#thinks about the person or people who is being disrespected / hurt and THEIR discomfort and upset and it like

[inpures]

hemlock and not holding back from calling people out (including himself) and not shying from confrontation vs. hemlock being a people pleaser and hating confrontation

[kissofthemis]

hello!! i saw request of reader saving nxx boys from people flirting/harassing them so i was thinking could you write about the opposite? id love to see nxx boys being protective^_^ love your writing!!

Thank you for the kind words, anon! Sorry for the wait!

❤️ Artem ❤️

"Yes, I have plans tonight. Yeah, tomorrow night as well. I'm a rather busy person, honestly...."

Despite your best efforts to deflect the stranger's attempts at flirting, clearly "no" was a hard concept for this pushy person to grasp. Artem could not blame you for not wanting to be direct; you were kind and courteous, never wanting to offend others or hurt their feelings if you could avoid it.

But this arrogant persistence was a force to be reckoned with.

"My phone number? To schedule something later? Ah..."

Artem Wing could hardly call himself a champion of justice if he allowed someone so conceited and disrespectful to be victorious here.

"Are you ready to head home?"

You seemed a bit startled as Artem appeared beside you, but the relief in your eyes was evident. "Y-yes. I just finished up for the day."

Artem nodded briskly. "Excellent. I took out chicken this morning, and I was wondering if you'd rather have it grilled or breaded & stir-fried. We can discuss in the car."

He gave a quick glance to the stranger who'd been pestering you, who had become strangely silent once Artem had shown up. The look in the attorney's eyes was collected and calm, but sharp with an iciness that could freeze one to the bone.

"Have a good evening."

More indirect than his usual style, but intense enough to get the point across.

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

💛 Luke 💛

"I'm in a hurry, I'm sorry."

"Can't even give me your number? Just your number, for when you aren't busy?"

"I... I'm running late...."

The discomfort in your voice was evident as Luke turned the corner to pick you up after work. Evidently he should have chosen a better spot to meet up, because this corner was swarming with pushy, insensitive animals.

"Swarming" may not have been the correct term, but just one scumbag harassing you was one too many in Luke's eyes.

"You're so cold." What a pitiful whine. "Would it kill you to smile and be friendly?"

"You want a smile, huh?"

Luke pulled up to your side at that moment, and he firmly placed his hand on your shoulder as he stared the harasser down. "You're not much to smile at, hotshot, but I'll do my best."

"Who the hell are you, kid? Get lost."

Agitation. A natural response when a greedy predator comes face to face with a rival.

But Luke had no qualms about knocking a small fry down a peg or two.

The corners of his mouth turned upward into a smirk, and he stretched his lips into a wide, toothy grin. At least, his face read "grin," but the light in his smile did not reach his eyes, which only swarmed with smoking fury and threatening shadow, like a stormcloud about to burst.

Perhaps it was the unsettling, cocky grin that made this fool step back. Perhaps it was the bloodlust in Raven's gaze. In any event, a loud curse was the only word of farewell before the nuisance turned and headed off. Luke felt as though he were watching a small dog stomp off with its tail between its legs.

"L-Luke..." you began cautiously. The brunet turned to you curiously, his eyes now sparkling and his mouth set in a lopsided, well-meaning smile. At the sudden change in demeanor, you couldn't help but let out a loq chuckle. "You're going to give someone a heart attack one of these days, you big guard dog."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

💜 Marius 💜

Backed against a wall.

This wasn't the first time someone had inquired into your relationship with the Marius von Hagen, president of Pax, but...

"Good morning! Meeting Mr. von Hagen? How does he take his coffee? Would you answer a couple of que--"

You slammed the door in the paparazzi's face. Never in your wildest dreams could you have imagined that getting caught on one outing with Marius would result in nosy reporters coming to your home!

With a sigh you slid down against the front door, landing in an unceremonious heap on the floor. How were you supposed to leave today? Or any day? You had errands to run, tasks to do, bills to pay, and you really, really wanted to check out the craft fair at Central Plaza this weekend!

A soft buzzing in your pocket distracted you temporarily from your growing worries.

"See you in 10."

What? Marius was on his way here? Wouldn't that cause even more problems?

You didn't get a chance to assemble your thoughts before a low rumble began to vibrate in your ears and make your entire body shake.

"Go on! Get out of here! You're a public nuisance, and I've got a fantastic attorney! Isn't a guy allowed to have friends?!"

You peered out of your window, and there was Pax's main man, wind whipping his dark bangs in his handsome face. He gripped a megaphone in his hands, looking relaxed and smug, but his knuckles were white with his stress. Vincent must have given him a heads up.

Marius' voice blasting out of the megaphone simultaneously filled you with hope and warmth, but also horror and despair. How would you ever beat the dating allegations now?

More importantly, where was he planning to park a helicopter?!

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

💚 Vyn 💚

"Thank you."

You dipped your head politely to acknowledge your gratitude to the stranger who had offered to lead you to the student center. Stellis University's campus looked much different in the evening light, when fewer students were milling about. You should have been able to find it on your own, and yet...

For better or for worse, a young man had noticed you, and when he approached you explained your situation. He had agreed to lead you over, perhaps a bit too gleefully. But you were grateful for the help, and so you acquiesced, but you kept your finger hovering over a "dial" button on your phone just in case.

After your quick goodbye, you spun on your heel to enter the student center.

However, your escort didn't seem too thrilled to see you leaving so speedily.

"That's it?" he huffed. "A half-assed thank you? No phone number, no hug, not even a last name? Are you serious?" His voice kept rising with each word, his tone growing steadily angrier. "I did you a favor by even talking to an ugly brat like you. Have you ever tried smiling with that gloomy face of yours, you miserable fuck?"

Ah. One of those.

You weren't going to dignify that with a response, but then you heard footsteps behind you.

No. Don't come closer. You didn't want any trouble, least of all from an entitled, arrogant--

"Aha. I was afraid I'd have to send campus security out looking for you."

A familiar voice hummed by your ear, and your face lit up with relief. "Dr. Richter!"

A slender but firm hand rested on your shoulder, and you looked up to see bright golden eyes meet yours. Those eyes were like a beacon in the darkening night, and you couldn't help but smile at the sight of them.

"The swing dancing starts any minute now. You have impeccable timing, as always." He let out a breathy chuckle.

"That should be my line, Dr. Richter," you retorted lightly.

Of course, the punk behind you hadn't left or stopped shouting. In fact, his rage only seemed to have grown since Vyn appeared, but Vyn paid him absolutely no mind. He must deal with rowdy students regularly, but this was something else entirely.

"Before we go inside," Vyn began, reaching into his coat pocket. "Let's clean you up."

"Hmm?" You didn't think you had any dirt on you, but you didn't protest as Vyn pulled out a silk handkerchief and gently began dabbing at your cheeks, nose, and hands.

"After all," he continued, and he lifted his gaze from your skin. But his eyes didn't go to yours this time; he appeared to be staring past you, at someone else.

You were grateful you couldn't see the exact look in his eyes as he murmured in a voice colder than the night breeze and sharper than a doctor's scalpel, "Spending too much time around ill-mannered, foul-tempered, idiotic boors is proven to be terrible for your health." His voice dropped an octave, and you couldn't help but shiver as he finished,

"And... if they are as foolish as they are filthy, terrible for their health as well."

[avelera]

Thinking about blasphemy and Good Omens right now and I can't help but notice an interesting phenomenon around some discussions I've seen about the Second Coming and Jesus Christ being a character in S3.

Namely, I see much more underlying discomfort around the possibility of the show poking fun at the figure of Jesus Christ than I do with any other prediction discussion or discussion around religion in the show.

On the one hand, I completely understand how poking fun at the Antichrist dogma from Revelations doesn't feel particularly blasphemous, where poking fun at Jesus does. The Antichrist is a stock character of horror at this point. Many more disrespectful teams than Gaiman and Pratchett have played with that story. It's barely even considered poking fun at Christianity to have Adam, the son of Satan, be a good kid in Good Omens. But Jesus is a very important figure to Christians all over the world. There are devout Christians who truly love Jesus and no one wants to be a jerk by just outright disrespecting a figure that is dear to so many.

But on the other hand, expecting Good Omens to not make fun of Jesus is a bit absurd to me. Literally saying, "I don't think the satirical religion show is going to satirize religion because it might upset people." Gaiman hasn't shied away from messing with religion or religious bigots before. He gleefully shrugged off attacks over God being a woman, or Adam and Eve being portrayed by people of color.

The Book of Job is lampooned in Season 2. I know it doesn't feel like it to many people here, but the reinterpretation of the Book of Job in S2 definitely registers as blasphemy on some religious scales. It is satirizing a religious text after all.

Saying that angels and demons fall in love and worse, have that love be portrayed by actors of the same sex could be seen as blasphemy at the very least on the level of saying God is a woman. And by the way, it's not like these religious texts say "God is whatever you want the entity to be" or "God is a woman if that makes you happy". Hell no, the Bible is extremely damn clear on God being male. The official position of the Catholic Church is that God is male. Official Catholic dogma is incredibly anti-female in terms of inherent holiness, women cannot become priests, even nuns are dependent on a priest to deliver the Sacraments, it's a huge deal and they are not planning to change any time soon and it is totally unambiguous.

Making God explicitly female might not seem like a big deal since films like Dogma, another religious satire, did it in the 90s but to True Believes in the official doctrine, that is a form of blasphemy.

Good Omens is by definition a blasphemous work. How offensively blasphemous it is really depends on the devoutness of the viewer. And I find it interesting the extent to which there's something of a knee jerk, "Oh they won't do that!" in terms of further satirizing religion in the show about religious satire. As if Jesus hasn't been satirized in other mainstream movies before like the aforementioned Dogma or Life of Brian.

And here's the thing, my personal opinion is? Blasphemy is good! Blasphemy laws on the books mean it's ok to punish, hurt, or even kill a person for making fun of religion or just doing the religion wrong. Human progress has been frozen in place by blasphemy laws, sciences have progressed when blasphemy laws ease or often while deliberately concealing their efforts from authorities in places where blasphemy laws or laws that were otherwise based on the dominant religion exist.

If anything, I am actually a bit uncomfortable with the idea that Good Omens should hold back on lampooning a figure like Jesus Christ. If devout Christians will make laws that determine what other humans can do with their bodies based on their religion, then their religion should absolutely be open to outright mockery without punishment or ramification to anyone. Of course on an individual level I wouldn't wish to be offensive to someone sincerely religious but at the same time, I am also violently anti-censorship of any kind. And blasphemy and religious mockery are often right at the heart of censorship debates.

The world is a better place when we can openly mock religion.

I'm not going to caveat that as an opinion. Being able to openly and without fear discuss, criticize, and mock religion is an incredibly important part of any free society. The battles over this right have been vicious and bloody and are actively ongoing around the world. Just as an example, anti-blasphemy laws were on the books in Ireland until 2020, there was a huge campaign to have them removed because other countries were pointing to them as an example of why they should keep and exercise such laws.

My point is that I suppose this is something of hyperbole or alarmist or overly strident. I can understand people wanting to be decent about not openly mocking a figure of such importance to so many like Jesus. But quite honestly? I hope Good Omens does whatever it pleases with mocking Jesus. I hope they don't hold back. I hope people remember that being able to mock religion is really important, especially when representatives of that religion are actively trying to clamp down on the rights of others.

And honestly, if religious people are offended they should just not watch or they should develop a thicker skin if they expose themselves to such discourse. Religion and Christianity in particular is an active part of the public sphere. It is worthy of discussion. Public discourse often includes mockery, especially of the powerful and of powerful forces that steer the course of nations, like Christianity.

And I think it's important for Good Omens fans, who are a very progressive group, not to cherry pick and moralize over what satire or blasphemy is permitted. All satire should be permitted. All blasphemy should be permitted. The religious bigots don't care if you think God being a woman is ok but making fun of Jesus isn't. It's all the same, anything but glowing praise is criticism to some of these forces. Open discussion is far more important and yes, that includes mockery, and silly discussions in a silly show about an angel and a demon who avert the Apocalypse and fall in love.

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

What would happen if buggy stayed with shanks? Who he would be? How their dynamic would work out? Would they be happy?

*sighs*

anon, you’ve successfully identified my roman empire. literally the second post i ever made about shuggy was ultimately about this question.

two possibilities i've considered (one i think adheres pretty close to canon, and one a "slightly better communication skills than canon" au) under the cut.

if shanks avoided the topic of going to laugh tale, or if buggy decided to hide his outrage and go with shanks post-roguetown, i think they’d be low-key miserable for a long time.

buggy's skulking around with a powerful ofmd s1 izzy hands energy, furious at any perceived disrespect, while shanks could not care less about people laughing at him. half the time buggy is yelling at enemies for disrespecting them, half the time he’s yelling at shanks for disrespecting himself. the crew does not understand why buggy is their first mate if he hates shanks so much.

but hell no, neither of them is going to acknowledge that this (that they) might not be working. shanks can laugh off any discomfort, ignore any awkwardness, if it keeps his best friend at his side. and buggy gave up his pride to stay with shanks! he can be quietly (or not-so-quietly) bitter about it but he’s not going to give up now.

so buggy joins luffy in his sulking disappointment after that first interaction with the mountain bandits. “yeah, it’s embarrassing,” he admits, “but that’s how shanks is. he doesn’t care what people think.”

luffy asks why buggy stays with shanks, if he’s so embarrassing. buggy’s cool and tough, he could be a pirate captain in his own right!

buggy doesn’t have an answer for him—until that second encounter with the mountain bandits. the teary-eyed look on luffy’s face when shanks declares that no one hurts a friend of his? …yeah, maybe that’s why he stays with shanks.

shanks losing his arm for luffy and giving luffy roger’s hat is a turning point, one way or the other. this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and either buggy snaps and goes his own way… or his personal truth comes out, and he and shanks have to actually address it before they can move forward.

(in the timeline where buggy leaves, luffy runs into him around the same time as their first canon interaction, and he is even more bitter about the hat. luffy takes buggy's behavior a little more personally, too, since he knows about buggy’s connection to shanks, and he knows buggy knows how much the hat means to him, and to shanks before him. it’s very messy.)

(in the timeline where buggy stays, buggy as first mate to emperor shanks is a lot more like the cackling little gremlin he was on roger’s ship. worse, he’s downright smug. try and disrespect us all you like—we’re one of the four biggest, toughest crews around, nyeh! …sure, some people call us the weakest of the four, but we’re also the youngest! it's only a matter of time before we overtake those guys! just you wait!!

and the crew has learned by now that if shanks is wearing one of his patient, fond smiles while buggy rants then there's nothing to worry about.

they may not be perfectly at ease—buggy doesn’t like this self-sacrificing streak of shanks’, shanks would like buggy to be a bit nicer to people, and buggy might still be in the dark about shanks’ ultimate motives—but i think they’re pretty happy.)

if they’re both honest with each other from the start—if buggy calls shanks a coward in roguetown and shanks responds with the truth, if buggy admits why he reacted so harshly to shanks turning his back on that promise, that dream—i think things are awkward for a while. this kind of honesty is new for them! shanks' lightheartedness, buggy's anger, they aren't hiding the secrets they used to… can things ever be the same, now that the truth is out? how do they even talk to each other anymore?

it's almost ironic, the way being honest puts this distance between them.

eventually there comes a day—probably the anniversary of roger's death—where they are desperately lonely, even though they're literally within arm's reach of each other, and some brave member of their crew forces the issue. they realize that they've been overthinking everything, apologize, reconcile, and it's like the last piece of a puzzle sliding into place. it's just that easy. if you're here for romance, they probably get together at this point.

from that point forward, the crew never know shanks and buggy to be anything other than perfectly in sync—though they do still have the occasional spat about something silly and pointless. (buggy still claims shanks cheated somehow when they took the temperature at the south pole.)

buggy isn’t happy about shanks giving luffy his hat, but he understands why he did it. (he heard what luffy said his dream was, same as shanks.) he gives shanks a knowing look, part amusement and part exasperation, as they head back to their ship and out of luffy’s life.

this buggy is also very smug about being an emperor-level crew, but he's a little more settled, doesn't rub it in your face so much. he feels safer pushing back against shanks on certain things—he insists they need to dock at wano and see the kozukis, if no one else—and where shanks ignores his other officers when he's set in his ways, shanks will listen to buggy. he might still say no, but he always hears him out.

and yeah, i think they're happy. they're together. they're successful. their dreams—well, those are still in progress, but it's a good life they're living. why wouldn't they be happy?

[honeydew-wecantwo]

Hi! I've been wanting to learn more about transabled folk so I'd like to ask you a few questions. I'd specifically like to know more about transautistic and what that means/is because I'm actually autistic. (If you're not transautistic I'm sorry I'm just asking a bunch of people the same thing)

Why do you want to be autistic?

Why do you want to be disabled?

How are you trying to be autistic?

How are you trying to be disabled?

Why don't you think it's insulting to pretend to be disabled?

Why don't you think it's insulting to pretend to be autistic?

Ok that's all my questions. Now I'd like to explain to you why it's hurtful to be transabled (specifically transautistic)

1.Actually autistic people suffer a lot

Because you're not actually autistic I wouldn't expect you to understand but, autistic people go through a lot. We are constantly misunderstood, we are constantly told we're disrespectful, communication can be very difficult, we get overstimulated easily and a lot.

Now I'm going to talk about my personal struggles that I have because of my autism. I struggle to eat and sleep because of my sensitivities. I struggle to work because I have meltdowns over really small things, which means that I don't want to work on (the thing that made me have a meltdown) and meltdowns are very emotionally and mentally draining so I don't have the energy to work after them. On bad days, 5 people talking in a room is TOO LOUD and will trigger a meltdown or shutdown. Because of my autism, ADHD, and possible NPD, I have some of the highest highs, when I feel unstoppable and invincible but because of my autism, ADHD and possible NPD, I have some of the lowest lows as well. When that happens, I can't move. I can't talk. I can't BREATHE. It's all too much.

By identifying as autistic, you insult the people who struggle because they're autistic.

2. Autistic people are actively discriminated against

There are so many shows, movies, books, etc that depict autistic people in hurtful and insulting ways. There are companies out there right now who want to "cure autism" (I'm talking about AutismSpeaks btw). They want to CURE us for being different. Many autistic people are forced through FUCKING TORTURE (ABA "therapy") because they're autistic.

And here YOU are. Identifying as autistic because it's "quirky and cool"

Fuck you and I hope you have a terrible day <3

hi! honestly, i was debating on responding to this, because you can't just start a conversation with 'i just want to learn', pepper it with wild accusations, and end it with 'fuck you'. but, even if i don't change your mind in the slightest, i can probably reach to others.

(three chunky paragraphs under the cut!)

first of all, i feel like your discomfort at and hate of transautistic people comes from the fact that you see being autistic or disabled as an inherently negative experience that no neurotypical or able bodied person in their right mind should want to go through. this, obviously, is wrong, and in my opinion more harmful than transautism itself. taking away autistic people's agency and just tell non-autistic people that the life of a neurodivergent person sucks so hard nobody should feel a connection does nothing but spread more ableist rhetoric. anyway,most of your questions can be answered by the fact that autistic people, though it's sometimes more difficult than neurotypical people, are just as capable as anybody else to have a happy and fulfilling life. and such, someone wanting to be autistic is not as utterly disgusting, insulting, and confusing as you think it is.

secondly, i was born neurodivergent and disabled and belonging to several other marginalized groups. i identify with transautism because i'm likely autistic, but because of how expensive getting therapy and all of that is, im not able to get a diagnosis. i struggle with meltdowns, sensory issues, social isolation, etc in a similar way to you. i struggle with seizures and such a big heat stroke risk that i can only go outside hours before the sun comes up. being able to get a diagnosis because of the economic class i was born in does not just magically make me a privileged neurotypical, able-bodied asshole. and honestly, most people in the transautistic community aren't privileged, neurotypical, or able-bodied either. if you float around the community for a little while, you'd start to realize that (/nsar)

and thirdly, and this is a bit of an aside, but you've got to learn how to phrase a question if you actually want to learn about this community. maybe you wrote it while in a fit of anger, i'm a bit frustrated writing this myself, but it sounds like you just wanted an excuse to white knight in someone's anon, lol. questions like "why don't you think it's insulting to pretend to be disabled?" and statements like "you only want to be autistic because you think it's quirky and cool" already put so many words into the recipient's mouth and so many assumptions into the world that anyone else in their right mind will just end up ignoring you.

hope this helps, if you ever even read it :3

[cazort]

So I support people's right to choose who they do and don't want to be with, but if I'm honest with myself, I'm more than a bit uncomfortable with the whole "t4t" thing and especially uncomfortable with how it often plays out in terms of this idea that people with the same identities as you necessarily understand you best.

I've dated cis people and dated one other nonbinary person, and the nonbinary person and I did not necessarily mesh better than I did with the cis people I dated. My partner now is a cis bi woman, and she seems to understand, validate, and support me in my experience of gender more than anyone else has in the past.

More broadly than just dating, among friends, I don't always think that nonbinary people, other transfem people, or anyone who shares any specific identities with me, "gets" me more than people of different identities. It's always an individual thing, there are trans people who get me and trans people who don't, cis people who get me and cis people who don't, and same for nonbinary people.

I also have seen a lot of people online post about how they were lulled into a false sense of security by rhetoric that said that t4t relationships were "safer" and how they ended up really hurt when they were dating another trans person who ended up acting abusive towards them.

There is also a degree to which the t4t thing feels really fetishizing to me, especially the way I often see it on Tumblr these days. Like the last time I went on a dating site, I was inundated with messages from older men whose profiles listed them as "straight" and were writing things to me like: "I want to suck cock" and "I love men who dress like women" and stuff like that. I hated it.

And like when I see some of the things some transfem people here on Tumblr are posting in some of the tags I browse, honestly it's a lot of the same crap. A lot of people are really into degradation/humiliation kinks, and push sexually-explicit fantasies involving these sorts of kinks into broad, general tags that I browse when I am not looking for sexual content, and of course they don't use the community labels, so I'm looking for content related to trans and nonbinary people, and transfem people specifically, and instead of finding supportive content, I find all this content fetishizing us. I hate it. It's disrespectful to put that sort of content in a place where people will see it without us consenting to it. If you have a kink involving being fetishized and/or fetishizing other trans people, great, I will respect that and defend you against anyone who tries to kinkshame you. But I don't want you to put your sexually-explicit, degrading, fetishizing content somewhere where it will be seen out-of-context by people who did not consent to participate in it.

So like if you're posting in tags like #t4t nsft then that's great, that's kinda what that tag is for, especially if you also use the community labels and/or also tag stuff with tags like degradation when your post includes it so people who don't want to see it can use an extension to block or filter the tag. But don't thrust explicit content, like raw sexual fantasies about your degradation kink and fetishization of transfem people into general tags like #transfem without using community labels, especially if you don't tag it in any way that makes it easy to avoid without blocking all transfem content.

So yeah, I think this about sums up my discomfort with the whole t4t trend:

(1) bad behavior depends on the behavior itself, not your identity

(2) t4t relationships are not necessarily "safer" than relationships with cis people, and pushing the idea that they are can leave trans people vulnerable to hurt

(3) if you are a trans person who fetishizes other trans people and/or wants to be fetishized, then great and i support you in your kink and will defend you against kinkshaming. but keep your fantasies and explicit content involving that fetish in relevant places, either in private DM's, or if you post it publicly, use the appropriate tags and do not put it in out of broader, general tags without using community labels, so that we trans people who may have trauma about fetishization aren't forced to wade through tons of it to use a tag that we've been using for years for support and positivity.

[wifegideonnav]

saw a post about the fandoms use of the word chussy and how violating and disrespectful it is and it really got me thinking. not going to name the op because I am absolutely not trying to argue with their take which is clearly fueled by very real anger and hurt, and I fully respect their opinion. so please understand that im not trying to start #discourse and anyone who does so on this post will be blocked (eta: please feel free to disagree with this post and let me know that you do/argue your point. by discourse I mean the annoying and pointless brand of internet arguing that we all know and hate). all that being said, here’s my take on the issue:

1. the post raised some excellent points about the desecration of the body and the implications of sexual assault that the nonconsensual alteration of gideons body carries. so first off: this is absolutely an important point and it’s something that needs to be taken into consideration. additionally, the oversexualization of butches is a huge problem and the use of the word chussy undoubtedly plays into this. all of these things must be acknowledged and respected.

2. my analysis of the joking nature the fandom has taken towards gideons chest wound is that this attitude is fueled by grief and discomfort/despair. muir tends to take her characters past their breaking points and explore how that impacts them, and that is a really hard thing to witness as a reader, especially when it’s a character as beloved as gideon, especially when the change from the first book to the third is so stark. imo, people simply don’t know how to handle these feelings, and funnel them into black humor. inappropriate? yeah, probably. but I think what’s crucial here is that this is a coping mechanism for very real feelings that are stirred up by these books. people aren’t being irreverent purely for the sake of it (though there’s definitely some of that too), they’re processing uncomfortable emotions stirred up by this - crucially - fictional character

3. arguably, this reaction was also brought on by muir herself. violence and sex are inextricably tied in this universe. harrow and ianthe have multiple sexually charged scenes that are explicitly violent - the scene where ianthe knifes harrows hand and obviously the bone arm scene. the dios apate scenes are laden with hatred, deception, and a desire to literally murder one of the participants. joli thinks nona and cam are being prostituted. palamedes’s love interest turns out to be murdered, and he tries to kill her killer in return. pyrrha has sex with a corpse. while the sexual aspect of it is never discussed, harrows conception is marked by genocide. even the excerpt of alecto that muir shared earlier this year combines a description of personal struggle and torment with explicit yonic imagery. this is all to say, the concept of gideons wound being partially sexual within the text is not far fetched at all. i would honestly be surprised if alecto doesn’t address this in some way, either in a joking way or a serious way (knowing muir, probably both). for all muir’s faux outrage over the term in the q&a earlier today (technically yesterday), she always knows exactly what she’s doing and dare I say more or less exactly how the fandom is going to react to things. im certain she anticipated that people would draw a connection between the wound and sexuality. now, muir intentionally planting this subtext does not negate any problematic aspects of said implication. but I think it’s important to note that it’s not purely a “fandom joking about serious topics” thing - it also falls on the writer

overall, I think it’s a very nuanced topic, as with pretty much everything pertaining to muirs work. bodily autonomy is a huge theme in tlt and there is a certain flavor of ignoring or defying muirs message in making a joke out of the bodily violation that gideon has suffered. however, again, i a) think the jokes stem from a place of understanding muirs intent and the discomfort that arises due to this and b) maintain that this is not a case of the fandom disrespecting a creators message but rather the fandom running with the context and tone of the source material. and finally, I want to emphasize that this is a fictional character, and while attitudes toward fiction 100% affect reality, I doubt that the people making these jokes would do so if they were aimed at a real person.

i fully invite conversation on this post and I would love to hear what you guys think, particularly butches (I am a lesbian who considers myself gnc but not masc/butch and i would never presume to speak for/over butches, especially on a topic so important). i don’t mean to be a killjoy, but after reading that post and reflecting I do think it’s important to explore the ramifications of these jokes before continuing to make them.

[lemony-and-zesty]

Wasn’t gonna post anything about it, but I’m thinking about it again,,

Mostly cause one of my friends got hate for being friends with me.

But basically, I got banned from an all age-inclusive discord server for honestly insane reasons.

But in the end, they’ve essentially accused me of being a child predator and “posting nsfw in a server with minors.”

In reality I posted art with blood in it. Which the rules of the server said was allowed as long as it was spoilered and there were content warnings. I did this the handful of times I drew blood. Hell, I even said every time, “If I need to delete this please let me know.” They never did, so I assumed it was ok.

Anyways, here are my “crimes”

All of these things are things blown wildly out of proportion.

The “non-con” I drew was the two posts I made about Hitman’s boss.

The inappropriate conversations and interactions with minors from the server was actually just me being friends with one of the minors and letting them talk to me about their aus and talking to them about my aus.

And also being there for them when an actual fucking creep was in the server and the mods just let them be.

There was a person in the server who was talking about characters having sex *to a minor.*

And I helped bring this to the mods attention because I noticed just how uncomfortable this minor was in a voice call with this other person and switched to a private call to check on them.

I ended up telling a mod, who then told the other mods, who then decided to ban this person.

The real shocker?

This person was removed from the server with so much more respect than I was.

I wanna stress just how blindsided I was by this ban.

I got no warnings. I had no idea. No one had expressed discomfort with me whatsoever.

The only warning I ever got was for sending a link to the tumblr that has the Twitter drama Trolls AU where Floyd and Creek are super toxic and all that jazz. I sent it in the voice chat while on call with two people who are over 18. The link was deleted and I was asked to be more mindful. Which I agreed to.

Anyways, the point is, had I not been on call with two people from the server, I would have gone to sleep thinking everything was fine, and woken up to being banned without warning.

This is the only information I got.

The only reason I even know *why* I was banned was because I still had friends in the server who saw the aftermath.

I am not ashamed of any of my actions. I always did my best to make sure people were comfortable and I believed - mistakenly - that someone would let me know if they weren’t. If anyone had communicated with me *at all* this could have all been avoided.

At the end of the day though, I am sick of being treated like a child predator by these people when in reality I am just someone who wanted to post silly stuff about Trolls with people who enjoy Trolls.

If anyone has any issue with any claims the people from that server have made, I am willing to talk about and explain my actions - or hell, even apologize if it turns out I was in the wrong.

I’m not perfect by any means, and if I made anyone uncomfortable I truly am sorry.

But, I never did anything worth this level of contempt and disrespect.

Thank you for listening and sorry for the long ass post.

I just needed to at least give some insight into some of the stuff I’ve experienced lately.

Especially since this server was genuinely so important to me. It was helping me through some of my worst experiences and I’ve made some amazing friends from it. And for that I am grateful.

And finally, to whoever sent hate to my friend, don’t be a coward. Go off anon and talk to me. I have nothing to hide and I’m not afraid of you. Because in the end I know I’m not a child predator and I know I never intended to hurt anyone.

And if I still had access to the server I would have screenshots to prove it.

Goodnight everyone <3

[wc-confessions]

mods dont have to post this, i am just very angry right now. id understand if this is controversial. i just want someone to hear this.

i just got off of wcue. i was a spectating. there was someone in the clan named w//ndigowisp. i am not good at confrontation, but being a native who sees ca like this every day of my life (literally.) i had an urge to actually say something. this has been something that has bothered me for a very, very long time. it is extremely personal to me.

my friend and i approached them as kindly as possible to inform them about the issue with their name. i was gentle with my wording- i know not everyone knows about the weight behind it. i know some people do not do well with being confronted.

and instantly we were told that they "knew what they were doing," and that we were making them uncomfortable. my friend pointed out that i, a native, have to be uncomfortable with this almost all the time. we were told that it did not matter because it was fictional, even though cultural appropriation extends beyond warrior cats.

after they were told that i am a native, they started going on about how rude and mean i was being. it was at this point they were prioritizing their own comfort over respect for native culture.

the person with the name asked their friends if they could serverhop because they were getting anxious. one of their friends told me to die (through the euphemism "go to starclan") right before they left.

my friend left, but i did not. someone had politely asked for a little more elaboration after overhearing our conversation.

after that, someone brought their gaggle of friends over. 3-4 of them. they were telling me that they were cherokee, and that it was chronically online to be uncomfortable with this. all i had asked for was for them to respect native culture. i was told that i am stupid and sad for caring about this. i was told to 'let people enjoy things.' it is not just the name i am upset with. as i said before, cultural appropriation extends beyond warrior cats. ca is the last step of colonization.

you could argue that there are bigger issues. i agree. but there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable with cultural appropriation (i cannot believe i have to say that), and you should not go after other natives for it. i did everything i could to be kind, but i am still painted as awful and mean.

i wish i could say wcue is not always like this. in my own personal experience, anti-indigenous racism runs rampant there. i have blocked most racists i see. my blocklist is almost full- roblox has a limit of 100 users. only about 10-20 are from before i started blocking them.

again, mods don't have to post this, but i am still very hurt and very angry. sorry for the long post. if, by any chance, any of those people see this- i am sorry, but i'm not going to swallow my discomfort and hurt for the sake of white comfort.

as someone who was raised to believe in the spirit in question, it IS disrespectful to be using the name - i was told from a young age to never speak the name of it due to its nature and how it will bring misfortune to both myself and my people (and because of this, i go out of my way to avoid using its name, even if censored)

i dont think these people realize that not all native americans share the same beliefs, either. there are very specific groups who believe in this spirit, primarily those of us who are from canada, the great lakes, and the appalachians (i don't believe the cherokee nation is a part of this particularly grouping, but correct me if im wrong!). that name should not have been used or even encouraged to be used. it reeks of a lack of respect for many native american cultures and cultural appropriation

having a complaint about that spirit's name being used is not "chronically online" - there is a very real and genuine belief that usage of the name will bring evil to you, and this belief has been around since before chr*st*pher c*lumbus even came to the americas. it feels like most people think "chronically online" means "bipoc bringing up racism" nowadays because they feel entitled to speak over us (as always)

i'm very sorry you had to deal with those people, anon. i myself would've been extremely paranoid about the encounter, and you have every right to be upset over what happened. i hope you are well

-mod ashensky

[cordycepsfem]

You know, if I had to be worried about someone's brain right now it's yours, not Elliott's. You're willfully "hurting" yourself reading his memoir, disrespecting him and yourself in the same breath. Honestly why bother? He is out there, finding his happiness, in his own skin. And you're a miserable hater, thinking we'll forget to fight for women's rights because we transition. You're blinded by your hate, and too stubborn to stop fighting people seeking comfort with who they are. It's time to scrap the mold off your walls.

Hi! Thanks for your concern. You’re right, I am reading Pageboy out of a sense of morbid curiosity. As someone who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and body dysmorphic disorder but who has chosen to treat these conditions with therapy, I was interested in seeing what another person’s journey to their treatment options and their future path might be. Honestly I got a lot more than I expected, including lots of great Canadian Facts. It’s helping me come to terms with my own past, and I find it helpful to know there are others in the world who’ve felt like I have.

I find it funny that you claim Elliot is so happy. I’m not a facial expression expert, but since his coming out I have rarely seen anything resembling happiness. A talk where he claimed being trans was the “only thing going for him” doesn’t sound like a thirty-something who’s happy and well-rounded with friends, hobbies, and work; it sounds like someone hyper focused on one part of their identity to the point of discomfort. Interviews where he’s consistently on the edge of tears, looking sad and unhealthy… sure, we all have different ways to express happiness, but I don’t recognize those as joyous postures.

What you do or do not do for women’s rights is not something that interests me. That’s not what this is about… and frankly, you presuming to understand why I do things also doesn’t interest me. I also have no desire to “fight” anyone. I’m just reading a book and reacting to it. Unless Elliot is reading my comments, the only person they’re really for is me, and any followers who might be interested in my thoughts.

Finally - and again, thank you for your concern - I don’t have any mold on my walls. I don’t live in a particularly moist building or humid area, there’s plenty of good ventilation, and I keep my apartment clean.

Have a pleasant day!

[empyreanpaws]

My Experience With: Tales of Glade's Glory

DISCLAIMER: do not harass the blog or the members of this wcrp; names are redacted for the sake of anonymity (though in this instance, it isn't hard to figure out...); this is a review, my personal experience, and an informational post

CONTENT WARNING: discourse, basically a hate crime despite it being "fictional" (it's the representation of one and has since been treated as less than), disrespect of religion, constant harassment, unfair treatment, pushing of a radical anti-cop/government agenda (i hate 'em too but c'mon, keep it out of there), will add more if requested

If any of the above makes you uncomfortable, please don't proceed. Through the content warning and tags alone, I'm sure you can infer what my experience was like.

Honestly, this has been a long time coming. I can't remember when it happened exactly, but it's been a few months since I've been in this particular wcrp. I should've voiced this sooner, but I'll be frank: I didn't because I have friends in there that genuinely enjoy the other aspects of the roleplay; I didn't want to ruin something they loved. Still, it needs to be said, so I can warn others in advance and finally get over this hurdle.

Tales of Glade's Glory is a roleplay that arose in the wake of the discontinued Chasing The Sun. It involved members from ShadowClan who collaborated together by suggesting ideas and making votes. This system was by far one of the most fun and fair ones I've ever experienced in a roleplay, but as soon as the Developers decided they could not be voted out (a decision they made themselves, not others), I knew things would end terribly.

I have a document that explains most of what I wanted to say in this post, regarding the democratic-like system the roleplay was meant to have, the hate crime in question, and the constant harassment I've dealt with for months. Again, names are redacted for the sake of anonymity, and the audience was for the other members of the server (hence why it seems like I'm talking to a specific set of people). The catalyst for this document's creation was receiving a strike upon voicing my discomfort within the server about two cats (mentioned in the document) that only realize hurting others is wrong after they murder someone, a plotline they allowed to continue because they "didn't want to stop plots from happening". Here is the document:

I'm not bashing on dark roleplays; I love to dabble in them myself. The problem was that this roleplay wasn't meant to be dark, and thus this incident came as a shock to many. I know others who were uncomfortable with the situation and someone who is devout in their faith who found the whole thing incredibly offensive and disturbing. If this had been a roleplay with darker themes, if we would've been warned in advance about what would be included and allowed in the roleplay, I wouldn't be this worked up. I'm incredibly upset because unsuspecting members were subjected to this situation without their consent. As I hear it, the situation continues to be up for debate, continuing to brew discomfort and stress, with no closure in sight. It's disappointing and, dare I say it, disgusting. I'd hate for newcomers to be dragged into that mess.

Addressing the radical anti-cop/government agenda, Dev1 seems to push these views into the roleplay and it can't be refuted. Their website includes a new set of rules regarding this and the person that began this whole disaster was not given a punishment (or it was a mere slap on the wrist, who knows). I haven't read much of it, if at all, and I think complex political issues in the real world should not be forced into a roleplay (unless that's the literal theme and has consent from everyone). I'm not going to sit here and talk about my own views and who I vote for in elections, but I understand the corruption of our government and how it's affected others. Still, my point stands. Roleplays should be free of strife, they're meant to be enjoyed and a place for others to distract themselves from the real world, not have it shoved back down their throat without being allowed to voice their own opinion. It was nearly like we had to adopt these ideals ourselves lest we suffer unjust consequences.

I can't even begin to hope they'd change. If anything, it'll just keep getting worse until they inevitably crumble. In a form of some "dark humor", I call it the WCRP Curse: they're all destined for drama, strife, and ends. As much as I'm working on my own projects, I don't think even I can break this curse. I guess we'll see who does, huh?

Writing all of this and remembering has truly made me feel sick. I've honestly decided to make this a series where I write my experiences in other roleplays, to provide suggestions or to warn others. I don't think I'll accept requests to join roleplays just to scope them out for others, or at least, not at the moment. At the end of the day, this is all about fictional talking cats, and yet it's affected me very badly. My last bit of advice is to speak out when someone is doing something wrong. Share your experience. You're not alone, and it can make a difference.

Also, this isn't for others to "respond" to. I'm literally sharing what I've experienced and how I feel. Do not reblog this and try to justify any of their actions. If you don't like it, block me and go away.

Recommend/Suggest?: No

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ (0/5)

[dumbbitchfrommars]

im uninspired and feeling like my head is empty, because ive spent a longgg time hibernating in the safety and comfort of my own bedroom.

well a small lie - i did go out to buy groceries today. it seems were all in the same boat. its cold out! no one wants to go outside. but connection and social interaction is what brings us confidence and joy and comfort in the discomfort.

but yet somehow despite that discomfort (my anxiety about returning to the real world) i was completely fine. i was okay. because i think ive finally figured it out. i know how to take care of myself. i know how to make space in the world without feeling ashamed or guilty for it. or im learning. but im so so so much better than i was. a year ago, two years ago... etc.

ive been wondering why i thoughtlessly let myself fall into the trap of nostalgia and request an old friend that i cut off on instagram. hes probably wondering why now? and avoiding it. fair enough. im not going to rescind that decision - its done now. but still i question my logic in that moment. but thats the thing, i wasnt thinking. i was being hopeful. but either way - he doesnt owe me anything, even if we were to become reconnected i wouldnt want to reach out or make any plans together. which again begs the question of why i would even try get into contact again in the first place.

i guess i have just been feeling tired of wondering how everyone from my past is doing, and that things could and would be so chill and relaxed if id never jumped to blocking but actually calmly and slowly distanced myself. which is what i am capable of doing now - after a few years of practice.

but coming back full circle - this friend was not a true friend. my nostalgia is a rose coloured pair of glasses because i remember our friendship and bond and the fun we had and the mischief we got up to. but this person - was not a friend. he was ill intentioned and selfish, and didnt truly care for me. he disrespected me and hurt me time and time again. so no, he is not worth my energy anymore. once upon a time we were soulmates. but i changed. i grew up. we grew apart. it was natural. and for some reason... of all the people from my past i could have done it to... it was him?

to be fair i already did reach out to my ex in march. and then i changed my mind within a week or two. and then he reached out to me... isnt that crazy? the timing? the fact that god had us pass eachother by like doves in the wind or ships in the night... because despite our bond still being there - the memories, the connection, the impact we had on eachother - its not enough. it was never enough. again, i grew up, we grew apart, and it was natural.

so what does this all mean for me? my usual logic is to cut the cord and say goodbye. but my subconscious desire to love, be connected, and honour the relationships that made me the person i am today is becoming stronger and stronger. i can put aside my ego and hurt, because i healed. i let it go. it is in the past. the past stays in the past and all that matters is now. and right now - i am not the kind of person who just deletes a person from her life and calls it a day. people are not disposable. and while i respect that we are completely different people now, and our paths have diverged and we will never replace the connection we once had, it doesn't mean i want to let you go entirely. i remember you. i respect how much of an impact you had in creating the person i am today.

i also respect that i probably hurt you just as bad when i walked away. so while i am ready to let go and forgive and reach out, i dont expect you to feel the same. to receive that energy and respond to it. its in YOUR prerogative to simply ignore and delete that request in the same exact way i did.

but... i probably wont reach out to the other friend. some people stay in the past. idk. im lost now. my point is ive let go and forgiven. but nothing really has to change, only my behaviour moving forward. no mistake is worth my walking away. distance is my friend but i dont need to cut people off anymore. thats the easy way out. life isnt meant to be easy. i want to learn to do the hard thing... i am learning to do the hard thing.

this has been a healing experience. thank you, C <3

[rustystars]

wait why didn't you like kinds of kindness

the simple answer is i am just not a yorgos guy.

longer answer is that I think the movie has a very weird & off-putting view of women. like. okay. spoilers ahead obviously.

like okay. minor issues. aesthetically i'm not a fan of the randomness. like, I get that as an overarching theme life IS random & often meaningless, and having bizarre segues or abrupt scene changes can represent that, but very little of it landed for me? the main scene i'm talking about is the black & white dog montage. it was funny, but completely unrelated. it didn't add to the story or signify any meaning, it was just there. we go from story to videos of dogs fucking. the Emma Stone dance scene did a better job at making sense but it was also very out of place. the abrupt cut to & the dancing itself is absurd, which connects to how absurd that moment of her life is; she has just been raped & ousted from the cult, but at the same time she just found her life's goal. it's interesting conceptually but not very interesting to watch. like the movie had some incredibly atmospheric moments, but the music completely took me out of it.

i also didn't think the stories felt connected? part one features a bizarre yet realistic situation. part two & three feature magical realism. there isn't really a bridge or a reason given as to why fantasy elements are added to two of the three parts & not all three. it makes the first part feel very separated from the rest.

in terms of my serious issues, the portrayal of women was like... discomforting. I don't know how to describe it other than that. all three parts of the movie are very much meditations on forms of power, abuse, and the extremes people go to for human connection. both men & women are controlled & control each other, but there's also a clear sense that men have more social power than women, and the movie doesn't really... say anything about that? like there is no greater point or meaning to it.

in part one, Jesse Plemons (i'm gonna be real with you I don't remember any of the character names & I'm not going to google it.) is controlled by Willem Dafoe, but he also has clear power over the women in his life (he forcibly sterilizes Hong Chau, he disrespects Margaret Qualley, & he manipulates Emma Stone). act one is the most cohesive part & his abuse of women makes sense. the professional & personal abuse he receives makes him feel powerless, so he tries to regain agency by hurting & exerting power over a group with less social power than him (women). it's interesting.

in act two Jesse Plemons plays the abusive cop & husband to Emma Stone's possibly fake wife. this part was my least favorite. he is an extreme authority figure & Emma Stone mutilates herself to fit his perfect wife fantasy; she wears clothes that make her uncomfortable, restricts her diet, (possibly) forces a miscarriage, and kills herself. Jesse Plemons is ostensibly "right" in his abuse; once the false self dies, the real and better wife is saved, but there's nothing really SAID about it. a story doesn't need a moral or a clear message for the audience to understand abuse is bad, but the story still seems to stall. again, a woman is abused, and life continues. it can be realistic to life while also feeling pointless. nothing new is discussed & nothing is interesting or subversive about it.

in part three, Emma Stone is part of a cult looking for a magical healer. this one focuses on the role (often religious) belief & personal values play in control, power, and love. the cult encourages their members to remain "pure" by consuming only the leaders' bodily fluids (help.) and Emma Stone is named contaminated after being raped by her husband, despite cleaning out the semen. She is explicitly exposed by Jesse Plemons, who (implicitly) also exposes another woman in the cult. both the people put through the purification ritual are women; so while implicitly men can be contaminated by fucking, only women are shown to be contaminated. her rape is not taken seriously and is still tallied against her. she attempts to rejoin by kidnapping Margaret Qualley and accidentally kills her. this point is complicated (as one of the leaders, she has more power + privilege), but there's also the aspect that Hong Chau's motherhood is celebrated implicitly because her child is a boy, and Emma Stone's is not, because her child is a girl.

yes, there are greater themes to the movie, but in terms of women, nothing new is said. all three parts show women in suffering positions. & even though most of these women have agency (Margaret Qualley in part one, Emma Stone in part two, Hong Chau in part three) it overall seems to portray their suffering as inevitable in all power struggles. as a whole the movie just kept reminding me of other movies/shows/books where this topic (or like, any topic) was portrayed in a more interesting way.

another big part of my discomfort with how women are treated specifically surrounded nudity & sex. I am not anti-nudity in movies and I don't think nudity needs to be "necessary" in order to happen. sex & the body are HUGE components in conversations about power considering they're huge components of real life. at the same time, it wasn't really like. comforting? I'm trying to think of a better word. movies do not need to comfort or coddle the viewer in order to be good/meaningful/interesting, but at the same time, the use of women's bodies was bizarre.

the main thing is the female nudity to male nudity ratio. the context that we see breasts is either during sex (part two) or in terms of a person's overall value (part three). in part three women's breasts are a direct signifier of how they can be used, with the explanation that there is a specific perfect size/appearance. these women's value as a person depend, to the cult, on their breasts. comparatively men aren't shown nude from the waist above often at all, and while we do see Willem Dafoe's dick, it's in a much different context. we see him nude before he fucks someone; he is a leader of the cult and in a position of power, and he controls their sex. Margaret Qualley meanwhile completely devoid of agency while nude. her naked body is compared to a dog's and dragged across the floor, associating the male body with control & the female body with degradation.

i feel like I sound like Freud. anyway. the portrayal of sex is also weird. men fuck (and are in control), and women get fucked (and lose control). the most clear-cut example of this is when Emma Stone is raped by her husband in part three and shamed for it, but it's present throughout all three parts. sex is a means of control, and while men are controlled, none of them are explicitly fucked onscreen in the same way women are. Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe's sexual relationship is entirely implicit; Plemons gets fucked, but only off screen. Margaret Qualley and Emma Stone's consensual sex scenes are meanwhile explicit and long. Similarly, while his kisses with Dafoe relate to Dafoe's power over him, they are much less explicit and dominating as when Dafoe and Emma Stone make out in act three. When Jesse Plemons asks to watch the sex tape in part two, even though Margaret Qualley and Mamoudou Athie are reluctant, he is allowed to. When Emma Stone proposes a foursome, she is immediately shut down. he is given sexual agency and she is not. we're told that Hong Chau is sexually in power in part three as a cult leader but again, her power is not shown onscreen.

to sum it up: onscreen, men are only ever sexually in control, and women are only ever sexually submissive, or otherwise not able to express sexuality as adequately. even the car crashes show a pattern of men having more power than women. Jesse Plemons is able to kill a man on purpose, but Emma Stone's killing of Margaret Qualley happens entirely on accident.

this is more of a personal gripe, but it also bothered me how in these conversations about systemic abuses of power, race is not a factor at all. characters leverage their power over others as men, cops, and authority figures, but not necessarily as white men, cops, and authority figures, even though racism and white beauty standards are present in almost every aspect of American life & American movies.

ANYWAY. tldr I think the movie is ultimately less respectful of women than men. and also there was too much dialogue

[ineeddream25]

Discussion plan gone wrong

 [SAGAU! Imposter Reader]

Veritas Inter Astra

[Before] 

Tw : Contains Violence

Welp, this is it. This is the continuation. Have it folks. I'll surely be updating this in the future but IDK how long. cuz currently, I'm still preparing for a college entrance exam. Hopefully, this will suffice for now. If you have any ideas, complain, or brain-rot, feel free! Oh, Ayato simps be winning in this chapter lol.

Faith is a sacred thing. It is holy, full of loyalty, and something that roots deep within people's hearts that serves as a guide. Guide on how they live their life. Guide on how they choose their morality and how to treat someone. Like how to treat a person like you! Who is mistaken as an imposter?

You are aware of the looks given to you. Those Shuumatsuban ninjas didn't even hide their glare while escorting you and Ayato. You grumbled. All this ordeal has left you very exhausted. Waking up in the middle of the storms, getting attacked, and now having to walk a long way to The Kamisato Estate. Yeah, you'd like to take a bath and maybe some warm food.

After navigating through the Chinju forest, your group arrived at the gate of The Kamisato Estate. You heard comments from the NPCs about how beautiful this place is. It seems they are not exaggerating after all.

You gasped. The sheer luxury of this place is up a notch. The soft glow of the lantern as the sky slowly turns to dark blue is beautiful. As if they are guiding you to this fine architecture. The soft blows of the wind with a hint of saltiness from the sea are also very refreshing. You stood in awe. Your ordinary self feels intimidated by the presence of this place alone. You, whom some moments ago, are just someone who tries to pay the rent of your apartment. You backed up a little, discomfort and insecurities filling your heart. Are you allowed to stay in this place? Your mother once look at you apartement and literally said “Damn you lived like this?” Once. Hey, That time it’s because exam week, you’re way too busy with your grades to care.

"Ayato, are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" you asked in doubt. Sure, when you played the game, you have always wanted to visit this place yourself. Honestly, who wouldn't? If you're honest, sometimes you would think, "How does it feel to live in such a luxurious place?" The thought always made you giddy and smile from the excitement. But now, after seeing the real thing, you're not so sure. Ayato smiled, not his usual political smile, but one genuine, full of love and adoration. It makes you uncomfortable. You didn't feel... worthy.

Before he could answer, one of his ninjas, though scared, snapped back at you. "You dare refer to Lord Kamisato so casually like that? Filthy imposter, you should know your place!"

You flinched back. You don't have enough energy to bicker back, and your anxiety's spiking up. The wind blows fast and harsher. You squeezed your hand so hard it turned white. You can handle people being mean to you, but that doesn't mean you don't feel hurt. You ignore the wind that starts getting restless, the trees trashing around along with the wind.

"Look, Ayato-- Lord Kamisato. I appreciate your thoughts." You bowed, apologizing. "But it seems that I won't be received well in your place. I'll go back with Nobu and continue my travel with them--"

"Shut up." You flinched, not daring to look up. Ayato's voice is devoid of any warmth.

Did you mess up somewhere? Did your bow is disrespectful? You heard little gasps behind you as well. Oh no, you definitely messed up.

But I don't want to die. 

An idea pops through your head

Hey, I can apologize! He will forgive me, right? 

You stand up straight, expecting Ayato to glare at you.

Only to see a body stumbles in front of you and fall to the ground. His face was pale as paper. You scream and walk back. The sight of it scares you, but you can't help your sense of morality to help him.

"IS HE DEAD?!" You scrambled to him, grabbing his hand to check any pulse left. In the past, your school has given you some first aid lessons. It's time to practice your knowledge. You reached to the area on the side of his neck. You are relieved when you feel the weak pulse there. After calming yourself, you realize that the unconscious man was the one who mocked you before.

You feel someone's hand gently caressing your cheeks. You startled, whipping around your head to see Ayato looking at you worriedly. You felt relieved that he's not angry at you, but can't he sees the man being unconscious in the dirt? Sure, he is a jerk. Maybe he deserves it a bit. But he looks like he is on the verge of dying!

"T-Thank you for your concern Ay-- Lord Kamisato. But, um, the soldier, Shouldn't he get some treatment?" you asked hurriedly. Ayato squeezes your arms gently once again.

"Just call me Ayato, Dear creator." He said while longingly looking at you. He wanted your attention on him, but the man, who offended you oh so greatly, is diverting your attention from him.

Ayato glances at him. His eyes turn cold and emotionless. How dare this man belittle you, the great creator. How dare he mock you. It seems that the education instilled in them is still not working effectively. He needs to note that for his plan.

The samurais in the back are frozen stiff. They've seen how Lord Kamisato creates a bubble around the ninja's head, mercilessly drowning him, slowly and silently crushing it with water pressure whirling inside the bubble. They've seen the anger and fury gleaming in the head commission's eyes. They've seen it before, anger so primal but so concealed. They wouldn't have noticed if they'd never experienced it before.

Nobu walks forward intending to tell you what has happened. You need to know what happened. The leader, sensing one of his youngest member's intentions, grabs his shoulder harshly. Nobu jerked back, head whipped around to glare at him. The leader motions to Lord Kamisato, who is glancing at them. His eyes filled with hidden messages.

"You don't want the same cruel thing to happen to you right? Don't intervene."

The leader got that message clear. He wants to help you, but he is still powerless in front of the commissioner and his army. Lord Kamisato called you the creator, but to him, you are just a clueless person who doesn't know anything. He will make you one of the group, but now, he hopes your fate there will be lucky, even if his gut was telling him otherwise. If there's another chance to help you, he will repay this sin.

You are still waiting for Ayato's response. Quietly tugging his arms, you called out to him. Ayato's attention is back to you now. His eyes change forth between fury and adoration, which unsettles you. He looks at one of your hands on the unconscious soldier's head.

"No worries, My grace. He is a little bit exhausted from today's mission and hasn't been resting. I'm sure enough rest will make him better the next day." He lied smoothly. The ninja gets the messages and takes their friend back to their living quarters.

You stood up awkwardly. Ayato is still holding your arms. His eyes are still soft with adoration and another emotion you can't pinpoint.

"You can let me go, Lord Kamisato." Ayato looks partially hurt. "Just Ayato, Dear creator. Call me Ayato, like how you used to call me before coming here."

"But, I just met you! What do you mean how I used to call you?"

Ayato looked confused. It seems that something happened when you were transported here. Ayato once again invited you to come inside. You tried to deny it because you don't want to see or hear other people mocking you again. Ayato reassures you, but you still doubt it.

You looked back, but the samurai group was already nowhere to be seen. Your feel your hearts break a little. They don't care about you, huh? You have no other choice but to go with Ayato.

You glanced at him. His expression brightens when he realizes you're looking at him. His lips go full of smiles and his eyes crinkle with mirth.

Maybe, living here for a while is not so bad.

You are guided to the front door of the estate. The Zen garden stretched beautifully across the manner. The white sands look soft and fresh. The lanterns glow warmly in the dark.

You felt yourself relax a little. The guards salute in their Lord's presence. They can't help but notice another person who is tagging along with their Lord. They wanted to converse but their Lord send them a warning gaze while covering the mysterious person's face with his sleeve, resulting in him half hugging the figure to himself.

Ayato suddenly feels his heart thudding fast. Warmth spread all over his body and he feels so bashful. Who knows being this close to the creator feels so comforting. It's similar to the aura enveloping him when he's in the vessel mode but way more powerful.

You are clueless. When Ayato obscures your vision with his sleeve and hugs you, you feel flustered. He smells of wood and weirdly, milk? It is soothing, but still, you're flustered.

"Ayato?! What are you doing?" you squeak. Ayato looks even more bashful. His face flushed even redder. The guards look stunned. Is someone calling their lord on a first-name basis?

"A-Ah I see. it's some important guest to you. I'll call Thoma my lord." The guard rushes inside the manor. While Ayato, who now couldn't hold his desire anymore, decide to embrace you as a way to hide your face.

"Oi, Ayato. Is this necessary?!" You look up to him. Face red and flustered. Which led to Ayato feeling even more overwhelmed.

My creator is way too cute. How can I be calm?!

Trying to reason with himself. Ayato said, "Of course, we wouldn't want to see your face now, don't we? You don't want the same thing to happen again. Right, dear?"

Your confused expression is endearing, per se. One of his hands slowly caresses your cheeks. Both of your faces flushed red because of the situation. Ayato cups your cheeks. His smile is full of love.

"I'll explain everything to you later, dear. We need to find somewhere private--"

"Shall I prepare a special room My Lord?" an unfamiliar voice suddenly joins in. You and Ayato jolt in surprise. Ayato hides your face and you hug Ayato even tighter.

Thoma stood there looking awkward. Ayato is a little bit unhappy someone disturbs him, but he is also relieved that Thoma has arrived.

"Ah, Thoma. Prepare one of the most secluded rooms in the estate." It's a question with many meanings. But, with Ayato's flustered face and his wavering voice, its meaning took a big turn.

"Are you going to do that My Lord?" Thoma asked bashfully. You, who are frozen from meeting another cast of Genshin so quickly took alert at the question that Thoma gave.

"Do what???" Your question is left ignored. Ayato quickly replied. "Yes, Thoma. We will do 'that' private thing. So you all better don't disturb me for the rest of the night. You don't want to interrupt our... 'private' moments. Don't you?"

Thoma stood straight and almost saluted, which you think is funny. "O-Of course My lord! Er- Enjoy your time in intimate moments!" He stuttered.

You choke.

Intimate moments?! What is Ayato going to do with you?! You look at Ayato with a horrified expression. He looks panicked and quickly mouthed you "Trust me" before bridal carrying you through the halls and quickly ran to one of the rooms that has been recently prepared by the servants.

Ayato shuts the door and the servant quickly hurried away, afraid they'll disturb their lord.

Ayaka, whose just arrived at the scene walked to Thoma. She closes her fans. Eyes looking at the room his brother just went in.

"What happened Thoma, why do you look so pale?"

"His lord is doing someone,"

Ayako raises his eyebrows."You mean something?"

Thome is silent, looking at her with a serious expression.

"My apologies, Lady Ayaka. But did I stutter?"

"Oh my Excellency, The Almighty Narukami Ogosho, God of Thunder!"

The gossip went wild that night.

====

LMAO, PEOPLE THINKING AYATO GONNA EAT THEM CAKES

But in reality both of them just awkwardly conversing. Help them

Thoma : Ayato have someone special!

Ladies in Inazuma : Oh no!

Creator : [No clue] Oh My God, You have someone special? Why didn’t you tell me?

Ayato : [Groaning] How can someone be so endearingly stupid.

TAGLIST!! : @kazuhira07 @karmawonders @ello-its-me-ya-boi @emperatris-rinaka

[antidotefortheawkward-art]

I just got into the Lego Monkie Kid fandom recently, and I must ask. How do you feel about the Wukong/Macaque shipping? I've seen a lot of people say it's inappropriate because they're commonly interpreted as brothers. But others say it's okay cause it's not set in stone and lmk has changed some details on the original story, including Wukong & Mac's relationship.

I will be frank and say that Sun Wukong x Liu'er Mihou (Six-Eared Macaque) shipping grosses me the hell out, and it is one of the biggest reasons I'm hesitant in involving myself with the Lego Monkie Kid fandom, due to its domination of the fandom.

This will be a long post, so here's a bulleted TLDR:

I feel it is unfair to consider LMK independent from JTTW, given just how much LMK draws from JTTW.

I feel that the fandom's earnestness to detach LMK from JTTW does not consider how LMK is a Chinese piece of media and is thus insensitive of JTTW's place in Chinese culture.

JTTW functions as a Buddhist allegory. Within this, Six-Eared Macaque represents Sun Wukong's flaws and strife, and is literally created from him. Therefore sharing the same DNA while being two separate people, functionally siblings. Which is what has led Chinese popular culture to commonly interpret these two as such.

That being said, even if LMK makes them beyond a shadow of a doubt not siblings, I still think it's gross to ship people who were siblings in the source material. Shipping is not the only way to interact with media.

Why It's Important to Consider JTTW in Relation to LMK

While Lego Monkie Kid has changed details in the original story, I do not think it's fair to consider it as independent from Journey to the West. As a Chinese person, I feel the fandom's earnestness to separate JTTW from LMK is insensitive at best.

Journey to the West is one of the 四大名著 [Four Classical Novels of China]. Not only that, it is arguably the most accessible of the four, and as such, it occupies a very special place in Chinese culture. JTTW is a story everyone grows up with, whether it be the actual text, adaptations, or even just a bedtime story from a family member. Nearly everyone can name the main pilgrims, notable antagonists, chapter titles, and weapon names. The story is basically a backdrop to everyday life due to how much it's casually referenced, whether it be in pop culture or even food names. As such, much of the story is considered general knowledge. Changing details and rewriting parts of JTTW for an adaptation is expected because everyone's already so intimately familiar with the original story. It doesn't make an adaptation any less of an adaptation. With the case of LMK, I don't think you can reasonably consider it independent of JTTW. Not only are the majority of the cast lifted directly from JTTW, but Qi Xiaotian makes a point to directly quote chapter titles in the literal first and second episodes. If you want to call LMK anything, it's honestly a fan continuation.

Similar to how I've spoken on my discomfort regarding people using the Arthur Waley names for the pilgrims, I'm uncomfortable with people detaching LMK from JTTW because it feels like an avoidance of the original Chinese culture and context. LMK was originally produced with a Chinese audience in mind. As such, the target audience would have gone into LMK with the cultural context JTTW holds. Detaching JTTW is insensitive to the original intent of the producers, insensitive to the fact that LMK was produced for an audience that isn't just white westerners, and insensitive to JTTW. Therefore I think it is disrespectful to consider LMK without considering JTTW.

It will take time to understand Journey to the West, especially if you're not a fan who grew up with the story. However, I believe that if you're interacting with media from a culture not your own, you hold a responsibility to take measures in order to interact with said media and its culture respectfully. If creators are going to share an important part of their culture with you, then it is common decency and courtesy to interact responsibly. It's better to expend the effort to familiarize yourself with JTTW than to act insensitively, watering down its significance for the sake of digestibility.

Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque within JTTW

Before going into my JTTW-grounded reasons for being uncomfortable with Sun Wukong x Six-Eared Macaque, I'd like to make a point in bringing up how JTTW is, at its core, a very Buddhist story and that you cannot, in good faith, separate the religious aspects from this story. JTTW is often read as a Buddhist allegory, and as with any allegory, thoughtful analysis and interpretation is a must.

(Chapter 58- Photos from my copy of 西游记 and screenshots from Vol. 3 of Anthony C. Yu's translation)

Please note the title of Chapter 58 uses the wording 二心 for "two minds" and that these are the same characters for 二心, the Buddhist concept of double-mindedness referenced in the screenshots below.

(Screenshots of Anthony C. Yu's JTTW footnotes regarding the Buddhist thought behind Six-Eared Macaque, provided by my friend @uwukong -who has xyr own post with further reading on interpretation of Six-Eared Macaque functionally being Sun Wukong's brother)

It is commonly accepted that Six-Eared Macaque was literally created from Sun Wukong and is a personification of his strife, his flaws, and the things generally holding him back from the true path to enlightenment. Some adaptations go as far as to depict Sun Wukong in genuine pain when killing Six-Eared Macaque since the act of killing Six-Eared is actually hurting a part of himself. While "sibling" may not be the completely technically correct term for their relationship, Six-Eared Macaque shares DNA with Sun Wukong, since he was created from Sun Wukong. However, as a separate person with identical genetics, Six-Eared Macaque is functionally his sibling. If you have to pull the "technically it's not incest" card, then I don't really think there's ground to stand on. The "grey area" this ship resides in is too thoroughly debunked by the text.

That being said, even if LMK decides to change Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque to be explicitly, unequivocally, undoubtedly unrelated, I still find it really uncomfortable to ship characters who were brothers in the source material.

Please don't go through such lengths to ignore the original text and its significant Buddhist context just to justify a ship. There are other ways to interact with media other than shipping. I'm a gay Chinese man and I too want to see more gay rep in Chinese media, but let me tell you, the monkey brothers are not a healthy place to look for them.

[dragynkeep]

What do u think of the take that it’s disrespectful or messed up for katara to be a part of the family that killed her people? It’s something Zutara antis say

i would say i fundamentally don’t agree with it? for a couple of reasons, really.

1. it erases the forgiveness that katara has given to zuko for the personal harm he did to her. that’s what their entire arc in book 3 was about, katara & zuko finally lancing that boil of hurt & trauma between them that came from zuko’s betrayal in the book 2 finale. when zuko not only helped her in the southern raiders episode, but validated her hurt & trauma where her own friend & brother wouldn’t; zuko showed katara that he listened to her. that he wanted to help her, not just to atone for his own actions but because he could see she was hurting for a similar reason he was. a lack of justice for a perceived wrong & a loss of a mother, which leads to point 2 ...

2. zuko is not responsible for the loss of katara’s mother. being raised in an imperalistic nation can mean you are shaped by that propaganda, but that does not mean you are forever locked in it; & not only has zuko rebelled against the harmful ideas of his home nation, but he has actively gone to change it. katara & zuko bonded in the catacombs over the fact that the fire nation had taken both of their mothers away, & katara understood that. katara acknowledged that & they both grew from that, especially when it was revisited in tsr.

3. stop lumping zuko with his abusers. seriously, when people associate zuko with the maniacal sister who nearly killed the avatar or the genocidal father who caused all this harm, that is what they are doing. zuko has never aligned himself with the massacre of other nations, especially once he was exposed to the propaganda of his home & experienced first hand the harm they caused. unlike azula & ozai, zuko recognized what the fire nation had become. he even told ozai, to his face, that the lie the fire nation had told the world was just that, a lie. they weren’t helping anyone, they weren’t sharing anything, they were hurting cultures & murdering people for their own gain. so when people say that katara will be “joining a family that killed her people”, it’s simply not true. because ozai & azula are not zuko’s family, they are his abusers & they are part of an ideology in his home that he has rebelled against & worked to eradicate from the moment zuko & katara were on equal footing. zuko is not his abusers.

there could be some valid discomfort in katara taking on the role as fire lady but from what i’ve seen in all depictions, katara uses that role to not only help zuko change the fire nation for the better, but uses it’s power to make a change in her own people in a substantial way. katara has never hated the fire nation people, only the ideology that perpetuated such atrocities & hatred; otherwise she never would’ve helped people like those in the painted lady & most importantly, she never would’ve empathized & opened up to zuko about her most personal trauma.

zutara antis who spout this claim really just seem to see zuko as only his book 1 iteration while believing katara to be some vindictive, manipulative harpy akin to azula, more than the empathetic, caring person she was who believed in & hoped for change. the katara who canonically forgave zuko & became his friend & helped him put his own abusers, demons & trauma to rest.