#they paint us with a broad brush and say we're just as bad as our oppressors

[borgeslabyrinth]

Nothing is more embarrassing to me than liberals who want to write off the entire south because it votes red. Sorry, but if you think the entire south is irredeemable and that none of the vast swathes of minorities in red states matter. That's embarrassing. Moving back to Florida has really radicalized me for empathy towards the marginalized people in southern states. We're here, and our lives matter, even if they don't matter to you.

[taiblogcomics]

Painted With a Broad Brush

Hey there, quickbreads. By my calculations, I think we're gonna have enough pony comics to last us all the way into the new year. That'll be pretty crazy, right~? We'll see how it goes. And don't you worry, I have plans how to fill our next gap(s) between backlogs, too~

Here's the cover:

It's Izzy and her new friend, Character-of-the-Day! Honestly, not a bad design. It's like "Hey, we don't have a CMC equivalent in G5, and also we haven't added Misty to the comics yet, so let's just combine the concepts!" Just going by her design, I don't know what the comic will contain yet. But we're judging by the cover! That's what the cover is for! And if you're not interested with Izzy hanging out with some kid, I dunno how this comic would appeal to you~

Fortunately, the comic opens with exposition. The other pony is Violette, who was a student of Izzy's back in Bridlewood. In fact, her parents asked Izzy specifically to mentor her, which sounds like a disaster. Izzy should not be given any sort of authority position. Anyways, she hasn't seen her protegee since she moved to Maretime Bay, so she's coming over for a weekend of shenanigans and typical antics. You know the sort of story this is setting up. The rest of the main cast split to give Izzy free time with her youthful charge.

As soon as Violette arrives, you can kind of see why she and Izzy get along, even aside from the arts-and-crafts thing. She's also just as hyperactive, and immediately cottons on to the fact that Izzy has set up a traditional unicorn sleepover. However, Violette balks for a moment when Izzy mentions her other friends will also join them, hoping that they'll be nice. Izzy assures her they're very nice. Violette is still uneasy, and further conversation reveals that she's being bullied back at home.

Izzy immediately switches to attack mode, demanding to know who it is, presumably so she can go deck them in the face. Violette protests that having her crafting teacher get involved will only make the bullying worse. And, yeah, she has a point. Izzy gives her reassurance on her appearance, and reminds her that when she's ready to talk about it, she'll be here to listen. Who knew Izzy could be a responsible adult? And until then, how about a little tour of Maretime Bay? You know, since we're here for the weekend and all.

First, she shows Violette the big ol' community garden, even mentioning that one time a giant berry nearly squashed the town flat. Violette stops to water the garden, but gets tangled in the hose and sprays a nearby fellow with water. She apologises instantly, but as soon as he wipes the water from his eyes, he takes off like a shot. Violette sighs that "this always happens", and like… did they rip off my OC's backstory~? Coulda tried harder, a sharp-toothed monster pony with weird interests is way scarier than little arts-and-crafts unicorn with vitiligo…

Izzy takes Violette to the smoothie stand to cheer her up, and we know at least Sunny isn't going to treat the poor dear poorly. Violette is naturally in awe of Sunny's alicorn aura, and her smoothies are really good too. Violette gets so caught up in drinking hers, in fact, she walks right into a fruit stand, spilling its contents all over the ground. Another pony comes by and slips on the fruit, and despite Violette's apologies, the pony notes that she saw the same thing happen at the garden, and therefore she's a bad-luck pony. Keep in mind she is angrily saying this to a child.

Izzy ducks out to take her to the salon as a pick-me-up instead. When picking out a manestyle with Pipp, Izzy throws her hands up, knocking over the cup carrying Violette's remaining smoothie. Violette uses her magic to catch it, but the smoothie drips out of the cup onto a nearby electrical outlet. This starts a fire. And the same pony is there to yell at this child some more. Pipp joins in, because Pipp is the worst character in G5. Izzy, of course, points out that she's the one who knocked it over, but Violette brought it into the shop in the first place.

Violette runs off in tears, cowering behind a building to cry. Who should come across her but… a pair of zebras, Mariama and her daughter Skye. Well, that's unexpected. Zebras were already rare in FiM, and haven't appeared at all in G5. They've come by to lend a sympathetic ear and a handkerchief, but Violette is in no mood to be consoled. She's a kid who's upset, so her attitude is a little understandable when she's all "How can you possibly understand what it's like to be different?" And they understand too, taking Violette for a walk and talk while Mariama tells a story.

So, a long time ago, just outside Maretime Bay, a lovely filly was born. She's friendly and kind, but once she grows up enough to go out and play with others, she quickly encounters earth ponies. And remember, this is back in the day when all the ponies were paranoid racists. She gets picked on, a ball thrown at her, and her self-esteem takes a nosedive. She even asks her mother to brew a potion for her to change her appearance. So, like, all zebras are potion-makers now? Like, they could be related to Zecora, but still. Feels weird to assign this trait.

Either way, the zebra filly's mom won't give her a potion, so she tries painting herself a single colour instead. Violette asks if this worked, and she's told yes--from a certain point of view. In reality, she went out to play, and then rain starts up and washes it off. But what happened in her mind is that she learned she'd never be accepted by racist jerks, so she decides to embrace her uniqueness and go home. And yes, it's a "that little girl was me" story. Violette is just disappointed her mother wouldn't make her the potion to fit in. But her mother knew that anyone you have to change to fit in with isn't really your friend.

We're only halfway through the issue, though, so Violette hasn't learned her lesson yet. She thinks this is stupid and wants friends, and even though Skye offers to be her friend, Violette protests she wants normal friends. Wow, kid, you kinda started sympathetic, but you are rapidly going downhill with that kind of attitude. Mariama, however, decides to teach Violette a lesson by giving her exactly what she wants: the potion that changes her looks. She warns her that only two sips can be allowed, but Violette snatches the bottle and chugs the whole thing.

She gets a glance of herself in a shop window, and all her splotchy white bits have vanished, leaving her a plain brown. She rushes off to show Izzy, enthused and encouraged by a passerby treating her completely normally. Unfortunately, as she goes, her coat changes again… to checkerboards. Now this, naturally, starts generating whispers. And it doesn't stop, her coat shifting to various other unnatural patterns as she goes. She soon picks up on it, catching her reflection again, and races off in deep distress.

Meanwhile, the fire at the salon has been put out, and Pipp has begun apologising for her outburst to Izzy. The tearful Violette runs up, crying how she messed up bad. Izzy, however, still thinks she looks fantastic, shocking Violette that she's not mad. They head inside, where Pipp also apologises to Violette. Then Mariama and Skye enter, and Izzy drops the whole pretense. This was all a setup. Violette's mom had contacted Izzy about the bullying ahead of time, and Izzy recruited her friend Mariama to help plan out a way for Violette to learn to love herself.

Skye offers Violette both the antidote to the potion and her friendship again, both of which Violette accepts, inviting Skye to her next traditional unicorn sleepover. Pipp gives her that promised makeover, and Sunny shows Violette a book about an ancient race of ponies called "paint ponies" that died out, but wanted to spread harmony despite being shunned by their looks. The comic ends with Izzy walking Violette home, saying she should never feel lesser because of what others say. And if her sparkle ever dims, find her friends to bring it back up again.

So, like, I'm white so I dunno if I'm the best person to make this judgement, but this issue is absolutely race-coded, isn't it? Like, I think that's kind of obvious. I don't want to make any judgements about that, and I do think it's pretty good about it (most especially coming from Mariama, who's more interested in teaching Violette to embrace her looks and love herself in her own skin). I just find it a little iffy that it has to resort to magic and the unspoken link to Zecora thereof. Maybe instead Violette could've just taken the wrong lesson and painted herself too. ...Would that be worse? It might be literally whitewashing the character. Like I said, I'm not the best person to analyse this.

Now one thing I am good at analysing is that jerk pony who declared Violette a bad-luck pony and kept showing up everywhere they went. Was she part of Izzy's plan? Coz that was never stated or explained, and the character never received any comeuppance for her asshole behaviour, free to asshole again another day. All of those things that happened were genuine accidents, so I find it suspicious that she happened to be there all three times. Like, I get that the lesson was more important, but it's unfortunate to let some jerk get away with being that blatantly horrible to a child. Maybe she'll get a bucket of paint dumped on her.

[rainbowsky]

I've start seeing more tweets about GG & DD from solo fans recently. After a while, I start finding myself feeling "unkind" towards GG. I realize this was bcos I've seen too much posts from some overzealous protective & possessive GG fans, and my feelings towards them somehow bleed into my feelings towards GG. I know he never condones any irrational fans' behaviour, and I really want to believe he will never approve of his fans belittling others just to elevate him. But why do a lot of his fans think it is ok for them to "attack" DD so relentlessly? I mean some of what they posted are just so disgusting I can't believe they came from the same people who claim to love GG so much they're willing to do anything to make sure the world knows their GG is the best. Why are they so insecure about GG talents and so-called greatness that they must work hard to put down other people? Sorry to rant here, I just feel like you're the most rational blogger in this fandom.

Aww, Anon, I know it can be upsetting.

You are by no means the first person I've seen who expresses these kinds of feelings. I actually see this a lot in the various Chinese drama communities and also on YT, on Twitter in a lot of spaces where general entertainment enthusiasts gather.

Quite often when GG's name comes up I've seen people say that they were really interested in him and dipped their toe into his fandom only to be completely scared off by aggressive, hostile, toxic, homophobic fans. They say the climate was so bad that they are left with this off-putting feeling about him and decided to focus their interests elsewhere.

I've also seen a lot of turtles who have said that it was the hostility and toxicity of GG's fans that made them curious to dig deeper into Yizhan (a lot of turtles are hatched this way).

It's frustrating to see this kind of bad behavior being conducted with GG's name attached to it, especially since GG is such a sweet, kind-hearted person who deserves fans who support him and respect his repeatedly, emphatically, clearly stated wishes around fan behavior, but there's nothing to be done about it. Haters gonna hate.

I feel it's really important to remind everyone that these people do not represent GG. Nothing they say or do is about GG or is any reflection upon him. Everything they say, do and think can only ever be about them, can only ever be a reflection of who they are. Their hatefulness comes from inside them, not from GG. They couldn't possibly be more removed from what GG is about.

It's also important to remember that these toxics are only a tiny fraction of GG's fans. Most of his fans are focused on him, on his work and on enjoying being fans and supporting him and just living their lives. So let's try not to paint with too broad a brush. Not all of his fans are this way. The toxics are just so vocal and so aggressive that they drown out the other voices and it distorts our perception of that fandom.

I would also urge everyone to focus on GG and DD, not on other fans. We are here to support GGDD and enjoy them. Other fans and what they're doing... it's just not worth worrying about.

We have no control over what other people say, do or think. The only thing we have any control over is how we respond to what other people say, do or think. The choices we make about how to respond will shape our experience of fandom.

As always, I recommend that we block and ignore (and report when appropriate). In this way we can curate our fandom experience to ensure we're not being exposed to things that upset us.

Related posts:

Toxic fans and staying in your own lane

CPN isn’t a railway line in Canada

“I came across a nasty rumor about them online”

Why arguing online is a bad idea

Fandom Survival Guide

[katedrakeohd]

A Stolen Moment - Part 3

A The Royal Masquerade Fanfiction

Part One / Part Two

...................

Cast of Characters: (MC) Julia Aster, Kayden Vescovi, Teapot the guard, various marketplace folk.

Rated: PG

.................

Part Three : The Mariner and the Maiden

I nudge my horse to follow Kaydan as he pulls away from the line of carriages. After turning a bend in the road the sound of the carriage wheels and trotting horses fades and as I look over at Kaydan he seems to have relaxed a little.

"A change of scenery is nice." I venture, still feeling uncertain about where Kaydan is leading me.

When he looks over at me his usual stoic, unreadable expression has fallen away, and he gives me a happy smile that lights up his whole face.

"This kind of change is welcome. It feels like a lifetime since I've explored town as a free man without responsibilities."

I laugh, "You're still responsible for me, and to get us back before we're missed."

He nods, "Be that as it may, for now I don't want us to be Crown Shield or Lady Aster. Let's escape from that life and choose to be other people, if only for a short time."

As the bustling marketplace on the edge of town comes into view I feel a sense of wonder at the crowd of people and the brightly colored awnings.

"Who shall we be then?" I ask, as I look at the various people in the market for inspiration.

Kaydan looks at me for a long moment and then leads us toward a hotel next to the market. He dismounts his horse and ties it to a hitching post and then secures my horse before offering his help to get me down.

The slippery fabric of my dress causes me to slide sideways out of the saddle too quickly and with a yelp of surprise I find myself falling down on top of him. Somehow he manages to catch me in his arms, although he has to shuffle his feet a bit to not end up on the ground himself.

As he holds me tightly against his chest I can feel him start to laugh. "If I remember correctly this is the second time you've fallen into my arms."

Trying to catch my breath from the shock of falling I suddenly realize how close my lips are to his. I touch his cheek and smile, dropping my voice to a whisper, "Thankyou Kaydan, now perhaps you should put me down. People are staring."

I can feel his body stiffen momentarily, as he blushes and gently puts me down on my feet.

Fixing my skirt and then brushing my hair back over my shoulder, I try to push aside how intimate it had felt to be held in his arms so tightly. "So what were we talking about?"

Kaydan is busy putting his riding gloves in his saddle bag, and I notice he's having trouble meeting my eyes. He's so cute when he gets all flustered. Clearing his throat he straightens up and takes a quick glance around the market.

"We were going to choose new identities so we could escape court for a moment."

"Oh that's right, such a clever idea. You choose for me and then I'll choose for you." I say.

He looks at me for a few seconds, and I can only guess at what he's thinking. Finally he starts walking toward the lineup of shopping stalls and I hurry to catch up.

"I'd choose an Artist or Painter for you. As a scribe you're no stranger to holding a quill and making intricate designs on paper. I can easily imagine you as a Great Master's apprentice walking around the market looking for inspiration."

I quirk an eyebrow, "That's oddly specific, you think I'd be a good painter?"

"You're highly intelligent and are used to working independently just as a painter would. I've seen your creativity in action as you easily adapt to any situation, just like a painter might improvise with colour to make something uniquely their own creation."

I can't help but smile at his unexpected compliments. "Why thankyou kindly, I accept. Just like a painter, as a scribe I was no stranger to having my fingers stained by my medium. So you've chosen well."

He nods, offering me his arm, I smile as I tuck my hand in the crook of his elbow. As we stroll toward the market vendors together he asks, "So what's my story then? Julia the artist. Paint me a picture."

"Well let me see. You're a mariner on leave and looking for some fun before you have to go back to sea. And while you're ashore you meet a beautiful young painter in search of her next masterpiece."

"A mariner you say?"

"Yes, a mariner and a poet. Your fellow shipmates are so jealous of your prowess with words, and demand that you tell them stories every night as they lay in their bunks."

Kaydan laughs, "I'm hardly a storyteller, definitely not a poet."

I smile and give his arm a squeeze, "Oh I don't know about that. I've seen you with your fellow guardsmen, and there's no doubt they're a colorful bunch. I bet you could tell me a story about each of them."

Kaydan chuckles, blushing a bit as he lowers his voice. "None fit for a Lady's ears I'm afraid."

"I don't know Kaydan, what would you tell them about today? Is your company not worthy of inspiring a few words?"

He looks at me as if his story is written all over my face, and as his eyes linger on me I see a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "I say that story hasn't been written yet. And if I were to put quill to paper I would surely keep this story for myself."

Between the kaleidoscope of sights and sounds of the market and the pleasure of having Kaydan at my side I feel positively giddy with excitement. But I can't resist the urge to take my 'Mariner' off of guard duty.

"Well this muse needs to stretch her legs a little. There's plenty of market to see so let's split up, and explore. Come find me later and we'll see where our story goes."

"Are you ok wandering the market alone? You know this goes against every bit of my training as a guard." He warns, looking concerned.

"Aha, well you're not a guard at the moment. You're a mariner out looking for treasures. Besides like you said I'm independent, capable and smart. And in this dress I stand out like a sail on the horizon anyway. I'm not going to run away, just keep an eye on me and I'll keep an eye out for you."

With a sigh Kaydan steps away from me, "Ok fine, we'll explore the market separately. But only for a little while."

"I promise if anything bad happens I'll scream and make a fuss, so that you can come running and be my knight in leather armor."

While Kaydan reluctantly blends into the crowd of people. I choose a parallel path of market vendors and check out the wares. Under an awning woven with a colorful design, I approach a lady wearing flowing robes. She's standing behind a display of delicate glass bottles. Some have wooden or glass stoppers and others are open to be smelled or sampled. From the mixed spicy, floral and musky aromas I can tell she's selling perfumes.

She smiles at me, "Good morrow to you M'lady, would you care to sample a new scent today?"

"Yes, that would be lovely."

"Something sweet and floral or something musky with a hint of spice?"

Being around Kaydan I'm reminded of the strong scent of musk and leather. Which works nicely on him. My own toiletries table always has rosewater and citrusy scents for me to wear thanks to my sister Annalise. Today I want something different.

"Do you have anything spicy and floral? I'm trying to draw someone's attention."

The lady smiles and picks up an empty bottle, she adds a few drops from various other bottles and then a clear liquid to dilute them. After placing the stopper she gives it a little shake and then hands me the dampened cap to sniff.

"Tell me what you think of this." She says with a grin.

Bringing the cap to my nose I'm assaulted by a heady dizzying scent of flowers and some kind of unknown spice. It makes me cough at first, but then as I catch a whiff on the breeze I inhale deeply and the scent mellows to something more pleasant.

"I like it. I'll take the whole bottle."

I hand her the cap and she secures it to the bottle and then I give her some coins from my purse. She wraps the bottle in a scrap of cloth and then hands it to me. As other people gather around me to look at her perfumes, I nod my thanks and move on.

Undoing the cap I dab some of the perfume on my neck and into my hair at the nape. I'm hoping Kaydan notices it, but I feel a knot in my stomach at the thought of Hector smelling it too. I have no interest in being matched with another strange suitor, but my duty to the Crown requires it. I tuck the bottle away in my pocket, and move along the row.

Looking across through the crowd I search for Kaydan. A catch sight of a pair of broad shoulders and a head of dark hair but he's turned away from me and I'm not sure if it's him.

I quickly pass by a group of vendors hocking various meats and roasted animals on sticks that make my stomach turn in unhappy ways. And then I come across a kindly middle aged woman sitting quietly and knitting behind her display of various handmade objects of leather and wood.

I still have a few coins left and I want to buy something for Kaydan. The objects vary from hand carved wooden chess sets, boxes of gambling dice, various leather belts and pieces of braided jewelry and a collection of small leather bound books.

I'm hoping any of these things might bring him some enjoyment, whether he played games with his fellow guards or needed replacement leather pieces for whatever. But as a lover of books myself it's those that catch my eye. I run my finger along the spine of a brown book with an embossed leather cover.

The lady smiles at me, and sets her needlework aside. "Good day to you Ma'am is there something that catches your interest?"

I smile as I pick up the book and hold it out to her, "Yes, what can you tell me about these books?"

"They're books rescued from the private library of a nobleman who had no heirs to pass them down to. The new Duke and Duchess of Valtoria had no use for them when they took over the manor and decided to renovate."

Looking down at the book in my hand, and at all the other books. I can't believe my good fortune at finding these lost treasures, but alas I only have enough coins for one. Opening the book I see it's a handwritten journal containing snippets of poetry. Apart from the first handful of pages the rest are blank.

When I had given Kaydan the book from my sister's collection, he had admitted to not owning any. With this journal he would have two, and hopefully he'll be inspired to write down his thoughts when he has time alone. I don't know how often he gets the chance to read, especially amidst the company of his fellow guards. But I want him to have something else to remember me by once my marriage to Hector takes me away from him. Thinking about Hector makes me feel uncomfortable, but I shake it off and offer to pay for the journal.

The lady smiles, holding up her hand and shaking her head. "You were kind enough to show interest in a piece of someone who was dear to me, please just take it and give it a loving home."

"Are you sure? I can offer a few coins for your trouble."

"I'm sure, pass it along to someone you love so that his words aren't forgotten."

I smile and shake the hand of the woman after she wraps the book up for me. "Thankyou so much."

With a nod she goes back to her chair and resumes her knitting.

Tucking the wrapped book under my arm I continue to the end of the market and find myself in the middle of the town square. A small crowd has gathered to listen to a trio of stringed musicians. Their lively tune has many people clapping hands or tapping their feet. A few brave souls have even paired up to dance.

I'm thoroughly engrossed in the entertainment and don't hear Kaydan approach me from behind. When he places his hand gently on my arm I gasp and stumble back into him. "Kaydan! You frightened me."

He leans down and whispers in my ear, "That's the fun part, because catching you off guard means you end up in my arms."

I grin and nudge him on the arm as he steps in next to be, "Is this the mariner talking? Be careful there Kaydan, lest your verbal innuendo earn you the same nefarious reputation as your brother Cyrus."

"Half-.."

"Sorry, half-brother."

Kaydan shakes his head looking slightly offended, "I would have to crawl on my belly in the muck in order to stoop low enough to reach his level of depravity."

"Relax I'm only playing with you. I know you're a much more honorable man than Cyrus could ever hope to be."

Continue on to the next

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@gardeningourmet @samihatuli @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @dcbbw @mfackenthal @bobasheebaby @pedudley @be-still-my-aching-heart @krishu213 @ibldw-main @chaotichuman0090 @addictedtodrakefanfic