#their stories matter and their culture matters

[alterugdalf]

Gosh, and here's me that already threw the book out of the window when the Dothraki were described as "having no word for 'thank you". This somewhat makes sense from a very narrow worldview where people are baffled about other languages using different idioms or phrases. Having words for emotions that cover stuff one has no specific word in their native tongue for.

Maybe there's a language out there that has no word for 'thank you'. But I can't imagine any human society that has no means of expressing gratitude, no matter how 'barbaric' it is—even if its economy is solely based on fighting and robbery instead of trade and cooperation.

Even within the Dothraki culture people would be grateful at times, and they would need to express this. Implying that the mere feeling of gratitude is despised in this culture is just over the top. Dothraki have mothers, they have trainers, they have sparring partners, they have people who tend to wounds after a pillage. Saying that Dothraki never express gratitude is basically saying they're not human.

This one detail made the rest of the story just unbearable. The depiction of cultures is as flat as a pancake.

Edit: I just did a quick search and found this.

According to creator David J. Peterson, the absence of this term is due to the fact that the Dothraki people do not engage in trade. Because “thank you” is commonly used during the exchange of items, the term never came to fruition in Dothraki. Dothraki’s noun inventory is a reflection of the most important aspects of Dothraki life, while the absence of certain terms mirrors the isolationist practices of Dothraki culture. 

Really? You think expressing gratitude only happens when you exchange items during trade? Did you ever thank a person for holding a fucking door? Picking up the sword you accidentally dropped? Helping you up after you fell down during a combat practice when you were twelve?

Someone over on Discord asked, "I'm morbidly curious: How BAD is A Song of Ice and Fire in terms of the authenticity George claims it to be?"

My reply was straightforward:

The long and the short of it is that ASOIAF is basically a vehicle for GRRM to present both his rape fetish and his Hobbesian view on human nature and has less historical accuracy than Frozen or most other Disney movies.

That's actually a good way to think of it, now that I've said it--he's Family Unfriendly, they're Family Friendly, but both have the same relationship with History: just Pure Aesthetic with no consideration for how the worldbuilding would work.

[brujahinaskirt]

It's not even about the vindication of calling a ship, okay. It's that the supposedly anti woke studio wrote about 3 million words of medieval fiction centering the relationship of the two main characters who are in most ways (or in all ways if you follow the obvious canon momentum of the story) meant for each other, as counterparts who help each other survive the great travails of their lives and who challenge/complete the other to become fuller, braver, kinder people. It's so clear these two people are soulmates, platonically or romantically, something observed consistently by the world around them and by themselves.

Except their society (feudalism, Catholicism) dictates that they are intended to be completely incompatible by nature and divine law. Not just for the obvious fact they are both men, but they are separated by what is arguably an even steeper chasm of social class. Their existence even as friends utterly spites, interrupts, and threatens feudal order right down to its theological and philosophical roots. They should not see each other as human and yet.

It's the fact that they do. The fact that the entire story has been about this--that these two protagonists fit together, undeniably, and grow to love each other fiercely (a love that deepens superbly from their knee-jerk playful puppy-friend-love in kcd1 to something selfless and mature by the end of kcd2). And they do so despite the immense opposition by their world, their social circles, their faith, and indeed their fandom.

And yes, it really does fucking matter that all of this culminates into a deep onscreen romantic love (if you get out of the way and allow it to) between two fandom-beloved male main characters (not just side characters rammed in for an optional gay romance but THE main characters of the duology; the "you" as in the player character and your erstwhile dick-jokes bro you have perhaps grudgingly at first been invited as the audience to love) in a historical fiction story that has been wrongly touted by the worst of our contemporaries as the holy grail of cultural conservatism.

Holy shit. Warhorse -- y'all. I'm sorry I doubted you. So few game writers understand how love works and indeed how people work, let alone translate it so well onto the screen.

Calling this an "optional romance" is not technically incorrect, I suppose, because it's true you can opt out and choose to remain platonic friends. But this language feels like a disservice, as if Henry & Hans's romance is a typical RPG wham-bam fanservice makeout with a minor fan fave character who never interacts meaningfully with the player again. Or as if it's a Bioware-style "give this NPC the right gift and do their side quest and you get to see a jankly ugly-bumpin' montage" situation.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is so very much not that. The "main, optional" romance scene in question is just one consummation event of two people who have been growing up and falling in love in front of us over the course of some 200-300 (or god knows how many) hours. The fact these protagonists openly love each other is very much not optional.

This is, sincerely, groundbreaking storytelling in this medium and this genre. How fucking cool that we all got to see it now.

[starcurtain]

More Phaidei Fics I Want to Read

1. Obligatory "fish out of water" fic (mostly AU because the timeline would probably not match canon, but we do what we want here!), taking place after Mydei and the Kremnoans first make it to Okhema. Okhema is already harsh on outsiders, let alone on a conquering "barbarian" tribe infamous for bringing strife to so many other city states. Mydei doesn't know the local customs at all, and while he doesn't care the slightest about how these pathetic Okhemans see him, the trouble he keeps getting into is affecting the reputations of innocent Kremnoans too. He's got to find a way to blend in, at least enough to stop costing his fellows any chance of finding paid work... Too bad the only person who is willing (and has time) to help is Phainon (who isn't native to Okhema either but done a much better job of learning to get along with the locals). The guy thinks he's the Titans' gift to Amphoreus just because he beat Mydei in a duel once. It was only once! And why does it matter whether we eat standing up or lying down? What are you laughing at, Savior Complex?! Or, tl;dr: The culture clash comedy one where Phainon and Mydei teach each other entirely opposing sets of manners, and come to learn a lot more about one another in the process.

2. Also obligatory omegaverse where Mydei is an omega born with a unique constitution: he's built like an alpha, snarls like an alpha, and dominates his opponents like an alpha. He even smells like an alpha, especially when he's in heat, so the only people who ever figured out his secondary gender were his doctor and his parents, all of whom are dead now. The whole world thinks Mydei is an alpha, and his reputation as an indomitable warrior prince pretty much hinges on people continuing to believe that. The problem is, Mydei wouldn't actually mind getting to live an omega's life, at least the part about finding a mate and starting a family. Only, who in the world would want him for a mate? Any alpha hunting for an actual omega would never think to look in Mydei's direction, betas would just be confused, and even those few alphas who are attracted to other alphas would only end up disappointed after discovering Mydei isn't one. He's nobody's ideal partner, and he'd mostly made peace with that--until Phainon. Until that upstart alpha from the middle of nowhere knocked Mydei down in a brutal spar and then pulled him up with the gentlest hand, and suddenly it mattered that no one would ever want Mydei. It mattered a lot. (Of course, the long and short of it is that Mydei is the man of Phainon's dreams, and after a series of setbacks and miscommunications and lots of silly angst, they'll find their way to a happy ending.)

3. After discovering Mydei's weakness for sweets and cute things like pink pomegranate juice, Phainon decides to engage in a bit of light-hearted teasing: He starts sending Mydei exceedingly adorable gifts and fancy candies under the guise of a "secret admirer." The joke is on Phainon, however, when it turns out Mydei finds the gifts quite charming and is determined to discover the identity of the mysterious gift giver. A reasonable person would quickly give up on the joke to avoid getting caught, but Phainon has always been weak to chasing thrills--and maybe this whole thing about being Mydei's "secret admirer" isn't too far off after all... (The real joke is that Mydei, realizing immediately who the gifts were from, invented an entire "hunting my admirer down" story just for the fun of watching Phainon squirm--and, well, because keeping the whole thing going, being showered with attention by his rival, doesn't feel too bad at all.)

4. The opposite fic: The one where Mydei's completely mismatched online personality accidentally catfishes Phainon and causes some very silly drama. Mydei's (anonymous) teletweet account is full of cutesy chimera kitten memes, aesthetic pictures of food, heart emojis, and overly punctuated (with exclamation points) recaps of shopping trips in Okhema's market... Can anyone blame Phainon for thinking this is the account of a cute girl who is refreshingly earnest about her love for chubby seals and pink milk tea? But as Phainon becomes closer and closer to "Fig Stew" online, things get more and more complicated--because he's also been getting closer and closer to his real world companion Mydeimos lately. Both Fig and Mydei are wonderful, and Phainon can barely bear the thought of losing either of them in his life. Trying to get closer to them both would be way too dishonest, but choosing one over the other... What should he do? Meanwhile, Mydei is in trouble. He wasn't planning to set up some secret identity or anything; it's not his fault Phainon mistook him for a girl online! There's nothing weird about dudes posting sparkling kitten gifs, godsdammit!! But now the charade's gone on way too long to come clean, especially since Phainon seems so invested, and... well, can you blame Mydei for not wanting to give up on the closest thing to a relationship he's ever managed to start? tl;dr: Online mistaken identity hijinks fic.

5. The required-in-every-fandom time travel fic (with bonus fake dating)! Through an outpouring of Oronyx's power, Mydei and Phainon end up in the bodies of their future selves, who, it turns out, have not only managed to end Amphoreus' war and revive Castrum Kremnos, but... appear to have also... gotten married?!! Now Mydei and Phainon have to not only find out exactly how their future selves managed to save the world (so they can accomplish the same task) then look for a way back to their own time--they've got to do all of that while also pretending to be a happily wedded pair of rulers to avoid raising everyone's suspicions. This would be a whole lot easier if either of them knew the first thing about being actual kings... or about relationships. The slightest slip up could create ripple effects that change the entire timeline permanently, but--no matter how nerve-wracking it might be to admit, after seeing the future in store for them together--there's nothing Phainon (and Mydei) won't do to make sure things go exactly as they should.

[sillymommy6969]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ SPUN TOGETHER ᝰ! L.R.

your superhero love story with spider-man lara!

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ ❪ ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠. ❫ ｡ spiderman!lara x f!r 𖥔 fluff, spiderman + idol au ── disclaimers: mentions of violence, injuries, kissing, slow burn ／ ℭatalogue

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who is your roommate in the dorm, the hilarious and talented woman who loves showing you brainrot because she is helplessly, chronically online and absolutely adored the way you’re not as involved in internet culture

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, whose favourite thing to do is cuddle you in her bed, watching bad reality tv together while everyone else in the dorm is deep in slumber

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, the vocal prodigy and core member of rising global pop group, katseye, whom you sometimes catch sneaking out the door late at night, then coming back in through your window early the next morning. you never ask her about it, not wanting to get her in trouble. you just assumed she had a girl/boyfriend she was sneaking out to see

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who sometimes gets random cuts and bruises from “dance practice” and tells you it’s nothing

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, whose favourite party trick was to stand back facing you and asking you to throw empty beer bottles at her, assuring you and swearing on every god she could that she would be able to dodge it before it hits her. you’re always too scared you’ll hurt her, but end up doing it anyway and it never failed to impress you the way she just catches it in her hand no matter what angle you throw it at

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who only lets you call her by her nickname and gets visibly annoyed if anybody else uses it

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who has the most amazing music taste. one of her love languages being gift-giving, you have a collection of songs she made or compiled into cds for you. she had zero art skills, but would still handmake the covers every time. “happy birthday special girl, i love you. xoxo, raja”

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who shoved her mask under her pillow and puts a hoodie and sweats on to cover up her suit when she heard you coming down the hall

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who calls you paranoid when you ask her why she refused to uncross her arms, but then instantly feels bad when you leave the room with a questioning look

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who knows you hate spiders (lol)

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who has a sixth sense when it comes to you feeling down. always the first to notice when you’d come home from practice sluggish and off. when you’re feeling burnt out from work, she always leaves your favourite candy bar on your bed to find when you come home. she would never come home with you after schedules, but she made sure you always woke up to her greeting you with a fresh, steaming cup of coffee--just the way you liked it

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who has to wash the blood out of her suit in the shower with her so she wouldn’t get caught

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, whom disappears in the middle of rehearsal or won’t return from a bathroom break during your appearance on national tv for some unknown reason. when she’d come back, her hair would be slightly ruffled, she was often out of breath and her root disheveled. the girls always teased her about looking like she just “got some”

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who doesn’t like leaving you in the dark, but would never forgive herself if you got hurt because of her

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who is your rock, your heart and soul, your partner in crime. music was a cutthroat industry, and she was your single greatest inspiration as an artist

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who surprises you with silly little dates--which she insisted are just “chances to escape work” and you’d always feel just the slightest bit disappointed at her reaction to you teasing her about it being a date

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who takes you out to the movies, buys you dinner and pays for everything--but no, not a date, just some good ol’ roommate hospitality

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who would drop everything, including being spider-woman, if you asked her to. she adored her job protecting the city of Los Angelas, but she adored you more

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who can’t help but feel a little guilty when you ranted on about how dangerous spider-woman’s duties were, and how you would be so constantly worried for her if you knew her in real life

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who calls you a million pet names, but only ever sticks to one for the other girls--pretty girl, sweet thing, beautiful, lovely, hon, doll, peach, angel… her favourite definitely being “my girl”

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, your kind, easygoing roommate, sending you mixed signals and keeping you up at night with some of the things she says: “don’t even worry about the bill, pretty, i’ll get it.”/“come on, sweet thing, i ran you a bath.”/“everything will be okay, i’m here for you.”/“i love you.”

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who just couldn’t keep her mind off you, even when she’s sitting alone on the ledge of some building looking down at LA’s busy city

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA realizing she was falling in love with you when you locked eyes with her one time at a crime scene you were unluckily caught up in. her heart sunk, and she didn’t even hesitate choosing to whisk you away instead of staying to make sure the perp was rightfully arrested

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who nearly revealed her identity when she went out of her way to make sure you were so far away from the dangers of the mugging happening three streets over. you had so many questions for spider-woman when she slung you to safety, and definitely lots of gratitude for her dedication to protecting you and the city, but she couldn’t answer in fear of you recognizing her smooth, soothing voice

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who knows you’re growing suspicious of her behaviour when you started asking her about her absence and odd injuries more often

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA having to make a tough decision once when dealing with the Lizard. you were caught in the crossfire, on the way home from an individual schedule at Geffen. it was pure chaos, the girls were soundly at home, so lara hoped for the best and prayed you were with them safely harboured at the dorm. though many people were injured and a lot of damage was caused, spider-woman had to let the lizard escape her bloody clutches because she got an emergency phone call from the hospital

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, your emergency contact, dropped everything and showed up to the hospital within minutes

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who lousily jumped into her civilian clothes in a supply closet, her top backwards and her fly unzipped to run through the halls and knock over doctors and nurses like her life depended on it and ambush the receptionist asking which one was your room

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA was super relieved when she bursted into your room. you jumped, your hand over your racing heart as she slowly stepped into the room towards your doctor, whom shot the red-headed woman a disapproving glare for the havoc caused. but she didn’t care, all she needed to see was that you were awake and well

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who nearly felt herself cry when you told her you just got hit in the head by a street sign, that the head injury you sustained would be gone within the next week or so. you started joking about the fans wondering if sophia was truly turning into a strict mother, but when she didn’t laugh at your teasing the way she usually did, you noticed her jaw was tight and her eyes brimmed with tears

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA had a hundred injuries of her own on her body, the most prominent one at the corner of her lips

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who brushed you off when you reached out to cradle her cheeks, asking what had happened. her behaviour was really worrying you now, and you can’t let yourself believe the “being clumsy at dance practice” excuse anymore. she simply grabbed your wrist gently and moved away from your palms, asking your doctor so many questions you were sure the man would quit after that day

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who insisted on carrying your bag out the ER. she wouldn’t take no for an answer when she took off her black and red racing jacket for you, even when you told her you were kind of hot in the Californian sun

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA refused to let you do anything when you got home. the girls bombarded you with questions and gestures of concern, and whilst you were distracted in answering the dozens of questions thrown your way, she went off to make you a cup of herbal tea; the kind her mother gave her a box of for when she’s sick and injured

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who froze when she heard you talking about your encounter with spider-woman the week prior

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who felt her chest tighten and her palms sweat when you mentioned how tender and caring she was, contrary to what the media had portrayed her to be

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who cowered in the kitchen, just listening to you talk about your hero in such an admirable light. when daniela made a comment about spider-woman not being able to protect you this time, she felt angry at herself

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who couldn’t sleep that night

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who laid awake, you nuzzling your face into her neck in her bed after you fell asleep to some ridiculous new dating show. she breathed in the faint scent of your shampoo, watching your chest rise and fall rhythmically, she caressed the bandage on your forehead. she kissed it, really debated if her vigilante alter ego was worth getting you hurt. ultimately, she decided to keep herself--or, at least, the web-slinging version of her--out the spotlight so she could rid the target on her back from the lizard. at least until you healed

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, the city’s friend and foe, getting called a coward and menace in the media for going into hiding after letting the lizard destroy the serene city of la. rising global pop sensation, lara raj, however, was more active in her career than ever. but fans would point out when she’d visibly wince at their shows or when her mood would sour at the mere mention of your absence from activities due to your recovery

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who is the first comment, first like on your weverse updates for the fans. “checking in today… met manon of katseye today and she spat in my face when i asked for a picture. [ attached 0.5 photo of manon bringing you food in bed ]” immediately liked by lara raj within the minute, no eyeliner can compete to be your biggest fan

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA’s suit sits in her closet collecting dust

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA going against everything she believed in as she watched the crime rates spike on the news, but the feeling goes away when she looks over at you, the scar on your head slowly healing

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA finally getting eight hours of sleep a night with you--her best friend, so she claimed--beside her in her bed every night. she wouldn’t let you sleep alone in case you suffered any side effects from your concussion

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who finally broke the justice drought

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA couldn’t sit idly by anymore. you were finally fully healthy, your head cured and the pass was given by your doctor. when you finally resumed activities and schedules with katseye, lara was starting to be weird again

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, who you trusted with your life, was eating less and sleeping more the rare chance the two of you had down time together

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who doesn’t stay awake long enough for you to make fun of horrid dating shows after dark, who is gone longer for bathroom breaks or to run errands, who isn’t sporting that cute smile as much as she used to anymore

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who you caught sneaking into Geffen’s bathroom window in her suit. she left thirty minutes ago to touch up her makeup before you began briefings for the next comeback. when you asked everybody if they knew whether or not lara was okay, none of the girls and staff seemed to know, so you left for the only bathroom on the floor, only to be met with the sight of your roommate, your best friend, your lara raj contorting her body through the tiny window of the bathroom

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, who immediately shot a web at the bathroom door to stick it shut

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA thrusting a hand over your lips as soon as you open your mouth to let out a surprised shriek. she shushed you, tossing her mask onto the counter. she held your eyes, breathing in deeply and encouraging you to follow her. the moment you calmed down, you could only hold your wide eyes, your jaw dropped to the ground. you took a moment to take in the state she was standing before you in

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA’s suit was torn, blood gushing from cuts and gashes along her supple skin. dirt and blood smeared across her cheeks, her lips, a cut slit straight through her eyebrow. you couldn’t believe your eyes--who could look that sexy while bleeding to death?

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who stood and took every slap and hit you threw at her, words coming out your mouth like vomit. when you got the resentment out your system, she finally got a chance to explain her odd behaviour

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, who couldn’t conjure a single, coherent thought when you practically pounced on her. you kissed her, lips moving against hers feverishly. she tasted bloody, but her lips were so soft, so plush and inviting. you didn’t want to, but you pulled away to wrap your arms around her neck to embrace her tightly, as tight as your arms could hold her

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who winced at you putting pressure on her injuries, but locked you in her arms as you whispered apologies and tried to take a step back

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA who, despite being half-dead and bleeding onto the bathroom floor, couldn’t stop smiling as you told her off about being stupid and putting herself in so much danger. she just admired your features, the slight crease in your eyebrows and the way your nose twitched as you tried tending to her injuries. it was obvious she was still drunk on the simple kiss you had given her, but your emotions overwhelmed you. you were relieved, you weren’t angry

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA finally telling you everything

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA thanking all the gods she could when you told her you weren’t upset, but thankful you finally got the explanation you wanted. you quickly ushered her home, telling the girls she wasn’t feeling well and disappearing off into the streets of LA . you helped patch her up at home, and you were fascinated by her high pain tolerance. it wasn’t awkward between the two of you, when you begun asking her the many many questions you inevitably had, she only stared back at you with a small, loving smile as you cleaned her wounds

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA on the front page, right next to katseye making headlines in the music section of the paper. you, in secret, hung the cover on the wall of your shared room

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA telling you she loved you, that she does her job as spider-woman because she wanted the city to be safe for you to live. she kissed you goodnight, on the lips, that night, as you drifted off to the sound of 90 day fiancé

✵ SPIDERMAN!LARA, your hero, in and out of her suit <3

˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆౨ৎ ❪ 𝖈alliope 𝖘peaks! ❫ 。 i really enjoyed this format. experimented with it and lowkey kinda dig it. got inspired by @nakylvr’s spiderman!megan posts (everybody say it together, “thank you jay!”) so lmk if you guys liked this one and i might do a spiderman!lara as your gf ver. happy reading! xx

@sillymommy6969 © ──────────── Feb 2025

[honourablejester]

So it's not that authors consciously believe that crusades were good - they just took all the 18th-19th century glorifying poetry and applied it to a fictional world, or maybe just took the mythology of a just war of absolute good versus absolute evil. Or maybe they want to play a wilderness campaign with added chivalric theme and that's the first framing they thought about.

It doesn't matter. What matters is that sometimes we get works that glorify fictional crusaders, through this glorify real crusaders and then help fash to mask their intentions. It's also not like a crime in itself - nobody is going to jail for accidentally writing a work about noble knights waging a war against some absolute evil in a way that resembles crusades. But it has to be avoided and dealt with when created.

But what does that mean? ‘It has to be avoided and dealt with when created’. Do you genuinely mean just not portray crusades, holy wars, good vs evil, at all? Because otherwise what do you mean ‘avoid and deal with’ it?

Because people will use literally anything to forward their cause, no matter the intent of its authors or the internal resemblance to said cause. There are rabid nationalists who use Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the USA’ as a rallying cry despite the fact that any clear-headed listen to the song would show that it’s very much not that. So is the answer here that no one play that song again? That he shouldn’t have written it in the first place?

I don’t think that censorship, or self-censorship in anticipation of potential reactions, is the answer to defeating propaganda. I don’t think that we can or should just make whole areas of history or means of expression taboo to try and avoid them being co-opted. Because all that means is that no one ever learns about or questions those areas of history. Or questions themselves about those areas of history.

The crusades were a massively complicated, centuries long period of history involving several cultures, religions, and a whole host of varied motivations among every side involved, with the end result of centuries of warfare. There were ‘good’ and ‘evil’ people on all sides. There was false piety and genuine belief, there was rampant opportunism, there was raw imperialistic greed disguised as moral piety. Different crusades had different causes and different results, were enacted by different players. It was complicated, and fascinating, and educational, and it deserves to be examined, from any number of angles.

A piece of work going ‘if the thing they said they believed was happening, that a force of evil was attacking something precious, was what was happening, would it have justified what they did?’ and then taking the time to play that out and entertain nuance and come to various conclusions, that work is more valuable to me than …

I mean, what’s the alternative? No work at all? Nobody ever questioning the fascist portrayal of events?

The burden is on the audience to examine what the work says, what the work thinks it says, what other people are saying about the work, and, on the balance of evidence, who the audience then thinks is right, if anyone is, and to what extent. You don’t defeat propaganda by telling people not to look at things. You defeat propaganda by telling people to think about everything they look at. The fascists can ‘claim’ whatever the fuck they want. That doesn’t mean it actually belongs to them.

Yes, certain topics are going to attract more nazis. And yes, that means people who want to explore those topics for other reasons need to be on the look out for said nazis. But it doesn’t mean that that topic should never be mentioned again. Because that lets them claim it. Lets their stories be the only stories about it.

Generalisations do not help. Taboos do not help. Censorship does not help.

Let people write whatever the fuck they want. In whatever cause they want. And then just question all of it. And teach other people to question all of it.

kind of concerning how married the fantasy genre is to "crusades as a basically good thing"

[novlr]

Weird question here: do I need to describe my character's clothes? Obviously I need to if it's important to the story or setting (if they're wearing a beautiful ruby gown at a ball, or maybe dirty and torn to indicate a fight) but just on a normal day? Do readers need to know what characters are wearing?

As writers, we often get caught up in the details of our characters. We describe everything from their eye colour to their favourite breakfast cereal, and it can be so easy to go overboard with unnecessary description. Describing a character’s clothes is a danger zone for too much description. It’s incredibly easy to get lost in the minutiae and forget the most important element when writing for readers; will they find this interesting?

The short answer

No, you don’t need to describe every piece of clothing your characters wear throughout your story. Like all elements of writing, clothing descriptions should serve a purpose.

Just like clothing in real life, descriptions of a character’s clothes serve a function. This means that your chose in when to describe things should be intentional; usually for the purposes of character development, world-building, setting a mood, social commentary, plot advancement, or symbolic representation.

When should you describe clothing?

Every plot is different, but there are some key moments in a story when knowing what a character is wearing or how they are dressed could be important:

When it reveals a character’s personality or status (e.g. do they favour muted tones or bright, bold colours? Do their clothing choices signify wealth?).

During important story moments or turning points if it highlights that moment’s significance (e.g. wearing black at a funeral, or an academic gown at graduation).

If the clothing affects the plot or action (e.g. Cinderella losing her glass slipper).

When establishing the time period or setting (e.g. historically appropriate clothing descriptions to put readers into the right headspace to appreciate your setting).

If it shows a significant change in the character (e.g. a shy character who likes to blend in suddenly switching to bright colours to display their newfound confidence).

When it symbolises something deeper in the narrative (e.g. a meaningful piece of jewellery, or a bride wearing her mother’s dress for her wedding).

When should you skip clothing descriptions?

Readers don’t need to know what your character is wearing at every moment of every day. The best way to think about it is, if it’s not important to the story, don’t describe it in detail. Usually it’s enough to know that someone is wearing a jumper on an overcast day, and it won’t actually enhance the scene to know it’s a plain black one. Here are some moments when it’s probably not all that important to go into too much detail:

During routine daily activities.

When the outfit doesn’t add meaning to the scene.

If it interrupts the flow of important action.

When it feels like “outfit cataloging�� rather than storytelling.

If you’re describing clothes just to fill space.

Tips for how to effectively describe a characters’ clothes

Make it matter: Make sure your descriptions reveal something about the character, whether that be a personality trade, social or economic status, or their cultural background.

Illustrate change: Highlight a change in your character, whether that be something external or a internal, emotional change.

Create uniqueness: In the case of a protagonist, especially, the way they dress can make them unique. It can contrast them with other characters.

Set something up: Describing a character’s clothes can be used for foreshadowing a future plot point.

Be selective: You don’t need to describe a whole outfit. Instead, you can focus on one or two distinct pieces, items that have significance, clothing that affects movement or action, or elements that reflect the character’s state of mind.

Don’t info-dump: You should try to seamlessly weave descriptions into the narrative. Describe actions and interactions, use sensory language, have other characters react, or let clothing be a part of a scene’s atmosphere.

Common pitfalls to avoid

There is a fine line to tow when describing a character’s clothes in a way that is effective. And essentially, the pitfalls happen on either side of that line. You will either over-describe or under-describe. So what does that mean?

Over-description

Listing every item of clothing, regardless or relevance or usefulness.

Describing outfits for every scene. We rarely need to know what all characters are wearing at all times.

Including brand names unless relevant. Sometimes, a character’s brand loyalty might be important to the plot, but if it’s not, it’s unnecessary, and potentially alienating to readers.

Getting too technical with fashion terminology. Most readers won’t be au fait with the specifics, so make sure you write in a way that most readers can follow.

Focusing on clothes at the expense of action. Nothing will bring an action scene to a screeching halt faster than a detail dump.

Under-description

Don’t ignore clothing when it would be significant. If a character has undergone a significant personal change, then it would make sense to describe how that might also affect how they look on the outside.

Don’t miss opportunities for characterisation. A lot of a character’s personality can shine through their clothes, so if you’re telling the kind of story where that could be relevant, make sure you don’t miss those opportunities.

Don’t forget period-appropriate details in historical fiction. Research and authenticity are essential in certain genres, and clothing can go a long way to setting the scene.

Don’t overlook clothing that affects movement or action. The clothing a character wears can hugely affect the believability of a scene. If a character has just stepped out of a coronation and is dripping with heavy jewellery, it wouldn’t make sense for them to go for a leisurely swim.

Don’t skip descriptions that could build atmosphere. If it’s cold and dark, make sure your characters fit into that setting. Or you can use it to contrast your character and invert expectations (like a character who only ever wears shorts, even in winter).

When in doubt, ask these questions:

Does this detail reveal character?

Will it matter later in the story?

Does it help readers understand the world?

Is it necessary for visualisation?

Could the scene work without it?

Like all descriptions, clothing is a tool that you can use. Describe clothing when it serves your story and skip it when it doesn’t. The key is to make every detail count, whether you’re describing a ball gown or a worn-out pair of sneakers.

The bottom line is that you must trust your instincts and your readers. They don’t need a detailed inventory of every character’s wardrobe, but they do appreciate thoughtful details that enhance their understanding of your characters and story. When in doubt, less is often more, but make the descriptions you do include count.

[pink-slay]

arcane Viktor and likely spoilers for both seasons

I keep thinking about Viktor from arcane all the time and I've written poems and had lengthy conversations about it but decided that I need to state it in prose to on an account that I barely update because this account is full of things that mean something to me

I constantly think about the lengths Viktor went to to be well. The writers lured me in thinking maybe hextech or the arcane or shimmer would help Viktor's vision of running on a purple arcane body become a reality. However in the end viktor became equally if not more disabled than before. He lived, yes, but at what cost, killing Sky?

And I'm a believer in the mutual JayVik love and understanding, but Sky still mattered. She was brilliant and wonderful and kept Viktor grounded. Took his head out of his work and into the clouds (eventually literally).

Often, as disabled people, we are told that if we worked harder our problems could go away and it is a prominent belief in our culture, even if unconsciously so. I remember years ago Imani Barbarin made a video on how able bodied people want to believe they could work their way out of any disability by trying harder. They then project this onto disabled people to shield themselves from their inevitable fate (disability or death). This myth is pervasive and as much as I and many people want the betterment of all, perpetuating this myth, even in a fantasy story, is at best unrealistic and at worst problematic.

However, Arcane subverts this expectation because Viktor lives, but he lives a disabled life. He tried harder, and it tore him apart. To me this is a more powerful story than overcoming. Most can try, and most don't overcome not due to personal shortcoming but because trying harder ≠ getting better (at least inherently and especially with disability).

It reminded me of how in my freshman year of college, I dropped my math minor. It was upsetting and annoying because it was an attempt to hold onto the pieces of my first analytical love, math. However I didn't have the right wheelchair then and I didn't know it yet but I was becoming progressively more paralyzed. I just couldn't make it to the classroom they assigned me and they refused to change it.

I told my mother that at a certain point it felt more impactful that my disability made a noticeable impact in limiting me instead of trying to torture myself into narrative of overcoming. Not taking that first class was one of many times Calc II would get in my way, each time related to disability.

Viktor, like me, had a progressive disability that would've continued to progress until it killed him without drastic action. For me the drastic action was a surgery that made me be on constant opioids all summer and destroyed my relationship with my mother and the scraps of independence I still had. For Viktor it was taking shimmer and bearing the almighty power of the hex core.

I guess I write all this to say that my love of math and my disability parallel viktor. We have scientific loves and would work ourselves to death. We can be romantic when we get our heads out of our work. And we are disabled. Sick and disabled. So sick we put our lives at risk for health. Even a glimmer of health.

I know Jayce's speech is controversial among disabled people. I respect the opinions of others but I think many people don't get the experience of severe disability when interpreting it. In real life with the wide variety of disabilities, Viktor may not fall into that category but he surely does in Piltover. For me, my disability is severe. So severe I questioned if, as much as I looked up to Viktor, II could ever be respected like him. However disabled people don't become more respected by shunning nonambulatory powerchair users like me. They just isolate those that make up their community.

From a severely disabled person, understand that yes, I understand you want to fix yourself, but when you have a disability that at any point threatens your life, there is a certain ubiquitous self destruction in everything you do. That's why Viktor needed Jayce's speech. It wasn't because Jayce didn't see Viktor or his pain. Jayce knew Viktor was in pain. Jayce knew Viktor better than he knew anyone. And Jayce knew Viktor needed to be shown his value that was independent of effort--- his value as a person.

To be loved is to hear things that you can't fully wrap your head around. I believe (when I think really hard about it) that I can be who am both because of and despite my disability. I say to my closest friends that it feels like all I ever was was a miracle sick child who lived and a smart person. And I break off each quality about myself and my friend says that she'd still find value in me. Because there are people in our lives like Jayce or my friend who will give speeches to you, not to gain anything but to show you your worth even if it kills them. Because in every universe, sometimes there's only one person who can show you that-- who can stop you from ending the world even if it means succumbing to life and it's inevitable partner, death. Because the people we love don't want to see our sinews as we tear apart ourselves to breathe. They want to see us. They don't want us to suffer as much as we do. But for us there is a desire to be well. And that desire drives suffering it doesn't fix it.

Viktor meant a lot to me as someone whose life keeps changing especially in regards to their disability. Hesitancy toward drugs and spinal hardware and leg braces. And so did the way he almost destroyed the world craving something.

I have longed to be normal, to be well for most of my life. But life doesn't work that way. In fixing ourselvea and the things we view as flaws, we lose beautiful parts in the crossfire. Our friends beg us to see ourselves and if we're lucky our friends do. But so do we. I don't succeed but maybe Arcane has pushed me to see the beauty of being kind to myself because working myself into the ground isn't worth the pain especially with such a bleak unsuccessful outcome. We'll be told to fix ourselves forever but at least for once, in this one show, we can be valued despite our ardor for work. Yes, it isn't inherently wrong to want to be better. But we have lifetimes for that. Just this once maybe we can sit in the beauty of being loved both because

and despite.

[sheeezu]

A conversation with myself. (Past self and present self)

I used to have a tumblr account with zero followers. The blog's sole purpose was to scream out into the void, my frustrations and agony. It wouldn't be tagged, and it wouldn't reach anyone. That was the purpose of it.

(Don't read this. If you were to read this, this will change your opinion on me. But don't worry, you don't know me, we're strangers. Therefore you must have a moldable opinion on me, some shifting post I made resonated with you, perhaps. And that's all.)

There's no turning back, there's no synchronisation anymore once you let go

Why hold on to others so hard, you don't know. Assume them royalty, assume them authority over your thoughts, your life. One day you're going to have to walk away from them, it doesn't matter if they've benefited you or not, you might as well walk away empty handed, with your soul half developed, dependent on someone else, have you asked yourself, why do you need other people's success stories or advice, to achieve something? Does it not set your soul on fire, do your eyes not burn, that you still haven't taken control.

You don't have to be synchronised with your environment, with the thoughts of other, since once you sought after a new identity, does it not sound ironic, you're a supposed creator of your reality, but you're still looking around for step by step instructions, what are you, a fraud?

Don't contradict yourself now, don't embarrass me now, you're choosingly still here

Stop saying you're fighting something, you never jump to go "I'm fighting gravity/physics". If you despised it so much, you'd stop thinking about it, without your energy, will it exist? No. You know that, than what's so "tragically beautiful" about choosing to be aware of this place? Are you a sadist?

What do you try to find?

Who will you find here? Was your family lineage so rich you delved into its root? Let's face it, it was a shit show. Do you have plans of sitting by the lake, reminiscing about your pain? We can do this elsewhere, I fear even the swans might attack us here. Does the end of your suffering give you a superiority complex, who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty? There's a new flow to your tone, you're helping people. How much more can you achieve in this reality, I'd see, you're going to tire out once again. The first impression of this reality will remain our last.

It weren't heaven

An impossible goal, it wasn't our place to begin with, unfortunately if you escaped flying bullets, you should be at the minimum be granted a half assed paradise where you still have to ask a glowing projection of your assumption "please".

You should be glad you escaped it, acting like a devil did the trick, as your sinister walk prevented you from ever seeing your soul being sucked out of your feet, as you rocked yourself at 80.

You're not a savior

You're not meant to be, you might think it's the truth, either you could be selfish or selfless. You can not reach anyone at this state, the voices which don't reach their ears might as well land as bullets in their chests. Just close your eyes, and shift to the fairytales, you always wanted to be a hero, anyways.

You are a rebel, but you can't start a revolution

Good, you've escaped the traditions and the wicked culture, the tag you were given at birth. You were brave. You ran with your weak bones and anemic blood, good. Its cool that your intensity of energy, dreams and ambition push apart the foundation of all existence. Its cool you built a world for yourself, a dazzling exhibition of self-expression. But don't fall into a delusion. As if a few paragraphs written in the dark at 3am are going to change anything. You're as powerless in this reality as you always were. You don't belong here, you're as invisible to the people here, and they're to you.

[lady-iskra]

@truemetis

Say one thing, it was excellent foreshadowing for what would be revealed about how Aang would treat his kids in LoK. Now if only it was meant that way it could at least then have lead to a interesting story.

I mentioned my thoughts on this quite a few times here on Tumblr: By failing to show us a healthy, compelling K@taang, they instead created a well-written tragedy completely by mistake. This is a phenomenon, and it won’t stop astonishing me. Starting with the endgame kiss in ATLA without their arguments, including the non-consensual kiss, being resolved first.

@sokkastyles

There's also no effort to make Katara feel included. Why does Katara have to sit off to the side? Why can't she participate in celebrations of Aang's culture, too?

Not only has Katara in the comics been downgraded to Aang’s pretty, little sidekick, for whatever reason she isn’t even participating in gaining knowledge about her boyfriend’s culture. She wouldn’t even have to become an Acolyte by doing so.

Why do the air acolytes have to all be girls, anyway? If Aang wants to preserve his culture, and is nervous about appropriation (which is a valid fear), shouldn't his chosen acolytes be chosen based on qualifications other than "young girls who worship me"? Because...they are all young girls.

This is such a weird decision. On one hand, it is completely valid for Aang to take a chance on preserving his culture. On the other hand, those girls didn’t even seem to have a genuine interest other than it being the culture of their celebrity crush, which they’re imitating. Because, at the end of the day, this is what they are: (Pre-)teen girls having a celebrity crush. He even admits it himself: 'It's just a silly fan club', and he rightfully gets angry when he learned that some of them took it even as far as to appropriate the cultural tattoos. So, he is aware of this.

If Aang is oblivious, not only does that not matter (because ultimately the decision was made by the writers), but it makes it worse, because it means he is oblivious to Katara's needs. And that is the most charitable interpretation, because in reality, nobody who acts this way is oblivious. The story of the innocent man who becomes famous and just happens to be seduced by his adoring fangirls is a myth. In the real world, Aang telling these girls who already are going to do whatever he says that they get to be part of his super special club that doesn't include his girlfriend would be a red flag.

The oblivious-thing is something Aang stans (but not only) would mention to defend Katara’s statement of her deserving no thanks, but to me:

It doesn’t matter, the thing is that Katara’s feelings are absolutely valid and understandable to everyone with even a tiny bit of empathy towards her character or understanding of healthy communication inside a serious relationship.

How in the whole wide world does someone keep oblivious of excluding their partner for the sake of entertaining a flirty bunch a whole day and night? Especially when said partner is sitting on the wall with knees pressed against their chest, looking sad and lost... Aang ignores Katara because he enjoys the attention, that is what the panels are telling us. Making it about his extinct culture doesn’t excuse anything (if this is really the case. The panels are showing us something different, imo, but whatever).

They could’ve just shown Katara and Aang running into some fangirls he is turning off nicely and then meeting people later on, who are genuinely interested in his culture becoming Air Acolytes. This was done so badly.

I can’t get over the fact that Bryke decided Katara should believe she deserves no thanks in The Promise. I mean, they literally made her feel guilty for being uncomfortable spending the night with her bfs groupies fangirls.

I’ve seen people claim that Aang was oblivious to this. Don’t they get what this is about? His obliviousness doesn’t even matter. Katara's feelings are valid no matter what, and talking about it would have been the only healthy thing to do.

And don’t get me started on those who insist that this shows how both of them had grown since Book 1... This is no growth to me. It seems like Katara, who has always been vocal about her feelings, learned in this one year of her relationship to repress them instead. Either to avoid conflict altogether or because she's been told to 'control herself'. And unfortunately, this is the reality for so many women in RL.

If this is Bryke’s idea of a healthy relationship, I’m actually so glad that Zutara isn’t canon. They could’ve easily made up for the forced K@taang endgame in ATLA by showing a relationship where both sides are validated equally, but instead we got this bs.

If this wasn’t already a bad enough example for girls and young women of what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like, Bryke took it even further: They made the very girls who openly flirted with Aang in front of his girlfriend the official Air Acolytes. In other words, unless Katara and Aang are off on their next adventure, they are surrounded by them almost 24/7.

Yeah, that’s right. Just keep smiling, Master Katara Avatar’s girl.

I mean, what does her life look like surrounded by those Aang-worshiping girls and her boyfriend, who remains oblivious? Constantly smiling, acting as though she doesn't hear the obvious advances happening right in front of her? Ignoring the catty comments directed at her by some of them? And, in general, adjusting to her boyfriend's—later, husband's—life while forgetting her own ambitions? Now, we could argue that she wouldn't stay with Aang if she eventually realizes that she has put up with too much and lost herself. But, I think, we all know that lifelong relationships like this exist in RL.

[thealternatemind]

42,000 people. 42,000 people with full lives and memories and family and a culture that is being erased. 42,000 people. My mind can’t even comprehend that number. Innocents. Infants. That’s a larger number than people who live in my city.

42,000 people are dead. Israel is committing genocide. This is an ethnic cleansing. It’s not only been going on for a year but for A HUNDRED years.

Read “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine” by Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian. Learn the history. Educate yourself.

Call your representatives. Advocate for a ceasefire. Free Palestine. 🇵🇸🇵🇸

[marzipanilla]

tabs w tabs under tabs.

Platonic connections do get shafted very badly by the narrative, huh? Arguably the Grayson family dynamic does get a decent spotlight, but Debbie is pretty significantly changed from her role in the comic, so her relationship with Mark is new to the adaption as well as her overall dynamic with Noaln.

Y'know, I didn't even think about the 'no choice/expectation' angle of the relationship? Like, Mark spends his whole life thinking he's gunna be a Hero Like Dad, and in his personal life suddenly he's got Girl Who Likes You For Sure So You Better Date Her. Like. Where is your choice in the matter. Half tempted to do a 'he and Amber work shit out or at the very least he shelves Eve's interest in him and just does literally anything else' fic bc of what he knows. Like yeah bud, it's okay to do something that isn't predetermined.

Screw going on a date, just hit up taco tuesday with Kate and talk about being a civilian vs being a hero.

A hero's sense of bodily autonomy must be seriously borked in Invincible universe, since most of them ARE lab experiments. And Rex definitely seems like the kind of person who wouldn't let things go that easily. Why wouldn't he be mercilessly weird about? Why wouldn't his fucked up feelings about it spill out over onto Amanda? Like, hey, if you date him, at least you'll know when he gets older he'll look like this. if you suck my dick it's the same dick so it doesn't count as cheating : ) Like. That would could AND SHOULD lbr get real fucking weird with how he acts around him. Or am I supposed to go with him having one outburst before just going 'I'm okay actually (internally screaming)'. But yeah, why AREN'T every member of GoG now worried about what he'd do to them without their consent/knowing? Did the GDA figure out it was Robot who let the Mauler Twins out in the first place? I mean he knew where they were and arrested them once he got what he wanted, and there ain't no way they aren't talking about who they worked for? Ain't no way ppl don't realize it was them who helped Rudy out, right ?? Right? ??

Imagine Debbie having to sit Mark down like 'I know you're a hero but I can't have you freeloading on me when I'm 70. Please get a job that actually pays you'. What's the living at home still culture of heroes? For the non-indestructible ones, how do they cover all those damn medical bills? Does Art run a special payment plan on suits?? how much do those indestructible suits cost?? why isn't he outfitting the fire department ?? does he ?? I do love the throwaway line that implies he also outfits anti-heroes/villains tho. Like. I'm neutral. I just make clothes. bruh. Darkwing fought some of your clients ?? bc he was willing to go after other heroes or bc they were doing crime ?? Art explain.

Mark seeking a mentor/refusing mentorship after his dad would have been neat. I saw someone say he and Immortal had a parental thing and I just squinted at my screen like ??? where ??? where do you see that ??

Also, I will laugh and laugh and laugh forever about the show giving me just enough rope to hang the entire Levy incident on Immortal lol Like, bro really went to stalk a recently injured TEENAGER to yell at him rather than do his job scouting the ruins of a fight HIS TEAM should have been at to begin with, and BOTH survivors of the blast got away to wreak more havoc. You suck bro.

It's like, I get it to some degree, the greater global stuff isn't what the narrative is focusing on - this is adapted from a 20 year old comic- but like you're changing mediums! You're tweaking the story ! Give us a throwaway line about how this world operates! One pissy comment from someone about Cecil/the GDA being the real shadow government, borders melted long ago ! Yet, the one line we kind of get about stuff, is Bulletproof calling out Cecil for only being interested in saving white Americans! And it's like. if that comment wasn't total snark, does that mean Cecil IS hoarding very important global resources to protect a small population? How many other organizations are trying to do the same? Does he just have the monopoly on power right now because he got control of GoG? Also still baffled that Immortal cared so much to yell at Shapesmith about AMERICANS getting left behind on Mars and not just, y'know, HUMANS. Why was that an important factor in the anger Immortal. Why.

Are there incentives to try and get superheroes to have kids in your country?? Recruiters?? We'll pay your bills if you keep us alive and ONLY us? Live here for free, but you work for us kind of shit. Has to be.

Debbie being so chill with Mark going into space bc as a toddler the damn GoG where taking him around the planet doing insane shit with him in the back seat lol There had to have been some Incident with Cecil. Girl you just yelled at a man taking medical care of your comatose husband. 'You have some nerve' she yells at Cecil the moment he shows his face. SOME NERVE? About what? What happened between you two????

Like I'd love to poke more at her sense of physical danger in the hero world. I lover her ambivalence about the destruction of the white house, and Nolan going into alien portals being Tuesday, like- does she have a weird bubble in her brain that bad things happen To Other People? Arguably she had a bit of one for Nolan that burst when he was in the coma, but how much does that extend to what she thinks could physically happen to her? I do love how willing she is to full on confront Nolan about stuff and part of my brain just wants to be like 'that's a sign of a healthy relationship, being able to bring up your concerns w your partner' and the other half of my brain is just like 'Debbie isn't the least bit hesitant about confronting a massive brick shit house of a guy ?? does she just have no sense of personal danger ?? what was her upbringing ???' or am I suppose to conclude that in a superhero world where crazy shit happens all the time People Are Just Like That, bc yeah, you could die in an alien swarm invasion so why hold back talking to the people who could physically hurt you ! There's men running around with canons welded to their arms ! you got nothing to lose !

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[butchvamp]

i do think that for me personally. there is no version of taash's storyline that i can get down with except one where they reconnect with their qunari side. my main problem with their arc is that it perpetuates this idea that someone has to "choose" one culture, that they have to turn their back on parts of their identity in order to be the right kind of trans (the white western kind) and all of it just makes me so viscerally uncomfortable. and to be clear this is not me like... trying to make anyone feel bad, there are parts of taash's story that i personally connect with as well, like there is nothing wrong with the way taash does gender in general and there's nothing wrong with it resonating with people. it's when we put it all together in context within the game that it becomes a problem for me.

we know the qun does not have the same ideas around gender as the rest of thedas, we know that their identity, including gender, is connected to their duty. and so it doesn't make sense that taash's mother cares about them wearing dresses. why would she care about that. i'd ask if we've ever even seen any qunari in dresses but i'm pretty sure we've only seen three qunari women total and two of them are in veilguard and are scholars wearing what i personally consider a robe. the third is in trespasser and is ben-hassrath, and is definitely not wearing a dress. if anything, their mother should be concerned about the fact that they fight, since the whole point of leaving for rivain was to avoid taash being designated as a soldier. and to be fair, we get this a Little bit with the fire-breathing. but everything else about shathann's disapproval doesn't make sense in-universe.

and we also already know about the aqun athlok, which shathann even tries to bring up but the game shouts her down because....? i get that shathann is meant to be overbearing and kinda shitty, but this is not the way to do it. all this does is imply that aqun athlok is "wrong" and not as progressive as this other identity that rook has to teach taash about (and that also isnt even specific to rivain, or related to them connecting to their rivaini culture. it's the shadow dragons that teach them all of this along with rook. in general transness and the nonbinary identity are not integrated into the world in any meaningful way which makes it feel even worse). there are various cultures that have their own specific gender identities that do not adhere to the gender binary, and taash should have been given the chance to connect to their own culture in this way. and even if they really wanted to make it so taash just didn’t feel right with aqun athlok, that identity still should have been properly discussed as an option and handled with respect, rather than so carelessly thrown aside as “wrong” (though again not a depiction i would personally like but it would still be better than what we got).

and just. i really disagree with the idea that gender identity under the qun is More Rigid than elsewhere. it’s different, as we know from comments from iron bull and sten-- and we could argue in circles about inconsistencies with the things they say, obviously there have been retcons previously in an attempt to better develop the qunari beyond what we see in origins and da2, but i think this kind of development is a good thing, and is exactly why the regression with taash irritates me so much-- but when we look back at characters like warden tabris, dorian and his father and tevinter's obsession with bloodlines, the entire experience of playing f!hawke in da2 (and also da2 literally has a whole subplot about women being murdered for like 3 years and no one cares. these games just have a misogyny problem lol) and even tarquin in veilguard commenting about how his father forced him into being a soldier because he's a man(!!)-- there is a lot of rigidity, expectations, and violence around gender throughout thedas. but for some reason these rigid gender ideals and a lot of this gendered violence is held up as the status quo and not challenged at all by the writers in the way the qun repeatedly is. the exception being dorian (though you're still incentivized to forgive his father), but a lot of the characters in tevinter-- magisters, templars, the literal black divine-- are still allowed complexities and to be the good guys working with the shadow dragons, a grace not given to any qunari character besides iron bull (who ultimately still has to leave the qun or die later). i’m not trying argue that the qun is perfect and can never be criticized-- i like the flawed characters and societies within dragon age. but the qunari also deserve to be given the same depth, complexities, and engagement as everyone else, too. and it’s worth pointing out that it’s always the qun that’s depicted as backwards for the same harmful “rigidity” every other culture in the game reinforces.

and ultimately with the way the game inserts this very modern, anachronistic, and condescending language in a poor attempt to be as "correct" as possible to "teach" the player, while simultaneously writing such a careless, racist arc about their culture kinda just , makes me feel like they were actually trying to imply that one identity is more correct and progressive than the other. or, if nothing else, it's a bias that got amplified due to their unwillingness or inability to engage with taash's character beyond using them as a mouthpiece for corporate "representation."

there absolutely are people out there that are like taash, who don't necessarily have or want a connection with certain parts of their culture, and maybe they do identify closer with one aspect of it over another. this is all fine! this happens in real life, everyone has different relationships with their identity and heritage, there is no universal experience, and people are allowed to write about their own. but the thing is. this is dragon age. and taash was written by weekes. and both dragon age as a whole and weekes specifically has a repeated pattern of racist writing when it comes to depicting the qunari. and taash's quest along with the way the antaam are portrayed-- faceless, voiceless, basically naked bodies for you to kill-- makes this a series of poor choices that i don't feel generous enough to excuse.

and it sucks. so bad. that this happened. i want to like taash so bad. but.... man.

anyways if you read this far you should read this article, which is far more eloquent than anything i could write and really dives into the whole "civilized versus savage" binary that we see in a lot of fantasy RPGs and is really epitomized in taash's quest-- in dragon age, it's always the qunari and dalish elves versus a (usually white and/or human) andrastian:

[blackexcellence]

The North Carolinian feminist, mother, and healer Omisade Burney-Scott, joined us to chat about menopause. As the creator and curator of Black Girls' Guide to Surviving Menopause, Omi shared insights about the change, her work, Love Craft Country, and she was sure to create a vibe.

Check out Omi's podcast Black Girls Guide to Surviving Menopause

Want to hear the WHOLE conversation? Watch the full interview HERE.

[loriache]

honestly i'm kind of interested in the idea of laios in an arranged marriage. because obviously straight-up inherited monarchies are ...bad, to say the least! but it's what the characters are familiar with (even laios' father's extremely local, extremely minor leadership role is inherited, presumably through the male line). and it isn't just about what they think the best way to run melini is; in terms of ensuring that the other longed-lived nations respect melini's continued sovereignty, having it passed down in a manner that's close enough to their own ways for them to understand it and respect it is important. And it seems like most of the other nations have leadership through inheritance - thought that isn't confirmed for certain except with the elves.

Also, a marriage carries the potential to establish foreign allies - something melini is certainly lacking. A marriage could come with resources they'll badly need, treaties of mutual defence, money, legitimacy and political capital... not that these things can't be worked around, but if laios isn't strongly opposed, there are a lot of advantages! and i don't think he would be, because that's the framework for marriage (conferring practical advantages, building intracommunity relationships and providing a partner to do important work that he can't do) that he had grown up with. he isn't exactly a romantic and I doubt he's holding out for any sort of relationship of that nature.

Like, I don't think it's impossible that they would go with this path, because it's the most obvious and it carries a lot of advantages and it's what almost all the decision-making characters would consider normal and not objectionable. and it could be so interesting.

I think Laios would have major hangups if expected (i.e., by Marcille) to establish a genuine, romantic interest in a woman. Whether because of his sexual or romantic orientation, or just his own deep-seated trauma about rejection and being inherently disgusting and scary. And I think he'd hate the idea of having kids, too, and be very frightened of being like his father. But I don't think he'd refuse on that basis; he could cope with a marriage contract, with clearly laid-out expectations and responsibilities. And when it came to having a kid, I think he'd be reluctant to express that he doesn't want to do it, because he isn't naive and he understood when he agreed to be king it would carry responsibilities like this. It's clear from his nightmare that he already felt pressure from his parents to have children, probably magnified by the fact his father has got a position, responsibilities and wealth to pass on. Obviously he isn't a perfect martyr, so he might struggle when it comes to actually going through with it - but I don't think he'd actually, outright refuse. I think he might do it even though he doesn't want to, and I think that could be really messy in a way that appeals to me.

I don't know, there's something about negotiating these kinds of complicated situations that's interesting to me. and i love a platonic marriage. If they find a woman who has an interest in education, for example, and can work with marcille on setting up schools and universities. she'd ideally be politically savvy enough to be an able partner to laios: even though kabru can and would continue to do a lot of that, there are different spheres that a queen and a prime minister can work within!

how would their relationship work? maybe she finds laios' perspective on the world, and his frankness, unexpectedly liberating after an extremely controlled, cloistered upbringing. maybe she had a rebellious phase, has magic, or something else which makes her a relatively unpopular candidate for marriage - even as melini grows in power, i doubt that they'd be getting offers for the cream of the crop in terms of perceived value on the marriage market, because laios' relationship is a bit too ambivalent/monstrous for that, and melini too new. maybe she's a widow! an older woman, wouldn't that be cool - though they'd want her young enough that she could definitely still have kids.

certainly i think he'd be happy for her to pursue other relationships, though ideally in a manner that couldn't produce illegitimate kids. with other relationships in play, that's even more interesting. like, both kabru and toshiro have complicated emotions relating to infidelity. i think kabru would actually find it quite cathartic to be in the kind of high-status environment that rejected his mother for perceived infidelity, pursuing an affair that all parties consent to, though he'd likely be incredibly aware of the public image - since "image" is what he was rejected for. toshiro... i just really really love the way he'd feel about being the "other woman" in laios' marriage, considering his feelings about his father and maizuru. especially given how much closer he is to maizuru than his mother, being in her position...! his emotions would be so complex, it's incredibly tasty. i bet he'd make a bunch of assumptions about how laios' wife feels about it and be totally wrong, and that's so interesting. also, i think laios' wife should fuck marcille (she and falin have an open relationship).

[aceredshirt13]

Having read a fair amount of Poirot as of late (the first two novels and most of the short stories in Poirot Investigates), the thing I’ve overwhelmingly come away with is that Poirot and Hastings both are and aren’t what pop culture would have you think that Holmes and Watson are like.

Poirot is outwardly conceited, thinking the best of his own abilities while deriding those of the people around him. Hastings especially falls victim to this, being teased for “not seeing” and manipulated more than once as Poirot withholds the facts, and being resentful of Poirot’s arrogance while also being unduly arrogant himself - nearly every single one of his own proud deductions turns out to be intensely wrong, and he is also prone to foolish or reckless acts in the name of trying to score one off Poirot. Holmes and Watson, on the other hand, certainly have their faults, but their relationship is not so tempestuous, and Holmes is kinder and Watson less foolish than is often presumed by those who have not read the canon. Holmes, while possessed of some immodesty, never flaunts his intelligence so dramatically as Poirot does, and Watson is largely faithful and amazed by Holmes’s deductive capacity, and though occasionally annoyed is almost never resentful.

However, what I like about Poirot and Hastings is the way in which they aren’t like Holmes and Watson as painted with the pop cultural brush - namely that, like the original Holmes and Watson, Poirot and Hastings are unquestionably fond of each other. Their tiffs and petty spats are always contrasted with their affection, if not shot through with it in the first place. Poirot may speak ill of Hastings’s intelligence, but it is shown multiple times that he does not genuinely want to hurt his feelings, and he always asks Hastings to come with him on his cases - not because Hastings always provides any material aid, but because Hastings is his friend. Hastings may tease Poirot and think condescendingly of his mannerisms, but his laughter is always fond, and he admires him and desires his praise and respect just as much as he worries for him and wants to help him in potential times of need. Most importantly, despite their arguments and many differences (age, culture, temperament, just to name a few) they remain steadfastly together (with many year living voluntarily under the same roof!) and ultimately both wish and facilitate each other’s happiness.

They are more difficult than their Doyle-penned forbears, but for that there is no less love.

[iridiss]

Aaron’s such an underrated character on Aphblr tbh. He’s become one of my favorite characters in the cast as I rewatch more and more of Mystreet. Aaron will tease you, but he’s also one of the best characters in the cast to go to for emotional support. He’ll tell you as it is, smack you upside the head when you’re being crazy and shake you back to rational normalcy, but then he’ll sigh and tell you you’re gonna be just fine and everything’s gonna be okay. He is the number one (and on occasion only) holder of brain cells in the whole neighborhood. He’s the most sensible, and often the word of wisdom/rationale, much more so than Katelyn or Lucinda or Zane or Laurance are. This can often make him come off as a serious character, but he’s still down to clown! He just does it in a different way!

He’s supposed to contrast Aphmau’s louder, more extroverted, playful, ditzy, eccentric personality, by being quieter, more rational, more responsible, more cautious and careful, more reserved, a word of wisdom to contrast her crazier, chaotic energy and pranking and punning and ponies and general whimsical tomfoolery. But that does not, by any means, mean that he is not participating in the antics. Just because he’s the only one who thought to bring a first aid kit and a safety harness doesn’t mean he’s not jumping off that cliff with everyone else in this crazy cast. You tell him to dig, he’ll bring shovels. He may sigh or say “oh god not again” when shit goes awry or the gang decides they are Dead Set on doing something insane for the 10,000th time, but by god he will commit. Aphmau kidnaps a baby and goes on a mad chase for a comedic bit, and he never complains about how “stupid” and “reckless” and “obnoxious” his girlfriend is, he just says in a completely calm tone, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go save my girlfriend.” And he chases after her immediately lmao.

Aaron enables the antics and participates in them, and if you rile him up or challenge him damn well enough, he will throw himself into the group antics with an unbeatable, fiery fervor. If the boys decide they’re all gonna pretend to be Santa and his elves in order to cause prankster-variety chaos one day, Aaron would join in and go right alongside them. He’s here to make sure it all goes to plan. He’s here to make sure you don’t break any bones when you jump off that roof like a madman. He’s here to help you run away from the cops, help you break into the building. He may chide you for doing it in the first place (“do you even know what you’re doing?!”), and if needed he may drag you back home if you’re barking up the wrong tree and it’s nothing but detrimental to you, but if it’s viable for the bit, he absolutely will show you how to break a window correctly.

And he can be a little shit if he wants to, too!! He can snicker at you and tease you and make quips, and I bet if Aaron himself dedicated his energy to it, he would make the best of pranks. He’s not an asshole that’s full of himself and too serious and stoic and cool for being silly, he’s not a whiny bitch, he’s actually very incredibly supportive. At times, much more so than Garroth, Laurance, Zane, Katelyn, etc. He’s reliable, he trusts Aphmau a lot, he knows how shittily Aphmau cooks and still does his damndest to support her, and he will force himself to eat her biohazardous cooking just to make her happy. He is the chef of the household. He’s good with animals, animals love him. He’s a kind guy!!! He’s just got his own unique energy and vibe to him, that no one else in the cast really has, and I really appreciate that core trait of him. He’s a grounding character. He’s probably got his own ways that he’s weird and eccentric that are a lot more hidden than Aphmau’s. If we didn’t have Aaron, the entire neighborhood would have burned down ages ago, ten times over.

I genuinely do believe he’d make a fantastic dad, being a combination of a soft and gentle and tenderly loving man, and responsible enough to always bring safety helmets and bandaids and snacks, very supportive of his kids development, emotionally available as a great source of genuine advice and wisdom while still getting plenty of encouragement. He would probably want to make an effort to be a very different parent than his father was, and since he was emotionally neglected as a child, he would refuse to do anything similar to his own kids. He’d be a good influence (and Aphmau would be the bad influence LOL)

He’s kind of a teddy bear of a man <3 If he weren’t so heavily wolf-themed, I’d say a bear would be the best animal that’d fit his personality and energy. He’d protect you like a bear, he can be really fucking terrifying if he wants to, but he’d only use that power to make sure Aphmau gets what she wants and needs to make her happy. He’d never use that terrifying intimidation factor of his on his friends and loved ones, never as anything more than a single look that has a derailing Garroth/Laurance/Travis/Dante/Gene/etc. get right the fuck back on track and start backpedaling, like if they started saying or doing something careless or stupid that made Aphmau feel worse. He’s quiet and reserved with that tired, grounded, solid energy of a bear. He’s a big guy. But he can also be really soft and supportive and sweet. He takes more time to come out of his shell and let down his walls, but when he does, he really dedicates his life to the few people he manages to trust. And it’s that thick outer shell that makes Aphmau a good match for him, because she’s kinda the only character in the cast who’s able to bring him out of his shell so easily.

She’s kind and extremely friendly, unstoppably and unendingly so. She’s sweet and naive and selfless in the way that proves to Aaron that she’s not trying to get anything out of him, she’s not lying to him, and she would never neglect him or just…abandon him like a discarded toy once she’s through with him. She’s not scared of him. She sees the best in everybody, and sees that there’s something more underneath that scary, prickly outer shell of defenses that’s managed to push everyone else away and keep the likes of Laurance and Garroth and Katelyn on their toes. She sees what no one else does, she sees the true beauty and the kind heart he has underneath. Even in MCD, when he’s literally held a sword to her throat and threatened her life multiple times, she can still sense that he’s full of shit and there’s a kind heart underneath, and if she does a little cultivating, extends a hand of gentle kindness and genuine affection, a kind of love and affection he’s never really seen before and been starved of all his life… it works wonders, and he steps out to meet her. He changes, drastically, because she sees the best in him, and that makes him want to become the best version of himself that he can be, for her. Where he might hate himself and grapple with feeling unloveable, Aphmau is there to remind him none of its true. And so he tries to keep her nightmares away in return, sticking by her side, taking care of her, cooking for her, encouraging her to keep doing everything she does best, defends her against the bullies that make her feel like she’s not good enough, and takes her by the shoulders to remind her that she is good enough, and all the voices out there and in her head that tell her she’s not are full of shit. Because he knows first-hand, better than most, the good things she brings to those around her and the wonderful presence she is in others lives, and how wonderful she is as a person. He trusts her. He’s here to guide her along in her path to becoming her fullest self, to give her that last big nudge to boost her along the way. Likely on a cosmic level, mainly, with her becoming Irene.

He’s very sweet, he’s sweet to Aphmau, Aphmau’s even sweeter to him, and genuinely I’ve learned to love the big, fluffy guy and I really appreciate him and his impact on the other characters the more and more I see of him. I don’t really know how I would enjoy Mystreet or MCD or the Aphverse without him. If he were real, I would love to give him one big hug, I bet his hugs would be amazing (topped only by Garroth’s rib-crushing bear hugs)