#tw:sexism

[sleepysloth99]

LMFAO THIS WAS THE SAME BITCH I LOOKED UP TO WHEN I WAS LITTLE.

Reading this article and saying to my past self from 3rd grade: Yo, is this your mans?

lol

[dd122004dd]

The Princess and the Cad

Okay, so we got our first request EVER!

So the request was for two OCs of @warmed-sunstone-blog namely Linda Kirk and John Perry. Thank you for placing your characters into my hands. I hope I’ve done them justice!

Summary: Set in 1960s America. Linda Kirk, a young bright college student studying Science crosses paths with John Perry, the owner of a chain of factories. When her father names her brother as his successor will the two be able to put their differences aside? Or will their opposing personalities tear them apart and doom the Kirk family business.

Warnings: Sexism, alcoholism, addiction issues, mentions of degrading behavior towards women and African-Americans, strained parental bonds, name calling and cursing, mixing alcohol with medication, historic inaccuracies, mentions of illegal activities.

Meanings:

Call girl- prostitute

Chuckle head- a fool

Cad- a person who treats others unfairly

Air-head- a mindless or stupid person

Floozy- a young woman with loose morals

Mooch- (here) to obtain something without paying for it

~

Introducing, Miss Linda Kirk!

Introducing, Mr John Perry!

~

It was the roaring 60′s. The years in which the younger generation forged their own identities, ideas and fashion trends, separating themselves from their ancestors. It was chaotic and beautiful at the same time. The children of humanity rising against the archaic ideals of their predecessors.

But, where did she fit in all this chaos? In this psychedelic rainbow of ideas, she was still figuring out her place in the world, still trying to etch her name into history, she was unlike most of the women of her generation, because we all know, well-behaved women rarely make history. 

~

Linda Kirk made her way up the stone stairs of her university. The structure towered over many in all it’s architectural glory. It’s stained glass windows streamed colorful light into the corridors.

Her heels clacked on the marble floors as she made her way towards her first class, her satchel slung across her chest, resting at her hip, slightly jingling as she reached her first class of the day before taking a seat at the front. 

Her fellow classmates, who were mostly male shuffled into the class, most ignoring her presence but some sending disgusted looks towards her, for her mere presence in the class. She merely smiled at the glares, eyes sparkling dangerously.

Soon the professor shuffled in, starting the lecture and taking all eyes off her.

It was quite frankly hard, being one of the few women in a University, even more so she was pursuing Science, majoring in Engineering which made her the only woman in the elite university to be pursuing what was considered to be a ‘manly’ subject. She excelled in her studies as well, which further painted a target on her back. 

The bell rang, dismissing the students. She slowly packed her bag, waiting for all the students to exit the class before zooming to her next class.

After the last class of the day was over, she was bone-tired. Her satchel felt heavier and as she entered the backseat of her car, she sighed in exhaustion. Her pink lace skirt spread over the back-seat as she buckled herself in and the car started to move. Her driver, Bill, gazed at her sympathetically. 

“Exhausting day, ma’am?”

“Yes, Bill. But thankfully the summer vacations are starting up soon so I will be able to relax a bit before diving back into my homework. Enough about me, how are your children? And Claire?”

“They are doing quite well, thank you for asking madam.”

The rest of the ride continued in relative silence. As they neared the Kirk mansion, Bill said, “I heard your mother is organizing a dinner party for one of your father’s business associates. Just thought you might want a forewarning, before you’re swept up in the hurricane that is Jessica Kirby.”

Sighing, she said, “Thank you Bill, for the heads-up. Here’s a 20 dollar ‘bill’, spend it wisely,” chuckling as she exited the expensive car.

Her family was incredibly wealthy, thanks to their company which designed and manufactured luxury as well as economically purchasable cars, that way they served both the elite as well as the every-day-man. Their engines were well-built and ran for years. 

The business was started by her grand-father, Walter Kirby, who had a great love for engines. His friends called him the ‘Machine whisperer’ but his true passion was cars so he started his own company, but it was only truly made successful when his son, David Kirby took over the business. He lacked his father’s knowledge of machinery but made up for it with his prowess in business. Soon their business became a house-hold brand all thanks to David Kirby’s business mind.

Linda, however inherited her grandfather’s love for machinery as well as her father’s business mind, she was quick to find errors and correct them and had foresight that almost put her father to shame. It was a pity she was not born a man.

~

She entered the mansion, seeing a flurry of servants carrying chairs, trays, curtains and a plethora of other things, all rushing to be ready for the master’s guests. 

Her mother shimmied towards her, a crystal glass of bourbon in her hand as her short styled curls bounced with every movement, her heels clacking against the marble floor as she made her way to her.

“Darling! You’re back!” she exclaimed.

“Hello mother.”

“Your father is having guests over tonight and he just told me! I don’t have enough time to prepare! He thinks it’s so easy to plan magnificent dinners, I’ll see how well he can do if he were in my place,” she harrumphed, losing her train of thought. 

Taking a large sip from the glass she said, “You’ll know one day, when you’re married. Anyway! I’ve instructed Mary-Lou to set out a gorgeous dress for dinner for you. Make sure to smile, God you always look so depressed with that sullen face of yours. Also, tell Angela to put some make up on you, nothing too heavy, we don’t need you looking like a call girl.” Saying this, her mother sauntered away to yell at a servant.

Grinding her teeth at her mother, she sullenly climbed up the mansions’s carpeted stairs towards her bedroom. Her mother had always been negligent, preferring her younger brother, Roy, over her. She was the proverbial black sheep of the family, because and I quote, ‘A woman should be married by the age of 20 at the most’ and, ‘You’re disgracing the family by going to school like a man’ and her personal favorite was, ‘What are you going to do with that degree? It’s not like you’ll be allowed to work. Quite frankly you’re wasting your father’s money ’.

She entered her bedroom, seeing the beautiful dress Mary-Lou had set out for her. It was ironic how Mary-Lou was more of a mother to her than her own mother. 

The dress was a beautiful white with light pink lace on the flow-y bottom of the dress. Next to the dress was a jewelry box, a pair of frilly white gloves with pink edging and a pair of soft pink Mary Jane’s with a 3 inch heel.

~

Dinner time rolled around faster than she expected, she sat alone in her room awaiting a servant to call for her. She’d spent hours with two maids twisting, curling and gelling her hair into place while Angela artfully painted her face with make-up, accentuating her features.

Their butler, William called her down as their guest was about to arrive.

She descended the stairs just as the front door opened and behind her father stood a man with eyes as green as a forest. He wore an unbuttoned black trench coat, a suit vest with silver buttons that shone against the black of his outfit as well as a black button-up shirt and black dress pants and a pair of polished Oxford shoes. He had bright red hair that stood in contrast to his deathly visage.

She felt herself frowning at the stranger before her mother nudged her sharply, reminding her to pull her lips into a smile.

Her father introduced the family, the strange man was Mr John Perry who owned a chain of factories that specialized in manufacturing car parts.

He shook her brother’s hand with much enthusiasm, kissed her mother’s knuckles, whispering an ‘enchante’ which made her mother trill with delight, he also kissed her gloved knuckles which she begrudgingly placed in his hand.

Over dinner they made polite conversation, getting to know the stranger whom their father had called home. Her mother then burst out a question that made Linda freeze in her seat, “So, John are you married?”

“No, Mrs Kirk, unfortunately I have not found a woman who sings to me.”

“Oh how romantic! But surely you have your eye on someone, a well-mannered young man of 29 like yourself.”

“Unfortunately I have not had much free time on my hands to find myself a wife.”

“How tragic,” her mother said.

“Dad, so what are you and Mr Perry working on together?” Roy asked his father, curious about the business he would one day take over.

“Well, Roy, John here has come to me with a rather profitable venture. He’s asking me to license the production of our carburetor exclusively to him. If we’re able to produce the carburetor in the United States then we will be able to save millions, and of course, support American businesses,” their father replied with much glee.

At his statement she froze, the carburetor was an incredibly delicate piece of machinery that had a large room for errors. If there were any errors in construction, the car would not be able to start and it would be very expensive for them to replace. It was also not cheap to produce and they had always imported the part from Europe which guaranteed them with top quality merchandise as well as enabled them to sell their cars at a higher price.

“What a marvelous endeavor, father,” she was broken out of her thoughts by her brother’s voice.

“Mr Perry, you have never been to our mansion before, how about after dinner, I can give you a tour of our home. I’m sure you’ll find our personal gallery to be quite exquisite,” Linda said, sweetening her tone despite the venom she felt brewing in her chest.

“I would love that, Miss Kirby,” he replied, flashing his teeth.

~

After dinner was done she led the stranger away, towards the gallery. It was on the other side of the mansion so it would take them a while to get there.

As soon as she made sure that they were out of ear-shot she pounced.

“Miss Linda might I say your home is magnificent.”

“Oh, cut the bull-shit I know what you’re up to, you snake.”

“Oh really, Miss Kirby and pray tell, what is it ‘I’m up to’?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you know well and good how important the carburetor is to the functioning of the car. Getting my father to license production to you is akin to you getting a golden ticket and the entire chocolate factory!”

“Hmm, it seems I underestimated you, princess. Let’s assume that hypothetically you’re right. What are you gonna do about it? Hmm? Run and tell daddy dearest? Please, like he’d believe you. After all, you’re just the black sheep wasting his money without even achieving anything. Honestly, Lindy you’re a freeloader.”

“How dare you?! You simply want to use my idiot of a father in order to fund your little lemonade stand of a factory. You-You-You CAD!” 

“I’m not a cad, princess,” he said walking away. 

After taking a few steps he halted and turned around saying, “Maybe your father should give you more credit, you’re far from the air-headed floozy he described.” 

Floozy? He called her a floozy? Enraged, she stated, “And you’re far from the poor hippie chuckle head he described.” 

John simply laughed at her before making his way back to the main hall.

~

That night she tossed and turned, trying to figure out a way to warn her father, but John’s words rang in her mind, did her father really call her a floozy and a mooch?

John was probably lying to get a rise out of her anyway, but it still irked her for weeks. 

Her father, on the other hand refused to listen to her regarding the licensing deal, saying, ‘You don’t understand business, Lindy’. Well, she may not have had his experience in business but she certainly understood machines and production.

Regardless of her reservations her father went ahead with the deal, which led to John spending more time in their home, most of which was dedicated to getting under her skin, it seemed.

A week into her summer vacation her father announced that he wanted to hold a grand party with all his business associates in their mansion. Her father said that he would be announcing his successor at the party.

Her mother went into a tizzy, wanting only the best for her son who was sure to be the successor of their business. Mobilizing a plethora of servants, caterers, decorators and a wide variety of other people in beautifying the mansion in preparation for the rich that would surely flood their home. Everything had to be perfect, even the smallest flaw would be scrutinized by the wives’ vulturous gazes.

The purpose of the party left a bitter taste in Linda’s mouth, her brother Roy was a mere child of 19 yet he would get control of the family business and her future. Roy was a cruel boy, arrogant in his ways, constantly tormenting the staff, particularly the African-American staff, with his borderline sadistic temper and actions. He was unfit to run the family business, he lacked the patience, grace and most importantly the foresight to successfully run their business. His personality wasn’t helped by their mother constantly coddling him and treating him like the Earth revolved around him. To put it simply, he was a spoiled brat.

~

The day of the party was filled with much anticipation, her mother took more than the prescribed amount of Valium to ‘calm her nerves’. It was surely not a good idea to be mixing her meds with alcohol so early in the evening but her mother seemed to be in a jolly mood and off her back for once so she said nothing.

The mansion was tastefully decorated with twisting fabrics, flowers and lights. It seemed like it was right out of a fairy-tale. 

There was an open bar at one end of the room with the bartender performing tricks. Waiters and waitresses served the rich attendees with hors d'oeuvres on fancy silver platters.

Linda was on the upper floor of the mansion, looking down at the guests from the balcony. Wearing a breath-taking soft pink gown with white lace on it, she practically screamed ‘royalty’. Her transparent elbow-length gloves and the heavy jewels around her neck complimented the dress beautifully.

As she descended down the steps all chatter seemed to cease in awe of the beauty that had seemingly descended from the heavens. 

On reaching the ground floor she proceeded to mingle with the wives of the businessmen, each scathingly complementing her outfit and jewels. She wasn’t one to back down and returned their compliment’s with equal venom.

Soon she headed to the bar, looking agitated.

“Bourbon, on the rocks,” she barked at the bartender.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? My, my, princess never thought you’d be a hard drinker.”

“Johnny-boy. Please take your plague-doctor costume and sicken someone else, I do not have the patience for your antics tonight,” something in her tone seemed...almost defeated. He then did something unexpected, he took a seat next to her and ordered a drink.

“What are you doing here, all alone, princess? Aren’t you supposed to be out there dazzling all the rich young men with your fancy dress?”

“Shove off, Johnny boy.”

“Oof, such harsh words coming from such a pretty mouth. What would your mother say? Speaking of which, where is your lovely mother?”

“She’s off getting shit-faced and clinging onto one of father’s younger business associates,” she said, taking a sip from her drink. God, she needed that.

“I thought ladies of high society didn’t curse as much as you do.”

“And I thought cads were supposed to be charming, but we’re all faced with disappointments.”

“I AM NOT A CAD!” he exclaimed, his tone dangerous, almost like a snake coiling, ready to strike.

“You’re right, you’re not a cad-”

“Thank you.”

“-you’re an asshole,” she finished, looking smug as he grew angrier.

“I would say you’re wrong, but then again, I suppose you’re right,”

Her eyes widened. Had he just admitted that she was right. “Who are you and what have you done with John Perry?” she asked playfully.

“You never answered my question.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you doing here?”

Sighing she said, “Father is going to announce Roy as his successor.”

“And that’s a bad thing because?”

“Have you met Roy?”

“Unfortunately, I have.”

“Then you get it. He’s a spoiled brat who gets everything he wants served to him on a silver platter.”

“So, who do you think would be better suited for the job? Hmm? You?” He asked.

“Please, anyone is better than Roy. But yes, I would be better suited for the job.”

“Not that I’m doubting your capabilities but you’d do more harm than good. Most, if not all of your investors would pull out and what would be left other than a mere shell of a company?”

“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that?” she said, exasperated. Pausing to take a drink, she said, “You know, if you weren’t an evil self-serving cockroach and my nemesis, then I might’ve called you an evil genius.”

He chuckled saying, “Thank you, princess. If you weren’t an irritating, head-strong brat, then I might’ve told you that-”

He was interrupted by her father holding a glass on the stairs, calling for a toast.

“Hello everyone,

I hope you’re enjoying the celebrations....,” she zoned out, not wanting to listen to the speech until she was snapped out of her thoughts.

“I invited you all here, to announce my heir, the one who will be taking over my company after I retire. After much deliberation, I have decided that the heir and successor to my company will be my son, Roy Kirby!”

At his declaration, the room burst out into cheers, their mother clapped and cheered at her husband’s declaration. Roy on the other hand was elated and John looked disappointed, standing besides Linda.

And Linda, poor Linda, she was stunned into silence. How could their father to do this?! Give all their family’s hard-work to a her arrogant brother? 

She was fuming over the news when her father continued his speech.

“Now, I know some might be surprised by my decision, but by watching Roy grow up to be the man that he is I know and trust that he will take our business to new heights with his innovative spirit and acute business sense. So, I raise my glass, to Roy and the future of our company!”

The guests raised their glasses to Roy and drank. 

Linda felt sick and retired to one of the unoccupied guestrooms. She had expected this outcome, their father may have been great in business but regarding his children, he was often blind to their faults, especially those of his beloved son.

She paced across the room, thinking of a way to persuade her father when she heard the door creak open. Glancing up she saw John, smiling at her with that infuriating grin of his.

“Tense, princess?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not a princess?” she said, infuriated.

Ignoring her statement, he continued, “Well, princess, I may have a solution to your problem.”

“Oh? And what solution would that be?”

“Your father has merely announced who his successor is to be, he hasn’t written it into his will.”

“And how would you know what he has written in his will?” She asked curiously.

“I have...sources.”

“So, what is your plan? Hmm? Write me into the will as his successor?”

“Yes,” she burst out laughing at his response, thinking it was a joke yet his face remained serious. She quickly sobered after glancing at his face.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“You do realize that if I am written into the will our business will reduce and our high-level clients will pull out, not to mention our investors! What you’re proposing is corporate suicide.”

“Maybe, or maybe a certain someone proposed that Roy works in the office before he takes over to ‘win over’ the investors and clients.”

“And when they see Roy’s ‘marvelous’ capabilities, I will look as a much better option as compared to him, since I have the qualifications required to understand the engines, as well as the business side of things.”

“Exactly, princess. You’re a quick learner.”

“I knew you were a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Johnny-boy but I never expected this from you. You truly are an evil genius.”

“Thank you for your compliments, princess,” he turned to leave the room when she suddenly said,

“Johnny?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you doing this? What’s your motive?”

“Why do you think I have a motive, princess?”

“There is no such thing as a free lunch, and you are a man driven by profits.”

“Guess.”

“If Roy were to be the CEO he would be easily manipulable but that wouldn’t be good for you because if he could be swayed by you he could be swayed by anyone furthermore his temper and arrogance is what makes him dangerous, a wild card, hard to predict. He is not far-sighted either, choosing to make decisions in the moment on pure whim as opposed to reasoning out his decisions. Who’s to say what he would do? He may even revoke your contract on a whim if you agitate him too much. My brother plays checkers while his opponents are defeating him in chess.”

He slowly clapped his hands at her answer.

“Well done, princess. Placing you at the top will be beneficial to the both of us. It’s a win-win.”

“Fine, I shall agree to your scheme, but what guarantee do I have that you won’t stab me in the back, Johnny?” 

“I guess you’re gonna just have to trust me, Lindy.”

“No chance in hell. I need a guarantee.”

After thinking for a moment, he said, “What guarantee could be better than an alliance forged in marriage?”

“What?!” She exclaimed, shocked at his audacity.

“Think about it, it would ensure that we do not move against each other, because a move against you is a move against myself also your business would be able to make use of my factories to manufacture the parts you need in-house,” he said simply, as if he was discussing the weather and not a life-altering decision.

“You would also gain control of the company, at least partially,” she said, smirking at the man.

“How about this, since our alliance will be purely for business we’ll set up a pre-nuptial agreement in which you can clearly state that I do not have any control of your company unless you grant me said control.”

“Fine. But you are to in no way manipulate the agreement with your ‘connections’. Do you understand me, Johnny-boy? Or I WILL make your life a living hell.”

“I’d expect nothing less, princess.”

[globgor-of-mewnie]

Do you support women rights (like abortion, equal salaries/recognizement..?)

*does research on human history to understand what the heck you’re talking about*

“Oh wow.....WOW....this is...this is a lot. Everything in Earth history is so...topsy-turvy! I mean, are you seriously telling me that the monarchys were lead by the kings? I just can’t even picture it! Me leading the kingdom while Eclipsa stood as my....second-in-command? I mean, I may never have agreed with Mewni’s government but it’s always been ruled by women, with the exception of my uncle-in-law. How could you humans have ever considered them as lesser beings? Even Mewmans hated us monsters with no bias towards our genders! Boys were hated just as much as girls!

And you better believe I’m upset that this just made me defend my past enemies!”

[mxndanemagic]

With Frill being open about her actions - I went back to her debut episode in WEP and honestly I kinda feel back for her (her behavior is unforgivable though): 

Frill was made for “fun” according to her dad’s. They’re honest about their intentions with Frill’s creation: we were bored, wanted to blow off steam and wanted to raise a kid for fun. 

Frill’s creation is unfair to her because she was purposely made to be stuck at the age of 14. She’s basically stuck in a cycle of puberty when it comes to emotions and teenage rebellion that’s fueled by immaturity despite the intelligence built into her coding. 

It’s also selfish on her “parents” part since they nitpicked what traits they believed a father would want for his daughter. Yes they gave her flaws to balance out her positive traits but it’s revealed Frill was made to be “unstable and complicated” cause aren’t all girls uncontrollable and complicated? They had some yikes views on what femininity was supposed to be. 

Frill was never raised around other real people, she was kept in a closed off environment and never went through vital childhood milestones of development cause she needed to be at an age stuck between childhood and close to adulthood (according to her creators). 

I think Frill was scared / worried of being reduced back to just being a machine. The novelty of being the perfect daughter would wear off once her father’s wife had a baby. Was she not perfect for them anymore? In a way it’s understandable how Frill came to the idea of needing to secure her place as an only child. If her parents had introduced Frill to other children or just other people in her early days of being alive, she might have been less possessive. 

[lo-lynx]

Dorne and the sexualised other

TW: Racism, sexism

Long time, no post! Life got in the way, I haven’t really had the time to sit down and write things like this for fun. But here’s some new analysis, this time about A Song of Ice and Fire! In George RR Martin’s world of A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) the reader can find many aspects that rings true even in our (unfortunately?) dragon free world. Some of those are the sexism and racism that characters face. In this text I want to focus on one such, namely the way characters from the ASOIAF kingdom of Dorne are described. By analysing the sexualised racism levelled at Dornish characters I don’t mean to say that George RR Martin is racist, if that is the case is a whole other discussion, but I want to show how he has incorporated that aspect from our world into ASOIAF. Some day I might write a similar text on how the culture of the Dothraki is described, or that of the Summer Isles. Here I’ll just quickly touch on the Summer Isles, but the main focus will be on Dorne and how characters from Dorne is described in relation to gender, sexuality and race.

Many researchers have studied how colonialist discourse have influenced how the sexuality and gender of people from different parts of the world are viewed (Loomba 2005, 152). Indigenous women from the Americas and Africa were often portrayed during colonial times in art etc as naked and close to nature, while women from the “Orient” were often described as clothed in riches. At the same time “Orient” men were often described as feminine and prone to sexual “perversions (ibid, 156). Loomba writes that one reason for this focus on gender and sexuality was the perceived danger of cultural and racial mixing. By demeaning other races/cultures’ sexuality, the race boundaries and power structures could be maintained. This view on the racial other’s sexuality as both exotic and dangerous was hardly contained to Europe during the 19th century, however. As bell hooks writes about contemporary society:

 Certainty from the standpoint of white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, the hope is that desires for the ‘primitive’ or fantasises about the other can be continually exploited, and that such exploitation will occur in a manner that reinscribes and maintains the status quo. (hooks 2015, 22)

That is to say, in our contemporary society there is still a white longing for the racial other, a longing to experience that which is considered primitive and exotic (ibid, 27). This sexualisation does not, however, eradicate the very real politics of racial dominance (ibid, 28). Rather, as hooks writes, by fucking the other one asserts one’s power and privilege (ibid 36). So, while black men can be fetichised, described as wild, erotic and strong, their bodies are also subjected to daily violence. Black women have also, both historically and today, been the subject of racial fetishization (Hobson 2003). The black female body has been described as wild, savage, and closer to nature than that of the white western woman. So, on the whole, there have throughout our world’s history (and still today) existed several different ways to describe the racial other’s sexuality that in different ways serve to maintain the power differences of white supremacy.

Now, how is Dorne and its inhabitants described in ASOIAF in relation to this? While we are introduced to some of the Dornish characters in the third novel (namely Oberyn and his paramour Ellaria), the fourth novel A Feast with Crows, brings a whole new focus to the kingdom. This begins in the prologue when Leo Tyrell talks to Alleras about his parentage and says: “Your mother is a monkey from the Summer Isles. The Dornish will fuck everything with a hole between its legs.” (Martin 2011, 10). Leo then goes on to call Alleras a “mongrel” (ibid, 11). In both these comments we can see a quite typical of the sexualised view of the racial other that I described above. Alleras’ black mother from the Summer Isles is likened to a monkey, and his Dornish father is described as promiscuous and willing to have sex with anything. The black woman is described as sexual and animalistic, and the Dornish man is described in the way that “Orient” men were often described; as sexually perverted. By doing this Leo Tyrell obviously means to put himself above Alleras and establish his superiority. This is particularly interesting since Leo Tyrell is from a house and region (The Reach) that has been at war with Dorne for centuries (ibid, 267). By creating a racial division between themselves and the Dornish they are perhaps able to legitimise their hatred of them. The next quote I want to look at is also from the point of view of a Reachman, Arys Oakheart: “In the Reach men said that it was the food that made Dornishmen so hot-tempered and their women so wild and wanton”. (ibid, 271) This is of course also in line with how men of colour are described as wild as strong, and women of colour as exotic and sexual. It’s also interesting in light of how Arys in this very same chapter longs after the Dornish princess Arianne, who is described both as very sexual, exotic and richly clad, thus embodying several stereotypes of racial other women. Arys being attracted to this “exotic” woman can be seen as a case of him wanting this fetichised racial other, someone who is part of a group that has been sexualised by his countrymen in order to claim superiority over them. As bell hooks says, by sexualising the other one establishes dominance and power of them. I’m not saying that is what Arys is consciously trying to do in this instance, but that he has internalised the views of Dornish people that he has been brought up with.I have here tried to show how views of the racial other from our own world seems to be in use in the world of ASOIAF as well. Dornish characters are sexualised and described as wild, almost animalistic. In general characters of colour seems to be described as more sexual, closer to nature, less civilised. This is very similar to how colonial discourses have been used to legitimise racial oppression in our own world. Much more could obviously be written on this topic, but for now this is how I will end this text.

References

Hobson, Janell. 2003. ‘The “Batty” Politic: Toward an Asthetic of the Black Female Body’ Hypatia. 18(4):87-104

hooks, bell. 2015. ”Eating the other: Desire and Resistance.” In Black Looks: Race and Representation, ed. by bell hooks. Routledge: New York. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Loomba, Ania. 2008. Kolonialism/Postkolonialism: En introduktion till ett forskningsfält. Translation Oskar Söderlind. 2 ed. Stockholm: Tankekraft. [This is the Swedish translation of the book Colonialism/Postcolonialism]

Martin, George RR. 2011. A Feast for Crows. Random House: New York.

[danyka-fendyr]

Absence of Good

Chapter 3: Everybody Has a Hometown

Okay, so it’s a little late, but like I said last week, I decided not to release a chapter of this last week because I was putting out so many one-shots. I think I should be able to keep up a mostly consistent upload schedule but probably not a specific day. Oh well. Can’t have everything I guess. This chapter is particularly dark for a number of reasons, so I would suggest the faint of heart skip it. Also I’ve been watching a lot of horror movies lately, and so even though I haven’t seen Midsommar yet, I know it’s about a cult so that concept kind of inspired this chapter a little. Anyway, hope ya’ll enjoy.

Additional Note: Timeline wise I wanted to keep this pretty vague so while Reid’s self-proclaimed age in this chapter would make this circa season 6, you can imagine him in whatever season you like.

Permanent Taglist: @dreamwritesimagines @rhabakoli

AoG Taglist: @pancakefancake @prettyboyspenerrr

Wordcount: 3365

Warnings: Death. Child predators. Child death. Violence. Mentions of sexual assault. Pedophilia. Bad relationship with parents. Mentions of cults.

“Loneliness does not come from having no people around one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.”

-Carl Jung

“I’m sorry sir, you said we’re going where?” you said.

“Is there a problem, Y/L/N?” 

Hotch’s face never moved past ambivalence, but if it did, he would have been raising an eyebrow at you right now. He probably didn’t think that was workplace appropriate. Rossi, from across the table, had no such scruples and was openly making a face. The perks of seniority.

“No, sir. My apologies.”

“Alright then. Wheels up in 30,” Hotch said,

Spencer gave you a questioning look as you headed for your go bag, but all you offered in return was a noncommittal smile. The less everyone knew about this, the better. The last thing you needed was a big fuss.

You boarded the plane with the same mindset, hoping that your earlier surprise and commentary had blown over. Even if it hadn’t though, Hotch was not one to waste time on trivialities. Before anyone could ask you anything, Hotch was talking about the case.

“Three children, all in 3 weeks. Our unsub’s cooling-off period is basically non-existant.”

“That’s not characteristic of a preferential offender. They usually don’t have a big enough victim pool for that kind of speed,” you said.

“True. The victims cross gender lines as well. One girl, two boys. No way our guy is a preferential offender,” Morgan said.

“Assuming it is a guy,” Emily chimed in.

“You think it’s a woman?” you asked.

“It’s possible. Anything is on the table with an unsub that crosses the gender line,” she replied.

“It could be a woman, but statistically it’s far more likely to be a man. Men committed 89.5% of homicides in the United States of America between the years of 1980 and 2008, so while I certainly don’t think we should rule out the possibility, I wouldn’t put any concrete gender on our offender yet,” Spencer said.

“Alright, so we’ve got a guy with no cooling-off period who’s killing kids. Why? Is there any evidence of sexual assault?” JJ asked.

“The M.E.’s report doesn’t mention any on the victim’s examined so far,” Rossi said.

“Maybe it is a woman,” you theorized. “Children would be small enough to overpower, and the lack of sexual assault suggests a female unsub.”

“You may be right,” Hotch said. “We’ll know more when we get there and can examine the bodies firsthand. Spencer and Y/N, you can work with the M.E. on this one. Morgan, Prentiss, you head to the last dumpsite. Rossi, you’re with JJ. You two head to the previous two dumpsites, see if there’s anything left you might be able to find. We should be landing soon.”

As soon as your feet hit the tarmac, you felt a sense of dread. Part of it was, of course, your impending trip to the M.E. You weren’t a fan at the best of times, but kids...kids were hard. Very, very hard. It went beyond that though.

The smell of the air, the wind tugging softly at your hair, the feeling of the ground underneath your feet. The sad truth was that there was nothing you hated more than being home.

You were quiet as you got in the car, keeping your eyes on your phone. Your parents knew you were here by now, and they wanted you to come over for dinner when your case was finished. That was the last thing you wanted. You put your phone away, deciding to stare out the window at the too-familiar scenery instead.

“Are you okay?” Spencer asked.

He was driving and you were in the passenger seat on the way to the M.E., which unfortunately gave him an uninhibited view of your face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just not looking forward to this.” Excuses, excuses.

“Yeah, me neither. This is going to be a rough case,” Spencer admitted.

“You’re telling me.”

“I wish I could say it gets easier, but...”

“When this job gets easier, they won’t need us anymore.” you sighed.

“Yeah. Something like that. I wouldn’t mind a world that doesn’t need the BAU though. Would you?”

“No. No, I suppose I wouldn’t. What would you do, if you weren’t in the BAU?” you asked.

“Me? Well...it’s kind of stupid.”

“No such thing.” you turned in your seat, facing your body towards him.

“When I was a kid, I had this dream...I wanted to be a magician, you know?”

“Wait, you can do magic tricks?” A grin curved across your face, utterly delighted.

“Uh, yeah. When the occasion calls for it.” Spencer lifted a hand off the wheel to rub the back of his neck.

“That’s amazing! Will you do one for me sometime?” 

Spencer glanced over at you, alert and smiling, looking happier than you had since boarding the plane.

“...Sure.” 

He smiled softly at you, and it was your turn to be embarrassed.

“So, what about you. If not the FBI, then what?” He asked.

Oh boy. This case was just going to be a walk down memory lane, wasn’t it?

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a psychologist or something.”

“That’s what you wanted to be growing up? A psychologist?”

You knew it was bad when Spencer Reid was judging you for your goals being too serious and academic.

“I mean, not as a kid, obviously, but when I was in college I thought about it,” you deflected.

“So what did you want to be when you were a kid?”

“It’s dumb,” you said.

“No such thing.”

“I hate it when you use my own words against me, Dr. Reid.”

He just waited, grinning rather cheekily.

“Okay, mister, you want to know what I wanted to be when I was a kid? I wanted to be a singer, alright? I wanted to learn how to play guitar and write my own songs and play sold-out stadiums. Like I said, dumb kid’s dream.”

“That’s not dumb. I mean, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not exactly up to date on music or...pop culture in general, I guess, but that’s not dumb. It sounds awesome, actually. I didn’t know you could play the guitar.”

“I can’t,” you said. “I said I wanted to learn, not that I did.”

“Why not?”

You shrugged. “Parents didn’t think it was a good idea. I got piano lessons instead. They were...educational.”

Fun would have been the wrong word.

“So your parents were strict?”

“Not exactly. They would like you though,” you said, steering the conversation away from yourself.

“You think so?”

“Yeah. I have dinner with them this week probably and I kind of wish I could download even half the information in your brain so I could generate some truly impressive dinner table conversation.”

“I could make you some flashcards if you like.”

You laughed. “Thanks, Spence. I don’t think it would be as good as the real deal though.”

“Well, I could always come. The entire team could show. Make it a party,” he joked.

You went silent, thinking about it. “Gosh, there would be nothing I would love more than that. Sadly, you guys won’t even be in town anymore.”

“Anymore? I thought you were planning on flying out to see your parents?” Spencer asked, confused.

“Why would I when they’re right here?”

“This is your hometown?” 

“Sure is. It kind of sucks, right? One too many serial killers for my taste, if I’m honest with you.”

“Yeah. You may have a point there,” Spencer agreed, parking the car.

“So what are we looking at here?” You asked the M.E.

“This is a bit unorthodox, all things considered. You probably get that a lot though.” You waited patiently for him to continue. “It looks like there are no signs of sexual assault, but there is some..unique physical mutilation.”

“Unique how?” Spencer asked.

The M.E. moved towards the bodies. “See these cuts here? The marks make up a pattern. These weren’t done to kill. They’re more ritualistic in nature. The cause of death was actually a stab wound to the chest with acute pericardial tamponade. Or in other words, they were stabbed in the heart with a very long, very sharp knife.”

“What is this here, on the left shoulderblade?” Spencer asked, looking up from where he was bent over the body of the newest victim.

“It looks like...a tattoo of a turtle. Do the other victims have these?”

You examined the other two bodies, finding the same markings. They were surprisingly artistic, all things considered.

“These weren’t done by an amateur,” you mumbled.

“No. These were definitely ritualistic killings. We should have been called in sooner.”

You headed back to the team with your information, Know that you knew more about the bodies, it was becoming very clear what kind of unsub you were dealing with. Now there was a new question.

“Is it possible we’re dealing with multiple unsubs here?” Morgan asked.

“It could be. Given the ritualistic nature of these killings, this could be some kind of cult. Reid, what do you think the significance of the turtle is?” Hotch asked.

“Well, turtles popularly represent longevity, given their own lifespans, so it’s entirely possible that our unsub or unsubs think that they can achieve immortality with these killings.”

“What about the cuts on the body? You said those were in a pattern?” Emily asked.

“Yeah. Nothing decipherable, but we’re still working on it,” you said.

“Well, keep working. Morgan, I want you and JJ to work with Garcia and see what you can come up with on the tattoo angle. See if you can find anyway who would be able to do work like this. Garcia, I also want you looking into any local cults or societies. Anything you find that sends up red flags, send it to Prentiss. Prentiss, Rossi, you two can check out whatever Garcia sends you. Got it?”

Everyone hummed their assent, and you had the unfortunate job of getting to go back to the pictures sent from the M.E. It had been hours of staring at the carvings on the children’s stomach and backs and several cups of coffee before you started to get an idea. Concerned it might be half-hallucination, you called Spencer over from his own space.

“Is it just me, or do these marks kind of look like a tree? Long and straight on the bottom and then they curve up and out, like branches. Are you seeing that too?”

Spencer tilted his head, staring at them. “Actually...that might make sense. On the one hand, there’s a correlation to the tree of life. But on the other hand, turtles were also historically a symbol of mother nature. Which means...”

“Which means we might not be dealing with a bunch of Nicolas Flamel groupies after all. This could be the work of a group of eco-terrorists.”

“We have to tell Hotch.”

You made short work of the case once you realized the people you were actually after. Between the tattoo artist connection and the fact that your town did not have that many cults (though definitely more than you would have liked), it didn’t take you long to find your group. Apparently, they thought that if they sacrificed 8 people, children specifically for their purity, they could cleanse the Earth and...eliminate global warming or something. You had sort of stopped listening after the, “Yeah, we definitely did it,” part.

“Is Y/N not coming?” JJ asked, slinging her go-bag over her shoulder.

“Nope, afraid not. I have to have a family dinner.” you shrugged, hoping that if you played casual they would just...forget about it.

“You forgot to tell everyone?” Spencer spoke up, and you froze. “Y/N told me she wanted everyone to come to dinner tonight. Figured it would be fun to have a team dinner and a family dinner all at once.”

“Awww, little mama, you shouldn’t have.” 

Derek smiled, and you mustered a smile back. On the one hand, you were grateful to Spencer. You had certainly not been looking forward to dinner with your family. However...you also weren’t sure you wanted your family anywhere near the team. 

“Well, I know the best places to eat in town, so whoever is down...”

“Count me in,” Rossi said.

“I’m always available for good food.” That was Prentiss, giving you a knowing look that you would probably have to deal with later.

“Will and the boys weren’t actually expecting me home until tomorrow, and I just can’t miss a one time opportunity like this.” JJ smiled at you.

“Looks like you have the whole team.”

“Awesome!” Oh, this could go so badly for you.

On the way to the restaurant, you texted your parents to let them know there would be company. The place you had chosen to eat was a little hole in the wall diner with great burgers and a cute 50′s theme, and lucky for you, it was never very busy. You might have to push a few tables together, but there would be space for you.

You had all stopped off at the hotel beforehand, and you were nervous now that someone would comment on your appearance like they had all obviously wanted to when they first saw you. You didn’t look like your normal self. You looked...muted. Like someone had washed out all the color and replaced it with a solid layer of the most boring shade of beige. Rossi had saved you though with an elegant compliment, saying that you looked as lovely as ever. The man certainly had tact.

Hotch held the door open as you all entered the diner, and it didn’t take you long to find your parents. 2 people sitting at a table for 9. They stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Sweetheart!” 

Your mother smiled warmly, getting up to hug you. You father followed shortly after, and you introduced your team.

“It’s nice to meet all of you. Y/N talks about you a lot,” your father said.

“When she calls.” 

There was a hint of sincere bitterness to your mother’s joke, and you forced a brighter smile in an effort to fight it off.

“Oh, Mom, you know how it is. Busy all the time,” you said, letting Spencer pull out your chair for you before you both sat down.

The poor boy had, of course, no idea what he’d done. Now your Dad was staring at him skeptically, like Spencer was trying to get into your pants. Heaven forbid he have manners.

“So, Mr. Reid, what’s your role on the team?” your Dad asked.

“He’s a Dr., Dad. It’s Dr. Reid. And he’s our resident genius.” 

You couldn’t help yourself. You didn’t mean to speak over Spencer like that, and you knew it was rude, but the urge to defend him had risen up so strong that it had just come out. You hoped he would forgive you, and you guessed by the soft smile he gave you that he did.

“What are you a doctor in, then?” your Dad grumbled.

“I actually have 3 PhD’s, sir. In mathematics, chemistry and engineering.”

Maybe you had no right to look so proud, but you did anyway.

Your mother’s eyebrows shot up. “Impressive! And how old are you?”

You nearly groaned. In sharp contrast to your father, your mother was now trying to play the matchmaker. Joy.

“I’m 29.”

“Our boy wonder here is pretty impressive.” Morgan looked just as proud as you when he said it, giving you a smirk you didn’t understand.

Your Dad did not look happy about this development, so you spoke before he could.

“I mean, the whole team is impressive really. It’s crazy getting to work with all of you.” You laughed a little bit.

The conversation continued easier after that, steering away from work and into more mundane things like your childhood. In fact, everything was going fine. Or it was until your dear old Dad brought up your brother.

“You know, my only regret is that your brother couldn’t be here tonight. It’s a shame he’s away on business. He works hard though. Does important work.”

You did your best fake of a pleasant smile. “Of course.”

Your brother’s work was far from important. He worked as an insurance guy, for Pete’s sake. Your parents would never forgive you for being absent so often, but your brother? Oh, he could do no wrong.

“What? Do you disagree, Y/N?” The confrontation in your father’s tone was thinly veiled.

“No, of course not,” you said blandly. “I’m sure whatever he’s doing tonight is important. Pass the ketchup?”

Your mother gave it to you, leaving your father free to engage in his favorite activity. Picking a fight.

“I mean, can’t really get mad at him, can we? He calls home all the time, comes by for dinner frequently. He’s a good kid. Very successful.” You could practically taste the implication that you weren’t.

You refused to rise to the bait.

“Yeah, yeah. He’s definitely got the time for all that.” You nodded, unable to resist a subtle dig.

“Oh, and you don’t? Not 5 minutes to phone your mother?”

You kept your voice tranquil and cool. “I called her last week, Dad.”

“Didn’t call to let us know you were in town. Had to find out from that friend of yours, what was her name? The blonde?”

Gosh, did he have to do this now?

“Sorry. I’ll try to give you a better heads-up next time. This case was-”

“Oh, forget the case.” Your Dad rolled his eyes. “It’s always about the cases with you. Are your cases more important than your family?”

You grit your teeth. Fine then, if you were going to do this...

“No more important, I’m sure, then whatever the golden child is up to tonight.” You kept your tone even, but your voice was icy cool.

“Don’t give me that lip young lady! Your brother is a man, doing important work to provide-”

“Provide for who, Dad?” You interrupted, letting some of your frustration through. “He doesn’t have a wife or kids or a girlfriend. He’s certainly not sending money home to you. So tell me, Dad, who is providing for himself such a noble pursuit? Or was the more notable part of that statement that he’s a man? Which means it’s okay that he’s married to his work?”

“You know what? You’re not exactly getting hitched either, so don’t criticize your brother’s relationships. You have no right. And secondly, he’s a man doing good, honest work, and that’s the more notable part. If he’s married to his work right now, so what? He has time.”

“Oh yes, all the time in the world. Me, on the other hand, I should count my days. Sucks to be the oldest, huh? You just waste away before everyone’s eyes.” You sighed dramatically.

“Listen here-”

“Darling, please. We have guests.” Finally, your mother interrupted.

Your Dad gave you a glare that said this wasn’t over but settled back down, going back to his french fries.

The rest of dinner was awkward, to say the least. The conversation never quite returned to what it was, and you were glad when they brought the check. You were also glad when, under the table, Spencer squeezed your hand. A comforting gesture, a moment to say that he was with you, even if he wasn’t about to openly get involved in your family business without your consent. You appreciated that.

You were all more than relieved when the night was over, bidding your parents goodbye and watching them get into their car and drive away. You gave them a final wave as a send-off, despite your Dad only affording you a stormy glare.

JJ broke the silence. “So...your Dad’s kind of sexist, huh?” 

You snorted. “Yeah, something like that. You guys want ice cream? I know an awesome place, and we still have time...”

“Pretty girl, when am I ever going to turn down an ice cream cone?” Derek grinned at you.

“Sweet. Let’s go!”

The rest of the night had a much different tone than the one you’d started with, and you had to admit it. You just might have to thank Spencer Reid for this night after all. He could be a bit of a genius.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

-Harper Lee

[marxist-peach]

Important DM I got today

[officerpalmer]

[ kat barrell, twenty nine, female, she/her ] ━ hey, I just saw [ piper palmer ] walking down the streets of crownsville. they’ve lived in town for [ twenty nine years ], and you can catch them around town working as a [ police officer ]. I hear they’re known to be [ loyal & kindhearted ] and [ overprotective & workaholic ]. if asked, they would say their aesthetic would be [ long work nights, cat hair covered clothes, a tired yet warm smile ]

(trigger warnings: homophobia, sexism, and mental illness)

Piper was born and raised in Crownsville. The Palmers have lived in the town for quite some time. Many Palmer men have been police officers. Her grandfather was sheriff for a few years. Her father recently retired from the force. Her uncle is still currently working as an officer. 

Piper is the eldest with two younger sisters. Growing up her grandfather always said it was a shame her father never had a boy. Her grandfather was a set in his old ways. The father worked to put food on the table while the woman cooked, cleaned, and raised the kids. 

Her dad on the other hand didn’t care about that. Piper’s mom was a doctor. f Her grandfather couldn’t stand how her dad raised his family.

He just wanted what was best for his wife and kids. He was a kind and caring man. He worked a lot but only to keep his town safe. 

Piper looked up to him and followed in his footsteps. She entered the police academy after high school. She graduated top of her class and was easily hired at Crownsville Police Department. Even though she had offers from other cities.

She wants to keep the town she loves safe. Just like he father she works a lot. Maybe even too much. She tends to work long hours and does a lot of overtime. 

She tries not to let her personal life get in the way of her job. She doesn’t have a lot of work friends. Most of the people she works with are older men. Most are her grandfather or dad’s friends. 

At work she is serious and professional. Outside of work she is a completely different person. She is kind and full of smiles. Ready to make friends whenever she can. 

She is openly a lesbian but isn’t out at work. She doesn’t want to deal with what anyone on the force has to say. She jokes that she’ll come out when they old officers retire. 

She has pretty bad depression. Which is one of the reasons she works a lot. To keep her mind off of things. She takes medication for it but some times she breaks down and cries for hours. She’s been getting help but other than her psychologist she keeps her mental health to herself.

When she gets off work she comes home to her cat named Scully after Dana Scully from the Xfiles. She loves her cat like she’s her own kid. She is totally a cat mom. 

That all I got for now feel free to hit me up if you want to plot!

[republicanidiots]

Us vs. Them

It’s actually MORE likely Cavanaugh would have attacked somebody outside his conservative Catholic group.�� He even made a point of listing the all-female sister schools of the all-male Jesuit schools.  Blasey-Ford’s school was not among them.  She was fair game.  

[thunderhoofsblog]

😆😆😂😂🤣🤣 "And not just the MANikin,but the WOMANikin and the CHILDRENikin too...."

It's funny cause WHY the Hell did They put "Woman" in Manikin? Cause NOT Everything with the Word:"MAN"/"MEN" is/has to be ALL Evil and Bad.. also STOP It with the whole "Oh Let's RECENTLY Put ""WOMAN""/""WOMEN"" In LITERALLY Everything!! I'M SOOOOOO FUCKING PROGRESSIVE,PLEASE SAY IT OR ELSE I'M GONNA CHOP THEM DICKS AND BALLS OR SOMETHING!!" 💢💢😡😡😠😠🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️ SAME as ""MAN""/"MEN"" in LITERALLY Everything,but AT LEAST They(MALES) didn't OVERLY-COMPLAINING/OVERLY-WHINING about the Gender Things/Stuffs or something like that and Nobody FUCKING Cares About It Except For "Feminists"/Feminazis...

i’m begging them to call it literally anything else

[goldanaf]

Extremely triggering text below. You’ve been warned

I love my country. With it’s customs and culture, Mexico is great.

However, I cannot deny that mexican culture is extremely sexist. As a mexican woman, i have experienced it many times. But, never, and I repeat, never, have i gone through the sexism women in small communities or towns have to face.

Mexico is not a safe country anymore. El Narco and the insecurity have taken over almost every city in it. And we shall face it. Women are the once that suffer it the most.

Yesterday morning the body of Mara Castilla was found covered in a blanket, dumped in some place betweeen Tlaxcala and Puebla. She disappeared on September 8th at 5:00 am, after coming out of party with her friends. She was a little drunk. She took a cab from the company Cabify.

Never to be seen alive again.

The cab driver murdered her, not before sexually assaulting her.

Now, you have a very horrifying case in your hands. Right?

Well...

“She was probably wearing tight clothes, that’s why he murdered her”

“What was a young lady like her doing at 5:00 am anyway?

“She liked to party, it was bound to happen some time or another”

“That’s what she gets for getting drunk”

“It was her fault for taking a cab alone”

This phrases have been said throughout the country, blaming her for her murder, instead of blaming the murderer, or the lack of security. Or the sexism.

Mexican girls are taught to not “play with fate”. To not wear tight clothes, not wear make-up, not going to parties, not provoke men. Instead of teaching men to respect us, see us as their equal and not as a sexual object.

We are taught to behave while men are left with their own devices.

Now, I don’t want this post to be hateful of men. No gender is better than the other, and no woman should call a man disgusting just for being a man. I don’t want those hateful comments of people claiming that men are the worst thing that ever happened to us. Because that’s ignorant and extremist.

However we must see that sexism does exist. That violence against women is present.

We should stop blaming women for being attacked

[auxiliyum]

YALLLLLLL IM SLJAUSJSKALA

I was just scrolling through the comments of this controversial post and people were like “this show just isn’t the same” or “when the women’s soccer team does more they’ll get paid better” and I came across this gem and it SENDS ME

[pinkhairjustdontcare]

Had to deep dive to find this to reblog again....because our "president" is calling on people to be positive and optimistic. I'm sorry, what? 🤣🤣 You don't get to spread hatred of every flavor from your pedestal then ask people to be optimistic. Fuck. Directly. Off.

Amazing artist ‘Saint Hoax’ took misogynistic ads from the 1950s and added Donald Trump’s sexist quotes. 

[invested-in-your-future]

I already covered the problems with ableism in the show before.

Albeit that does not cover:

The outright creepy behavior of Taiyang or the fact that writers somehow thought that having him make ableist jokes and having Yang(someone suffering from PTSD and someone who aalready was vulnerable to gaslighting) laugh at them is good idea.

The utter bullshit that is the whole “oh PTSD is like fear of mice, so get over it” peptalk.

Yang just randomly getting over it in between the scenes because of that. 

Blake suffering from psychological issues caused by Adam’s reapperance being played off as a JOKE or a “mood to get over from”. Blake suffering from mental problems due to her abusive boyfriend hurting people she loves and promising to pretty much hunt her down is played off for “fun - “aww she is so jumpy”. Which is then followed by Sun STALKING her for three months, which is also played off as “right thing to do”. Blake was struggling to regain her agency after it was essentially taken away by Adam again and apparently, according to the show, if someone is struggling to regain their agency you should bug them again and again and again, ignoring everything she asks you to not do. Wow, show.

As for sexism - let’s see:

Jaune hogging Ruby’s screentime and Ruby being relegated to support or observer role in her own story. Now given, that is more of a writer-sexism rather than in-show, but still counts.

EVERYTHING about Blake’s plotline and the way writers used Sun. Holy shit stalker creepland. I don’t know in what world Sun’s behavior towards her being so toxic and creepy is okay. I am surprised more Sun fans are not angry at how he is portrayed because holy shit. NOTHING there was okay. Blake’s story felt not only pointless, but made sure to disrespect Blake’s own agency and consent on every step possible, as I already covered.  As I already covered in my analysis, there’s a LOT of disturbing implications in Blake’s storyline.

For a show about four empowered females, Volume 4 surely spent a lot of time with all four heroines being subjected to mansplaining or having to follow around male figures. Even Ren and Nora backstory is more about Ren than Nora despite the flashback being the BEST and the only relevant part of the season...

TLDR: Ruby deserved better. Blake deserved WAAAAY better. Yang deserved absolutely way better.

[ao3feed-doctorxrose]

of thorns and roses

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/vaCAxetGk

by kinginthenxrth

It’s what’s to be expected after all; this isn't a romantic affair, it’s a trade.

Words: 7042, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Doctor Who (2005)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler, Jack Harkness (minor), Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (minor), Mia Tyler

Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Regency, Arranged Marriage, DoctorRose Bingo, Period-Typical Sexism, i know next to nothing about the regency era in the uk, this is set in a game of thronesish universe, but you dont have to know anything about GoT to understand this, seriously, it was NOT a good time for women, mentions of childbirth and heirs, tw:sexism

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/vaCAxetGk

[19lv]

"It doesn't look like nothing!" ((for Code))

the boy freezes, quickly shuffling to try and hide the bruises now marring his pretty pale flesh. red hues turning up to greet the goat monster, something akin to fear in his eyes.

‘you’re a boy, why do you refuse to defend yourself?!’

“—–but, it is nothing,” he mutters in excuse, eyes flicking back down towards the ground. “…just fell. no big deal.”