#we love to see the gays in christian aesthetics here

[krossen]

I do not think i’ve posted anything rendered on my blog up until now.

Anyway here’s my OC Dorian in some sort of orthodox iconography inspired front facing portrait.

[chemicalarospec]

my dad invited me and my brother to watch Firefly with him and it's actually really good??? (idk why I expected it not to be-- probably because the last time I tried one of his old Spaceship Shows (the one with the puppets) it was too sexist and too slow to get through.) First of all it should have been ILLEGAL for them to not have a single Chinese character in this show, but as a Chinese person I do like the aesthetics of the show and how they mashed up traditional Western and Chinese styles. The pronunciation is hilariously bad (IF ONLY THEY HAD A CHINESE ACTOR, HUH), but I like it because it's funny. (Me and my brother do laugh out loud every time.)

But the characters are actually so good?? First of all we got THREE FOUR (I didn't count right lmao) female main characters, no smurfette principal here! One of them doesn't even have any implied romance so far okay technically River doesn't but I was thinking of Kaylee and she has a crush on Simon lol. Kaylee, my favorite -- I LOVE how her appreciation of girly feminine stuff is portrayed as something that should NOT be mocked and does not negate her more "masculine" role as the mechanic and that she can nerd out WHILE being feminine. There's also how Mal, the main character, and Zoe, his first mate, have a longstanding and deep connection that's entirely platonic! Men and women CAN just be friends! Do note, Zoe (who is awesome btw) is married to another man, the pilot who is honestly so far the most boring character, and Mal is interested in Inara. Who, speaking of, I also love how so far Inara's profession as a (unionized it seems!) sex worker is treated with respect. River is the most ~okay~ in terms of sexist writing as a weak and mysterious and mentally unwell but sexy woman, but since she's not the only woman it doesn't feel like a big deal. (I feel like she's going to become more grounded, at least I hope so because I want to see more of her personality!) Misogynistic comments are challenged when made! Of course the writing isn't perfect but it's a LOT better than what I expected (and if a modern show didn't do the things I'm praising here I would be offended btw).

Also River's brother Simon is a complete dandy (I think it would be stereotyping for me to call him gay lmao), I love that for him. Episode one he bleeds from his mouth like a dying c-drama boy-- I just had a Vision of the resemblance and now I can't get it out of my head, all he needs to do his open his eyes super wide and then he'd be a dying c-drama boy. He cares for his sister so much, it's super sweet even though he REALLY sucks at dealing with psychosis(? would that be the term to describe her episodes?). Book is an instant icon of course, he's just there forcibly being the moral compass lol. Christianity in space smh. Despite being mr sexism I also love Jayne's character - he's funny (love a guy who's always trying to kill) and the question of his loyalty is intriguing. Mal is a kind of a Generic Protagonist Man but his backstory is solid enough that means his brooding attitude actually makes sense. The "Badger" side character is funny/interesting too, and my bro says he looks like Captian Sparklez haha. (Wash (Zoe's husband) is there. Sometimes he's funny.)

Going back to the design, I am partial to Victorian or whatever aesthetics, so I love how they threw that in along with the cowboy thing, and there's a lot of individual pieces merging Chinese aesthetics with that that I think do a great job. It speaks to my mixed heart <3. The costuming is actually so fun (mostly speaking to crowd scenes), so many characters get to wear distinctive outfits . Also kind of Killjoys vibes because they say "shiny" haha. I respect how space shots have no environment noise, only cowboy music lollll. Visual effects are interesting; you can always Tell but it does seem to me the best they could do at the time.

Wow this post turned out longer than I expected. So a recommendation for Firefly I guess! Forewarning, the parts with the "Reavers" are pretty dark/grotesque -- actually, there's significant violence throughout the show, the Reavers are just the worst.

[intheholler]

Hi! Epic poem anon here

I guess, with all the discourse, I'm becoming more and more insecure about my writing. I always strive to be respectful and not just use "aesthetics" (being that my own culture is currently being appropriated by neo-Nazis). However, now, whenever I go to write, I guess I just, worry. Worry that it isn't going to do justice.

The story surrounds a "forbidden love" (gay, one from a family that will cut him off given the chance and one who's already been kicked out) and, at the end, the two main characters end up moving far away (not to "escape" the region, but because one of the characters is tied up in sex work + an abusive relationship that he can't easily escape because the man he's tied up with has a lot of money/power). There's a lot of biting criticism of Christianity throughout the story, too (angry trans, queer ex-Christian here)

However, my motivation has always been to make an epic out of something "ordinary." To show the beauty I see in a region that so many see in such a negative light. That's my goal in all my writing. However, if any of my story might be offensive, which it is always going to be because queer stories are always more harshly viewed than heterosexual ones and people tend to find more offence in them - both "leftist" and conservative, I might make it a different region.

Idk, sorry for the long ask.

hi there, don't be sorry!

so like. i obviously don't speak for the entirety of the region and this feels like a tricky topic, so here's my personal take:

much like writing from any perspective you don't have direct experience in, so long you write from a well-researched place with a healthy understanding of the various intersections of religion/queerness/poverty specifically in appalachia--i don't see anything wrong with it. at that point it isn't just "aesthetic" and therefore isn't part of the issue in my opinion. yk? it's like... a holistic approach at that point. (is that the right use of the word holistic here? lol)

as long as you aren't falling into the trap of romanticizing these elements or leaning on stereotypes--even accidentally--to tell the story and convey your characters, i think appalachia is a beautiful setting.

but the fact that you're worried this much at all tells me you're probably doing just fine <3

basically: just don't go all hillbilly elegy on us. we beg you.

fellow queer appalachians who wanna weigh in please do

[skeppsbrott]

Rating Nobel Dinner outfits

I’m home sick so we’re gonna look at the most specialiest of awards shows, ie the one where a bunch of very intelligent and/or rich and/or influential and/or un/lucky people get to eat a very expensive dinner on camera. I am Swedish and obviously biased but here we go.

Warning for long post so if you’re on your PC press J to skip and if you’re on phone idk suffer or something.

Starting off with the Swedish royal house because idk they’re the hosts?

Okay they’re not but whatever.

Fun fact, I once had a teacher who worked in the castle wardrobes and the specifications about who gets to wear what and how and when is out of this world. LEFT TO RIGHT:

QUEEN SILVIA – Best part of this is the colour contrast between the purple and the baby blue. Looks kinda cheap aside from that. I am sure the lace fabric is very high in quality but my immediate reference is always going to be F21 tumblr girlies anno 2013. 4/10

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA – Looks like the collective American imagination of what a Crown Princess looks like so it is sort of like reviewing the concept of socks. That said, what is going on with the puckered hem? Queen also seems to have this issue. Come on. 5/10

PRINCESS CHRISTINA – Aspirational grandmother aesthetic. Cute! 6/10

PRINCESS SOFIA – Setting a standard, as it were. The high and decorated collar, the subtle quality of the material and colour, the cut of the skirt. I have some concerns about the end of the sleeves but if this was the minimum bar for royal gala wear I might be tempted by royalism. 7/10

Oh and you may notice a suspicious absence of menswear in this list and that is because those who wear anything but immaculate white tie are intensely rare.

THE NOBEL LAURATES

Ok so again with the white tie cavalcade but I want to give a shout out for laurate in medicine Svante Pääbo who 1) assumed he was gay until he met his wife and colleague Linda Vigilant and fell for her “boyish charms” before 2) proceeding to move in with her and her husband to live in some sort of throuple? Altogether, the bisexual representation we deserve.

LINDA VIGILANT – They’re a bit difficult to spot but there are DNA spirals on her shawl! Very synyhetic looking but understated colour with some lovely amber jewellery that looks excellent on her. Love the big chunky glasses. 7/10

ANNIE ERNAUX – Laurate in literature. Exactly what I think of when I think of “dignified French authoress”. 5/10

CAROLYN R. BERTOZZI – Laurate in chemistry. Very good use of two-toned fabric and sparkles. The slight pinstripe gives it something to hold onto, even if it doesn’t photograph well. 8/10

BETH PRICE – Partner of Bertozzi. First same-sex Nobel laurate partner. Can’t really see the dress but I am always biased towards black and red two-tone and she looks handsome in it. 6/10

PHAEDRIA MARIE ST. HILAIRE – Partner of Morten Meldal (laurate in chemistry). I haaaate the train. Looked super cheap in motion as well and especially when contrasted with Vigilant’s DNA spirals. 3/10

 THE SWEDISH PARTY LEADERS

Head of parliament is Ulf Kristersson and he is a despicable little man, contrasted with the leader of the Liberal party Johan Pehrson, who is a despicable big man. Additionally there is Jimmy Åkesson who is leader of the Sweden Democrats and simply despicable. But he wasn’t invited so at least there is that. Sole representative of the conservatives is thus Ebba Busch:

 EBBA BUSCH – Christian Democrat. Some of my friends were really into this but again with the lace fabric… I also think it is very bottom heavy and unflattering. It’s like someone mashed up a wedding dress and a Victorian mourning gown. At least the bodice is flattering. 4/10

ANNIE LÖÖF – Centre party. Obligatory green dress on a redhead. I like that it is deceptively simple, I like the train, I like the use of a visually interesting fabric but maybe it is a bit too much. Wish she would have gone with a statement necklace + more narrow sleeves. 6/10

NOOSHI DADGOSTAR – Leftist party. There is nothing revolutionary about this dress but at least it sits well on her. Next. 3/10

MAGDALENA ANDERSSON – Social Democrat. Perfectly executed simplicity. Gorgeous fabric. Flattering cut. True mother-of-the-country moment. Ulf watch your back because this is a political revenge dress. 9/10

MÄRTA STENEVI – Green party. Not visible here is the ouster shell jewellery which I LOVED. Environmentalism aside this dress fucks and I love it. The smooth upper chest area combined with the fluffy and busy skirt and sleeves? The colours? Playful and attention grabbing and sincere all at the same time. 10/10

OTHERS

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT – Musician. Perhaps the only time Wainwright will out-rockstar Kevin Shields (who is here as partner to the daughter of one of the laurates). Admittedly a bit of a walk over but I like it! 7/10

ELIN KLINGA – Actress. When contrasted with Stenevi this becomes exponentially more horrifying. @ Nobel fashion coverage please stop putting this in front of my eyes. 2/10

WHOEVER THIS IS (member of Samédiggi?) – Excellent use of gákti. Land rights for Sámi/10

PERNILLA MÅNSSON COLT – TV host. Could be the platonic ideal of a black velvet evening gown but I don’t like the fit and I don’t like the fabric. 5/10

JESSIKA GEDIN – TV host. Exemplary queering of the male white tie ensemble. Excellent nails and other details. Could only be improved by being part of a pair. 9/10

CECILIA GRALDE – TV host. Very flattering colour and looks great in motion but genuinely the toned glasses are what makes this look. The MILF of the nation. 8/10

VICTORIA DYRING – TV host. Hair buns! Though looks kinda Star Wars when combined with the wrap collar? Big fan of the well-executed one-massive-sleeve. 7/10

[squireofgeekdom]

thoughts on hdm 1-2 under the cut, though first i need to register that i am Deeply Grumpy at the stupidity of the world that has led to this deeply absurd release schedule that, specifically, has prevented me from watching these episode upon release properly, that is, on the BBC with m on sunday, instead of on monday evening on hbo by myself. it annoys me and i can say definitively that it is a vastly inferior viewing experience. (yes we’ll watch them together on sunday that’s not the Point the point is There Was a Proper Way for this to be done and release schedules are dumb and i am Irked :[ ) 

that said. show and book spoilers below.

love a show that opens the first thirty seconds with narrated illustrative montage that goes: just to be clear, this is about rebelling against and killing the christian god. just in case you forgot or somehow didn’t get that the last two seasons. the fucking adaptation of his dark materials we deserve.

i am fascinated and puzzled by some of the adaptational cuts here like. well, we’ll see whether i think they work on next viewing, i don’t know that they specifically *don’t* work, I’m just puzzled by what went into them. (and like, there are a lot of additions/changes that really do work and I’m excited about) I want to buy everyone on the creative team lunch and pick their brains for hours about what went into this show, honestly.

Vastly Insufficient Balthamos being A Bitch. Insufficient Balthamos + Balthamos and Baruch in general, honestly, and the adaptational change they made to when he departs is just. very strange. like i can understand not wanting to do it the book way but it’s. it was very odd. (as is cutting the first angel attack & attempt to call metatron, which sets up that they’re being followed and what happens to Baruch later - and what went into their decision to seperate felt oddly rushed compared to other things which the show took more time than the book to set up) Though Balthamos being in human form instead of pretending to be Will’s daemon did allow for some truly excellent ‘what the actual fuck is this child doing’ expressions on that actor who, let me be clear, is excellent

frankly this show has made consistently sufficiently good choices that it had my expectations high enough (i know, the secret to happiness is low expectations and anytime i break that rule with myself i regret it, but) and i mean, the book’s subtext is barely not text that if the angel boyfriends had not kissed i would have been disappointed in the show. but yes. they did. these angels gay good for them good for them. oops now one of them is dead. soon both of them will be dead. 

fascinated that the suburbs of the dead went abandoned industrial grounds / DMV #aesthetic XD (though i do feel the loss of some of the book dialogue there) the world of the dead is very close to the vibes of how i pictured it in my head which is really quite satisfying.

having the gallivespians have dragonfly style (mechanical?) wings instead of riding dragonflies works and is probably one of those things that probably makes more sense from a special effects / keeping characters in frame perspective

having ogunwe be more of a character than in the book and showing more story there is an a+ choice. also love the lack of subtlety of drones being used on a resistance camp by the bad guys. and the continual fuck the christian patriarchy of it all. having mary meet the girls and talk about leaving the catholic church just like. yknow, in case it wasn’t clear what the ‘temple’ in this world was equivalent to.

whoever cast james mcavoy as lord asriel should be showered in praise and money because like. goddamn. that’s lord asriel. fuckin hell. 

im almost hoping that the trailer line from mary about ‘the greatest love is the love you will die for’ is going to be subverted and the whole line is something like ‘i used to believe/ be told that the greatest love is the love you will die for. now i know it’s the love you will live for.’ given. yknow. context of ‘if you stay in lyra’s world you will die’

will’s actor continues to be absolutely brilliant in the role. hurrah’s all around for the casting director and that kid’s acting choices. 

Oh also I'm fascinated by the choices in the intro. The mulefla's world viewed with Dust is gorgeous, and m and I totally called where the amber was going to go in the intro sequence

[starry-eyeds]

Introduction to Starry-Eyeds!

This is a side-blog, far from my true, main blog. That one is more focused on my main practice and beliefs. This blog here is for my godspousery, Hellenic-Nordic Pagan beliefs and worshipping.

What is Starry-Eyeds?

I am a 25 year old, POC, pagan witch! You can refer to me with she/her or they/them! I hold Theistic Luciferian-Satanist beliefs - no, that doesn't mean I like to sacrifice babies and drink their blood - it means I view Lucifer as the tyrant destroyer, a liberator, and as a compassionate, kind-hearted, loving guide who provides wisdom to mankind. I also view him as being apart of the Infernal Hierarchy and under Satan.

I have worked with the Goetia closely as well as off and on at times for 3 years. I believe that the Goetic SPIRITS were Old Gods and nature spirits who became demonized during the Christianization of their lands. Thus, turning them into 'demons'. I also view a handful of them as fallen angels too.

I worship Frey-Yngvi closely and deeply, I am devoted to him and cherish him very much. He's probably the only God I worship hardcore because we get along really, really well.

I do priestess training for Hermes and many devotional acts for him as well as Apollo. I believe that what we do holds more value in what we give to the Gods.

What is this Tumblr about?

1. Cottagecore Aesthetics - I love cottagecore, I love nature, I love grass, rain, sun, storms, and nature, cottagecore reflects the life I live and dream of. It also acts a soother as I am diagnosed with severe anxiety.

2. Romanticism & Renaissance Art - I am a huge lover of art, I love tending art museums, art galleries, and grew up doing these things as a kid in my art clubs. Vincent Van Gogh is a tragic painter I hold a lot of compassion for and I understand his struggles with depression as I struggle too. Konstantin Makovsky is my favorite more uplifting and positive painter.

3. Godspousery - I am a very open-minded and accepting individual so I implore others that view my profile or come to follow me to remain open minded in tune. Godspousery is an spiritual devotion that has been practiced for centuries and even practiced in the christian faith with nuns devoting themselves to God or marrying Archangels. I am married to Hermes and partnered to Apollo, I have known both of them since I was young. When I came of legal age, they both proposed to me but I accepted Hermes, now at my much more older age, I accepted Apollo's request for a partnership. My godspousery I view as my devotion and commitment to them and the things I believe in and love.

4. Witchcraft - As I stated earlier, I am a pagan-witch. I love doing witchcraft. Its very fun, expressive, liberating, and I can help those who are in need with it. We are all blessed and gifted with power - its up to us to use it as we see fit.

5. PRO-LGBT+/TRANSRIGHTS/NON-BINARY - I am an active believer that all people deserve to be treated fairly and equally. If you do not believe that a transwoman should be considered a woman then its best you leave. If you believe gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, a-sexuals, pansexuals, etc should burn in hell - its best you leave. As I get older and I may not fully understand non-binaries or the new things that come every year, I still support them, because everyone deserves to be treated fairly in the end - regardless of who or what they are or believe in. Humans are still humans. As long as its something positive, healthy, and it makes the person happy, theres no need to shit on someone. Piss off and focus on your own life. We love the gays, the trans, and the non-binaries here.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my profile! Take care!

[bemusedlybespectacled]

I posted 2,082 times in 2021

80 posts created (4%)

2002 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 25.0 posts.

I added 1,723 tags in 2021

#love me that's all i ask of queue - 1470 posts

#personal - 77 posts

#leverage - 38 posts

#someone get that man a dom - 25 posts

#history - 22 posts

#anonymous - 20 posts

#cackling - 19 posts

#leverage: redemption - 18 posts

#bb is a lawyer - 17 posts

#star trek tos - 17 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#i had four teeth removed solely for aesthetic reasons when i was like twelve and no one was handwringing over my irreversible mutilation

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

on the flip side of “characters are not real people and so shouldn’t be held to the same standards we hold for actual humans,” real people aren’t characters whose traits are chosen by an omnipotent author. real people are people who are a unique constellation of traits, each of which is shared with millions of people.

the usual problem with a fictional character falling into a stereotype is that it’s their only characterization. the important thing about the damsel love interest is that she’s in danger and she’s in love with the protagonist, so we don’t need to know about her passion for stamp collecting if it isn’t plot-relevant; there’s no scene where we watch the evil terrorist check out the devil wears prada from his local library immediately before trying to murder the hero with ten other terrorists. and, typically, they are the only character of their kind: the only gay guy is the villainess’s sycophantic sidekick; the only black woman exists only for the heroine to have a best friend.

but humans, by dint of being human, are always three-dimensional, multi-faceted beings, and are always one out of millions of other people. having the only female character in your cast have no personality other than “liking pink” is trite and overdone; an actual human woman who likes pink is always going to be more complex than that.

if your complaints about someone’s actions, experiences, or inherent traits read like an editor complaining about overdone tropes or stereotypes, you aren’t actually making a valid critique, you are demonstrating a fundamental inability to discern truth from fiction. 

1973 notes • Posted 2021-11-15 04:57:05 GMT

#4

~hot take~ about a book that came out ten years ago but one of the biggest reasons 50 Shades of Grey fails as a fanfiction - not as a piece of writing, but as fanfiction specifically - is because it fundamentally misunderstands the central conflict throughout the Twilight novels and as a result makes Anastasia and Christian’s relationship even more incomprehensible and unhealthy than Bella and Edward’s. that conflict NOT being the Volturi or anything to do with other vampires, but the fact that Bella wants to be a vampire and Edward doesn’t want her to be a vampire. 

like, Bella doesn’t want to grow old, she’s been parentified by her parents, and she feels boring and ordinary, so eternal youth + superpowers seems pretty fucking cool to her. meanwhile Edward hates being a vampire and sees it as a burden, especially since part of being a vampire is the constant threat of accidentally injuring or killing his girlfriend. the tension is the push and pull between what Bella wants and what Edward wants, and it’s only resolved when she does actually become a vampire.

so if we assume that BDSM is the vampirism metaphor in the 50 Shades fics (namely, something dangerous but also sexy and alluring), then Anastasia should be completely gung-ho about the kinky shit and Christian should be wracked with guilt every time he even considers spanking someone. finding out Christian is kinky should make Ana realize that whatever feelings she’s had before has a NAME and OTHER PEOPLE and is NORMAL and that her secret kinky fantasies are validated, while Christian should be crying into his pillow at the idea that he’s corrupted poor innocent Ana with his perverted ways. 

what I’m saying here is that it not only makes the storyline way creepier, because BDSM - and a relationship with Christian, since the story explicitly says you can’t have one without the other - is something that Ana is afraid of instead of excited about, but also makes it WAY more boring. oh ho hum, “a sexy millionaire overcame my protests and had his sexy sexy way with me!” said every fucking Harlequin novel ever. groundbreaking.

tl;dr: the plot of 50 Shades should be “Ana discovers Fetlife on bing.com and they go back and forth on their kinky needs v. Christian’s guilt at potentially hurting his love until they split the difference and have Ana top”

2895 notes • Posted 2021-11-03 21:42:21 GMT

#3

one of these days I’m gonna get an expensive mic and Final Cut Pro and I’m going to do an extended Youtube series called “You Don’t Know How To Write Fanfiction” and it’s going to just be me tearing apart big-name writers and directors for having shit characterization and no idea how to write creative plots for existing franchises because they’ve never had to write a crossover or AU in their lives

3338 notes • Posted 2021-01-15 02:52:18 GMT

#2

the thing that bugs me the most about the censoring of the internet to please advertisers is like... tv shows aren’t having less sex and violence in them. movies aren’t having less sex and violence in them. HBO can do eight seasons of graphic murder and nudity and it’s the cultural phenomenon of the decade, but I can’t show a nipple on tumblr or talk about death on tiktok. it’s not that the internet is becoming “safer,” it’s just making these topics a privilege only for very rich people, and putting it behind a paywall for everyone else.

16355 notes • Posted 2021-11-28 15:57:39 GMT

#1

disney looked at the success of maleficent and thought audiences really wanted shot-for-shot live-action retellings of existing disney movies and/or villains with tragic backstories, when the success of maleficent really was down to two things:

a well-crafted version of sleeping beauty that was still recognizable as sleeping beauty, but with enough deviations that it felt like a new story, complete with worldbuilding/lore and a very sweet and realistic mother/daughter relationship between maleficent and aurora, and

sexy bird man

20851 notes • Posted 2021-05-28 04:50:15 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 06 (first part)

(Masterpost)(Episode 05)

Warning: This contains spoilers for All 50 Episodes

Bad Boys Bad Boys What You Gonna Do

Nie Huasang’s brought his nuts, and someone’s brought wine, so the boys are drinking in Wei Wuxian’s guest house. Finally he gets to drink some of the Emperor’s Smile wine that he’s been doing all those product placements for.

Boys, get a bowl or something for your shells, were you raised in a barn?

Wei Wuxian hits on waxes poetic about the wine, and Jiang Cheng tells him to shut up. 

Wang Zhuocheng’s raw-fish-eating face may have failed him, but his drunk faces do not disappoint.

Wei Wuxian teases Jiang Cheng about his list of standards for a chick: She should have natural beauty, be virtuous and caring, from a good family, not too talkative, with a gentle voice, and not too capable. Also she should not spend too much money. Drunken running ensues.

Cue Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin

(more behind the cut)

Much of the fandom has decided this list is a good fit for Nie Huaisang himself, and it sorta is. But he is both talkative and unvirtuous, what with all the current sneakiness, and all the eventual murders. 

This also definitely doesn't fit Wen Qing because she's capable as hell.  

This list is, however, a 100% a match for Jiang Yanli. Not in a weird, Jin Guangyao way--a lot of men want to marry a woman like their sister.  In a gender-divided and generation-divided society, a man’s sister might be the only woman he’s ever known well. Jiang Cheng adores Yanli and she’s his ideal model of a woman, as opposed to his mother, who...isnt.  

All these robes and talismans over the door do nothing to stop Lan Wangji from strolling in.  

Okay so - Lan Wangji is the senior disciple of the Lan Clan, yea? There is no way that patrolling the guest area is in any way his job. He is just walking around here at night specifically to see what Wei Wuxian is doing.

I already did a gifpost of the boys and their totally nonsexual horseplay, over here. I’ll just add, for sad factor, that Jiang Cheng is play-choking Wei Wuxian when they’re all on the bed, and later in the running-and-crying episode he is gonna for-real choke him. Foreshadowing! or maybe just coincidence!

One fun thread running through the young-cultivators episodes is that Nie Huaisang is legit terrified of Lan Wangji while also having a major aesthetic crush on him. Look at how flustered he is here, trying to act sober while also checking him out. 

Lan Wangji is shocked and visibly upset - what are you guys doing? This is not his busting face, this is, for a moment, his vulnerable and disillusioned face. He is super not used to what normal people are like. 

Wei Wuxian doesn't lie or otherwise try to get off the hook, which has got to have Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang grinding their teeth in frustration. He invites Lan Wangji to join them for a drink. LWJ cites a the “no drinking on campus” rule and WWX tries to convince him to chill. 

Then we have this lovely coordinated faint by the boys, to get out of going to get punished. Nie Huaisang has been practicing fainting in front of a mirror just in case he ever needs a skill like that in the future. 

Wei Wuxian keeps trying to turn this into a date. Eventually Lan Wangji is so upset he admits he can’t take all three of them by himself. 

Then the boys run away fake-barfing and Wei Wuxian hits Lan Wangji with a talisman. 

Steal His Agency That’s What You’re Gonna Do

What Wei Wuxian does to Lan Wanji here is definitely wrong. But it's not entirely a disaster.  It allows some crucial information to be shared between them, and it results in Wei Wuxian getting the utter shit beat out of him and never doing this again. I mean, he continues to mind-control his enemies and their eventual corpses, but he doesn't intentionally violate a friend or ally's autonomy in the future. Uhh not counting that whole golden core surgery-without-consent situation. And probably some other situations I’ve forgotten. He improves slightly, okay? 

It’s important to note, incidentally, that the Lan rules about drinking and other “vices” should not be viewed through a Christian lens. The Lans are neither puritans nor ascetics (look at their clothes, furniture, and jewelry, for starters). Being drunk is forbidden probably because it’s a loss of self-control. 

Speaking of self-control, mad props to Wang Yibo for being able to have zero physical reaction to fingers snapping in his face.

Drunk Lan Wangji

Under duress, Lan Wangji knocks back a cup of wine and promptly passes most of the way out. 

Wei Wuxian puts Lan Wangji into bed not unkindly, but pretty much like a sack of potatoes. Compare this to how tenderly he handles Lan Wangji the next time he’s drunk. 

WWX tells LWJ to call him Wei Gege, and giggles. Is this a term of endearment in this context? So far the various boys are calling each other -xiong, not -ge or gege.  In Western media, men calling each other “bro” is basically saying “no homo,” but brotherhood and sisterhood in C-Drama is often a way of indicating stronger love than friendship, without saying whether it's sexual or not. 

They finally start to have a conversation, and when Lan Wangji explains that no-one can touch his headband except, etc etc, Wei Wuxian stops trying to touch it. So at least he's not a handsy bastard in addition to all his other faults. 

Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji that his clan is boring and women won't want to marry him. Lan Wangji says that's fine. On one level this is the show acknowledging that he's gay, but I think he's responding in a gender-neutral way; he doesn't want to marry anyone. Marriage, from his perspective, is the literal worst. 

We don't know how he felt about his father, but he definitely loved his mother deeply, and she had a profoundly unhappy marriage, in which her husband did not provide companionship and her children were taken from her.

A note about all that: The dynamics of heterosexual marriages in The Untamed are not based on contemporary companionate marriage. Sex and reproduction is a wife's job in this world, and giving a gentry woman the option to choose her husband is radical. Wei Wuxian is the only one who dares say that Jiang Yanli should have a choice when Jin Guangshan casually tries to give her to his son in front of everyone.  

OP made this today but will totally reuse it when episode 23 rolls around

So Lan Wangji’s parents' marriage was extremely problematic but not necessarily for the reasons it would be in contemporary terms. Having signed on to marry Lan Dad, Mom would have expected to live together and get laid regularly (important for health, in some traditional views, regardless of love/no love) and to have the company of her children. Instead, she was isolated. Lan Dad wanted to have it both ways and so even though he loved her and apparently hooked up with her sometimes, he didn't do his duty by her. She didn't love him but she did her duty. 

Wei Wuxian continues to not get it, calling Lan Wangji dull and babbling about Lan Wangji’s parents until he realizes that LWJ is an orphan like him. 

A nice shift happens here. Once the penny drops, Wei Wuxian doesn't ask a single additional question - he just sees - by reading Lan Wangji’s face - what the deal is, and shares his own story to show he understands. 

This is the first time Wei Wuxian mentions being chased by dogs, which is kind of a big deal, because why was he left all alone when his parents died? 

Why didn't anyone take him in before Jiang Fengmian found him? How isolated are independent cultivators in this world? 

Tea Time

Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen are having tea, and the Lan Clan is so uptight they don't touch each other's teacups. I don't know what this thing is called so I'm going to call it a tea speculum. 

Lan Qiren is back from the cultivation conference and says the red crack plague is happening over in Qinghe where the Nie clan lives.  Lan Xichen fills him in on the water demon, specifically saying Wei Wuxian figured out the connection to the red crack dudes, and explaining who WWX is, as if Lan QIren hadn't already thrown stuff at him and threatened to eventually kill him. 

Fun fact that I just noticed this week so didn't make it into earlier posts: In Episode 46, when Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are in the Jiang ancestral hall, WWX says he was often punished to kneel there, and LWJ said that they heard about this in Gusu.  

So when WWX came to Gusu he already had a reputation as a troublemaker, and the Lan brothers were aware of it.   

Busted and Beaten

A Lan snitch comes in to say that Wei Wuxian has successfully corrupted Lan Wangji, which really shouldn’t cause as much surprise as it does.

“Wei Wuxian got drunk”

“Lan Wangji got drunk”

Lan Xichen takes a moment to consider carefully whether Wei Wuxian is a good friend for his little brother and whether perhaps he was too hasty in throwing them together. Ha ha ha no he doesn’t. 

On the punishment porch, Lan Xichen tries to lecture Lan Wangji in a calm way, but Lan Qiren wants to beat him and Lan Wangji wants to get beat. Wei Wuxian can’t understand why Lan Wangji doesn’t let him take the blame for the drinking. 

Lan Qiren goes way the fuck overboard with this punishment because he's angry--losing control and losing his sense of proportion--and Lan Xichen is shocked. The drone camera watching from above is also shocked.  

Lan Qiren has a few (very few) redeeming qualities, but his extreme rigidity and chronic resentment of anyone he perceives as bad are serious problems. His nephews are both struggling with complex moral quandaries as they get older, and he is absolutely no help to them in resolving their conflicts.

This is definitely...a style of parenting & teaching, but you can see how poorly it works, with Lan Wangji straight up saying “fuck it” after many years of conformity.  Lan Xichen is devoted to the middle path and tries to be obedient. But he is actually not walking anywhere near the middle path, as he gets pulled into colluding with a murderer at the same time as getting dragged onto his brother’s carnival ride. These men need parenting that isn’t so, uh, fucking stupid. (Yes, grown adults still need good parenting; watch Go Ahead if you doubt me) 

Wei Wuxian initially yells and falls down when he gets hit, but then he sees Lan Wangji is taking the beating without any reaction and he tries to do the same. 

Aftermath

Jiang Yanli gently lectures the boys, blaming Jiang Cheng for Wei Wuxian's drinking.  Jesus Christ, he's the younger sibling, could you just NOT, Yanli?  

Both boys ask Yanli not to tell their parents. The boys bicker about who's at fault and then Wei Wuxian shifts to baby voice and starts whining to Yanli about the pain. 

Yanli tells him to suck it up, and says after school she'll -- ok and I know this will be a surprise for everyone -- make soup for them. The boys immediately get back on the same team, which is team Please Put Meat In the Soup.

There's a nice character building moment for Wei Wuxian here. When he sees Lan Xichen he initially turns away to avoid running into him, but then he adults-up and goes to face him and greet him, giving him a half of a bow because of the pain, the pain. Rather than complaining about his punishment he meekly asks if he's broken another rule. 

Lan Xichen tells him that he did wrong but that Lan Qiren’s punishment was too harsh, and then in what is one of my favorite Lan Xichen moments, invites Wei Wuxian to use the cold spring to heal, but doesn't invite Jiang Cheng to go with him even though Jiang Cheng also was beaten. Lan Xichen, Matchmaker Auntie Extraordinaire. 

Then he answers Wei Wuxian’s question about his mom by saying she was just like Wei Wuxian and drove Lan Qiran up the wall. Jiang Cheng's reaction to that is really sweet. He does enjoy Wei Wuxian at the same time as being constantly irritated by him. 

Lan Xichen does his patented “breaking off in the middle of saying something and leaving out a chunk of the story” maneuver, although this time he doesn't include a flute solo. 

OP is mildly obsessed with Xuan Lu’s shoulders in this outfit. Also Yanli has an interesting sword, that's got some wood carving similar to Subian, but without the organic look, which OP only noticed because of screen capping Xuan Lu’s shoulders.  

Club Ruohan

Wen Qing continues to be pretty and slightly evil at this stage, sending magic fire notes to her boss using this talisman that is definitely floating in the air and not just hanging from a string. 

Wen Ruohan is in the mosh pit with his zombie groupies while he reads Wen Qing’s extremely vague status update and says "it all makes sense." 

Reach out and touch faith

Soundtrack

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode

Writing Prompt

How did Wei Wuxian’s parents die?

Admin Notes

I’m going to start spacing out my “first part” and “second part” posts by a few days.  I’ll update this post to link up the second part once I post it, and my masterpost is always up to date. 

Also: if you want more of my original content but don’t want to follow my whole blog (not following is fine!), I keep a pinboard of fun stuff at the top of my blog. I try to post original content at least once a week.

Continued in the second part later this week!

[paxtoon]

-ˏˋ⋆ about me ⋆ˊˎ-

Hello ladies, laddies and enbyody outside the binary! I'm the artist, get to know me a little!!

ೃ⁀➷ Name; Paxton (main one), June, Faz, Otiis/Ottiz

ೃ⁀➷ Age; minor in high school

ೃ⁀➷ Pronouns; he/shey/paw/mew

ೃ⁀➷ Gender; trans(neumasc) nonbinary boygirl + xenos

ೃ⁀➷ Orientation; bi oriented aroace achillean

ೃ⁀➷ Race; white

ೃ⁀➷ Nationality; Italian

ೃ⁀➷ Language; bilingual (English and Italian)

ೃ⁀➷ Extra stuff; abled and a singlet, prob nd

ೃ⁀➷ Extra identity stuff; futch, gnc (roseboy), t4t, polyam/ambiamorous

ೃ⁀➷ Interests;

In bold are my current interests, in cursive are past brainrots that are still relevant to this day!! N the pink is just to help ppl read,,

Shows: ok ko let's be heroes!, my little pony (g4), toilet bound: hanako kun, good omens, bee and puppy cat, blueycapsules, we bare bears

Games: cookie run, omori, Detroit become humans, Friday night funkin, undertale, deltarune, fnaf

Musicals: mean girls, the guy who didn't like musicals, six, falsettos, hamilton

Films: who framed roger rabbit (Jessica Rabbit be,,lo,be,d), luca (pixar), encanto

Misc: retro swing, asmr, romance, musicals, hermitcraft s7, 3rd life (the first season), singing, gore, funky looking owls, italian food, voice acting n creepycute aesthetics as a whole

That's it really!! Enjoy your time here, this is a safe space so hate will be ignored (or I'll show it on my side acc instead who knows)

If you want some trivia + fun facts abt me click read more !

ೃ⁀➷ Trivia;

I have A LOT of sideblogs (20) please dont go assuming that an account with my info on it is an imposter, tell me first

I dont do discourse but please know I identify as a critical inclusionist, If you disagree with that this isn't the place for you to start debate

I'm in a queerplatonic relationship with @andewdrop and we do gay crimes together *making out sounds*, here's a little carrd I made for keeping track of how long we've been dating for <33

I'm an age regressor, I regress from ages 3-8/10

I usually represent myself with strawberries, kinda see them as my brand? It's mostly cause my boyfriend nicknamed my acne as "strawberry freckles" slowly becoming "strawberry boy" and it stuck ever since

Speaking of strawberries! The symbol in my banner represents me and Andrew's relationship as the stem is a clover (one of his names) and the strawberry represents me

I lived in a multicultural setting most of my life as I grew up in Romania for a good chunk of my childhood

I kiss men

I like men boobs

I feel very connected to succubuses,,,dont ask why cause idk myself

My favorite animals are bats, bunnies and lambs

I do a lot of Christians jokes (example; "can I get an amen" or "In the year of our lord 2022" also I say god bless ironically alot) but I am an agnostic/atheist exploring paganism!

Cw for food; I love food!! I love eating!! My favourite dish is "meat cannelloni" and "meat dumplings! As a whole I love Chinese and Italian cuisine!! Very passionately against British f,,food,,,

[krossen]

God-ish!

[masqueradingmoon]

hey a while back you said you had a lot of thoughts on how non-jewish white arthurian fans can better be allies to jewish ppl. with the post i just reblogged i thought it was important to also discuss antisemitism in both medieval literature and the use of arthurian narratives in the present day. this is an invitation to say everything you want about a) antisemitism & arthuriana, and b) how white culturally christian fans can create a better environment for jewish fans!!

oh thank you for bringing this up! I think in general I do a lot of thinking about these things what with how d&d plays into the medieval aesthetic as well, and so I think up similar alleys when i think about like, how to make that more accommodating as well. Obviously it’s not 1:1 but... call it listing my credentials before I go on a big rant about making minority groups welcome in fan spaces for media that is also largely dominated by fans who are bigoted. 

Anyway, I’m going to skip the history lesson for this post, if you need to learn about the treatment of jewish people in medieval times you can look it up. I think it’s pretty clear that these stories at their core, if not every text that gets commonly talked about, are not welcoming to jewish people. Or... anyone who isn’t christian. It was the dominant religion in Europe for pretty much all of the texts we read, and in its origins, arthurian lit revolves around the ideals of chivalry, yes, but also the ideals of spreading christianity, and a lot of christian symbolism. So far that hasn’t been anything I saw discussed before or after King Artus was circulating in our little corner of the fandom, only within that little pocket, which isn’t a call out, necessarily, more a heads up. I think one of the most insidious things about antisemitism is that more than other forms of bigotry it feeds on not being noticed and acknowledged, especially when it crops up in media. One of the most important things to do is call it out and acknowledge it, which is uncomfortable, but there is a lot of uncomfortable stuff in these texts that i’ve seen handled pretty well so far. 

It is really hard to take back the medieval aesthetic from white supremacists, which I feel like is true of a lot of things, ancient roman aesthetics for example. It gets co-opted and warped over time, so the characters become less and less what they originally were, which wasn’t even always great, and slowly morph into beautiful, white paragons intended to carry out the white, christian way of life and morals. We forget sometimes to take these things in context, because as fun as it is for Priamus to join the knights for Gay Reasons, in the actual story, that plot point is... incredibly iffy. And because of that I think it’s important to think about who is writing what we’re reading, and who is writing the analysis that we’re reading, and how does that affect how they see the characters and stories and explain them to other people? It isn’t that you can’t separate arthurian literature from white supremacists and anti-semitism, but it takes an active effort and curation of what you’re reading and what you’re posting about it. 

And lastly, regarding making jews feel welcome in your spaces, that depends entirely on the content that you’re putting out. There are a few red flags that I could call out in other fandoms that I haven’t seen here yet, but as a general list of things to avoid, of which i may or may not have seen specific things: drawing certain human characters with inhuman features such as greenish skin, sharp teeth, pointed ears and noses, and matted or frizzy hair (multiple at once, not individually), writing characters with these features or antisemitic traits, doing this to villains in particular. I only say this up front instead of starting with the “diversity, diversity!” point because “diversity” for jews often means being written as jewish through a clearly goyishe lens, where there is a defined set of personality traits and appearance for what a jew can be. That said, diversity diversity! Include jews in your reincarnation aus, make your heroes jewish in your fanfic, clear away the heavy christian symbolism and make room for other religious and cultural imagery and themes (respectfully). You can always look up any of this stuff if you’re unclear. And honestly, I’m one of the lucky minorities who doesn’t so much mind fielding questions about how best to include us (though like, about complicated things, not what is considered kosher) so... I’m willing to answer questions if people need to reach out and get help with the specifics of some of the stuff that I only mentioned briefly in this post.  Okay, that about covers it for now, I hope all this helps field some conversation, because the fandom has been sorely missing it. And to my lovely followers who have no idea what’s going on but are interested, I’ll be reblogging the post mentioned in the ask. It has a lot more detailed information and analysis on this subject from a more general lens, so it’s worth a read as well if you’re going through the trouble of reading this whole post. 

[intheholler]

Im really interested in Appalachia and I’m fairly new to the gothic Americana aesthetic, needless to say I love what you’re doing here, what draws you to this blog and what are your favorite sources for images?

hi! i'm really so glad you like the blog. thank you for the thoughtful question.

novella incoming…

well, i grew up poor in southern appalachia. for most of my life, i rejected myself because i was so busy rejecting a lot of what the region tried to force on me--racism, christ-centrism, and queerphobia, predominantly. i wanted so badly to prove to myself i wasn't like "them."

it traumatized me, so i worked hard to get rid of my accent even as a child; i forced myself to stop using all dialectal slang that would pin me as from the south. i didn't offer that information freely to people i met, and i didn't like to talk about home.

just by virtue of living there and being alive, it basically made me hate myself and feel ashamed of myself for absolutely no reason. it seeped in even though i grew up gay with a rather progressive, albeit religious, family and we never (consciously) subscribed to any of those teachings.

when i realized what i had let it do to me, i decided it didn't have to be this way. especially when there is so much charm in appalachia that often gets overlooked in favor of stereotypes, whether true or false.

and i realized that the hollers of appalachia have so much more to offer--beautiful art, a self-contained, community-driven culture, a linguistically interesting dialect and a unique way of life that shaped the good parts of me, too. i want to love those parts of the region and myself, because for better or for worse, it made me who i am.

so, for the past few years i've been embracing my dialect. i've been telling the story of blair mountain and loudly correcting people when they dole out stereotypical, harmful rhetoric. i've been, without shyness, sharing the folk music and art i grew up loving, and so on.

in so doing, i've also been unpacking that trauma, mostly as an ex-christian queer who is (now unashamedly) from the appalachian mountains.

i started this blog as another vehicle for that. the imagery i post helps me keep in touch with and remember those good parts that i want to embrace while processing what i want to get free of, intermixed with nostalgia.

as for sources, i spend a lot of time on various photo sites like flickr. i also like to read articles about appalachia, especially from an outsider's perspective as they explore the region and see that it has so much more to offer than what people mock us for, so i get images from those sometimes. like most curated blogs, i am also guilty of spending a lot of time on pinterest, too, lol. basically i just creep around the internet and source when and where i can.

anyway. thank you again for the thoughtful question and your interest in appalachia <3

[draculas-fem-aro-husbando]

Hello People I’m here to tell you some things:)

1.Remember to take your meds they are important:)

2.Your sexuality is valid and no one take that away from you:)

3.Hydrating is important because the body lives off of hydration to survive:)

4.Your valid and no one can change that:)

5.Its definitely ok to not be super productive all the time:)

6.Take a break whenever you need to:)

7.You have talent and you need to pursue it:)

8.Its ok to cry sometimes there is nothing wrong with that:)

9.When you always take care of people remember to take of yourself along with it:)

10.Dont let anon hate get to you because they are not worth your time:)

11.Your beautiful your more than your scars

12.You never talk to much it justs means your comfortable around people an their is nothing wrong with that:)

13.You have a unique personality and no one can take that away from you:)

14.You breathe so you matter:)

15.You are loved even when you don’t see it:)

16.Its ok to say you hurt and need a break from social media or in general take as much time as you need:)

17.You are you and no one can change that:)

18.Don’t you ever feel guilty for what your family does to you:)

19.You are not a mistake or flaw you are perfect because the you you are is perfect:)

20. Your blog is incredible each of your blogs have their own awesome aesthetic:)

21. You should never feel guilty of your gender or your sexuality:)

22. you should never be ashamed of your talents embrace them.

23.Get the rest your body needs:)

24.Get the rest your body needs however long this needs to be for you personally:)

25. You are awesome and trying to get through life so I’m proud of you:)

26. Whatever you did in the past is in the past and never look back keep looking forward:)

27.Your blog and you are quality 👌

28.When you show up on my dash I get excited 😆:)

29.Im here and ready to talk about anything from exciting to hearing you rant it’s ok I’m here:)

30.Please don’t leave this earth I would be devastated because somebody as awesome as you left the 🌍:)

31.We need you and you are worth it please don’t commit suicide as the answer believe me it is not the answer:)

32.It might not be ok right now but one day it will be ok:)

33.Don’t turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain in your life it is not worth it please don’t because your body is to wonderful and awesome for you to hurt it:)

34. It’s valid and definitely OK to change your gender anytime:)

35.Its ok to change your pronouns as many times as you want their is no set number of times to change your pronouns:)

36.Use the pronouns that best fit you because it makes you the you that you are:)

37.Pronouns are valid:)

38.Pronouns are perfect (o⌒．⌒o) ♡＾▽＾♡

39.Your personality is an absolute joy to be around:)（・∀・） （・∀・） (　＾∇＾)

50.Please start loving yourself:)Because you are lovely and loved:)(*＾▽＾)／ (*＾▽＾)／ (*＾▽＾)／

51.You can change your sexuality and gender as much as you want:)

52.To those who are not recognized in the LGBTQIAP+ community you are valid and deserve to be represented more.

53.Avoid exclusionary people:)

54.Are you in the asexual spectrum?Well you are valid and awesome and deserved the world:)

55.Are you and Aro?Well you are valid and just as awesome as any other sexuality:)

56.Not some of the mainstream non-binary spectrum people you are unique and unbelievably beautiful:)

57.Are you a pansexual?Well you are valid and you are perfection:)

58.Are you bisexual?Well you are valid and you are the best:)

59.Are you Trans?Well awesome and incredible to be around:)

60.Are you gay or lesbian?Well you are valid,great,and amazing:)

61. Are you polyamory?Well you are perfection and are pretty if you don’t want to be called pretty then you are handsome or beautiful:)

62.To everyone part of the LGBTQIAP+ community you are valid and are incredible:)

63. ‘I care’

64.To all my artists on tumblr your art is beautiful and deserves more attention:)

65.To all my writers of fanfics,books,poems,etc.Hey your working really hard and your writing is just as valid as art:)

66. Disrespect and hate the orange tan transphobic homophobic sexist racist nazi other religion hater besides being a Christian Donald Trump

67.Help those in need:)

68.Your religion matters and don’t let anyone tell you any different:)

69.You make a mistake that’s ok just get back up and try again:)

70.Your health doesn’t define you as a personality or person:)

71.Struggling for thoughts to keep alive here’s one we will miss you

72.Every part of you is valid:)

73.Black Lives Matter

74.Cops are evil

75.Fight for your rights

76.Dont be afraid to stand up for what you believe in:)

77.Your body is beautiful from the top to the bottom:)

78.Respects people’s weight:)

79.Your not worthless:)

80.Dont be afraid to be proud of who you are:)

81.Still in the closet you are valid:)

82.Out is the closet but don’t like to talk about you are valid

83.Not afraid to say how valid you are:)You are valid:)

84.Don’t let homophobic and transphobic people get to you:)

85.Your a MAP or supporter stay off my blog:)

86.A Nazi or exclusionist stay off my blog:)

87.Pedophile or sugar daddy stay off my blog:)

88.Support Trump stay off my blog:)

89.Racist or evil people in general DNI and stay off my blog:)

90.TERFS stay off my blog:)

91.Neo-nazi stay off my blog

92.Transmeds (people who say you have to have gender dysphoria to be trans)stay off

93.Transphobes,Enbyphobes,or homophobes stay off my blog:)

94.Any disgusting person or exclusionary person stay off.That means people who exclude people in general about their gender or sexuality:)

95.Dont self harm please

96.Love is Love

[itsonlystrange]

Since it’s the end of November, (literally 11:55pm as I’m writing this)

Here are my stranger things Hot Takes for No Nuance November!

Please respect my opinion :)

1. Billy is a racist and I don’t understand how ppl love him so much. He shouldn’t be idolized at all.

2. Steve would never date Billy after Billy assaulted Lucas, Max, and verbally assaulted almost everyone else. They’re enemies. Not enemies to lovers, just enemies

3. Btw Billy is dead lol, atleast I think he is.

4. Mike loves Will more than Will loves Mike

5. Season 3 wasn’t scary at all and I honestly wasn’t on the edge of my seat like i had been in prior seasons

6. Season 2 is superior. Not because of Byler. But because of the development we get, Bob, Max, autumn vibes, El being her own person, Kali, etc.

7. Season 3 is my least favorite. It just really missed the nail on the head for me.

8. Mileven would have been cute if season 3 never existed. I was fine with them being canon but then s3 ruined them

9. Hopper and Joyce would never work out as a married couple irl

10. Hopper was a horrible character In season 3 and a misogynist

11. Bob only died so that Joyce could end up with Hopper

12. Lucas is the most underrated party member

13. Lucas is Lowkey a misogynist

14. I love Lumax but it’s toxic that they’ve broken up six times in 6 months. I can’t see them getting married or being end game

15. We deserve Dr Brenner flash backs

16. Season 2 had the best monsters

17. Will’s bowl cut is adorable

18. El shouldn’t be in a relationship when she didn’t even know what a friend was when she was 12

19. Nobody is the main character. It’s an ensemble show

20. If el didn’t have powers most of the fandom wouldnt like her as much as they do

21. El is a phenomenal character but she gets stunted when she’s with Mike

22. If any of the kids are gonna do drugs, it’s gonna be Max or Mike

23. Will already has powers. Sensing the MF is literally a superpower how are we all ignoring that

24. Byler isn’t just a “fanon” ship that could never be canon. It has a huge possibility and it’s v possible.

25. Why does suzie even exist in the first place??

26. Dustin is the smartest out of the party

27. Dustin and Steve In s3 was basically just comic relief and I really wish they dug deeper into their characters

28. S1 e4, s2e6, s3e7 are the best episodes of stranger things

29. Season 1 was the scariest, season 2 was the most captivating, and season 3 was the saddest

30. I want Mike to be the next one to get possessed

31. Nancy can be a bit of a priss and she acts v privileged at times

32. The best sibling is Jonathon 100%

33. The best mom is Joyce

34. The best dad is Hopper (if that counts?)

35. Erica deserves to be more than just comic relief. She became a little repetitive

36. Season 3 feels more of a parody or a spin off instead of an actual continuation of seasons 1 and 2

37. The aesthetic and colors of s3 DO NOT fit the show at all. It felt so cheesy

38. Max is bisexual

39. Mike and Will are gay. I’m still unsure if Mike is bisexual or not but for now I believe he is gay

40. If el can’t decide what type of clothes she likes she shouldn’t be able to decide if she likes mike

41. One of the kids will die by the end of season 5. I have a feeling it’ll be El or Dustin

42. One of the teenagers will die by the end of s4 I think. (Robin, Steve, Nancy, Jonathon)

43. Every couple has had a cute moment but that doesn’t mean they aren’t toxic for eachother

44. Mike loves el but he isn’t IN love with her

45. El doesn’t have to die for Mileven to not be end game

46. I don’t think any of the Byers will die ever. I could be wrong, but they’ve just been through so much already.

47. Ok maybe Lonnie will die

48. My least favorite sibling is probably Erica or Holly

48 my least favorite mom is probably Terry- just bc we don’t know a ton abt her

49. My least favorite dad is ofc Lonnie

50. El Max was one of the best friendships of s3

51. El and hoppers reunion will be better than Hopper and Joyce’s

52. El and Max’s reunion will be better than Mike and El’s

53. Mike and Will’s reunion will be better than Mike and El’s

54. The four main boys reunion will be adorable oh my god

55. Mike is Christian, Lucas is catholic, Dustin is atheist, Max is atheist/Catholic, El is atheist, and Will is Jewish/Christian/atheist. Idk those are the vibes I get

56. Lucas and Dustin are straight

57. And finally, WE NEED MORE PETS IN STRANGER THINGS. GIVE DUSTIN A NEW CAT

[el-oh-her]

You CAN be oppressed for being Christian. You CANT be opressed for being white: an opinion from a religion student

Okay so obviously the first thing you’re gonna want to say is how I’m wrong and just whining. That’s just an indication you don’t actually care what I have to say. 

SO, let’s talk about this distinction. 

Christians 

You CAN be oppresed as a christianity. It has happened. A bunch of times throughout history! When Christianity emerged it was an oppressed group in Rome. In Japan christians were being tortured and executed for their faith in paranoia of losing parts of their culture (fearing culteral erasure is a valid fear, murdering people is still wrong). People moved to mainland america BECAUSE they were christians fleeing religious opression. 

The fish symbol 

This, was a symbol for christians to identify each other in secret. 

Even in America it has happened. When the Irish were fleeing the famine, a lot migrated to the United States and one of the many reasons they were not liked was because the majority of them were Catholics. Catholics historically have had a terrible time in the united states, and are often blamed for a LOT of shit. JFK and Amy Coney Barret (look I don’t like the lady but it did happen with her) both faced an unusual line of questioning regarding their catholic faith that was not obersved with protestants who were applying for the same position. There’s a reason why Catholics will distinguish themselves from christians, because again it’s an idenity that unites them. So, even within the christian faith, there is a denomination that isn’t exactly loved. 

Now, it’s worth to note this hate of Catholics comes from centuries of catholic opression in europe. So, is the anger unfounded? No. Does that mean everyone should be nice to catholics? NO. It’s the catholic’s job to be better than their ancestors, and if they’re not doing that, then they’re just as much as apart of the problem. 

This same thing applies to modern christains in America. The hate and distrust towards them is due to 200 years of being oppressive. So, is the anger unfounded? No. Does that mean you should just be nice to christians? NO. If they are being assholes, they are just as bad as their ancestors. 

There are christians who are not like the shit you see on TV, I promise. But don’t be nice to ANYONE who’s an asshole because they belong to one group or another. That’s just life. There is no community that will ever absolve you from being an asshole. But also, don’t be mean to a christian just because that’s what they are. Don’t be mean to anyone because they’re apart of one group or another. That’s just not nice. And no one is going to be able to get along if you’re just mean, even if it is a group that has been on top historically. A kind person is a kind person at the end of the day, and a mean one is a mean one. 

And just to note: if someone is debating whether or not human rights belong to one group or another, that is not a nice person. I know plenty of christians (for example) who are very pro choice, pro gay, pro women, pro science etc. You don’t have to like someone if they really believe that your human rights aren’t necessary. 

Are christians being oppressed in America right now? No. No they are not. The WORST thing happening is that genuine practioners are going to have to navigate the social sphere with the lasting effect christian conservative radicles. That is a challenge that christians will just have to deal with, and is a result of letting shit like this get out of hand. 

So to conclude: Christians can and have historically been opressed, but they aren’t currently being opressed in America. 

White

Now, I am sure that after offending the liberal side, now the conservative side is angry because I said you can’t be oppressed for being white. 

Here is the important distinction: You can be a white person who has faced opression, but that opression will never be because you are white. 

The concept of whiteness is not an old concept. It’s emergence was to “other” certain minority groups. It only exists to create a distinction between groups, most noteably the difference between white and POC. 

Because when you think about it, what even is white? “White” is basically an umbrella term for “Pale skinned, usually european, usually protestant, usually straight, usually wealthy” or “Pale skinned americans who are usually european, usually protestant, usually straight, usually wealthy.” There is a white culture, but not in the way we usually talk about culture. It’s exclusionary at its base, and anyone who fits the bar gains all the benefits of being white. 

Like I hate to be that gal, but if I were asked to describe a white person I would say “A white, straight, protestant, billionare man from the south.” And that doesn’t exist for no reason. Historically, (besides the south part) the white straight protestant wealthy man was a pinacale american, and it’s only through the fight for human rights that the tearm has broadened enough to where being white is mostly just being pale. Like, make no mistake, today the only checkbox you have to tick is looking white, and you’re going to be able to go far. 

White supremecy is often tied to american patriotism. So let’s look at the things that people have said that makes others unamerican, or what is considered the socially undesireable in America in the eyes of white supremecists 

Being Gay 

Being transgender 

Not adhereing to gender binaries 

Being Mulsim 

Being Jewish 

Being homeless  

Being poor 

(in history) being a woman 

Feminine men 

Men wearing skirts and dresses 

Being black 

Being mexican 

Fighting for Social Justice 

Speaking languages that are not English (ASL excluded, since I’ve never seen it, but feel free to comment) 

So, if these are the things that the white supremecists point as unamerican or undeseraible, it’s an indication that these are qualities that are considered “not white” That is the closest thing we can get to white culture--a culture based on exclusion. 

In modern day, being white can get you far. It’s important to know that historically, being white alone wasn’t enough. we know this from the Irish who were catholic, and poor and fleeing a famine. White was this VIP club that was nearly impossible to get into. 

So, if being White is this exclusionary club that only emerged to other minority groups, then you can’t opresss it. “White” is synonomous with “Oppressor” because of this historical context. What this means is that IF people were being prejuduced for being nothing but white, they wouldn’t be white anymore in this sense. The quality of being white would no longer be something that lets you into the this exclusive club. 

And also, white people will NEVER be oppressed because that’s not really how society WORKS anymore. In a dystopic novel MAYBE, but in reality, all the oppressed groups aren’t like “kill all white people” but are rather like “hey, how about white people and anyone that’s not a white people be treated exactly the same socially and systemically.” Do you know how much WORK it would take to systematically oppress white people? Do you really think, that the people who want diveristy want to kick white people out of the circle? No! No! That’s NOT how it works! Diveristy is for everyone, even white people because guess what: there is more to you than being just WHITE! 

You have an ethnicity that’s not white. You’re irish, or german, or french or African or something!!!. Just fucking pick one and be proud of being THAT and not an idenity that literally exists to oppress. Being proud of being AMERICAN isn’t a fucking bad thing, being proud ot be WHITE is. 

Even if you are rich, male, straight, cisgender, and protestant, those are all still groups you belong to that can harmoniously co-exist with other groups. 

BLACK people have a black culture because, ding dong, white people took them and enslaved them. They don’t have the privlage of knowing their ethnic origin, and were FORCED to make a whole ass new one. THAT’S why there’s a black culture. It’s a direct result of white oppression, so quit bitching about it. 

PEOPLE OF COLOR have united to create a culture becuse of 2 CENTURIES of being othered by WHITE PEOPLE. THAT’S why they have a culture. Pan Indianism is a result of dumbass white people grouping them all together and stupidly thinking they’re all the same. They united in solidarity because it was the only way to keep a fragment of their idenity. The White Idenity has always tried to destory anything that doesn’t fit Whiteness. 

Why, fucking WHY would you want to be proud of that? 

You can be white and face oppression for being gay, trans, a woman, poor, akward or anything at all. YOUR SKIN COLOR WILL NEVER EVER BE THE REASON WHY YOU’RE BEING TREATED UNFAIRLY.  YOUR SKIN COLOR WILL NEVER MAKE LIFE MORE DIFFICULT FOR YOU. YOUR SKIN IS A PRIVLAGE. I don’t care how much you don’t want to believe it: it will never be becuase you’re white. It will be because of something else. 

In Summery: The concept of white is inherently tied to the concept of oppresssion, since they’ve historically tried (sometimes succesfully) to obliterate other cultures that don’t fit the white aesthetic. You cannot oppress something that’s was literally created to oppress, and is not an idenity worth being proud of. 

The conclusion 

As much as it feels like Christians can’t be oppressed, the fact of the matter is that the religion was not designed or intended to oppress others, and have been historically oppressed. That’s what makes being christian different from being white, because the concept of whiteness emerged as a method of oppression. 

This doesn’t mean you should just be nice to christians because they’re christians. An asshole is an asshole, no matter what idenities they wear. Also, christians aren’t currently being oppressed. The “plights” that the radicales think they’re facing are more so just like, the USA being secular and not appealing to them. 

I feel like they often get mixed together because of how tied up protestantism is with white supremecy. Which is fair, as being protestant is a part of this exclusionary white culture. 

Disclaimer: As I have said many many times, this is not a post that is like “Stop being mean to christians!!!!” An asshole is an asshole. Don’t be nice to people who don’t believe in your human rights. Don’t be nice to people just because they belong to this group or that group. This post, also several times, has stated that in the current climate, christians are not being oppressed, not in the slightest. So when you read about some christian talking about their oppression, it’s most likely the American Government being secular, and refusing to bend for the christian agenda. 

This post’s goal was to show you the distinction between christianity and whiteness, and most importantly show the real enemy: white supremicists. 

[lostnfinding]

hi! i thought id do a little intro to me and my blog

please take a moment to read if you can :)

about me:

im astro/solstice/winter! you can call me sol if you want to. im nonbinary/genderfluid and currently use they/xe/it pronouns (tho im okay with any other neo pronouns, these are the ones i preffer). im pan oriented aroace. im 15, which means im a minor and you should treat me like one. also heres a list of labels i go by

i am extremely s*x averse and anything slightly s*xual makes me very uncomfortable at best. if you make any s*xual comment towards me you will be blocked.

i have ehlers danlos syndrome and pots, and mental illnesses, one of them possibly being DID/OSDD. im the host of a system, and from time to time youll see my headmates around.

i like history, musicals, cinema, music, books and animations. my favourite musical is watt, my favourite series are the owl house and shera, my favourite books are sick kids in love and aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe. my current favourite bands are sleeping at last and waterparks, and my favourite singers are dodie and cavetown.

i have a very song related memory and thinking, i associate things, memories, feelings and people with songs, so if we chatted for a bit ill probably end up associating you with a song. if you wanna know what it is just send me an ask!

im pagan, brazilian, white and im fluent in portuguese (native language) and english (second language)

i have a discord server! join if you want to, id love to have you there! but please be patient if all channels dont automatically show up, i have to verify you in order for that to happen.

my profile picture is a picrew that can be found here! amazing picrew, really recomend it, gave me a lot of gender euphoria. also it has cute animals so thats a plus, and pride flags! i always love pride flags in picrews

(i tend to ramble. a lot. sorry about that.)

dni:

anti blm, anti vax/anti mask, transmed/transcum, terfs, are/support p*dophiles/whatever theyre calling themselves today, lgbtqia+ phobic, anti mogai, anti neopronouns, pro life, exclusionist, climate change denier, prejudist agaisnt any religion, pro ana/ed, anti-anti, xenophobic, over 18 (unless i interact first), make content of/is/says anything on my triggers list (but the christian thing, i dont mind if youre christian just dont talk shit about other religions)

tag system:

posts that are okay to reblog unless stated otherwise in the tags: #astro rambles, #astros covers, #astros art, #theo writes

posts that you have to check the tags before rebloging: #astro rants

posts that are not okay to reblog unless stated otherwise in the tags: #*stress ball gets more stressed*, #astro vents

extra tags: #astro being soft n gay (usually my interactions with my qpp), #cute lil reptiles, #cute lil animals

extra info: i tag triggers "[trigger] tw"; my mutuals get their own tags based on their personality/inside jokes, if you want one, tell me; ask me to tag triggers if i forget to

my triggers:

(general tag is "geckos dni" or "dragon system don't look")

the phrases "you're faking it", "its all in your head", "its just anxiety", "you just have to have faith", "faith heals" and variations; someone being told they dont have an illness they do have; christianity/catholicism (especially saying theyre the "only right religion" or that they are persecuted); parent figts and divorce; money problems; any kind of abuse; nsfw and s#x; mentions of fathers/parents (specially if they are being bad parents); the song "every breath you take" by the police; the movie "the truman show"; conspiracy theories/mandela effect; bone marrow transplants; calling me (astro) a pet name when i dont let you, altho somethings/nicknames are okay; bitmojis; food/ed/weight/calories stuff; breaking promises, loud noises/yelling; being watched; having people we dont know/trust invading our space/privacy; "adults doing bad things"; repetitive pings; passive agressivness; maroon 5 songs from before 2016 (all but she will be loved and payphone); the words papai/papa/pai/variants; glasses with a half frame and strings holding it up; any mentions including jokes about dictatorships, specially taking peoples rights and people going missing; the A.I.5 and similar stuff; the military abusing power; elections being interrupted/blocked; nightmares/fantasy dreams (meeting fairies, flying, etc); being called s*xy or anything of sorts.

side blogs:

@maybeatiger - fandom blog

@theos-writing - writing blog

@our-welkin-world - system blog

@solsgalaxy - thoughts/aesthetic blog