#white people b making it a race thing without even knowing it

[flowerr44444]

Hitler was talking about himself while referencing the jewish community(he historicly did drugs anyway so it's not hard to figure out). Old lady terf was talking about TRAs reliance on nazi tactics because you can't fucking lie about biological sex since it's existance is a freaking scientific fact. As usual contextual comprehension is dead to you morons

And like idk, weren't jewish people white? Or did they go yellow in the last century?

You can't even spell eugenics can you lmfao

If yall can't give the real list of terf principals with comparsion to the principals of the organisations you name then you are really out of your depth here intellectualy

Plus if you don't cross examine laws that are supposed to help women then do you even know how progressive they are? Outside of WoLF being controversial and having terrible PR team they just uphold basic human rights of women as stated in the damn geneva convention and by UN here

It's not a philosophy class of make belief ya donkeys

It's politics of permitting violence against adult human females no matter their race, age, sexuality or nationality

Additionaly the homosexual trans IDed males fought for something completly different then todays movement and in the end became sidelined not because how they dressed but because how mysogynistic and aggro they acted towards lesbians

In the STAR political ideology section you will find no such thing as opposing sexism and male supermacy in opposition to GLF who were partnered with B L A C K W O M E N from the BPP

STAR also focused especially on only helping GQT parts of LGBT and did some sheltering with gay prisoner support (note how the phrasing here does not include lesbians or bisex women in the article)

In plain. TRAs got booted out from the movement for the same sexist shit they are getting booted out today

Which is usual harrasment and predatory behaviour:

Which apperently comes from a self defense guide for males which also advertised to play victim on every occasion ever present

And makes people fight in fursuit PJs ig

Please stop ignoring that white supremacy is a huge core element of radfem/terf ideology.

Like yes they hyperenforce gender roles and stereotypes on all cis women, but it is primarily women of color that they target and accuse of being predatory and "not real women" when they're targeting cis women.

The metrics of "real woman vs trans woman" that terfs love to share are almost all just white eurocentric beauty standards. Small nose, thin fine hair, little/no body hair, petite but somehow curvy, hell I've even seen a post saying skin lightness is a determiner.

Terf/radfem circles are racist at their core. You cannot separate radical feminism from it's violently white supremacist roots. You can't have "anti-racist radical feminism", that's a fucking oxymoron. There is a very clean path from terfs to tradfems/tradwifes, to just straight up conservative republican women.

Yes yes always, terfs are super misogynistic. They hurt all women by forcing them back into the little impossible painful boxes that they claim they're fighting. But one of their biggest targets other than trans women is black women. Not to mention ignoring, discrediting, or just straight up trying to erase all the hard work that black trans women did for queer rights.

Radical feminism is very much transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic. I'm not saying stop addressing it as such. Don't ever do addressing it as such!

But radical feminism is white supremacy in a coat of pink paint. Please never forget that when talking about how it hurts us all.

[overleftdown]

farleigh start and racism; oh boy.

(some people are going to find this post really annoying. some people are like felix catton.)

read this.

just some thoughts from the perspective of a person of color who is slightly too obsessed with this character. this movie leaves the viewer a lot of wiggle room to interpret how dynamics such as race and privilege come into play. there are certain parallels between this movie and the real world, and how unnoticeable white privilege tends to be for white people.

lemme lay some groundwork. from what i understand, the most prevalent form of racism and white privilege within upper- and middle-class circles is implicit bias. this is racist conceptualization that subconsciously interacts with one's perception of society and people. implicit bias is often externalized through microaggressions, differences in treatment and language towards a marginalized person, misplaced guilt or pity, and persistent denial of any existing privilege or marginalization. most of these biases are also founded on stereotypes. some racial stereotypes are heightening (e.g. asians are all smart) and some are lowering (e.g. black people are all lazy). all stereotypes are harmful. i'm going to discuss some of the stereotypes that could theoretically interact within the saltburn canon, as well as some things i've noticed within viewers. can of worms, to be honest. boutta get INTO IT.

to use one of my externalization examples, let's discuss (or, more accurately, let me discuss) the denial of existing privilege or marginalization. this is a subconscious way to uphold a sense of morality, effectively avoiding "white guilt," so to speak. as is clearly presented to us, the cattons are very attached to their methods of upholding their own self-righteousness. saviorism is a common theme within both elspeth and felix. in oliver's conversation with elspeth about poor dear pamela, you can see that oliver recognizes elspeth's need to justify her actions in an attempt to preserve her sense of decency. one can only assume that this applies to how they view farleigh's relationship with them. there's more to talk about there, but i'd like to start with the only overt mention of race in this movie.

in felix's confrontation with farleigh, farleigh makes the bold and brave decision to mention his blackness. i call this brave because it's genuinely a terrifying thing to do, and the end of this conversation is proof. "oh, that is... that is low, farleigh. seriously, that's where you want to take this? make it a race thing? i never know our footman's names; the turnover for a footman is notoriously high!" we have felix's intentional or unintentional shaming of farleigh. we have felix's appalled denial of any involvement of race or racial bias. we have felix's diversion away from farleigh specifically and onto his own inability to know his staff's names. felix made no further attempt to recenter farleigh, aside from telling him that the cattons have "done what they can." (which is SO absurd on its own. they are clearly and obviously able to do more. they are disgustingly rich). farleigh does feel ashamed after felix's response; you can see it on his face, and archie says it directly. here is a relevant and prevalent stereotype for all marginalized people: that the discussion of marginalization is exclusively weaponized to gain something or manipulate a situation. this is how felix chooses to see farleigh's implication of existing white privilege. this conversation results in nothing, does nothing, as felix chooses not to confront what he's probably thinking as he repeats the words "begging bowl" to venetia.

now. saviorism, guilt, and pity. felix specifically tells oliver that sir james made an effort to support farleigh out of guilt. i'd like to order some things in a way that i perceive them. frederica start runs from england, which is explained in a condescending way by felix. frederica start marries a so-referred-to "lunatic" who dug through fred and jame's money, although it's farleigh who only mentions fred's financial irresponsibility. out of guilt, james offers to pay for farleigh's education. the specificity of education is compelling to me. perhaps james is simply a patriotic man who strongly believes that english education is better. or this is a mobilized racial stereotype! who can truly know. i digress. james' offer to pay for farleigh's foreign education puts the cattons in an odd position; if farleigh is to attend english schools, he will need to stay with the cattons. if farleigh is staying with the cattons, he will need to be treated as equal to felix and venetia. this is all one long chain of obligations. none of these acts from one family member to another should be considered "charitable," because family should intrinsically create a trustworthy and supportive dynamic.

i believe that the cattons do consider their fostering of farleigh as obligatory. moral obligation, as they recognize that families are intended to have a sympathetic and loving relationship. they cannot, however, escape the truth that they're just guilty. the "begging bowl" and "biting the hand" are more symbolic of a starving dog and its charitable adopter than a cousin/nephew who's staying with his absurdly rich family. see, the cattons are fully and entirely capable of affording another child, of supporting frederica financially, etc. the only way i can rationalize their reluctance to do so is by assuming that they don't feel like farleigh deserves it. is this a crazy assumption? i genuinely don't see why else. of course, i don't think this mentality is explicit or conscious. it's more-so the reality that when farleigh walks in a room, he's not the same as anybody else. aside from background characters at oxbridge, the only on-screen black people are liam, joshua, and james' godson's wife (who gets degraded on-screen). this is the reality of being different in an environment such as the english aristocracy. the cattons choose to see themselves as the hand that feeds the less fortunate, more entertaining, and least inconvenient. the cattons' inclusion of farleigh is not only reliant on how well farleigh performs, but also on their own pity and guilt.

all of this is somehow, painfully mirrored by some takes i've seen on farleigh. maybe this entire post is presumptuous, but you know what isn't presumptuous? saying that certain people hold farleigh to an incredibly odd standard. while the cattons never canonically said anything along the lines of "farleigh doesn't deserve our love and support," mfs on the internet have. the number of times people have referred to this character as greedy, lazy, petty, and malignant is so odd to me. i'm insane, i know. i just don't understand how people can hold farleigh to the backdrop of an english aristocratic family and so passionately say that he, of all characters, is the most detestable. or that he, of all characters, has no reason to behave in the way he does.

is farleigh greedy? greed is defined as a desire for more. farleigh has no desire to climb ranks, no desire to replace or surpass felix, no desire to hold any power over any family member. he is maintaining, upholding a standard that has been set for him throughout his life. is it kind or selfless of him to meddle in other people's affairs with the cattons? no. does he have a reason to be upset that non-relatives of the cattons are a threat to his inclusion in the first place? yes. is farleigh lazy? i don't even need to explain this one. no. if you don't consider oliver lazy, then i really don't want to hear anything. is farleigh petty? pettiness is defined as "an undue concern for trivial matters, especially in a small-minded or spiteful way." farleigh's meticulous attention to trivial matters isn't undue in any sense. a person of color and their meticulous attention to trivial matters is almost never undue. elspeth is a good example of petty. is farleigh malignant? there are a lot of definitions of malignant and i've seen people apply all of them, in some way, to farleigh. that's just wrong. archie madekwe once said, "i was interested in humanizing what, on paper, seemed like a mean character, a villain, or a bully. i don't think he's any of that. he's very self-serving, but i think he's really a heartbreaking character." case closed, this was for my own piece of mind. had to write this section because good lord.

in conclusion to this post that has gone tragically off the rails, i think the in-canon and viewer perspective of farleigh is, perhaps, a little racially motivated. sue me. they are all very centered on this idea that farleigh doesn't deserve inherent respect, support, and love. to remove farleigh's rational position within the cattons family would be akin to removing his right to familial love. genuinely, that's how i see it. the transaction nature of farleigh's actions is responsive. he sees felix as a social shield at oxbridge, he sees elspeth and james as the beholders of his perceived security, and he sees saltburn as a way to escape from his lack of privilege and his lack of stability in america. boom. bam. pow.

[yandere-romanticaa]

Here are some crumbs about yandere mortician! From now on, his name is Viktor. (I'll make a detailed post about him, his personality, looks later, I promise.)

masterlist.

Viktor can often be seen with headphones in his ears, his expression neutral and eyes glazed over with a sheen of nothingness. When he's spotted in public people want to give him the benefit of doubt and say he's just lost in his own world, consumed by the sound of music. Perhaps he's just so in tune with the lyrics, maybe they speak to him on a level which people often seek out when listening to music. His playlist is filled with all sorts of songs - be it long ballads, cheesy love songs, generic pop, heavy metal, screamo, classical music, frankly some songs you wouldn't even expect someone like him wouldn't even listen at all(a la WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion).

Even while working, Viktor likes to have something playing in the background. His co-workers often joke about his music taste but he just shrugs them off without saying anything. It's all just a rollercoaster, a complete mess but he likes it that way. It's fun to be on his toes.

Truthfully, Viktor never liked music. He never bothered paying attention to the lyrics nor the meaning or even the tune of the song.

He simply can't stand the silence.

Viktor is a walking contradiction - he dislikes most people and yet wishes to be a part of them. He wants to be someone. But he doesn't know how to do that. His way of coping became listening to music. He even learned to play some instruments growing up, thinking that maybe someone would take a liking to him.

Even so, no one bothered with him. He was still a nobody.

Some did admire him, from a safe distance at least. His aura was black as charcoal and posture stiff as a board. Even if one dared to look at him for too long it felt like Viktor would pluck their eyes out if he caught them looking.

Perhaps he would. He wasn't sure either.

The sounds had no meaning to him. It was all used to cover up the silence, pure white noise. Nothing more, nothing less.

All of that came to a screeching halt once he met you, his tiny piece of sunshine.

You'd go through his playlist, sometimes scoffing, sometimes liking the things you saw. His eccentric side never failed to amuse you. Amongst that jungle you'd ask him who his favorite artists were, if he had anyone specific he liked.

Viktor said the names of some random artists he thought you fancied yourself. He wanted you to like him.

His answer ultimately did not matter in the end as you would still recommend some of your own personal favorite songs to him. Viktor promised he'd give them a listen as soon as he could.

Later that evening, he was hard at work. As he was putting on his coat he turned towards his phone and reached towards it, slightly eager to see what you had in store for him. The song played quietly in the background as gently rain tapped against the window, giving the morgue a more tranquil feel than it ought to have. The person on his table tonight was an old man who presumably died of a heart attack earlier this morning.

Poor soul. That was all he could bother to say.

The evening went on as it usually did but Viktor could not stop thinking about you. His sweet little sunshine, he was so touched by the fact that you bothered to go so far for him. He could feel his heart racing as unfamiliar butterflies started to flutter in his chest.

Badum. Badum. Badum.

If he wasn't careful he would be the next one to die of a heart attack.

The music got a bit louder as it reached the chorus, its tune almost perfectly in sync with his heart. He hadn't even realized that he started to sway his hips gently. Left, right, left right.

It felt like the correct thing to do.

Viktor also picked up the sound of a male voice humming which was odd, considering the fact that the singer of the song was a woman. He nearly dropped his scalpel as he realized that the one who was humming was him, not someone else, him.

For the first time in his life, Viktor bothered to pay attention to the song. The singer detailed her undying feelings for her lover, promising herself to them and them only.

Viktor thought about you the entire time. He never fancied himself as a dancer but if he could, he would want nothing more than to dance with you.

Would you want to dance with him?

For the first time in his life, Viktor found joy in the music he listened to. And it was all thanks to his sunshine.

🔪 TAGS: @shamelessdarkprince

[alipeeps]

Episode 31

The race to be the first to sacrifice yourself for Wen Xiao... on your marks, get set... GO!

How is it? Well... that's never a good expression on a doctor's face...

Oh my fucking heart....

I was right, Baby Bro didn't die. Just dematerialised for a bit.

It's interesting how since the confirmation that his demonic power is gone, Zhao Yuanzhou has started dressing in much lighter colours... lots of white. Which ngl is a little worrying given that white is the colour of mourning in Chinese culture... (oooh or is it that he's wearing white/combinations with white because Ying Lei died?)

Fucking called it.

Of course there had to be some kind of threat to drive the plot for the last 4 episodes.

A plague again? What d'you want to bet it's to do with Wen Zongyu's experiments?

Wait up, Wen Xiao's foster dad is missing?!

Ah shit and Bai Jiu's dad is ill with the plague.

Without his demonic power... is Zhao Yuanzhou susceptible to the plague?

A demon blood sachet?

So someone has deliberately used a sachet containing Fei's blood to spread plague. And who a) was aware of/had contact with Fei, and b) would pull some shit like that?

Answer: fucking Chongwu Camp.

(But if it's the same plague caused by Fei that they encountered previously, can't the same cure that Bai Jiu developed be used?)

Are they sealing off the city?

BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING CHONGWU CAMP!!

Oh what the fuck Fei is not dead?!! How is that possible?! We SAW him die!!

Zhou Dage once again performing his primary duty in the polycule of bringing food to people when they are locked in the library frantically researching....

Oh my fucking heart...

Oh damn. He has been estranged from his dad this whole time cos he thought he'd killed his mum. And he's afraid his dad's gonna die before they can clear the misunderstandings between them...

What the FUCK Zhou Yichen?!!

I have never - fucking NEVER - suffered through a drama that has so explicitly verbalised ALL the found family feels... apparently with the express intent of causing me PAIN!!! 😭😭😭

How did he survive? Wen Xiao.

And now he wants to repay that by saving her...

Because she loves Zhao Yuanzhou

(At least, that's all the show is allowed to say. We know better. Polycule supremacy!!)

Ugh, god, verbalising that love is not just wanting to have something for yourself, but rather wanting to care for it and see it thrive... even if not by your side...

Zhao Yuanzhou continuing to make it his life's mission to make sure Wen Xiao is warmly-dressed...

WTF Zhao Yuanzhou was that a fucking marriage proposal?!!!

Oh god, all the imaginations of them living a happy life together that he held onto to keep his inner demon core at bay... 😭😭😭

"Return to the wilderness"? Yeah that feels like you changed your mind at the last minute there as to what you were going to say... probably because you remembered you're going to sacrifice yourself to save her, right?

God the visuals of each of them alone, contemplating... and we know exactly what the two men are contemplating...

He's carving a monkey - sorry, a white ape! For her? To... remind her of him?

Fuck me that is a fucking badass move.

Ahhhh I have missed Xiao Bai's voice-breaking shrieking!

God I love this show. The humour is just...

Oh holy shit, I am dying. it got better and better and better. Fuck my "no gifs for these summaries" rule, I have to gif the whole fucking thing!

Oh goody, it's occurred to them to look into what the fuck Chongwu Camp are up to.

I swear, if it turns out they pulled a fake-out on us and Wen Zongyu also isn't dead, I will cut a bitch...

Uhhh where did Wen Xiao's foster dad go to? He was in the same prison cell with Fei.

Oh shit, I hope they haven't turned him into a demon hybrid?

Oh fuuuuck what's going on with Fei? That... that looks kinda like the ever-burning fire in his eyes?

Uhoh, Mr Fan is not chained up anymore. I'm guessing he's controlled/hybridised?

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!! 🔪🔪🔪

He didn't die AND he's got the ever-burning wood and it's let him succeed in his demon experiments!!

Shit... was the Wen Zongyu we saw burn up actually his demon-hybrid with shapechanging powers?

Phoenix?

Oh fuck.

So he has also demonised himself?

So... he needed the ever burning wood precisely because he needed it to burn himself up and be reborn as the phoenix?

Ohhh shit and doesn't the phoenix have the power of rebirth? So... it's part of his plan to bring his wife back to life?

(I hope he succeeds in bringing her back to life and she is horrified at what he has done/become and immediately kills herself)

WHAT THE FUCK?!! How did the medicine they made contain demon cores?!!!

I thought his grand plan was to get rid of all demons? How does turning everyone - including himself - into a demonised hybrid achieve that?!!

You fucker!!

BROTHER?!!

Was Wen Xiao's dad his BROTHER?!

He's Wen Xiao's fucking UNCLE?!!!!

Oooh nice, was it all a plan? They snatched Wen Zongyu!!

What's going on?

Oooft what a reversal, Zhuo Yichen stepping forward to protect Zhao Yuanzhou.

Freeze that fiery fucker Zhuo Yichen!!

Ooof he's transferring the knowledge straight to him.

And now he can form ice out of thin air - just as the phoenix can create fire out of thin air - rather than having to freeze water.

Uhhh I don't like the look of that smoke...

What the fuck? Is this a dream?

Baize goddess and Li Lun? Is it... a memory then?

YING LEI!!

This is freaky....

God the fondness in his expression...

It's a trap. That's what the poison does? Traps you in a dream world where everyone is alive and happy so you don't want to leave...

Zhuo Yichen knows what's up.

Oh damn. He knows full well it's not real. But he just wanted to pretend... for a little bit...

But wait... what if THIS is the trap? What if it's baiting you into killing yourself to try and escape the dream?

FUCK, I was right... the poison was making them act out in real life what they were doing in the dream. They would have killed each other/themselves trying to escape.

Damn, thank goodness for Bai Jiu.

He would if he could, you fucker, and he's every right to. You manipulated and used him against his friends, sacrificed him to be possessed by a demon, poisoned him, and then used him to poison the entire town! Fuck you!!

So wait up, was Zhao Yuanzhou's loss of all his demonic power just temporary then? As Bai Yan had said, it will not be quick to recover? So has he got at least some back now? Cos he sure seems to be using his power in this episode!

Ah yeah, he's got some back. But nowhere near enough.

Okaaay so now they need Wen Xiao to see where his demon core is so they can remove it. Game on!

[pynkhues]

https://x.com/snow_droplet/status/1836806686041944275

lots of people see this scene (louis reading madame bovary) as a one more confirmation of louis = housewife = mother. just as the yellow painting depicting mother and child. why do you think he relates to these works so much? and what do you think it says about writers' intent wrt his character?

Mm, I can see the thought process, but having read Madame Bovary a number of years ago, I'm a little surprised at the interpretation of Louis as Emma, who cheats because she finds monogomy boring, provincial life even more so, and dislikes motherhood - three things that I'd associate a lot more with Lestat than I would with Louis given a) Antoinette, and the fact that Louis never cheated on Lestat given he only had sex with Jonah when the relationship was opened up, b) Lestat spent most of his mortal life trying to escape the French countryside when Louis has only ever lived in cities, and c) his Whole Deal with Claudia.

I do think that it's worth noting too that the copy of Madame Bovary Louis' reading is actually Lestat's, not Louis':

It also shows I think a real sense of taking Louis' self-assessment when he's at one of his lowest points of depression across the course of the series, as an actual representation of himself? Claudia calling Louis a housewife was pretty specifically about trying to emasculate him into action, and we're sitting with Louis here where he does feel emasculated. Louis does find purpose through work - he's an ambitious man and a capitalist from the moment we meet him - and him being forced out of the upper echelon of earning capacity due to his race is both, of course, racist, but I think also is something he does find emasculating.

Louis always took his role as provider seriously with the du Lac's, I think both as eldest son and patriarch (and I kinda touched on it in my post about Grace, but the show flirts a little with gothic themes of a perverted family structure there in that Louis is both father and brother to Grace and Paul, and son and husband to Florence), and I think even having the illusion that he was providing for at least Claudia, if not Lestat (who of course is cashed-up from Magnus), was still a crucial part of his identity. It's why it's easy for him to fall into a (again, perverted) version of that role with Armand.

That's even without getting into the Capitalism of it all, haha. I actually forgot this and just caught it again on my (very slow) re-watch, but The Azaelia isn't Louis' only business at the time when it starts getting targeted. He's invested in, at the very least, grocery stores and millineries, which Lestat points out to him when Louis' making his No Whites Allowed sign:

This - - again - - is emasculating. Grocery stores and hat makers are very specifically pink-collar industries, and Louis' been making a fortune not off women's quote-unquote 'interests', he's been making it off women's bodies. And again, one day, I'm going to write my Louis-is-a-misogynyst post, but for now, my point is that it's the insult of this that fuels Louis' (rightful!) anger, not his relation to it.

The painting I do think is a bit different, but that's kind of harder to talk about given visual art is so subjective (and honestly I know less about it / can speak to it less). I do think it's significant though that the artist is a Black man, and someone who's still pretty up and coming. The maternal side there I can see, but I don't think it's as absolute as others, just personally.

[marvelhead17]

Baldur's Gate 3 Dribble

Do any of my mutuals play? This game is absolutely addictive, especially when trying to get certain outcomes. If Marvel had come out with anything similar I would have sold my soul for it probably.

In the last week and a half I've played another 70+ hours so I have 389+ hours and do you know how many playthroughs I've completed? Just the one. Only have 36/54 achievements. Some people have played 1500 hours and said they've discovered new things along the way (whether exaggerating or because they've played since it's earlier phases, it's constantly getting patch updates and new content).

I've got another campaign going that is nearly there, but I've been into character creation again and UGH it's just so fun to do the stuff for the Emerald Grove in Act 1.

But also, there so many companions whether you romance them or not, just to do their quests sometimes. And then you can still get good and bad endings for EACH?

Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, Wyll (these first ones are the main ones that you can even play yourself and get g/b endings for), and then Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc can join you later. I don't know if the last 2 on the list are romanceable, but there are still bad characters you can have that I haven't explored yet.

Gushing about my Tavs below, and possibly spoilers for anyone who hasn't gone beyond Act 1 if you are playing, so just be aware.

In my first playthrough it was Karlach that I romanced, gods what a beautiful Devil. My character is a wood half-elf barbarian named Narriel. And she joined Karlach in Avernus when she had to return, so they look so badass in leather and everything!

Second playthrough, the beefcake and 'my heart' Halsin (no I did not do him in bear form, as tempting as it was, maybe on another run). I stuck with Narriel, (it's my fave name for a fantasy character okay?) as a wood half-elf cleric. This campaign is nearly there and I hate to see it go.

Third playthrough (I tried Astarian with another Tav but lord is that man difficult to please unless you are playing a bad guy) is with Gale. They are a non-binary wizard wood half-elf named Phoenix and they are stunning. I've just arrived in Baldur's Gate and so the final quests begin.

Fourth, I've started a Durge (Dark Urge) Playthrough, a White Dragonborn named Minerva, and it's going good so far for her (I'm not accepting The Urge, because I'm a simp for these characters and they don't like you doing bad shit). I've only completed the Grove so there is much more to go. I'm not quite sure who to romance yet, but I like that idea of Halsin saving her.

Possibly restarting Morgan's story (again, which sucks cause I played nearly 70 hours, realised Astarion was never gonna make a move based on a missing cutscene in Act 1, and now dedicated another 8 hours just to be frustrated) to go for Shadowheart instead, as being a tiefling makes it impossibly difficult for Act 1 to please Astarian without going against your own race, like damn. But also she's not that dark and Shadowheart is so easy to please, in most of my playthroughs she's tried to come on to me in the beginning, so I see how she was the most romanced.

Made a bard named Callon, he is (surprise) a wood half-elf who is starting off with the Lute. Going for Wyll the Blade of Frontiers because I watched Neil Newbon (Astarian's actor) play BG3 and invited the actor to speak about him, and it made me want to try! It's been adorable so far and I'm barely in it yet.

Made a character for fun named Nixie (based off of the All for One DnD YouTube series by Deerstalker Pictures), who is a pink tiefling sorcerer that loves casting firespells and is mischievous. We'll see where she takes us, but without that in mind I've decided to ignore her playthrough so far haha.

That leaves us with Lae'zel who I haven't decided a character for just yet, and Astarion who I need to reconsider for. As well as Minthara? I'm not sure what other companions can be romanced that aren't in the initial party, all I know is Minthara is easy for a Durge playthrough. I also think there was a possibility with Mizora? I don't know.

Send help.

[doberbutts]

Hello, I’m mixed and I know you’re mixed too so I’m hoping for some advice. My mom is white and my dad is Native American (technically he is indigenous to canada the tribe he is from but I just say Native American because it is easier to explain, ‘native Canadian’ sounds weird 😭) and I’m sure you know things r really bad for indigenous people in Canada even more so than in America so when my dad was young his parents managed to save enough money to move to America many years ago, anyway I guess none of that is important besides the fact that I’m mixed.

Basically, I am involved in a fandom with many mixed-race characters that I love. None that are specifically mixed like I am (well besides one character whose mom is native and dad is white, though his mom was never revealed it’s a popular fan theory so I’ll just go with it) and other notable mixed characters are Arab/white, Chinese/white, etc. Writing this out I kind of realize that all of these mixed characters are mostly half white lol. But, that is also kind of the problem.

I’ve noticed a real… I don’t want to say racist but really discriminatory and hurtful attitude towards these mixed characters that really hurts my feelings as a mixed person myself. Basically people ignoring their mixed heritage and opting to just refer to them as ‘Arab’ and ‘Chinese’ and whatnot. Which is fine on the surface, but then I see people start talking about how disgusting it is that these characters have a white parent and that it would be much better if they were ‘pure’ POC. Which is really… hurtful as someone who is mixed with a white parent. Sorry I’m not ‘pure’ enough for your liking?? I guess? What is the point of them even saying things like that? And I guess I want to know how I can bring it up to these people without them getting angry at me. I got really mad one time and said that trying to erase a mixed characters other parent is trying to erase their identity and you can’t just choose to accept half of someone you have to accept ALL of them or you accept no part of them but they just block me.

I don’t know I feel like they’re trying to be well meaning even if it’s in a really hurtful way, but then when I try to correct them they don’t even care so can I really call it well meaning? They outright ignore the fact that the characters are canonically mixed and choose to just present them as ‘pure POC’ which they act like it’s somehow ‘superior’ to being mixed. I already don’t fit in anywhere I go and I feel like neither side will ever accept me and now I feel like this pervasive fandom attitude just kind of confirms all my fears. Sometimes I wish I was fully one or the other. I liked your other posts about being mixed and how you weren’t ‘half’ of anything you were fully all of them and I’m trying to internalize that but all these people and their hurtful comments make it hard. Like they’re not making these comments about me specifically, but I see what they say about fictional characters that are like me so it’s :/

I guess I just want to know how to convince them that mixed people are worthy of telling stories about too and how we aren’t lesser just because we are mixed? How do I tell these people to get over their discomfort with acknowledging the heritage of mixed characters? I’m not very good at articulating these sorts of things.

And sorry this was so long 😢

This is a bit of an older ask, and I've left it sit in my askbox for a while because I'm honestly not sure if I even have any advice for you.

The biggest things I suppose would be

A: remember that fandoms really aren't known for acknowledging the nuance of, like, literally anything that can be polarized. Unfortunately, that includes race and racial mixing.

B: sometimes you have to be the change you want to see. And I know. I know it sucks when you always have to be that person. But sometimes that is truly the only solution. Exist happily as yourself, be content in your own mixed race identity, talk about it when you feel up to it, and those who see it will be touched by you. Perhaps they may even catch on, and start to spread a healthier way of looking at the mixed race characters within your fandom.

C: stop giving a shit what other people think. Be you. You will find people who love you for you. Fuck all the others who reject you for being yourself, and don't force yourself into an easily digestible box for those who would barely glance your way regardless.

[lgbtqreads]

not to b sappy on main but i really just wanted to wholeheartedly thank you for this. i read whatever i could get my hands on when i was younger, because i hadn’t really figured out my reading taste yet, just that i liked reading. and even after i realised i was queer, at first i didn’t really start seeking out books with queer characters in them. i guess i felt like i was an abnormality — something i know that a lot of us feel, particularly if we grow up in a place where there isn’t anyone who is like us. but i’ve been trying to seek out more queer media and history this year, if only because i finally managed to internally embrace my queerness for the first time, and so for the first time, i wanted to know more about our history and our culture and i wanted to be someone who could see myself in queer characters. and your blog has just really really helped with that. at first, i was reading any queer books i could find, which was… nice, but i eventually got tired of books that weren’t from genres i enjoyed, or books where the entire cast was white (nothing’s wrong with being any race obviously, i’m just not white and so their experiences weren’t what i wanted to read, since i was reading to try and comfort and see myself — or close to myself, anyway), or books that just weren’t my thing. hence, this blog. i’m now reading queer novels, comics, essay collections etc all the time, and often the characters are the same kind of queerness as me, or from my country, or follow the same religion i do. and i can’t tell you how much that’s meant to me. i honestly feel like a different person — a lot happier, a lot more settled, a lot more of nodding my head to others’ experiences and crying because i no longer feel like i’m the only person who’s desi, african, queer etc (being at the intersection of a lot of different marginalised groups is… interesting, at least in my case it just meant i had less people from which to relate to and never really felt accepted anywhere as i was too different for each ‘group’…. something which reading all of these books has helped combat). so, yeah. i’m planning to write my own stories about queer people and characters now, and looking into archives that my country has for us. for the first time in a long time, i feel genuinely optimistic and excited about my future as a queer person, because it just… it just feels so much more like a community to me now, reconciling my childhood love of reading and all of my experiences and ethnicity and religion with my queerness. and i have you to thank for making that happen for me and i know, in some capacity, for a lot of others. just… this is super long and rambly, but i just kind of wanted to convey how much this has (and does) mean/t to me and how grateful i am. thank you for uplifting our voices — i never knew how much i needed to hear them, and how healed i would feel because of that.

This is the absolute most perfect kind of “long and rambly” and I’m not saying I’m crying but I’m not saying I’m not. Thank you so much for sharing this with me, and I’m so, so happy you’ve found books you love and that inspire you and that help encourage you to share your own voice with readers and the world. 

I’ll be honest, it’s been a tough year and I have thought more than once about shutting down this blog because it does take a lot of time I don’t really have. But I think about a post that was sent to me a few years ago, and that always helps keep me going, and I know without a doubt this note will help inspire me when I need it too <3

[horizon-verizon]

I was thinking today about how the canonical Targaryen lineage makes no sense with the Velaryon race change. Jaehaerys is as white as a white man can be in the first episode even though his mother was a Velaryon. And all of his children and grandchildren are of course also the whitest people ever (they couldn’t even cast a mixed/Black actress to play Alyssa even though she’s just a hallucination). Go back even further the Conquerors’ mother was also a Velaryon. I know genes can be funny things and don’t always follow math, I know white-passing exists, but if Baela and Rhaena can be Black Targaryens, there is absolutely no reason why the rest of the Targs we see aren’t mixed/Black, actually.

And not just Jaehaerys either, as Boremund Baratheon (the man who swears fealty to Rhaenyra in episode 1 and later hosts her during her suitor progress in episode 4) is Jaehaerys’ younger half-brother from the same mother, as is Rhaenys’ mother Jocelyn Baratheon.

Ryan Condal literally said, “Well, Valyria was this enormous continent, a very diverse and well-populated nation that fell into the sea. Why couldn’t there have been a line of Black Velaryons in that story ?”, meaning there were Black people indigenous to Valyria and that Corlys’ brown skin doesn’t come from his mother.

Yeah...one thing about this show is that the changes are made sporadically, according to their marketing needs, and are not truly story forward.

Ryan is the same man who said Aegon I lived in and at the same time Old Valyria existed & erased every trace of ladies in waiting for Rhaenicent to make any modicum of sense. He or Hess or soemone they approved came up woth the idea that Rhaenyra, the Queen Consort, would face or even tolerate the same kind of disrespect from a council of men as Alicent, when these two women have completely different positions and in the bk, rhaeyra wouldn't even allow that shit to happen. Rhaenyra is a Queen regnant, Alicent was a Consort and then a Dowager. It makes much more sense for Alicent to into be able to do shit AND for the men to even try to speak over her or dismiss her. Nor would Rhaenyra castellan be a man who got a seat at the table, much less argue with her in front of others without facing some severe consequences. We have the raping, betraying Huh Hammer become a family man to be the PoV/inside look of the smallfolk instead of say Sylvenna Sand, Essie, Nettles, that girl Mysaria had as a messenger, Gaemon Palehair. Or you know just some random. Baela and Rhaena's relationship w/Daemon and his own personal arc is fraught with stuff that either never should have existed or is a rehash of what was "solved" back in season 2 for the whole "fix a toxic man" arc instead of just developing Baela and Jace's romance, the social effects of kinslaying at KL's court, Corlys being more active and the shifting tensions b/t him and Rhaenyra done both indirectly or directly, etc., etc.

We're not dealing with straight shooters here. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[bohemian-nights]

As a WOC, I will never be able to sympathize with Rhaenyra. She’s such an over privileged and lazy person. I just can’t bring myself to sympathize with her for getting usurped because I feel like that’s mainly her fault for being lazy and thinking she’s entitled to everything.

And then we have nettles. A girl who comes from nothing. She manages to claim a wild dragon, she fights for Rhaenyra’s cause and how does Rhaenyra repay her? By trying to murder her. How can anyone sympathize with Rhaenyra over nettles? This white woman’s trauma and paranoia do not excuse her trying to kill a black woman.

So many of her Stans like to pretend they have the moral high ground while also defending Rhaenyra trying to murder nettles.

Yeah, that’s my main complaint with her and why I get so frustrated when people think I’m being mean, petty, or overly critical about her character.

Yes, she is objectively a victim of the patriarchy, but she’s also a privileged white woman who tried to exercise her privilege by attempting to commit a racially motivated hate crime against a Black woman(Nettles).

And yes she’s a fictional character, but there have been so many women throughout history who have behaved in that same exact manner. Women who despite being discriminated against based on their sex still managed to punch down and ruin real lives, separated families, and got innocents killed all at their command.

I don’t know if this was GRRM's intention, but from my perspective as a Black woman, Rhaenyra is just another reflection of that painful history. She’s not someone I can project onto and see myself in even though she’s a woman. She’s still very much just a part of the machine(just in a feminine form).

Before anyone comes for me, it’s perfectly fine if you like Rhaenyra. Again she’s fictional, but not acknowledging what she represents and how she’s both oppressed and an oppressor means that you don’t acknowledge her victims or see the importance of characters like Nettles.

And if you have a hard time acknowledging and understanding how a fictional Black woman is being victimized by a white woman I doubt you’ll have a much easier time dealing with real life victims of racial violence.

Not to mention the fact that it’s incredibly offensive to see things like Nettles should be cut because there are five other Black-ish people in a mostly white cast and she’s unimportant and people only like her because she’s Black and yet have people swear up and down they don’t have a racist bone in their body.

This isn’t even getting into the people who have literally used the n-word compared Black characters to animals, and mocked Black hair and features. Just know you guys are the same cause racism isn’t limited to spewing out slurs.

Those statements(which are solely focused on her race) are very much rooted in anti-Blackness. Those statements are the epitome of reducing someone down to just their skin color and dismissing them because of that. Nettles may be fictional, but you are using racist tropes that have been pushed on Black(that we somehow aren’t deserving of our positions in life and are only where we are because of quotas and wokeness) to trash her character.

Nettles is an incredibly interesting character. Hell, even George finds her fascinating.

Of all the secondary characters in F&B she’s the one who he wanted to write a novella about. Her story has all the tropes that people usually like. Girl from nothing who despite all odds makes it and thrives. She’s there to teach a lesson, but they don’t see her worth because she’s Black. All they see is a Black face who they think doesn’t belong since she’s not a walking stereotype.

I’m not exactly shocked by this behavior, but it’s still stlrange asf to see people who scream up and down about misogyny(which is valid) then go on and perpetuate misogynoir without blinking an eye.

[gigicreates562]

Anxiety Attack: George Weasley x Reader

After the third triwizard tournament task, Y/n starts to spiral. Luckily George is there to help.

Trigger Warning: Descriptions of Anxiety Attack

Word Count: 1125

-----------------------

Her throat was closing up. The triumphant music of the third Triwizard task had long since halted, but she still felt that awful sinking feeling in her stomach.

Y/n didn’t really remember getting out of the panicked chaos of the stands, but now as she looked in the bathroom mirror, reality slowly began to sink in.

It hit her bit by bit; like the universe was throwing little reality rocks at her face. Sharp, painful, horrifying rocks.

She stared at her hair in the bathroom mirror. Although messy in its current state, it was still just like her mother’s. There was no hiding her Malfoy blood; one look at her distinct black and white locks and you would know she was Narcissa’s. Everyone knew her bloodline without even knowing her, and now that the dark lord was back they would assume other awful things about her too.

The thoughts were racing by in her head faster than she could process.

Blood traitor.

Death Eater.

Disgrace.

Murderer.

One side would assume she was a Death Eater, the other would hate her because she wasn’t. She was walking around with a humongous bullseye on her back.

He’s back. Voldemort is back.

Harry’s words kept repeating in her head as she collapsed on the floor. She hadn’t realized she was crying until she felt the hot tears drip down her cheeks. They burned her cheeks as she frantically tried to smear them away.

She couldn’t get any air. It was too much. It was all just too much. Trembling, she brought her knees to her chest and desperately tried to swallow some air, but was interrupted by the door crashing open.

“Y/n! Thank god.”

Y/n lifted her head up, only to find her favorite redhead making his way to her hurriedly. His clothes were disheveled and his hair was wild from the wind whipping it about. He clearly ran here, evident from the state of his appearance and his heavy breathing. But George was more concerned about the beautiful girl crying on the bathroom floor.

“I couldn’t find you after we were evacuated. I was worried you…” He trailed off, “Are you okay?”

She looked at him for a moment. He was a source of light in the dim bathroom, radiating love and acceptance all around him. He was her real home. George Weasley was home.

She knew she couldn’t hold all this in, but her heart was still racing and her hands were still locked into fists. She tried to take a deep breath to explain, but all that came out were shallow hiccuped sobs. Her mind was panicking and she still couldn’t breathe. Rationality began to leave her brain, leaving only fear behind. Frantically, she kept trying to take more breaths, and then-

“Hey, hey, hey,” She felt a calming warmth on her cheek. George wiped her tears gently. His touch alone was anchoring her from spiraling out. Desperately, she looked up at him with tears welling in his eyes, and somehow he understood.

Carefully, he lowered himself down beside her and pulled her legs across his lap, softly bringing her head into his chest. Y/n grasped his sweater for dear life, clinging to the only thing that made sense right now, Him. He held her tenderly, slowly combing through her hair with his fingers.

The two of them sat like this for a while. His presence was the perfect cure for her panic.

They remained quiet, both people trying to etch this moment into their memory until Y/n finally felt her fear fade away and oxygen begin to fill her lungs again. Even after that, she was content in the quiet, simply basking in his comfort.

“You know, my family was never really the touchy feely type,” she sniffled, “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been held by someone.”

“Are you ok? I’ve known you along time and I’ve never seen you cry like this,” George asked as he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

“I’m scared out of my mind George,” she replied, surprising them both with her honesty, “Anyone can take one look at me and know I’m a Malfoy. They’ll want to kill me for being something I’m not. And the Death Eaters all know me to be a ‘blood traitor’. They won’t hesitate to force me into submission. I’ve seen what they do, George. I’m dead either way.”

George was speechless. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what to do or say. He knew she was right. This whole situation was so fragile, but there was one thing he was sure about.

He was sure he loved her, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

“Y/n- join The Order,” George stated, an idea solidifying in his head.

“What? You know I would if I could. How would I-“

“Come stay with me.” He stared intensely at her before continuing, “Look I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and with everything that happened today I think it’s time. I’ve got this plan; it needs some fine-tuning but I think it’s a good one.”

“First, we get you into some trouble at school,” He began, “Then, we will ask Snape to recommend that you stay with him over the summer for constant ‘recorrection’. That way you won’t have to go back to your family over break, but they won’t be suspicious of you not returning home either. After that, we just have to get through your last year at Hogwarts. Then when we graduate, you can come live with me. By then, you’ll be too old for them to have legal power over you, and Fred and I can help keep you safe, as long you don’t mind Fred’s awful shower singing,” He finished with a smile.

It was odd the way he looked at her. His radiant chestnut eyes said he would battle against 100 men with nothing but a quill to protect her. She wasn’t sure why, but her stomach did a couple flips thinking about that.

“You’d really help me do that?” She asked, grabbing his hand and fiddling with his fingers.

“We’ve been best mates for years Y/n. There’s no way I’m leaving your side now.” He laughed, still staring at her with a twinkle of passion in his eyes and a bit of mischief in his smile.

Without warning, Y/n squeezed George tightly around the middle ensuring that he was really here, really doing this for her. George wrapped his arms around her in response, taking note of how comfortable she felt in his arms.

It was at that moment that George made a promise to himself: he would always love you, and he would do anything he could to protect you from harm. 

[bridgyrose]

AU Idea: Ilia has a semblance that lets her spread her mind to others. This lets her essentially implant a copy of her mind, thoughts and emotions and personality and all, in another person to control them. She decides to use this on multiple people (May Marigold, Blake, Nebula, etc). I would like this to be NSFW please cuz we know she's probably gay for these people and more.

(I think this will fit)

“I just want you to see things from my perspective!” Ilia yelled out as she pushed Blake back. She hadnt noticed her hand or aura shimmering when she turned away from Blake, her voice going quiet as she continued to speak. “You’re my best friend and I dont want you to leave the White Fang.” 

Blake’s words started to slur together as she staggered a bit. “I-I… I cant…” 

Ilia paused when she caught Blake starting to sway out of the corner of her eye. She quickly caught her just before she collapsed, her heart racing and skin changing to a blue tint as she held Blake, worried. 

“B-Blake?” she asked quietly. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” 

“Head… hurts…” Blake mumbled out. “And everything’s… spinning…” 

Ilia gently laid her down. “I-I’ll get you some water! I’ll be right back, okay?” 

Blake nodded. 

Ilia gently let go of Blake to make sure she wasnt going to accidentally roll off the rooftop. It was a terrible place to leave her, but she wasnt planning to be away for long, just long enough to get some water and maybe to get someone to help get Blake down without hurting her.

Once she was sure Blake was steady, she hopped down to the streets of Menagerie and started to look for help. There was always Blake’s parents, though Blake had been adamant that she didnt want to see them while she was in Kuo Kuana. Adam would be close, though he’d do more harm than good. He was never known for being gentle with Blake. Trifa could help… 

No, she had to do this alone. Get water, get back to Blake, help her down and get her someplace safe to rest. Easy enough to do on her own. No need to get anyone else involved. She ran as quickly as she could to get a bottle of water for Blake and made her way back, nearly out of breath once she got back. 

She gently lifted Blake’s head and gave her a little water to drink. “How’s that? Does your head still hurt?” 

“N-no, but… why am I staring at myself?” Blake asked. 

“I dont follow. You’re still you Blake.” 

Blake shook her head. “I’m not Blake, I’m Ilia.”

Ilia paused for a moment and pulled away from Blake to let her sit up. Maybe something had happened to her when she was away or maybe it was just a joke. Not that there was a way to tell. Well, maybe there was *one* way. 

A smile crossed her lips as she pulled out her scroll and showed Blake how she looked. “If you are me, then what do you think of how you look?” 

A blush crossed Blake’s cheeks for a moment as she looked at the image on the scroll and then to herself. “I-I’m… I’m my crush. I always imagined being with Blake but not like this.” 

“You should strip and really see her.” Ilia blushed at the thought, taking a few breaths to keep her skin from showing it. There was no way Blake would ever go that far if it was a joke. “It’d only be fair if you’re in her body, right?” 

Blake’s blush deepened as she slowly stripped as if it was the first time she’d done it herself, groping herself after she took off her top and bra, letting out a soft moan before slipping off her pants and gently running a hand down her leg as if to test if it was all real. She had even started to tease herself just to make sure this was her body as loud moans started to leave her. 

Alright, this isnt a joke, Ilia thought to herself as she struggled to hide her own blush. It was no secret that Blake liked both men and women, and even when she was dating Adam she always kept herself clothed. And yet, seeing her strip like this was almost like remembering a dream that Ilia had had about being Blake to finally see her naked. She moved in the same way, groped her breasts just like Ilia would’ve, it was as if she really did have Ilia’s mind in her. 

And as she watched, the more it felt wrong to see her like this. Watching her act like someone else took away the love she felt, even if it was still her body. “You… you should stop.” 

Blake stopped just as Ilia told her to. “But you like this, dont you?” 

“Yes, but ist not you,” Ilia said as she gently touched Blake’s shoulder, hand glowing as if it was on instinct. “You need to be yourself again.” 

Blake’s eyes widened for a moment as Ilia’s aura started to shimmer. She recoiled back and held her head until she dropped to the ground.

Ilia took a deep breath as she felt a part of her come back to her. She kept her eyes averted from Blake as she dressed her again, taking note of everything that happened. It hadnt been an ideal way to find out what her semblance was, but it certainly would be useful.

[irkimatsu]

physical or emotional characteristics you would like in a human husk

Sorry for sitting on this for a bit! I'll admit, part of me was being autistic and overthinking this. Is this about what I'm personally attracted to in Husk, or what I think would be best for his story in canon? Is this about what he was like before he died, or what he'd be like if he could be human again after everything that's happened to him in hell?

I'm going with "how I see him as a human on Earth before death, and who I thought he was regardless of my own personal attractions and biases". (Well, a little bit of my own biases. No such thing as unbiased fiction. But accuracy is my priority on this one.)

First and foremost - human Husk is black. I will die on that hill until canon tells me otherwise. There could be other pieces of heritage in there somewhere - I don't think I'm qualified to speculate on that too hard - but as far as skin tone goes, he's black. I also like when art gives him dreads, it just looks right, though I'm not as much of a stickler on that matter. Gotta have some scruffy facial hair, though, I demand that much.

As for why... is it all the good fanart that made other options look wrong in comparison? Is it because he's voiced by Keith David and I just can't imagine a white guy sounding like Keith David? Those are definitely pieces of it. I know it's not canon and I'm not out here attacking people who lean otherwise on Husk's race, but as for me, he's black, end of discussion. On the shorter end of the average as far as male heights go, but he's not noticeably short in isolation. Definitely taller than my short and stout self. Weight probably fluctuates depending on his situation - his finances as a gambler would be all over the place, and so would his diet, varying between lavish meals in overpriced steakhouses, and dinners at home consisting primarily of cheese puffs and bottom-shelf beer. I do like him with a gut, though. Maybe he's just naturally predisposed to having a gut, even when he's starving. (Told you there'd be some bias.)

I'd definitely want to put decent thought about what it was like for him as a black man growing up in early 20th century Las Vegas, but without being 110% certain that anything I'm saying makes any fucking sense, I'm biting my tongue on that one. Definitely a topic I'm interested in, though.

I should also probably mention that yes, I know it's a common headcanon for Husk to be a trans man. It's interesting! I have no actual reason for not writing it myself. Not sure what to do with it, I guess? If it was canon I'd of course pay more attention to that aspect, but for now, whoops. You guys have fun, obviously! Just like with the popular ship, if anyone ever took "Irk doesn't write this thing" as "Irk thinks that thing is bad" I'd cry, don't do that

I like the name Oscar for him while alive. Saw it in a post on here once and it just felt right. Thank you, random Tumblr user I forgot who you are whoops again! Until canon tells me otherwise, he's Oscar in my heart.

I think his dress style while alive would match a similar trajectory to his Overlord-to-servant transition - a snappy dresser when he can afford it, would never be caught dead looking the least bit disheveled. Button-up shirts, freshly ironed suits, the finest colognes! But after he's a washed up divorced drunk, who gives a shit. His clothes are a lot more tattered now... but honestly, living in a place like Vegas where half the population are various flavors of downtrodden, washed-up addict, he doesn't stand out. At least he has that going for him.

Personality-wise, I think as a child and a young man, he was a big dreamer, even a bit of an attention whore. He's wanted to be a performer for as long as he can remember, ever since he started seeing magic shows and jazz bands as a kid. He may still be introverted in the sense that putting on a show is exhausting and he needs his space, but when he's in the right frame of mind, the stage is where he belongs. He worked so, so fucking hard to be a performer! He really could have been something if Vegas didn't chew him up and barf him out...

That dreamer attitude also made him a serious romantic when he was younger. If you accept a date from that man, he will spoil you. Flowers, fancy dinner (if he can afford it), a personal serenade... he doesn't fall into actual honest-to-god love very often, but when he does, he falls hard and puts everything he has into showing the person he loves that he cares. He does lean toward monetary gifts = affection, though... please, Husk, sometimes your partner really would be happiest with a hug and a song. But he doesn't see it that way, he has to keep gambling to be able to afford the lavish lifestyle his lover deserves. Fucking Vegas.

As an older man on Earth, after a turbulent divorce and decades of addiction and depression, he's a lot like the version of himself in the hotel. Doesn't give a shit about much besides where he's going to get his next drink. He does miss his dreams and wonder what could have been if he didn't screw it all up... but there's no point thinking about wasted opportunity. It just hurts. Drink it away instead. He spends his last few years alone, gambling and drinking and just waiting to finally fucking die.

Death was supposed to be a second chance for him, you know? He could pick himself, become someone again! Too bad for him that "someone" was once again a gambler, and that addiction is always going to catch up with him...

This is a rambling mess. I apologize! I just hope I answered the question correctly! Sorry if I messed it up!

[olderthannetfic]

Goyim goysplaining shit to me is why I don't write Jewish characters anymore. "Well actually that name is this AGAB so the character isn't NB they're *insert AGAB here*" "well actually according to Google you shouldn't have used the word candle you should have said this" "well actually goy is a slur and it's not bad of commenters to use 'Hebrews' to refer to all Jewish people even though I *will* get mad if you call Catholics 'Latins' in response" "well actually it's a kippah not a yarmulke you can't use the word yarmulke it's a kippah" "well actually Jewish people are white so why is this Beta Israeli character not white Jewish = white" "uh excuse me but your Jewish characters didn't exchange Hebrew names that's really unrealistic" "uh excuse me why is your character breaking kosher to stay alive? everything I see on TV says Jews would rather die than break kosher and live - no I don't know or care that pikuach nefesh is a thing I just wanted to correct you on the proper way to write a Jewish character" etc. Whether it's goyim commenting on Undertale fanfics to say all Jewish people would be Red souls (because we don't have individual souls, personalities and colors like the non-Jewish characters, that'd be silly) because we survived the Holocaust or goyim saying Jewish Bruce Wayne makes sense because Jews have all the money, or being confused on how you can headcanon anyone as Jewish who isn't white because Jewish people are white (which is a surprise to my Iranian Jewish self but go off I guess) there is always someone there to tell you that you're not human like other people. These people would never go "oh Latinos all have Red souls and the same personality, definitely" or "Muslim Bruce Wayne makes sense, those people all have oil money" but they'll say antisemitic shit right to your face and then have the gall to be annoyed when you don't like it.

This is why I pulled all my fic without leaving copies up for archives. "B-but I love your fic it's the only multichaptered one for this rarepair!" Well you didn't respect me enough not to say Jews have all the money, so fuck you. "Nooo I loved that fic it had such a good magic system!" Yeah well I didn't love being told my "race" shares a single personality type/soul color so tough shit.

And then afterwards of course they write "Jewish Batfam" fic where there's 1 line in the entire thing where one character mentions Hanukkah once and they pat themselves on the back for being such good, diverse, inclusive writers. They're so woke and accepting and galaxy brained, devoid of prejudice, aren't you going to pat them on the back for clogging up Jewish related tags with fic where skipping one line could erase all presence of Judaism from it? No? Well then why don't you go write your own fic then?!

It's a rhetorical question, but here's the non-rhetorical answer: I don't go write my own fic because I'm tired of having to hear Jewish people talked about the way y'all talk about Tolkien's elves or Undertale's monsters and having to advocate for the idea of treating Jewish people like people is exhausting work.

Literally the only fandom I've ever been in that didn't go "oh well that's just fandom! if you don't like it don't write fics lol" was Star Trek. And even then, you venture outside of AO3 at your own risk.

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[eclipsewxtch]

Lmao I feel so fucking funny for asking this (Im so high that ill regret this when I sober up liter)

If you wrote any of your fics with the whole a/b/o dynamics (yk like alpha,beta,omega) what would it be like????

well i’ve alr written A/B/O fics it’s just when i completed them, i orphaned them. i just. don’t bring it up.

also? i’m assuming u mean just the tbp fics(?) because i have a legit werewolf fic but that’s not exactly the same deal.

in which case the probably the normal-ish a/b/o verse and i mean normal by like. a well-adjusted human’s standards not the porn ones.

• heats/ruts range anywhere from mildly uncomfortable and unpleasant to incredibly intense and painful, depending on the person.

• suppressants are only obtainable for different sub-genders with a doctor’s permission as suppressants can cause a wide range of symptoms depending on brand and you ‘need’ a valid reason for it. depending on if i feel like making it reflect the real world and have like. prejudice against women/omegas—its hard for omegas to obtain them without valid reasoning unless they are in a public highschool or a position where NOT having suppressants would be inappropriate for others around them

• scent-patches are so so so much easier to get; you can get them in a store for like five bucks or get a free one at a clinic.

• pregnancy… i HATE hate hate having to say this but DEPENDING on my mood this goes several different ways: 1) you present at a mid-late teen range and your body physically starts to change (which is painful and horrific) to accommodate your sub-gender aka growing ovaries, a reproductive system made for carrying babies, developing sperm to impregnate, etc; 2) everyone is intersex and after presenting either your ovaries stop producing eggs or sperm is no longer viable; 3) you just. know at birth. and it’s a waiting game for when someone gets a heat or a rut. like u alr KNOW but scents have come in and it’s like a ticking time bomb of “when?” and not what.

• i don’t want to think of a girl suddenly developing a penis, magically, after presenting as an alpha. not only have i spent years avoiding that tag but i refuse to think about it—i feel like not only would it cause gender dysphoria but it would be jarring. for the sake of this AU let’s just say it’s whatever you want it to be. girl develops penis randomly and starts wanting to bite things? christmas miracle. boy develops vagina randomly in the middle of class two days after presenting? none of my business. for fantasy purposes i like to imagine you can choose. like a video game.

• while i think it makes sense for there to be more betas than alphas/omegas, i really do think, (mostly in the context of my personal opinion if this is somewhat emulating the real world) it makes sense for there to have been way more alphas and a slow decline of them and betas/omegas start to increase while alphas slowly decrease in population. (like how in america white people made up most of the population after the genocide of native americans, even with bringing in slaves and various other races/nationalities coming in; nowadays white populations are declining)

• male omegas aren’t really rarities? it’s normal. that being said i think homophobia or transphobia in an a/b/o fic is stupid like?? in relation to main genders it’s rlly rlly stupid😭 i don’t know how a trans-sub gender rlly works(?) never read that trope but ive heard of it(?) i assume it’s not bad so lets say that exists too.

• betas can scent/smell scents and aren’t regulated to the whole ‘calm, peace keeper’ they just don’t register as an immediate threat and that’s it. the lack of truly noticeable scent from them at first glance is what makes them calming, nothing else. can often be leaders or in leader-positions.

• alphas are more likely to be aggressive but are overtly more. protective(?) definitely not outright angry and intolerable but per humanity there’s obviously terrible alphas, and good ones. most of the world has alpha-dominated spaces.

• omegas naturally are incredibly fertile and typically speaking it is very rare for them to NOT get pregnant. absolutely not weak and thin and curvy and all that shit because why can’t omegas have muscles and different body types🤨 why do you want omegas to be overtly feminine so bad🤨 i’m looking at you, weird bnha soft boy/uwu izuku people… you guys are Odd. some omegas are short but that’s just. some. the only thing i can think of is like? wide hips? but that’s just bc genetically wide hips/gynecoid pelvis is great for giving birth.

all genders have a wide range of scents. oh! speaking of:

• scents change depending on person. not every person smells the same person you do in the same way. there will always be key differences.

OR many people have the same scent as each other. regardless of family relation or not. there’s only so many scents in the world, obviously there will be crossover. scents also change as you grow. maybe soft/milk-like as a child, a faint smell of whatever you present as that grows in intensity as you get older. or the opposite, intense from your late teens to early-thirties (prime child-bearing years) and then decreasing in intensity after that.

but i prefer the first option makes sense that depending on compatibility you smell a certain scent. like amortentia from harry potter! you don’t necessarily smell the scent of the person you’re attracted to but rather a different variety or a pleasant mixture of smells that attract you/you like. like lavender and honey and rain. things like that!

• claiming bites are temporary and last for almost a year depending on placement and how deep it was. can/can not be romantic, but usually romantic. not frowned upon because it’s common in teen relationships. kinda like a promise ring(?) but one that fades and can be renewed. doesn’t leave a scar either.

• mating bites are mostly romantic. typically on shoulder for visibility although there is evidence of many doing it around the lower arms which is frowned upon because its way more dangerous to do a deep bite in the wrist with all those important veins versus a shoulder with much more flesh/less nerve endings. neck is traditional but like. really old school.

• that command thing alphas do? hate that shit. OMEGAS hate that shit. BETAS hate that shit. it’s seen as one of those icks that a good portion of people hate even if many betas or alphas or omegas don’t see it as bad. but I DO therefore all rational characters i write will too. like?? fdym you can COMMAND ME TO DO ANYTHING AND I HAVE TO LISTEN??? you are Out of your goddamn mind.

• purrs and chirps and allat? i think that’s cute asf and i’m keeping it with an add-on that betas do it too and it’s a comfort thing. shit is adorable.

i’ve never written these in-depth a/b/o verse ideas before but none of these ideas are like. original. i’m sure if you search blindly you’ll find like 1k fics that include all of the above requirements/HC/tropes.

[atopvisenyashill]

tbh i think it would have made more sense, if they wanted to racebend without breaking/severely fucking with the backstories of the characters (and maybe even adding a new, interesting layer), they should have racebend a host of characters to be DORNISH. the show runners talk a big game about doing what got didn’t but one of got’s first Adaptation Sins was completely cutting Dorne out of the plot. Messing with Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, killing Doran, cutting Arianne and Aegon, giving us some nameless distant Martell cousin as the sole Dornish voice at the end…cutting Arianne and Aegon alone completely screwed the last few seasons but you can chart the downfall of the series by how Dorne is written (we literally all remember bad pussy)! Of course, it seems like “doing what got didn’t” doesn’t include Dorne at all which is a huge indictment of how thoroughly they misunderstand the books and how haphazardly they decided to racebend.

Here are the characters it makes sense to racebend (heavy emphasis on being Dornish, obviously):

Marilda of Hull (“daughter of a shipwright” could be from anywhere) and therefore Addam and Alyn as well.

Actually gone into Criston Cole’s Dornish background and ancestry; this man is essentially fighting to preserve ANDAL law and not Dornish/Rhoynar law and he’s clearly internalized all the madonna/whore complex nonsense that the Faith has about women, he clearly feels some type of way about queer people, but there’s no discussion of how being from Dorne is so at odds with his worldview?? Racebending because the actor is a man of color is a great idea but the way they did it just completely divorces him from his Dornish background so completely he may well have been from the Free Cities instead.

Joffrey Lonmouth should be Dornish specifically as a way of forcing a conversation about Criston's worldview and how it compares to the typical Dornish worldview.

Qarl should also be a MoC, he’s low birth and from the Crownlands, it would be so easy to make his parents merchant class from Essos that married a landed knight or impoverished house (like Serenei of Lys and Sybell Spicer).

Qoren Martell was involved in the Stepstones War, it would b eso easy to include him. Viserys thought of betrothing Qoren and Rhaenyra briefly, show us that and Qoren’s reaction to the idea.

Retcon the Cargylls into being a Stony Dornish house and they (like Cole) decided they might rise to better heights in KL instead of Sunspear. they literally only show up at one (1) other point and they’re extinct in the modern day anyway so its a retcon that doesn't impact a lot of other houses but does add an interesting element to their characters.

Illegitimate Characters - Alys Rivers, Sara Snow, and Gaemon Palehair - are also absolutely perfect for racebending. Gaemon's mother, Lady Essie, could have been either mixed Dornish or Essosi/Summer Islander. Sara and Alys could be anything at all!

**technically Corlys Velaryon and his mother & grandmother, since he doesn’t have a canon mother (Dornish would be interesting considering his involvement in the Stepstones War, but also the Summer Islands are right there, there’s nothing stopping Corwyn and Daemon Velaryon from marrying some rich noble Summer Islander while seafaring), which would make Corlys biracial, and Laena & Laenor mixed race, so they could have a PoC right away in the main cast without the “we race bent all the Velaryons except not Alyssa, you know, the one that is actually related to the main Targaryen line? yeah she’s white” thing.

i mean they did racebend Mysaria so good job i guess, you got the easiest one here to do right

This way you get main characters as PoC, but it’s not this really bad, clear gimmick bc they completely ignore that Alyssa, and therefore the entire Targaryen line (except maybe Rhaenyra, Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron) should be visibly mixed race! they get to have the cool aesthetic choices of Corlys and his kids having white hair so they could flex their new budget with a plethora of Targaryen wigs while not ignoring and fucking with their own canon. The only main house that could be wholesale racebent without screwing up the entire thing is House Strong, because they only interact with Rhaenyra (as in, we have no record of them marrying into another house like we do the Velaryons) and they're extinct in the main timeline so it doesn't matter in the long run what they look like.

BUT - you just can’t make any of the Valyrian houses (except maybe the Celtigars lmao) or Andal houses PoC without drastically changing the dynamics of Westeros as well as what the other ruling houses look like, because these people are deeply inbred even excluding Targ brother-sister fuckery. And At This Point In Time, you can’t really change any of the First Men into PoC either. So that means extinct houses (like the Cargylls) and non noble characters.

But the great thing about GRRM, ASOIAF, and this world as a whole is that George is not interested in telling a story from the perspective of “insiders” but “outsiders” - the bastards, cripples, and broken things. There are a lot of these types of characters in this story and if they had race bent them, and actually thought about the effects of that, even on a subtextual level, they might have been able to tell the rich story they wanted. Instead, they just went for what’s coolest.