympics to equate their struggles to the oppression of marginalized people 

White feminists skirt around the realities of other forms of oppression and discrimination, downplaying the experiences of marginalized people

White feminists diminish or ignore the ways in which gender oppression affects other marginalized people

White feminists paint those they harmed as aggressive, mean, or divisive when confronted with the ways they have harmed a marginalized group

White feminists deflect criticism by focusing on the anger or emotions being expressed rather than the issue that is being discussed, invalidating the concerns of marginalized people

White feminists speak over marginalized voices in an attempt to sound “woke”

White feminists get defensive and insist there’s no way they could be a part of the problem because of what they’ve done to help marginalized groups already 

White feminists say they don’t see color in an attempt to obscure racial issues that need to be addressed

White feminists center and victimize themselves in conversations about racism, which derails necessary conversations from taking place

White feminists who are white weaponize the intersectionality of their race and gender to avoid accountability

Feminism is not meant to be approached from an individualistic perspective nor is it only about addressing the experiences of privileged white women, it involves addressing the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, and other social identities as well; and it involves addressing how these social identities relate to privilege. Moreover, feminism is not about women upholding complete loyalty to other women because of a shared gender identity, and to claim that it does implies that women should be held to different emotional standards than men. If men are able to dislike and criticize other individual men, real or fictional, without their characters being compromised, why aren’t women granted that same privilege?

It’s clear that SJM set up the ACOTAR world to mirror a patriarchal society, and that the imbalance of power between males and females stems from sexism. Arguments in the Elriel fandom analyze the ACOTAR world through a feminist lens to show how ACOTAR’s patriarchal society, to which the mating bond is innately tied, contributes to female oppression and limits their agency. When choice and free will are emphasized as part of Elain’s arc, they imply that Elain, through the mating bond, experiences female oppression under ACOTAR’s patriarchal society because of her identity as a female with that identity being the focal point of her oppression in the world. Elain is one of the most privileged characters in the ACOTAR world: she’s High Fae; she’s the sister of the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court, which gives her access to wealth and political influence because of that connection; she’s able-bodied; she was magically blessed by the Cauldron; and she lives in Velaris, a place that grants females autonomy and power because of the beliefs of Rhysand and Feyre. Arguments in the Elriel fandom trivialize female oppression in the ACOTAR world because they disregard the fact that Elain’s privileges prevent her from experiencing female oppression in the same way that other marginalized females in the world do. The mating bond being one such example because those around Elain are not forcing the bond on her, instead they’re allowing Elain to reach a decision about the bond for herself; a privilege that other marginalized females in the world probably wouldn’t have. Just because Elain has endured hardships in her life and is a female in a patriarchal society, they do not erase the privileges she holds within the ACOTAR world. The failure to include Elain’s privileges in discussions about Elain being a female in a patriarchal society feeds into white feminist ideologies because white feminism operates from a very narrow perspective; it doesn’t take other intersecting identities into account when it examines gender oppression, leaving no room for discussions about privilege (or lack thereof) in relation to those intersecting identities. When discussing oppression in hierarchical societies, it’s imperative that privilege is also included in the conversation because privilege and oppression are not mutually exclusive; they equally affect the ways in which people navigate those societies through their social identities.

Rather than attributing Elain’s uncomfortability to her new life as a Fae female or the mating bond itself and her trauma to the Cauldron, the King of Hybern, or Ianthe, they’re placed on Lucien to cast his character in a negative light. Moreover, fandom discussions portray Lucien as a possessive character to further emphasize Elain’s discomfort despite the inaccuracy of this characterization in canon. Arguments in the Elriel fandom play into racial biases when it comes to Lucien (a male character of color) because they mischaracterize his character in order to victimize Elain (a white female character), placing her character in the role of the white damsel in distress. In Western society, the concept of womanhood has been conceptualized from a Eurocentric perspective with femininity and feminine attributes favoring white women. It’s the idea that a certain type of femininity is only inherent to white women as they are seen as the embodiment of an ideal womanhood. White womanhood has been a symbol of innocence and purity, and white women have been viewed as fragile beings in need of protection. The reason white womanhood functions within white supremacy is because it’s the same idea that has motivated white men to kill and beat black and brown men. The so-called protection of white women has been used as a justification for the horrific violence committed by white men because black and brown men were stereotyped as aggressive and seen as a threat to the virtue of white women. The white damsel in distress trope considered white women as worthy of protection because of their perceived innocence and purity; women of color were not granted that same treatment because they did not fit into the ideal image of womanhood. Over the years, this trope became a means for white women to exercise limited power in a patriarchal society with white women weaponizing their status as the damsel much to the detriment of black and brown men. It’s through the white damsel in distress trope that white supremacy sustains its dominance in Western society. The misrepresentation of characters of color in fandom, the dismissal of their importance to the overall story, and using them as tools in arguments centered around white characters are the foundation of fandom racism; they’re examples of how racism moves silently in fandom spaces. Instead of examining their behavior and taking constructive criticism from fans of color, white fans will often double down on their bigotry and center their uncomfortability in the conversation when confronted with their complicity in fandom racism. White fans expect fans of color to swallow fandom racism in its many forms in order to not ruin the experience of fandom, dismissing the fact that racism is prevalent in nearly every aspect of society. This mentality ensures that no one is held accountable for the harm they caused and alienates fans of color in fandom spaces.

To reiterate what I mentioned in my first think piece: terms like “oppression”, “the right to choose”, “feminist”, “feminism”, “anti-feminist”, “anti-feminism”, “internalized misogyny”, “misogyny”, “misogynist”, “sexist”, “sexism”, “racist”, “racism”, “classist”, “classism”, “discrimination”, and “patriarchy” are all used in specific ways to draw attention to the plight of marginalized people and challenge those who deny the existence of systems of oppression. Yet these words and their meanings can be twisted to attack, exclude, and invalidate people with differing opinions on any given topic. When social justice and feminist terms are thrown around antagonistically and carelessly to push a personal agenda, it becomes clear that these terms are being used to engage in disingenuous discourse and pursue personal validation rather than being used out of any deep-seated conviction to dismantle systemic oppression. Being an ally, activist, or feminist is not an identity, it’s a practice. It requires: ongoing self-reflection; holding ourselves accountable; listening to marginalized people; educating ourselves; dismantling implicit biases; challenging those around us who are exhibiting problematic behaviors; and action behind our words.

It’s important to be aware of the language that is used within the fandom when defending or critiquing characters and ships. It’s also important to question how an argument is framed and why it’s framed the way that it is to critically examine the intent behind that argument: is it used as a tool to push a personal agenda that reinforces problematic behaviors, or is it used as an opportunity to share, learn, enlighten, and educate?

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Tagging: @spell-cleavers @bookofmirth @m0bulidae @ilya-boltagon

[admirableadmiranda]

Do you think that Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan might have loved each other in their own way, deep down, Sangsang?

Hello Anon! I believe that you are asking this in good faith, curious on my opinion so I will respond in kind.

The short answer is no. No there is no love in that relationship.

The longer answer is I do not believe that Yu Ziyuan is actually capable of being loving. She is a woman filled with bitterness- who chokes out all love and life in her home, who meets every person in her life with jealous, petty anger. Who whips a child for the temerity to be a child in her household. Who physically injures her own daughter on the page, screams at her husband and berates him nonstop and even her most favored person; her son, is still constantly compared, insulted, attacked and found wanting. People like her may technically be able to love, but their love is at best actively harmful. I cannot in any good faith call it love.

Jiang Fengmian I believe tried, at least at one point. They have two children and he has not divorced her for being a toxic, abusive cancer on his sect. With what we get of his character, I fully believe that he would have tried to make something out of a situation he did not want to be in, and was pushed into by her and her sect. But I can say with certainty that when people treat you like that for years and years on end, love dies. And what lingers is resignation and pain. I am sure he still cares to an extent because they are married and he is always trying to make some sort of peace in their lives. But she gives him nothing to love.

I feel sorrow for him. Yes, he could divorce her, banish her back to her birth sect. But at the point in the story that we see him, he has been married to her for almost twenty years at the start. And whatever there had been in him to begin with has been snuffed out.

It is an abusive relationship with Yu Ziyuan as the abuser. That is the simple fact of the matter. Love cannot grow in salted earth.