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

[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

[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.

[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. 

[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!

[ubejamjar]

Nahri Sohl (Non-WoL)

"It is not my preference to see to matters personally, but I will see them done." [Overwatch, Moira O'Deorain]

B A S I C S

Name Nahri Sohl Nicknames Nahri does not suffer nicknames, you will address her properly or you will not address her at all. Age Somewhere in her 40s, maybe 44 or 45. Nameday I haven't decided, but she is most certainly a summer child Race Hellsguard Roegadyn (As far as she is aware) Gender Genderfluid Orientation Lesbian Profession Proprietress of the White Alyssum entertainment hall; aspiring member of the Syndicate; Teledji Adeledji’s personal demon; blackmail (it's a very lucrative business)

P H Y S I C A L   A S P E C T S

Hair Black as coal and always kept short, always mussed like she just rolled out of someone's bed. Eyes Pale blue Skin: Deep bronze Tattoos/Scars: Nahri has horrible slashing scars covering up a tattoo on one of her wrists. The image is indiscernible beneath the gnarled flesh. She does not speak of it, everyone knows better than to ask.

F A M I L Y

Parents Shining Sapphire A wealthy Ala Mhigan merchant and otherworldly beauty. She was ruthless and over-ambitious, and she drew attention from the wrong people, which got her killed. Ambiguously Important Father A Roe or maybe Hyur who might've had a very distant claim to the Ala Mhigan throne. He was killed in one of King Theodoric's purges. Nahri never knew him. She's probably looking into it though, just in case she has claim to Ala Mhigo herself. Siblings: Elle de Marinterre - Older half-sister Nahri knows of Elle but has never met her. Allegedly Elle "stinks of human decency". Elle would try to build a relationship with her sister, but Nahri would never cooperate. She is a botanist. Grandparents: Dead, most definitely dead. In-laws and Other: Miray: An Ul’dah woman with dark hair, bronze skin, a voice like summer rain. She drinks her coffee hot without cream because she says it tastes like sunlight in the desert. She left Nahri after finding out how she was making her fortune (spoiler: it was very illegal). Ajisai Kawanami : Nahri is only nice to her because the Warrior of Light is a capable tool and tools must be maintained else they lose their edge. Pets: I have a hard time imagining this woman having a pet. She's just too busy.

S K I L L S

Abilities: Thaumaturgy To survive in this world, one needs a competitive edge and a fireball seems like a very good place to start. She joined up with the Thaumaturge's Guild when she first arrived in Ul'dah, because if the Ul'dahns would not lift a finger to help her, then she would help herself. Nahri just loves to play with fire, it makes things so much more interesting.

Sleight of Hand Good fortune comes to those who know how to pluck it from well-off pockets. Nahri understands that one cannot make something of nothing and sometimes ‘something’ needs to be borrowed from those with too much. She is also good at card tricks and cutesy street magic that she is very proud of. In another life, she might’ve been an entertainer.

Business Sense Some people might call Nahri’s tactics theft or underhanded, but those people are beggars at the table.

Hobbies: Blackmail, drinking top shelf liquor, falling in love with every woman who reminds her even vaguely of Miray, reading cheesy romance novels, fencing, gambling, making new problems to avoid her personal problems

T R A I T S

Most Positive Trait: Altruism is something people would not associate with Nahri Sohl, but she does see to it that one's basic human needs are met. She does not care about your tragic backstory. She does care that you are starving and nobody is lifting a finger to help. She's very "give a man a fish, teach him to fish, and then leave him to sink or swim." Most Negative Trait: Ambition rolls off this woman like waves of heat in the desert air. She knows exactly what she wants and how she's going to get it. That's not inherently bad thing. It's just she's willing to "do away" with anyone who gets in her path. She'll find all your dirty secrets and she'll use them against you however she pleases. She’ll put you in the ground if that’s where you suit her.

L I K E S

Colors: Gold [the way it looked in Miray's hair], turquoise, deep brown, amber sunshine, red like desert rocks, white Smells: Fresh flatbread, sunshine on linen, hot coffee, the coconut sweetness of Miray’s perfume Textures: Silk, fur Drinks: Bitter coffee with a bite of lokum, fresh spring water, the licorice taste of arak

OTHER DETAILS

Smokes: Yes absolutely Drinks: If it's outrageously expensive, it's on the table Drugs: I want to say no, but honestly I feel like Nahri probably does lines of something in her office. If anyone wants to school me on Eorzean drugs, please do. Mount Issuance: She seldom leaves Ul'dah but when she does, she hires carriages, takes airships, and uses aetherytes. She doesn't usually go on journeys long enough to warrant having a mount. Been Arrested: A few times when she was first learning the dance of taking without permission.

tagged by the dear @ishgard ! Thank you!! :D

tagging (with much affection, trying to tag some friends I didn't tag in the last one. If you already been tagged then consider yourself double, triple, quadruple tagged and you get a smiley face sticker from me): @elliewiltarwyn @sailor-artemis @eorzeanflowers @lilbittymonster @flusteredracoons @laladventures @hinganskies @magitekbun @icehearts

[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.

--

[inkofamethyst]

October 12, 2024

Was overthinking the choice of image I wanted to use to represent my dnd character. Because like,,,,,, hhhhhh. This is all in my head (not in the bad-spirally-depressive way but just in the overthinking-drawing-connections-being-overly-mindful) I know, I know, but like. I wanted my character's image to be a black woman but without eurocentric features (ex. straight/wavy hair) or exoticized clothing and it needed to still fit the race and class (and personality/background!). I think that after searching for literally over two weeks off-and-on I've found a really cool image that fits a decent amount of my criteria, but it was not easy by any means.

And I say that this is overthinking because, especially in majority white spaces/activities, I sometimes feel the.. politics? of what it can mean to be the only or one of few poc black people in a space. And so it's not even that I try to go out of my way to overly-compensate and Be The Representation or whatever,, but I do find myself often considering how my engagement in the space could inform how others view other black people. I don't want it to seem like I'm putting this huge pressure on myself whenever I'm anywhere, it's just that I try to be mindful of the choices I make. And I don't always get it right, but I try to learn.

For instance. I will never criticize an HBCU in mixed company. That would be a bad look!! So in the context of dnd, I wanted an image that would put a black person in the aesthetic in a respectful way that would seem non-intrusive, since fantasy has a history of being an all-white aesthetic (at least among the heroes :/ ). So I wanted to be purposeful about my selection. It just took SO LONG. But pinterest came through as she so often does.

Essentially. TL;DR. I don't want to ever give anyone the impression that I am a "safe space" for anti-blackness. But I also don't want to have a "that's not okay" conversation and ruin a moment. So I consciously use subtle signals to prevent that.

I've been using the Saie illuminator as an imperfect dupe for the discontinued glamglow glowstarter and while I do need to find an actual moisturizer to mix it with I highkey love how it gives me that little extra shimmer in the morning without looking greasy or anything. The little sparkles also stay on my hands throughout the day :) little things, little things.

Tried learning the Beyonce Diva dancebreak combined tiktok choreo that's been making the rounds and it went just about as well as I'd expected :/ My photo-friend says I'm not believing in myself enough and he's absolutely correct. I just can't dance T.T And yet. I keep trying. Hhhhhhhh I should get back into a beginner class. I'd love to learn partner dancing. I'm far more likely to attend a ball than go to a club tbf.

Today I'm thankful that.. that all my rec letters are submitted and that I will have completed my fellowship app by this time next week. Actually I'd like to have it in by thursday tbh. It's close!!! Also thankful that the midterm I had this week was literally fine [edit, weeks later: I actually did so well hehe].

Two weeks to bar crawl. Might've gotten fabric for it today. Not the perfect blue, but tbh? Not overly pressed. This is halloween, not cosplay. Hope I got enough (preeeeetty sure I did). Will check one other fabric store to see if they have a better option. If so I'll use what I got today to test the construction of Wanda's minidress (I think I found fabric to use for the black but the store didn't? have? a red? knit??? bizarre.). Redesigned and completed the crochet bracers. Will only wear them if it's cold ofc. Need to think about hidden pockets. Maybe in the white sash/belt? Trickier for Wanda. Hm.

Notes to self: at least hold something in your hand at a party, you look like a doofus without anything. also when people are going out after a pregame, look the part like you're going out with them even if you aren't. you have the body; show a little skin. prude.

[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.

[wistfulcynic]

Harsh-Sounding and Potentially Unpopular Opinion Incoming. (lots of them, actually, brace yourselves.)

here it is: On the whole, people do not consider or relate to the experiences of others unless they are forced to. 

Now i am not saying that this makes any of us terrible people. Just that there is a natural inclination to assume that your way of doing things or of thinking about them is The Way and unless it is actively brought to your attention that this isn’t true, you just hang out in your own little solipsism forever. 

i think about this a LOT whenever i see discourse about, let’s say, just to choose a topic at random, racism in fandom. i think about it every time i see a white person say “bUt noT eVEryTHiNg iS aBouT RaCe.” Because they’re right. Not everything is about race. For them. 

It’s that “for them” that trips us up every time. 

(disclaimer: i am a white person raised in the USA. When i say white people/Black people/POC i’m talking about Americans.)

We white folks love to say that we don’t think about race. For us, that’s a kind of virtue signalling. “I’m so enlightened I don’t even think about race!” Give me plaudits now for i am a Good Person. But what we fail to understand is that Not Thinking About Race is only possible for us because white supremacy makes it so. Not Thinking About Race is a privilege we have because our race doesn’t inform every aspect of our lives. It doesn’t prevent us from getting jobs or educations, it doesn’t lead to us being followed around in stores or accused of crimes or shot just for existing in public. This isn’t virtue, it’s obliviousness. We don’t think about race because we don’t have to, because being white doesn’t affect our day-to-day lives and, ahem, on the whole people do not consider or relate to the experiences of others unless they are forced to. 

POC are forced to. (i’m basing this on what i’ve learned from POC talking about their experiences, please call me out if i get anything wrong). POC have to think about race all the time because it’s constantly shoved in their faces, by the lack of diverse representation in media, by the constant stream of news stories about Black people being killed for no reason at all, by their own daily experiences of microaggressions and injustices and downright tragedies. POC think about race because they don’t have the privilege of Not Thinking About It. 

All of this, when brought into the fandom environment, leads to a fundamental failure of communication and understanding. When a POC says “this thing is racist” and a white person immediately replies “but i wasn't even thinking about race!” both those things are true. Both those things are true but they are not. both. equally. valid. 

The POC spots the racism in the thing because they a) think about race by necessity and as a matter of course and b) have direct experiences of racism on which to draw. Whereas white people all too often spend their whole lives surrounded by other white people without any diverse viewpoints or experiences to force them to consider how others might see things. This leads to a whole lot of well-meaning white people who do and say racist things, not out of active racist intent but just by living as a privileged person in a racist society full of racist institutions and never actually thinking about whether their experiences of that society and those institutions are universal or not, or considering how it might feel to be deliberately oppressed, excluded, and unserved by that same society and those institutions. 

Again, this doesn’t mean that we are inherently bad people. It does mean that we are humans with human flaws that we need to be aware of in order to behave in ways that don’t cause harm to others. This is not easy. When you are raised to think in certain ways and do certain things and you know that there’s no malicious intent in any of it, it is harsh and jarring to hear someone tell you that those things are racist. It’s natural to want to defend yourself. It’s not, unfortunately, natural to think “actually maybe they have a point. Maybe they know something i don't. Maybe it’s something i need to understand if i’m going to have a fully informed opinion on this topic.” 

It’s not natural to think that but it is essential. We need to learn how to listen without defensiveness and how to decouple our actions from our beliefs about our character. It’s possible to do and say racist things without being a bad person, so long as when we are told that those things are racist we stop doing and saying them. Believe people when they tell you that what you’re doing harms them, and then don’t fucking do it anymore.

You think POC talk too much about racism? You want them to stop? This is how that gets done. It’s the only way that gets done. Arguing with them, trying to invalidate or silence them—that just takes your racism from “unintentional” to “actively fucking harmful.” That’s where it stops being an unintended consequence of your privilege and starts being a choice.

Listen to POC. Listen to them and do better and then maybe they won’t have so much racism to talk about. Then maybe we can all go back to enjoying our gay pirates in peace. 

Then. But not before.

[pumpumdemsugah]

“i've started to realize that the difference in their reaction to these two points is that they seem to sincerely believe on a fundamental level that being queer/trans racializes them, and especially does so that makes them analogous to Black people. so when they say "anti trans ideology is always racist", they're not necessarily saying that because they actually care about Black people, but because they think *they* are included as among those targeted by the racism.” saw this on twitter and made think of your points about how white queer people love using Black women’s dehumanisation as a gotcha and it feels incredibly precise. i bought into the whole “oh there’s kinship between Black women and trans women bc of beauty standards” for about ten minutes before I a) engaged my brain more seriously and b) noticed that Black trans women do not use our bodies as battering rams to break down gender. it’s not a coincidence that i don’t see Black people quote andrea long chu talking about how enslaved Black women were degendered so we shouldn’t have gender (this is a very ungenerous reading of that chapter but i fucking hated reading it so)

You can be as ungenerous with Andrea Chu as you like. Porn has clearly eroded the part of the brain where thinking should happen.

Exactly! Black trans women don't do this. The first time I saw a white trans woman talk about Black women and bone thickness, it was then and there I knew there was no kinship, or understanding because that behaviour would be impossible to do to someone you say is just like you. The mantras are clearly just performative nonsense to curry favour with us without the follow through or effort.

Many white people struggle to see humanity in Black people and often revert to civilised Vs savage dynamics when they claim solidarity or connection. They don't see equals or people but a simple crude opposite.

Everything I've seen white trans women say is transphobic, colonialist and creepy to say when it comes to talking about human bodies they do it to Black women. They bring up my foremothers with an "lol" as if they aren't talking about a person that lived. Even with how you see many white queer and white trans people talk about gender, even when they treat it as racialisation, it's obvious they view themselves at the top and Blackness as the worst thing you can be.

The more insecure the white trans woman is about beauty the more they love bringing up Black women. It's clear they're trying to make themselves feel better by essentially doing "they let the n*ggers be women" it's not sisterhood but contempt for Blackness. We're not people but dehumanisation given human form so they struggle to see how their behaviour is racist and cast misogynoir as what we are instead of a way we're oppressed. We are our oppression and nothing more.

The amount of masc Black women in spaces with these people who have said even though they're short, round faced and small, all these people who say they know better treat them as if they're 7ft tall. It's like the white person that clutches their bag when a Black person walks past and we're meant to pretend we don't see it as if the trans people that pay with their lives aren't largely poor, Black and in the sex industry not white suburbanites that don't leave their house.

Everyone understands when men say " they don't feel like a man " isn't a statement about traness or not being men but gender roles, expectations and being treated differently than everyone else but when Black women do it everyone ( including some Black women auditioning for America's/ Britain's etc next ally ) acts stupid and mass affirms the race essentialist idea of Black women.

If solidarity includes my othering so someone else can feel better about themselves, I don't want it. I don't do this shit for Black men who I'm actually related to so the expectation I'd do it for anyone white is crazy. One day they will have to address why so many of them repeat bio essentialism about Black women but considering how aggressive it got to get white gay men to stop their " I have an inner black woman" we're going to have to make people cry because I'm sick or the primary context enslaved Black women get brought up on social media now is for a white person to talk about their gender and not slavery.

So many of them struggle with the fact that even with our dehumanisation most Black women view ourselves as normal women and they don't. I wish I could remember which academic spoke about white people seeing Blackness as anti-social because that's part of it.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

8th June >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

The Immaculate Heart of Mary 

on

Saturday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time.

Saturday, Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the feria (Saturday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading 2 Timothy 4:1-8 I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; it is time for me to be gone.

Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching. The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths. Be careful always to choose the right course; be brave under trials; make the preaching of the Good News your life’s work, in thoroughgoing service. As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 70(71):8-9,14-17,22

R/ My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

My lips are filled with your praise, with your glory all the day long. Do not reject me now that I am old; when my strength fails do not forsake me.

R/ My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

But as for me, I will always hope and praise you more and more. My lips will tell of your justice and day by day of your help (though I can never tell it all).

R/ My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

I will declare the Lord’s mighty deeds proclaiming your justice, yours alone. O God, you have taught me from my youth and I proclaim your wonders still.

R/ My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

So I will give you thanks on the lyre for your faithful love, my God. To you will I sing with the harp, to you, the Holy One of Israel.

R/ My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 2:19

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!

(The following reading is proper to the memorial, and must be used even if you have otherwise chosen to use the ferial readings)

Gospel Luke 2:41-51 Mary stored up all these things in her heart.

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

The Immaculate Heart of Mary 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Saturday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Isaiah 61:9-11 I exult for joy in the Lord.

Their race will be famous throughout the nations, their descendants throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom the Lord has blessed.

‘I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels.

‘For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

My heart exults in the Lord. I find my strength in my God; my mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, from the dungheap he raises the poor to set him in the company of princes to give him a glorious throne. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, on them he has set the world.

R/ My heart exults in the Lord my Saviour.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Luke 2:19

Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who treasured the word of God and pondered it in her heart. Alleluia!

Gospel Luke 2:41-51 Mary stored up all these things in her heart.

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’ ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant. He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.