#the double standard is just so blatant

[seriousbrat]

Why do people like Lily? From what we've seen of her in the books she seems like a charming and good hearted person but also someone who is shallow, judgemental, a social climber, a classist and immature. Why do people make her out to be this feminist, kind hearted role model that is always morally above others and everyone likes her because she is oh so kind and great? It makes me cringe. From the text we can see that she had a black and white thinking, was shallow and probably self righeous, always thinking she's right and not being able to see the perspective of others. (We can see this in her interactions with Snape) So why do people love her? Do people really need a 'girl boss' in every fandom? There always seems to be one that's just made up by the fans. It looks like people just need a character they can point at and say "see we care about female characters, this one is oh so great, she can't do no wrong, worship her please." 🙄

Look, no offence, but... what? 'Shallow, classist, judgmental, social climber' what? Where are you getting this? Because she stopped being friends with a boy who literally called her a slur? Because she criticised that boy for defending and befriending people who were bigoted against people like herself? Like sorry but I think I'm entirely the wrong person to come to with this kind of thing. I fully disagree. I could not disagree more.

Black and white thinking? The opposite. Lily remained friends with someone who espoused the exact opposite of her beliefs for way too long. Not just her beliefs, but her right to exist. She tolerated Snape (and I do love him as a character, but still) way more than she should have, objectively speaking. That's the opposite of black and white. She was way too understanding, way too empathetic with him. She didn't judge Snape hard enough, in my opinion.

Nah, look idk what you were hoping with this ask but I'm sorry, I'm generally a staunch Lily defender and I heavily disagree with what you're saying. It's not that I think she's a perfect person, she certainly has her flaws like anyone. I don't think that she should be idealised, I think she should be given complexity like any character, but neither do I think she's classist (esp since she's meant to be working class) nor particularly judgmental nor shallow nor immature. I love Snape but he was terrible to her. He befriended people who wanted her dead. Lily didn't owe him anything, and her """righteousness""" as you say is not only entirely justified, but objectively speaking she should have dropped that bitch way earlier.

Why do people (including myself) love Lily? Because she was a good person. Because she was brave and decent and kind. She remained friends with Sev for years despite peer pressure and common sense and she defended him without hesitation. She dedicated her life to fighting for what was right. Lily is a good person. She's not inherently, morally above others, she's not perfect but she was a good, kind person, the way her son is a good, kind person.

Not that difficult to understand imo, unless you have way higher standards for male characters than female characters. Not everyone has to like or be interested in Lily but pretending she's somehow worse/less worthy of interest than Snape, James, Sirius, Regulus, etc (and I imagine you've got to be a fan of some of these marauders era characters if you're reading my blog) because she dropped a guy who wanted to join a fascist group that wanted her dead is absolutely ridiculous.

Lily is so kind and great. Her act of bravery and sacrifice is what kickstarts the entire HP series. Sorry. Like absolutely not, I completely disagree with you about Lily's character. People liking a female character doesn't mean that they have a shallow 'girl boss' approach to that character, and I find that a condescending explanation for why people like myself might be fans of Lily Evans. Maybe, and you perhaps should consider this, us fans of Lily just enjoy and are interested in female characters the exact same way we might be interested in male ones.

Look I don't want to be mean, but can't you tell from my icon, which is clearly supposed to be Lily, that I love Lily? Lily is one of my favourite HP characters. I really don't want to be rude but I'm absolutely the last person who'd share this viewpoint.

[spiritsglade]

>jaybin stabs someone through the hand with the harpoon and it's used as proof that he was a disproportionately aggressive and violent kid

>bruce wayne stabs someone through the hand with a batarang and it's part of the background action scene and goes by without comment

[seokwoosmole]

*Sign of affection minor spoilers*

Yuki’s family not communicating with her in (or even seeming to know much) sign language rubs me so wrongly. I don’t know a whole lot about the Deaf community, but I’m taking an ASL class right now and I’ve seen Deaf characters portrayed in media, but I don’t know any Deaf people that use ASL that are close to me, so maybe this isn’t an educated opinion. But I would think that if you were a parent and had a Deaf child since BIRTH and they were 19 years old, sometime in those 19 years, you would have learned sign language - even a little???? Like if Yuki was born hearing and became deaf later in life, I could maybe see how her parents/brother haven’t yet mastered sign language, but that’s not the case!! Yuki was born Deaf and her whole family is perfectly fine with her relying on lip reading and they don’t even seem like they’re actively practicing or learning for that matter😭That scene in the manga when Yuki helps clean for her older brother and she says he only knows ONE sign. And when Itsuomi meets her parents they are genuinely shocked that the two of them are holding sign language conversations despite him only learning recently and the two of them not dating very long. I love Itsuomi and I do think he is genuinely a really great guy, but I also think other characters make it really easy for him to look like such a green flag in comparison😭 Like. This man didn’t know a single sign before meeting Yuki and he’s known her for a few MONTHS and he’s made such an effort to learn for her. And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an Itsuomi praise post (again I love him, but imo, if you have a significant other who’s fluent in and predominantly uses a language that’s not one you know, it’s the bare minimum to make an effort to learn it) more so this post is just me being baffled at the people in Yuki’s life😭 Like. THESE PEOPLE LOVE HER! Yuki does not in the slightest have an unloving or unkind family. So the fact that they canonically don’t use sign language with her and rely on her to lip read and write/text is just wild to me.

[not-terezi-pyrope]

Worst part of popular left wing AI discourse online is that there's absolutely a need for a robust leftist opposition to use of cognitive automation without social dispensation to displaced human workers. The lack of any prior measures to facilitate a transition to having fewer humans in the workplace (UBI, more public control over industrial infrastructure, etc) is a disaster we are sleepwalking into - one that could lock the majority of our society's wealth further into the hands of authoritarian oligarchs who retain control of industry through last century private ownership models, while no longer needing to rely on us to operate their property.

But now we're seemingly not going to have the opposition we so desperately need, because everyone involved in the anti-AI conversation has pretty thoroughly discredited themselves and their movement by harbouring unconstrained reactionary nonsense, blatant falsehoods and woo. Instead of talking about who owns and benefits from cognitive automation, people are:

Demanding impossibilities like uninventing a now readily accessible technology

Trying to ascribe implicit moral value to said technology instead of the who is using it and how

Siding with corporations on copyright law in the name of "defending small artists"

Repeating obvious and embarrassing technical misconceptions and erroneous pop-sci about machine learning in order to justify their preferred philosophy

Invoking neo-spiritual conservative woo about the specialness of the human soul to try to incoherently discredit a machine that can quite obviously perform certain tasks just as well if not better than they can

Misrepresent numbers about energy use and environmental cost in an absurd double standard (all modern infrastructure is reliant on data centers to a similar level of impact, including your favourite fandom social media and online video games!) to build a narrative AI is some sort of malevolent spirit that damages our reality when it is called upon

It's a level of reactionary ignorance that has completely discredited any popular opposition to industrial AI rollout because it falls apart as soon as you dig deeper than a snappy social media post, or a misguided pro-copyright screed from an insecure web artist (who decries a machine laying eyes on their freely posted work while simultaneously charging commission for fan-art of corporate IPs... I'm sure that will absolutely resolve in their favour).

It would be funny how much people are fucking themselves over with all this, except I'm being fucked over to, and as a result am really quite mad about the situation. We need UBI, we need to liberate abundance from corporate greed, what we don't need is viral posts about putting distortion filters on anime fan-art to ward off the evil mechanical eye, pointless boycotts of platforms because they are perceived to have let the evil machines taint them, or petitions to further criminalize the creation of derivative works.

[hilacopter]

leftists about other minorities: "just because you don't actively hate a minority doesn't mean you're immune to being bigoted, there's always internal biases to unpack."

leftists about jews: "whaaat?! how could I possibly be antisemitc??? I don't hate jews! I'm anti-bigotry! I'm a Good Person!"

leftists about other minorities: "always listen to minorities when they say something is bigoted."

leftists about jews: "don't listen to anyone telling you you're being antisemitc, israel and (((the zionists))) are weaponizing antisemitism to shut down criticism!"

leftist about other minorities: "of course bigotry against a minority should be defined by the people of said minority and it's important not to talk over them."

leftists about jews: "actually it's not antisemitic to say (conspiracy theory)/(blatant dogwhistle)/(repackaged blood libel)!! don't let any Bad Jews™ tell you otherwise!!"

leftists about other minorities: "no, having friends or family from a minority doesn't make you not bigoted. that's literally the oldest excuse in the book."

leftists about jews: "and before anyone starts throwing accusations no I'm not antisemitc, I know many (like 3) jewish people and they're some of my closest friends (I see them at the grocery store sometimes)."

leftists about other minorities: "obviously no people are a monolith, and a person from a minority can still be bigoted or have internal biases towards said minority. it's important to consider who you're speaking with."

leftists about jews: "so obviously since all jews are born with every single piece of jewish knowledge ever I can totally use this very convenient culturally christian ethnic jew as a token for my argument against a person who was raised culturally jewish and knows extensive jewish history."

leftists about other minorities: "we shouldn't center ourselves in historical events of other minorities."

leftists about jews: "I would've been a brave hero who hid jews during the holocaust, which was actually about queer and disabled people because why do the jews get to hog it all to themselves?!"

leftists about other minorities: "it's cultural appropriation to use this word belonging to a minority, you're robbing it of it's history and meaning."

leftists about jews: "(uses zionism incorrectly) (uses zionism incorrectly) (uses zionism incorrec"

leftist about other minorities: "skin color doesn't define ethnicity! there are plenty of white-passing black people, brown people and more!"

leftists about jews: "jews are literally just white people. all the jews I know irl are ashkenazi and light-skinned, what other proof do I need?"

and these are just a few of the double standards I've noticed. feel free to add.

[muxas-world2]

We need to take discussions about racism out of the hands of F1 fans. If you can’t grasp that the media only calls out a white driver’s bad behavior when it’s either extremely blatant or repeated multiple times in a race (like Max), but will jump on a single slightly rude comment from Lewis or Yuki to paint them as childish or uneducated, then I don’t know what to tell you. The double standard is obvious, but expecting nuance from brain-dead sports fans is a lost so I’m just gonna shut up

[kirain]

As a hardcore Emmrich enjoyer/romancer, I really need people to hear me out on Lace Harding. I've seen so many comments, especially on TikTok and YouTube, absolutely tearing into her over the "mean things" she says to Emmrich. I've seen people accuse her of deepening his insecurities. I've seen people accuse her of trying to ruin his relationship with Rook. I've seen her blamed for their argument before Tearstone Island. I've seen people insinuate that they hate each other. It's honestly endless.

First of all, at no point does Harding ever try to ruin Emmrich's relationship with Rook. This is proof, at least to me, that most players heard one or two lines, took them at face value, then stopped bringing her on missions. Her concern isn't about his age, rather the fact that she can tell he's insecure about it, moving too fast because of that insecurity, and getting distracted, which could potentially get him killed. In her fourth and final comment about his relationship, she points out that he's been "mopey" and not paying attention. She then immediately encourages him to go for it, take things slow, and enjoy himself. He thanks her!

Sylvia Feketekuty, Emmrich's writer, even stated on Bluesky that Harding isn't trying to sabotage his relationship—she's worried about him getting hurt.

Second, I genuinely don't understand why people don't keep the same hateful energy for Neve, Taash, or Davrin. If you're so bothered by a bit of friendly discourse, consider this: Neve calls Bellara "naive" and frequently snubs her at the beginning of the game. Davrin threatens to kill Lucanis and infers he not only lacks morality, but that he messed up at Weisshaupt on purpose because he's an "abomination". Taash accuses Emmrich of being a necrophiliac—something far worse and way more insulting to his craft than anything Harding ever says—to the point that he actually confronts them about it. Davrin also implies Emmrich is uppity and tries to lecture him about his relationship and how he raises Manfred, which Emmrich clearly finds irksome.

Now, don't misunderstand—I love these characters, especially Davrin. 💋 These interactions don't upset me in the slightest. I'm simply pointing out the blatant double standard. Literally all of the companions say "mean things" to each other at some point. Even my sweet, innocent Bellara makes a few offhanded comments about Davrin apparently "not caring" about their people, all because he isn't as excited about the origins of elves as she is. The companions aren't perfect. They're flawed, each with their own beliefs, opinions, and personalities.

So, I really want people to hear this: Harding is Emmrich's friend. Not just his friend, but his best friend. I compiled all the banter between companions, and aside from Harding/Taash and Lucanis/Neve (for obvious romantic reasons), Harding and Emmrich have the most banter and interactions of any companions. Their dialogue is overwhelmingly positive and downright wholesome. He acts as her de facto physician, she tweaks recipes to cook vegetarian meals specially for him, they go camping together, they challenge each other, they talk about their intimate dreams, and she's the only person (besides Rook) who he talks to about preparing for lichdom. Yes, they are very different people—Emmrich is prim and proper, while Harding is disorganised and outdoorsy—but opposites attract. They may clash occasionally, as all friends do—she finds his hobbies weird, and he finds her hobbies squalid—but they mean the world to each other. If Harding dies, Emmrich is devastated.

So, like... chill, guys. Come on.

[bumbled-bees]

The Truth About Me

So. It’s time I was honest about something. For those who didn’t already know or hadn’t put it together—I’m Hato. Yes, that Hato. The one from Lily’s old Discord server. The one she used to hold up as a loyal fan, depending on the day. The one she turned on, of course, as she inevitably does to anyone who shows too much independence.

I left Lily’s circle a long while ago. And no, it wasn’t some big dramatic fallout. It wasn’t a blow-up or an argument or anything juicy. It was a slow realization. A pattern I couldn’t ignore anymore. A hundred little moments that didn’t sit right until they couldn’t be waved away. And once I saw it—I mean really saw it—I couldn’t unsee it. The cruelty. The hypocrisy. The manipulation. The double standards. The blatant, often weaponized misuse of terms like “boundaries” or “accountability” to shut down even the mildest criticism. The refusal to ever take the high road.

That’s why I started this blog.

People always ask me how I know so much about how Lily operates. Why I can predict her moves before she makes them. Why I notice the little rhetorical tricks, the repeated behaviors, the same stories with different coats of paint. It’s because I was there. I watched it happen. I played the game, until I couldn’t anymore.

I know how Lily keeps people close—love bombs them, flatters them, makes them feel like they’re in on something special. I also know how quickly she turns when you stop echoing her word-for-word. I’ve seen how she encourages people not to ask questions. How she reframes genuine concern as betrayal. How she always paints herself as the victim, even when she’s the one who hurt people. Even when she’s done it over and over again.

This blog wasn’t made for revenge. It wasn’t made to “take her down.” I’m not here to speculate about her personal life or start drama. I’m here because I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is to get pulled in, how subtle the pressure can be, and how hard it is to explain to people on the outside why you stayed as long as you did. And I wanted to make something that breaks that down. Piece by piece.

I’ve had people send asks thanking me because they were starting to feel the same discomfort and couldn’t put it into words until they read something here. That’s why I do it. Because I know the playbook. Because I recognize the cycles. And because, frankly, no one else was documenting it this way.

So yeah. That’s the truth. I’m Hato. I used to be close to Lily. Now I’m just someone who’s choosing honesty over silence. And I’m not going anywhere.

[lesser-vissir]

IDK, I just think that if the notes on my epic dunk on white trans women were majority TME and filled with transmisogynistic comments I might reflect on whether the post was accurately describing a phenomena or not.

Like,,,

Like if you can't see why these are transmisogynistic idk what to say even. Like,

- Outright dismissal of transmisogyny theory because "trans women have it too good"

- Calling white trans women as more likely to be racist than most white people followed by calling transfeminism TERF ideology

- Accusing trans women of dominating the narrative on Imane Khelif as if the other narrative wasn't the mainline opinion of all major discussion of the issue outside Tumblr, then putting up a double standard where white trans women should have been protecting cis woc but not the other way around

- Just wholesale selling the lie that a significant number of white trans women are channers with basically no evidence (not to mention pretending that 4chan isn't transphobic and transmisogynistic)

- this one is literally just the "TME is a useless term" discourse, also it's LITERALLY dabwax. Like, this guy:

What a trove, accused trans people of being uniquely intersexist, blatant double standard regarding listening to oppressed people saying you're bigoted against them, also this is literally about the term TME

Just, maybe there's some nuance here we can acknowledge about "white trans women" absolutely being a dog whistle amongst transmisogynists to just, dodge accountability, cause that does happen, and your stated claim of "white tgirls get away with racism more often than cis white people and need more scrutiny" which is so blatantly not true.

[lovezbrownies]

Meow. (Yandere!Bully X GN!Reader.)

Lauren's Masterlist - General Masterlist

Synopsis: You have been isolated from normal interaction for far too long, so you turn to street cats, something your possessive bully does not appreciate.

Word Count: 2,629

Your bully wasn’t like anyone else you’d ever met. Lauren McCanister didn’t just ruin your life—she owned it. One moment, she was shoving you into lockers or making snide comments that left your confidence in shreds. The next, she was pinning you against the wall, kissing you breathless, or draping herself over you like some twisted parody of a lover. You hated her. Hated everything she stood for. But what could you do? She controlled every microscopic detail of your life, from your friendships to your family ties. No one was safe from her influence—not even your own sister.

When Lauren went after your sibling, eyes blazing, her smug defense was something you’d never forget—or stop cringing at. “Incest is a thing, sweetheart,” she’d said, as if that justified her madness. For weeks, the memory of those words had you shuddering, wishing for a mental reset button.

Lauren McCanister was a force of nature—a she-devil with a family name to match. As Julie McCanister’s daughter, she lived by an infuriatingly high standard of control and dominance. Her world was perfect, and when she set her sights on you during sophomore year, she made it clear to everyone that you were her latest obsession. No one, absolutely no one, was allowed near you unless she deemed them harmless.

She tormented you relentlessly, but God forbid someone else tried to get a rise out of you. Lauren would annihilate them without a second thought. A classmate teasing you? Gone. A friend daring to stand too close? Gone. You’d seen her in action, fists curling and jaw tightening as she made it clear that you belonged to her and her alone. And if anyone got too bold or too stupid, they’d face consequences so severe it felt like a cautionary tale in the making.

Her grip on your life was suffocating. She ruined you, obsessed over you, and protected you all at once. And no matter how much you hated her for it, Lauren McCanister ensured you never forgot who held the reins. She was relentless, even following you to college. It wasn’t even the best college she could have attended—Lauren had plenty of elite options. But none of those mattered. She only cared about being where you were.

College was no reprieve from her reign. It was the same routine all over again—ruining your life in public before curling up to you like some twisted lover in the shared dorm room you were stuck sharing with her. You’d naïvely thought that, at the very least, you’d have separate dorms. That hope was shattered when Lauren manipulated the housing office into assigning you as her roommate. When you begged and pleaded to switch dorms, the administration flat-out rejected you, claiming there wasn’t a single available room left on campus. A blatant lie if you’d ever heard one. The power she wielded was impossible to ignore.

In the end, you gave up. Fighting her only led to tantrums, chaos, or worse—her doubling down on her control. You let her do what she wanted, not because you accepted it, but because you lacked the energy to deal with the inevitable fallout. You sat there, blankly staring ahead as she nuzzled into you or threw verbal jabs your way. It was all white noise to you now.

And when she tried to take things further—her hands lingering too long, her touches becoming bolder—you somehow dodged her advances. Barely. You lived through each moment by sheer will, hoping for a way out that never seemed to come.

Soon, you found yourself desperate for something normal. A simple, unremarkable conversation with someone who didn’t come with strings attached—or a looming threat of destruction. But you couldn’t risk it. Lauren wouldn’t tolerate you forming connections with anyone else. You’d seen what happened to the last person who tried to be your friend. They were gone before you even had the chance to thank them for their kindness. Lauren’s threats weren’t empty; they were promises.

So, you turned to animals. They didn’t talk back, didn’t threaten, and most importantly, didn’t set off Lauren’s jealousy. The stray cats around campus became your escape, though one in particular stood out. A tiny tortoiseshell cat with the brightest green eyes you’d ever seen. At first, she was cautious, watching you from a distance with her tail flicking nervously. But after a few patient weeks, she began to trust you, curling up by your side and purring like she’d known you forever.

You called her Bean. It started as a joke, but the name stuck. Soon, she became the highlight of your day, greeting you with a chirpy meow and demanding affection. One afternoon, after a particularly lonely week, you decided she deserved a proper home. You stuffed Lauren’s graduation gift—a sleek new car—to the brim with pet supplies: toys, beds, scratching posts, and the fanciest cat food you could find.

When you brought Bean to your dorm, she took over immediately, padding across the floor like she owned the place. She climbed onto your chest that first night and made herself comfortable, purring loudly as if to reassure you that this was where she belonged. For the first time in ages, you felt a flicker of peace.

But Lauren noticed. Of course, she did. It started with a sharp sniff when she came back to the dorm, her nose wrinkling at the unfamiliar scent. Her eyes narrowed, and before you could react, she burst through the door, her gaze wild as if she were expecting to find another woman lying in your bed. Instead, her eyes landed on Bean—a scruffy, wide-eyed cat perched protectively on your chest, fur bristling as she hissed at the intruder.

“What the fuck is that?” Lauren growled, slamming the door shut behind her and tossing her purse to the floor.

You couldn’t help the grin that spread across your face as you scratched Bean’s chin, the cat settling into your lap like a queen defending her throne. “This is Bean! She’s part of our household now. What do you think, Laurie? Can we keep her?”

You used that nickname deliberately. That one soft spot of hers—“Laurie.” Her lips twitched, her steely expression faltering for just a second. You knew exactly what you were doing. And it worked, at least for now.

Lauren’s lip curled in disgust as she gave you another withering glare. “Whatever. Just make sure that thing doesn’t piss and shit everywhere. So fucking gross…” she spat before stomping off to your bedroom, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the frame. You heard her muttering under her breath—something about how long it took her to earn a hug from you, and now a stray could just prance in and get all your affection? Her frustration practically oozed through the door. She didn’t care how much you adored that “nasty animal.” One way or another, it was leaving.

And leave it did. Over and over again. Lauren made it her personal mission to rid your lives of the “intruder.” She’d scoop up Bean and deposit her outside the dorm or, on particularly determined days, carry her across campus and dump her near the edge of the university grounds. Yet somehow, Bean always found her way back. Every single time, the cat would show up at your door, waiting patiently for your return.

Each time you discovered what Lauren had done, the lecture that followed was scathing. “Lauren, she’s a roommate too now! Stop acting like a jealous child!” you’d say, arms crossed as you issued yet another punishment. “Don’t touch me for a week!” Or worse, “You’re not allowed near me for the rest of the weekend!”

Lauren was furious. It didn’t make sense to her. How could you be so attached to something so small and fleeting? “It’s a cat,” she’d hiss under her breath after one of your scoldings, pacing the room in frustration. “It’s gonna live, what, fifteen years? I’m a human being, and I could give you everything. I could live ninety years with you. And you’re choosing that over me?” But no matter how much she seethed, you never budged.

Each day brought new schemes. Lauren tried everything, from tempting Bean outside with treats to outright tossing her into the hallway—only for you to catch her in the act. “Don’t come near me for a week, Lauren!” you’d declare, leaving her seething and humiliated. When she thought she could get away with kicking Bean off your bed while you were asleep, you retaliated by locking her out of the bedroom entirely. Even her attempts to “forget” to feed the cat backfired spectacularly. “Fine,” you’d said coldly, pushing her plate aside. “If you can’t feed Bean, I’m not eating with you. Cook for yourself from now on.”

Lauren tried to play it off, acting as if it didn’t bother her, but the cracks in her confidence were starting to show. With every failed attempt to oust the cat, you grew colder toward her, each punishment chipping away at her fragile ego. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was losing control—losing you. And no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that Bean was just a temporary problem, the resentment was beginning to fester.

It all came to a head one stormy evening. The rain hammered against the dorm windows, a fitting backdrop to the tension that had been simmering for weeks. You had just returned from class to find Lauren sitting stiffly on the couch, her knuckles white as she gripped a pillow. Her eyes darted to you and then to Bean, who was curled up in her usual spot on your lap, purring contentedly as you scratched behind her ears.

Lauren said nothing at first, but you could see the cracks in her façade—the slight tremble in her hands, the way her lips pressed into a thin line. It wasn’t until you gently shooed Bean off to refill her food bowl that Lauren finally snapped.

"Do you even love me anymore?!" she shouted, her voice breaking halfway through. Before you could respond, she was on her feet, rushing toward you with tears streaming down her face. Her mascara was smudged, and her carefully maintained composure was shattered. She looked vulnerable in a way you’d never seen before.

Grabbing your arms, she buried her face into your chest, her sobs muffled but shaking her whole body. “Please,” she choked out, her voice desperate. “Please love me again. Just—just give me something. Anything. I can’t stand this anymore! I’ll do anything!”

You froze, startled by the rawness of her plea. She clung to you like you were her last tether to sanity, her fingers curling into the fabric of your shirt as if letting go would kill her. “Kiss me again,” she begged, looking up at you with red, tear-streaked eyes. “Hug me. Touch me. Something. Just—just let me know you still want me. Please…”

Her desperation was overwhelming, her emotions pouring out like a dam had burst. For all her control, all her confidence, Lauren was utterly undone in this moment, and it was all because of you.

You sighed, feeling a wave of exasperation rise within you. Here she was again—Lauren, the woman who had practically ruined your life, crying in your arms like a damn mess. The whole situation felt absurd, and yet, there you were, trying to comfort her, having moved from your shared position standing next to the kitchen island and now on the couch, her nuzzling into your chest and Bean reclaiming her spot on your lap.

With a groan, you shifted slightly, still holding Bean in your lap, her soft purring a stark contrast to the drama unfolding. You reached down and scratched behind the cat’s ears for a moment, trying to find some kind of peace in the chaos.

“Jeez, Lauren,” you muttered, your voice tinged with frustration as she clung to you, her sobs growing louder. “You really need to grow a damn pair. I’m over here, doing this—” you gestured to the mess of emotions in your arms—“and you’re still acting like a child. Again.”

Lauren’s sobs faltered for a second, but she didn’t pull away. She just clung tighter, her face buried in your chest. You could feel the dampness from her tears spreading across your shirt, but all you could do was stare at the ceiling, willing yourself not to snap.

“I don’t even know why I’m comforting you right now,” you grumbled, glancing down at the cat in your lap as she blinked up at you innocently. “You’ve been a pain in my ass for so long, and now this? Really?”

Lauren gave a small, shaky laugh, but her grip on you tightened. “I… I just need you…”

You snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, no shit. You always need me.” You shook your head, feeling the familiar frustration bubble to the surface. “Listen, I get it, okay? You want attention. You want affection. You want me to kiss you and coddle you, but you can’t just—” You waved a hand, gesturing at her emotional state, “—turn into a freaking wreck every time things don’t go your way! You’re not a child, Lauren. Act like it!”

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t let go. “Please,” she whispered, voice small. “I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, well, sorry doesn’t fix everything, does it?” you shot back, the sarcasm dripping from your words. Still, you couldn’t help but give her a brief pat on the back, though it was more of an awkward attempt to soothe her than any real gesture of affection. “Just... get a grip. You’re not the only one going through shit, you know.”

Lauren didn’t reply immediately, but you could feel her body relax a bit, her sobs tapering off as the emotional storm seemed to pass. You sighed again, rolling your eyes as you shifted Bean off your lap to stand up. “Come on. If you’re going to be this clingy, at least get it together.” You held out your hand to help her up, exasperated but oddly willing to help—if only because it would keep her from throwing another tantrum.

You had a sinking feeling that this wasn’t the end of it, but for now, it was enough.

The next day Lauren was already in the living room when the cat decided to make her presence known again. With her arms crossed, standing tall in the middle of the room, Lauren was on a mission. Bean, lounging comfortably on the couch, gave her nothing more than an indifferent stare. That smug little furball—acting like she owned the place. Well, not on Lauren’s watch.

“You think I don’t see you, huh?” Lauren’s voice was low, simmering with barely contained anger. She was talking to the cat, but she might as well have been addressing the universe. “You’re not fooling anyone, you dumb little rat. You want to take over, huh? Just waltz in here and start acting like you belong?”

The cat didn’t flinch, didn’t move, didn’t even blink. Bean just stared back, unbothered, as if Lauren’s words meant nothing. And that? That’s what pissed Lauren off the most. She took a step closer, her jaw tight. “I’ve been patient. You can’t just keep taking over. You think I won’t kick you out again?” Her voice was low, but the threat hung in the air like the promise of a storm.

But Bean just stretched, letting out a long, drawn-out yawn, completely uninterested in Lauren’s angry tirade. It was as if the cat had already won. Lauren’s fists clenched, her chest heaving with frustration. “You know, I don’t care how cute you think you are,” she muttered. “I’m winning this.”

[wutheringcaterpillar]

Omg pleeeease I need a dark/angsty Tommy fic where he ends up hurting the reader? Like an argument gets too heated and he ends up slapping her or something. Like maybe she was flirting and dancing a bit too much with someone at a party they’re hosting and he gets jealous and drags her to their room, then they start arguing and he gets so enraged that he basically sees red and absolutely slaps the hell out of her (some non con/dub con smut after as well???). Just need some heavy, dark, possessive, violent, scary/mean Tommy Shelby 😫 The darker the better lol

Warnings: noncon, p in v + anal, physical abuse, degradation, threats with a gun, some blood play, misogyny, name calling

Hope you enjoy! Thank you!

Tommy watched from afar, seeing you and Ada drunk, giggling like a bunch of school girls at a table filled with men. He may not be able to control his sister but his wife was another subject. People were beginning to stare, especially the men Tommy needed on his good side for now. The dress you were wearing was skin tight, your panties just barely showing through the thin black fabric. 

Tonight was a prestige dinner with delegates that Shelby Limited was in talks for business deals. The plan was too conversate, find weak spots, understand the patterns of movements, but the only thing Tommy was focused on was you, a long with every other man.

Even Arthur made a remark, a statement that angered Tommy even more. “Y/N’s quite the appeal tonight isn’t she?” Arthur chuckled, taking someone’s glass of whiskey and finishing it himself.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look at her, need to cherish her better brother before another man makes a move.” That was it, that was enough. When Tommy slammed his glass down and started to walk away Arthur pulled him back, pleading and convincing Tommy to just allow you to have fun for a night but he wouldn’t listen. Frowning, Arthur returned to the table, grabbing another drink whilst Tommy tried to keep his compusure. Greeting and checking in with the guests before approaching your flailing, inebriated body.

Three tradesman of London were in attendance, the blatant look of disgust from where they stood at the bookcase, giving your husband a look of disapproval before carrying on in conversation.

“Tommy! My husband, come here!” When you attempted to pull him down by the sleeve of his expensive suit, he pulled back, tucking his hands in his pockets, giving you a stern expression that told you to follow him.

Pouting, you crossed your arms, rolling your eyes annoyed, picking up a bottle of champagne before walking away with him, making flirtatious remarks to random men as you wobbled away until you were in the master bedroom.

Closing the door, you fell onto the floor laughing in a disarray of emotions, your vision blurry and your eyes dilated. Tommy pulled the nearly empty bottle from your hands, tossing it into the corner of the room before grabbing your wrist forcing you up onto your feet.

“What the fuck are you doing, eh? Are you stupid, is that it? You know how important tonight is and you go and fucking wreck it, bidding yourself off to other men when you are a married, taken woman.”

“Relax Tommy, we’re just having fun. What the boys can do whatever they damn well please but because of what’s between my legs I’m expected to just be formal, elegant?” Tommy looked at you with expecting eyes, not understanding where the confusion is. There were important men here tonight and seeing you galavanting around like some whore and being incoherently drunk made his blood boil. 

Biting dowm on his tongue and locking his jaw, he pointed with dictation, sapphire eyes raging with fire as he seethed out the following words.

“Yes. It’s that fucking simple. You can’t even fucking stand up straight.” Scoffing, you tiptoed around the room, holding onto the dresser to keep your warm, sweating body from falling. The room was spinning but that didn’t change the anger from the double standard that was always set against you. You hadn’t thought before speaking, the words simply sputtering out what you’ve held in.

“You should be thanking me for flirting with them, without me you’d have nothing. I’m simply the means to an end to the shit deals you can’t make on your own.”

Tommy cut you off with the back of his hand slapping across your cheek ferociously, silencing you for good. Grabbing for the bruising skin, you looked back at your husband in shock and fear. He’s never, ever layed a hand on you.

When you ran for the door, he was faster, shoving the wooden object closed with his hand and yanking you back by the strands of your hair, pushing you carelessly onto the bed.

His hands tightened around your wrists as he shoved his hardened member upward against your mound.

“I’d have nothing eh? I’ll show you what it’s like to be treated like you’re nothing.” 

Screaming hysterically, you wept as Tommy ripped the expensive gown, exposing the bare, delicate skin of your thighs. Hitting and fighting against his chest to push him away, he simply lifted his hand, slapping you harshly once more to stop the whining. 

You pressed your hand gently against your temple, a headache forming in the core of your mind from the impactful blow. 

Hearing the buckle of his belt, you panicked but were too weak to defend yourself from the man who claimed to be your husband.

“Maybe if you had just listened and weren’t a fucking whore tonight we wouldn’t be in this postion. Someone’s forgotten their place eh?” Pushing the thin laced fabric of your panties aside, he thrusted upward, letting his thick length penetrate you without any lube. Writhing and seething in pain below him, tears prickled at your eyes, not recognizing who was staring at you anymore.

Spitting at his face, he smiled slyly, a dark twisted grin bellowing at what you had done.

Returning the favor he spat back, hitting you once more with a forceful, strong slap that echoed through the room and knocked out your hearing in one ear.

“Don’t forget sweetheart. I own you, you’re my property.” Wrapping his hands around your throat, you struggled for air as he drilled into your dry cunt, shredding open the sensitive skin like a grater would cheese. Blood slowly leaked out from your pussy, the ability to scream non existent as your airway was constricted, bruising as his nails dug into your skin.

When your hands reached up to try to push him away from your neck, desperate for air, he shed himself of his tie, wrapping the fabric around your wrists tightly to the headboard and shoved his underwear in your mouth. 

Slapping your cunt repeatedly, he mocked your whimpers, feeling your walls slowly start to produce your sweet syrup against your will.

“How pathetic, is this what you wanted? Someone likes me cock, who knew my wife was a little fucking whore.” Screeching beneath the makeshift gag, your skin seethed in pain, wanting nothing more for this to be over.

His hands grasped at your breasts, tugging and pulling at your nipples, smitten by how easily your body gave in to him. 

Flipping you over onto your stomach, he spread your ass cheeks, pulling the fatty skin apart finding that tight, untouched hole you’d been denying him for so many years, now he was going to take it for himself.

There was nowhere for you to go, your eyes searched, panicked looking for anything to get you out of these bindings, but there was nothing. 

Aligning himself with your taint, you could feel the rounded head of his shaft resting at your virgin entrance. Every bone and muscle in your violated body tensed when his head pushed through your strained, congested walls. You screamed in agony as he wasted no time burying himself balls deep in your taint.

“Oh fuck…Didn’t know you could feel this good love. My little slave, that ass devouring me cock. About time I reminded you of your place. Nothing but a slut, a mere stupid little bitch.” He moaned in between thrusts as he fucked your anus, pounding your ass up and down on his shaft while holding the cheeks of your ass roughly. The sporadic pain was different than your pussy, far more intensified. It didn’t feel like stinging anymore, the size of his penis sent flames of fire through your hole.  

When he buried his neck into the crook of your neck while he continued to pump relentlessly into you. You fumbled with the bindings while he wasn’t paying attention. 

Realessing a choked sob, you were on the verge of being free, fidgeting with the tight knot with a tremendous effort, working over the fabric through the tears and painful agony, but you weren’t as smooth as you thought. Tommy’s hand shot up, slamming down on yours and pulled you arms behind your back, causing the gag to fall out in the process.

“Help! Help! Ah-“ Striking you in the back of your waeay head, he shoved his fingers between your lips, invading your mouth and pulling at the sides of your lips.

“Shut the fuck up. Listen to me, are you listening sweetheart?” You whimpered through his fingers, nodding your head, squeezing your eyes closed in a pained expression when he thrusted his cock violently with a force of strength and dominance.

“No one is coming to your rescue, you belong to me, and I have the right to use and abuse my property all I want and you will listen, or suffer the consequences as you are right now. Get up.” Tommy pulled you onto his lap, reinserting his lengthy shaft into your soaking wet walls. You mewled from the discomfort, struggling to make eye contact with Tommy. 

His lips connected to your hardened nipples, biting down on the flesh harshly, aiming to draw blood. Slapping you across the face once again, your head whipped to the other side fiercly.

“Ride me. Go on, you claim to be so great in bed to those men out there. Can’t treat your husband the same?” Another backhand, before his hand gripped the fat of your ass cheeks, slamming you up and down on his cock, an immense joy curdling within him from seeing your pathetic tears.

Then an idea struck you, if you’r just get him off surely he’d let you go. A satisfied grin spread across his face when you began to rotate your hips, staring slowly at first before picking up speeding. 

“Ah, fuck, that’s it love. Show me what that worthless cunt can do.” You continued to whine and whimper as you rode his cock, your ass landing on his thighs with each powerful bounce, your breasts flying up and down for his amusement.

You could feel him begin to pulsate, he was close, very close.

Arching your back, Tommy focused in on your pussy devouring his lengthy member with each pivotal motion of your hips. Your walls tightened, constricting his length, and within seconds his seed was filling your tortured void, flooding into your ovaries.

At that moment you moved as fast as lightning, taking the lamp and smashing it over his head to try to escape his bitter soul. Rushing to put clothes on, you ran to the door, thinking that someone would help you but Tommy wasn’t weak and you were nowhere nearly as strong as him. He was quick to recover, but not as quick as you. Throwing on a nightshirt and slipping on the closest thing to work as underwear, you opened the door just nearly out when Tommy pulled on his pants, rolling over the bed and running, rushing toward you, slamming the door closed once again. 

You punched the door in defeat, frightened to turn around until he forced you to, pulling out something you’d never thought he’d use as a threat to you.

“If you think I am playing some sort of sick game, you are sadly mistaken sweetheart. Now get back on the fucking bed, you’ve done enough tonight.” Removing the safety, he pointed the gun directly on the middle of your forehead, the cool metal barrel sending chills down your spine. Is this what your marriage had come to? How were you supposed to move forward from this catastrophic night? Surely people would notice the bruises but then again, no one ever questioned Tommy Shelby, not anyone that gave a shit about their life.

Surrendering you rose your arms, the shaking of your trembling hands visible. The man facing you, you no longer recognized. There was no guilt, or shame, or any type of love present in those venomous, frigid eyes, he really wasn’t joking. Making your way back to the bed, you tucked your head onto the pillow, weeping relentlessly into the case of the feathered object. Tommy layed the gun down on the table, taking a seat beside you. You flinched away from his cold, heartless touch, terrified of what was to come next.

“I need to go back and entertain our guests. You stay here and be good. Can you do that?” He twisted your labia, pinching the sensitive skin, causing you a tremendous amount of pain, reminding you what could happen if you don’t listen.

Nodding with fearful, tired eyes, you watched as Tommy dressed himself, and stayed in your fragile position on the soiled sheets, eventually crying yourself to sleep in the dark room.

[annoyinglandmagazine]

One thing I find really refreshing about Girl Genius is the way that they manage to subvert the typical double standard when it comes to the way Lucrezia uses her sexuality.

She’s a stereotypical femme fatale in that she uses flirtation to manipulate people like Aaronev into helping her, which isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but what’s really important is the clear distinction between that and the way she interacts with Klaus and Tarvek specifically.

She’s not using the flirtation to tempt them into helping her with the lure of sex because she already has them under her control, they don’t have the option to not cooperate. Tarvek has nowhere to go and she is actively controlling Klaus’ mind so he can’t disobey her.

She knows very well that neither of them want to have sex with her so it becomes less of an extremely forward offer and more of a blatant threat. She does it to get in their heads, to demonstrate their powerlessness, to make them uneasy and we can see that it works, they’re both clearly terrified during these kind of scenes.

I think it’s kind of interesting that possibly the creepiest interactions consist of someone who looks like a short 19 to 20 year old woman aggressively sexually harassing an extremely physically imposing man well old enough to be her father and it’s treated completely seriously as something really genuinely disturbing which it is.

And I really appreciate that it’s not played for comedic relief or just ignored which this kind of thing so often is and it’s actually acknowledged that this is so extremely wrong and there’s a reason why it’s the villain doing this.

[txttletale]

roadhogsbigbelly is doubling down. genuinely incredible (yes i am aware how deeply funny it is to start a serious post with that sentence. it is my one allotment of levity)

oh okay you just assumed that "loliporn" was involved and something that i deserved to be associated with defending and accused of making "integral to the queer identity" because of stuff that the OP (who i cannot stress enough i never followed or talked to or knew in any fucking way!) did that got called out months after i made my addition?

the rest of his post is just a very lengthy way of saying "umm if you didn't want to be called a pedophile because you were mean about stardew valley maybe you should be more careful about how you reblog from". yeah buddy im sure you apply that standard to yourself too huh. im sure you pull out your Bad Person detector every time you reblog a fucking post and beam OP with it. you literally screenshot my post about how as a trans women i get this standard uniquely applied to me and went "um its a good standard though. answer for the actions of every fucking person youve ever reblogged a post by".

and all this whole fucking schtick where he's like "ummmm im not calling you a pedophile :) i just assumed you thought 'loliporn was integral to the queer identity' based on source: i made it up and am going out of my way to repeatedly say you're agreeing with pedophiles and not being wary enough about pedophiles and that 99% of people who make the type of post im accusing you of making are pedophiles" is so fucking pathetic and if you fall for it you are a blatant transmisogynist like come the fuck on man.

i am no longer having a nice time on the computer, i am pretty fucking angry. and all this because he "doesnt have much skin in the game" but he doesn't like my stardew valley takes! yeah man real proportionate response.

not to mention the aside he makes to say 'wah wah someone told me to kill myself' amiguito do you have any fucking idea what my inbox has looked like since this entire transmisogynistic harassment campaign began a week ago? i delete those asks because i'm not into flaunting every piece of online abuse i get to make myself look like the victim in computer arguments but it has been constant and graphic! breaking news, women are people too, some of the most cutting-edge research suggests they might even have feelings!

"oh i censored her identity i dont know how she even found it" oh okay so you were anonymously pedojacketing me to your thousands of followers while vaguing about a post i made that had thousands of notes and using the same screenshot that an uncensored version of was passed around with thousands of notes as part of a transmisogynistic harassment campaign last fucking week?

how could anyone possibly have guessed it was me! it's a real mystery man it was basically witness protection. "oh but i didn't know, i didn't know she was trans", maybe he'll also say he didn't know about the harassment campaign, hey fucker, maybe apply some of the constant scrutiny you're reserving for women who are mean about farming game and apply it to yourself and consider looking into these things before baselessly making pedo accusations against someone!

this transmisogynistic crybully shit is absolutely fucking insufferable and i am absolutely sick of it and anyone who buys into it. i'm done assuming good faith or ignorance. i am not going to be a good placid little bullying target and acquiesce to this vile shit. it's truly fucking incredible that a tme guy can be found out as an actual pedophile and guys like mr. belly can immediately jump into action to use this as an opportunity to denounce a trans woman who had one interaction with him ever that consisted of five minutes spent typing an addition to a post and hitting ''reblog''. & if you don't find that sickening then straight up you are not safe for trans women to be around.

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Misogyny in the fandom: let's talk about it

Not gonna lie, the level of interalized or even just blatant misogyny in this fandom is really disheartening sometimes. There is already VERY few female characters in the book, even fewer with speaking roles, and yet I see all of them being hated on in some way. People hate on Cherry for standing up for herself when Dally was harrasing her, and for not seeing Johnny in the hospital, which bullshit to begin with but also, you can't tell me that if the roles were reversed and Cherry sat down behind Dallas and starting talking about how stupid and classless greaser boys are, and Dally threw a coke at her, that the fandom wouldn't love him all the more for it. People hold her to this impossible golden standard, expecting her to literally be perfect instead of a conflicted and grieving teenage girl, when they embrace the flaws and give a lot more grace to much more violent and 'bad' male characters. It's a very 'boys will be boys' and 'girls mature fatser so they should know better' double standard that I really can't stand. Marcia gets a level of the same treatment, with people occasionally calling her vapid or shallow when the book makes it clear she and Two-bit actually really hit it off, and the number she gave him being fake was only Two and Ponyboy's speculation. But I digress. Moving on.

Misogyny and classism intersect when it comes to the few female greaser characters we get a little insight on. So many people LOATHE both Sandy and Sylvia because they're cheaters, but honestly, how is cheating worse than stealing? (And don't pretend they steal because they need to survive Ponyboy makes a point of claiming Two-bit doesn't really need or want half the stuff he shoplifts) How is it worse than jumping little kids? How is it worse than sexually harassing girls? How is it worse than the plethora of immoral or illegal activities the greaser guys partake in? If we're being 100% honest, it isn't. "But-but Sandy cheated on Soda, who really loved her". Yeah, she did. That was shitty of her, I'm not defending that, but she was also a sixteen year old girl in a tough situation she was trying to navigate the best she could. She could have lied and told Soda it was his and trapped him in a marriage raising a kid he definitely couldn't afford if she wanted to- but she didn't. Hell, she told him the truth and he was still ready to do that and she wouldn't let him. I don't think those are the actions of a completely terrible person, I think they're the actions of a scared kid who did some shitty things, but is trying her best and trying to do better. At the VERY least they're the actions of a multifaceted character who deserves the same level of grace and insight afforded to the male characters. (If anyone wants to read more of my thoughts on Sandy and her narrative importance, I have a post here). There's also something to be said about the poor 'greasy' girls facing harsher vitriol than the soc girls, and while part of it is because of Ponyboy's biased narration, it's clear to see that readers very much took his views at face value. Soc girls are 'good girls' and have to be perfect to deserve credit from the fans, but greasy girls are 'trashy' so it's ok for them to be judged and shit on. Spoiler alert: it isn't.

Sylvia is similar to Sandy in that her cheating and 'loose' behaviour earn her a lot of hate, which again, I'm not defending her cheating, but we need to give her the same analysis and benefit of the doubt given to Dally. Dally is NOT a good person. Ponyboy says this and makes it clear plenty of times. He's a hurt character, so we can explien why he is the way he is, but he isn't a GOOD character. he values loyalty, so he never cheated on Sylvia, but it's clear based on how he treats Cherry and casual comments he makes that he doesn't really respect women. I can't imagine Sylvia's experience dating him was one where she felt very adored. Again, not an excuse for cheating, but I can understand WHY she'd try and take back power within a dynamic and a society where she never had any, and I don't want to vilify her for that. She's also a poor woman growing up in the sixties- the book makes it clear life is hard enough for poor guys griowing up at that time, but it was probably equally if not more hard for poor women. I think, like the gang, she does what she had to to survive. If you can understand why the gang does bad things, and still be humans who can be considered good, you can extend the same understanding to Sylvia (and Sandy.) I think people need to also keep in mind that everything we know ABOUT Sylvia (and the rest of the female characters) we know from Ponyboy, a fourteen year old boy who's narration is INCREDIBLY biased and who doesn't have the full details of any of the relationships in the gang. Ponyboy sees Sylvia and Sandy as these terrible, loose women who have hurt people he cares about, so a lot of the fandom does too, but it doesn't change the fact that by doing so you're accepting and embracing Ponyboy's internalized misogyny and making it your own.

Anyway, I don't think I'm articulating this as well as i want to, and i spoke a bit more about this in this reply to one of the posts on the confessions page, but yeah, I just wish people could accept that fact that if they bend over backward to find ways to defend or explain immoral actions from male characters, but refuse to even attempt to do the same for female characters, they've probably internalized a bit of misogyny they should maybe work on.

[plaidos]

hello. i am coincidentally also getting annoying asks about june on my own homestuck blog right now. it really irritates me that a fanbase that prides itself on being so queer or w/e is seemingly completely incapable of understanding the basic concept of a trans woman transitioning and are just sooo confused. its such a blatant double standard that makes me feel crazy because there is none of this confusion or scrutiny for any of the many baseless transmasc readings but june just makes nooo sense please explain

the amount of people bending over backwards to say “John shouldn’t be transfem because he didn’t seem it as a kid” is insane. like firstly, if you actually know any trans girls who were super repressed at that age, that’s exactly how they’re like lol. and secondarily, that is literally exactly what transphobes tell trans people when we come out irl too!!!! like my mum told me i didn’t seem to like many girls toys as a kid but the truth is that isn’t how transness looks for every kid. and June is VERY relatable to my 13 year old existence. personally, at least.

[sepublic]

            It really feels appropriate that TOH’s entire conception sparked from spiteful defiance towards misogyny; Towards a peer’s misogynistic claim that nobody would be interested in a story about an older woman and her young female apprentice.

            There are plenty of prominent female characters of different arcs and motives and backgrounds. The story is about a young girl meeting this older woman whom society hates, because she doesn’t conform to their expectations. Eda’s someone whose age does not disclude her from being viewed as attractive, as a response to the misogynistic double standards of older being being seen as gray foxes, while older women are decried as hags. Eda is clearly proud and open about her sexuality and isn’t shamed for it; She’s had past exes and while the exes themselves are embarrassing, Eda herself is described as flirty and someone Luz looks up to.

            It’s fitting that in the first episode that establishes the themes and conflicts of the show, Luz and Eda go up against this controlling creep who immaturely hates anyone and anything that’s different, who presents himself as serious with his mask, but when it falls off he’s revealed to be just as freakish as everyone else, while also betraying a sniveling core beneath it all. And of course Warden Wrath is a misogynist, not literally because of the setting, but his actions blatantly represent these ideas; He is entitled towards Eda and demands he can control her, yet proves how he doesn’t care with how quickly he defaults to violence when Eda doesn’t go along; Sound familiar?

            Meanwhile you have Jacob Hopkins who is the blatant precursor/foreshadowing to Belos; He’s an ineffectual Belos, but still dangerous because of that idiocy. The way he puts his hand on Camila’s shoulder, and her having to move it away, speaks volumes. He spends his time on conspiracy sites. Men who are racist are so often misogynistic. He is from our world, where these values exist.

            The villain foreshadowed by these characters had his start as a white boy who, in order to feel better about himself, idolized his community’s violence against women; Make no mistake, while the show acknowledges that witches are gender-neutral, and this does apply to the Salem Witch Trials, the witch hunts were still misogynistic with their statistical skew towards women. In S3, the writers make a point that Gravesfield’s witch hunters had the same motives and targets as IRL witch hunters.

            A young girl not much older is targeted for violence by the community as an outsider, and by the boy because she chose to fall in love with his brother; An expression of romantic agency. Philip falls back on an ideology that validates white men such as himself as superior and in charge of all others, while framing even a child like Evelyn as an evil temptress, because to rob children of their status as children is a form of dehumanization. His misogynistic violence furthers when he sees that Evelyn has also expressed sexual agency in having a child with Caleb, and wants to kill Evelyn and her soon-to-be-born child (and Caleb as well) to violate a mother’s bodily choice.

            But the whole time, Evelyn got away; She chose to go back to Gravesfield even if in secret, because she had someone she wanted to be with. She didn’t let anyone or anything stop her from loving, even post-mortem, because Evelyn got revenge by beating up Philip so badly he never confronted her again out of trauma. She got to raise her child, who lived a full life of their own, and spawned a lineage that resulted in other characters as mentioned. Evelyn Clawthorne was a young girl who expressed agency, who took initiative in exploring another world, and ultimately set up others to do the same, especially Luz.

            The Emperor is a patriarchal figure who Luz even suggests a similarity towards with Warden Wrath. The need for control and domination, the desire to kill monsters, is a way of asserting his manhood; Philip’s statue shows him as scrawny within his brother’s shadow, implying an insecurity over his masculinity that he compensated for in punishing women and minorities, just like any incel.

            And this would even extend to jealousy in killing Caleb and subsuming his masculine identity via his coat; Not because he’s secretly GNC but because he wants to be a macho man. His effeminate voice likely brought him shame, and he grew his scraggly beard out. Despite this, Philip almost exclusively resorts to underhanded means when fighting people, such as hiding behind a hostage, possessing/manipulating others, lowering their guard, etc. Philip flees against an actual challenger like Evelyn, and the only ones he menaces directly are literal children and even they end up outsmarting and humiliating him.

            Lilith has to deal with the petty hatred and spite of Belos, who refuses to comprehend that what she did to him was in any way warranted; Of all his atrocities, across his entire life, his only remorse is for fellow white men, whose abuse he’s not even truly repentant about. Lilith escapes her abuser, using her experience to warn Luz before delivering retribution upon the man who harmed her. Like her sister, Lilith avoids the ageism towards women like her; She doesn’t care for love and her main friend is Hooty, but she’s treated with full dignity and respect, not as some crazy cat lady, but as a middle-aged woman who’s just as capable of turning her life around and finding new meaning in it, as anyone else.

            Against Belos, Luz is accused of having her sense of reasoning being messed with by the witches; Thereby undermining Luz’s agency by calling her insane, gaslighting the girl as essentially hysterical. Otherwise, he claims that all of Luz’s decisions are mistakes that just harm people. Belos is entitled towards Luz, believing he should be able to control Luz, her decisions, how she lives her life, etc.

            When Luz refuses, he immediately defaults to killing her with sadistic glee, and only relents when she convinces him that he genuinely needs her; Not because it’s the right thing to do or Luz plans to change her mind, because her wellbeing was never his consideration. It was just control, as the Titan puts it. It’s this entitlement that has Belos insinuate to Luz repeatedly that she is helping him, that this is her intended role by his side, to support him.

            And in the end, Luz asserts her agency; She does not owe Belos anything. He is not entitled to anything about her. She will not grant him time, sympathy, or understanding. She will let him be laid bare for what he really is, and let him slowly, painfully die in humiliation as he pleads for mercy. Her rage against this patriarchal figure is a triumph, as is that of Eda, who is the successful descendant of the girl who got away with it; She gets to murder this man with her child and nonbinary lover.

            Older women like Gwen and Camila are present and humanized. Kikimora, for all her vicious and pathetic flaws, is recognized as another victim of Belos, and one who successfully gets revenge on her abuser by undoing his entire life’s work and catalyzing his eventual demise. Amity and Boscha start off as cruel and mean, but are allowed to be more than shallow Popular Girl archetypes, having their own motives and vulnerabilities. Willow frets over being a caring, borderline maternal figure, and this crisis reaches a climax with Hunter, who rejects his uncle’s teachings by taking responsibility for his emotional hostility and relieving Willow of her burdens.