#that’s an abuse of authority

[demi-queen]

What? I— what?

Okay, so technically I think I probably already knew this, but this reminded me of something that happened when I was in 1st grade.

So when I was in 1st grade I went to a Montessori school (if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry it’s not important to the story), and had this teacher that I Strongly Disliked for several reasons.

Now, as a reminder, 1st graders are typically 6 or 7. I have fall birthday, so I had a weird situation where I was actually about 5 or 6, depending on the time of year. I actually got held back and repeated 1st grade for several reasons, one of them being the age thing, another being that my older brother was also being held back and my parents didn’t think it was a good idea for us to be in the same grade (also, something I learned later, but apparently my parents didn’t think I was socially mature enough, and thought this would help for some reason). Anywhomst, my story takes place my first round of doing 1st grade, as I had a different teacher for my second round of 1st grade, so I was about 5 or 6.

Now, this happened several times, but I would often get reprimanded for “rolling my eyes.” Now, I’m smol and have always been smol (I’m currently 5’2” on a good day and have long since passed the period of my life where I had any hope of getting any taller. All my siblings will one day be taller than me, and I’m the 2nd oldest of 6 kids), so in order to look at a teacher, who was much taller than me, and was also not crouching down to reach my eye-level (likely due to age— as a 5/6 yr old I thought this teacher was about grandma-age, even if she wasn’t grandma-tempered), I would obviously have to look up. Now, I’m not great with eye contact as is, so this isn’t actually what usually got perceived as “rolling my eyes” but you’d think she’d at least try and factor in the height issue when reprimanding me. As it stands, I am someone who tends to look up when trying to solve or think over something in my head. This is what often got perceived as rolling my eyes. And this confused me greatly, because I didn’t even roll them! I just looked up! And, of course, since I wasn’t rolling my eyes, I thought it important to try and explain that I hadn’t, because I didn’t want any Authority Figure to think I was disrespecting them. Often, before I could even finish explaining, I would then get reprimanded for “talking back”. This, as you can probably imagine, was very frustrating. No matter what I did or said I would get in trouble (I don’t think I ever got any actual disciplinary action taken against me, but being reprimanded is still getting in trouble). And I still tend to look up when I’m thinking something over in my head, but I’ve since learned that if someone wants to interpret a facial expression in a specific way, even if you had no intention of conveying whatever they think they’re reading off of your face, it’s easier to just go along with it. Nothing you do or say is going to convince them that they read you wrong, or they’ll just get embarrassed for reading your expression wrong and then everything is awkward for everyone and you’ll wish you hadn’t said something anyways. The only time I can ever get away with explaining that someone read my expression wrong is when I get to explain to people that I have a “resting sad face.”

At least now I know why people think I’m rolling my eyes even though I’m just thinking.

[liketolaugh-writes]

Okay but like. Real talk. 'Their son died and they didn't even notice' sounds real bad, but can we like- Danny was still living with them. It is reasonable to assume that your kid that is still living with you is not dead. It is not like he just disappeared one day and they didn't notice.

'Their son died and they didn't notice' is a FANTASTIC line for characters to torment themselves and each other with. Danny can lay awake at night and think about it. Maddie can rip her hair out over it. Sam can throw it at them in a spiteful rage.

But like. It's definitely not an accurate summary of what happened there. And I think the author should maintain a careful awareness of that.

[komsomolka]

neil gaiman purposefully grooming his son to trivialize sexual abuse of women in their household isn't talked about nearly enough.

[keferon]

What are your thoughts on a decepticon prowl?

Oh I'm all for it. But! Only if he's actually a Con. Like. Wholeheartedly.

Not "nnnooo we're doingg a bad thing and I kind of dont wanna do bad thing but I have no choice poor me".

You know how in canon he truly believes he's on the right side and makes everything to ensure that Optimus wins the war? You know how he's willing to make every tough decision so Optimus doesn't have to risk his reputation? You know how he literally makes Autobots look like shiny brave and clean heroes who did nothing wrong ever?

I want all that but the other way around. I want him to do that for Megatron and for the Decepticons. The implications would be so fucking dramatic I could write a whole essay.

Low rank Cons would hate him so fucking bad.

Starscream would try to murder him at least once a day.

Megatron would absolutely treasure him. Autobots would have it r o u g h

Can you imagine

[hiddenincommand]

“Bound, caged, and stripped of all autonomy—this is where you belong. My will is the air you breathe, my command the only purpose you serve. You exist for my amusement, to crawl, to kneel, to be broken under the weight of my absolute dominance. Submission isn’t a choice; it’s your reality, and I am your god, your tormentor, your master—merciless, unrelenting, and supreme.”

[rhowena]

"I have had the capability to pull the strings behind the most powerful thrones in Exandria for some time. And I've only done so towards these ends. I don't wish to control. I don't wish to be a tyrant. I just want them gone."

The irony of this statement is that Ludinus's single-minded obsession with killing the gods is precisely what makes him so controlling and tyrannical. He could have spent this entire time using his extended lifespan to shape the Dwendalian Empire into a glittering jewel of a kingdom, as J'mon Sa Ord has done with Ank'Harel. He could have channeled his negative experiences with authority into offering the people under him the kind of support he wishes he'd received, as Vex has been doing in Whitestone and Emon. He could take five minutes out of his day once in a while to spend some low-level spell slots or short rest resources helping people he crosses paths with, as Trist and Ayden did multiple times during Downfall. Instead, he's stayed focused entirely on himself and his petty personal vendetta.

[fictionadventurer]

Pop culture image of Jane Eyre: This is a passionate, problematic love story about a woman falling in love with a guy who locked his wife in the attic.

Actual Jane Eyre: This is the story of a woman recovering from a childhood of horrific abuse.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

sometimes I hate how casually this fandom treats the idea of nightmare filling killers soul with negativity.

[gnomeniche]

you Will read 3d workers island. it’s so detailed and rich. it captures an atmosphere of old internet rumors and creepypasta very well WHICH ties into the narrative’s themes of what outsiders see/don’t see in familial abuse situations + interpreting media and seeing a reflection of one’s experiences

i love the open-endedness about what is real or fiction. it works thematically whether you choose to see the creepiness as real or a rumor, whether the program is alive or not. i also love that even if nothing nefarious is there it’s still meaningful to the people who see themselves in amber

[inkskinned]

we really didn't get violent enough about roe v wade being overturned. but and also - you're one person. you donated money. you went to the protest. you did what you could, which felt like doing basically nothing.

recently some big paper published an op ed (why did you even read it? you knew you'd get upset) about how it's gross that men can't find a partner because women don't want to suffer bad dates - they'd rather go to yoga class. you actually laughed - well, yeah! and it was funny until it wasn't, because something about it made your stomach churn. this is the thing, you want to say, but you don't have the words for what the thing is. just that men being bad at dating is your fault.

the thing is also on instagram. you don't know if it's a setting or algorithm thing, but these days, the most hurtful comments always seem to skim the top. simple reaction is don't read the comments but - you're human, so you're curious. you want to respond to every weird, sanctimonious one with replaying something a million times to find evidence they're lying about their gender is literally sexual harassment you shouldn't be proud of this or maybe get a fucking life you absolute dickhead but you've gotten into enough of these battles as a kid. nothing ever resolves. it just makes you upset.

your father was radicalized. the thing is - you go to therapy about it and yet never find the words for exactly the way that one hurts.

the other day your sister predicted that a commercial that aired during the superbowl was going to cause trouble. you wanted her to be wrong about that. this morning, while scrolling, you saw someone post exactly that - he got so angry i had to leave. it was terrifying. it reminds you, however bleakly: there are entire swathes of people who do not worry about domestic violence. who have no idea why you would put keys into your fist. who do not understand "it's better to be rude than dead." who have never googled am i being gaslit.

the other day you found out there's a bill that would make it so if you have a uterus and are braindead, you could fulfil your cattle purpose and carry a fetus to term. you think about the fact that the leading cause of death for pregnant people is murder. you think about ongoing and informed consent. you think about how, out of fear, if your ex boyfriend had pressured you, you absolutely would have said yes to it. in the comments, you write there is no way that these documents wouldn't be immediately forged. this is going to be misused. and then just delete it, sighing. get up and go to work.

the other day they overturned roe v wade. we weren't nearly violent enough about it. somewhere, a clock is ticking. it's been ticking a long time. you want to say it's time, but it's been time for a while, hasn't it.

[achaotichuman]

ACOTAR Rant

Hot take, Azriel is just as bad as Cassian and Rhysand, it's just that he so happens to be an introvert while Cassian and Rhysand are extroverts.

Just because it's quiet doesn't mean his participation in Nesta and Feyre's abuse is any less impactful.

He didn't tell Feyre about the pregnancy.

He was in active participate in punishing Nesta in the hike from hell by purposefully packing her bag to be as heavy as possible.

When he saw Nesta's bruises from falling down the stairs, he assumed they were from Cassian pushing her and smiled at that.

He was a bystander as Cassian controlled Nesta down to her eating habits.

And I have plenty of reason to believe he was not placed with Cassian as one of Nesta's prison guards to make sure they didn't fuck, he was there to make absolute certain that Cassian did not let Nesta out.

He was just the only one who didn't say anything to her face, therefore he was the only member of the Inner Circle that Nesta could stand to be around. It doesn't make him a better person, he's just as bad as the rest of em.

Azriel started proclaiming his undying love to a woman who had been tortured and was currently sitting on enemy territory.

He regifted something made for a woman he sexually fantasized about and tried to fuck, to an SA survivor.

Azriel is creepy, and weird, and just as horrible as the rest of them, that's why he's Rhysand's friend.

Now, do I obsessively write about him with Eris? Of course I do! I love taking characters with the personality of a upside down goldfish in an empty tank and turning them into the object of my creative desires.

But at the end of the day, he still sucks just as much as the rest of them.

[cologona]

I am just so fundamentally uninterested in the story where Jason is in the wrong and needs to Gain Perspective or whatever. God what a snore. What an absolute waste of my time.

[spaciebabie]

maybe its just the cptsd talking (its always talking, Help Me) but i cannot help but continuously think about anya mouthwashing and that fucking scene between her and curly in the cockpit. i cant think of anything more devastating for an abuse survivor ta go thru. to know that people care so little for you and how you feel and the ways that you have been hurt that they will allow someone who abused you to stay on board a ship when you tell them that you want them gone. if i had been in anyas shoes i would have been pissed. and you know what!! i am pissed!! because the same fucking thing happened to me!! anya was driven to the point of fearing for her life because curly couldnt grow a fucking spine and tell an abuser ta beat it. thats what happened dude. and its so. ohhhh its such good story telling. and it rings so true as someone who has survived exactly this situation. and the way anya talks in this scene...."i know you're not going to protect me, so i might as well protect myself" (paraphrasing here) said thru gritted teeth. said thru tears that threaten to spill from her eyes. spat with venom, anger, hatred, even. and the abuse did continue. and she was right. but nobody will ever listen because anya will let anyone and everyone walk all over her because its what she feels she deserves. deep down. and she realizes that the only one who really has her back 100% is her. because everyone else who claims to care is fucking lying. and it was proven to her when curly said that he would "talk to jimmy" its rage enducing. i cant imagine what she was thinking nursing curly that whole time. the rage. the fact that his life was at her fingertips. it must have felt good. to have all that. to be able to decide if someone like him lived, died, suffered, the same way he did to her. there is absolutely no shot that she thought about killing him. she thought about it, and was probably so fucking angry and pissed, but then. as she always did as she learned to do redirected the hurt and anger at herself and took her own life. and makes me feel seen in a way that i have never felt seen before.

[hopeless-avo]

What I wouldn't do to wrap Airplane-bro (SQH) like a burrito, give him a hot steaming bowl of noodles and a crushing hug (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) (either from me or by throwing this man into Mobei-Jun's tits), especially most fanfiction versions of this guy!

Bro has been running the logistics peak, having to dance to the whims of the system, been thirsting over a dude who he has become terrified of BC of the hitting and foreseen death flags, all while being the best bro he can stand to be for Cucumber-bro (SQQ) to ensure their only alternative survival back-ups

I'm wondering how good his cultivation is to not immediately burnout by the end of the novels, given he had probably lived so high strung

Bro's more brave than me for all he gets called a coward in fanfiction

[furiousgoldfish]

Kids instinctively test their boundaries and challenge authority; not to be annoying and cause trouble on purpose, but because they need to know where the boundaries are, what are the consequences for breaking them, and who actually is the real authority that can bring forth the consequences. This is normal and healthy human behaviour; if they don’t try it, how will they ever find out? It's curiosity, courage, need to know exactly where they stand, how much freedom can they get, what they can get away with, it's something we all have to test in life at one point or another, and childhood should be the safest, most protected place to test this out.

Based on how well they manage to establish their own place, their own rules and figure out what will and won't have consequences, they'll continue to develop this knowledge in the adulthood; they'll fight for their needs in their friendships and relationships, they'll stand up to their teachers and exploitative bosses, they'll follow their sense of justice and sometimes defy authority in order to do what is right. And if they learned something is a hard limit in childhood, they'll be careful not to cross that limit where it would come back to harm them. And those limits should be along the lines of causing physical harm to others, hurting smaller, more vulnerable people, using their power for cruelty.

In abusive households, children are not allowed this test of limits. Abusive parents insist on complete authority, punish something as small as 'talking back', and thus take away the child's ability to explore boundaries. In abuse the boundaries are usually uncertain, undefined, so the child can never know what could be taken as an offense, as a provocation or excuse to harm them. Abusers prefer keeping children not knowing where they stand, so they would assume anything could be taken as disobedience, even lack of action could be punished. This enables abusers to change the rules at will and to punish child who hasn't done anything wrong – they can retroactively decide something offended them and take their anger out on a child. The child learns that even if someone just perceives a transgression, that didn't even happen, they will be punished for it. They learn to live in absolute fear, analyzing their every action, anxiously trying to figure out how everyone around them is feeling and reacting to them, trying desperately not to give anyone a reason for offense.

So how will this child deal with an unfair teacher, one they get in that situation? How will they handle an exploitative boss? How can they fight back a bully, navigate an abusive friendship or a relationship, how can they stand up to anyone? They've learned that even doing nothing can have devastating consequences, and doing everything sometimes isn't enough either. All they know how to do is to try to please everyone, desperately overthink everything, accept blame and punishment even when it wasn't their fault, even when they're being exploited and harmed. Their needs get forgotten and neglected completely, in their endless quest to protect themselves from harm, by trying to avoid it with their every action and word. They've been taught, by pain and torture, that other people's authority over them is final, that refusing to please others means pain. So they'll accept being exploited, neglected and violated, because to refuse would mean even worse type of pain. And the abusive boss, partner, teacher, friend, will revel in realization that this person is afraid, that anything can be done to them, that rules can be changed on the fly, exploitation can be endless because this person won't ever test what's been said to them; they'll assume other's authority is right, and that to fight back would mean severe consequences.

That is what authoritarian parenting teaches, that's what forceful, demanding, aggressive and punishment-eager parents do to their kid's lives. They lie every time they say it's to make the kid strong, or to prepare them for 'the real life', it's anything but. It's creating a person who cannot fight for themselves or stand up for themselves because they've been tortured for their first attempts to test the boundaries.

Let your kids try stupid shit. If they can't figure out boundaries by testing them out with you, they won't be able to figure it out any other way. Adults do it all the time, because they've learned as children that this testing can bring them benefits, certainty, fairness and needs fulfilled. As it should be, children should try and see what happens if they ask, if they demand, if they try to get their way, if they protest, if they fight back. They need to know that sometimes in life it's worth it. That sometimes it's necessary. They need to know life won't end if they try it. They need to know it's okay to try. They need to believe they have every right to.

[matchalovertrait]

Cosi has been adjusting smoothly. She gets scared of loud noises and doesn't like the TV that much, but she's slowly coming out of her shell; it's apparent too from how much more she's been talking. Good thing the condos have thick walls! Dulce and Caruso try to cook for her as much as she can, but they're still a little busy settling into their new home themselves. Dulce's felt guilty because of that! She'll have to feed her new baby some kibble made of who-knows-what??? Radioactive material? Dulce’s dyslexia doesn't help when it comes to reading the ingredient lists that go on for miles... she doesn't trust any of it. Begrudgingly, she headed to the store. That's when she found the Nesbitt pet food products, which are all organic and amazing in every way! What luck. They are keeping these in their home forever. Cosi loves the Buttercups treats :) She would happily be a model for advertisements.

Start from the beginning (Gen 2)

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