#patronise

[rixareth]

As requested, I have examined my fondness for terrible characters, and I have concluded that I like them because they're terrible and I'm not sorry.

[pratchettquotes]

"Well, if I can be of any help to the Times--"

"We won't be bribed, either," said William. He knew he was galloping in among the sharpened stakes here, but he'd be damned before he'd be patronized.

"Bribed?" said Vetinari. "My dear sir, seeing what you're capable of for nothing, I'd hesitate to press even a penny into your hand."

Terry Pratchett, The Truth

[greymantledlady]

Someone else's post:

~

I have seen so many posts like the one above in the last 24 hours and honestly, it's starting to piss me off. I know the majority of tumblr users aren't wlw, but do you know how patronising this kind of thing is? This was the most beautiful, intimate, lovingly animated lesbian sex scene, between two rich, well-drawn, compelling characters, but over and over, I see people comparing it unfavourably to Jayce and Viktor's final scene. The story between two men is seen as more powerful, more meaningful, gayer, deeper, than the one between two women.

Look, it's fine to enjoy the mlm ship more. I support you! I think Jayvik is cool! But can you all please, please, stop acting like it's inherently better just because the lesbian story didn't happen to be written for your personal tastes, this one time?

(Also, to answer the question: as a lesbian, I promise you, the lesbian sex is much, much gayer. You're just not the target audience.)

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

also re last post i think a crucial part of treating your ace friends like you actually respect them is not acting like non-sexual content and child-friendly content are the same thing. which also means not assuming all stories and media aimed at adults need to contain sex (@ creators, take note). because it's shitty to be an adult and find that there is nothing out there written for someone like you and everyone's suggestions are always for children's media. there's nothing wrong with kidlit etc but sometimes, you know, you're an adult, you want stories that reflect the fact that you're an adult, and you want acknowledgement that adulthood and interest in sex are not synonyms. and likewise when you are writing non sexual content for an adult audience it sucks to have people assume it's meant to be for kids and to expect it to fulfil a purpose it wasn't made for

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

not enough discussion about the gavins' complicated relationship with feminine-coded/beauty products, i don't think.

[michaelgovehateblog]

Also, since it's an election day again, I'm going to reiterate my opinion which really angers some people that spoiling your ballot is better than not going to the polling station at all. No it's not some grand defiant gesture that will change the course of politics, and it can't actually have any bearing on the outcome, but you're still going to the polling station and participating in the election. You'll be included in the voter turn out figures, so people, in particular the politicians, can see how many spoiled ballots there are in their area. Ultimately, they want your votes, so if they can see there's x number of people who are willing to participate in the voting but whose votes haven't gone to anybody, and if they have any brains, they will want to try and gain those votes next time around. Obviously if there are any candidates you can stomach the thought of, then vote for them, but spoiling your ballot is better than not voting at all

[markscherz]

Your last name is a joke. (Scherz means Joke in German)

Hello yes I do in fact know what my own surname means. I am half German by descent and grew up in Switzerland and speak fluent German and lived in Germany for almost ten years and married a German (who for some strange reason didn’t want to take my name 😅).

Try being taken seriously on the phone when they ask who it is and you say anything followed by ‘Scherz’.

Ironically, nobody in my family—as far as I’m aware, and we’ve traced part of our family tree back several centuries—has ever run a joke shop or had any other on-brand occupation.

[sapphoscreature]

Arcane is an ensemble show. There are a number of main characters. And so, in order to fully appreciate the story, you have to therefore fully engage with every character’s arc.

This can sometimes be tricky when you feel an emotional connection to one character (or characters) over another/others. This could also be influenced by other factors in your life. Art is subjective, and we have subjective/personal reactions to art.

But it’s fulfilling to set that aside, if it can be, if you want to, and open yourself up to watching and engaging with stories which might not initially click, but which are a puzzle piece crucial to understanding the whole story. And may offer you as the viewer a greater perspective.

Especially because Arcane is character driven. It is through the characters that we understand the wider context (e.g. the Piltover/Zaun conflict). To engage with the characters is to understand how they engage with their wider context and why.

To come at something like Arcane only taking on one (or a few) character’s perspective(s) is to not fully understand the entire narrative, and that is, where I believe, misunderstanding can occur.

Any maybe, if you thought you did understand a character’s perspective, but are then confused by the choices they make in the narrative, re-evaluation is useful. The context within which the characters are acting is seriously complex. It is not good vs evil, black and white. Everyone is so human, i.e. so complex.

The meanings and motives and emotions which drive character’s actions and the establish their context is as rich and layered as a gateau. The wider context of the world in which they exist is exactly the same. To come from just one perspective, one side, is to miss whole other aspects of the story, and that seems like such a shame (and tbh is incredibly ironic).

I by no means wish to tell anyone how to engage with art, and right now I do feel like I’m just pointing out the obvious! I’m just another fan who has been thinking on this for a time and come to this conclusion about what could be causing such divisive opinions/arguments/criticisms. This is also not to say that the show is perfect- art is subjective, as is the idea of ‘perfection,’ so nothing can be called ‘perfect’ imo. But it is fascinating to watch, and challenging at times. And so worth taking in as a whole.

Thanks for your time.

[branzinos]

"there's hardly any wicked fic on ao3" may this be the opportunity for people under 21 to discover that reading fic that is older than you on fanfiction.net is ok and something doesn't have to be labelled "new" to be worth reading

[fairycosmos]

it’s hard to enjoy anything knowing my sister will never be able to enjoy anything ever again

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Holy crap a young Earth creationist in my notes trying to convince *me* there isn’t evidence for macro evolution

One of these days I’m becoming the Joker I swear to gd

[blue-ravens]

[the-mostdiabolik-of-lovers]

Reiji’s reaction to a s/o who crochets tea coasters and doilies and places them around the mansion for him to use with his tea sets. Her favourite ones always go in his study. Shhh.

Reiji: At what point does this develop from doilies to tea cosies? Fufu, for now, I see little issue with it. It is a cute hobby.

Reiji: At the very least, it spares the furniture from from heat stains.

[northlight14]

Speaking as someone who was constantly late to school, I think punishing kids/teens for being late to school is stupid. Like, I get it. When they’re older, they can’t be late to work and stuff and they need to understand that. But majority of kids/teens are getting to school via their parents or someone else driving them or hell the school bus which is also driven by an adult. So when a kid arrives late and gets punished for it, all that’s happening is a child getting punished because the adult responsible for getting them there on time wasn’t successful. That’s not teaching the kid anything, that’s just annoying. Especially when, as a kid I was always ready on time and it was my parents I was waiting on and then in detention I’d be expected to write down a “what will I do better” that didn’t apply to me because I didn’t do anything wrong

I get that sometimes it will be the kids fault but I feel like those cases are few and far between and punishing a kid for the adults in their life is just counterproductive

[sonik-kun]

"Akshually, it was Lan Sizhui who everyone thought was the gong initially🤓 "

Don't care. Chengxian is still one of the biggest ships in the fandom and the two's actions had way more impact on the story than Lan Zhan ever did tbh. I also find it funny that it still proves our point. That Wangxian is the weakest pairing out of her main couples (I said what I said. No hate to Lan Zhan, but I'm not the only person who shares this sentiment!)

Also love how these antis even acknowledge MXTX trying to defend JC when he received misguided hate during his first appearance. Perhaps you should listen to her insistence and give the character a chance first before y'all misjudge him? Lmao.

Also that one anti making out we lied about the heart of tofu quote just shows that y'all would sooner cover your ears than listen to anything good MXTX has to say about JC.

Way to prove our point!

[gardenoflupins]

Assassin AU / @wolfstarmicrofic / 874 words

CW: sexual conversation

“You look bored, how about I take you to bed instead?” Sirius whispers in Remus’s ear.

Remus jolts, spinning to look at Sirius with wide eyes. Sirius suppresses a smirk.

Sirius had been hired to kill Lyall Lupin’s son, Remus Lupin, and he was going to be paid a hefty amount for it.

He knew that Lyall worked at the ministry. This wasn’t the first time he’d been hired to kill one of its members. His client harboured strong animosity towards Lyall and wanted to kill his son out of spite. That made Sirius’s job easier. Killing an important government official was always a hassle. He’s sure mini Lupin would have become just like his father anyway.

Sirius completed his assassinations in various ways depending on the context. Sometimes he’d go to their homes and kill them directly. Other times he’d poison them. His favourite technique, however, was to seduce them. It left them vulnerable and unassuming.

Sirius had been watching Remus the past hour to get an impression of him. So far, the man seemed reserved and awkward. Sirius decided on his seduction technique because Remus kept glancing at him and Sirius knew what those looks meant.

Remus’s entire face goes red at his words and he stutters unintelligibly. Eventually he laughs nervously and Sirius takes that as cue to lean towards him.

Remus shoots his hands up to stop Sirius from moving, hands on Sirius’s chest.

Perhaps Sirius had read him wrong. He looks into the other’s eyes to get a better feel of the situation. Remus’s eyes were still wide but he looked innocently confused.

“Unless you prefer the old fashioned way where I take you out first,” Sirius says, undeterred.

“I— oh god,” Remus replies, “I’m so bad at this, please don’t put me on the spot.”

This pulls a surprised laugh out of Sirius. “No need to be nervous, I can lead and take control,” he says with heavy implication.

Remus wets his lips, eyes darting around before they fall to his feet. He drops his hands to his sides.

He says nothing.

Doubt creeps into Sirius. Had he read the situation wrong? Was Sirius not what Remus wanted? It left him feeling unnerved and slightly agitated.

“Not interested, then?” Sirius asks calmly.

Remus continues avoiding his eyes, face flushed. “I am so terribly embarrassed,” he responds softly.

Understanding dawns on him and Sirius has to bite down on his lip. “One of the shy ones?”

Remus’s eyes flicker up at him then back down. “Unfortunately.”

Sirius leans against the bar, remaining close to the other. “It’s alright, I’m good at coaxing eye contact when I’m sleeping with someone. I’ll reward you with lots of praise, I promise.”

Remus chokes and snaps his head up to Sirius, his eyes going impossibly wide. “You—“ He takes a deep, shaky breath. “You can’t just— say things like that.”

Sirius pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his smile. He was leaning into his role as the seducer but it came easily to him. Remus was someone he would have slept with outside of work. Sirius’s eyes linger on his lips and he watches Remus swallow nervously at Sirius’s attention.

Remus’s breaths were coming out short, mouth slightly open and skin flushed.

Sirius moves to gently pull him in by the waist. “Don’t you want to taste me?”

His eyes flutter shut and he groans in response.

To Sirius, it was the sound of victory.

“I— Please,” he breathes out.

“Good boy,” Sirius murmurs, fingers rubbing delicate circles on his waist. “That’s it.”

Remus opens his eyes and Sirius is thrown off-kilter at the tender gaze. “I can’t. I want it— badly, but my father won’t allow it.”

Sirius blinks. His curiosity ignited. “Why not?”

Remus glances away bitterly. “He doesn’t want anyone to see me.”

This answers nothing and leaves Sirius with more questions. Seeing this, Remus offers him a kind smile. “Thank you for the offer, you’re quite gorgeous.”

Sirius feels a bit tingly. He won’t lie and say he wasn’t intrigued (in more ways than one) but he had a job to do. He didn’t need to seduce Remus to be able to kill him.

Someone pulls Remus rather harshly out of his grip. Sirius looks at Lyall Lupin’s sour expression.

“I’ve finished discussing with the others. Let’s go.” His hand is firm on Remus’s shoulder.

Skilled in picking up pieces of information, Sirius’s eyes cut to where a small group of men are leaving the bar. His gaze comes back to Lyall who is scowling at him while sending concerned looks to his son. Remus isn’t looking at either of them.

Sirius takes in Remus’s scars and he feels like he is seeing him for the first time. The scars closely resembled the ones his current client had.

The puzzle started forming in Sirius’s mind. It was just out of reach.

Lyall protectively pulls Remus away and Remus sends Sirius a mournful look.

Yes, it looked like Lyall was harbouring a secret regarding his son and Sirius would be damned if he didn’t figure it out. He had a feeling it had everything to do with the man that hated Lyall.

Fenrir Greyback.