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

[cameronsbabydoll]

OBX CHARACTERS AS LANA DEL REY SONGS

a/n: this was a lot of fun!

RAFE CAMERON — “DEALER”

“i don’t wanna live, i don’t wanna give you nothing”

“why can’t you be good to me?”

rafe doesn’t know how to be loved, and he hates that it still matters to him. this song is spiraling, erratic, dissociative—just like his inner world. lana screams over jazzy breakdowns like she’s begging someone to save her, but she’s too far gone to be touched. that’s rafe. there’s no straight line between cause and effect in his pain. his mind runs like a broken record—father issues, white boy rage, unmedicated mental illness, unchecked privilege. “dealer” doesn’t follow rules. neither does rafe. the fact that the song is uncomfortable to listen to is part of its truth. you can’t love rafe without getting hurt.

the line “why can’t you be good to me?” feels so simple. but it’s not. it’s the child in him asking why nothing ever felt safe. why the people who claimed to love him used him. and it’s the adult in him blaming you for it. he wants you, but not in a way that’s survivable. he doesn’t know how to hold anything gently.

rafe doesn’t fall in love—he crashes into it, gun in hand.

JJ MAYBANK — “OFF TO THE RACES”

“light of my life, fire of my loins”

“he knows i’m wasted, facing time again at rikers island”

jj is the boy you can’t stop watching, even when you know you should look away. “off to the races” is glamorous and rotting all at once. it’s the chaos of loving someone destructive. jj is a product of violence and neglect, and he’s figured out how to make it funny. but it’s not funny. it’s tragic.

this song is manic and high—drugged up and dancing with a gun in your boot. the line “i need you like a baby when I hold you, like a druggie like I told you” captures jj’s entire worldview. love isn’t something you ease into. it’s something you crave, something that fills the hole where a parent should’ve been.

he’s a crash in slow motion. and he wants to be loved anyway.

JOHN B. ROUTLEDGE — “RIDE”

“i believe in the kindness of strangers / and when i’m at war with myself, i ride”

john b isn’t free—he’s drifting. the “ride” is a metaphor for grief, for survival, for clinging to the illusion that something better is out there. this song is heavy with romantic delusion—and that’s john b. he believes in the fairy tale. the girl. the chase. the surf. the magic. and it keeps him alive, even when everything he loves is gone.

his mom left. his dad died. his friends are his only anchor. but there’s a restlessness in him that never quiets. “ride” is about a girl who’s tired of being alive, but too addicted to the movement to stop. that’s john b’s sadness. he doesn’t have time to grieve—he’s always running.

he’s not wild because he’s reckless. he’s wild because he doesn’t know how to be still. if he stopped for a second, he’d drown in the loneliness. so he rides.

POPE HEYWARD — “HOPE IS A DANGEROUS THING FOR A WOMAN LIKE ME TO HAVE”

“i’ve been tearing around in my fucking nightgown / 24/7 sylvia plath”

pope is brilliant and burdened. he's the one who tries, who plans, who puts the weight of the world on his own shoulders. and this song is what happens when trying still isn’t enough. when your ambition becomes a cage. when being the good one gets you nowhere.

he’s angry, but it’s the quiet kind—the kind that festers. he feels too much. thinks too much. and no one sees how close he is to cracking.

he wants to believe he can change things. make a better world. love someone fully. be enough. but deep down, he’s terrified he was born to be forgotten. that his pain is invisible.

hope is the cruelest thing he owns—and he still won’t give it up.

KIARA CARRERA — “FUCKED MY WAY UP TO THE TOP”

“this is my show”

“lay me down tonight in my diamonds and pearls”

kiara hates being seen as a hypocrite. but she is a hypocrite, in the most human way. she rails against the kooks while living in a nice house. she lectures about right and wrong but falls for boys who burn down the rules. this song isn’t literal—it’s psychological. “fucked my way up to the top” is about weaponizing your femininity, your intelligence, your presence in a world that commodifies you anyway.

kiara has spent her whole life trying to prove she’s better than the system she’s in. but she also wants to win. she wants to be chosen.

this is a song about someone who’s been underestimated for too long. and now she’s turning the power imbalance back on you. it’s a love song, a threat, a confession. so is kiara.

SARAH CAMERON — “WILDFLOWER WILDFIRE”

“baby, i’ve been running on stardust, alone for so long”

“my father never stepped in / when his wife would rage at me”

sarah is the girl who everyone claims to adore, but no one truly knows. this song is about inherited trauma. about being raised in a house of glass where love is conditional, appearances are everything, and independence is punished. wildflower wildfire sounds soft—but it’s a eulogy for every version of yourself you had to bury just to survive.

sarah has always felt out of place. she’s the crown jewel of the cameron name, but all that money didn’t protect her from being used, silenced, manipulated. she wants to be wild—she craves realness, truth, freedom—but she doesn’t know if she’s allowed to have it.

she runs because no one ever stayed for her. not really. this song is what happens when you’re done pretending you’re not hurting, but you’re still too afraid to stop smiling.

CLEO — “BLACK BEAUTY”

“you have no room for light / love is lost on you”

cleo learned to stop expecting softness. this song is about loving someone who can’t love you back the way you need. it’s about finding strength in your solitude.

“i paint the house black, my wedding dress black too

she doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve—she protects it. cleo has known abandonment, betrayal, exploitation. “black beauty” is her internal monologue: how do you stay soft in a world that punishes vulnerability? how do you keep loving people who don’t know how to love you?

she’s not bitter. she’s tired.

BARRY — “CRUEL WORLD”

“got your bible and your gun”

barry doesn’t pretend to be good. he just wants to be in control. this song is greasy, sexy, and devastating—it’s about detaching from anything real because it never served you.

“it’s a cruel world / but I like it”

barry’s done hoping. done pleading. he lives in chaos and leans into it. he’s dangerous because he’s honest. he won’t lie and say he’s the good guy. he won’t lie and say he won’t hurt you. but that’s the trap—he still makes you want him anyway.

he doesn’t want redemption. he wants you to burn with him.

WHEEZIE CAMERON — “DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE’S A TUNNEL UNDER OCEAN BOULEVARD”

“don’t forget me”

wheezie is always watching from the sidelines. this song is about quiet grief. the kind that lives in your bones. she sees everything. hears the screaming. the lies. the violence. and she learns to make herself small.

“when’s it gonna be my turn?”

she doesn’t have a storyline. she has an ache. and this song is her voice in the dark, whispering, “i’m here. i matter.”

she’s the girl in the corner of the room who remembers every secret—but no one remembers her name.

ROSE CAMERON — “SAD GIRL”

“i’m a bad girl, i’m a sad girl, i’m a mad girl”

rose plays the part. she’s elegant. controlled. but bitter. “sad girl” is the voice of someone who gave up on being respected and learned to make power out of being desired.

she doesn’t believe in love. she believes in leverage. she’s not evil—she’s disappointed. this is the song she hums as she drinks wine while the family burns. she’s already accepted that no one will ever really love her. but they’ll fear her. and sometimes, that’s enough.

WARD CAMERON — “ULTRAVIOLENCE”

“he hit me and it felt like a kiss”

“he hurt me but it felt like true love”

ward was born at the bottom. we forget that. born a pogue, born poor, born knowing what it’s like to be disrespected, overlooked, humiliated. and he decided never again. he built an empire off the sweat of his own hands—but when he got power, he didn’t use it to uplift anyone else. he used it to punish. to dominate. to control.

this song—“ultraviolence”—isn’t just about physical abuse. it’s about love that masks itself in power. about worship, control, emotional dependence. about making someone believe your cruelty is devotion. that’s ward.

“he’s ultraviolence / ultraviolence”

he thinks he’s protecting his family. but in truth, he’s protecting his legacy. his name. his pride. ward doesn't want love that’s soft or equal—he wants obedience. loyalty. loyalty at all costs.

“he used to call me poison / like i was poison ivy”

ward is the poison. he destroys what he touches, but he makes it look like a blessing. you should be grateful, he tells them. look what I gave you. look where you are because of me.

he raised sarah like a doll. kept rose like an ornament. tried to mold rafe into a carbon copy of his own ambition—and when he couldn’t, he let him rot.

but here’s the tragedy:

ward thinks he earned the right to control everyone. because no one gave him anything. and he resents the hell out of the world for making him into the man who could survive it.

the orchestration of “ultraviolence” is haunting, twisted, beautiful. just like ward. expensive suits. violent hands. a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. everything about him is performance. everything about him is fear wearing a tuxedo.

and worst of all?

he still thinks he’s the hero.

[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.

[titforatat]

Naw, I can’t believe some people don’t find Mary compelling… you can criticize her character for a lot of things, but NOT BEING COMPELLING?

I knew what I’d find pursuing Mary discourse online, but Lord, there’s nothing I hate more than seeing a female character get the “people say they want complex female characters but can’t even handle [insert]” treatment. 😭

She’s honestly one of the most fascinating characters in the movie. As a white passing woman, she gets to enjoy white privilege. However, the cost is that she has to sacrifice her mixed race identity to fully integrate into white culture, which you can see her struggle with. Being white means she can’t be with Stack, can’t maintain her childhood friendships with the black/non-white people she grew up with, can’t even go to black spaces to listen to the blues. Everything she was raised with, everything that compiles together to become the core pillars of her identity, has to be swept under the rug in her pursuit of safety. A pursuit that isn’t even of her own doing! I think it’s such a key detail that we first meet Mary almost immediately after the death of her mother, her non-white parent. She’s teetering on the edge of assimilation, has lost the final concrete thread of black heritage connecting her to her mixed race identity… and then BOOM. There’s Stack and the blues. Is it any wonder that she clings to him? Yes, she loves him, but that love is also completely tied up in their history together, a past where Mary was able to exist as she is and embrace all parts of her heritage without having to pretend to be something she’s not. For Mary, being white means living with a level of comfort and safety that black women were NOT afforded in America during that time period. However, it also means living a lie, which Mary obviously has zero interest in doing.

BUT what makes her EVEN MORE fascinating to me is how you can read in that very attitude exactly HOW much she’s benefited from her white privilege! She’s stubborn to the point of obstinacy, throws herself into situations without any forethought, walks around with a surety in every ounce of her body language that immediately identifies her as someone who’s NEVER had to worry about being targeted for violence like other black characters do. Annie is her perfect foil - someone who has been forced to live in the world cautiously, to accept pain with an aching type of futility that comes from knowing exactly how unfair the world is and exactly how little power she has to do anything about it. I think Annie’s quiet strength is such a beautiful foil to Mary’s passionate rebellion - a type of rebelliousness she’s been allowed to cultivate ONLY because she LOOKS WHITE! The layers here are so interesting.

I love her character because of how well she embodies both sides of this struggle. She never asked to be born white passing, but she IS, and no matter how connected she is to her black heritage, she’ll never NOT benefit from it because it’s the first thing about her that people see. Other women in that period would kill for what she has, but she wants nothing more than to throw it all away to be with the man she loves. It’s tragic and it fits SO WELL with the message Sinners is bringing to the table by having Remmick as the primary antagonist, a white Irish immigrant who also balances that weird line of “white-but-not-really” during the time.

Plus, Hailee Steinfeld and Michael B. Jordan have fantastic chemistry and absolutely nail these roles.

How are you watching them UNCOMPELLED? 😭

[creatingblackcharacters]

For a few years now, since I became aware of the concept, I've tried to impress upon my white friends that the culture-less state of being American whiteness relies on is A, a sad way to live; B, something that can and does lead to harm, including but not limited to cultural appropriation, and especially at the expense of Black people and culture; and C, something that is in their interest to try to escape from without performing said harm.

This has been a somewhat difficult idea to explain, but Sinners does it so flawlessly. It really gives white viewers the tools they need to understand not only that this type of harm exists, but also that they are quite capable of it. I'm often the friend who has to take people aside and be like, "heyy, you actually do capitalize the first letter of Indigenous, yes even in this context," and movies like Sinners make that kind of work so much easier.

This is not to say it is the responsibility of movies and such to educate audiences in this way of course, but when such a piece does come around, it can be a lot more accessible and thus more effective than, say, a textbook. To that end, do you know any other media that do a similar job of giving audiences the tools to make race and racism easier (if not less heavy or painful) to talk about?

Thank you for your help, and for running another accessible resource for learning about this stuff! I really appreciate what you do here.

Btw, while I am in your inbox--do you have any other media you want to hype up, whether or not they have to do with the topic at hand?

There is plenty of media about real world figures suffering under the violence of racism- Malcolm X, Fruitvale Station, When They See Us, Jasper, TX, 12 Years a Slave, Selma. None of those things are "easier" watches, but it does put the brutality in your face. I'm not sure how you could watch them and not get it. There are also documentaries- look up documentaries of the Black experience! Grass is Greener, Stamped, 13th, I Am Not Your Negro, LA 92.

I am averse to saying that fiction movies would necessarily make it easier or more accessible than a documentary telling you the facts straight up. Because even for Sinners, the movie didn't give you the tools, it gave you the symbolism- if you lacked the tools walking in (media comprehension and the base understanding of antiblackness and manifestations of white racism), then no, you didn't understand the movie- and a LOT of people have shown that they did not understand Sinners!

I will say that I have mixed feelings about this. A lot of Black people are very tired of Black trauma movies. Now, I do think it's important to recognize the violence in our history- it is CLEAR that we need to know and remember these things, to show that they happened and that we saw them! But I understand their frustration when it comes to questions like yours, where you want people to understand racism through being- and I hate to say it this way- entertained by our suffering. Because it's like... How many of these movies do we have to make, where we bleed and suffer and die on screen, and y'all still don't do anything after watching it? Why do you have to see fictional people suffering to understand, when the real ones don't move you? Why does it take a movie to enforce our humanity?

That's why you can show them these movies, but if they're not willing to watch the documentaries or do the reading, their efforts at antiracism will only go so far. Make sure you tell them that last bit I said, because it's something y'all need to think about.

[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!

[eddieydewr]

since you seem very interested in this topic, the actual problem with Ryan Guzman is this:

a) he constantly talks about how much he loves his culture but when ICE comes to kidnap his fellow Mexicanos he stays completely silent. the man has 1.2 million social media followers-- he could actually make a difference by sharing critical information. hell, even Kim Kardashian and Joe Rogan managed to make a statement against ICE's actions. Meanwhile Ryan is busy posting thirst traps.

b) not long ago he went on a known incel podcast and shared dangerous gender essentialist ideology and referred to the very well-known case of Conor McGregor's horrifically violent rape as a man "stepping out on his wife." he also recently liked an IG reel criticizing the feminization of men's fashion. he's pretty clearly swallowed the red pill.

c) he bragged about using slurs and only issued a half-assed apology when he was basically forced to. then there was the posting holocaust anti-vax conspiracy memes during the pandemic...

d) he's living in a city where 90% of his colleagues in Hollywood are out of work right now. a lot of them lost their homes to the wildfires. so in that context, it is objectively offensive and dumb AF to complain about a job pretty much any actor would kill to have.

As a first gen latina, I legit cannot stand this man. He uses our culture only when it's convenient to him then hides behind it when he acts like a fool.

I hope you post this because if you wanted a real convo, I'm here for it.

yes, i’m aware why people dislike ryan. i just disagree with most of their reasoning! but that’s rly none of my concern, lol. i just don’t get what this message has to do with what i posted? it’s just funny. i’m not asking anyone why they dislike the man. only that it’s interesting how they keep up with non-911 related content whether it’s on purpose or not. they’re letting themselves be upset over something they can control. just stop looking at him, stop assuming the worst when he says something. i don’t like looking at rg criticism so i don’t go looking for it. i’m only aware this time because a friend mentioned something. most of the time, i ignore it because at the end of the day, it’s nothing to get upset over. i made an exception this time only because it’s funny and clearly untrue (re. phoning it in part).

but since you’re up for a real convo;

a) he is an actor, not a politician or activist. he is allowed to appreciate his culture without virtue signalling online to prove he actually cares. we know ostark is vegan without him shoving it down our throats every single time to appease any radical vegans who may be tracking his socials like a hawk. it’s a metaphor! the vegans aren’t actually hawks! no hawks were harmed in the making of this post. ryan can’t even say he’s white or latino, or feel like he’s mixed race without people getting mad or deciding for him. just look at the comments.

kim kardashian just passed the bar, didn’t she? and she’d been involved with legal cases for years now. i’m not surprised she said something or whatever, i don’t pay attention to her. you don’t know what ryan is doing offline. lack of online activity about a certain thing ≠ inactivity irl. if ryan shared something from joe rogan, you’d be tearing him to shreds. doesn’t matter if joe rogan posted something righteous or relevant. man can’t even talk about men’s mental health without criticism even though it’s one of the biggest things he cares about, it’s not new and has nothing to do with his “incel rhetoric”.

b) “known incel podcast” lol isn’t it run by a young woman with tradwife ideals? yeah, that was a strange podcast but it’s clear to me ryan was an outlier as a guest compared to other men she’s had on the podcast. ryan not mentioning the rape doesn’t make him a rape apologist. maybe it’s just not a good idea to publicly speak on a legal case? esp when it wasn’t rly relevant to the line of questioning. he mentioned mcgregor due to his association with mma, one of ryan’s main interests. mcgregor would be a notable example in this case. and the fact is, he DID step out on his wife. it is historically known he’s a serial cheater, lmfao. i’m sorry he didn’t go into gory details about what he did in the one instance where he cheated on his wife by brutally assaulting another woman.

no idea what reel you’re talking about but i’m sure you’ve taken it out of context too. maybe clothes shouldn’t be gendered at all??? i doubt red pillers would’ve taken the whole “babygirl” thing for buzzfeed in stride like ryan did, acknowledging that he (eddie) is indeed a lucky wife and thanked oliver (buck) for taking such good care of him. alright babygirl. show me an incel choking on the red pill who would lean into the bit and have fun with it. show me a toxic straight bro who would seem bemused and endeared by his male coworker’s insistence that he indeed has a slutty waist, even got a “little thing going on”. hourglass gesture and all. ah, the epitome of masculinity.

c) RAAAAHHHHH. i get that 5 years isn’t very long in the grand scheme of things, but 2020 feels like a lifetime ago (and simultaneously like yesterday. i get it!). however, a lot has happened since lockdown. people in LA are going through a very different crisis right now, we know this. they’ve had several different crisises and faced several tensions since the pandemic and george floyd’s murder, the latter which prompted the scandal concerning ryan’s wife at the time. do i need to explain why the whole thing is weird, on the fans’ part? it’s not like the incident happened in a vacuum. it’s not like ryan randomly went on insta live and proudly stated he and his friends say slurs against each other and don’t get butthurt about it. he fucked up, i’m not denying that. but he put his hands up and owned it (satisfactorily or not), even though he wasn’t directly involved, and moved on.

the whole anti vax thing is a bit of a reach, imo. the antisemitism angle too. he got the vaccine. he’s allowed to be critical at the same time. i’m not american but i still had my concerns re. the vaccine (does it work, isn’t it too soon, what are the risks?) even though i intended to be fully vaxxed, and i am. having questions doesn’t make you a bad person. maybe he shouldn’t have shared the posts but that’s over and done with, and he never elaborated.

imo, you’re stuck on the version of ryan from when he wasn’t at his best. he’s literally just a man who makes mistakes and he learns from his mistakes. he’s not an irreedemable piece of shit but tbh, that’s my perspective and i’m not here to convince you to change your mind.

d) sigh. this is ryan we’re talking about. he knows how lucky he is. and acknowledges it often (even though some of you will say he’s not sincere. he’s damned either way). but like most people, he’s allowed to complain about his job. which isn’t something he does often, mind you. the work environment on 911 isn’t even a secret. he has a great work ethic, he likely got it from his father and grandfather. he’s constantly networking and prior to 911, he was consistently working in between movie roles and small tv roles.

re. the podcast, it was more of a criticism towards himself for not having the confidence as an actor at the time (season 3), admitting that he half assed it because the end result wasn’t going to show up anyway. i can see where he’s coming from, he likely wasn’t used to being a main cast member on network tv, especially for a ryan murphy production. it’s a big adjustment from being a lead/decent part in a movie once every 2 years(??) to filming for a network procedural. not in terms of success but the work environment, work hours and such. the process is different. and his mental health was in the shitter at the time, like no wonder he was despondent and felt like he didn’t contribute anything to the show until kenny reached out.

sorry this got long. but if you read all of this, i appreciate it — even though none of this has anything to do with what i posted, lol. you don’t like him, that’s fine. if you seek out his content on purpose, don’t do that. be kind to yourself instead. sincerely.

[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 someone they approved came up with 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 be able to do shit AND for the men to even try to speak over her or dismiss her. Nor would Rhaenyra;s 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 Hugh 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. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[jellybeanium124]

I just wanted to say that it sucks so bad that so many of us were completely taken advantage of but it’s not your fault for not picking up on things that seem obvious in hindsight. knowing what I know now the phd stuff, etc., seems so suspect, but before I KNEW it was fake it didn’t raise questions for me because why would you question what a friend told you, even if they don’t give lots of details? it’s not your fault for trusting someone who positioned himself as trustworthy, especially since he did so much of that by claiming marginalized identities that forged connections among the small number of people in the fandom who share those identities. it’s deeply hurtful, but that’s on him and not on you for trusting someone who seemed genuine.

thank you. yeah I don't know anything about getting a phd so I don't feel so bad for not picking up on the tells there. I'd rather jump in a big pile of horse dung than get a phd.

he always came off so like, levelheaded and smart. when he was writing a serious post it looked good. I've been worrying lately about what misinformation he might have fed me. was what he said about history and pirates true at all? was it just ripped from wikipedia and other websites?

when he sensitivity read my fics, particularly when it came to how ed being a person of color affected the story (I'm less worried about the things he said about being trans bc afaik he was being honest about that)... what did he say wrong? did I write something offensive and incorrect without realizing it? did nobody say anything because they didn't want to offend me? I can't blame anyone for not telling me because we all know how white people tend to react to being told "hey you did something racist" but now I've got these fics with his fucking fingerprints on them and idk if they're ok. I recommended him as a sensitivity reader to someone I was beta reading for!! (not asking for anyone to like, do anything for me now, the fics are out there, idk, idk what the right thing to do is now, I did take his name off of them tho)

I guess the real worst part is is that I don't know how to change. I made a mistake, and that's ok, but I was taught that you're supposed to learn from mistakes and not make them again. but atticus isn't the first time I've misjudged someone and missed red flags. it's happened irl loads of times on smaller scales, because, like, well, these were people I met in person. they couldn't race fake. but atticus isn't the first time I've missed the signs that someone is lying/bad and I know he won't be the last. I don't know how to learn and change and grow. I don't want to keep making this same mistake over and over and over. in high school I missed that someone had Bad Vibes and was running a terf twitter account. I've missed multiple coworkers Bad Vibes. I do not have an internal vibe checker so my options are a) trust people or b) trust no one. and I don't know where to get a vibe checker from because I don't want to trust no one.

does anyone have any advice??????

[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. 

[achy-boo]

Jakari Ato Anansi

The mentally checked out 2nd Year of Savanclaw has seen things that he wouldn’t wish on anyone else…

╭──・ Basic Information

Name: Jakari Ato Anansi

Romaji: Anansi Ato Jakari

Quote:

"I am sleepy. Why does the night last longer on certain seasons?"

"My bloodlust will not be satisfied...until I found the ones who ruined my life.."

"I still passed even if I am sleeping...nothing new here.."

V/A: Daman Mills(EN) and Kenjiro Tsuda(JP)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: He is too mentally check out to date anyone

Age: 17

Birthday: May 19th

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Eye color: Gold

Hair Color: Dark Brown with white ends

Height: 5'8.5

Weight: 145lbs

Race: Beastman(Leopard)

Homeland: Sunset Savanna

Family: Murdered by Human hunters(Orphan at 12 yrd old)

╭──・ School Information

School Status and Fun Fact

Dorm: Savanclaw

School Year: 2nd

Class: 2-B

Student Number: No.28

Occupation: None

Club: Spelldrive Club

Best Subject: History

╭──・ Interests

Favorite Color: Gold, Forest Green, Midnight Blue, Magenta and pastel colors(mainly Blue, Pink and Purple)

Favorite Food: Anything really

Least Favorite Food: Rare meat

Likes: Nighttime, sleeping, sweet/savory food, cooking/baking, tea and coffee, his violin that his mom got him, walking around during night time, school(mostly), studying

Dislikes: Daytime, remembering his past, April 28th, loud noises/yelling, being interrupted from his sleep, bitter food, non-seasoning food, being called a pup(due to a childhood trauma), flying class

Hobbies: Sewning, sleeping(obviously), dancing, singing(good luck catching him), and cooking/baking

Talents:

Nighttime vision

Silent walking

Skilled with hand to hand combat/ weapons

Speed(Faster than Jack)

Camouflage

Park core(he can be seen on top of large tree)

╭──・ Other information

Nicknames: Jaka(Ruggie), Child of Murder(Malleus), Little hunter(Lilia), Jakari(everyone), Leona's little 'brother'(Grim)

Other nicknames: The nighttime hunter of Sunset Savanna, The Orphan of Death

Appearance and Personality:

Appearance:

♡ Jakari is an 5'8.5 ft tall man with dark brown hair with white ends, golden eyes. Jakari have marks over his eyes, a dark crescent moon tattoo with scars on his face due to an incident. He wears a standard Savanclaw uniform but in school/class, he wears a dark jacket, black skin tight sleeveless

Personality:

♡ Jakari is an interesting case in NRC. He is mentally closed off/check out from anyone which makes getting to know him difficult because he is an closed book. He is mostly polite but never speaks very often. He is very attentive even without knowing. He is studious and academically intelligently gifted just rarely use it. During daytime, he is mostly lazy but focus on education but during the nighttime, he is in hunting mode through he is cunning and sly because he like to scared people. He used to show love and kindness to humans but after what happened to him and his family, he had a deep distrust towards humans…not wanting to be like them.

Trivia:

Witnessed and only survivor of his family

Lazy during the day, Alert at nighttime

Nighttime hunter

Join Spelldrive club just to ease his mind

One of his ears is more numb

Mentally checked out due to trauma

High spice and pain tolerance

Friends with Malleus and Lilia(Much to Leona's dismay)

Suffered from selective mutism

Can turn into a leopard willingly

His voice is rough and deep due to not talking for a while

✶ Unique Magic

⟡Name: Dusk Hunger(JP) Midnight Feast(EN)

⟡Chant: “Run into the dark forest, let us see if you can outrun my hunger…Dusk Hunger/Midnight Feast”

⟡Description: The person who cast the spell will go into a feral frenzy to harvest, this could result with souls but also consuming someone mana level to increase their own. This will have a more massive effect at night

"Hmmm...You look tasty. Oh don't say that besides...I eat someone and he is delicious." - Jakari to Yuuken

[sobuildabeautifulcity]

i went on twt for the first time in a while tonight (wanted to put smth up for a friend to hopefully see) and scrolled for a minute. oh boy. apparently theres a whole new discourse in the fandom i was vaguely on the fringes of. and i have seen so many people reacting so... extremely & in bad faith to something that i just kinda want to yell about it. it has, not for the first time, reminded me why i steer well clear of fandom spaces like that. it's even soured me a bit about my other blog.

so, r w r b. the book is getting a limited edition printing from some company idk the ins and outs of it. the author put up a post with the artwork on and people were - understandably - upset that the art seemed to have whitewashed the half-mexican character. that's totally reasonable, its not my wheelhouse but it's understandable that whitewashing a character whose story arc involves his race heavily would be something to call out.

so people commented their distaste for it, and then got themselves worked up over on twt. and by that i mean deciding that the author (white) obviously didn't care about the characters race being presented accurately and so obviously they are racist and a terrible person etc etc etc. they're leaving comments on the authors post & arguing within themselves that their comments are being deleted and censored. they are saying that obviously this is the author hiding from any criticism of their endorsement of the cover art. there occurs some misgendering of said author (non-binary, came out after book was initially published (&, imo, not entirely out of free choice)), because what is fandom without casual transphobia-as-punishment (i wish this was sarcastic but it seems all too normalised). demands both to author and on twt generally about them taking down the post (see, endorsing) and formally rebuking any whitewashing, publicly and with proper remorse (in the fans' opinion, not the authors/anyone else, to be clear).

today, the author releases a statement. it's a pretty good one imo. basically says • i hear you and i feel much the same. • i dont have a lot of control over this kind of thing, no author does. • ive been asking a lot of questions and trying to sort this behind the scences. and i wasnt able to comment openly. • heres an answer about one thing youre talking about, but wrt white washing - i dont know. i havent seen the printed copies but its not within my control anymore. • i was sent swatches and approved a non-whitewashing colour scheme. • any of my commissioned art (& this is the only canonical art) clearly shows character as a poc and it always will because that is how he lives in my head. • i also didnt delete ur comments and i left the post up so you would be able to have your voices heard while i was trying to fix stuff where i could. • i am going to archive it now because its not something i am happy to continue to promote.

basically they made it clear that theyve been working behind the scenes trying to get an answer about whats going on & have done everything in their power - which is limited, because authors dont have final say over everything! - to try and make them change it. theyve also listened & apologised, and let the people who were mad have their say on the post that was promoting it. sounds pretty much what you'd want from someone, no? haha. yeah no.

apparently, their post wasnt sincere enough - they 'sounded like they were most upset about people thinking they were deleting comments'. they also published it on their 'broadcast channel' on instagram which basically only shows up if you've joined it. they hadnt (at that point) posted the apology anywhere else, so obviously they were trying to hide it and downplay it - 'it shouldve been posted to their grid'. of course, a few minutes later it was posted on their story, but who cares about that.

honestly, to me, posting it in their broadcast channel was actually the best way to do it. stories disappear, theyre fleeting & while there are highlights it's not the same thing. posting it to the grid would open them up to issues, not only that if they are archiving the promo post this will be a streisand effect vibe & drive more people to find out what theyre on about. the broadcast channel is the second most permanent thing to the grid, yes its harder to find but its also not impossible to find. the apology will be aimed at the people raging about it and so they will see it. the authors statement will stay there indefinitely.

---

it's funny really, i went onto bluesky after to see if anyone was talking about it there - i don't get r w r b stuff there unless i seek it out - and the first post i ran into was from a poc talking about how it was a good apology & that people were acting in bad faith. they also made the point about the author being trans, and how everything being attacked at them needs to be viewed within that context. theres a lot of implicit transphobia within a lot of the arguments, with the undertone of well, theyre a white woman so..., and it's... frustrating. i dont particularly vibe with misgendering them there but you'll believe me when i say it was necessary for my point? and like i said, their coming out was post-being Known, and they are - wrongly - often misgendered via pronouns based on their appearence. so it is not something that i am outing.

but i honestly can't see what could have been better about the apology. they apologised, resolved what they could, and explained how they had tried to resolve the main issue but were limited in scope, and were now removing the offending promotion. they also reiterated that they are strongly opposed to both issues called into question. the only thing i can see as being misinterpretated - but only in bad faith, tbh - is their explaination of why they left the post up. but had they taken the post down silently, those people would have yelled their mouths off about censorship and who knows what. rock & a hard place, really. i think they chose the better option.

i genuinely don't think there was anything they could have done - within their real limitations - to resolve it well enough for this group. and it's all very mob like behaviours. the only thing i think they would be happy with is if the author changed the image. which is, as they said, out of their hands - try as they might, it won't be down to them it's changed. thats not possible by the bounds of their contract. they like to ignore that people are bound by things like contracts, as well as other limitations. its not just a free for all, they dont have all the control here - their agent probably doesnt even have all the control.

---

my low stakes conspiracy is that there are folks slying hiding in fandom who hate the author. and they are waiting for their chance, for the author to err, and to pounce. but not overtly, just a lot of promotion of hmm this is a bit... dodgy don't you think? and similar. just sowing the seeds, bringing up past things & just seeding this undercurrent. until enough people are whipped up into a fury and now more people hate the author, because these bad faith arguments are hard to untangle when you're in the midst of a storm.