#such as for the preservation of human life

[qqueenofhades]

so I've been watching a lot of videos abt food that's uniquely Hong Kong and y'know with all the changes happening there I had a thought like hm is this preservation and documentation of cultural foods that are at risk of being lost?

and then I thought gosh this sounds familiar likkke everywhere we see violent colonization occur not only are lives and freedom lost but also language culture food

and then I wanted to ask you as a historian: has this always been the case? have people always had low key anxiety about culture "loss" or did they think of it a diff way? is this framing of colonization and cultural loss a recent one?

I'm realizing this is a big question and we are all le tired from les recent events, so pls view this as a no pressure ask, I just uh figured you're the only historian I have real access to haha

This is an important question that I don't currently have the mental wherewithal to answer in great depth, but I think it's important to speak to briefly. And I'll put it this way: yes, human beings have always felt that their culture, their way of life, their present existence, their friends and family, and the forces at work against them are tenuous, uncontrollable, and prone to sudden and violent destruction. I'd say it's one of the key themes of being human. I'll cite the famous example of the 8th-century Old English elegy The Ruin of the Empire, known usually as The Ruin:

This is what many of us would consider the dark and distant past, wherein an unknown person in Anglo-Saxon England is observing the ruins of the Roman Empire in Britain and reflecting on how fragile and frightening the present day feels, as if all the glory has faded into the past, as if things will not be "great" anymore, and the present is just moving inexorably toward darkness:

Bright were the castle buildings, many the bathing-halls, high the abundance of gables, great the noise of the multitude, many a meadhall full of festivity, until Fate the mighty changed that. Far and wide the slain perished, days of pestilence came, death took all the brave men away; their places of war became deserted places, the city decayed. The rebuilders perished, the armies to earth.

And yet... that was the 8th century. That was a very long time ago. A lot of history has happened since then, and despite everything, it's still here. People have always looked at the danger and fragility of their present situation and yearned for the perceived stability of the past. Indeed, the reason we have the myth of the "Dark Ages" is largely thanks to the 14th-century Italian humanist Petrarch, who looked at the (also objectively very, very crappy) 14th century, which is similar to now in a lot of ways, and built the shining myth of the Greco-Roman era as a bygone golden age that society needed to reinstate if it was going to save itself from self-inflicted destruction. This in turn gave rise to the Renaissance, which was intensely a cultural project to reclaim and re-instate a seemingly "better" past in the face of present-day chaos and uncertainty. This included a strict reifying of gender roles (etc. etc. Was There a Renaissance For Women?) and turn toward "purer" social ideals.

Anyway: these concepts have been shaped and articulated differently in various historical periods. But yes, the basic feeling that we are losing ourselves somehow, that the past was better and more stable, that the present challenges can be solved by insular reactionary politics, and so forth, is a very, very common human experience. For better or worse: both tangible and intangible artifacts have always been lost, destroyed, subject to violent sociopolitical conquest attempts, written out of history, and used for oppressive political and cultural processes. Part of the reason the right wing is doing so well worldwide right now is because they are tapping into a very, very old "put the strongman in charge and everything will go back to how [good] it used to be" mythology that is also as old as dirt and time, and which humans just keep doing when things feel existentially scary. This "weaponized nostalgia" is even more of an issue in the age of rampant disinformation, AI, and fake-news bubbles which can totally create what is accepted as reality, very often to the benefit of illiberal, right-wing, authoritarian forces. That is very hard to deal with and overcome, and I don't think we're anywhere near doing it.

That, therefore, is the bad news. The good (as it were) news is that at least these cultural processes and human instincts are not new, and indeed have continued for a long, long time. And even when these old things are destroyed, new ones emerge as well. So yeah.

[the-music-maniac]

I've never been able to get over stories where the abused becomes the villain. True of any media that has this trope, really, but especially true of Sephiroth. He makes my heart hurt.

Created to be nothing but a weapon, abused and manipulated and experimented on from childhood. Sent to go fight Shinra's wars for them, desensitized to killing from a young age, but still managing to hold onto his kindness somehow. They made him into a legend larger than life for their propaganda, while simultaneously de-humanizing him in the worst ways, isolating Seph to the point where no one around him, not even his closest companions, even realized that he needed support. There's hints that no one around him really knew his background by the things they say - the only one who was aware of the extent of his mistreatment was his abuser. He was a high functioning individual - who would be arrogant enough to assume that The General could need help? Who would dare?

And I don't blame Angeal or Genesis or Zack for not realizing. Along with them simply not knowing there was an issue that needed addressing, Sephiroth probably kept it from them on purpose - whether by choice or necessity or outside influence or self preservation.

Sephiroth just wanted a normal life too. He didn't like having his picture taken, but endured because he had to, and because other people wanted it of him. He didn't really care to compete for the title of hero with Genesis, even though Genesis didn't seem to believe it. He took care of his troops, and we see in that one cut scene where he failed to save a soldier, that he still got upset over stuff like that. All those years of killing and losing his men to Shinra's missions and he hasn't truly become numb to it.

And then nearing the end, after first being told he's a monster by one of his former friends, and then later spending a week in that library not eating or drinking or sleeping, left alone to his devices because who would assume that the most competent general of their time can be in a vulnerable state, and shouldn't be left alone right now?

After learning the "truth" about his origins, and after a lifetime of systematic abuse, no longer believing he's even human anymore. And then the only person offering him a hand in his darkest moments is the one he shouldn't have taken. But at that point - could you blame him? Whether or not the post nibelheim Sephiroth is truly him or just a puppet for Jenova I'm uncertain about, but the end result is that from start to finish - Sephiroth never manages to break free from the whims of those who wanted to use him.

And because he gave into his worse demons - he won't receive a happy ending. He won't be saved. There's no comfort for him, no opportunity to rest and heal and grow. His childhood wish to live a normal life will never come to pass.

Watching Sephiroth's story unfold is like watching someone drown in front of you while surrounded by a crowd of people. And the one drowning doesn't even scream for help because he's been conditioned to believe that the suffocation is normal.

I will NEVER get over him. It doesn't excuse what he did after Nibelheim, I'm aware of that, but I can't help but remember that people only ever had praise for him while he was burning villages down in Wutai on Shinra's behalf.

It doesn't excuse his actions. But I will NEVER be able to forget all the ways the world failed him first.

[nightingale-prompts]

Bringing back another black-haired and blue-eyed boy was met with a round of sighs but acceptance.

Little Davey looked only a few years younger than Damian. 12 years old at the most. The boy was pale, slightly gaunt, with large eyes and matted black hair.

Davey was strange. He didn't understand social cues or how to exist in public. He knew next to nothing about how the world works or how to stay safe. Cars were familiar enough but only because he would be dragged into them or put in the trunk. He was very excited when he was allowed to touch the buttons.

Damian wasn't ready to be an older brother especially not to something like that thing. Davey felt wrong to Damian. Something that shouldn't exist.

Damian was proved right when the boy looked him right in the eyes and said.

"Play with me." He pulled Damian's drawn sword to his neck. "Cut me open!"

Bruce snatched Davey back from the blade and told Damian to put it away. Davey was forbidden from entering the Batcave and any dangerous items.

Damian was freaked out. Davey was too mentally disturbed to be here. However, the revenant is fond of his older brother and follows him around and begs him to play. Damian has to try pawning him off on the others but Davey is like glue.

Then there was food.

Davey didn't understand food. He had been fed a mostly liquid diet for his short life by Vlad. The liquid was made from nutrients and ectoplasm. After escaping Davey didn't know what food looked like. When strangers came up to him offering candy he took it. So he learned that candy was also food. But that wasn't enough to make him full, so he resorted to the closest form of ectoplasm he could find. Human blood. He learned that he could drink it for sustenance.

Feeding Davey for the first time was...sad. He was like a toddler learning what different flavors were. Sour, salty, and savory. All so new a wonderful.

Tim let him him have a sip of soda and Davey was hooked.

Tim is also banned from giving food to Davey after letting him try coffee and making him sick.

Stephanie is also banned after giving him spicy chips. Mostly because of Davey's need to harm himself caused him to eat himself sick.

Davey's issues are more than concerning. Dick was supposed to watch him while Bruce was investigating the last suicide linked to Davey. Davey didn't know how to talk to someone not trying to kill him. But Dick felt like him. The blood on his hands was the same as his. But the lingering scent of another pulled Davey elsewhere.

The other revenant.

One that felt a similar drive.

Bruce debated if Jason should meet Davey. It could help them both but it could easily make them worse. Davey was impressionable, to say the least, and Jason didn't need to bring someone else on his crusade.

Jason wouldn't use Davey like that but Davey would surely agree to it.

But Davey wasn't like Jason. He didn't kill. He gets killed. He lets himself be tortured until he drives others insane. Jason could never use him to kill the Joker. In fact, the clown must never know of Davey's powers or Davey might find his eternal playmate.

But it doesn't change that Jason and Davey will meet.

"Yeah, he's coming with me," Jason said picking up the boy under one arm.

"You can't just take him!" Dick yelled

"Do you guys think you can control him? That he'll stop wandering around looking for more targets. He can't and he won't. It's a part of him. At least I can get to his targets before they can kill him first. If he can sniff out any predator then he can use his powers for good." Jason said .

"He's not like us. He's a child and mentally he isn't ready for the outside world yet. I love you but I can't let you drag him into your mess." Dick said.

"And what? Fix him? He is a revenant and he's going to seek out his obsession. In a place like Gotham, he will find another target. He needs it." Jason barked.

There is no clear answer. They could try to preserve any innocence Davey had left but that same innocence led him to being tortured. They could also tell him what he's actually doing and he'll then do it on purpose knowingly killing others. What was better for him mentally because they all knew by this point Davey would strike again? It's his nature.

The only answer they had right now was finding where Davey died originally and calming his spirit. If they could find his original killer or make a grave for him then he'd settle.

Constantine was firm that Davey couldn't leave even if they calmed his soul. His life and death were too traumatic for him to disappear.

On the other side of the country, Danny had a bad feeling. He knew he should leave his clones to themselves and wait for them to come home on their own but his most recent clone brother bothered him. He wasn't like Elle at all. He was...odd. Danny decided not to worry too much since the clone was stable.

But then Vlad talked non-stop about losing his "precious boy". The word made him feel sick. Then there was the first death. Some offender that lived on the outskirts of town ended their life. The only reason anyone talked about it was the state he was found in. Blood was everywhere more blood than a single human body had and unknown chunks of meat scattered the ground.

Danny brushed it off but more started happening and they led a bloody trail.

Of course, Danny knew something was up. This all lined up perfectly with the clone's escape. But at the same time, all the victims were serial child murderers. It was hard to feel bad about it. He had found his obsession and it was such a bad one.

But Danny was still worried. A bit of investigation wouldn't hurt.

(This all came out as a stream of consciousness)

Lay Me to Rest- DCxDP Prompt

Warning: Blood and gore

There has been a series of murders across the country. Each death was varied and self-inflicted. At first, they all seemed like suicide but each had a strange range of symptoms before death.

Sudden paranoia, incoherent mumbling, screaming or yelling, going in and out of their homes sporadically, random fixations, and finally self-harm.

The victims were teachers, parents, businessmen, truckers, and even a crime novelist. All unrelated and in different states.

Each victim didn't seem to have a connection until an investigation discovered that each one had been an active serial killer. The body counts ranged from as little as 5 to as much as 23. The killer was named the Serial Serial Killer which wasn't creative but it was catchy. Some called them the Angel of Vengeance but most thought it was cringy and overdramatic. Many people didn't want them to be caught but others hotly debated letting a killer dispense justice when their crusade could easily turn into them killing people for innocuous things.

The police were still questioning whether this killer even existed. One thing was clear, there was a trail and it led straight to Gotham. A goldmine for them. Naturally, Batman had gotten a hold on the case and began an investigation.

The biggest question was how the killer found their victims and how they knew that they were killers.

The answer was obvious. They didn't need to figure it out. They just needed to wait. Why just in the effort to investigate when a serial killer tries to convince you to leave with them? So bars are the obvious place. But that's shaky at best since there is a period of torment that takes place that allows the victims to return home. The killer doesn't care if the victims could call the police, perhaps because they know their victim won't.

Bruce started to build a profile. He saw a pattern here. Each of the victims had a preference for their victims as well. They targeted young people, mainly boys. Odds are the Serial Serial Killer matched that description or age range. So bars weren't the hunting ground. So parks were more likely to go unnoticed and boys tended to hang out there longer after dark.

The killer was more than likely a victim himself so he may have a few scars but probably not noticeable enough that his would-be assailants would be turned off. There is no ignoring the predatory nature of the victims. Each killed children for gratification in some form. It's not that the boy is attractive but he probably has traits that the victims found attractive in children. So babyfaced, short, native, and polite.

There was much else Bruce could get. There was nothing concrete and he still didn't understand the method that was used. So far this was guesswork.

It wasn't until a few weeks later while he tracking another killer that he found his answer.

Dr.Kinder a Biologist by day and a killer who experiments on his victims at night had picked up a promising new lab rat a week ago. He had intended to slowly dissect the boy. He had gotten so used to the screams he stopped using anesthetics besides he wanted to see how the fear response caused the organs to shift.

To his surprise the boy didn't fight, in fact he seemed to jump to the table and say he didn't need restraints. Disturbing. But he was restrained anyways.

As the doctor cut him open the boy didn't react, only humming to himself as he watched the doctor.

"What are you hoping to find?" He asked. "I'm getting bored and this bearly hurts."

The boy annoyingly never stopped talking and never missed a chance to ruin the moment. There were never any screams or cries but incessant talking.

Dr.Kinder found the boy disturbing so he simply took an axe and chopped the boy into pieces. Not once did he make a sound. The doctor thought it was over but the next day the boy was back. He sat on the autopsy table kicking his feet in nothing but his bare skin.

"What the hell are you?" The doctor gasped in horror.

"I'm bored. Play with me again." The boy purred.

Bile crawled up his throat as the doctor restained this...thing again.

This time the boy spoke differently.

"You cut me up last time. Did you do that to the last boy. After you...you know." A sick grin spread across his cheeks.

The doctor cut open his neck this time and let him bleed out.

Everyday he came back and every day the doctor killed him until the time between his death got shorter and shorter. The days began to blur and he had no idea how long he had been doing this. But that thing kept talkimg to him.

Dr.Kinder stared down at his desk at the papers trying to think of anything but-

"I wonder what people would think about what you've done. You're a disgusting and depraved man doctor. Look at what you've done to me." The sing-song voice of that demon called out.

He could feel those blood-soaked arms wrapped around his neck.

He flinch as he pushed the thing away.

"Oh, are you going to beat me or stab me this time? Ooo, or are you going to put me through the woodchipper again?" The demon asked as the doctor wrapped his hands around his throat.

He just kept squeezing until the boy went limp. It never ends. The blood never goes away. It covered every surface of the room. Dripping, conjugating, and spreading into every corner. Whenever he turned his head he could see body parts spread across the room in the pools of blood he could they the faces of the others that he had killed. Each face wretched in agony.

"You hold on better than the others. I've been eaten, torched, and disemboweled before but after coming back a few times they usually end it after a few words. But every time they don't feel guilt. They just don't want to face consequences." The boy said. "Do you even remember my name? The one I told you when you picked me up on the side of the road or was I just another body to use and discard? I used the name of your first victim. I hoped you'd notice."

The doctor knew he couldn't kill the boy but he could end himself. He had tried it once but just like the kid he came back without a scratch.

"Not yet. This is your life now. Come on, let's taste death together. Again and again and again and again and-" he repeated over and over.

This was hell. This was his hell.

But it came to an end eventually. Dr.Kinder put an end to himself in a gruesome display.

Batman had only caught the tail end as he faced a young boy standing an a pool of blood.

****

"Yeah, that thing is like a worse version of a revenant. Doesn't really have a name yet to describe it. It's undead for sure. You kill it and it just comes back." Constantine said "Why did you bring it here?"

After a long bath and some new clothes, the kid looked normal as played on a phone given to him.

"Look, I didn't know what else to do." Bruce explained.

"You leave it alone!" Constantine said exasperated "Look they are harmless to anything they don't bear a grudge towards. Think of it as a force of nature." Constantine said.

"I just want to know how to stop him." Bruce said.

"Well you can't kill it but you can't bring him back entirely. You can just soothe it 'till it stops targeting its victims. It must have died pretty gruesomely to go to these lengths. You need to find where it died and lay it to rest. Properly." Constantine sighed knowing that appeasing this soul would be more than just difficult.

"Danny, come on. Let's go." Bruced said putting a hand on the boy's head as Danny stood up to leave.

"Okay. Bye!" Danny waved to Constantine.

[deadboydetectives-confessions]

Seen a few people say Monty is horrible/evil/intentionally malicious, etc etc. Monty was only human for a very short time and during the entirety of it, he was living with a woman who was clearly threatening him and eventually killed him (to turn him into a crow, yes, but it's a violent and painful process and Monty knew it). He was a victim. He was following the orders of a woman who had power over him, and it's very likely he viewed her as a mother figure given that she cared for him and possibly did raise him as a crow. Essentially: new to human life + given instructions by the woman he trusts + unaware of her endgame/the damage he would cause. No victim is perfect. His options were to follow her instructions, which he didn't know were as bad as they were, or to go against her (the woman who he's actively being abused by) for people he didn't know. He did what he thought was best for his own safety AND he ended up going against her in the end anyway!! If you don't like Monty that's fine, opinions are opinions, but don't claim he's evil and morally irredeemable for responding to abuse and threats in a normal fucking way. It's okay to recognize his actions caused harm, but you have to understand that he was acting with a limited worldview and was literally being abused. He was a victim, and victims aren't perfect, and a LOT of victims cause harm unintentionally because they are acting out of self preservation and in a lot of distress. He's not a bad person for it and when people claim he is it just reads as them holding victims to an often unobtainable standard.

.

[ena-writes-stuff]

— diamonds, clubs, hearts and spades.

˒ ⌕ in a world of magic, the Kingdom of Diamonds' greed sparks a war. after millennia, the Queen of Clubs urges peace for her daughter, and the King agrees. fourteen years of peace follow, until a letter proposes a union, threatening the fragile harmony.

— warnings: female reader, use of his real name

— words count: 742

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

In ancient times, when the light danced in every fold of existence, the world was woven with the threads of magic and enchantment. Beneath the starry skies, the four Kingdoms flourished in harmony: Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, and Spades, each a pillar of cosmic order, guided by human hands entrusted with the sacred task of preserving the balance and prosperity of nature.  

Yet, the ancestral peace was shattered when the golden caravels breached the shores, bringing with them the shadow of greed and avarice. Originating from distant lands, beyond the confines of the Sea of Night's Sighs, where the stars bent to whisper long-forgotten secrets, the vessels of the Kingdom of Diamonds advanced, propelled by insatiable desires for wealth and power.  

Driven by an insatiable longing for material possessions, for the fleeting sparkle of gold, and for the promise of boundless conquests, the King of Diamonds defied the limits of the known. Ignoring the teachings of the wise and the warnings of the stars, he coveted the magic once devoutly guarded by the sages and wizards of the Kingdom of Clubs. Greed, like a voracious flame, consumed his reason, causing him to forget the ancestral bonds that united the Kingdoms. Driven by his boundless ambition, he challenged celestial balances, defied the very gods themselves. And thus, the shadow of conflict stretched over the lands, threatening to unleash a storm that could forever sweep away the fabric of reality as it was known.

For countless eons, the world bowed before the primordial sources of magic, flowing from the four natural elements, and only the sons and daughters blessed by the magical Kingdom of Clubs could raise their wands and conjure the winds of destiny. Yet, in a moment of alchemy, a flash of understanding was born, a rainbow woven of mysteries that challenged the very laws of nature. Thus, the war between the Kingdoms took shape, a symphony of thunder and lightning, where the Realms of Clubs and Spades marched united, defending the sanctity of nature and the magical creatures that began to shrink under the hungry gaze of humans. Meanwhile, in the South, the kings and alchemists led an army thirsty for the right to manipulate magic, an art that only unfolded when the life force of creatures was extracted.  

Millennia passed since the first spark of discord was ignited on the border between the Lands. The war now dragged on like a wounded dragon, its flames weakened as the hills between the realms grew taller, rising like guardians of forgotten peace. In the shadows of the stone castles, the alchemists wove webs of mysteries, their cauldrons boiling with forbidden promises, while the mist of the unknown enveloped the destinies of the realms.

At the height of the winter solstice, when the snowflakes danced around the castle like magical beings, an aura of enchantment enveloped the atmosphere. The word "peace" echoed through the ancestral corridors, a melody long forgotten but now revived with the promise of a new beginning. The Queen of Clubs, a legendary figure whose courage rivaled the very light of the stars, lay upon her bed, marked by the scars of countless battles. Her weary yet determined gaze fell upon her only daughter, an eleven-year-old whose fate was intertwined with the threads of destiny, written in blood and mystery. She knew her final moments on earth were near and summoned the King, her beloved, to her side.  

In a final sigh, she pleaded that the future no longer be decided by the edge of the sword, but rather by hope and compassion. She urged the King to ensure the happiness of the young heiress and to seal the peace between the realms. With tears in his eyes and a heavy heart weighed down by impending loss, the King granted the beloved Queen's final wish. And so, in reverence to her memory and driven by the fervent desire to prevent further bloodshed, the King ordered the withdrawal of troops from the borders. For fourteen consecutive solstices, the world they knew lived in harmony, as if embraced by an aura of tranquility long forgotten.  

Then, on a morning bathed in the glow of the aurora borealis, a mysterious letter arrived in the Diamonds Lands, brought by a messenger raven that flew with a majesty befitting of legends. Sealed with the royal emblem, the letter carried with it a proposal for lasting peace: the union of the heirs of the Diamonds and Clubs realms. It was a symbol of an end to hostilities and the promise of a future where the shadows of war would never again loom over the land.

That’s how our story begins.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

— next chapter.

[coder035]

Adam and Eve? Meet the OG Couple: Manu and Shatrupa"

Everyone’s heard of Adam and Eve, right? The couple that kicked off humanity in the Bible, the ones who got tempted, ate an apple, and changed the course of human history. But did you know they weren’t the only “original couple” story out there? Long before Adam and Eve became famous, Hindu history told the story of Manu and Shatrupa, the first man and woman, who played a similar foundational role in the creation of humanity.

So Who Were Manu and Shatrupa?

In Hinduism, considered by many to be the world’s oldest religion and the origin of countless spiritual traditions, Manu is known as the first human being, created by Brahma, the god of creation. Often seen as the forefather of humanity, Manu laid down principles for human life, codified in the Manusmriti, one of the earliest guides to ethical and moral living.

Shatrupa, his partner, was also created by Brahma. Her name means “one with a hundred beautiful forms.” Together, Manu and Shatrupa were entrusted with populating the Earth, and unlike the story of Adam and Eve, there’s no “fall from grace” in their narrative. Instead, they are seen as co-creators, embodying partnership and responsibility in the establishment of human civilization.

A Creation Story That Inspired the World

While Adam and Eve’s story is familiar in the context of temptation and exile, Manu and Shatrupa’s journey is rooted in duty, harmony, and creation. According to Hindu texts, Manu wasn’t just any man—he was a wise and virtuous figure chosen to survive a great flood (yes, a flood story appears here too) and preserve the seeds of life to repopulate the world. In some versions, the god Vishnu, appearing as a fish, guides Manu through the flood, ensuring humanity’s survival.

Shatrupa, embodying adaptability and resilience, symbolizes the strength required to build a new world. Together, Manu and Shatrupa represent balance—the partnership needed for humanity’s survival and progress. They didn’t face punishment or exile but instead were given a purpose: to help shape human life in a way that reflects dharma (moral duty) and balance.

The Original Inspiration for Abrahamic Stories?

It’s fascinating to note that Hinduism’s ancient narratives may have served as inspiration for the later religious texts of Abrahamic religions. The parallels are hard to ignore: the concept of an original couple, a great flood, the repopulation of humanity, and even the guiding role of divine forces. The story of Manu and Shatrupa predates the Abrahamic texts by millennia, which suggests that the stories of Adam and Eve—and Noah, in the case of the flood—may have evolved as interpretations or modifications of this original story from Hindu history.

In this way, Hinduism could be seen as the wellspring from which other creation stories emerged, with each new tradition adapting the themes of creation, partnership, and divine guidance in its own way. Hinduism’s influence, though often unacknowledged, runs deep, and Manu and Shatrupa’s story stands as a reminder of these ancient roots.

Why We Should Remember Manu and Shatrupa

Manu and Shatrupa’s story holds timeless lessons that extend beyond the narratives of temptation or punishment. Their tale isn’t about falling out of divine favor but about collaboration, balance, and responsibility. They embody the values of harmony and resilience, trusted by the divine to guide the world. Manu represents dharma, while Shatrupa embodies adaptability. Together, they established a model of life that is still reflected in Hindu values.

The story of Manu and Shatrupa is a reminder that humanity’s origin stories vary across cultures, with each offering unique insights into our purpose and connection to the universe. So, while Adam and Eve might dominate the global stage, let’s not forget the original pair from Hindu history: Manu and Shatrupa, the ancient figures who paved the way for humanity long before other traditions came into being.

[sol-consort]

Any hc about Mordins nephew? Some people do, curious what you think about him

You know I actually never thought about him much, huh... So let's look at all the available information we have so far!

The scene transcript itself:

[Start scene]

M: Yes. personal matters on mind, actually. Got call from nephew.

M: Promising geneticist himself. Just turned 16. Got tenure at university. Following in my footsteps.

M: had to lie about what I was doing. Think he was suspicious. Doesn't matter. still good to hear his voice.

S: Your nephew got tenure at 16? Is he a genius or a scientific prodigy?

M: No. Wait, don't want to insult him. Yes, but not in manner you meant.

M: Remember, salarian lives short. Mature rapidly by your standards. Don't live much past 40.

S: Does anyone in your family know about what you really did for the government?

M: No. Know I'm lying, but won't pry. Salarians curious as a people, but also have social cues. Keep two types of secrets from family.

M: First type personal or guilt-based, invites suspicion, exploration. Puzzle to be solved. Reward for curiosity, intelligence. Drama! M: Other secrets more serious. Dangerous if discovered. Signals discourage curiosity for protection of family.

S: Why wouldn't everyone give clues that their secrets were too dangerous to be uncovered? M: Not conscious. Social. Reflexive body language. Can't fake it. Example: yawning perceived as contagious among humans. M: Subject observes yawn, sensory input deactivates left periamygdalar region, subject yawns in response. Social empathy. Also works with dogs. M: Salarian faking signals to discourage curiosity similar to human faking a yawn. Can try, but effectiveness limited.

S: does anyone in your family know about what you're calling him because you're worried we won't make it back

M: No. Aware survival unlikely, but actually contacted him for family connection.

M: Hard to imagine galaxy. Too many people. Faceless Statistics. Easy to depersonalize. Goo when doing unpleasant work.

M: For this fight, want personal connection. Can't anthropomorphize galaxy. But can think of favourite nephew fighting for him.

S: I'm glad you got to talk to family before we finished this. And I'm glad we talked, too, Mordin.

M: Honoured to be part of this, Shepard. Helped preserve galaxy before with genophage. Dirty work, ethically ambiguous. Problematic.

M: Collectors mission simpler, cleaner. Will be proud to see it in Mordin Solus biography Vid. Unless we all die. Proud posthumously in that case.

M: Regardless... thank you.

[End Scene]

And the video here for frame of reference

Then there is the wiki brief description of the interaction

Known members of Mordin's family include a nephew who earned a university tenure at 16, a promising geneticist following his uncle's footsteps. Mordin fondly remembers this nephew and maintains contact with him during Shepard's mission, finding the familial connection a better motivation for saving the galaxy as opposed to the bigger picture and depersonalized statistics. Mordin is not above concealing his work from his family, however.

And those are all the available buildings blocks to make our Nephew Solus base out of it. Let's refer to him as Neph for the sake of simplifying things.

The well-established facts about Neph so far are:

He is a salarian male

He is 16 (48 in human years)

He is a geneticist

He has a close relationship with Mordin

He is his favourite nephew

-

And on the more subjective side, we have these conclusions:

He is naturally curious and suspicious

He looks up to Mordin and respects him immensely

Mordin might have been a mentor figure

He shares one or more similar physical traits with Mordin

He is a civilian leading a domestic life, possibly on a salarian owned planet (being a prof at uni and all)

He often calls Mordin to update him on his life and milestones

He is Mordin's only family connection that reaches out outside of obligations and despite Mordin's detached nature

He probably doesn't know Commander Shepard since Mordin couldn't mention his work with you

-

Now I want you to focus on this scene from the video, specifically the cinematography of it.

In most of Mordin's usual dialogue scenes, the camera faces him upfront. Yet, in here, it was a deliberate choice to show the side of his face.

And what stands out most? The scar. This particular position puts heavy emphasis on the X shaped scar under his eye, the bullet holes above his eye, and even the long scar on his forehead.

Even the dialogue emphasises the word "fight" it appears twice in the same sentence. This fight, against the collectors, he's fighting for him.

If you take in the context clues, the faded scars, the rushly healed wounds, then Mordin might have been fighting for the sake of his nephew for much longer than this. That Neph has been his motivation in so many fights, even during the lowest times of his life.

Maybe he often thinks of his nephew's happy and excited face looking up at him—back when he was still a small hatchling with stars in his eyes as he listens diligently to Mordin's retelling of his stories. As he proclaims in a moment of sincerity how much he wants to be like him when he grows up, how Uncle Mordin is so cool and amazing.

Maybe that memory and so many like it, are what keeps Mordin's sanity intact. What keeps him on the ethical morally just path. What makes him listen to you when it comes to sparing his student at the end of his personal mission, he saw his nephew in him.

Even when life is shit and pain is debilitating, I still smile when I see my niece. I still kneel on the floor next to her as she shows me her toys and tries including me in what she's playing. I still act happy and excited, and unlike the bitter mask of happiness society makes you wear just to appear polite even while you're miserable, this pretend happiness with her doesn't feel fake at all.

It feels the most beautiful of white lies. Sometimes, I start to believe that I'm truly happy, forget all my burdens.

It's fullfilling, to lie to them in these situations and smile. You never have to force it, either; it comes so naturally. I could be on the brink of a breakdown, yet seeing her and getting to play the role of the fun happy grown-up becomes the purpose of my life for those few hours before I have to leave.

What an honour it is to be part of her life.

I'd imagine Mordin to feel something similar about his nephew. It seems impossible to imagine anything else.

-

One last thing to consider is that Neph might not have the last name Solus. It's not explained how Salarian culture functions when it comes to titles and if surnames are even a thing or hereditary to begin with.

Like not all human names work the same either. I know western names go [First name -> Last name]

But middle Eastern names use [First name -> Father's name -> Grandfather's name -> Great Grandfather's name -> surname]

And eastern names often use [Last name -> first name]

Salarians are matriarchal, women making up only 10% of the population and yet holding the most important positions as the heads of the family and in society aristocracy.

It makes sense for their full names to include the female headfigure of the clan they originate from. To not mix genetics + to keep track of the family's prestige and standings amongst the rest.

The surname Solus most likely originated from a great grandmother. That or it's Mordin's mother's name. Or maybe the current matriarch's name?

Either way, if it was a surname, the mother is the most likely candidate to pass down her surname to the children when it comes to Salarian culture.

And we don't know if it's Mordin's sister or brother which this nephew came from. So Neph being a Solus isn't set in stone.

[hazbinrarepairs]

Hello everyone, we are a displaced and homeless Palestinian family in the north of Gaza City, where there is killing, death, lack of food, medicine and safety. We are looking for good and humane people to help us preserve the lives of our children and continue living.

Here are our innocent children who are supposed to be having the most beautiful moments of their lives, and here they are without safety, education or treatment.

This is our donation link, help us through it or help us spread it widely.

https://gofund.me/6b34d623

Sorry for the inconvenience and many thanks to everyone who helps us, whether by donating or sharing.

All help is welcome, life of millions of people are more important than anything else ❤️🫂. All help was reblogged on my main blog!

[mangoshorthand]

Ignoring season 4 (which we do, because it was garbage) this really depends on how you define selfishness. I don't personally think it's the best descriptor for him, but it is possible to describe some of his actions and attitudes as selfish if you view them through a certain lens.

Five's whole deal is saving his siblings. Since he saw them in the apocalypse, this has been the goal that he has pursued single-mindedly. I see it as the one shred of meaning that allowed him to cling onto (relative) sanity and survival.

He will achieve this goal come hell or high water, almost regardless of his siblings wellbeing. If he doesn't achieve his goal, then his entire existence crumbles. Though I don't think he realises it, it's as much about self-preservation as it is his love for his siblings. It's his survival mechanism: if he doesn't achieve his goal, then his entire reason for continuing to exist in 45 years of hell crumbles to nothing.

I think this dimension arguably leads him act selfishly.

He regularly devalues all other human life in favour of preserving his chosen few.

He considers Alison losing Claire an acceptable result, because as long as Alison is alive, he has fulfilled his promise to himself.

He denigrates Viktor for going against the grain to save Harlan (in much the same way Five did to save those HE loved) because 'sometimes powerful people tread on ants'.

Only the people Five loves matter. The people they love are a just a 'nice-to-have'

He's selfless and selfish all at the same time. He's both a martyr and a tyrant. He will save them according to his own definition of 'saved' whether they would agree to it or not, and fuck the consequences. He's damaged and hypocritical because, at the end of the day, he has built his entire worldview around the trauma response of a 13 year old child soldier lost in an apocalypse.

He's right at the end of season 1. He does need to grow up. Only he never gets the opportunity.

"five was selfish" i am begging you to rewatch the show and tell me that five fucking hargreeves was selfish

[xcarveoutmyheart]

have you ever thought about eating human flesh?

Hello anonnie! I can’t say the thought never crossed my mind, but it’s moreso a thought that comes and goes rather than something I outright entertain for myself.

I have heard a few tidbits about cannibalism, though I’m not sure how much of it is true to fact. Maybe drop some facts about it? The idea is something I find a bit alluring due to its implications (especially in a romantic aspect.)

I’d like to learn more about it, though this doesn’t inherently mean I’ll partake. Though who knows really? Let’s say it’s an educational opportunity.

To those who are into it, how about you share with me what motivates this desire? I’d like to pick your brain a bit. No judgment from me of course, I can’t say that what I’m into is all the more morally and ethically acceptable.

Let’s discuss about it. I’d like to learn more.

[musicofthenightphantomoftheopera]

KOSA SENATE VOTE UPDATE

The official senate vote is set to take place July 30th and then the senate goes on august break. If we can fight this bill and make sure it doesn't pass again, we'll have around a month before we have to fight it again!

So CALL AND EMAIL YOUR SENATORS!

This link below has a call and email masterpost with contact info for a few senators and 2 scripts (1 for democrat and 1 for republican) that works for calls, emails, and even fax! (yeah you can still fax your congress ppl. do with that info what you will) call and email and fax every day you can!

also, for my peeps that are still Minors, you can do all this too! you don't have to be an adult to contact your reps & senators! They don't even ask for your age! you especially need to be helping since this bill is trying to use you as a scapegoat and directly targets you. Don't let them unleash textbook fascism upon the internet in your name!

Spread the word! at the time I'm making this post (July 28th, 2024) we got a little under a day and a half to make as much noise as we can! SPREAD THIS LIKE WILDFIRE PPL

[jesncin]

I noticed something in Steven Universe. I don't really think the estranged but caring family working to better themselves angle the crew did with the Diamonds truly worked because the Diamonds were oppressors and colonizers on a larger scale, killed (?) their own gems, kidnapped a whole group of people, and they colonized many planets. We don't even get to know the planets they colonized and instead have to focus on the feelings of the Diamonds instead of the victims! Do you feel this?

Yesss. It's clear that Steven Universe's finale was meant to reflect the dynamics of essentially "coming out as trans to your conservative family over Thanksgiving dinner" and while I thought it was a touching story from that angle, it really doesn't reconcile with the full extent of the Diamonds' colonialism. On a worldbuilding scale I find what Ian Jones-Quartey said about the specifics of the Diamond's colonialism both fascinating and puzzling:

[link to the tweet so you can see the full context if you wish]

What really bothers me with this means of absolving the Diamonds' colonialism because they "never destroyed planets with "intelligent humanoid life"" is that it reveals what the showrunners believe are creatures and planets worthy of not destroying- something it weirdly shares with Blue People Avatar tbh. The series itself shows us planets with sentient plants, animals, and even rocks (the gems themselves). It opens up a fascinating discussion over how- to make the fictional colonizers more sympathetic, SU as a show needed to narrow what it considered "sentient life worth protecting".

When the pitch linked in the above tweet says "the gems that invaded were surprised to find intelligent life. As they colonized earth they became fond of humans and started to question the invasion." So...is Earth worth protecting from colonizers because the creatures in it share similar intelligence as their colonizers do, to the point you're capable of forming relationships with them, and their planet is subjectively beautiful? I have to use Jack Saint's words on this because I can't word it better myself (from his video on blue people avatar):

"it's just natural life developed from its ecosystem. And the novel [the novel he's comparing Blue People Avatar against] makes it clear that this should be preserved for its own sake. Because that's what conservation and an opposition to colonialism is. Not to value or devalue something based on personal sentiments on what would be the most wish-fullfily to come rescue, but on the ethical standard that life deserves to continue regardless of whether it personally serves us."

Regardless of Earth being the first planet the Diamonds encountered with "intelligent life", they still committed acts of great environmental harm and destroyed other planets for their own gain. The series easily upends their own logic when the main characters are literally sentient rocks and has anthropomorphized watermelon Stevens as the norm in this world. The Diamonds just aren't given the full narrative recognition of their wrong doing as colonizers.

In the episode where Stevonnie gets stuck on another planet, they are on a planet once colonized by the Diamonds. There is life everywhere- which Stevonnie comments on. I'm glad life was able to grow back after what the Diamonds did, but whose to say for the other planets? Were these creatures not intelligent enough to fight for?

[the-woman-upstairs]

It’s just…so painful to watch Armand readily submit in order to obtain the love he so desperately craves. And while it’s most assuredly a manipulative tactic, it’s still one borne out of fear and desperation. He cannot lose this person he’s come to love and so will become whatever they want, do whatever they want just so they’ll stay with him. But it won’t be enough. No matter how much he acquiesces or seeks to control (himself, others, the environment), he won’t be able to make Louis stay with him in the perfect life, perfect self he built in the hopes of finally being loved. It will all crumble with Armand left alone in the rubble of what he created, the author of his own abandonment.

[definitelynotshouting]

MMMMMMM SPACE AU IS GOING TO MAKE ME BRAINROT ABOUT THE LANGAUCW BARRIERS AAAAAAAAAAAA

thinking about the fucking ✨I n t i m a c y✨ of learning each other’s body languages and routines/habits and slowly falling in love with the more subtle parts of each other rather than through simply getting to know each other. ALSO ALSO ALSO WITH ALIENS!!!!!! I cannot fucking BEGIN to stress the importance of physical touch. Coming from someone who grew up shipping spirk, PHYSICAL TOUCH IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING. The small gestures, learning each other’s cultural and personal boundaries and adjusting to that even if it’s smth small like, avoiding touching direct skin. Showing that they care, and are considerate at the same time. Other things like trying each other’s native foods that they love, or watching the stars in complete silence together. Just UGH, language barriers are so fucking important to me bc it literally leaves them to fall in love with ALL of each other. Not just their upfront personality, or sense of humor, or manner of speaking, but EVERYTHINNGG. GOD IM GOING TO GO INSANE BC OF THIS WAYAGGGHHHHH.

ANON NO JOKE THIS IS SUCH A HUGE REASON WHY I INCORPORATED A LANGUAGE BARRIER INTO THE INITIAL IDEA OF THIS AU. You are SO right for this its about everything you said and also the expression of love to learn someone else's language even imperfectly just so you can communicate with them. Im so ill in the brain abt it like oh my GODS i love space aus that really lean into the cultural differences and cultural exchange of it all

Also anon you will LOVE that fact that glossy and i were talking the other day about the concept in your other ask-- we've determined that Scar and Jellie's species (now officially called Tsabii) has a huge thing about colours. Ive been picturing their planet to have a lot of deserts and warmer climates with only a few extreme cold ones, as well as a lot of underground cave systems, so colour is something very important and traditional to their people. We decided Tsabii actually translates roughly to "spectrum/all colours/all spirits" and is basically their own word for people as a collective. And instead of saying something like "you make me incredibly happy" you'd say something along the lines of "you have bright colours"

Scar, at some point down the line, tells Grian almost offhandedly that he's the "most colourful person [he's] ever seen." Which is like. Probably one of the most smitten and romantic things a Tsabii can ever say to someone else. A bit like saying aishiteru in Japanese. It's not something you'd ever say in public because it's practically verbal pda, incredibly intimate, and basically declaring this person the center of your world and happiness. And Scar just. Says it to him. With perfect, calculated casualness.

Of course Grian doesn't understand the connotations of that. He's out here assuming Scar just really likes the colour red. And ohhhh my gods the fun we've been having turning that concept around, its been making me insane

Anyway tldr; anon u are so right for everything and i am solemnly shaking your hand

[queenlua]

okay, wow, uhhhh, apparently my comment section Yearns for me to do some mean-spirited unfair goofy dunking, lol.

here's the Cliff's Notes version, as a compromise between What The People Desire and The Spirit Remaining Relatively Inert In Me. there's probably not much new here if you already saw me yell about Chambers and/or Mishima over on Dreamwidth, but here we go!

(for context, the only Chambers i've read is A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (henceforth referred to as ALWtaSAP). i've read Mishima's entire Sea of Fertility tetralogy plus The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.)

((SPEAKING OF WHICH: this is Total Desperation Hours, but if anyone reading this has read the entirety of the Sea of Fertility tetralogy, SLIDE INTO MY DMs IMMEDIATELY, I WISH TO TALK TO YOU AT GREAT LENGTH. SPECIFICALLY I WISH TO TALK ABOUT KEIKO AND THE FUCKING CHRISTMAS PARTY IN BOOK 4. i have only ever met one other human who read the whole thing & it was at a mediocre taco bar & i was so overcome with ECSTASY and WONDERMENT at finally getting to talk about THAT FUCKING SCENE that i accidentally doused all my tacos in far too much hot sauce to be even remotely edible, but i ate them anyway because i didn't want the conversation to end, and i suffered so hard for that but. it was so worth it. ))

anyway.

the lazy handwave-y case for "ALWtaSAP is fascist actually":

the way the narrative treated Corbin in ALWtaSAP REALLY bothered me, right?

all the other crew members in the book have very Nice™ interpersonal skills, and would flawlessly succeed in any corporate Crucial Conversations training...

...whereas Corbin is kind of a dick, has rough edges, and would absolutely get reported to HR for generally having a bad attitude, etc...

...but the narrative treats this as, instead of an instance of Normal Human Variation... well, it's treated as a profound and intractable moral failing.

it's treated this way to the point where, when Corbin's life is in peril, the whole group makes it clear they're only rescuing him out of their own magnanimity, not because he's, y'know, a fucking human worthy of consideration. he *deserves* to get fucked over for the "being a clone" thing or whatever, and it's implied to be related to his garbage personality (even though his personality has absolutely nothing to do with his predicament!)

first off: gross! even if you don't accept my mean-spirited "let's link this back to fascism" argument, it still sucks bigtime.

but you're here for me to kick hornets' nests, so:

you know how, e.g. the recent film The Zone of Interest portrayed the nice "domestic" side of nazi official life? there's that whole "herrenvolk retaking the countryside" meme, right. certainly one of the most visible fash aesthetics is Violent Masculinity and Glorious Battle and what-the-fuck ever, but... "tradwives preserving Family Values in peaceful farm-y settings" is a pretty essential part of the whole ideology too. Hedwig is just as much as complicit as Rudolf. you could perhaps call this the "soft"/"femme" side of fascism. which is lazy and hand-wavy and reductionist but here we go

so okay, ALWtaSAP is the soft/femme side of fascism. the entire narrative is very DOMESTIC, but like, Zone of Interest was very domestic too, right. there's a very thin veneer of queer-friendliness over it—the interspecies relationships/gay characters/etc are in fact considered Totally Fine... but the narrative makes it SO clear if you're not Nice and Interpersonally Polite in exactly the correct ways, they actually do view you as a bad person.

and, like, fascist ideology absolutely has carve-outs for "this is fine if you do it in Exactly The Correct Way," right. like, Intense Homoeroticism Between Manly Dudes is certainly a thing in fascism, as we'll get to in a bit. which doesn't make fascism queer-friendly, obv, but it makes it friendly to someone who's queer in exactly the right kind of heavily circumscribed way and God Forbid You Step Off That Path Slightly Or Piss Off The Wrong Guy

(isn't it weird how the entire crew of that fucking ship, sans Corbin, never seems to display any real interpersonal unpleasantness? how convenient for all of them. how fucking convenient. wonder what would happen if any of them did do anything to fall outside the Tightly-Prescribed Ideal Of Domesticity. they replaced "make babies" with "be nice to found family" but whatever it has the same vibe)

anyway yeah, i think that's sort of fucked! (especially given that, y'know, plenty of Real Actual Queer People are in fact not nice in exactly the correct ways but that doesn't make them less people or someone you get to jettison, etc)

you could push back against this argument by pointing out that these attitudes—(interpersonal Niceness, broad tolerance for certain types of non-normative activity so long as they can be rendered Legible, etc)—are more neoliberal-y than fash-y in nature. and you'd probably be right! i'm not much of a theory girl, haha. i would have to actually read some literature instead of just vibes-ing it if i wanted to make this anything more than a particularly spicy Vice article. but this is just a spicy Vice article, so....

...though, come to think of it, let's further bolster the "actually it's fascism" case: remember that bit in ALWtaSAP where Corbin "cures" Ohan?

brief recap for those who (wisely) bleached this book from their memory: Ohan is an alien whose culture revolves around the "Whisper," a virus that exclusively infects Ohan's species. if you get infected by the Whisper, you get much-enhanced intelligence plus the ability to pilot spacecraft (via enhanced reactions/reflexes/Knowledge Of Complex Space-Math or something)... but your lifespan is also drastically reduced. Ohan likes being infected by a Whisper very much; he was given full knowledge of the virus's effects prior to being infected; he understands it reduces his lifespan but is still happy just the way he is.

so, near the end of the book, Corbin just... non-consensually administers the cure to Ohan & kills the virus? lmao?? and everyone yells at Corbin a bit, but also the narrative does seem to lowkey endorse this as The Correct Outcome; now Ohan will get to live much longer!!! everyone agrees that's Good and Correct, right!!! like sure there WAS a moral dilemma here, but we gave The Evil Action to our Designated Shitbag, so now all the Good characters can just enjoy the good results of his bad action.

again: this is a huge part of Ohan's species's culture! they have a whole religion built around this shit! and the narrative just kinda endorsed... y'know... robbing him of that? on the basis of bodily integrity/purity...?

you see where i'm going with this, right. You Know Who Else Is Obsessed With Bodily Integrity/Purity? that's right it's the fascists lol

anyway.

the argument for "Yukio Mishima is the Macho/Hard/Manly side of fascism"... i think that case writes itself lol? uhhhh, lmk if i need to spell that one out, because i sure CAN blather on about Mishima at exhausting length, but i'm pretty sure i don't need to lol. like, i love me some Spring Snow just as much as the next bitch, and i don't think "damn this dude was fashy as hell" is the only reading you can do (particularly wrt Spring Snow, it's really interesting to think of it as a reimagining of the Tale of Genji story with modern sensibilities, its relationship to 18th-century romanticism, etc), but like... dude does make it pretty incontrovertibly clear that Heroic Violent Action Is The Only Way To Save Your Nation And/Or Yourself, the aesthetics are very Sexy Murder Poet, the books' absolute contempt for fragility/age/weakness are pretty clear, in book 3 whenever he's writing a female character you desperately wish he'd just go back to the universe where Everyone Is A Dude And Also Very Gay For Each Other, because while that universe was obviously also sexist you at least didn't need to read whole passages about how much of a bitch Honda's wife is for *checks notes* having a kidney condition... uhhh i'm losing the plot here somewhat lol. let me know if i need to go pluck some books off the shelf

anyway @bogfox @radicarian @spiralingintocontrol @pretty-rage-machine @vintar @midori-verte , as requested, that's the Take lol

"the work of Becky Chambers and Yukio Mishima are two sides of the same fascist coin" is a Take that would be mean-spirited & kinda unfair & extremely goofy, but... i do think i could pull it off. if the spirit so moved me.

it might be too niche of a comparison to actually piss someone off, tho, & if i went to all the work of kicking the hornet's nest only to hear a faint buzz in return then what was the point

[licorishh]

Something I need y'all to fundamentally understand is that rage is very easy to portray as amusing or meaningful in animation, and is usually incredibly difficult to portray without seeming irritating and insufferable and illogical in live action. Yes, a big part of Katara's character is that when she runs out of patience she gets agitated and angry, but in live action it is SO hard to replicate that kind of thing without coming off entirely in a negative way. In animation you can dramatically dress up characters' expressions and actions, even turn it into a gag and make it funny. You can't do that in live action. You're just crossing your fingers and hoping that the actress somehow manages to portray it in a positive light instead of a negative one, something that does not come across naturally in real life.

If Katara were yelling and screaming in the live action version to the degree that she does in the animation, she'd look incredibly unstable and would be extremely difficult to watch. It's not an issue of the writers misunderstanding her character, nor is it sexist in the slightest bit. Goodness.