#poc people are still having bullshit done to them

[the-og-gay-cousin]

Making the annual "Merry Christmas"/"happy holidays" posts this year is just wild for me. There is a fucked up war in Ukraine and an outright genocide in Palestine. America, a major world power, is falling apart at the seams and is attempting to silence and remove its own people, along with its own democracy. Neonazis were allowed to roam the streets. North Korea is testing more and more missiles. It feels like the beginnings of world war 3, and meanwhile, all of us are expected to go about our daily lives. A lot has happened in my personal life on top of that, including leaving my job when management went to actual shit, so one can imagine what it's like living as a young woman in 2023.

Christmas hasn't felt like Christmas in a while. As a kid, I woke up to abuse every Christmas morning, but it still felt more like Christmas than it does now. It hasn't felt like Christmas since before COVID, to be honest, but this year takes the cake for an unexciting Christmas morning. There's no anticipation, there is only me going through the motions as innocents are killed in Palestine en masse. There isn't any buzzing anticipation, there's just a sense of time flying by with a side of dread regarding what will happen because America's politicians won't get their heads out of their asses so that they can have the sense to stop supporting genocidal actions. To be frank, I feel like the only thing stopping American politicians from supporting Russia's actions is the heavy anti-communist agenda America has always had in the name of freedom and democracy for cishet neurotypical white men. If America had any political agendas in Russia, I'm fairly certain that America would be supporting its invasion of Ukraine too, along with the bullshit Israel is pulling.

Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas. It hasn't in a while, but I'm really getting that this year.

[sharonccrter]

Here's the thing: I don't think Tashi and Patrick would have worked in the long run, even if Art hadn't meddled, because neither of them was willing to be a 'fan in each other's club,' which is why in a lot of ways their both drawn to each other – neither of them are gonna coddle each other, their going to call each other out on their bullshit, to criticise each other, to be each other's biggest critic and I think both Tash and Patrick are attracted to that, as well as attracted to the raw talent they both have. However, that doesn't mean they have the makings of a long term relationsip.

But don't get it twisted. Art did meddle.

I see a lot of people here wanting to make Art a passive participant in this, but he's not. Whether it's because he doesn't want to be left out or jealous (he wants Tashi, but he also wants Patrick), he deliberately planted the seeds of doubt in both Tashi's and Patrick's minds. Yes, they both clock it right away; Tashi says, "your a bad fucking friend", as well as what Patrick says in the churro scene.

He still ends up being the catalyst for the fight, putting doubt in both their minds that the other just isn't really into the thing they have together. As Zendaya herself says: Art is a snake. And here's the thing: they're all bad people at certain points in the film. That's literally the point; people don't have to write analyses as to why Art isn't. He's just as messy and ruthless as Patrick and Tashi are. The only difference is that Art is a sheep in wolf's clothing. He's not outwardly those things, but deep down inside he is.

For me, that's why the throuple works; they've all done shitty things and been shitty people to each other. But they need each other to survive; all three of them, they all need something the other brings to survive, that's why it's codependency the movie. We don't have to 1) make anyone the centre; they are all equally important to the throuple, and I need people to stop pushing out the POC women in favour of two white guys alone and 2) make anyone the victim or doormat.

[pasteilian]

Do you have a recommendation when designing a black character? Or tips, or maybe pages you visit for references?

Suck at explaining stuff but I’ll try

‼️ Ethnic Features ‼️

So, the art world is in a very weird place when it comes to ethnic features. The conversation was about how using POC ethnic features as an insult in media was damaging and needed to stop, and that somehow morphed into people being scared about drawing people with those features.

Black people have big ears, big noses, and big lips. That's not the problem. The problem was that media was using it to make us look like giant ape, monkey, monster creatures. It's okay to give them these defining features.

Also, remember that brown people have lighter pigment under their feet, hands, and bottom lips. 🌸 (didn’t really know where to put this but drawing mix people is basically a spin the wheel we come in all different shapes and sizes and features. There’s really no wrong way to draw a mixed POC.)

‼️ It's Just My Style ‼️

I'm so goddamn tired of hearing this goddamn excuse. A style does not mean you can't properly represent POC. I would even go on to say that if your style is stunting you so grossly that you can't draw a proper black person, you have a bad art style. Sorry—not really.

Media has shown us that style does not stop representation. The only thing stopping that is your ignorance and refusal to improve. Great examples of ranging styles still being able to represent different POC are "Adventure Time," "Disney's Soul," "Proud Family," "Afro Samurai," etc. I'm just saying this because I've seen this excuse be more prevalent in the art world, and it's just better to nip that in the bud.

‼️ Whitewashing + I Don't Know How to Use the Color Brown ‼️

I've seen people make the excuse that the skin color is lighter because they use a pastel style, but they never bring up the fact that the only color in the art that's lighter is the skin tone. 💀

Also, the whole thing about people saying they don't know how to shade and color brown palettes is just completely bullshit. I would even say that trying to shade pale colors is harder than shading darker colors. Additionally, there are multiple artists and tutorials showing you exactly how it's done. You have no excuses other than you just don't want to.

YouTuber Sinix has a great video on painting skin tones!

‼️ Black Hairstyles ‼️

I love dreads. Dreads are a very pretty hairstyle. However, we have more hairstyles other than dreads. If you're going to draw black characters, I would encourage you to branch out and explore beyond dread heads. There are so many unique black hairstyles out there. We need to move on from just focusing on dreads.

YouTuber Ari has two wonderful videos on black hairstyles in video games. I would recommend checking them out.

‼️ References ‼️

I love referencing old black media such as "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "The Proud Family," and "Little Bill" (before all the Bill Cosby stuff came out). I also appreciate how "House of the Dragon" implemented black people into the lore. Other references include "BOTW/TOTK Rottmnt," etc.

Some artists I reference all the time are Mohammed Agbadi, who doesn't do many art tutorials anymore but often discusses black characters in media, and his art is still amazing. Ethan Becker has a very interesting video on the racist triangle that I recommend checking out.

On Instagram, I love the art of Jojo.Dreamie, Chibichanga12 (holy shit, love their art), Bruniosktch, and Caw.Chan. I also just reference my family a lot. 💀

This is a lot of rambling, but what I’m gonna say is don’t stunt yourself by tricking yourself into believing that your art can’t include POC 🌸🌸‼️💌💖💌💌🎀💕💘‼️🧁

[straightline-bow]

FUCK ben sulyamen actually.

rant about the D&I charter in regard to being lgbtq+ below the cut but I do discuss the punishments for queer people in some countries F1 races in and that has the potential to be triggering, so.

TW: mentions of the death penalty & torture

look i love that hamilton’s mission 44 was able to help with the D&I charter that the fia/fom have recently signed, but that doesn’t help the fact that there are 195 countries in the world, and of those 195, only eleven have the death penalty for being gay, and yet f1 races in THREE of them.

of ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FIVE countries, 65 punish homosexuality explicitly, and f1 races in four of them (Qutar: death penalty, UAE: death penalty, Saudi Arabia: death penalty, Bahrain: semi-illegal). Beyond that, in Hungary, Azerbaijan and likely the USA, queer people face discrimination and in the case of Azerbaijan, imprisonment and possible torture.

jesus. it’d be so easy to race in countries that just don’t criminalise being gay, let alone give the DEATH PENALTY for it, but no, he just has to accept the money, and then greenwash the whole thing with some bullshit about renewable jet fuel and a instagram post with some pretty words.

what happened to the bullshit ‘we race as one’ little slogan they used to have plastered everywhere? vanished in 2022, with Domenicali saying they needed to change “gesture to action” to sky sports. i haven’t seen that happen. the ‘we race as one slogan’ was designed to encompass multitudes more than just lgbtq+ rights, fair enough, but they co-opted the rainbow branding for it, which is iconic enough that by itself people associated rainbows with lgbtq+ rights. for them to have used that branding to clean up their image and sell shittons of tickets and merch, to then do absolutely fucking NOTHING for lgbtq+ people within the sport is fucking disgraceful, and the worst kind of rainbow-washing.

ralf schumacher has done more for lgbtq+ people in the sport than the fia/fom ever has. by coming out whilst alive and famous, and by being a race winner, he has single-handedly given any young kid who is queer and wants to be an f1 driver a figure to look up to. he’s created a possibility for every young queer kid out there who loves f1. hell, i hate his opinions most of the time, but that doesn’t prevent me from standing behind the opinion that he’s one of my faves now, even when i disagree with him. (which is often.)

but it SHOULDN’T have to be down to individual ex-drivers. fucking hell. the fia is meant to KEEP THEM SAFE. no driver will be able to come out whilst driving at the moment, even if their team and fom/fia were fully behind them, because they wouldn’t be able to race in some countries for fear for their life. fuck that. i mean, i’d love to go into motorsports journalism, but i face the prospect that i wouldn’t be able to be open and public about my sexuality if i did make it, for fear of being imprisoned etc in what would essentially be my workplace in some countries.

it’s just so fucking frustrating. i get that a lot of people have an issue with it due to the racism still kind of baked into the institution of the sport, although i think an argument can be made toward it being more of a classism problem than specifically a racism problem (aka more white kids get opportunities because more of them are rich. not JUST because they’re white, although there is still that discrimination) but at least they aren’t in a situation where if they go to certain countries, they are risking being legally killed for their sexuality.

(yes, obviously, police brutality and racism can make it fucking risky and awful for poc to go to some countries, because they have a higher risk of being ‘accidentally’ killed. Qatar has stones people to death LEGALLY for being gay. these things are not actually the same)

and this charter does fuck all. i’m sorry, it probably will help for women and poc in motorsports, and for that i’m grateful, i truly am. it’s been long coming, and it’s fantastic that it’s here and hopefully will be used to actively help increase diversity & inclusion in those areas. that does not, however, negate the fact that NO mechanic, engineer, scrutineer, hospitality worker, driver, broadcaster, photographer, team principal, commentator etc can come out and be able to go to these countries without fear. none. THATS what the fia/fom should be fucking focussing on, eliminating fucking death threats to it’s workers.

[cynthiav06]

This might be a genuine Controversial opinion of mine. Really because I Always see The Black Percy fanart or POC Percy and I love them, even though i still love the book version...it had me thinking...

But I highly think that if Percy were Black or Any minority I Doubt he would Take Annabeth's Bs or let her treat him the way she does

What do you think?

I have mixed opinions on this. I think it's a bit controversial but not for the reasons you are going for. Bear with me.

I think all this diversity propaganda has warped our perspectives on characters and their roles. Rick is shit at diversity roles cause he is trying explicitly to write them as diversity characters. I mean yes coming from a certain race, culture or ethnic group does play a large part of who you are but most authors make that the entire point or personality of their character.

In a world like Percy Jackson, where far greater things are at stake, I don't think a character's race or ethnic group should be prioritized so much. In fact, their motivations, how they choose to cope with their trauma and insecurities, how they love, how they fight is what makes a character.

In contrast to Rick, Leigh Bardugo writes tons of diverse characters who are just that, characters in her eyes. It's not because she needs to meet some quota or write diversity for the sake of it. She writes as it comes to her, and I think anyone would appreciate that far more.

Now, coming to your point, I don't think Percy being a minority or person of color would have changed him much. Because the points that you are trying to make should already be valid for Percy as he is.

He had an abusive stepfather who not only physically and mentally abused him but also always harassed him for money. Percy has grown up in that environment, he knows abuse well.

Percy can't stand bullies or people who impose their will, which is a fundamental part of his character which we are actually introduced to very. early on

Not to mention, Percy grew up in the streets of NYC all on his own, also moving from one boarding school to another. He is seasoned player when it comes to cops or law enforcement.

Plus I headcanon that all demigods have issues with any kind of normal organization or law enforcement cause what explanation are they supposed to give for their actions when the person across from them can't fathom it, see it or let alone imagine it. So they are all kind of in similar situations despite whatever culture or ethnic group they are from.

Percy's actions are also a reflection of his self-esteem. That's the thing driving his behavior. Percy wouldn't stand for this from a stranger, but Annabeth is his best friend. The first person he got close to in Camp. She represents his demigod life in a way. To him, the fact that someone like her wants to date him seems unbelievable. He goes in that relationship or any relationship feeling inferior. Then he begins dating her, and he desperately wants to meet her expectations cause Percy Jackson can't take her walking out on him, not because he disappointed her. Cause what sort of shit boyfriend is he if he can't even stand and accept Annabeth as she is. So he takes it as it is. He takes her demands, her violent way of expressing her emotions and her need to be in control. She wants to go to University and study, she wants to be involved in the demigod business, wants to be the heart of it and Percy isn't about to leave her to be on her own. He is Percy, he would go to the ends of earth and beyond for people he loves and cares for. So he goes along with that too.

The question shouldn't be what it would take Percy to be done with Annabeth's bullshit or what would finally make him snap. That shouldn't be the focus.

The focus should be at what point will Annabeth realize that she is stifling Percy, leashing him. (Before you snap, percabeth stans hear me out, not my words. Literally a bloody conversation from Mark of Athena, in which Piper word to word says and agrees with Annabeth that someone needs to leash him and Annabeth can do it.)

And I love how the fandom just glossed over it. What the hell??? Are you people blind? How is that a healthy relationship??

Annabeth should realize how badly she is hurting Percy or how badly she has misunderstood him. How awful her actions have been and how her actions are enabling his lack of self esteem. (For confused people who think Annabeth can do no wrong, please check other posts. There's nothing wrong with admitting that your favorite character is flawed and can make mistakes. )

And then if she truly loves him they should separate, go their ways, still be friends but not romantic partners. Or they should go on a long break in which Annabeth needs to sort out her behavioral issues, come back to Percy, apologize to him earnestly, then to Rachel and even Reyna. And then if Percy (after he too understands the problems in their relationship and how disastrous his lack of self esteem and self deprecation is) is willing to give her a chance or even willing to be in any romantic relationship then and only then should they get back together.

It might not be the answer you were hoping for anon but I had to give my honest thoughts on this. Feel free to comment your own opinions on this as well.

[eddiediazismyhusband]

i don’t wanna hear anyone say that tim/911 is incapable of making absolutely bullshit decisions involving poc characters/actors after today bc if they fired anirudh, a long time fan favorite, while keeping a known problematic white man/character in his place then that speaks VOLUMES about where tim’s loyalties lie and what he’s capable of and i don’t wanna hear another word of “tim/abc wouldn’t do that!” bc this shows that he absolutely would

firing a poc cast member and writing out their character just to continue using them for promotional material while still possibly keeping on a character/actor who has done nothing but cause drama and derision, and stir up controversy and violence within the fandom is an absolutely vile and disgusting move on abc/tim/the show’s part and i hope people will wake up and start to understand that these creators don’t actually give a single fuck about the story/representation bc this is what they’re capable of doing without any pushback whatsoever

all they care about is money at the end of the day and if that means sacrificing poc characters in favor of shitty racism plot devices that they wanna unsuccessfully retcon into something else then i have truly lost any sliver of respect i had left for the creative team on this show

[wolfertinger]

"i'm not really one to get into pro para discourse because i'm not informed on something like that"

Me when I lie.

My brother in christ, you liked a post with a furry spreading their legs with female dog genitals in full view.

You follow multiple people who are fine with feral nsfw. You follow multiple people who are fine with sexualizing rape. You are fine. With People. Who Post. That. Shit. YOU drew dog knots. YOU know what the hell you're getting yourself into because you consciously follow these people who have "weird" and "freaky" in their bios, and don't give a fuck about it. And I know damn well your timeline is filled with this.

Are you a chronic liar as well? Do you know what paraphilia means? Have you looked it up or are you just playing dumb just so you can spout bullshit and your followers will eat your slop out of your hands so they think you're innocent?

You've been vague with following a "dangerous person[4Lung]" in the puppychan days and when people told you about this person you blocked them anyways and never listened, because they were "newly made accounts" .

You've been vague about your actions since the puppychan days in every apology letter. You STAY VAGUE about what you've done until you get hounded and pressured to say what you NEEDED to say so you can acknowledge it and your followers can also know how much of a piece of shit you are. You stay vague so you don't want to say what you really meant to help cushion any backlash.

You are still vague to this day just so you don't hurt and lose your freaky-ass paraphiliac friends, the 50k followers of ass kissers at your beck and call, and your bisexual lesbian girlfriend at your side to call other queers and poc cops, nazi's or kiwifarmers because you keep getting criticized and called out. RIGHTFULLY.

.

[emblemxeno]

We really should have a serious discussion about white saviors because in all honesty, they are a problem and very few people talk about it in depth

It really is an issue when white people claim to be so woke, but also still talk down to POC about different issues and how some will claim to understand what it means to be a minority better than the actual people from that minority

It still boils down to white people trying to restrict POC to the stereotype they've built up in their head instead of actually trying to learn about different people and their experiences

Precisely! It evokes an image of "subsconscious entitlement to knowledge" that has been a significant plague on the world's cultural zeitgeist for centuries.

Yes, it's deeply appreciated that white people will speak up for us, however, there's still nuance in how it's done. Speaking alongside an ethnic minority or propping their voices up is good! Talking over them or trying to speak for them isn't good. Being serville and self-flagellating (i.e. a "sorry for being white" energy) is also not good.

I've then had conversations with white people asking "well how do you know which is which" and like... it's not as cryptic as someone would think. If you understand the problems of mansplaining for example, it's a similar concept to speaking over/for POC voices. And if you understand that a certain level of self deprecation becomes uncomfortable or cringe, then you understand that it's not something that should be done either.

Honestly, having normal conversations with us and being actively anti racist (calling out and pushing back against racist comments or jokes even when we're not around to be defended) is perfect! And I've had internet tryhards say "oh you're praising the bare minimum the bar is in hell" but 9 time out of 10 those are the same people who have made pre-emptive excuses for not participating in an active revolution against an incoming tyrannical regime because "i have anxiety" or some other bullshit so...

The supposed bare minimum is a fucking godsend in this era, as sad as that is

[sunshiline-writes]

A Rose Amidst Thorns #22: How to Ease a Rattlesnake

Previous | Masterlist | Next

Word Count: 2.7k

CW: Aftermath of noncon, noncon mentions, blood mention, abusive relationships, breakdown, panic attack, complicated character dynamics, POC whump, lady whump, idk there wasn't much violence in this one very lore heavy.

You’re fucking afraid of him and you can’t really kill someone you’re still afraid of. 

The words stood out in her brain. How was Jesse, of all people, aware of her fear? Was it in her eyes? Her father always said that eyes were the perfect windows into the soul. They betrayed everything, even on the most neutral of faces. 

Henrietta could not see Miguel's eyes. They were too swollen and purple to even see a glimpse of white as he clung to Solomon's nightshirt in his sleep. Seeing him like this. It was the worst he’d ever been. Not even Jesse had been this rough with the kid. At least the kid could see and walk after he was done with him. 

But no. She knew Xavier. The way he liked it when it hurt a little bit. It always hurt, he was too big and too rough for it not too. Rougher still when the crying started. It turned him on more, made him more violent. God. She hoped that he’d never do it to someone else. Or at least, not in a way she could see the aftermath like this. Henrietta had hoped that she would never have to think about it again, she could leave and never come back.  

I repent nothing, she said to herself. The phrase tattooed in her mind, somewhere in between the idea of freedom and a quiet life.  

It was true she supposed, the fact that she was still afraid. That his darkness was only getting worse and he would kill her and throw away the dead body like she was nothing. That one day, she would come to a moment where she would have to choose between him and herself, and she would choose herself. That’s what Henreitta did. She chose herself. She wasn’t good like Solomon or Miguel. Henrietta had killed people to get out of this place once. She would gladly do it again and again. However many times, however many people, she would kill them all to get her chance at a quiet life. 

She looked over at Jesse who was still sitting there, back against the stall door. He had green eyes like his uncle, like his mother. The signature Reede eyes. Those eyes looked less like Xaviers at the moment and more like his mothers. Resigned, tired, maybe even a little sad. 

“So,” she whispered to not wake Solomon, who was curled around Miguel protectively, “what do you think of the plan?” 

Jesse glanced up at her, squinting for a moment before leaning his head back on the stall door.

“I dunno actually. Feels stupid. Risky. Especially if we’re leavin’ before Migs is all the way good.” 

“Better,” she corrected. 

“Hm?” Jesse asked, squinting again. 

“All the way better. Not all the way good.” 

Jesse scoffed and took a deep breath, leveling his head. He looked her in the eye with a tired smile and said, “Fuck you bitch. Don’ go correctin’ someone who doesn’t even know how to read.” 

Henrietta stopped, tilting her head curiously. Xavier never taught him? Never thought too? If Jesse was to take over the ranch, he’d need a skill like that wouldn’t he? She made no further comment other than a huff of breath. 

“Doc says he’s hurt real bad. It’ll take at least two weeks to get him functioning enough to even try your dumbass plan,” Jesse continued for some god forsaken reason. She pictured him without a mouth, or a tongue. “Didn’ know you were so popular with townfolk, always seemed stuck up to me.” 

“Shut your mouth or fucking leave Jesse,” she snapped. Henrietta bit her lip and growled slightly in frustration. “The townspeople in Red Rock were good ones. Helped me when I needed it. I returned the favor a few times. It's that simple Jess, you do good and good comes back to you.” 

“Bullshit.” 

“Whatever Jess, it’s your grave people will be pissing on when you die.” 

That one got a surprised laugh out of Jesse who had now taken to looking at the ceiling. Xavier was gonna be pissed they were talking like this. That Jesse had taken Miguel to them. They would have to return Miguel to the hayloft soon. The early blue rays of the morning were starting to slip through the cracks of their makeshift oasis. Gently, she shook Solomon’s shoulder, who woke with bleary eyes. Adjusting Miguel in his arms, he sat himself up. Miguel’s head was now laid in his lap and he ran a gentle hand through his hair. Trying to ease the kids soul. 

Hair was sacred. Held many things. Suffering, happiness, grief. It was all memory. It was all important. Her mother used to do her hair every morning before she practiced the violin. Gently pulling and stretching it. Those mornings had the best conversations, the best music and the best memories. To Solomon it was a connection to the soul. She understood that, she felt it in those mornings before church as her mother ran a comb through with warmed water. Having hair touched in a certain way, it soothed an ache that nothing else matched. It was about community, about those memories held in the hands of someone trusted. 

“Solomon we have to take him back,” she whispered softly. 

“I know.. Just a little longer. Let him have the warmth a little longer,” he pleaded. Henrietta let him have a few more minutes before she gave Solomon a look. Solomon nodded and gently tried to rouse Miguel. The boy couldn’t open his eyes but he moaned in pain. It was grating to Henrietta's ears. Hearing him be in so much pain, it made her heart shatter into a million pieces. 

“I know she’awee. I know.. I know,” Solomon said softly on deaf ears. “Jesse, you gotta take him now. He’s gonna start making too much noise soon.” 

Jesse nodded, standing up and going over to Solomon and with a gentleness that Henrietta didn’t know he possessed, took him from Sol’s arms. He left the stable quietly and quickly. There was a beat of silence. 

Then Solomon started to cry. 

Tears fell onto his legs, his hands went up to wipe them and more kept coming. His breathing hitched, and he bit his lip to quiet himself. His fists pressed into his eyes as if that would physically stop them from flowing. Henrietta sat in front of him and held out her arms. Solomon took care of everyone.. Who took care of Solomon? 

Henrietta had always been a selfish creature, but right then, she grabbed Solomon's wrist and pulled him toward her. Solomon let himself be led and then he buried his face into her shoulder. 

“Go ahead and cry Solomon. You don’t have to hide yourself right now,” Henrietta said gently. 

Solomon stopped crying and took a deep breath. Then he began to wail, full body shudders and half screams. Burying teeth into her shoulder as he screamed into her shoulder. Arms curled up between his chest and hers as she moved herself closer. He leaned fully into her as she sat next to him, feeling her nightgown and shoulder be soaked with tears and spit. Slowly, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Everything will be okay Solomon. Everything will be okay. We’re gonna leave this place. We are. We got everything planned. We have the food stash, the horses and we’ll send the signal soon. Just gotta wait for Migs to heal a little. Get his strength up. Melanie, Isabella and Jacob and all his men, they’re gonna help us get out of here. You’ll see Solomon.” 

The wails had died down and he was now just quietly sobbing into the crook of her neck. This would be too intimate if it was anyone else. But Solomon was good, he wasn’t like that. Solomon was a good man, a real one. Henrietta thought men like him didn’t exist anymore. Henrietta had seen the way good people interact with each other in Red Rock. The community there didn't rely on fear or hatred. They all helped one another. The garden was communal, everyone shared the sugar and they had welcomed Henrietta with open arms. Melanie, Jacob, Isabella, Ricardo, Gregory. All names that carved their way into her heart in the short three years that she lived there. She should have kept moving. Henrietta knew better and yet she stayed. The one thing she couldn’t do for Solomon and Miguel, she could do for the strangers at Red Rock. 

Leaving Miguel behind was something she didn’t really regret, she had to admit. He would have slowed her down. Shooting Terrance like that though, yeah, she regretted that. There was no guilt though. She regretted the action but it didn’t eat her alive like guilt did. 

I repent nothing.  

Henrietta needed to stop thinking about the past. She was in the here and now. Here and now is all that mattered. Solomon was here with her, her rock. Miguel was alive, he was not yet a shell of a human being. These thoughts eased the churning in her soul slightly. 

Finally, Solomon had stopped crying, opting to just sit there with his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed in deep then exhaled. Deep breath, exhale. Again and again. Henrietta let him. She would wait for him to collect himself, however long it took. 

“I am so tired,” he eventually said, removing his face from her neck. His hands rubbed at his eyes, palms digging into them. 

“I know Sol. I know,” she said softly, wiping away the wet from her neck with her hand. 

“Sorry.. I just..” Solomon started and Henrietta let out a quiet chuckle. 

“Don’t be. I was wondering when you’d break down. You’ve been holding in so much ever since I met you. You needed that. I don’t mind. You’ve done the same for me plenty of times. It’s the least I can do.” 

Solomon hummed, smoothing down his hair. It had all but fallen out of the two braids he always wore. He let out a long, tired sigh. 

“Two weeks. We have two weeks to prepare for everything.” 

“Yeah.” 

Solomon frowned. Shifting slightly from his spot he winced. He was getting old, Henrietta realized vaguely. The beating hadn’t helped either. Ever since Xavier had beaten him within an inch of his life, his movements were more stiff. Every movement seemed to cause him some sort of pain. He was weak. They were all losing strength. 

The thought that two weeks might be too long flashed across her mind. So far, her and Jesse were the healthiest of the bunch. What a sorry group they were. 

A woman, an old man, a rapist, and a deaf and dumb boy. 

They were so fucked. 

**** 

Henrietta made dinner that night like nothing happened. Like she didn’t know about Miguel’s condition. As if she didn’t half carry Solomon back to his room so he could lay down. As if Jesse and her hadn’t nodded to each other when he came back into the house to eat breakfast. 

Xavier woke up around mid-noon and he went up to their bedroom and continued to sleep until he smelt dinner and made his way downstairs. He looked haggard. Hair unruly, shirt half unbuttoned. He was still covered in Miguel’s blood. It seemed he had enough sense to clean his hands, but it was all over his clothes. 

“Wh-What happened?” Henrietta asked dumbly. The sizzle of the potatoes on the pan made her turn around to move them around before turning back to Xavier. 

“Mm,” he grumbled, sitting down at the kitchen table. “Do you really wanna know Etta?” 

“I think I would like to, yes.” 

Xavier gave her a lazy grin, laughing slightly. He groaned slightly and leaned forward with his elbows on the table, fingers rubbing into his temples. 

“Had too much to drink again, Xavi?” she growled out as she moved from the potatoes for a moment to start brewing some coffee.  

He glanced at her, expression lighting up slightly. He was amused at her, perhaps he had taken all of his violence and used it up on Miguel. She found herself feeling relief at the thought. If he took it all out on Miguel then he would have no energy or ideas to take out on her. 

Ah that’s always where it fell wasn’t it? Henrietta feeling relief over something that she was not supposed to feel relief for. It was always that selfish thought of at least it’s not me. It could be worse. She could be the one fucked within an inch of her life, bleeding from every orfice and eyes swollen shut. But she wasn’t, she was here, cooking a monster lunch and waiting for him to strike. 

Xavier was a rattlesnake, watching, waiting to strike. People always stay still when they’re near a rattlesnake. Their rattle is louder than anything else when a person is near it. It's a warning that a person is in danger. God gave snakes rattles so He could laugh at people who ignored the sound. The way to escape a rattler was simple. Slow movements. 

“I’m makin’ potatoes and cabbage,” she said slowly, blowing out the fire on the stove. She turned to face him again, leaning back on the counter, letting the potatoes cool. “It’ll be ready soon.” 

Slow movements. 

“Etta, whose blood is this on my shirt?” he asked, grin making her stomach twist into a knot. The snake shook its rattler. Deafeningly loud. 

“I think only you know that Xavi,” she said carefully.  

“Take a guess Etta.” 

Henrietta frowned, standing up straighter. She chewed on her lip and looked at him more closely. Scrutinizing him. His pants were covered in it, his hands, and the collar of his shirt. She did not want to answer this question. She could see the snake coiling up to strike, rattling sound only growing louder. 

“M-Miguel..” she said quietly. 

“Louder Etta.” 

“Miguel. It’s.. It’s Miguel's blood.” 

Xavier leaned back in his chair, lazy grin changing into something sharp. He sighed heavily and interlaced his hands behind his head. The silence only made the rattler sound grow louder. 

“I think you deserve a prize,” he said, tilting his head at her. “Give me a kiss sweetheart.” 

Slow movements. 

Forcing herself to take a few steps toward him, she tried to stop thinking about the blood. The blood and the way he cried when he woke up. The way that Xavier’s aura threatened to choke her. She stepped forward, leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Something tender, like she loved him.  

You can’t do it because you’re still too afraid. You’re not angry enough Henrietta.

Xavier reached behind her, possessive hand on her neck and deepened the kiss. Tongue in her mouth, sliding along her teeth, pressing on her tongue. Not angry enough, not angry enough. She couldn’t breathe. Slow movement. Pressure building up, in her chest, in her head. The sound was deafening, it was deafening. His hand was hot on her neck. Not angry enough, not angry enough. 

“You should have heard him scream,” whispered into her ear, “it was beautiful. A true symphony. You should play your violin to it Etta. Make a duet out of it.” 

Flashes across the forefront of her mind, one by one. Playing violin in a shitty bar, locking eyes with him, dancing, their first date, kissing him on the pier, marrying him, their first night together. All the flashes of memory pressed into her mouth along with his tongue and it choked her. 

You’re still afraid. You can’t kill someone you’re still afraid of.

Xavier finally let her go and she stumbled back, wiping the spit from her face. She stared at him and he laughed. The sound grating to her ears. Out of tune. A wrong chord. He was wrong. He no longer was a part of her symphony. He had no place there.

She refused to let him poison her song with his venom any longer. Henrietta stared at him.

Jesse was wrong. 

She didn’t need the anger. It wasn’t anger that was missing. She forgot who she was. She forgot that anger was not her weapon. Her weapon was apathy. Fuck slow movements. A gun can kill a rattlesnake just fine. Henrietta looked at Xavier and felt nothing at all. 

She could use that.

______

TAGLIST:

@demondamage @burntcoffeewhump @angst-after-dark @just-a-silly-little-whumper @tictac-murder-spaghetti @crash-bump-bring-the-whump @whumpifi

@flowersarefreetherapy @badgerwhump @whumpbees @whumplr-reader @cyberwhumper @kixngiggles

ask if you'd like to be added or removed!!

[horizon-verizon]

Been observing a rather strange phenomenon within fandom reactions regarding HotD and the criticisms pertaining to Ryan and Sara's writing.

The Black faction is dissatisfied because of issues such as the writers' lack of adherence to canon, distortion of character, sidelining/erasure of PoC actors

The Green faction is upset because the show didn't validate the elaborate headcanons they had constructed about the Greens: about Aegon and Aemond's brotherly love and loyalty, about Alicole's selfless courtly love, about Aemond being a caring and dutiful son. And many of these are not just unsupported by canon but outright rejected.

Book Aemond didn't care to rescue his mother and sister who were trapped in King's Landing. He even remarked that Aegon's crown looked better on him. Criston Cole was always an opportunist with a bitter obsessive hatred for Rhaenyra. He joined Alicent for no reason save for his own gain.

It seems like some people are still unable to wrap their heads around the simple fact that the Greens are the villainous antagonists of the Dance.

Ryan Condal has uttered a lot of bullshit but saying that the book was biased in favour of the Greens isn't one of them. This show went out of its way to bend canon and water down the Greens' villainy, at the expense of the quality of the script I would add. But there is only so much the Condal and Hess can do, biased that they are, without completely changing the entire plot they have to adapt.

Wrote about Aemond, Alicent & Helaena HERE. And in the line of the book where Alicent employs Criston, it is immediately described after Criston is responding to Rhaenyra's rejection and killing a man in rage during a melee/vis-a-vis spectacle. Definitely an opportunist.

This show went out of its way to bend canon and water down the Greens' villainy, at the expense of the quality of the script I would add. But there is only so much the Condal and Hess can do, biased that they are, without completely changing the entire plot they have to adapt.

This wasn't elaborated on. Why is there "only so much they can do" and how does this undisclosed information/explanation show that they couldn't have adapted the original story's most criritcal FACTS as they were the best they could instead of going into a totally different direction, even oppositional. Esp to go so far as to try to equalize Rhaenyra and Aegon. As political leaders, social and individuals, with is to undermining the misogyny that Westeros/many Targs practiced, which enabled the fall off of the dragons and magical imbalance of the world?

Many changes have been done that didn't need to be there but were there for a particular "moral" reason of preventing the violence we're going to witness. That's a whole other conversation, point is that this is a clear CHANGE and many projects have been able to display competiting medieval entities w/o caricaturizing them.

Like yes, the Dance was people concerned with political power and thus it seems that it was a petty dispute...but the commentary is that what makes this dispute petty is that they really could've let Rhaenyra reign (who committed no great wrong against vulnerable individuals nor smallfolk, and esp not the way Aegon had before the war), but the greens didn't and their supporters didn't because BOTH they thought they deserved that power and that men should maintain exclusive rights and access to women's bodies and general/more political authority through the transfer of power that is male primogeniture. That status as the "world's" leaders. As if Rhaenyra's reign would have totally upended patriarchy in an instant or end male privilege , but bc it would at least set up a change towards women having more power even if it would take YEARS, they responded violently. For the HotD team not to really internalize that and not see the value in several things they have outright changed to make some faux, pretentious claim of moral superiority when they try to be "neutral" is to actually be against the story's point in the first place. It's affected how Daemon treats Laena, it's affected how Daemyra operate around each other, how Rhaenys was written the way she was, how both Rhaenyra and Alicent were and basically every female character.

That is not them having "difficulties" with adapting but trying to make said story "appealable" to audiences who really don't know much about ASoIAF.

[hyperfixingfr]

kndbrainrot is not a proshipper anymore

Oh yeah right, just like how they said they weren't asking for art anymore, that they were gonna leave the internet until they were mature enough to handle it, or they weren't evading people's blocks LMFAO... All of those turned out to be fatass lies, they even tried to repeat the same "I'm not gonna _ anymore" which was ALSO a lie. I refuse to take that crap with anything but a grain of salt because last I saw they were pulling the "what is wrong with me why would I invade spaces waaah 😢" crap to gain support and sympathy

EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, they do not deserve any sort of support still. I do not CARE who you are, they've done far more bullshit in the past few weeks that they've said jack shit about. Them proshipping is just one of many shitty things they've done. I've tried to tell them to just get off the damn internet because they aren't mature enough for it, of which they lied (shocking/sarc) and said they would. Mind you this is the same person who decided it was totally okay to coax someone into giving an example of an apology so that they could steal it and pretend it was their apology. Also, they literally just accused some random ass POC millenial of being ME because they were calling them out in asks - and before I get anyone whining about "that was a long time ago" no it wasn't, they did that YESTERDAY.

This is going in the tags so none of you fall for this crap. Even with how unlikely it is to be real, you shouldn't support them or even unblock them if it turns out to be real anyways. This damn kid needs to get off the internet, because people have TRIED to reason with them. They're refusing to listen at this point, no matter how many times they claim they are listening, because no one is that incapable of apologizing after being told what to do a million times.

[moondrawzsstuff]

Warning! I do not have any of my sources because it’s been a year, so I’m staying as vague as I physically can with this brain of mine! If there are any spelling or grammatical errors I apologize for I am a speed typer and I have not gotten any sleep! (It’s currently 6am)

Before any Elon dick riders come in and fucking bitch and moan about how Elon isn’t a horrible piece of shit, just like any other billionaire, know that I’ve done the research to know that:

1. He is not US born, he CAN be deported for his crimes if anyone actually cared enough to, which the government won’t because he pays his widdle taxes that don’t leave even a dent in his paycheck but is still quite a bit compared to what the average American pays a year. Where does that money fucking go? No goddamn clue yet.

2. He has horrible working conditions at his factories and other industries. Far too many employees passing out on the job and others being told to just ignore it, POC on the job being told not to group because they “look like a gang” they do not get paid enough for this bullshit, $48,000 a year for an average worker, $117,000 for a manager. (Numbers will not be 100% because it has been an entire year since I’ve done this research and I only did a quick google search to get something, so I could be wrong with the numbers, but that’s about it, the 70k that I remember also isn’t enough.)

3. The Tesla Cybertruck is not some cool futuristic car. It is a cybercoffin, it is designed to kill you, one small car accident could either kill you or incapacitate you. If the car itself doesn’t kill you, the motherfucker catching on fire from a simple breeze, will.

Again! For the people in the back! It has been an entire fucking year since I’ve done this research! So there is either more than what I’ve shown or it’s a bit skewed, I stayed as vague as I could, not only because it’s all I remember but also so that I’m not asked about the essay itself, because I do not have access to it since my old highschool blocked me from seeing it as well as my other projects! I would show you them if I could because I am fucking PROUD of my work! If I find a way to get them back, I will show them here!!

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

So I saw a post that claimed that having POC/minority characters being villains isn’t racist and mentioned Ironwood, Adam, Clover and Sienna though they only said Sienna to a degree and I am kind of confused by the inclusion of Clover here unless the poster was talking about Clover being implied to be gay and calling him evil for....doing his job? 

Regardless though, what I think the original poster missed is that while POC and other minorities can be villains, that doesn’t mean the author doesn’t have to be careful how they make said character a villain. For example, regarding Ironwood, his prosthetics are used as a shorthand for villainy. Rather then writing a realistic fallen hero arc, they just used his loss of his other arm to say “Look he’s a bad guy now” and pretended that wasn’t harmful, stereotypical and ableist. 

No one in RWDE is saying POC/Disabled/LGBT people cannot be villains, what we’re saying is the way RT writes said characters and the way RT treats real living people is the concern. RT is mostly cis-able bodied white guys making these harmful writing decisions. They try to act like they’re autobiographers writing about the sad choices living breathing people made instead of being writers for fictional characters who have no say in what is done to them. 

The other massive issue is, Ironwoods fall happened during the height of the Stop Asian Hate movement due to people blaming Asians for Covid and attacking and harming them because of it. CRWBY choice to write Ironwood to become a horrific monster during a time when Asians where being targeted and harassed, they choice to rely on his prosthetics to make that fall happen during a time when disabled people are still struggling and being denied help because they are not “productive” enough because we live in a hellscape that only cares about how productive a person is and if they don’t meet that bullshit quote they don’t matter to the system. It’s not just about not allowing certain people to be portrayed as bad people in fiction, it’s about how the portrayal is gone about and how CRWBY time and time again relies on harmful stereotypes to get their rather then creating a realistic character who happens to be apart of a minority group but is still a bad person. But CRWBY regularly has the white characters be the good guys and the nonwhite/cis/ablebodied people be the bad guys. 

THAT is what is Racist. That is what is Ableist. That is what is Homophobic. 

[ceo-of-stealing-ur-fucking-teeth]

Nothing, and I mean nothing, has been frustrating me more than when I criticize multiple political groups for being shitty, but I’m more critical of one group than the other, and some fucking loser shows up and is just like “blah blah blah, this person on the other side did this bad thing.”

Like yeah bitch, I said I don’t like them. Do you know who I dislike more? The group of people who audibly and openly don’t want me and people like me to be ourselves, who support genocide, want to shove their religious ‘moral values’ down ours and the rest of the worlds throats, and deny their complicity in bloodshed both at home and across the sea while actively criticizing and dehumanizing the people they’re hurting

“Well the other side does that too.” Yup, yup they do. But y’know, they still tend to at least try and pretend that they’re not fucking awful people. And that’s not to minimize the fact that they do, in fact, hold a diet version of those Facist, imperialist ideals, and how harmful they are. They’re just as complicit in these issues.

“But blah blah blah, devils advocate, blah blah blah conspiracy i read on Facebook.” Shut. Up. The only freedom and safety you care about is your own. You don’t care about women, you don’t care about children, you don’t care about LGBTQ people, you don’t care about POC and you *especially* don’t care about any of those people if they’re from a country that isn’t your own. I don’t want to vote for any of the assholes I have as an option personally, but if I have to choose between a Facist or a useless smiling ineffectual liberal captalist, at least with the liberal we can still buy time to try and fix something. It won’t be great but it’s something.

And the fact that you get dog piled for not picking a side. How the fuck are you supposed to pick a side when *none of them represent you*???? I don’t vote the way I do because I like the people I’m voting for. I’m making a decision between a rock and a hard place. I don’t feel any particular loyalty to these people. To paraphrase one of my favourite tumblr posts, I’d sell their souls for a corn chip, and then not eat it.

I’m so fucking tired of it. I’m not even American, but this right wing bullshit is leaking in over the border into my province and it’s becoming increasingly clear that any safety there might have been for any oppressed group here is becoming shaky. How the United States Election goes will effect not just the United States and that infuriates me.

And the worst part is, that no matter what we do, Israel will continue its destruction and murder of Palestinians and now Lebanese people with tools given to them by the West (mostly America but almost everyone else is complicit, I don’t care what you say, they had decades of warning signs, they just didn’t care until social media started narcing on them).

I’m ranting, I know, but I’m so fucking tired and done with this shit. Fuck all of these mainstream parties, but some more than others. And fuck the little “But what about this thing the other party did” guys, I’d tell you to go apologize to the tree who’s oxygen you’re wasting but one of the companies you bootlick for is probably bulldozing it to make a warehouse or something.

Make sure you’re registered to vote.

[system-of-a-feather]

(Disclaimer: this post was written in two parts, the first half was done the day before but not posted cause I didnt feel it was a complete thought, the second half was added after. I did not edit or touch the first half as I like to keep space for the thoughts of myself as they were; i also have passive chronic amnesia so Im not 100% sure if everything is on the same page; regardless that is just context)

Honestly, I think the thing that is important to keep in mind when interacting with syscourse - or specifically for us cause the only one we really care about is the tulpa discourse - is that you are never going to force or change anyone's mind who is so set that they are sitting on tumblr and pulling the dumbest arguments out of their ass to support their claims and I do think those that spend their time arguing with @/sophieinwonderland and @/cambriancrew - while honestly doing the dirty work no one wants to do by balancing out their bullshit posting so mad respect - are largely wasting their time if they do ever think that a mind will be changed.

The only reason to ever engage or talk about the stuff they (and the clique that actually buys into those arguments) talk about is solely to make an example out of how incredibly deep their interalized racism and just disregard for POC goes and honestly looking at them as anything other than a stubborn white person is putting more emotional energy than its worth.

Because genuinely, in a weird way and me doing what XIV calls "The Riku Thing" of looking at a really negative, annoying, and/or harmful thing and finding the bright side silverlining to it, I do kind of appreciate how astonishingly White TM they are because their unapologetic and loud nature makes a really big spectacle for a lot of people who otherwise would not understand how bad certain issues are look and go "what the fuck" and in its own way, it brings good publicity to the issues AAPI and eastern cultures go through in a western and white predominant area.

AAPI issues often go under the radar and are disregarded due to a number of reasons, but honestly? This is the most I've ever seen people actually talk about how white people take advantage of eastern and Asian cultures (relative to the size of the community in question) save for the brief blip of when Stop Asian Hate got loud during COVID where sinophobia blasted up and a bit surrounding Cyberpunk as a genre when Cyberpunk 2077 came out.

In that regard, I'm kinda glad they are so loudly racist and White TM about AAPI cultures. It makes for good publicity and awareness by being the example of just the Usual Bullshit and it starts better conversations. I'd honestly prefer a loud bigot to a quiet insidious one cause the loud ones at least can serve part of a message and be ignored.

Anyhow, this is all just to say that bigots will be bigots and you can argue with them all you want and call them truthful statements like "bigots" and "racist" but thats about all you can do to really control their behavior. Those balancing out their bullshit arguments, mad props - I could never cause that shit is too toxic and too much of an investment, but it is respectable work. (insert "it aint much but its honest work" meme at yall)

---(cut between original thoughts and the added bit)---

That said, I'll just say it as the fact that it is, those two and those that follow their rhetoric do not care at all about AAPI individuals and are just racist. We don't have to debate it and it's honestly not up for debate and while we could put our energy to trying to tear down their following and make them shut up, in a world where the KKK still exists and thrives, its an unlikely and futile of a goal to try ti achieve.

Instead its best imo to treat them like the public case study of white and western abuses to AAPI culture, particularly since time and time again they redisplay some of the most classic and frequently used techniques white and western individuals do to try to excuse their shit.

If you wouldn't give a person arguing with any other loud and proud bigot, its best to just accept that bigots be bigots and rather than banging your head against a wall, put it up for display on the museum wall as a means of education and awareness.

Theres no point in talking to bigots about how they are bigotted. There is, however, a point to displaying it for those less effected and usually not given the opportunity to sed it in full get a much closer look at some of the shit we deal with

I like to think that while a lot of white and western people suck, that a lot of them genuinely are trying their best with the limited awareness, access, and understanding that they have.

I dont feel as though I would be correct calling them and bigots a "small minority", but I'd like to think they aren't the majority and I honestly appreciate those willing to learn and better understand and so ya know? Whats a better way to explain it than with a live dancing monkey that loudly and proudly displays the behaviors in question for all to see.

Anyhow, I digress. Take this as you will. I am just throwing some insight and personal thoughts about specific users in hopes that some people who might be overly stressed about it might find a little more peace moderating the topic

[galerymod]

NFL star in handcuffs:

It remains to be seen what the consequences of the incident will be for the players involved.

Shortly before the start of the NFL season, superstar Tyreek Hill was temporarily taken into custody as part of a traffic stop. As a result, the pass receiver and his team were asked to take a critical stance towards the player. The police justify their actions.

The police had previously released video footage from bodycams documenting the stop. The published video footage shows Hill sitting in a black sports car. A police officer approaches his vehicle and Hill hands the officer something through the lowered window. The window is then rolled up again.

The police officer then asks him to lower the window again, but Hill does not do so. Another police officer then forcefully opened the driver's door, whereupon Hill was pulled out of the vehicle and pinned to the ground. An officer pressed his knee into Hill's back, whereupon he was handcuffed.

‘I still don't know what happened,’ Hill said after the NFL opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars (20-17) and criticised: ’What if I wasn't Tyreek Hill? God knows what those officials would have done.’

The Dolphins wrote in their statement that this was ‘a reminder’ that ‘not every situation like this ends peacefully, and we are grateful that it did in this one.’

There are ‘some officers who confuse their responsibility and dedication with misguided power’, it continued: ‘We commend the MDPD (Miami Dade Police Department, ed.) for taking the proper and necessary action and releasing this footage so quickly, but also urge them to take equally swift and decisive action against the officers who behaved so abhorrently.’

Hill uncooperative according to police

No, Power abuse in its purist form.

It's interesting how many cops turned up on the tray for a normal traffic stop!

Any non-POC citizen would have had no problem getting into his car and the traffic stop would not have happened, this is structural racism!

The black man with the big fat car fits the image of police officers abusing their power.

Throw them out, they have no place in the police force, at most as security guards in a shopping centre car park.

mod

Of course, first investigate properly and then throw them out, that's just our opinion, then jobs will open up for more capable people with a greater sense of responsibility and the appropriate de-escalation skills.

Cops on Steroids?

Is that the problem? It's interesting when a professional athlete looks like an untrained citizen against a normal patrolman, isn't it?

I can only puke for the steroid pumped up cops with their bullshit core spirit.

Do a test on steroids with one of them - I bet you'll be surprised.