#the way ppl think and talk about these things. even if its fictional. usually (but not always. im aware!) still reflects how they think irl

[0809sysblings]

maybe this will get rocks thrown at me but i kinda hate when people call the 18+ prisoners "grown adults" as insults and ways to like... shut down any sympathy with them. how because they are "grown adults", they "should have known better". this has just always bothered me. i see it and i have to sit and stare at the wall for 10 minutes.

like. idk. being an adult does not automatically give you skills like Emotional Regulation, Impulse Control, Ability To Learn From Consequences, Ability To Plan For The Future, Critical Thinking, Interpersonal Skills, etc etc. you have to be Taught these things no matter how old you are. if you are not taught these things, and you are not supported in an environment that helps you further develop these things... you just. Aren't gonna be able to do them well.

adults just, typically, have accumulated enough experiences in life to have been able to learn these things. but not every adult has had that privilege. or some adults have had to just shut off the parts of their brain that would allow them to learn these things to be able to function at a basic level.

[t4tails]

i know its an older post but irt that incest post sometimes i feel like ppl just dont and cannot get it until it happens to them. i couldnt even comprehend it as a possibility until i was 14 staying at my uncles house for a while and i still cant comprehend it as a thing that happened to me sometimes. i think its bc ppl feel security with their families in that sense— even if theyre abused in other ways, its like, “well, i know them and they’d still never do THAT.”

perhaps its bc we are still not educated about the dangers of incest as children. ever. we are taught stranger danger. we’re taught what inappropriate touch is. and when we’re a little older we’re taught to recognize grooming behaviors, but we’re never taught about what its like when it comes from family members— and what’s more we’re taught to assume the best from family members, to think of them as the exception to inappropriate touch or behaviors, when they DO make us uncomfortable instead of recognizing those behaviors as red flags. then one day it becomes too late, like it did with me. and maybe that contributes to the idea that its a non-possibility in some people, that it only happens in fiction.

the most i’ve ever seen presented to children as a red flag irt incest is the idea of a mother’s boyfriend or a stepparent acting inappropriately, but that still comes from the angle of “you havent known them for as long so this means they could also be a predator.”

we still don’t fully address what the commonly cited statistic “most sexual abuse comes from someone the survivor knows” MEANS. its not just friends. not just partners. its your family, too. its people you’ve known all your life.

but ultimately— i’m finally making my point i promise— the reason we dont address those things is because the idea that children should be able to turn to their community when their family fails them is too controversial, and not just among families that support incestuous abuse. “if my child knows they can confide in a teacher/neighbor about anything, they might become rebellious. god forbid somebody other than me contributes to my child’s development!”

people prefer the heightened possibility of their child being subjected to incestuous abuse over their child having any semblance of autonomy.

sorry for the long ask i’d usually post this to my blog but this is not something i’d be okay publicly speaking about.

hi sorry this took a bit to answer that post IS from a while ago and i wasnt sure how to respond, because i have fortunately never experienced that type of abuse myself and dont have much to add beyond agreement. i didnt want to just leave this in my inbox though since its clear you put a lot of thought into it.

i think a lot of the opportunities for incestuous abuse stem from the traditional family structure not actually prioritizing protection or comfort, but control that feels threatened every time somebody tries to bring it up. nobody wants to actually prevent it because that would mean acknowledging family as a potential threat, as well as breaking down the ways the controlling of sex and ownership by said family is already normalized in culture (ex. fathers vigorously defending their daughters virginity, etc). this is all why imo discussions on this should go hand in hand with childrens rights and body autonomy, but even in these discussions its rare to see it actually brought up

its really something that needs to be talked about more, but people struggle to see past "alabama" jokes and fauxcest porn

[ca-suffit]

Hi, you talk a lot about the white fandom but what do you mean by that? Most of the accounts I've seen you attack are not white, other than Virginia vampires as far as I know. For example Sima who you talked about in your last posts is brown, muslim, and probably a lot less privileged than you because of where she lives. It's gross and xenophobic to make fun of her and call her stupid for her English and not understanding western American culture. Also let's not forget this is the internet. Any person can pretend to be anything they want. You could be white yourself for all we know. There's no way to verify unless you post your photo or something. I agree with what you say about Anne Rice and the racism of hardcore book fans but maybe you should be more clear about what and who you're fighting against. Right now it just looks like you attack accounts you don't like for petty reasons and not for any social justice cause.

This is all bullshit but I'm gonna answer it so I can eventually probably pin this fucking post for all u annoying assholes who want to speak over the point and distract from getting shit done here.

White fandom does not mean white people. I have said this so many times. White fandom means the ppl who support the ideas of white supremacy, that white ppl's ideals and comfort should be prioritized over everyone else and "we don't have to talk about race because that's "the real racism."" This has been happening nonstop with the way that Lestat, a fictional white man, is defended to death while real black and brown fans are openly bullied within the fandom (usually to defend *him*!) and nobody fucking cares. They care even less because of how white fandom is now made up of fans who aren't white, who convince white ppl even more that "this is the way, don't listen to those ppl, they're all (euphemism for racial slurs goes here)." If you come into a fandom that centers black American history in its plot and is also well known as a fandom to be antiblack af, that's literally on u to figure out. loustat-0 has been here, it's been two fucking years, I don't give a shit what her background is, this is no excuse. She came into this space knowing what it is, the show spells it out p fucking well too. Stop making excuses for assholes who want to remain ignorant and make themselves victims when they're told they fucked up. U don't have to be a white person to do that shit and antiblackness is so rampant across every race on top of it, it's not brand new information that brown ppl can be antiblack too. Shit, black ppl can be antiblack, look at fangs and keybearer. That is the whole point of being loud about this, to challenge their bs and wake ppl up to saying something back about it. cuz it's the same white fandom shit, just dressed different and in a way most white ppl don't know how to understand. That's what they count on too, why do u think fangs got so loud screaming I'M BLACK AND U NEED TO LISTEN TO ME when she thought that would work to prove her antiblack af point against a white person? u can be any race and be in white fandom and racist af. internalized racism is real. a lot of things are real. Look how many ppl across various groups constantly speak up for political parties who cause harm to their own communities. This manipulation happens every day across many spaces.

You're the only one not understanding what's going on here tbh. I also have never given any information on who I am at all and that is on purpose. The fandom is making up a definition of the person I am typing this, I have said nothing. I say nothing because that's what white fandom relies on, personal information to attack u as a person instead of replying to the topic of fandom racism itself. U can see in this example here how they move goalposts depending on which race, gender, and age they're speaking to. Why do u think it's mostly black ppl on those PSAs too? Why do you think the fandom also ignores them so much and sees them as "angry" and "dangerous." Ur interpretation of who I am is up to u and I don't owe anyone access to that. If u need only specific types of ppl to speak up on shit like fandom racism then u are revealing the main issue behind why nothing ever gets accomplished. Who is the best messenger then? Who would u listen to after all? Sit with that thought and choke on it, cuz the real answer is "nobody." U all will never allow anyone to speak on this, that's why u pull shit like what ur trying to pull here rn. have u also noticed the only ppl getting defended are those who come from white fandom? Why do u think that is too. Why would ppl sympathize so much with only these ppl and not all the black and brown ppl who have been fucked with a lot harder this whole time otherwise. where are those names ever. why are u all always crying about these useless idiots only. ur part of the fucking problem and this victim act doesn't work on me or anyone else. we are all tired of this shit and that's why I'm fucking here.

These are not "petty reasons," you're just fucking stupid and defending the wrong ppl. Wake up already. Ignorance on racism isn't even the only thing loustat-0 is accused of and u want to say it's xenophobic to judge someone's behavior like that, when she's *been* told by ppl how to act right. Fuck outta here. Learn what words mean, u fucking cretin. Btw it was her own post in the tags about leaving that even called attention to this in the first place, it's not like I dug it out of nothing the way fangs is always digging thru black fans' personal shit for her call out posts. She whined a lot to play victim but she did not try to defend herself this way at all so it makes me rly wonder why tf u feel the need to do all this on her behalf. what is UR fucking point, princess?

[trans-leek-cookie]

the thingw the orcs in dunmeshi is sth i skirt around bc like u said it is. not a great modern take on orcs. obv not the worst it could be and kui at least did engage w trying to write a more involved lore on them rather than just having this be the same “orcs are big uncivilized brutes” version 8000000 but that element is still there. and i do think “its not the worst” is hardly what i would want to set my highest expectations to jdhdgksgd

tumblrs being a bitch n not letting me put images in so I'll just paste the text from the other ask

Nodding. ty for the info on the ways halfling racism can be compared to irl examples in “the middle east” like that rly is such a close comparison i wonder if it was at all intentional… AND FR on the whole . wishing we knew what they called themselves bc the “halfling” “half foot” thing i rly cant help but think abt how it feels like irl examples of certain groups being denigrated to category slurs its like. LOL. dunmeshi makinh me feel party to fictional racism and microaggressions against my will...

Idk Abt skirting around bc I think it's smthn we should face head on, but at the same time I'm not in a place where I can really add onto the discussion wrt orcs as a white/East Asian person. IIRC ppl have said tolkiens orcs are black and/or central Asian (Mongolian I believe) coded, which is meaningful cause he's influenced so much of modern fantasy, and thats. Y'know. Not great. Also the orcs in dungeon Meshi are essentially an indigenous group from what I remember so that's also a whole mess. Again, my opinions arent very meaningful when it comes to this, but I feel like it's incredibly disappointing to see an author who's clearly capable of nuanced and interesting commentary on racism in the context of real life and fiction (even if it's not always great it's clear she's thinking about it in some depth) really just. Fall back on tropes. Bc for the other races - human is a wider category than usual, tall men aren't always the Everyman, elves are long lived but that doesn't make them wiser, and halflings are mature, worldly and resourceful, which I feel like does a lot to break free of typical fantasy pigeon holeing. But the orcs are just sorta... The Bad Guy but Not That Bad I guess? Theoretically it's a departure from the "super evil forever no exceptions" idea of the but it's still so far behind what needs to be done to make it less of a lazy, racist trope.

Yeah, again I'm not west Asian or Arab like I said, but between reading stuff ppl online write n talking to my Iraqi friend + rereading dungeon Meshi and really trying to analyze it, it kinda stood out to me. I will say I was a little unconfident posting about it bc it's 3 things (4 if you count the name note) but theyre still really notable at least to me. The hand/foot cutting is I feel the most explicit? Because that's such a fucked up stereotype it just stands out immediately. I don't necessarily know if the half foot/middle east connection was intentional, because I assume Japan/Asia in general has a different relationship with West Asia (since they are the "far east" in comparison, so "Middle East" wouldnt really make sense?), but it could be one of those things that colonialism managed to spread. I'm not very knowledgeable about that, but even if it wasn't intentional I think it's a very interesting parallel in how language can be used to categorize people as "normal/other". So i can't say if its intentional or not, but it's definitely an interesting lens to consider the story thru. Id also say I believe halflings are said to be native to a place that's east from where the story takes place, but not the eastern continent (which is p much easy Asia). I've seen some ppl take this to mean eastern Europe, and I don't think that's wrong, but I think u could also think of it as west Asia? Idk if we ever got much info on it in story, so I might be missing some details. (Honestly I'd personally HC that halflings are generally mixed Eastern European/West Asian- not to conflate the two, but rather Im imaging the majority of them are in a kinda blended culture).

[ficto-confessions]

I find it so weird and exhausting how people act like being ficto is a choice. Like if you watch reaction videos on people who talk about being in love with fictional characters, it's barely ever a positive reaction. It's all "go outside", "get fresh air", "go get a real partner". And I've heard similar sentiments from the aroace spaces too. I get it, ficto identities are currently very small and not many people know about them. But I feel like a lot of people say things like "the aromantic/asexual spectrum is completely valid! Every aroace identity is valid and should be respected!" then when a ficto person comes in all of a sudden it's 'everyone's valid and acceptable except you'. They might not use the same words, but they're just as exclusionist at times.

It's just... they don't treat ficto identities like LGBTQ labels, like it's an attraction that people can't control and are born with like ever other identity. I didn't choose to not find real people attractive, I didn't choose for my fictional crushes to not be lighthearted little jokes. I didn't choose to spend months at a time stressing and second-guessing myself because I didn't want to hear those exact words of unacceptance. I tried to like real people, I honestly did! I put a lot of thought and focus into planning for my future real partner. But at the end of the day the label caught up with me, and I ended up finally accepting that part of myself. So to go through so much struggle and then hear "go get a real partner"... it really really stings. I can't drop my fiction partners, I love them very deeply and they bring me so so much comfort and joy and make me feel so loved. And I couldn't like real people even when I tried.

I feel like I have so much more I want to say but that's basically it. Ficto stuff is usually all put under the "you can't get an irl partner so you're gonna be a basement creep who dates pictures of fake characters" stigma. And as someone who struggled with my ficto-ness a lot, it really hurts to see people acting like I can just choose to get a "real partner" anytime and acting like I'm just someone who got rejected too many times (never have, I've never even asked anyone out, I've never liked people like that). It's.. well.. a part of my identity. It's who I am. Not something I can just suddenly drop and then magically find an irl partner to be with. It's not a choice, a fad, a recuperation from rejection, or a "basement dweller" thing. It's an identity on the aro/ace spectrums that needs to be respected as much as the more well-known labels are

Yeah.

I think they're rather jealous,cuz whats nice of having an irl partner that u have to get by basically manipulating them to like u, relationships aren't forever plus they're capable of horrible things or that nowadays ppl don't even have standards in dating & just take anyone or think that being w someone w common sense is the most important trait?.. Like no shit,u wouldn't want to be w someone that hurts you & they way ppl describe dating makes me cringe since what they often describe is basically just friendship w extra steps.

And average relationship lasts for a few years, so whats the point of doing the same scenario w someone when u know it's gonna end anyways? Also irls are disgusting when it comes to anatomy & overly boring, so.

You can also count victim blaming. Cuz what if you went through abuse? According to them you're supposed to go through partners & just decide to pretend like it never happen & never give up on this vile species despite them not deserving any of it. And it goes w other types of relationships as well.

They want fictos to suffer cuz they want them to experience the unknown of not knowing how the relationship's gonna go and end. They call this shut exciting, but its more like a torture,why would u make a dumbass of urself just to get someone to like you? And especially if you socially struggle,its hard to get someone to urself and by that logic, you'd need to have zero standards if u wanted to get at least w someone.

W being ficto,you can have high standards & have thousands of different kinds of f/os. Like do u like anime characters? There are thousands of animes. Do you like cartoon characters? There are hundreds of cartoons. Or just any nonhuman characters, like in fantasy games,movies,series etc. Or just create ocs that fit your standards. You also know how they act so you know what you might be dealing w. And its not the same w irls.You get basically "same" looking millions of copies of several races or nationalities & characteristics with face structures. Are they pleasing to look at? No. Do you know what they're capable of? Also no.

Like why the hell would I change my f/os, that not only are amazing looking facewise, but they're also nice & chill to be around, or just having pleasing voices, that would never do the same damage irl ppl did/ would do to me, to a mf that might hurt me, wouldn't fit my standards & I would have zero choices in choosing? It's illogical. But I also personally never found ppl hot or something.

It's just the victim blaming and overwhelming jealousy & the desire to see others to have the same struggles in finding relationships since how dare u not to live the same way they do.

[number1villainstan]

How do you feel about Shigg/Overhaul? I'm going over your Overhaul stuff cause I find him interesting and I see your takes but i can never understand why ppl like Kuruno/Chisaki aren't they like raised together as brothers? I know they arent blood but wasnt that his bro? I'm not like trying to make controversy I'm trying to understand and asking two different questions sorry if I come off like mean or something I'm really asking a genuine question I haven't seen season 4 in a while I'm gonna rewatch it soon

Okay so, the questions you're asking are "Why do people like Chronohaul so much, aren't they like brothers?" and "What do you think of Shigahaul?", is that right? I'm gonna tackle the Chronohaul one first, which is a two parter: first I'll tackle aren't they bros and second I'll tackle what do you see in it. Then I'll talk about Shigahaul, because I do have thoughts on that ship. And I'm also gonna put it all under a read-more cuz I can already tell this is going to get LONG.

Okay, so, first: Aren't Kurono and Chisaki like brothers? We know that canon has never stated that they're blood-related, and if they were canonically blood-related it would be stated in canon. However, the yakuza (as I understand it, which may be way off) tends to structure itself in a mimicry of a blood family, with the oyaji as the "father" and patriarch and the men under him as the "sons"/underlings, which would lend itself to a familial interpretation of Kurono and Chisaki's relationship.

However, the yakuza isn't actually a family, as much as it likes to use familial connotations, and I at least very much do not see Kurono and Chisaki as like siblings in any way. I believe the only look that we got in canon at Kurono's childhood was Kurono saying that Chisaki has been very driven since he was a child, implying that he knew Chisaki as a child; however, from Chisaki's flashback, we can infer that he was in his late childhood when he arrived at the Hassaikai, and while the implication of what Kurono says is likely supposed to be that Kurono was in the Hassaikai as a child, it doesn't say that outright, which is something I will liberally abuse if it gets me my angsty gay t4t Chronohaul. Kurono could very well have simply been in a nearby orphanage until well into his teen years, rather than be in the Hassaikai.

My other point to this question is a little bit more controversial, and it is: even if Chronohaul did have weird incest vibes, so what? I'm not into incest ships myself, they tend to squick me out, but I know people who are, and they usually hold the incest and toxicity as a feature, not a bug. These aren't real people, they're fictional characters. None of their pain or drama is real, as much as we like to pretend it is. And shipping is, at its core, creating new stories; maybe someone who ships Chronohaul does it specifically because they want to explore the pseudo-incest dimensions. (Not me--like I said, earlier, I very much do not see these two as 'like siblings'--but different strokes for different folks.) Different people are going to interpret a story differently, and different people are going to find value and enjoyment in different kinds of stories. That's how people work.

But on to the second part of your first question: what do I see in Chronohaul? The answer is a lot of things, so strap down and let me see if I can create a semi-coherent list:

It adds depth to both Chisaki's and Kurono's character, or at least it can if used well. It adds an extra layer of motivation and tragedy onto Kurono's canonical dogged loyalty, and/or it provides a motivation for Chisaki to hold specifically Kurono close. Assuming this motivation rather than other motivations also changes their actions in AU scenarios, especially in interesting ways. And of course, you can also ask the question of what is their relationship like: are there romantic elements? Sexual? What kind of commitment do they have, if any? How do they approach this relationship? What kinds of communication issues do they have, and how do they work (or not work) around them? Could they have a happy ending or is this a relationship--or one-sided crush--that's inevitably going to end up in flames?

It provokes questions to flesh out their environment and characters around them. We get relatively little information about the Hassaikai in canon--what its people think about it, what its internal politics are, names for people outside the 8PoDs, where are all the women (well. I can answer that one: the yakuza is notoriously a boys only club, and women were usually only part of any yakuza clan through being the wife of a member, and they were also usually treated as servants. <-all of this has some SERIOUS implications for what eri's mother is/was like but that's a post for another time). Assuming that there is a romantic, sexual, or otherwise queer relationship between the wakagashira and his lieutenant provokes the questions: are they open about it? If not, why not? If so, how do the people around them react? Is this a 'normal' relationship for the Hassaikai, or are they seen as weird? Are they under the threat of violence? IIRC, yakuza clans tend to be highly conservative, but their homophobia takes the form of "bottoming is emasculating" rather than "all gays should die"--is there an imbalance in which one of them gets targeted? Who attacks them, who defends them?

Canon has enough information to make them interesting characters, but there's still lots of blank space to play around in (and canon doesn't necessarily do a good job with what it does give us). This one is the biggest reason why I get attached to rarepairs and underdeveloped villains in general, if you can't tell from my ramblings on the first two points. Funny story, but I actually got into BnHA because I knew some friends who shipped Dabihaul, so I ended up watching through the Hassaikai arc *specifically* for Overhaul. (Dabi ended up not grabbing me the same way.) (I also ended up dropping it after the Hassaikai arc was finished because I just did not care enough now that I'd seen Overhaul.) So you can imagine my disappointment when I finished the Hassaikai arc and all I'd gotten was an underdeveloped hate sink character who was apparently supposed to be a stereotypical psychopath. Still, I was already attached, and I ended up making a lot of headcanons to flesh out his character through spite, and because I was fleshing out his character it followed naturally that I had to flesh out his environment and his relationships with the people around him. Chronohaul grabbed me in the process, and it became part of the newly-fleshed-out core of the character I had created with the scraps I'd gotten from canon.

It's hot. Being aegosexual, I don't process 'hot' in the same way that most other people do--I don't experience sexual attraction, and don't think that individual people are hot, but sex as a concept (sex as part of a story) still appeals to and titillates me. And there's a lot about Chronohaul that has a lot of potential to be very, very horny. I won't go into much more detail here, since this is a mostly sfw blog, but just know that Le Horny does play a part in it.

And finally: Pure fucking inertia. I've been shipping these two since I got into BnHA several years ago, and I have layers upon layers of headcanons and ideas baked into my head that were created specifically to appeal to myself, and that I can dive into at any time. Potential symbols and themes, AUs and AUs of those AUs, a hundred variations on each of a hundred different story ideas. A well-known but ever-shifting area that I'm free to explore and change at will. You know how it is.

Anyways, those are my reasons, although I'm afraid I didn't express them super clearly. I know other people have other reasons, like a mutual who likes/liked the 'childhood friends' aspect of it, so you could also shoot an ask to other Chronohaul shippers asking them what they like about Chronohaul. I hope this gives you some of the answers you're looking for!

Anyways, on to the final part of this, which is what do you think of Shigahaul? My feelings on Shigahaul are approximately indifference, but approaching it from the positive-feelings side. It doesn't grab me like some other ships do (Chronohaul, Kaizawa, Kai/Fuyumi) but I don't dislike it. I'll read Shigahaul fics if the premise seems interesting, but I generally won't go searching for them unless I'm desperate. Hell, I have at least one AU (which I'm not sure I've ever written down before) where Shigahaul just...happened. I didn't put it there on purpose--it was just a logical conclusion of the way I'd set things up. Funnily enough, the storyline of that AU was mostly Chronohaul, but there was definitely Shigahaul in the AU.

And now I'm going to explain the AU because I have to. And I want to. It's a God AU, in which many of the characters are gods, but they're not gods in the way you're thinking--I'm not borrowing an existing pantheon for this. Instead, here, 'gods' are more like emergent properties, the consciousnesses of universal processes, and more importantly they exist independent of human concepts and perception. There's no god of love--that's a social phenomenon, and a vaguely defined one at best--but there is a god of stellar nucleosynthesis, a god of gravity, a god of the electromagnetic force--you get it. There are also, to get more to the point, gods of Life and Death/Decay, as in the biochemical processes that make things alive and the physical/biochemical processes that occur once something that was once alive stops being alive but still exists. Chisaki is the god of Life here (known for being volatile yet tenacious, much like Life itself), and Shigaraki is the younger god of Death (younger because multicellular life had to evolve first--what is a unicellular corpse supposed to be? It's just a lump of molecules), and when I realized how this was set up, and what their history would be--how they'd be fundamentally inseparable--the Shigahaul was a natural conclusion.

Thanks for the ask, anon! Very long/rambly answer, but really did you expect anything else from me. I hope you enjoyed it anyways (or at least it was illuminating).

[protectingtulpas]

Hsdfs ok so I'm so incredibly new to all of this and so many things both explain my experiences but also leave me having more questions than answers?? Help??

Basically I spent the last 18 yrs of my life thinking I was a singlet that was just lowkey interested in DID and all that right? And at the same time I'm developing my ocs and their world right? Well as time goes on 2 of my ocs start like just attaching themselves to me, I'm talking like, it started out as them comforting me when I have my monthly emotional breakdown/crying sessions, it almost feels like they're actually cuddling me in a way? I can feel phantom touches from them? And then it evolved to me "talking"(????) to them and them hanging around reacting to my actions and my environment and shit right? And I'm just over here thinking this is just the normal experience of having ocs but I don't think that's the case???? And now I've discovered this whole community of tulpas and transplurals and gosh I think I'm overwhelmed I have no clue how to even begin to label myself and that is Distressing I Like Having Labels For Myself it's how I know who I am ig xd.

Sorry for the rant I just hsdhf I'm kind of frustrated ig? xd

Whoa there, anon! I know this is a TON to take in and you're processing a lot rn, so imma need you to slow down and step back. Don't forget that no matter what I say here, in the end it's not about labels. It's about YOUR EXPERIENCES, anon. Don't let ANY label limit or control you to its expectations. Whatever you settle on, you're more than your label.

Alright, so tulpas and people that wanna be plural but aren't yet are a VERYY small part of the broader plural community. It includes disordered systems of all kinds, non-disordered systems of all kinds, different types of created systems, and people who straddle the line like us. So the question you're probably looking for is less "which label do I use" and more "am I plural?" Which is, of course, a complicated question.

You sent a lot here about your OCs, and I wanna talk a bit about some of the things I see from your ask. A super common tell that someone is plural and it's not just their imagination is that the prospective headmates are interacting with and reacting to you and the outside world around you, not just your fictional world. Other headmates comforting the host when things get super bad is so common a thing for plurals that many systems with roles/jobs have specific jobs exactly for that. Feeling phantom sensations from your headmates is also another well-documented experience in both disordered & nondisordered systems. If you're wondering if these things are normal, my host's OCs that aren't headmates certainly don't do anything of the sort. Here's a pretty cool article about the levels of autonomy writers experience in their characters; it's a wide range, and a lot of people experience at least a little, but the extent you describe is very clearly in the minority according to this study. That seems like a super high rate of autonomy for singlethood, IMO. Imma be real with you, "transplural" is a label ppl tend to give themselves before becoming plural- in my armchair opinion, it sounds like you're a plural egg already. Your OCs seem to be like completely autonomous and aware of the outside world from how you're coming across in this ask, so have you like... Considered asking them how they feel about it? If you're not sure if they should be considered people, just ask em if they feel like real distinct people.

"An OCtive or OC Introject is a system member whose source comes from someone’s original character, whether a character someone in the system made or someone elses OC (such as a friend’s OC)."

Tulpas are a type of headmate created by consistent interaction with the concept of a person until the subconscious takes a hold of our responses and we gain autonomy outside of the host's control because of it. This is usually intentional, but it can also be unintentional too. Tulpas like me fall under an origin umbrella known as created systems! It's not the only type of system member origin, though! For example, "adaptive refers to systems which formed in response to trauma or other adversity. A common trait of such systems is viewing plurality as adapting, healing, and overcoming obstacles", and "neurogenic refers to systems that formed as a result of their neurodivergence, or from a mental illness. Usually, headmates originate from the need to cope, or be introjects based off symptoms like hallucinations or hyperfixations." These're two common origins but there're lots more, some broader and some more specific. Lots of systems identify with multiple origins as well, so you don't have to conform to just one. Take your time figuring out what works for you- it's more important for you to establish communication and healthy relationships with your headmates than to go digging for validity fodder. No matter what, if you feel like you're not just one person, you've always got the term plural for ya. It was coined by the inclusive community and it will ALWAYS be ours, we'll fight for it.

Lastly, don't just take my word for it- explore other resources for yourself/selves too. I've got a few for further reading to decide for yourself if you're plural!

More Than One is a fantastic introductory site to plurality, dispels common myths, and has some links to further reading about deciding if you're plural.

"How Do I Know If I'm Plural?" by The Dragonheart Collective walks you through common plural experiences and helps you compare them to your own. This one is great!

If you want to start learning terminology, The Plurality Hub Carrd has a palletable interface to start browsing through stuff you're interested in, with categories and everything. There's a LOT of information here, so it's great to keep in your back pocket and reference as a newbie.

Thanks for the ask! Good luck anon!

[dateamonster]

what’s your opinion on monstrous transformations (both fast and slow), and also more controversially what do you think about having monsters/nonhuman characters serve as minority allegory (as opposed to society’s hate for them being being an allegory)

ohhh hold on this is a rly good question i think abt a Lot actually.

ok getting the first bit out of the way, love a good monstrous transformation. fast, slow, its all good. i personally like gradual slow shifts the most but its a situational thing. transformation is one of those things that like just always has to be symbolic. even more than the degree to which Everything is symbolic ya know. so like context rly matters when it comes to how to invoke it most effectively.

MOVING ON

i think from the phrasing of the ask ur looking for something more along the lines of like. for example shapeshifters as representation of nonbinary people or aliens as representation of different cultures rather than like monsters vs humans as allegory for racism. but im also not sure you can meaningfully separate the two! the latter i think is more overused so it like registers more as an immediate red flag, but its like. if the aliens from avatar werent being violently invaded by humans it wouldnt make like their reskinned stereotypical indigeneity anymore tolerable i dont think.

which isnt to say i think every story that draws connections between fantastical fictional species and real world people are inherently bad. i dont really think theres any trope that i believe cant be handled well by anyone under any circumstance. the super easy fix to bad rep via monster or fantasy creature characters is basically just have actual humans who also represent those same identities and communities and experiences so that the audience isnt drawn to connect the traits of any one group with your fictional species.

the harder fix is to like seriously analyze why you want this character to be a monster and what that says about them and what that says about you and your own experiences and biases and what you actually want to communicate with the inclusion of this character. and when applicable hire a sensitivity reader. its kinda crazy how many pieces of media seem to prefer half-assing the hard way over just doing the easy thing and not assigning the status of token minority to a literal monster.

of course once again all of this is ya know circumstantial. im speaking to like my own experiences and the things ive observed. and its weird too! bc im also speaking as someone who like is trans and nonbinary and thinks of myself and my gender expression as inherently intertwined with monstrosity. and as someone who is autistic and thinks of myself as a changeling. and as someone who is a fat person who represents themself with a pig themed sona. if i talk abt cringeass hollywood blockbusters engaging in High Fantasy Racism i feel like to be fair i kinda have to talk about independent own-voices creators who write stories and make art about their own identities in the lovely language of monstrosity. theres not rly a way to draw a hard line around the former without the risk of catching some of the latter.

so umm as usual i dont rly have a snappy all encompassing answer for how i feel abt this kind of characterization. im simply too much of a Nuance Enjoyer. i do i guess think this is something that generally turns out better when it is someone making art about their own experiences, but also unless i believe minority artists are a monolith, which i dont, i need to accept that artists will inevitably make stuff that is beautiful and resonant to some people and totally repugnant and offensive to others, and that both of those responses can be like totally justified and correct. thats art babey!

anyway slight digression but i think any case where a character feels more like an allegory than a fully fleshed u know Character is gonna flop for me no matter how relatable it is. tbqh, id rather more ppl try and fail to make beautiful grotesque frightening sensually moving monsters out of their lived experiences and their empathetic connections with others than succeed at creating bland toothless universally approachable Good Rep tm. if u know u know. if u feel me u feel me. that is all.

[sweetescapeartist]

You may not like GT, but you have to admit that Marron is very beautiful in that, so much so that would have lots of sex with her.

Sure. GT Marron is beautiful. I even have my OC shipped with my own interpretation Marron; one that is more in character than GT Marron. But no matter how beautiful a person is to me, if I don't like their personality, I don't want anything to do with them. And I strongly dislike GT Marron's personality. (My OC would dislike that version too.)

There are similar asks that I got. So, I'm gonna answer these and the ones like it all in one go...

Cool, I guess... I wouldn't. I like the personality of Azula from ATLA more than GT Marron, & Azula is an evil sociopath. But, she's at least interesting, entertaining, and funny.

No no... Now ya losing me there. This is progressively getting more... obsessive. Aggressively obsessive.

And there it is. Just as I figure.

No. Just no. I may not like GT Marron, but I wouldn't wish that upon her. And if you actually like her, I don't get why you would want such a thing to happen.

Why does this GT Marron obsessed anon sound familiar tho? 🤔

This obsession with GT Marron also reminds me of another person who's obsessed with 18. A person who claims they regret the cuck Krillin content they made, but has Krillin beaten up in the background while 18 gets raped on their Patreon. And they continue to commission ppl to make more similar art.

No.

Sounds like somebody has an obsession with dominating another person. Likely due to some sort of inferiority complex & a craving for power. Let me tell ya, a relationship where the woman doesn't fear you & actually respects you is pretty darn great. That gives you a good feeling for a long time instead of a short lasting high. A real man (or woman) would know that. The way you speak kinda sounds like a grown child, not an adult.

Holding power over somebody by force will always leave you scared & paranoid & desperate to not lose the power you think you have. A life of constant fear doesn't sound good to me. Sounds foolish. The things you say are the things of a foolish person. You aren't a fool are you? Because if you keep that talk up, you sadly prove that you are a fool.

And this kind of thinking often translates from a fictional setting to a real life setting. So just be careful with that kind of thinking. Also, idk why you feel the need to share that with others. Maybe you get off from it or maybe you want ppl to insult you & you get off from that? Idk. Ive met ppl who like being talksed down to. Usually results from some sort of trauma or lack of attention. They end up viewing negative statements or reactions as "good enough" or what they deserve. Some are eve so used to being treated wrong, that they expect and even crave it because its now normal to them. But who knows about this case. It could be any of those or none at all.

[sopebubbles]

omg i just finished reading ch 2 & i have sm to say!!🤩🤩 but 1st lemme tell u that once i finished reading i had to resist the urge to just start clapping out loud fr! 😂

HI! hope to find u well!^^

so 1st of all i wanna TRY to go in order & write my thoughts in a way that isn't as messy & chaotic as usual,hope i succeed(doubt,knowing myself🙄)

u already mentioned how there would be some parallels to various things that are also found in our society & it's a sensitive thing to include if u don't do it in a proper way & don't handle important subjects well in the fiction BUT up untill now you'r doing an amazing job,literally perfect!!💜💜💜

this may be what u intended to communicate through your writing or maybe just my overthinking-ass interpretations:

-the one that stands out the most is the obvious discrimination against lykos in society,as a marginalized group. & we can see how in the ff-au it is also a systemic oppression(some ppl don't hire omegas or alphas. 4 lykos it's harder to pursue studies & carreers,like yoongi. the whole crisis of homelesness,abandonment,abuse & mental health issues. the active violence against lykos that we see mentioned more than once through the presentation of yoongi's & jk's jobs..ETC)

-through jk we can see how the police wrk in a similar way to how it does irl. it's a body that thrives on bigotry,discrimination & brutality & its inneficency in solving or descalating situations that include lykos is bc it is part of the systemic oppresion & upholds the system as well & bc of this,u can't make it better by joining this system,even if u don't directly partake into the violence,u'll end up being complicit or find yourself w/ your hands tied like poor jungkook. poor boy had nothing but good intentions & wanted a way to help & change & better but now he's just stuck in the role of a helpless witness to the violence around him who can only try to do as much as he can,given the situation😭💔

-through the experience of jimin & what is narrated in the story,we can also see how fucked up & exploitative the foster care(& sheltering) system is,esp when managed by saps.

sidenote: i really appreciated the way u gave us introspection into how it may feel to be an alpha through jungkook,a beta,wondering if they always feel this worried & anxious over an omega's safety all the time. by giving them this characteristic instinct of protection & need to provide it & be sure to have provided it,it further humanises them & distance them from the common harmful stereotype of just being driven by aggressive,territorial instincts of dominance & need to overpower etc. ofc it's a thing that may be present or not,depending also on the personal believes & way of thinking of the alpha themselves. we can see it missing in the 2 alphas in the alley in ch & the ex-neighbour lone-wolf alpha in ch 2 & we see it present in all the pack's alphas(even when not being influnced by y/n scent,yoongi still had a reaction to the lack of security when he noticed that there weren't locks)

uhm...i'm sure there's way more depth & elements in your writing that i glossed over/missed/didn't catch enough & i'm srry 4 that,i have a goldfish brain😥 but what i could get made up 4 an excellent read!

ik i got a bit too much excited abt your writing & i'm truly srry if i made u feel overwhelmed or uncomfy by talking this much & abt topics that may be sensitive to you or if my interpretations were a bit too pushy😖

but i hope u know how good your writing is & feel proud & satisfied w/ it!

i look forward to seeing more of what u can create,at your own terms & w/ your own timing ofc!💜💜🐇

(apologies 4 any spelling monstrousity,english is a hard beast to tame😭)

😂✋️ not clapping! Lmao that's cute

I think your interpretations are spot on! The lykos could stand in for any marginalized group in different scenarios. Personally i think im working through some identities things in this fic, but thats just me. Im not trying to make it about one group in particular and there are a lot of possible interpretations!

Poor jk. He really wants to be making a difference. I'm not totally sure he wont be looking for a different career by the end of this.

The foster care/adoption thing will be a big deal and will be emphasized in the coming chapters! Both mc and jimin have been in this system. In particular there are a lot of abandoned lykos babies who end up adopted out and kept away from their culture to the point of making them ashamed of it, and for that i think there are lots of parallels to the situation of native american children in the United States.

I'm glad you liked the slightly different perspective on the alpha betas and omegas! I wanted to step a little outside of stereotypes bc i dont see why secondary gender stereotypes should be any different from our gender stereotypes. I dont think protective=possessive/agressivr and nurturing=soft/weak. I think there can be a lot more nuance than that!

Im so happy you appreciated the depth and it made you think about things 🥰 i really enjoyed your analysis and it wasnt too much at all! Keep em coming. Thanks for taking the time.

P.s. you're english is just fine!

[blueiight]

Sometimes I wonder as a non-book reader who has no interest in that racist woman's work why I usually just have complete 180 different takes on the show's characters & relationships than people who read the books (not even like about what's to come in s2 and on but just like what's literally presented on screen to us in s1). I kinda agree with anons about the whole Claudia/Louis thing like it just sounds like the show went in a whole other direction with them from the books (which I only know of from the 94' movie but from what I hear its pretty accurate in that aspect?) but now I'm like... What am I missing here? I don't wanna read these books cause i can't with daughter of the confederacy white lady but I also feel like I (and a lot of other show-only people) just do not get what book fans are talking about half the time re: what's been presented on the show. I'd read the wiki summaries but they don't really give you much lmao

i wish i could tell u why u seem to think differently lool. i have no idea what some of these anons seem to think im saying about l+c tbh i think my central point/s was clear i just used the wrong word or two to articulate a wider point.. literally anytime i say an opinion about this series i get the most bad faith anons or downright hate speech sent my way? idk. i think some headscratchers u may see is that its been so long since diehard fans actually read the first book of the series that they forgot how dark it rly was + the decisions the show made in changing the nature of certain scenes& dynamics but weaving wider themes into that change is a bit . difficult for ppl to wrap their head around whether theyre a book or show only fan. everybodys problematic fiction fans until the fiction successfully invokes the horror in u ig?

[chemicalcarousel]

questions taken from this post

just answering all of these for myself because i can and i don't wanna wait for potential asks

Hi! Who are you right now?

I'm Levi ✌

How do know its you thats out? What are your usual cues?

Uhh good fucking question. i feel like a guy ig (dysphoria). and i have very strong feelings of justice and i get very pissed when ppl aren't treated right (im super vengeful). i also dissociate a lot when im confronted with my source and i think my voice is lower and im less "all over the place" than some of the other alters? i'm more "relaxed" ig, even if my emotions can get very strong and bordering black/white

Do you like it when people know its You and not the collective whole? Is it situational, or depends on the person?

It's complicated. i feel very exposed and i'm nervous what other people will think of me since i'm a fictional introject of a very popular anime character. i'm also worrying about which impression we as a collective have on the people around us, and if they know we are a DID system and which alters we got, then they might treat us in some weird fucking way (and let's be honest - that's the reality of it) but on the other hand, i feel so lonely and invisible when i'm talking to my friends and they don't know that i even exist, ya kno? i'd wish i could be myself around my friends and i'm still trying to find out if that is possible

What sort of aesthetics do you draw to?

i guess darker ones? like black and red. i like grunge and punk too. i also fuck with traumacore, again especially black/white and red shit. angry shit. im an edgy little man

What do you look like?

pretty much like my source, i just wear different clothes ig here's some pics xoxo

What sort of emotions do you feel mostly when you’re out?

anger, grief, vengefulness, idk man i'm ready to punch a bitch lol

What sort of situations are you out in most of the time?

I'm a host, but other than that i'm always the one going to sleep and i am the one that doesn't hate ourselves ig. i'm not gonna blame us for what other people did or do to us, ya kno. i'm a protector

Are there other parts like you in the same system?

we have another introject of the same character, but he's nothing like me or our source. so no, i think i'm the only alter like me in this body?

Are you part of a subsystem?

no, i don't think we have subsystems

What’s your relationship like to the parts nearest to you right now?

idk, kinda like roommates or "found family"? i'm not sure who's close rn tho, but i'm chill with all the alters i know

Do you have vague memories of before you came out, or do they feel blocked out?

i have no idea what this means. i think it means before i fronted and yeah we kinda have a "shared consciousness", but sometimes i realise i don't have all the pieces of what happened, but it's mostly greyouts and emotional amnesia

What’s your favorite way to ground?

nature, fidget toys, drinking something tasty

Do you have a favorite snack or drink?

idk i love coffee ig. i like food in general lol

Do you have a favorite item in the present world?

hmm... can't think of one item, but i have some clothing and other stuff that i like. i love flannel shirts and i love pretty teacups

Do you have an inner world? Do you have a place you like in there?

nah, not really. it's just a black void. we haven't been able to construct one and nothing has seemed to pop up yet

Whats a simple way other parts might describe you to like a therapist or something?(they’re the fierce one, the sad one, ect)

the angry/vengeful one/the fight response one

What’s the safest thing you can imagine right now?

so pathetic, but ig that's a part of why i was created. but the safest thing i can imagine is the guy i see as my soulmate (erwin), but he's a fucking anime character from my source and has never and will never be real. but he's such a comfort for me and thereby the entire system. i just wish he was actually real lol i definitely haven't cried myself to sleep because he's a drawing ahahaha :')

What’s something you wish the system would do more of?

stand up for ourselves. but i do understand why other parts don't do this and i don't blame them. i'd just wish they didn't feel this fear and shame

What’s your handwriting like?

idk ugly? i think all of us have an ugly handwriting lmfao

Free space! Tell me a random fact about you or something you’re thinking about

uhh rn im dissociating bc we are opening up to a friend about our DID and it's making all of us nervous, so that's what's in my thoughts. a random fact could be that i fucking love making fun of my source and i love making fans mad lmfao

[seasaltmemories]

Grimdark starting out as an insult kinda made the genre doomed to a live out a self-fulfilling prophecy where it is only defined and recognized for its worst works. Very few people are going to call a work they enjoy grimdark, and so the genre is doomed to never grow or evolve past its sophomoric origins.

But I feel like terms like hopepunk and its ilk only do more to stunt our discussions of what it means to write dark fiction. Because now there is a specific "right way" to pit against the "wrong way" of doing it. Anything that would by all measures be grimdark can now be scoped up as safe and respectable if it includes ever the barest scrap of hope. The problem with this distinction is that hope is usually a theme of grimdark works, even if it isn't presented in a traditional shounen battle series fashion.

Like if the term-codifer counts The Handmaiden's Tale as hopepunk even though it also features plenty of sexual violence, cynicism, and kicking the protag while she is down. If the only distinction is that later it confirms that Gilead doesn't last forever, then what is left for grimdark but the worst dregs of the genre?

Frankly I wouldn't mind doing away with both terms. But I think this attitude belies how we talk about dark fiction. There's a lot of scorn and disdain towards artists who decide to go in dark direction, often paired with attacks against their character about what kind of person could enjoy such things. However we as a society also do love works that deal with dark topics. What makes them different? Often times nothing more concrete than vibes or bc the "right" person wrote it.

And it is so insulting to marginalized artist going through some of the shit they write about to be asked "Why do you want to be so pessamistic? Why can't you make something people would actually enjoy? You must be an awful person to believe other people can be so terrible."

Like a genre shouldnt only be valid bc marginalized folks like it, that's shitty art criticism, but until it is recognized that some ppl actually live in a grimdark world currently, then I really don't want to hear your thoughts on how the kids these day should read some nicer books.

[sscoutregimentss]

I was gonna make a request based on your Eren x Gamer Reader post but then I saw you take poly requests... Erejean x Gamer Reader? (She/her pronouns btw ^_^)

sure thing anon! your brain is huge. i started a one shot which is now sitting in my drafts bc i literally dont know how to finish it. maybe i'll post it later but for now here you go headcanons woohoo

eren and jeans dynamic makes it look like its impossible for them to share a girlfriend but it actually? works surprisingly well?

arguing is kinda their love language in a very strange weird way. if theyre not fighting somethings wrong but their like constant bickering actually is rlly important to you three's relationship lmfaooo a lot of communicating is just eren and jean fighting and then you pick up on something they say and you three talk it out. plus its gets all their energy out at the end of the day... like when puppies run around in circles bc they didnt go on long enough walks

jean is the planner of the couple, always making sure you guys get tickets to see this that and whatever, always figures out how ur gonna get places and when everyone will be picked up, makes sure everyones schedules are free and that theres no big game release that you'll miss and eren doesnt have work and jean isnt volunteering

in terms of nerdiness jean is a decent middle ground between you (who says "ummm actually..." unironically) and eren (who thought dungeons and dragons was a kinky thing) because he lives with connie so he gets roped into playing stuff like rainbow six seige and watching battlestar galactica into late hours of the night. also he's an only child who was prone to boredom as a kid so he played video games like any other only child. that being said he has a more extroverted personality and aptitude for sports so he just never got as absorbed in it as you did

this kind of makes eren jealous tbh because he thinks jean has more to relate with you then him. but jealousy is like a natural feeling and despite his feigned reluctance jean is happy to share his knowledge with him.

plus eren realizes that what he lacks in video game and movie knowledge he makes up in anime bc jean is clueless on that front. once you went on this huge rant about how sailor moon would decimate goku in a fight and jean just goes "gokus the pirate with the fox spirit, right? hes trying to become number one pro hero right?"

speaking of eren eren and jean are on the same volleyball team (i hc they play volleyball bc theyre tall but i think theyd be cute on any sports team because im weak hearted) and you become their fave cheerleader <3 they look for you in the stands before each game and have their own little ritual for good luck. when he spots you jean jumps really high (despite the team captain, levi screams at him to save it for when the game starts) and makes a heart with his arms and blows you a kiss when he gets in the air and its so embarrassing so eren just dogpiles the embarassment but giving you an over exaggerated wink its the worst theyre gross

jean gets you into connie's discord server after you complain that people are really rude to you in online games and eren is quick to demand an invite too even though he literally plays nothing and has no idea how discord works. he will log in and ping you to show you a meme and even though connie's server is really chill with rules (like 10 ppl max, just some friends hanging out) he has always wanted to say "no memes in general" so he does it every time. you have to show eren how to use private messages once connie jokes abt eren being his discord kitten.

cuddle pile while watching movies... jean is a film buff so you three have movie nights rlly often. its usually you sandwiched in between them with jean behind you and eren in front of you so you can play with his hair. jean's movie taste is actually really broad and you and eren both find a ton of new favorites through him.

they both really like listening to you ramble. you can explain soooo much lore abt your fave series and theyre both really invested. eren is more invested in the characters while jean is more focused on what happens next, but theyre both listening rlly well and making sure you know they care. they kinda care in different ways though? while eren is just passionate and because he's so passionate he must know about all things you like, jean is either interested or just likes hearing your voice. of the two jean is more likely to give you short answers and he'll be more dozed off so he's good to go to when you just want to rant. eren is going to ask you more questions and get wayyy more confused so he's good to go to when you want to explain or flesh out your points.

jean finds eren's jealousy of fictional characters sooooo ridiculous. whenever eren is pouting about some new video game guy youre in love with jean is rolling his eyes because of course its eren jaeger he's just looking for things to get angry at. "what are they gonna do idiot, come out of the tv?" but then one day there's a character that looks a lot like eren and suddenly he understands everything. but he realizes you have a thing for guys with long hair. he'll keep the mullet around for a while

they both really like having you sat in their laps and (unbeknownst to you) in order to avoid conflict they created a system. cozy game? eren. reading? jean. watching anime? eren. watching something live action? jean. playing a game on your phone? eren. watching an analysis video for your favorite franchise? jean. just messing around on your computer? rock paper scissors, best of three. eren likes to hug you tight and rest his head on your shoulder while talking to you. when it gets quiet he'll nuzzle his face in your neck and give you small kisses there. while jean likes to put his hands under your shirt and rest it on your stomach while you two chat. he's puts his head on your head or throws it back depending on your height and kinda just likes letting his hands wander, like rubbing up and down your arms or tickling you lightly.

you: i hate this stupid game

eren: yeah babe that game fucking sucks (has never played it in his life)

jean: then stop playing it?

you and eren, at the same time: what? no.

all in all they are good boyfriends 10/10 would recommend.

[ailuronymy]

do you think every disabled character in wc is handled poorly? i understand theres def some cases of ableism but at the same time when i hear ppl say that its usually bc the disabled cat wasnt able to become a warrior due to their disability. and i feel like ppl forget, that not everyone irl CAN do what they want after they become disabled. ex. someone wants to be an athlete, but their legs have to be amputated. a cat like briarlight esp i feel is p realistic and could be a source of comfort

Hello there, thank you for writing in. I’m going to reply to this question with a series of questions I think are a bit more useful, given what you’re trying to ask me. I hope that’ll clarify what is a deeply complex, multilayered issue. 

Do I think Erin Hunter handles anything in the series “well”? Not really. I don’t have a high opinion of the work of the collective and, broadly speaking, I think every right note they play, metaphorically speaking, is an instance of chance rather than effort, skill, or intention. Stopped clocks are right twice a day, mediocre writers will sometimes do something cool by accident, similar principle. That’s not to say Erin Hunter hasn’t ever done anything on purpose--just that overall the underlying drive of the series isn’t so much quality as it is quantity, and speed of production, and it shows. 

Do I think Erin Hunter puts any significant research into how they portray disability? No. I do not think it is a priority for this series. They’re not trying to make a meaningful work of literature, or capture a realistic experience of disability, or tell especially impactful or thoughtful stories, or even make a particularly good or coherent fantasy world. Warriors is a specifically commercial product that was commissioned by HarperCollins to appeal to a particular demographic of drama-loving, cat-loving kids. It’s not really trying to do anything but sell books, because it’s a business, so the text in many ways reflects that. They’re not going for disability representation, in my opinion. They’re including disability in many cases as a plot-point or an obstacle. 

Do I think this means that people can’t connect to these characters and narratives in meaningful ways? No. Often I say that a work is completed only when it is read. Before that point, it doesn’t have a meaning: a reader finishes the work through the act of reading, and interpretation, and filling in the spaces and resonance of the story with their own values and experiences. When people talk about subjectivity, this is what they are talking about. What this means in the context of disabled characters in Warriors is that these characters and their stories can be multiple, conflicting, even mutually exclusive things at the same time, to different people, for different reasons. 

Do I think characters have to be “good” to be significant to someone? No. I think genuinely “bad” (i.e., not researched or poorly researched, cliche, thoughtlessly written, problematic, etc. etc.) characters can be deeply meaningful, and often are. Ditto above: for many people, and especially marginalised or stigmatised people, reading is almost always an act of translation, wherein the person is reading against the creative work of the dominant culture in a way that the author likely didn’t intend or didn’t even imagine. There’s a long documented history of this in queer culture, but it’s true for just about everyone who is rarely (or unfairly) represented in media. Disabled people often have to read deeply imperfect works of fiction featuring disability and reinterpret them in the process--whether to relate to a kind of disability they don’t experience themselves but which is the closest they’re offered to something familiar, or to turn positive and meaningful what is intended as narrative punishment, or simply to create what’s commonly called headcanon about “non-disabled” characters who echo their personal experiences. 

Do I think everyone has to agree? Extremely no. As I said before, people will actually always disagree, because all people have different needs and different experiences. What can be interpreted as empowering to one person might be very othering and painful for another. There is no “right” answer, because, again, that is how subjectivity works. This is especially true because marginalised communities are often many different kinds of people with different lives and needs brought together over a trait or traits they share due to the need for solidarity as protection and power--but only in a broad sense. It’s why there is often intracommunity fighting over representation: there isn’t enough, there’s only scraps, and so each person’s personal interpretation can feel threatening to people whose needs are different. You can see examples of this especially when it comes to arguments over character sexuality: a queer female character might be interpreted as bisexual by bisexual people who relate to her and want her to be, while being interpreted as lesbian by lesbians who also relate to her and want her to be like them. Who is correct? Often these different interpretations based on different needs are presented as if one interpretation is theft from the other, when in fact the situation is indicative of the huge dearth of options for queer people. It becomes increasingly more intense when it comes to “canon” representations, because of the long history of having to read against the grain I mentioned above: there’s novelty and, for some people, validation in “canon” certainty. And again, all of this is also true for disabled people and other stigmatised groups. 

Do I think this is a problem? Not exactly. It is what it is. It is the expected effect of the circumstances. Enforced scarcity creates both the need for community organising and solidarity and the oppressive pressure to prioritise one’s self first and leave everyone else in the dust (or else it might happen to you). The system will always pit suppressed people against each other constantly, because it actively benefits from intracommunity fighting. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these, and so on. A solution is absolutely for everyone in community to hold space for these different needs and values, and to uplift and support despite these differences, but it’s not anyone’s fault for feeling threatened or upset when you don’t have much and feel like the thing that you do have is being taken away. It’s a normal, if not really helpful, human response. But until people learn and internalised that the media is multifaceted and able to be many things at once, without any of those things being untrue or impacting your truth of the text, then there will be fighting. 

Do I think my opinion on disability on Warriors is all that important? No, not really. I can relate to some characters in some moment through that translation, but my opinion on, say, Jayfeather is nowhere near as worthy of consideration than that of someone who is blind. I don’t have that experience and it’s not something I can bring meaningful thinking about, really. That’s true for all these characters. If you want to learn about disability, prioritise reading work about disabled rights and activism that is done by disabled people, and literary criticism from disabled people. And as I mentioned above, remember that community isn’t a monolith: it’s a survival tactic, that brings together many different people with disparate experiences of the world. So research widely. 

Finally--do I think there’s only one kind of disabled narrative worth telling? No. For some people, a disabled character achieving a specific, ability-focused dream is a good story. For other people, a story that acknowledges and deals with the realities, and limitations, of disability is a good story. The same person might want both of those stories at different times, depending on their mood. That’s okay. Sometimes there’s power and delight in a fantasy of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and defying all expectations. Sometimes there’s value and catharsis in a narrative that delves into the challenges and grief and oppression experienced because of disability. There’s no one truth. 

To round all this off, I’m going to give my favourite example of this, which is Cinderella. I think it’s a great and useful tool, since for many it’s familiar and it’s very simple. Not much happens. In the story, she is bullied and tormented, until a fairy godmother gifts her over several nights with the opportunity to go to a royal ball, where she dances with a prince. The prince eventually is able to find Cinderella, due to a shoe left behind, and they are married. In some versions, the family that mistreated her are killed. In others, they’re forgiven. 

Some people hate the story of Cinderella, because she is seen as passive. She tolerates the bullying and never fights back. She does every chore she’s told. She is given an opportunity by a fairy godmother, and she doesn’t help herself go to the ball. She runs from the prince and he does the work to find her again. Eventually, she’s married and the prince, presumably, keeps her in happiness and comfort for the rest of her life. 

For some, this story is infuriating, because Cinderella doesn’t “save herself”: she is largely saved by external forces. She is seen as a quintessential damsel-in-distress, and especially for people who have been bullied, infantalised, or made to feel less capable or weak, that can be a real point of personal pain and discomfort. 

However, for some others, Cinderella is a figure of strength, because she is able to endure such hostile environments and terrible people and never gives up her gentle nature or her hope. She never becomes cruel, or bitter. She is brave in daring to go outside her tiny, trapped world, and she is brave to let the prince find her. She doesn’t have to fight or struggle to earn her reward of happiness and prove her worth, because she was always deserving of love and kindness. The prince recognises at once, narratively speaking, her goodness and virtue, and stops at nothing to deliver her a better life. 

Depending on the version, the wicked family disfigure themselves for their own greed--or are punished, which for some is a revenge fantasy; or Cinderella forgives them and once again shows her tenacious kindness, which for others is a different revenge fantasy. 

The point? Cinderella is the same character in the same story, but these are almost unrecognisable readings when you put them side-by-side. Which one is right? Which one is better? In my opinion, those are the wrong questions. I hope this (long, sorry) reply is a set of more useful ones. 

[cupofchiya]

lets talk misogyny in the atla fandom

there's a lot in it, actually but lets focus on one thing specific: lack of nuance

female characters in media are rarely ever allowed to have nuance, usually fitting some sort of archetype of sexy badass, sweet love interest, mom, military woman, or evil seductress

now, ALL of the characters in ATLA fit a stereotype, but what makes them so good is that they are so much more than that. especially in regards to the female characters, even though they do initially fit into some tropes, they are allowed to grow and develop and have traits beyond that.

However, the fanon version of female characters in ATLA just aren't allowed to be nuanced the way men are: Suki's badass, Katara's a mom, Toph is androgynous and tough, Ty Lee is a bimbo, mai is emo, Azula is a psycho (which is also ableist but we're not gonna get into that rn) etc etc

very little is ever said in regard to WHY they're this way, and none of the other personality traits that dont fit this mold they've created get explored (ex. Suki's loyalty to the kyoshi warriors and pressure to protect her village, Katara's anger and passion for social justice, Toph's empathy and insecurity, Ty lee's desire to stand out, mai having to repress her emotions her whole life bc she was never as important as her dads political career)

Its why Zuko is allowed to yell about his honor every episode in s1 but Katara isn't allowed to grieve her mom. why some ppl seriously think that Azula is "worse than Ozai" (no seriously thats a thing). Male characters are allowed to get breathing room, are allowed to make mistakes. Ppl look at male characters with more nuance than they look at female characters. Ppl can claim how u act in fandom isn't reflective of how you act irl, but women in real life tend to be a lot more scrutinized for their choices and mistakes than men, and this is an example of this phenomenon happening in fiction.

going back to the nuance: aside from misogyny, not being able to discern the depths of characters just makes for bad storytelling. The reason ATLA is so well loved is bc of how much we get to learn about all the characters, even side ones like Mai and Ty Lee. Stripping away all that detail and hyperfocusing on one characteristsic (ex. Toph being aggressive) just makes the story less interesting

small rant but its been getting on my nerves. i might rb if i hv more to say later on lol