#or stepmother-related trauma

[professionallush]

love to find out that someone I have never liked is a legitimately terrible person

[huntermanor]

'Labyrinth' and how trauma makes us search for escapism

Welcome to 'Mikaela please log off' where i talk and overanalyze movies because i'm unemployed. In today's hell of a post, i'm going to talk about probably my favourite movie and one that has shaped me for my entire life: 1986 'Labyrinth', with musical numbers written and performed by none other than Miss David Bowie himself! SPOILERS AHEAD.

Now i've seen this movie more times than i've seen my own face in the mirror. It's a movie i enjoyed in my childhood and certainly one that has shaped me, with how the puppets have a certain uncanny feel to them almost and how crazy and whimsical the whole movie is. It trully is an amazing movie that can be enjoyed by children, but also by adults as well, with many of the movie's themes and meanings being hidden or something you find with experience or relate to later in life. Because the movie is a very clear reference to fairytales like Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, is no surprise to know there are many, many different readings that can be done to it. The firts reading i made of the movie when i rewatched it as an adult was that the movie was a very clear allegory for growing up and maturing, having to leave behind your childhood but also keeping in mind your inner child so that you don't lose yourself in the labyrinth that is life.

While the allegory reading is correct, and i think it's one of the meanings behind the movie and certainly the most obvious theme, it's definetly not the only one. One thing kept me wondering after watching the movie this time: Why is the phrase 'You have no power over me' so important? It's used in the beginning of the film, with Sarah forgetting this line in her book, and by the end, when she's facing Jareth, Sarah remembers the phrase by herself, clearly showing us as viewers the inner power Sarah has over her life. It's obvious this line is meant to represent Sarah's ambition and power, but why is it this phrase? Whi is it You have no power over me and not something else like 'My power lies within me' which could tie to the end of the film, with Bowie's Within you playing? Well, after rewatching it recently, i figured it out: Sarah isn't just talking to Jareth, she's talking to her stepmother.

At the beginning of the film Sarah seems to be, on the surface, a spoiled 15 year old girl who doesn't want to do her chores and just wants to play around, not even wanting to date, something her stepmom wants her to do. Her stepmother wants her to mature and grow, to find love, etc. And Sarah and her obviously do not get along a lot. Two important details appear when Sarah goes back to her room at the beginning after fighting with her stepmother over having to take care of her little brother: her stepmother talks to her dad, telling him 'She treats me like the wicked stepmother of a fairytale', and when Sarah goes to talk to her to her room, he doesn't even bother to open the door or make sure she's okay after the fight. To some people these details seem just normal parent behaviour, but it was very clear to me after the film that Sarah is being emotionally neglected by her father, and possibly made by her stepmother to grow up to fast. Sarah is fifteen and an older sister, and unfortunately is common for older sisters to act as parents for their siblings while also not being taken care of themselves. We see Sarah clinging to her childhood as an escapism from the fact she feels completely neglected, since her dad won't even open the door to talk to her.

When Sarah tells Toby her fairytale, it's a clear depiction of how she feels like: There once was a princess who was basically a slave to her stepmother and she was forced to take her of her baby brother. Sarah takes her rage out on her brother and sends him away with the goblins, and inmediatly regrets it. She's repeating patterns of abuse. She's realizing sending her brother away is the submitting him to the same neglectful behaviour she has struggled with. So she makes a deal with Jareth to get him back.

Jareth poses an interesting character in Sarah's healing journey from her trauma. He's in love with her, in very possessive, clingy way that makes him do anything she asks him too to try to manipulate her to love him, which doesn't work on her, because she's probably used to it. The fact Sarah has a lot of toys and costumes, which makes us feel like she's spoiled, while being simultaneously emotionally neglected, is a very common way a manipulator convinces the victim there's no reason to feel that way. So seeing as she's used to being gifted things, being given 'her dreams', instead of actual emotional support and availability, Sarah is basically inmune to Jareth's advances. This could be read as Sarah's first experience with love outside of her family life, which is also a common thing in the experiences of older sisters: they date men who aren't good for them, repeating the patterns they're used to and being once again emotionally hurt. By the end of the movie, after meeting new friends Sarah loves deeply and grows to appreciate, and by being shown there are people who do care about her and who do love her and respect her, Sarah is able to fight Jareth alone, because she might be phisically alone, but she knows her friends have her back always. The found family trope is used here even until the end when we think Sarah has grown and the people she met in the Labyrinth are gone, and Sarah tells Jareth he has no power over her because she finally has healed, and she knows she deserves better.

By the end, Sarah has matured and learned, not just about herself, but about love and relationships of all kinds. She gives Toby her plushie as a way of showing she doesn't need to desperately cling to her childhood anymore, because she now has people in her life who care about her for real, and also she tucks him in as a way to show she's going to break the cycle, and show him finally the emotional support she didn't get from her parents. She keeps many things in her room, but puts others away, and when her friends from the Labyrinth appear to tell her they'll be there if she needs them, they don't simply say this and go away, but she makes them stay. 'I need you', she tells them, because even if she's healed, her life might still be filled with the remnants of her trauma, and an escapism might be needed. But most importantly, 'I need you', because they're her friends, her found family, the people who have shown her what she deserves in her life.

The movie definetly shows us the many highs and lows in life, particularely in adolescence, and how the journey to being mature can be difficult. But these subtle themes of emotional neglect, trauma, and the struggles of a young girl forced to grow up a little too soon trully give the movie another layer of depth that maybe not everyone might see, but some of us, specially those of us who relate to these struggles, do see and aknowledge, reminding us that we're not alone and that we deserve better, for our trauma has no power over us.

[fictional-orphan-smackdown]

ROBIN VS. ROBIN, GO!

All propaganda and what each competitor is from under the cut

Dick Grayson (DC Comincs)

So a bunch of Robins are orphans or orphan adjacent but Dick has the strongest case in his birth parents, whom he was raised by, being very very dead. The kind of orphanhood that sticks in the characterization marrow. Plus in some versions he was carted off to the orphanage and everything, starting his "what if I fist-fought my parents' killer myself" arc early until Bruce ultimately decided to pluck him off his warpath and adopt him.

Dick Grayson is truly the orphan of all time not only is he the ward of another famous orphan (batman) but he really was able to surpass his mentor after being orphaned and used that anger towards his parents death to immediately start fighting crime under the Robin Moniker. The other orphans in dc wish they could do it like him. Plus his name is Dick which is objectively funny.

Dressing like a stoplight and kicking people in the face under a bat furry's direction was the MORE reasonable coping strategy than his original plan. Of singlehandedly taking down the entire mafia even though he was a baby.

Think Batman had issues? Well, consider what happens is he raises his mini-me. This guy is waaaayy too tactically driven and ambitious for a thirteen-year-old. And awesome. And the adult version is —- somebody append a photo.

Okay I submitted Bruce Wayne but like I can’t not submit my beloved boy as well! Anyway his parents have the nebulous honor of being so fucking dead, like literally never coming back to life ever. They died in that circus and the only time I can possibly think of them as ‘coming back’ in any way is in Darkest Night, where there were zombies everywhere. So even when they return to the story they’re still fucking dead! Anyway Dick is like super orphaned, I love him but you look at him and you know his parents are dead.

Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please

Trust me bro

Tim Drake (DC Comics)

An early reader-insert character, Tim had all the traits the average comics fan at the time wanted: money, martial arts skills, cool skateboard tricks, lots of girlfriends, secret knowledge about Batman and Robin. He volunteered to be Robin, because what comics fan wouldn't in his place? Continuing to be relatable, he's now bisexual, depressed, and living in a crappy apartment. Which is also a boat, because comics readers think it would be cool to live in a houseboat.

His biological mother, Janet Drake, was murdered in the carribean. In the same attack his biological father was hospitalized for injuries and in a coma. Janey Drake was buried on Christmas Eve. During the period that Jack Drake (his biological father) was in a coma he was temporarily under the care of Bruce Wayne. When Jack got out of the coma he was confined to a wheelchair while he went through physical therapy. He would meet his future second wife, Dana Winters through the physical therapy. The two would get married later, Tim having a good relationship with Dana. Her mediating between the father and son during some of the misunderstandings. Jack would find out that Tim was Robin, then realize Bruce Wayne was Batman, threaten Bruce with a gun, and order Tim to quit being Robin. Though later, Tim would get approval from his father to be Robin again and the two would start improving their father son relationship. During the event of identity crisis Tim's indenture would be at stake and Captian Boomerrang would break into the Drake's house and murder Jack just as Tim arrived. Tim having heard his last words over Comms. His stepmother Dana Winters would be hospitalized in Bludhaven for the mental trauma this inflicted on her, and would soon find herself a victim when Bludhaven was bombed/nuked. Tim would then be adopted by Bruce. Though in 2008 Bruce would be supposedly killed by an Omega Beam, leaving 17 year old Tim as a three times over orphan. Though Tim didn't believe Bruce to actually be dead, but lost in the timestream and would go on a Brucequest to get him back. On this trip he would lose his spleen, and nearly die multiple times.

Doomed by the narrative to become an orphan. Tim had a good thing going for a while, but after he started getting involved with the Bats, his life went downhill from there. He became Robin on the day of his mother's funeral. (I should note that the racism I mentioned in her cause of death is that the person who kills her is an awful racist caricature, NOT that she's canonically a POC.) From there, he spent a while balancing Batman (mentor) and his biological father (who was rendered comatose in the incident that killed his mother, but woke up not long after). Both the Robins that came before him were orphaned. As one Tumblr user put it: while Tim Drake managed to beat the odds and remain not an orphan, eventually, the writers succumbed to the calls of orphanhood. His father dies after he finds out Tim's identity, and it is because he knows the secret that he is ultimately targeted and dies. In the aftermath, Tim attempts to get revenge by assassinating the culprit, but ultimately is unable to betray his personal values and go through with it. He has one of the more realistic parent-child relationships among the Bats because it is down to earth in spite of the eventual doom. Really, it comes down to this: Robin isn't just Batman's sidekick, he's Batman's child. And that meant it was only a matter of. time before Tim Drake was orphaned

[saytrrose]

So, If any anyone ask you..Why you like kinger?...I better expect from you to give a Most logical 56 hours lecture with Long emotional story and A most Beautiful Argument on it....:3,...."So why you like Kinger?"

Why does one like anything?

There’s the relatability, his personality, his flaws and imperfections, his voice, his appearance, his judgements and interactions, and so on.

Why do you like your favorite characters?

To me, he’s simply someone who I really wish existed. He brings me an indescribable sense of comfort, he’s a goofy older man that is able to be genuinely kind and serious and helpful when the time calls for it. Hes funny, and makes me feel safe.

I grew up with my only parental figure ever being my dad, my biological mother was a monster and my stepmother is also horrible. He reminds me of my dad when I was little and was my only sense of support before I became an older teenager and adult where then, my dad changed and is emotionally unavailable to me and treats me differently.

I never connected with my distant family or siblings or anyone except my dad- not even close friends in my personal life so he brings me a sense of familiarity to my life that I have not had in a very long time.

Maybe comparing him to a parental figure is weird considering how much I am head over heels for him, but to be completely honest with you, I have a lot of trauma stemming around affection and what is romantic, familial, sexual, etc. I’ve said it before, but I have a hefty list of sexual trauma starting when I was around 6 years old, never ending until around 17.

I don’t know exactly why I’m sharing that, I guess it’s just a sort of needed for me to express and explain why I specifically find him attractive- I’ve been through.. things that make any parental/older figure invoke attractiveness to me but sjdjdj anyway

He reminds me of the one sense of support system I had when I was unaware of the innocence I was supposed to have and what was wrong and right- when I didn’t have any responsibilities and I didn’t comprehend that my childhood was stolen from me 👍

He’s my favorite character because he’s part of my biggest hyperfixation in the current moment, and he fits the criteria of what comforts me.

My life has actually gotten really bad, I’m also currently in my lowest moment right now and I’m struggling with.. everything hshsh so I have been using him as my only support system, and because he’s the only thing that’s been keeping me really happy, giving me serotonin and such I’ve developed a very personal relationship to him, a parasocial one. It’s gotten to an unhealthy standpoint with my obsession and I acknowledge that but I also don’t see any reason in correcting my behavior around him due to it being my ONLY coping mechanism at the moment.

Sorry for the giant long ramble, my past and experiences and everything I have gone through play a very huge role into how much Kinger means to me and how much I hold him dearly.

I just latched onto him more than anyone or anything else to give myself a false sense of stability

[genderflu1dwh0r]

Are you stupid?

You can be racist and have POC friends, Jason is way worse than Billy any day. Jason isn't the one being abused by his father everyday, he isn't poor, he didn't get taken from his home and live with a step sibling that he didn't know that well.

Jason is a horrible person and got his friend to tackle Erica, then he held a gun at Lucas. You can't tell me that that isn't racist, you can't tell me that's worse than what Billy ever did. Jason said "I thought you were one of the good ones". That. Is. Racist.

Billy got his bad traits from his father. Billy got beat by his father. Billy was crying into the phone for his mom to come home. Billy had no support system. Steve was the only person that Billy bullied and tormented, and in my opinion, Steve is a worse character than Billy.

Steve threw slurs, while Billy got slurs thrown at him by his own father. Just because you don't care about abuse victims, doesn't mean you have to spread your hate.

I think that Billy just wanted Lucas to stop hanging around because if Neil found out, Billy would be the one getting beat. Neil would probably hurt Lucas way more than Billy could have ever done. Billy was protecting Max and himself, he was scared that Neil would find out. He did care and love Max, he just showed it in some confusing ways.

Also, the Duffer brothers are racist, they wanted Dacre to say the N word. Dacre protested and it ended up not happening. Billy saying the N word isn't canon, cause it didn't happen in the show. Stop always going to that excuse for him being a bad person. He never said any slur.

People say "if the actor wasn't hot, then people wouldn't have liked him" and I disagree. His character is very interesting. He has a backstory, he has trauma, he has an actual interesting plot unlike any other character. Dacre is also a very amazing actor, he was able to make Billy even more interesting.

Dacre has said that his art imitates his life. He put his own life into the character, he didn't have a great relationship with his dad, he has said this.

Max is a horrible person too, she drugged Billy with something that she didn't know was in, almost hit him with Steve's bat, screamed at him before leaving and stealing his car. Billy could have died on the floor, he was drugged and had no car. Tell me that that isn't abuse. Just because Billy grabbed her wrist ONE time, doesn't mean it's abuse.

Siblings fight all the time, it's just what happens. Especially how their family dynamics was. I and many others have fights with our siblings. You get over it in like a day. That doesn't make Billy a bad person. He did some really shitty things, yes. But that doesn't excuse all the hate he gets. He's a complex character, no other character is like him.

That's why he's my baby boy. I relate to him, I'm an abuse victim, I love knowing that I have a character to relate to. Stop blaming abuse victims on how they grew up, they can change. He could have changed if he didn't die. He could have, but nobody let him.

Nobody tried to help him. He didn't have a support system. The people who compare Jonathan to Billy are wild, cause Jonathan did have a support system, his mother did so much. Billy had nobody. His father beat him, hi stepmother did NOTHING to stop Neil, she just watched. She was clearly abused too, but she's the adult, she has to be there for Billy. She has to get Max away from all of this, which in season 4, she did. But she turned into an even worse mom.

Right here. He was trying to get help, he was trying to get the MF to get out. He wanted someone to help him. He kept fighting, and that's how he saved everyone on the day he died. He knew he was going to die, he was sobbing.

Try to think before talking bad against Billy.

Why do people say Vecna/Henry/Jason/Troy/James/Angela are better than Billy?

Vecna/Henry literally tried to kill children and the whole world. Billy wanted to have some fun and games, he would never go to prison for killing a child. He was never going to hit Mike, Lucas, Dustin, or Will.

Troy/James made Mike jump off of a fucking cliff while wanting to take Dustins teeth out. Tell me that isn't fucked. MIKE WOULD HAVE DIED IF EL WASN'T THERE!!

Jason held a fucking gun to Lucas's head and got Erica hurt. He sent a witch-hunt over Eddie and that ended up killing that poor boy. Literally, he was poor and Jason is a rich christian white boy. Tell me that isn't classist. Jason also did this to get information out of a kid.

Angela deserved the roller skate to the face for what she did to El. I would have done the same thing, El never deserved any of what she went through there.

Anyone going to object? Cause you can't, my points are spot on. Why aren't we gonna get mad at Jamie Campbell Bower over saying he relates to Vecna/Henry? If Dacre is bad for doing so, why can't we shame Jamie for the same thing?

I would count the MF taking over Billy like that as a reference of sexual assault. His body gets taken away from him, he is crying for help, he is scared and tried to tell someone. I've talked to SA survivors and they agree.

Anyway, I am pissed at Billy antis and I am just so done with them.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

JON SNOW DAY 8: FEAR AND TRAUMA 😔

The relationship between Catelyn and Jon is one of the most divisive topics within the asoiaf fandom. No matter where you stand on this debate, we can all agree that the influence each character has on the other’s life is a negative one.

Every time I write about this topic I feel the need to say that no, I don’t expect Catelyn to act like a mother to a child that isn’t her own just because the kid is related to her husband. Jon fans often get accused that we want Catelyn to “mother” Jon but frankly there is not a single Jon fan (at least as far as I’m aware of) that believes she’s obligated to do so. 

With that being said, there is a difference between acting like a mother and treating a kid with basic decency.  Catelyn is failing on the second aspect and fans rightfully call her out on that (same as they do with any character that is horrible other children).

We learn from Jon’s pov that she never calls him by his name. Minutes ago, on the same chapter she calls him “bastard”. Which means that mostly she avoids him, not even acknowledging his presence and that when she has to she’s calling him degrading names like “bastard”.

Her eyes found him. They were full of poison. "I need none of your absolution, bastard." Jon lowered his eyes. She was cradling one of Bran's hands. He took the other, squeezed it. Fingers like the bones of birds. "Good-bye," he said. He was at the door when she called out to him. "Jon," she said. He should have kept going, but she had never called him by his name before. He turned to find her looking at his face, as if she were seeing it for the first time.

AGOT, JON II

Do you know how dehumanizing is for a child never to be called by their own name by an adult that lives in their home? And worst, have the same adult calling them degrading names? Catelyn, by the way she treats him, makes sure that Jon feels unwelcome on the only home he’s ever known.

I often see fans dismissing Catelyn’s mistreatment of Jon as simply avoiding him. Which can be harmful on its own but the thing is that Catelyn’s ill treatment goes beyond of that. Jon is terrified of her to the point he kept postponing saying goodbye to a brother he loved (Bran) simply because he knew she would be on the same room. This kind of reaction isn’t born by a kid who simply doesn’t interact with an adult in a position of power. This kind of fear means that  some negative interactions between them existed in the past. 

The text also supports this, because when Catelyn is irritated by Jon’s presence in Bran’s room she doesn’t simply ignore it. She threatens him that she’ll call the guards aka using her power as the lady of the house to indimidate this  powerless teen:

Once that would have sent him running. Once that might even have made him cry. Now it only made him angry. He would be a Sworn Brother of the Night's Watch soon, and face worse dangers than Catelyn Tully Stark. "He's my brother," he said. "Shall I call the guards?"

AGOT, JON II

Lady Stark has casted a large shadow in Jon’s life. During the years he lived in Winterfeel, he always tried to be quiet, in the shadows. He never wanted to be in the spotlight (despite the fact that we constanly see post- Winterfell Jon wanting to be acknowledged) because that would also draw Catelyn’s attention. He also never felt fully belonging on his own home which was partly due to his stepmother’s mistreatment. Even long after he left Winterfell, he keeps having nightmares where she personfies his fears and insecurites.

Finally, I want to write about Jon’s relationships with his siblings and how Catelyn influences them. I’ve seen fans claiming that Jon had a good relationship with his siblings because Catelyn allowed it to happen but I honestly disagree. In my opinion, Jon has a good relationship with most of his siblings despite Lady Catelyn’s efforts to sabotage them. Canon also supports that with Catelyn speaking to a very young Robb about what makes his half brother different to him, to the point of Robb being agressive about it (something that older Robb who isn’t so easily influenced by his mother would never do):

Only this time, this time, Robb had answered, "You can't be Lord of Winterfell, you're bastard-born. My lady mother says you can't ever be the Lord of Winterfell.”

ASOS, JON XII

Another example of Catelyn ill speaking about Jon to her kids comes when she tries to convince Robb not to name Jon his heir. During that conversation she even compares Jon to Theon  (who as far as she knows is responsible for her two other sons’ death) implying that Robb’s half brother is capable of also harming their family:

"Jon would never harm a son of mine." "No more than Theon Greyjoy would harm Bran or Rickon?" Grey Wind leapt up atop King Tristifer's crypt, his teeth bared. Robb's own face was cold. "That is as cruel as it is unfair. Jon is no Theon."

ASOS, CATELYN V

Also, I don’t think it’s a coicidence that the child who is closer to Catelyn (Sansa) is also the one who has the most distant relationship with Jon. As Jon once again informs us in his pov, his sister always called him “half brother” instead of simply “brother”:

He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but "my half brother" since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant.

AGOT, JON III

To conclude, Catelyn hating the fact that her husband has cheated on her and has a child born out of his infidelity doesn’t make her an awful person, just a human one. The fact that instead of blaming Ned she has put all the blame to a powerless child is one of her negative traits and fans are justified to call her out on this.

[bestworstcase]

I'm now imagining the second half of Cinder's backstory - the meeting Cinder and presumably Summer portion of it. And trying to think which of the more family music osts/what shot parallels could be used to drive home that yeah Salem at some point just slotted Cinder in as a daughter in her heart if post that reveal to the audience.

Though in general I'm also thinking how Salem essentially emotionally adopting Cinder would be a good play on the idea of a fairy god mother role - Cinderella mistaking intentions even when they're turning to her favor because trauma and abuse, miscommunication because Salem is unfathomably ancient/"fairy", and sidesteps by Cinder already (lethally) leaving the step family the whole "leaving someone in an abusive situation is a terrible move"... Also a good want versus need lead in for Cinder.

one thing about the cinderella allusion is—while i do often say ‘fairy godmother’ for simplicity—my sense is that cinder’s story hews more to the grimm brothers version of the story wherein the magical benefactor is a white bird which comes to her aid when she visits a hazel tree planted over the grave of her mother. (ie, a reincarnation of her mother.)

rwby flags the relevant imagery in ‘until the end’ (“the tears that you shed will find a tree to water”)—which is ozma’s song, but salient to the cinderella narrative because cinderella’s father provides the hazel twig which cinderella plants and waters with her tears until it grows into a tree. specifically, cinderella’s mother dies in autumn, her father marries again in the spring and allows the stepmother and her daughters to abuse cinderella. at some point after her effective removal from the family is complete, the father goes to a fair and each of the three daughters requests a certain gift: beautiful dresses for one stepsister, jewels for the other, and cinderella asks for “the first twig that brushes against your hat on your way home.” the hazel twig knocks his hat off while he travels through a thicket. 

so… in rwby the cinderella narrative is nested into the ozlem conflict in a very particular way; the hazel tree over the grave of her mother grows from a symbol of her father’s complicit indifference to her abuse and is fed by the intensity of cinderella’s anguish. the point of cinderella asking for the twig that brushes your hat is not to illustrate any virtue in cinderella; she is not humble, she is not temperate, she is acutely and painfully aware that she is an inconvenience in her father’s eyes, an unwelcome reminder of the past he would like to ignore. 

slavery was abolished after the great war. ozpin raised atlas to serve as a shining example of his ideals. cinder grew up enslaved, surrounded by atlesians who politely ignored the obvious abuse happening in that hotel. as cinderella turns to the spirit of her dead mother for aid, cinder turns to salem. “throw gold and silver down to me” -> “you will have the power i promised you”—in this version of the story, cinderella knows she can seek help from her mother’s tree and asks for the specific things she needs every time, and the bird also intervenes to protect her from her stepfamily’s deception when the prince calls on the house. 

(conversely of course, the bird can only do so much to help her because it’s a bird; her mother is dead and cannot take care of her as she did in life. likewise, salem lacks the power to effect change by any means other than violence because she’s been cast out of civilization completely.)

it all clicks together pretty intuitively. although summer rose is an interesting player too in that where the madame, the sisters, and rhodes were straightforwardly iterations of the evil stepfamily + indifferent father i think summer is likely to be the ‘good’ stepmother in relation to the cinderella narrative; ruby and yang are the ‘evil’ stepsisters (in that ruby harmed cinder and cinder is effectively told not to retaliate) but summer rejected ozma’s cause to join salem’s instead and is by extension aligned with cinder against her own daughters, even if cinder doesn’t perceive it that way. so that will be an interesting thread to watch, i think. what happens if the stepmother also needed to escape?

that the central relic involved in this facet of the narrative is a crown is not coincidental, i think. the prince is cinderella’s liberation; the crown is the relic of choice. it tracks.

[blazingstaro]

MAN you got me thinking about Eave (I love her 4 wings btw!), but all the questions I want to ask about her story probably go into spoilers territory, so instead… another free ask about her daughter and her daughter’s parents?

AAA THANK YOU! I'm glad!! Auughhh I've always loved her 4 wings. She's such a pretty lady. And hey— you never know unless you try, but sure I can tell you about her daughter and fam!

You may have guessed, as many have, but Eave's baby girl is Twyla! She's undergoing a little bit of a design update as well, but here's my latest iteration from last year:

Her father and stepmother belong to my sister, @starlightfyre! Zeelo and Amani Zeidric are her current guardians and caretakers!

Yes, that's right— she's a Zeidric, and I've hinted it from the very beginning in DotS' original Episode one! Right here was my first clue (old art jumpscare):

Second were three different hints here in Episode 2:

First set of panels— that's a very subtle one and wasn't really intended to be obvious; however that's something Zeelo's known to say often! The second panel also has Zeelo's distinct green eye color as another subtle reference. There's many instances where I used Eave or Zeelo's eye colors, or maybe both, as a hint towards her relations to the two.

Additionally, Twyla has a magic version of Zeelo's signature pistol here, her hair is styled similarly to his, as well her gloves had changed shape to emulate his style! Additionally, they're both holding a pistol with their left hand— Twyla is mirroring that poster in the background!

You can see she has her mother's cream-colored wings. She's very much the spitting image of Eave

SO YEAH— I'm revealing this here because in DotS' rewrite, this information is in the open. How she arrives in her father's care, however, will remain a surprise, hehehe!

That's just a glimpse of how deep and subtle my foreshadowing can get :3c

But some info on Twyla— her personality's had a bit of a shift because of these changes, thanks to the direct influence of her father and stepmother. She'll still have plenty of sass, but she's going to be much more brave and have much less Trauma™. Much more outgoing and confident in herself!

However she's also aware of her lineage, and as the youngest in her family, believes she has the biggest shoes to fill. She constantly strives to prove herself worthy of her family name on both sides. The challenges of being the child of not one but two famous heroes. She has her mother's legacy to uphold as well, as her only heir and survivor of their bloodline

Although— this pressure is self-afflicted. Zeelo and Amani are already proud of her as she is! They have no expectations of her beyond just being herself, and enjoying her peaceful childhood 💜

[ladyyatexel]

Incidentally I trained my parents out of giving that kind of non-advice after I decided I was just going to openly have mental illness and Trauma around them. It became too exhausting to pretend otherwise. I wanted them to understand and continue to like me even if I was actually weirder than they thought. And I also just thought it would be more productive if they actually learned how to deal with people who aren't perfectly well adjusted.

I thought maybe they could also use a dose of realizing that people who are not well adjusted included someone they had had a hand in raising.

But anyway I trained them out of "You just have to not let that upset you," by responding with, " I am already upset/worried/ scared/ thinking about the thing. I am already beyond the point of preventing it."

Literally absolutely every time they told me just to not let it upset me I told me that well it already had and that's why I was talking about it. And then they would just kind of get quiet and you could hear them kind of rewiring their thought patterns around this kind of advice giving.

I don't know whether it has reshaped their approach to this with anyone else or if they have just decided that I have become thorny in this regard and should therefore be dodged but either way they no longer suggest this.

And now when they complain about people at their jobs who seem to be exhibiting symptoms like mine, I just bring it up. Like hey maybe Debra is upset because she has an anxiety disorder. Maybe that person in front of you in traffic is unfamiliar with the area or really nervous or got in an accident recently and that's why they are going slow. I hope it makes them more thoughtful to consider other people through the lens of potentially having some of the shit that I have.

As a disclaimer, my mom and my step dad are on the whole really loving people and they have both made a lot of effort to understand me now that I've stopped making the effort to pretend that I'm normal. My dad and stepmother were the actively abusive people, but my mom and stepdad both seem to have come from really emotionally stunted families also so it's me and my brain worms making people confront stuff.

Weirdly enough I think that this combined with me having been disabled for 2 years really did a lot for the way we all relate to each other. I can hear in my mom's voice that she is physically restraining herself from questioning every decision that I make but I really appreciate that she listened when I told her that it upset me to be questioned and grilled about everything I did.

Either way they don't tell me just to not let it bother me anymore.

So if you're in a position to do it I recommend just telling people "well I'm already upset or worried or thinking about it" and see if that changes anything for you. You might make some gears turn a little bit if nothing else.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #62

I said that I might go over some more techniques that I like to use in order to keep my memories and emotions in check. Today I made use of one, so I figured I might as well go over how it works.

I did dishes today, which might not seem like a huge accomplishment at first glance, but given that one of my ribs is out of place on the right side, doing anything that moves the right shoulder typically generates a lot of pain for me; I have to be very careful of how I move, or else it'll start to feel like someone is trying to tear my shoulder blade and my collarbone right out of my body.

Today I was having a bit less pain than usual, so I decided to do the dishes. They've been piling up, and I wanna cook something soon, and it's easier to cook things if the sink is empty, because then I can just put things in there without worrying about it becoming overcrowded. Also, if you're making pasta, the sink has to be empty and scrubbed down so that you can put the pasta strainer on the bottom without worrying about things getting icky.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of trauma when it comes to doing house chores. So if I'm not very careful about keeping my memories in check, my brain will start to wander over to the past, and memories of being screamed at for not doing a good enough job will creep into my mind. The memory of my mother evaluating my work and then berating me for it still looms over me whenever I do anything related to cleaning my house, and if I'm not careful, the feeling of tension will make me forget that I'm not in that world anymore. No one here cares if I miss a speck of dust on the carpet while vacuuming. No one here cares if they find a spot of hard water or even a speck of food on a plate that I washed; they'll just put it back into the sink to be washed again like sane, healthy people - WITHOUT accusing me of being an "ungrateful little fuck" who "is trying to give the whole house botulism" and threatening to send me back to my father's house so that my stepmother can "beat my ass into shape".

As you might guess, housework is very triggering for me. But I can't just not do it. So that means I have to find a way to keep my brain's adrenaline response from going haywire. And make no mistake, I will get an adrenaline response, because my body still remembers the time when nothing I ever did was good enough (even if it was "clean enough", I could always do it "faster" or "more efficiently", and just… ugh… I couldn't win in those days…).

But just because you get an adrenaline response doesn't necessarily mean you have to allow it to rule you. If you know that one is gonna come up, then there's a variety of things you can do to keep it in check and function through it.

The basic premise is that when the adrenaline response begins, the amygdala essentially shuts down the higher thinking parts of the brain in favor of prioritizing one's survival instincts. Anything that one does often enough can end up becoming hard-wired into one's instinctual behavior. So if, for example, you have to fight often in order to survive, the motions eventually become second nature - hard-wired into our instincts so that we don't have to think about it in order to do it with the kind of automaticity required to minimize any hesitation that might kill us. This is precisely why the amygdala will shut down the brain's higher functions; it diverts all resources to itself in order to maximize its speed and efficiency, because the brain has only a limited amount of CPU, so to speak; it can't do a whole lot at once.

Now, normally, if an adrenaline response is unwarranted, the hippocampus (a part of the brain that deals with things like memory encoding and retrieval, and a handful of other stuff) will step up and say, "Yo, come on now, cut it out." And then the amygdala is supposed to be all like, "Oh snap! My bad! Sorry, B! I'll go right back to chillin'."

Unfortunately, for those of us with trauma, we have this giant, beefy amygdala that operates on a hair trigger, and a small, underdeveloped hippocampus that can do fuck-all about it. This is because adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones, fun fun) are actively neurotoxic; if you live in a situation where you have stress hormones coursing through your body all the time, they will break down other parts of the brain while the over-used amygdala gets super strong and sensitized. Yay, neuroscience, I guess.

So, when one is triggered to the point of being in an adrenaline state, higher functions such as "logical thinking", "empathy", "language processing", "critical thinking", "emotional regulation" and all that fun stuff… these are the first things that the amygdala will toss right out the damn window. This is not a "willpower" thing. It's not a "moral failing". This is basic human biology. It is chemistry and physics. Thinking like a person can "willpower" themselves out of an adrenaline activation is like thinking they can stab themselves in the neck and "willpower" themselves to not bleed out. It's just not how this stuff works.

So for me, in order to survive in the world I was raised in, my instincts became "dissociate" or "lash out in the same way that my caregivers used to lash out at me". These became my instincts because I've either witnessed them or have had to do them countless times. It is literally ground into my brain wiring now. If I'm not very careful, my body will do these things with an automaticity that I have little control over and very much do not like, even though these things are no longer the appropriate thing to do in any of my situations anymore.

…For you, it's combat. It's eliminating the enemy quickly and with prejudice. You have had no choice but to do these things countless times in order to stay alive, so by now, it's ground into your brain wiring. So for someone like you, if you get sufficiently adrenaline-activated, your body is simply going to do the thing that it knows, and the whole time, your awareness is only going to be partially there as you go through the motions of the neural pathway you've been forced to blaze thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of times, even if that's not the appropriate thing to do in a given situation.

…Complex PTSD is SUPER ANNOYING like that. It's absolute fucking garbage. It's like doing an involuntary time travel to your worst possible memories anytime you get stressed out. There's not a whole lot to be done with it other than to manage it, and fortunately, there are LOTS of ways to manage it. You can grind new instincts into your amygdala through deliberately practicing better things, and you can keep choosing the new thing until your brain has no choice but to prune away the connections of the old response. It takes years to do (because it took years to build those neural pathways to begin with), but it's work worth doing.

So, nowadays, when I gotta do housework, I will first weaken my amygdala by putting on tunes and singing as loudly as I can. I'll explain how this works:

Remember when I said that a brain has only limited CPU? It really can only do a few things at once. Singing forces us to activate the speech and language centers of the brain, as well as the creative centers, audio processing centers, and fine motor coordination centers (most people don't think about this, but the coordination required to move the mouth and tongue to speak is absolutely fucking insane). It also forces a person to be intentional and deliberate about their breath; one cannot sing well without being very mindful about breathing deeply and keeping the airways open. If you'll recall, I talked about why breath is important in my previous letter. Singing truly is the most perfect tool for preventing adrenaline activation and flashbacks.

So I'll do the dishes, and my amygdala is gonna try being all like, "ohhh, here we go again; we're about to get our ass handed to us, better sound ALL the alarms before we get got," because that's what it does every goddamn time. Except, I'm already gonna be belting out "City Ruins - Rays of Light" from Nier:Automata, and so my amygdala is not going to have the resources it needs to overpower everything else, because I'm forcing my higher functions to remain active and keeping my breath under control:

I wonder if you noticed the parts where I suddenly became aware that I am recording myself and quavered. I posted it anyway, because it doesn't have to be perfect to be worthwhile. This video should be proof enough that you don't have to be good at singing in order to use this coping skill.

So, I'm sometimes still left with a vaguely uneasy feeling while I do the tasks (this is unpleasant, but manageable), but at very least, my amygdala won't be able to hijack the rest of my brain in service to a narrative that no longer exists, for the purpose of keeping me safe from threats that are no longer present. I like to think that this bit of brain hackery is pretty swanky! Don't you think so, too?

I think that's all I've got for writing today. I had a lovely visitor at my house - a very dear friend of mine - who needed a safe place to help him deal with a situation he's having. I won't get into the details. But I am glad that my house is a safe place where those who are having a difficult time feel like they can go to get a bit of reprieve. I thought I was going to go to the grocery today, but I think I'll do that tomorrow instead.

Remember that you're loved, and please stay safe.

You'll hear from me again soon, I promise.

Your friend, Lumine

[msweebyness]

Class of Heroes AU: Worst Fears

I come to you with more HC’s, this time about what frightens our heroic kiddies the most! As always, credit to @imsparky2002 and @artzychic27! Thanks to Sparky again for helping with these ideas! Once again, keep an eye out for a matching post with the villains!

Marinette: One of Marinette’s greatest fears is that she will fail to accomplish her goals, and in doing so bring dishonor upon her family, made worse by the fact that she’s technically disobeying them being here. She also carries the dread that she will one day fail as a warrior and be unable to protect those she holds dear.

Adrien: Drilled into him by his father since he was a child, Adrien harbors a deep fear of the thugs and ruffians of the world. But perhaps what he dreads most is that someday he will be forced back into his tower, away from Marinette, Kagami and all his friends. He also fears that one day his power will be unable to heal a friend when they need it most.

Alya: Like her best friend, Alya carries a paralyzing fear of failure and not reaching the goals she sets for herself. She’s worked too hard to not get what she’s after! She also dreads failing to provide for her family and friends, as well as people who practice dark magic and hoodoo. (She doesn’t mind general voodoo. She grew up near the bayou, and heck, Mama Odie practically helped raise her!)

Nino: Like all Fairy Godfolk, Nino fears that his wand will someday end up in the wrong hands. (The wands have magical safeguards, of course, but cunning villains have managed to break them before!) He also dreads letting people down and failing to make their dreams come true, as is his purpose.

Rose: Rose loves her older brother, Ali, with all her heart, but unfortunately, most of her village doesn’t feel the same, seeing him as a crackpot lunatic for his eccentric ways. Due to this, she fears that he will be taken to the town asylum in her absence. And due to a terrible experience in the woods around the time she first met Juleka, she is terrified of wolves.

Juleka: Stemming from traumatic past experiences, Juleka has a deep terror of angry mobs, especially of the pitchforks-and-torches variety! She also fears being unable to break the curse, not so much for remaining a beast, but for losing her family and other loved ones as they are left inanimate, dormant household objects.

Max: Max doesn’t talk much about the time before he came to FPA, and with good reason. At his previous school, a terrible fire broke out and his cousin Terrance was unable to make it out due to trying to save one of their teachers. Since then, Max has had a haunting fear of flames and burning buildings.

Kim: The young demigod desires nothing more than to be a true hero, and because of this he deals with the constant fear that his strength won’t be enough and he will fail to save someone, especially someone he cares about. Additionally, due to his experiences with the people in his hometown, he fears accidentally harming his friends with his lack of control over his strength.

Ivan: Stemming from a traumatic childhood experience at the famed ‘Festival of Fools’, Ivan has a terrible fear of being tied up or bound in chains. (When some of the Royals, who saw the event on television, tied him up in the amphitheater as a prank, he had a panic attack.) Being unable to run or say anything as people laughed and jeered at him has stuck with him for years.

Mylene: With everything that the woman has attempted to do to her, it should come as no surprise that Mylene is terrified of her stepmother and anything related to her. She also has a deep fear of being poisoned, and refuses to touch red delicious apples due to a traumatic experience.

Alix: Having been forced to grow up as a thief and urchin in the streets, Alix fears that one day she will no longer have a place to call home and have to fight to survive again. She also has a deep fear of being imprisoned for her tendency to steal due to a childhood trauma.

Nathaniel: Given the circumstances of his curse, Nathaniel harbors a deep hatred and terror for needles of any kind, especially those of a spinning wheel! But running even deeper than that is his fear of being alone, rooted in the fear of failing to break his curse and waking up having long outlived all of his loved ones.

Sabrina: Obviously, Sabrina fears the things you would expect of a wooden girl: fire, axes, saws, the works. But one thing she fears the most is being forced to act as a plaything to entertain people again, being tied up with strings. (She also had a fear of whales, due to a frightening encounter with the terrible Monstro, but meeting some of Ondine’s whale friends has helped her begin to get over it!)

Chloé: Before she started to turn her life around, Chloé always feared that one day she would lose her wealth and be left as a pathetic peasant. Nowadays, she fears being deemed unworthy of forgiveness and ending up loved by no one. (She doesn’t really have to worry though!)

Marc: The heir of Arendelle’s greatest fear is accidentally harming or even killing someone with his ice magic, especially Nathaniel or one of his friends. While he is coming around to embracing his powers, there will always be that belief that he’s dangerous that was drilled into him for so long.

Zoé: With the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of the cruel woman, it’s almost inevitable that Zoé would fear her mother as well anything that reminds her of Audrey even slightly. She also has extreme claustrophobia, stemming from being locked in a small closet as punishment for being “disobedient”.

Ondine: The loss of her beloved mother has given Ondine a deeply-rooted fear of both pirates and storms at sea. She’ll never forget that terrible day when Queen Elsie met her demise amongst the jagged rocks of their favorite grotto. She also is not fond of fisherman or anyone who cooks fish, for obvious reasons…

Kagami: Kagami would never admit it to anyone, but she fears bears as much as her mother despises them! She was just four years old when she came face to face with Yamikuma, the demon bear’s gaping maw and jagged teeth just inches away from her. She may not let on, but that moment haunts her nightmares.

Aurore: Aurore sets incredibly high standards for herself, so it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that she deeply fears that she will let people, especially Sabrina, down as the fairy that is meant to guide them through life. In addition to this, related to the preservation of her kind, she also fears people losing faith in the power of wishing stars.

Mireille: Mireille carries a deep-seated fear of stampedes, stemming from the memory of seeing her mother being ran over by wildebeests as a young cub. Feeling the ground shake will trigger these terrible memories for the poor princess. She also has a long-standing fear of hyenas, and of failing to make her late mother proud.

Jean: Jean harbors a deeply-rooted fear of being rejected and unloved by his people and his friends, which manifests as a dread of being rendered ugly. (Such as when he was transformed into a llama!) Deep down, he just wants to be liked, though he may not let on outwardly.

Denise: If there’s one thing that Denise knows, it’s that a steady arcade game is nothing to sneeze at! They are very lucky to have remained in operation, and seeing the homeless game characters in Game Central Station has left them with the fear of seeing their own game unplugged. They also fear rejection from their loved ones over their status as a ‘bad guy’.

Simon: Unlike the original Boy Who Never Grew Up, Simon ended up in Neverland, raised by the fairies when he was abandoned at no more than seven years old. This left him with a deep fear of being discarded and left behind again, and is why he tries so hard to be fun to be around and well-liked. He also dreads growing up, though his friends and, of course, Denise are helping him get over this!

Ismael: Unsurprisingly, being a freed genie, Ismael harbors a deep dread that one day he will somehow be forced back into servitude. (Not that his friends would ever let that happen!) Having had experiences with this in the past, he also fears being forced to serve the hand of evil.

Reshma: Having been held up as the ‘Golden Child’ of her family since she was very young, Reshma fears that she will fail to meet the high expectations on her and let everyone down. She also, like most of her family, fears one day losing her gift and being of no use to anyone.

Robette: One of Cosette’s most terrifying memories is when a fan riot broke out at a public appearance by their band. One of the boys had his leg broken and several spectators were badly injured. It stuck with Cosette for a long time and ever since, it’s feared a repeat of the incident!

Lacey: Having been something of an outsider back in Pixie Hollow for her ‘outlandish’ ideas, Lacey greatly fears that one day the people she cares about will decide she isn’t worth their time. (Despite frequent reassurance from Simon) She’s also a bit afraid of being captured by pirates, due to bad past experiences…

And there it was folks! These are the kids’ worst fears! As always, leave thoughts in the comments and reblogs! Keep an eye out for Sparky with the villains’ fears!

(Fun fact: Ondine’s fear is a reference to The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel’s Beginning! Go give it a watch, it’s a fun prequel!)

[vacantgodling]

🐐

lmao thank you :’) i did mention owen and helios before but i suppose i’ll give more context to them ->

owen & helios used to be the main characters of a long abandoned and repurposed fantasy story, parts of which are actually the basis for my wip nondisclosure (of which nyseah, alona and the moving parts of their storylines are actually still from)

however, i dropped owen and helios’s parts of the story because i just couldn’t make it make sense with the way i wanted to focus on nyssie lol.

tl;dr owen was the reincarnation of the goddess who created a dimension alternate to earth. she grew up in a dysfunctional family that became even more fractured when she was diagnosed with a form of cancer in one of her legs, and had that leg amputated to save her life. her family didn’t want to help her with her disability and she got made fun of relentlessly at school. however, she ends up getting yanked into the alternate dimension by her Actual biological father, a dude named christopher yhuuates with his fucking ??? cats that can create dimensional rifts dude idk.

anyway once she arrives in this new world, she’s basically told that an evil company (the same one from nondisclosure but i’ve changed their goals for that wip) wants to collide the alternate dimension with the earth dimension because it has better resources ever since the goddess abandoned this dimension. so owen needs to figure out her powers and ascend so she can stop the company from doing this and restore the dimension to its former state. to protect her on this journey, christopher recruits a spurned half-dragon prince who was ousted by his purist dragon stepmother, helios, to protect her.

owen and helios had that typical “we don’t get along at first but we’re good for each other” energy that like what, every fucking anime relationship is? helios was big and protective of owen and owen was the softer edge to helios that helped him process his trauma and hurt from being ousted from his people as she can relate from her own home life.

i think that’s around where i stopped planning their story because nyseah has always been infinitely interesting to me and i got attached to the angst that was alona and 12 so i kinda explored those parts of the story super hard and then a few years ago finally decided that i should give them their own wip. owen and helios (and some other characters from that wip) have sat in limbo since then, but all the relevant characters have ended up in nondisclosure.

yeeee.

send me an emoji and i’ll tell u about some long abandoned or shelved ocs

[saffronapplemanga]

Haru’s Curse - 春の呪い

DRAMA, PSYCHOLOGICAL, ROMANCE

Haru's Curse by Konishi Asuka

(2 volumes, complete)

Available in English

Links to my other manga posts here

This manga made me upset and uncomfortable and not for the reasons you might think.

It wasn’t the older sister going out with her dead younger sister’s man that made me feel that way. That was actually handled pretty well! I promise. It’s more about guilt and grief. What I mean is there were some scenes that deeply upset me because of some fresh personal wounds it brought back to the surface. Some old wounds too, tbh.

Why do I keep doing this??? It can’t be healthy…

If you saw my Takopi’s Original Sin post, I mentioned that Azuma’s situation was the most upsetting to me personally out of the three kids, and...

Can you tell I have good kid/academic trauma or whatever this is called? Is that a thing?

Similarly to Azuma, I can relate to Togo in a way. To me, he seemed like he was constantly uncomfortable. This is also the case for Natsumi and I could feel how cagey she was being.

The hospital scenes were the most triggering for me. It’s not like they were explicit or anything either. I won’t go into details about that because I just can’t right now. One comment I have for those scenes though, is they felt too clean and pretty? I feel like, in reality, that scene and situation is much more disturbing. I will say the way Natsumi’s guilt and trauma manifested was well done, though.

But moving on.

Something I didn’t expect was to like the stepmother as much as I did. She had some great lines. There were lots of inner monologues which is not something I usually like, but it makes sense for this type of story.

This was a great quick read, packed with emotion, exploring familiar topics like death, grief, guilt, etc. in a way that feels fresh and mature. We love nuance in this house.

[avidreadersandemergingwriters]

This post is part of a series on How to Write Children’s Books

Converting common tropes is a great way to give children's literature a fresh, modern twist. Learn how to challenge traditional narratives and create unique stories for children. From the chosen one to the magical animal companion, we'll identify eight tropes and how to turn them on their heads.

1. The Chosen One: The trope of the Chosen One is ubiquitous in children's literature, where a seemingly ordinary child discovers they possess extraordinary abilities or destinies. Usually, they are destined to save the world or fulfill a great prophesy While this trope can inspire young readers to believe in their own potential, it can also perpetuate the idea that greatness is predetermined and exclusive to a select few. It can be empowering for young readers to see themselves as the hero, but it's also important to give the character unique qualities and challenges that make them stand out from other chosen ones so it doesn't lead to predictability and lack of character development. For example, writers can introduce moments of self-doubt and inner conflict leading to the personal growth of the character rather than solely relying on their "chosen" status.

Examples of The Chosen One include Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and Katniss Everdeen.

2. The Mysterious Mentor: A common trope in children's literature is the presence of a wise and enigmatic mentor who guides the young protagonist on their journey. This archetype serves as a source of knowledge, guidance, and support for the main character. However, it is important to avoid making the mentor infallible or all-knowing, as this can hinder character development and create unrealistic expectations for real-life mentors. Instead, writers can introduce flaws, inner conflicts, and limitations to these mentors, allowing them to grow alongside the young protagonist. By incorporating moments of vulnerability and personal growth for the mentor, writers can create a more realistic and relatable relationship between mentor and mentee. Examples of this trope include characters like Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings, Dumbledore from Harry Potter, and Yoda from Star Wars.

3. The Absent or Evil Parents: This trope often sets the stage for a child's adventure, as they navigate a world without parental guidance. While this can create opportunities for independence and self-discovery, it can also perpetuate negative stereotypes about parents. To subvert this trope, writers can explore the reasons behind the absent or evil parents, delving into their own struggles and complexities. By giving them depth and nuance, writers can challenge the notion of a one-dimensional antagonist or absent figure. Additionally, it is important to provide alternative role models or parental figures who offer guidance and support to the protagonist. This can help counterbalance the negative portrayal of parents and highlight the importance of community and chosen families. Ultimately, by incorporating diverse and multifaceted parental figures, writers can create a more nuanced and realistic portrayal of familial rel8tionships in children's literature.

Examples of evil or absent parents in children's literature include Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters, the Dursleys from Harry Potter, and Mrs. Coulter from His Dark Materials.

4. The Evil Villain: In many children's books, the antagonist is portrayed as purely evil, with no redeeming qualities or understandable motivations. While this type of villain can serve a clear purpose in the plot, it can also perpetuate harmful stereotypes and paint a simplistic view of good versus evil. To subvert this trope, writers can explore the backstory and motivations of the villain, delving into their past traumas or desires that led them down a destructive path. This not only adds depth to the character but also creates opportunities for empathy and understanding from readers. Additionally, having a complex and multifaceted villain can create more suspense and tension as readers are unsure of their next move.

Examples of evil villains include Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, and the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia.

5. The Reformed/Redeemed Villain: This trope involves an initially evil character who undergoes a transformation to become good. While it can be satisfying to see villains repent for their wrongdoings and join forces with the protagonists, it's important to avoid oversimplifying the process of redemption. It takes time and effort for individuals to change their beliefs and actions significantly, especially if they have been deeply ingrained in them for a long time. Therefore, writers should ensure that the reformation of these characters is realistically portrayed with struggles and setbacks along the way.

Examples of a reformed or redeemed villain include Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, Snape in Harry Potter, and Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

6. The Mirror Villain: This trope involves an antagonist who mirrors certain traits or characteristics of the protagonist, often serving as their dark reflection or foil. While this can create an interesting dynamic between hero and villain, it can also fall into clichéd patterns if not done carefully. To avoid this, writers should ensure that both characters have distinct personalities and motivations that go beyond being opposites of each other. Examples of mirror villains include Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter, Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, and President Snow in The Hunger Games.

7.The Underdog vs The Overpowered Villain: Another common trope in children's literature is pitting an underdog protagonist against an overpowered villain who seems unbeatable. This creates a sense of struggle and tension throughout the story as readers root for the hero to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. However, it's important for writers to ensure that the protagonist's victory doesn't come too easily or feel forced. The underdog should face real challenges and setbacks along the way, forcing them to rely on their resourcefulness, intelligence, and inner strength to defeat the villain. This can create a more satisfying and believable narrative, as readers witness the protagonist's growth and development throughout their journey. Examples of the underdog vs the overpowered villain include Eragon vs Galbatorix in the Inheritance Cycle, Harry Potter vs Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, and Katniss Everdeen vs President Snow in The Hunger Games.

8. The Magical Creature: From talking animals to mythical creatures, this trope adds whimsy and enchantment to children's literature. These creatures offer comfort and companionship to young protagonists. While this trope can foster a love and respect for animals, it runs the risk of oversimplifying the complex relationship between humans and animals. To utilize this trope effectively, it's important to avoid falling into stereotypes by giving these characters unique personalities and motivations. Writers can explore the animal's own thoughts, emotions, and motivations, elevating them from mere sidekicks to fully realized characters with their own agency. By giving them an active role in the plot and exploring their desires, fears, and flaws, writers can breathe life into these magical beings.

Examples of magical creatures in children's literature include Percy Jackson's companions, Hagrid's pets in the Harry Potter series, and Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia.

[herhours]

huh, i remember this being what blogs are for.

talked to my mom for like 3 hours tonight. she called me recently i kept forgetting to call back... i hate talking on the phone, my mom can get touchy about mom-contact stuff, whatever, the usual. not enough that it's a big deal, NOW. when i was younger i had to set a boundary around stop fucking asking me to talk on the phone all the time especially when you fucking know i hate it and especially when you want to fucking talk on the phone for fucking hours at a time.

would take too long to get into the details so long story short

my mother was not raised by her mother. her mother abandoned her. but her father married a woman who could not have children and loved and raised my mother like her own. my mother has secure attachment and she passed it on to all of us. that doesn't mean we don't have issues or all our relationships are perfect, it just means we had a mother who loves us and who knows the depths that we love her. even if we don't want to fucking talk on the phone sometimes and she gets mad about it and makes the kid feel annoyed that she's mad about it.

so anyway. my 80something year old aunt died a few months ago. we weren't related, and she was a family "aunt" by virtue of the fact that... she abandoned her own daughter we was raised by my mother's stepmother alongside my mother and her siblings.

it made me remember how when we were kids, there were stories of how evil this aunt was back then, that wasn't the case for us because we were young and she was old now and we didn't have awareness or experience of any of that. and all the old trauma and history that, i swear to you, even as a child, i looked at this "aunt," with her daughter (who was my mother's age), and HER daughter (who was older than my older sister) and HER daughter (who was younger than me).... even when i was a fucking CHILD, i remember looking at these 3 generations of mothers and thinking every single one of them was a fucking failure. like, LITERALLY, in that context. i remember being a child and recognizing this generational failure of motherhood. and knowing the newest one wasn't going to fare any better either.

so my mom doesn't know all the crap i traffic in about psychology and trauma all the time, but when we talk (even though sometimes i can tell it's too glass half full for her that drives her to seek other angles) she'll let me blabber on, and she listens, and she takes from it what she can and leaves the rest.

for a long time, i never knew who my mother was raised by. we have almost no family, and i knew from childhood that my mother's mother did not raise her. so i didn't know who raised her, and since we have no extended family, i just assumed there wasn't any. i always vaguely assumed that my "aunt" was the woman who raised her. how far away that was from the truth is funny as hell, largely because my mom probably let HER insinuate this perspective, and was too kind to ever correct it. (mothers who do not raise their children love to try to present themselves as extraordinary mothers through some other stupid bullshit means. a lot of the time you see it as deadbeat mothers bragging on social media, to give an example; this would have been the version of that for that generation i suppose.)

anyway.

so she died.

and i actually honestly had really forgotten all of that just because i had no reason to think about it, and mostly the memories that were there were her as an "aunt," a mostly benign but sometimes questioningly not benign? figure but not enough that those memories could overpower the others.

my mom tells me they are in the hospital room, my mom, the "aunt," the aunt's daughter, and the aunt's granddaughter. the granddaughter, the fourth generation of maternal failure, was raised by what was actually her fucking great grandmother, and spent her entire adolescence attacking her about how much she hated her.

this little bitch (who is a piece of shit i assure you) comes to her great grandmother on her deathbed and tells her she loves her. my aunt, who my mom says handwrangled all the time about the child doing nothing but telling her how much she hates her, accepts this, achieves piece from this. *edit: i notice that's a typo, but fuck that, i'm not correcting shit. it's the wrong word because it's the wrong symbol.

moments later, my aunt's daughter tries to help her dying mother in the bed and she immediately recoils, bristling, pushes her away.

the bitch died fucking minutes later.

and look i know there's a lot of history and trauma in their backgrounds and i know a lot of the reason why these relationships are where they are and i already understood the nature of this matrilineal line.

but.

youre 80 something years old on your deathbed, your elderly daughter has been your faithful caregiver after you repeatedly, cruelly abandoned her over and over as a helpless child, blamed her for spiraling into drug addiction, shunned her for a lesbian relationship after being raped (probably by YOUR family members, the same ones that RAPED YOU) convinced the man she had a child with to LEAVE HER and continually fucking SHUNNED HER EVERY DAY OF THE REST OF HER LIFE and the mother child bond is so fucking powerful she is still there trying to do any fucking thing she can for you until you breathe your dying breath on this fucking planet

and ON YOUR FUCKING DEATHBED, in this LAST MOMENT

you still fucking rejected her.

of all the things i wish i had the energy to say, what i think about is my mother and i talking through what this actually was and my mother recognizing this dynamic for what it was and me learning what i hadn't known to recognize before, of the daughter's life....

all i know is that woman lived in the pain of that kind of cruel rejection every single day of her life and she was STILL there for that bitch til the very last moment and probably feels like she still could never the fuck make up for why she experienced what she experienced.

welp, i'm glad i didn't devote all that much attention to that elderly death, because now i get to say thank god she's fucking dead.