#why have we as a society shifted from “protecting the people most affected is a collective responsibility

[nowendil]

whooooo having an anxiety attack about covid. again 👍

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

the thing is - pro prostitution activists (and people who agree with idea) usually never suggest their 'perfect system'. On average, they just scream 'it needs to be legalised and then everything will be great', sometimes you get few ideas on how to protect "sex workers". But you know what? Whenever I do see such discussions and their suggestions, I can easily come up with 3 different scenarios where their rules and laws won't work or just would/can be ignored and women would still be harmed. EVERY TIME. People did and do all kinds of shady stuff, even in highly regulated industries + cool phenomenon called 'corruption'. Do they really think men give a shit about law, especially those who don't see women as human beings (and its all of them)?

The pro 'sex work' discourse is just people using fancy words to state that they don't believe misogyny exists, women are exploited, but most importantly they believe that men's pleasure and need to masturbate (with woman body) are more important than women's feeling and right to be save.

i recently had a very frustrating and saddening exchange with a woman on here who is in prostitution and kept saying the same thing (it should be legal) over and over again and when i told her it is legal in germany and it has not made things better just shifted problems and increased demand she said well but its legal that is definitely better. and you know i myself dont advocate for prostituting oneself to be illegal at all, i think its crazy that 30 % of women incarcerated in the usa where its fully criminalised are prostitutes, but it seems like usual people are only able to grasp the two extremes: full legalisation or full criminalisation. when in reality, abolishing the sex industry is a lengthy and complex process, but you have to start somewhere.

they say, „you wont stop prostitution by criminalising/outlawing it“ but think they can somehow stop the harm of prostitution through legal means, lmao (which also ignores the inherent harm of bought consent compared to freely given consent and knowingly making someone endure sexual acts for money). there has to be a cultural and legal and economic shift and thats a lot. we have to alleviate poverty from women systematically affected by it (single mothers, immigrated women, mentally ill, disabled, addicted women, and so on); this means pulling out the roots of misogyny and we all know this is not in the works. the difference between them and us is, we think a different future is possible if the effort is put in, but they dont. which is so fucking bleak and tells you a lot about how women see their own position in society, and the chances of it getting better.

even if you dont criminalise buying sex, you could still make it more difficult to buy sex. „but then it will move back to the black market“ honey its already there, even here in germany where its legal. so much prostitution is happening invisible, in apartment buildings and deserted areas. we should work towards ways how to reach women in these situations without legalising their abuse. if there was a perfect solution that immediately solved all the issues, we would advocate for it, dont you think? but there is no perfect solution and just accepting men will always use their money to coerce sex is just not something im okay with and we, as a society claiming to want gender equality should be okay with.

why not reverse what we have in germany right now? instead of prostitutes needing to register, its sex buyers who have to register. they need to do regular health checkups. they need to carry their sex buyer id with them or they will get fined. the registry is public because wives, daughters, partners and even your employer should be able to make decisions based on the knowledge that that man is coercing women into sex with his money. most sex buyers are partnered you know. „the government will never do that“ well they sure as hell wont if nobody advocates for it and instead opts for the lazy, superficial „fix“ of legalisation? and also, they say an issue under criminalisation is that prostitutes and other „sex workers“ are hassled by cops. well do tell who will enforce those sacred regulations you want? if it was for them, everybody would just „mind their own business“ and the state does not interfere with the sex industry at all and they somehow think this will protect vulnerable groups?! it doesnt make any fucking sense.

it is really frustrating to me. at the end of the day you have to ask, what is your feminism, if you want to accept, regulate, institutionalise, normalise, legitimise and legalise this form of systemic sexual abuse (because using your money to coerce sexual acts IS abuse of power) at the hands of men instead of working towards a future where we are equal? there is no equality as long as the sex industry exists and profits off and reinforces social inequality, specifically misogyny and racism.

[no-passaran]

As environmental, social and humanitarian crises escalate, the world can no longer afford two things: first, the costs of economic inequality; and second, the rich. Between 2020 and 2022, the world’s most affluent 1% of people captured nearly twice as much of the new global wealth created as did the other 99% of individuals put together, and in 2019 they emitted as much carbon dioxide as the poorest two-thirds of humanity. In the decade to 2022, the world’s billionaires more than doubled their wealth, to almost US$12 trillion. The evidence gathered by social epidemiologists, including us, shows that large differences in income are a powerful social stressor that is increasingly rendering societies dysfunctional. For example, bigger gaps between rich and poor are accompanied by higher rates of homicide and imprisonment. They also correspond to more infant mortality, obesity, drug abuse and COVID-19 deaths, as well as higher rates of teenage pregnancy and lower levels of child well-being, social mobility and public trust. Bullying among schoolchildren is around six times as common in more-unequal countries. The homicide rate in the United States — the most unequal Western democracy — is more than 11 times that in Norway. Imprisonment rates are ten times as high, and infant mortality and obesity rates twice as high. These problems don’t just hit the poorest individuals, although the poorest are most badly affected. Even affluent people would enjoy a better quality of life if they lived in a country with a more equal distribution of wealth, similar to a Scandinavian nation. They might see improvements in their mental health and have a reduced chance of becoming victims of violence; their children might do better at school and be less likely to take dangerous drugs. The costs of inequality are also excruciatingly high for governments. For example, the Equality Trust, a charity based in London, estimated that the United Kingdom alone could save more than £100 billion ($126 billion) per year if it reduced its inequalities to the average of those in the five countries in the OECD that have the smallest income differentials — Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands. And that is considering just four areas: greater number of years lived in full health, better mental health, reduced homicide rates and lower imprisonment rates. Many commentators have drawn attention to the environmental need to limit economic growth and instead prioritize sustainability and well-being. Here we argue that tackling inequality is the foremost task of that transformation. Greater equality will reduce unhealthy and excess consumption, and will increase the solidarity and cohesion that are needed to make societies more adaptable in the face of climate and other emergencies. (...)

The scientific evidence is stark that reducing inequality is a fundamental precondition for addressing the environmental, health and social crises the world is facing. It’s essential that policymakers act quickly to reverse decades of rising inequality and curb the highest incomes. First, governments should choose progressive forms of taxation, which shift economic burdens from people with low incomes to those with high earnings, to reduce inequality and to pay for the infrastructure that the world needs to transition to carbon neutrality and sustainability. (...) International agreements to close tax havens and loopholes must be made. Corporate tax avoidance is estimated to cost poor countries $100 billion per year — enough to educate an extra 124 million children and prevent perhaps 8 million maternal and infant deaths annually. (...) Bans on advertising tobacco, alcohol, gambling and prescription drugs are common internationally, but taxes to restrict advertising more generally would help to reduce consumption. Energy costs might also be made progressive by charging more per unit at higher levels of consumption. Legislation and incentives will also be needed to ensure that large companies — which dominate the global economy — are run more fairly. For example, business practices such as employee ownership, representation on company boards and share ownership, as well as mutuals and cooperatives, tend to reduce the scale of income and wealth inequality. (...)

More in-depth explanation for the reasons behind the fragment I've included in this post can be found in the article linked above, as well as the sources for all the claims.

[monsterkong]

Leadership in the Roman Empire and Modern America: Why It Matters 🏛️

Leadership has always been a critical factor in the success or failure of a society. Whether we’re talking about ancient Rome or modern America, the decisions made by those in power have a profound impact on the lives of ordinary people. In this blog post, we’ll explore the role of leadership in the Roman Empire and draw comparisons to the challenges we face today. 🌐

The Role of Leaders in Ancient Rome

The Roman Empire was shaped by its leaders, for better or worse. Emperors like Augustus, who established the principate, laid the foundation for centuries of Roman dominance. However, not all leaders were as successful. Figures like Caligula, who was known for his erratic behavior, are often remembered for the chaos they brought to the empire. 🏺

One of the most interesting aspects of Roman leadership is how it evolved over time. Early emperors like Augustus were seen as “first among equals,” with a focus on maintaining the stability of the empire. But as time went on, the role of the emperor became more autocratic. By the time of Diocletian, the title of emperor had shifted to "Dominus," meaning "Lord," reflecting the increasingly absolute power of the ruler. This shift had significant implications for how the empire was governed and ultimately contributed to its decline.

The Modern Leadership Crisis

Fast forward to today, and we see a similar struggle with leadership in the United States. Many people feel that their leaders are out of touch with the realities of everyday life. They believe that who’s in charge doesn’t really matter because their daily routines—waking up, going to work, paying bills—remain unchanged regardless of who holds office. 🕰️

However, this perspective overlooks the fact that leadership decisions have far-reaching consequences. The policies implemented by our leaders can affect everything from the economy to social justice, and they often have a direct impact on the quality of life for millions of people. The disconnection between the electorate and those in power is a significant issue that needs to be addressed to ensure a functioning democracy.

The Deep State and the Praetorian Guard

Another fascinating parallel between Rome and the modern world is the concept of the "deep state." In ancient Rome, the Praetorian Guard was a powerful entity that operated behind the scenes, often influencing or even determining who would become emperor. This secretive group was responsible for protecting the emperor, but they also held significant power in their own right. ⚔️

In today’s world, we hear a lot about the "deep state"—a term used to describe a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy. While the modern deep state is different from the Praetorian Guard, the underlying concept is similar: a powerful group operating behind the scenes, often wielding more influence than the elected officials who are supposed to be in charge.

The Importance of Engaged Leadership

The lessons from the Roman Empire show us that leadership is not just about who holds the title of president, senator, or congressperson. It’s about the ability to lead effectively, make informed decisions, and act in the best interest of the people. Leadership should be about service, not power. When leaders lose sight of this, history shows us that the consequences can be dire. 📚

In modern America, it’s more important than ever to have engaged, informed, and ethical leaders who are committed to the well-being of all citizens. The challenges we face—whether they’re related to the economy, national security, or social issues—require thoughtful and decisive leadership. As citizens, it’s our responsibility to hold our leaders accountable and ensure that they are making decisions that will benefit society as a whole.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

As we reflect on the leadership of the Roman Empire and draw parallels to today’s world, it’s clear that leadership matters. The decisions made by those in power have a lasting impact on society, and it’s up to us to ensure that our leaders are acting in our best interests. By staying informed, engaged, and active in the political process, we can help shape a future that reflects the values of justice, fairness, and equality. Let’s learn from the past and work together to build a better tomorrow. 🌟

[anderjak]

i was thinking about making a big dumb long twitter thread, but since that site is dying, i'm posting it here:

all it really takes to be radicalized is learning how much is fakey-fake.

we cite gender as a social construct, which it is; it's entirely made up and shifts with the sands in the hourglass. but it's still pretty important for a lot of reasons.

laws are also a social construct; many of us collectively decided that there should be consequences for thing that hurt others, and we all shook hands and agreed that we'd punish people for doing those things. the fact that laws keep changing, being updated, being redacted, etc, is proof that we are quite literally making it up. most of them are just arbitrary ways of protecting us from ourselves.

money is also a social construct; bartering in and of itself is done under the belief of equivalent exchange, that to give also means to receive. we all did kinda collectively agree that, if we're gonna have a bartering system, it's better to use coins and scraps of paper instead of livestock and daughters to purchase goods and services and clout. (though we still kinda do this, it's just more frowned upon.)

we believe in these social constructs enough that defiance against these things is a pretty radical concept; part of the social contract (which in and of itself is a social construct!) is that we all agree to a certain subset of rules and expectations in order to not rub each other the wrong way or hurt each other, and violation of this upsets a so-called natural order.

what i'm saying is, social constructs are still treated as real and tangible, because many of the social constructs we have are important! they help inform us of our role in society.

however, a lot of social constructs are treated as facts of human nature, which isn't the case. one thing that kept fascinating me was the frequency in which i'd see autistic people play with gender, because, hey, if you're someone who misses social cues and often questions social constructs due to the way your brain works, it's a lot easier to perceive gender as a strictly optional selection of traits you can opt into and out of!

it also leads me to understanding why i know so many trans activists, communists, socialists, and anarchists; once you live a life wherein, as part of your modus of survival, you question a major social construct an entire culture builds itself around, markets toward, and enforces by way of marketing and storytelling and so forth. when you realize something's fakey-fake, it's a lot easier to be enraged by the idea that a lot of people simply agree that the social constructs we are expected to adhere to are inalienable and must be maintained at all costs, regardless of how many of these social constructs, like systemic bigotry, actively harm others in numerous overt and covert ways.

when you get to that point, it's a lot easier to finally start asking the question, "why DON'T we just abandon some of these things so we can actually improve our lives, especially if all they do is get in the way of genuine progress"

i think a good starting point of activism really does boil down to sitting with this idea that very few things we deal with and are affected by are in no way set in stone, and can absolutely be changed, and much of the resistance is folks who refuse to treat social constructs as anything but static and permanent.

[agwitow]

Going to an all-demon school wasn't as scary as I'd expected. Sure, it took awhile to get used to the constant smell of sulphur, and the extreme temperature shifts were a pain, but otherwise it wasn't all that different from a regular high school.

Other than the fact that the other students (and even some of the teachers) went to extreme lengths to avoid me. If it had been that way from the start I might have thought they just really really hated humans. But it'd only been going on for the last week and a bit.

Which was why I'd cut class to speak with the guidance counselor.

"What seems to be the problem, Finley?"

"Mx. Alroth, people are avoiding me all of a sudden. Why?"

Mx. Alroth flinched and then sighed. "It might be easiest to show you. Give me your hand."

Confused, I held my hand out to them. After a moment's hesitation, they clasped it with their own. A soft sizzle started and their skin where it touched mine started to blacken.

They pulled their hand away at the same moment I did.

"What? Why? I swear, I didn't do it on purpose!"

Mx. Alroth gave me a sad smile. "I know. You probably didn't even realize a blessing was laid on you."

"A blessing? What do you mean?"

"Mm... think of it like a kind of aggressively protective magic that only angels can create."

I fumbled at the silver star tucked under my shirt. But... I'd been wearing it since the first day I attended the school. Why now?

They nodded. "Signs of faith don't contain this sort of power. And even then, most blessings wouldn't activate like this unless you were in danger."

"So... what does that mean?"

"A very powerful angel --a Dominion, I'd wager-- put that blessing on you. A blessing strong enough to burn lower level demons just for being too close to you. Even I, as a Belias, am affected if I come in direct contact with you."

"Beliases are... mid-level in the second hierarchy, right? And Dominions are top-level in the same hierarchy? "

They nodded.

"But I don't know any angels, of any hierarchy!"

"There must be one who is close to you and your family that hasn't revealed what they are. Do you, perhaps, have a godparent? Especially one you've seen just recently?"

I sucked in a sharp breath. "Aunty Labbiel came for a visit two weeks ago. But she's a vet technician!"

Mx. Alroth shrugged. "And I'm a high school guidance counselor. Since we've integrated into human society, we all need regular jobs."

"Why would she put such a strong blessing on me, though? She knows what school I go to!"

"That's probably exactly why she did it. 200-some years isn't all that long of a period for creatures like us. I'll assume her good intentions and say she was just worried about you. But it would be a good idea for you to give her a call and see if she could turn down the blessing a bit."

I nodded, feeling a bewildering mix of emotions. Shock, disappointment, delight, curiosity, and resignation. I absently wondered if my parents knew Aunty Labbiel was an angel.

Mx. Alroth placed a small cube on their desk. It was about the size of a die and clear. Suspended inside was a ball of swirling pale lavender smoke. "This can measure the strength of curses and blessings. The more intense the colour, the stronger the curse or blessing. Try holding it."

I picked up the cube and watched in fascination as the smoke swirled faster, shifting to a pale blue, then sky blue, true blue, navy blue, and finally indigo blue.

They nodded. "There's only one level darker for strength, on the blessing side. Ideally, if your godparent can dial it back to the first level, that would be great. Even the second level would be fine, as most of the classrooms have curses that would offset the effect for our lowest ranking demons."

"Okay. Should I just head home for the day, then?"

They gave me a sympathetic smile. "If you want. You can take the indicator with you, too. I hope your godparent understands. We really do enjoy having you here."

I smiled weakly. I enjoyed it too. But I'd even told Aunty Labbiel how much I liked the school, and she still went and "blessed" me. Mx. Alroth might be willing to assume good intentions, but I had a sneaking suspicion it was anything but.

You are the first human to attend a school full of demons. Despite your appearance, the demons run away in fear at the sight of you. You tell your school advisor about this.

[influencermagazineuk]

Covid-19 Summer Surge: Escalating Cases in the UK and US

For the second time we are experiencing yet another summer in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and as such talk of a summer Covid wave has been mentioned again. News about the growth of new cases and people being hospitalized make it important to gain more information on the present statistical data, new strains, and opinions of professionals. Understanding the Summer Dynamics That is why, even in spite of Covid-19 restrictions’ changes, people are still worried about the new wave. Based on the recent information the hospitalization rates somewhat appear to have stabilized and are slightly above the earlier figure of 2. 67 to 3. 312 per 100,000 people in the recent weeks. In particular, the elderly older than 85 years are among the most affected, which, according to the indicators, were hospitalized for Covid-19. Debunking Misconceptions Some people experience severe disease manifestations that are related to the infection rates of the pathogen. It’s very important to differentiate between the positive increase in infection rates and the outcomes that measures the severity of the infections. Namely, Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia still emphasizes that even though the rates of infection may be high in some months, the number of severe cases and hospitalizations is drastically lower than before. This aligns with the current phenomenon that many people receive mild infection from Covid-19 as compared to the first wave. Spotlight on New Variants: FLiRT and KP3 Unfortunately, for Covid-19, questions have shifted to FLiRT variants, and lately, the KP3 variant in the United Kingdom. Omicron has subtypes which are from a peculiar lineage and they are loading the current figures. Their prevalence and effects are being studied by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) still, which strictly encourages public health consciousness and further study. Shifting Perspectives Since the Covid-19 outbreak has gradually evolved from a pandemic to an endemic, people are getting used to fighting this disease in a different way. Such a change emphasizes the need for vaccination drives, and new guidelines that aim at reducing mortality and severe cases while recognising COVID-19 as a part of life in most societies. It’s a rather delicate strategy more focused on control over the virus rather than its elimination. Practical Guidelines: Information You Should Be Aware Of However, it is important to comprehend today’s rules of social distancing due to the recent exoneration of stricter measures. The legal requirements for isolation and masking have been removed; however, according to the UKHSA, people should isolate for five days after a positive test and avoid contact with the frail population. The roles of testing, availability, and vaccinations remain key components of the prevention strategies that need to be continually implemented to avoid further spread of COVID-19 across the globe. Conclusion In the future, expectations are set for ‘watching’ for the strains, ‘boosting’ with yet more shots, new waves, and the ability of societies to live with ‘endemic’ Covid-19. To manage Covid-19 more effectively, there is a need to adopt a middle ground that will fuse science, public health requirement, as well as people’s cooperation. In this regard, remaining informed, following guidelines, and promoting vaccination as and when possible remain vital measures for the protection of the health of the population in the midst of these changes. Read the full article

[hypnoticintelligence]

DIVINE FEMININITY AND DIVINE MASCULINITY

Whenever I bring up divine femininity and divine masculinity, people tell me that they feel like it reinforces oppressive stereotypes constructed as gender. Hence why I will dedicate my first post to clarifying my understanding of divine energies and how, in my opinion, these won’t cease to exist in a society where misogyny is eradicated, because ‘gender’ and divine energies are not connected.

Gender is not innate. Gender is a social construct, putting everyone in repressive boxes and contributing to the subordination of women and girls. We still live in a society that continues to raise and socialise girls and boys in different ways. Through various studies on this phenomenon, we can conclude that these behavioral differences are taught. In reality, anything a man does is the most masculine thing he can do. Anything a woman does is the most feminine thing she can do.

Our patriarchial culture, which is also build on white supremacy, has depended on infantilizing and subjogating women by painting them as passive, submissive and weak. This has politically, culturally and spiritually cut women off from our power. Sadly, this has affected the way people view these divine energies as well. Divine femininity is not passive, submissive or weak. Divine masculinity is not controlling, dominating or intellectual. This false adaptation caused by sexism is the only thing that would make gender and divine energy connected, but it is incorrect.

Divine femininity and divine masculinity is present in everyone. It has nothing to do with your sex or if you’re gender-conforming or not. Earlier pagan philosophies promoted the idea of divine feminine and divine masculine because those philosophies believed in balance and saw man and woman together as a whole. Balancing these divine energies within your soul is reclaiming your power and embodying your womanhood. Strength, wisdom and power. Women have the power to create, and the power to kill. Women have the power to nurture, and the power to destroy. Divine femininity is advocating, shifting paradigms, demanding truth and fairness, setting fierce boundaries, exploring sacred feminine rage in a safe container, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, … Women are disconnected from their ferocity, their destructive power, the fearsome intelligence and will that we have. These traits aren’t just important for women to embody, but a woman who is only allowing herself to be nurturing, life-giving and passive is submissive to the patriarchy. This is why a wounded feminine is so unsafe. They took away our power by demonizing and suppressing it. Many ancient feminine archetypes embody this complex, tense, parodoxical duality, before patriarchial religions started to control. Divine masculinity is accountability, safety, being grounded, being protective, integrity, leadership. However, this leadership is guided by women’s boundaries. This leadership is heavily associated with domination and force as if they’re interlinked and woven from the same fabric. This is the same notion that drives a man, caused by sexist socialisation, to seek power above all else, to see vulnerablity as weakness and love as a pawn in this journey to power. This leadership should be a call of service— of service to their partner, community and the Earth. The desire to control, dominate, stay silent, … are signs of unhealed wounds and toxic indoctrination by society. What we see in men nowadays is a wounded manhood, not inevitable or connate evil. Divine masculinity is not only present in men. Divine femininity is not only present in women. However, ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ do not form a binary but a hierarchy which is why they cannot be defined without sounding sexist and discriminatory. Thus, I am fully aware of and understanding of this insight, but for me, in this context, the destinction between divine femininity and divine masculinity clarifies my points. For this reason, I will be avoiding these terms in my writing, unless I am talking about divine energies. Notwithstanding that I am a feminine/gender-conforming woman and I am not going to explain myself whenever I post something about my own expression of self.

You do not have to be a woman to find support in this blog. You do not have to be spiritual, religious or to agree with everything I say to find comfort within this blog, considering that the underlying message is always to reflect, to heal and to love.

This blog will do service as a reflection of my own journey towards embodied womanhood, however I want to support other women throughout their transformation from wounded woman to embodied woman as well. The goal is to move away from toxicity and welcome healthy relationships, happiness and healing in our lives. The goal is to heal our disconnected sexuality, which is caused by patriarchial conditioning and sexual trauma, to a gynocentric sexuality based on nourishment, safety and pleasure. The goal is to embrace solitude, celibacy and heal our sisterhood wounds. The goal is to strengthen our inner masculine, to allow our inner feminine to come alive. The goal is to create deep self-trust and to step back into our power as a woman.

xoxo

Oksana

[fatliberation]

I’m Abandoning Body Positivity and Here’s Why

In short: it’s fatphobic.

“A rallying cry for a shift in societal norms has now become the skinny girl’s reassurance that she isn’t really fat. Fatness, through this lens of ‘body positivity’, remains the worst thing a person can be.” (Kayleigh Donaldson)

•  •  •

I have always had a lot of conflicting opinions about the body positivity movement, but it’s much more widely known (and accepted, go figure) than the fat liberation movement, so I often used the two terms interchangeably in conversation about anti-fatness. But the longer I’ve been following the body positivity movement, the more I’ve realized how much it has strayed from its fat lib origins. It has been hijacked; deluded to center thin, able, white, socially acceptable bodies.

Bopo’s origins are undoubtedly grounded in fat liberation. The fat activists of the 1960s paved the way for the shred of size acceptance we see in media today, initially protesting the discrimination and lack of access to equal opportunities for fat people specifically. This early movement highlighted the abuse, mental health struggles, malpractice in the medical field, and called for equal pay, equal access, equal respect, an end to fatphobic structures and ideas. It saddens me that it hasn’t made much progress in those regards. 

Today, the #bopo movement encapsulates more the idea of loving your own body versus ensuring that individuals regardless of their weight and appearance are given equal opportunities in the workplace, schools, fashion and media. Somehow those demands never made it outside of the ‘taboo’ category, and privileged people would much more readily accept the warm and fuzzy, sugar-coated message of “love yourself!” But as @yrfatfriend once said, this idea reduces fat people’s struggles to a problem of mindset, rather than a product of external oppressors that need to be abolished in order for fat people to live freely.

That generalized statement, “love yourself,” is how a movement started by fat people for the rights of fat people was diluted so much, it now serves a thin model on Instagram posting about how she has a tummy roll and cellulite on her thighs - then getting praised for loving her body despite *gasp!* its minor resemblance to a fat body. 

Look. Pretty much everyone has insecurities about their bodies, especially those of us who belong to marginalized groups. If you don’t have body issues, you’re a privileged miracle, but our beauty-obsessed society has conditioned us to want to look a certain way, and if we have any features that the western beauty standard considers as “flaws,” yeah! We feel bad about it! So it’s not surprising that people who feel bad about themselves would want to hop on a movement that says ‘hey, you’re beautiful as you are!’ That’s a message everyone would like to hear. Any person who has once thought of themselves as less than beautiful now feels that this movement is theirs. And everyone has insecurities, so everyone feels entitled to the safe space. And when a space made for a minority includes the majority, the cycle happens again and the majority oppresses the minority. What I’m trying to explain here is that thin people now feel a sense of ownership over body positive spaces. 

Regardless of how badly thin people feel about their bodies, they still experience thin privilege. They can sit down in a theater or an airplane without even thinking about it, they can eat in front of others without judgement, they can go the doctor with a problem and actually have it fixed right away, they can find cute clothes in their size with ease, they do not suffer from assumptions of laziness/failure based on stereotype, they see their body type represented everywhere in media, the list goes on and on. They do not face discrimination based off of the size of their body. 

Yet diet culture and fatphobia affects everyone, and of course thin people do still feel bad about the little fat they have on their bodies. But the failure to examine WHY they feel bad about it, is what perpetuates fatphobia within the bopo movement. They’re labeled “brave” for showing a pinch of chub, yet fail to address what makes it so acceptably daring, and how damaging it is to people who are shamed for living in fat bodies. Much like the rest of society, thin body positivity is still driven by the fear of fat, and does nothing to dismantle fatphobia within structures or within themselves.

Evette Dionne sums it up perfectly in her article, “The Fragility of Body Positivity: How a Radical Movement Lost Its Way.”

“The body-positive media economy centers these affirming, empowering, let-me-pinch-a-fat-roll-to-show-how-much-I-love-myself stories while failing to actually challenge institutions to stop discriminating against fat people. More importantly, most of those stories center thin, white, cisgender, heterosexual women who have co-opted the movement to build their brands. Rutter has labeled this erasure ‘Socially Acceptable Body Positivity.’

“On social media, it actually gets worse for fat bodies: We’re not just being erased from body positivity, fat women are being actively vilified. Health has become the stick with which to beat fat people with [sic], and the benchmark for whether body positivity should include someone” (Dionne).

Ah, yes. The medicalization of fat bodies, and the moralization of health. I’ve ranted about this before. Countless comments on posts of big women that say stuff like “I’m all for body positivity, but this is just unhealthy and it shouldn’t be celebrated.” I’ve heard writer/activist Aubrey Gordon once say that body positivity has become something like a shield for anti-fatness. It’s anti-fatness that has been repackaged as empowerment. It’s a striking double-standard. Fat people are told to be comfortable in their bodies (as if that’s what’s going to fix things) but in turn are punished when they’re okay with being fat. Make it make sense.

Since thin people feel a sense of ownership over body positive spaces, and they get to hide behind “health” when they are picking and choosing who can and cannot be body positive, they base it off of who looks the most socially acceptable. And I’m sure they aren’t consciously picking and choosing, it comes from implicit bias. But the socially acceptable bodies they center are small to medium fat, with an hourglass shape. They have shaped a new beauty standard specifically FOR FAT PEOPLE. (Have you ever seen a plus sized model with neck fat?? I’m genuinely asking because I have yet to find one!) The bopo movement works to exclude and silence people who are on the largest end of the weight spectrum. 

Speaking of exclusion, let’s talk about fashion for a minute.

For some reason, (COUGH COUGH CAPITALISM) body positivity is largely centered around fashion. And surprise surprise, it’s still not inclusive to fat people. Fashion companies get a pat on the back for expanding their sizing two sizes up from what they previously offered, when they are still leaving out larger fat people completely. In general, clothing companies charge more for clothes with more fabric, so people who need the largest sizes are left high and dry. It’s next to impossible to find affordable clothes that also look nice. Fashion piggybacks on the bopo movement as a marketing tactic, and exploits the very bodies it claims to be serving. (Need I mention the time Urban Outfitters used a "curvy” model to sell a size it doesn’t even carry?)

The movement also works to exclude and silence fat Black activists.

In her article, “The Body Positivity Movement Both Takes From and Erases Fat Black Women” Donyae Coles explains how both white people and thin celebrities such as Jameela Jamil profit from the movement that Black women built.

“Since long before blogging was a thing, fat Black women have been vocal about body acceptance, with women like Sharon Quinn and Marie Denee, or the work of Sonya Renee Taylor with The Body Is Not An Apology. We’ve been out here, and we’re still here, but the overwhelming face of the movement is white and thin because the mainstream still craves it, and white and thin people have no problem with profiting off the work of fat, non-white bodies.”

“There is a persistent belief that when thin and/or white people enter the body positive realm and begin to repeat the messages that Black women have been saying for years in some cases, when they imitate the labor that Black women have already put in that we should be thankful that they are “boosting” our message. This completely ignores the fact that in doing so they are profiting off of that labor. They are gaining the notoriety, the mark of an expert in something they learned from an ignored Black woman” (Coles).

My next essay will go into detail about this and illuminate key figures who paved the way for body acceptance in communities of color. 

The true purpose of this movement has gotten completely lost. So where the fuck do we go from here? 

We break up with it, and run back to the faithful ex our parents disapproved of. We go back to the roots of the fat liberation movement, carved out for us by the fat feminists, the queer fat activists, the fat Black community, and the allies it began with. Everything they have preached since the 1960s and 70s is one hundred percent applicable today. We get educated. We examine diet culture through a capitalist lens. We tackle thin, white-supremacist systems and weight based discrimination, as well as internalized bias. We challenge our healthcare workers to unlearn their bias, treat, and support fat patients accordingly. We make our homes and spaces accessible and welcoming to people of any size, or any (dis)ability. “We must first protect and uplift people in marginalized bodies, only then can we mandate self-love” (Gordon).

Think about it. In the face of discrimination, mistreatment, and emotional abuse, we as a society are telling fat people to love their bodies, when we should be putting our energy toward removing those fatphobic ideas and structures so that fat people can live in a world that doesn’t require them to feel bad about their bodies. It’s like hitting someone with a rock and telling them not to bruise!

While learning to love and care for the body that you’re in is important, I think that body positivity also fails in teaching that because it puts even more emphasis on beauty. Instead of saying, “you don’t have to be ‘beautiful’ to be loved and appreciated,” its main lesson is that “all bodies are beautiful.” We live in a society obsessed with appearance, and it is irresponsible to ignore the hierarchy of beauty standards that exist in every space. Although it should be relative, “beautiful” has been given a meaning. And that meaning is thin, abled, symmetric, and eurocentric. 

Beauty and ugliness are irrelevant, made-up constructs. People will always be drawn to you no matter what, so you deserve to exist in your body without struggling to conform to an impossible and bigoted standard. Love and accept your body for YOURSELF AND NO ONE ELSE, because you do not exist to please the eyes of other people. That’s what I wish we were teaching instead. Radical self acceptance!

As of today, the ultimate message of the body positivity movement is: Love your body “despite its imperfections.” Or people with “perfect and imperfect bodies both deserve love.” As long as we are upholding the notion that there IS a perfect body that looks a certain way, and every body that falls outside of that category is imperfect, we are upholding white supremacy, eugenics, anti-fatness, and ableism.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "Conflagration" (mini) (Part 8)

(See the other parts on my directory! LINK)

It's happening again.

The fire.

Bark on a nearby tree has turned black, crisscrossed with cerulean streaks; like lightning, glowing from within. Embers spit and sizzle, arcing down to the scorched earth from the branches and dancing on the thermal winds that send the blaze into organic, breath-like spirals.

It's loud. You've never heard anything like it. The very air was as though bellowing  with emotion; tearing it molecularly apart to feed a frenzied beast. Between the cacophony and the sapphire hues--you reach for serenity. To pull apart the pain that keeps you tethered, and move past it.

This was your third time visiting this place.

The second had been like the first, stuck and swallowed by the flames and waking up in a cold sweat.

But not this time.

Determined to change the fate of this vision, you let go of trying to struggle and sink into the scenery. It's wretched--the pain insurmountable despite how you remain absolutely lucid as something you can't fathom rakes through your flesh down to the bone. You can see and you can't see all at once.

Your eyes are closed, but you also know what the fire looks like--what the burning foliage looks like. You know there's a stream nearby, even though your body won't move towards it. You know there's someone that was supposed to be here..

But they never came.

It's their fault.

These thoughts aren't yours. These memories aren't yours. Finally everything seems to mount until at a fever pitch, and your essence finally blends in--syncing with the environment and becoming part of it.

Why didn't he come?!

If he had... just this once..!

I could've shown him!

It was a little boy's voice; echoing through the smoke that rose from burning trees and boiling streams. Broken, angry, and sad.

Finally, the world begins fading to black like dropping ink into a glass of water; transparent at first, but then its pitch darkness.

And at the vision's end, all you can feel is cold.

----

This time when you wake up, your body is buzzing. Your arms and chest quake uncontrollably, and you grab for your phone to check the time. It's 2:45 AM. You try to set it down carefully, but instead it clatters unto the wood of the bedside table.

You force yourself to rise and sit at the side of the bed; shaking hands massaging your scalp as you stare at the floor.

This wasn't a coincidence anymore.

At first, you thought this was some subconscious dialogue your own mind wanted to share with you; a warning as you kept finding yourself closer and closer with the League of Villains and Dabi in particular. Seeing as things had turned out, however.. there was no warning that could sway you. Your mind's previous interpretations of 'right' and 'wrong' had evolved, and you could no longer look at the world in the black and white spectrum as it wanted you to.

So why?

You can put two and two together. You were being burned, or rather, whoever you were projecting from had been. And, seeing as how Dabi was littered with burn scars..

It's really amazing you hadn't figured it out till now.

The broken and sad voice of the boy echoes in your mind and it takes a full second to convince yourself that it's not happening again as you fidget, and eventually stand up. There's no way you can go back to sleep now. Instead, you begin to get dressed. You needed to go outside and be somewhere other than this room.

Since you had shared a kiss with the elusive metal firebrand, you had both promised to be more open. Unfortunately though, while you had plenty of confessions for him.. he had little. Not for being secretive, but more because he spent most of his time focused on what needed to be done. He admitted to some personal pleasures, but they were far from anything he 'loved' or 'favored' for more than short-term. Whether that was hobbies or even people. He never kept anyone close, and even the League was often just at arms length.

When it came to his past though, he was always short about his answers and quick to go into his usual manifesto.

"So.." You start, a little awkwardly as the two of you are making headway back towards the base. It has almost felt like a game of twenty questions, as he relinquished to finally asking you about your life and quirk. 'What was it like as a kid?' 'Did you have parents?' 'Was it scary?'

"Those scars..? How did you get them?"

You can see a shift in his posture then, and his eyes narrow as he focuses forward. "Something that happened quite a while ago now. It's a reminder of my purpose.. but it's nothing more important than that."

Your eyebrows dip in, and you know it probably is more important than that, but you don't push. "Oh.."

There's a flash of guilt in his eyes as he recognizes the disappointment in your voice. "It's because of this hero society." He spits the venom laced words, trying to pivot your attention to something else. "They're hypocrites, and they need to be torn down from their shiny pedestals. They think they're invincible because this twisted society protects them.. but we're going to stop that."

He looks at you, eyes hard and hot with malice and determination. "Right..?" He asks you, as though his interpretation of 'we' was actually intended for the two of you alone, rather than the League and its entirety.

"Right."

You're still shaking as you make your way downstairs. You're surprised to find Shigaraki and Kurogiri both there; the latter at the bar and the former with his face lit up by a monitor in the corner.

"Y/n?" It's Kurogiri announcing your presence, fiery yellow eyes unreadable despite the concerned sound in his voice.

"Sorry. Had a hard time sleeping again, I just need some air." You say, making your way towards the exit.

The bell sounds a familiar jingle upon your departure, and you don't notice Shigaraki turning in his chair to stare at the door as it closes.

Kurogiri goes about making you some of that tea he mentioned weeks back, and eventually he brings it out to you; still piping hot and tasting of medicine. It helps, but you never bring yourself to admit to the misty man what you had been dreaming about. You make the excuse that you may have overused your quirk, or weren't used to the extended effects of your new abilities and it affected your sleep. That was good enough for him.

When you return to your room in the hopes of getting the last few hours of rest, you first stand outside of it--wondering if you should take a few steps more down the hall to a certain door. The discovery of your mutual feelings encouraged you--but it was still so new. You feared confronting him about the dreams might turn him away and make him cold again.

Instead you sluggishly return to bed. When chasing sleep didn't work, you grabbed the sketchbook from your bag and used the light on your phone to sketch the fire.

When the image felt empty, you added a silhouette of a boy in pain.

[littlewetbeast]

you know... sometimes i think i've got jackles figured out, i think i've nailed down why he's so inconsistent about destiel, why he acts so weird about it sometimes and other times not. then some information is flung at me and it's back to square one. why is that man so insane. he just genuinely confuses me.

aw man. this shit is like catnip to my overactive, over-analytical brain.

okay. listen. i’m not gonna lie: the more i try to understand the goings-on behind spn with any degree of nuance, the more my head threatens to melt. HOWEVER. while i joke about jensen ackles being an enigma, i don’t... actually think he is.

[disclaimer: the following points include speculation. i don’t know these people and will never claim to. this is just my take on it. never bring this up to the actors in question.]

the quick and dirty: i believe jensen is likely queer himself. i believe that he strongly identifies with dean, that he feeds off of the environment around him, and that how he feels he can act around destiel and dean’s sexuality depends on 1) his support network, 2) the immediate social environment, and 3) his work environment, all of which have evolved throughout the years BUT can also vary day to day. increased confidence and securer social environment has helped him decrease the need to perform and lessens the likelihood of acting out from insecurity, but doesn’t completely eliminate it. point is: the environment matters. the more insecure you are, the more it will affect your behaviour.

that’s it. not trying to excuse any shitty behaviour, just saying that’s what it is. 

the NOT so quick and dirty: so - my point is, as a queer guy in this industry, he has obviously learned to put up a front to protect himself. (even misha does this to some extent!) it’s douchey, and it’s stupid, but i understand it. think of the drastic difference of how he behaves around misha vs j*red, or even in a large group setting. i’m not saying he’s not friends with j*red, but i DO immediately see the difference of ‘front switched on’ and ‘front switched off’.

firstly - just because jensen has matured a lot over the past 15 years and is far more relaxed about himself today than he was back then, doesn’t mean he can’t still have moments of uncertainty that can occasionally push him back to his old, bad habits. basically, for someone who has grown up in a toxic heteronormative environment (being taught by his dad that drinking through straws was gay) - and in an industry that is very unfriendly to queerness and queer narratives until VERY recently (and even now is still pretty toxic) - utilizing his stupid douchey dudebro front during moments of anxiety has probably been his go-to coping method for the majority of his life. 

secondly - we all know he’s insanely close to dean as a character. dean is a part of him. he slips in and out of character effortlessly. he cares about dean and dean’s happiness. but dean was never intended to be a queer character. jensen has played queer characters before, but that’s the difference - he is ‘playing’ a queer character. he wasn’t supposed to be ‘playing’ dean as a queer character. readings of dean as queer makes, well. readings of him as queer. that’s it. for someone who puts up such a front, i can imagine he’d be shitting himself at people picking this up from him when he’s NOT in a supportive environment for it. (yes the ‘jackles acting choices’ are a Thing, but they most likely happened within more supportive environments and during times of confidence - and, let’s face it, i think sometimes jacting choices just naturally bleed in because he’s a good actor who makes good intuitive acting choices. that was likely the primary reason for it, especially early on.) 

basically - queer readings of dean are taken as queer readings of him. therefore, his reaction to destiel has also varied depending on the environment and his work circumstances. think of there being like... a constantly shifting scale of how supportive his social environment and work environment are of queer readings of the character he plays. the further back we go, the less supportive all of these factors are; the closer to the present, the more supportive these factors are.

“but rosa! why hasn’t he just shrugged and said it’s up to audience interpretation what dean’s sexuality is, like he has recently?”

because of *points to all of the above*.

let’s illustrate what i mean. 

exhibit A) it’s fairly early days of “destiel”, maybe season 6 or so. an audience member brings up dean’s reaction to dr sexy and asks why he can react like this yet destiel is not possible. jensen says dismissively because “destiel doesn’t exist” and that dean is simply a fan of the show, to an audience that cheers.

(work environment (spn): not supportive. immediate environment (audience): not supportive. social environment (j*red): less supportive*.) *I am not claiming j*red is homophobic; however, jensen HAS felt the need to perform around him aside from the last 1-2 years.

exhibit B) it’s 2019. jensen gets straddled by misha on stage and gets a [redacted] which j*red notices and covertly jokes about in front of a large audience. he visibly becomes upset and is in a vulnerable state. misha points out a ‘destiel is real’ t-shirt (the very fact that misha did this suggests he’s far more used to a jensen who is relaxed and supportive). jensen gets defensive and asks ‘where is destiel real?’

(work environment (spn): uncertain. immediate environment (audience): uncertain. social environment (j*red and misha): mixed*.) *do i think jensen would have reacted 10x better if j*red had not been there? yes. yes, i do. do i think he would he have reacted better if he hadn’t had a [redacted] that j*red made fun of? yes. yes, i do.

exhibit C) it’s 2019. jensen and j*red are in front of an audience which, given today’s times, are likely more used to queer narratives. it’s highly possible the queer storyline for cas has been confirmed at this point. jensen is calm and in control, and is not feeling the need to act up his front. someone brings up ‘samstiel’ and j*red gags. jensen, unprompted, shows support for destiel.

(work environment (spn): given the timing, likely supportive. immediate environment (audience): likely supportive. social environment: (at home) supportive, j*red: supportive or mixed.)

we know that he has progressively felt less of a need to use his ‘front’ and has become more relaxed over the years, which i believe is likely hugely due to the positive influences of danneel and misha (and maybe others). i don’t think that has been the case for ONLY the last two years. i think jensen during exhibit B was miles away from jensen in exhibit A. jensen is not miles away between exhibit B and exhibit C. those two are differences of environments where he feels confident, in control, and is supported by the narrative he’s meant to play (C), vs an environment he felt less supported and less in control of (B).  i won’t get into it in depth here, but it’s worth noting that the past ten years have also seen huge changes in fandom culture, how actors and fandom interact, and how the film industry and corporations at large handle queer narrative and fans. that certainly affects this dynamic.

and that’s it, really. jensen is a sensitive person who feeds heavily off the people and environments he’s in. he’s matured a lot over the years and i truly don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, in environments that would have supported it, he likely has been very positive about queer narratives in spn. source: his stark difference around misha, his willingness to flirt and joke about dean and cas with him, his occasional calmer and balanced reactions to destiel in more private settings.

aaand that’s how i see it, really. even if you don’t subscribe to truthing - or even jensen being queer - all of these things apply just as strongly to men who feel the need to perform. what can i say, toxic masculinity and homophobia sucks a lot and i’m glad society is shifting slowly in the right direction, and that jensen feels safer and more secure than he once did. shame the cw is unwilling to get with the times. EDIT: for some additional, vital context, i refer you to these two additional posts, which cover his upbringing, how speculations about his sexuality has hounded him his whole career, and his first intro to shipping on supernatural being j2/wincest, which included some real ugly shit.

[mochikeiji]

Troublesome Baby

↠ Pairing: Akaashi Keiji x Reader

↠ Warning: SMUT! Slight size kink, nipple play, overstimulation, hint of breeding, Akaashi wanting to make his baby know how pretty she is and how wrong people are about her.

↬ Word Count: 4.5k

Summary: Pissing a delinquent is never a persons choice. And what pisses off Akaashi most was when people picked on you instead of him.

⇢ Day 2: Delinquent

A person's feelings can be confusing. One minute they're saying they like a good guy who knows how to keep track in time and hs his future planned out and the second they're liking someone whom their parent's had warned them about.

If you like someone who was always up to no good, are you a masochist? They would ask. Are you out of your mind? They would scold. Do you have any idea how this'll affect your life? They would judge.

You'd like to think otherwise of people who wore tattoos, have so many scars, are always picking fights or having that gangsta stance and aura. You prefer to see them as still a human being with a cold outer shell in order to protect themselves from the cruel world, shielding their gentleness deep within.

It was cliche; a bad person getting soft for one person. But that's how it is even in reality. Sometimes, we can only be vulnerable to the ones we trust the most. And the ones we trust the most are the loved ones.

And those who we love, never deserve how they spit at the world.

That's how Akaashi was with you.

Everyone was shock by the time the former first year had a drastic demeanor change. He was timid, reserved back at his first year in highschool. Polite, and what you'd expect to have an astounding school performance. Hey never would've thought that joining the volleyball club would change someone so idly.

They always thought they were a team filled with passionate players who loved to play fair, but it turns out they loved to get rough around games and outside matches.

Roughness was never Akaashi's agenda. But with a stoic facade and built, athletic feature, he fits in perfectly to look like someone you should stay away from. Still, he kept on being the reserved person he was by hiding his wounds underneath his uniform or volleyball jacket. He doesn't admit it outloud, but he was insecure about his beating wounds.

The times where he and the team would go on random beatings after losing a bet or if someone dares to mess with anyone close to them happened often. Now that word was spread that you, sweet little you, happened to be the pretty faced setters girlfriend is targeted by many disgusting comments.

No man would want to tolerate that or will tolerate their beloved pummeled onto the ground. From all the members of the team he was voted to be the most terrifying one, he doesn't stand down from a fight especially for his baby, he wouldn't stop until the person who made a worthless comment about you, the person who would make you look down at yourself, the person who would make you cry is at their mercy.

His delinquent phase soon carried on until he reached his 20s. Even though now he was an editor and his teammates had their own domestic lives and jobs ahead, they kept up with their ways to earn a bit of cash during the night. Minus Bokuto on some occasions due to his volleyball tournaments world wide, it was mostly just him and the former third years. Even the two females had managed to know their ways into the dangers in joining as long as it helped them raise the cash up a bit.

And that leads the scenario now, you cleaning up his wounds again at the peak of 1 am in the morning after a misunderstanding beat down the past hour. He came home more bruised and bloodied than before— that meant they were outnumbered. Usually, it's Bokuto who would bark at the people who would mess with them. He was known to be feared due to his popularity, but inside the group, it's really just Akaashi who was the monster amongst all of them when he was angry.

You didn't know how long you were going to tolerate this. Him always coming back to you with new scars drawing his skin and you patching him up. It was always like this since highschool, but as you grew, people get tougher, bolder. This was too much.

"Keiji, please stop doing this."

Dabbing the cotton on the alcohol a little and tapping his skin gently to avoid stinging him, you were sat on your study chair whilst he was sitting on your shared bed. You were already trying to hold in the dam from breaking as you had been cleaning all his wounds for the past minute, but as you do, they only seem to get bigger and painful for you to bear.

"I don't want you to keep getting hurt."

Finally putting ointments on his arm, he uses his free hand to cup the side of your face, and raises you too look into his eyes. Ones that weren't feral as they were a couple of hours ago.

"They were bad mouthing about you, I wasn't letting that slip."

"But it's fine! People bad mouth about me a lot even before.."

Inside it still stung. To be growing up mocked by society in any way they see flaw in you. You were always an insecure woman up until now, any little words from others can make you into a brawling mess. What more if some threatened you, you'd be a fleeting coward.

Akaashi knew that about you when you began dating. At first he didn't pay mind into it, but the more he got to know what a kind and loving person you were, he realized just how cruel people can be to those with soft hearts. He hated those to the bone, he would never tolerate that kind of person throwing a pile of crap to someone above them.

"I just don't want to keep thinking one day you won't be coming by the door because of this..I'd rather you just stop being like this after years than to get more bruises. I don't care about the money, Keiji, I earn a lot too."

Your trembling figure was obvious, he knew how emotional you get for whenever he gets reckless, and how you over think of the things the people he has placed back in their place said about you. He never liked the fact you tried to be strong for him so many times and not even reaching out for comfort from him.

"Baby."

He cooes softly, moving away the medical kit from your side and hoisting you up from your chair with ease, allowing you to straddle his lap. You were easy for him to carry considering the height difference, thus making him more protective of you seeing as you look like a small child in fear.

Protesting softly at him to put you down since he was just freshly fixed up, Akaashi let's your head fall on his naked shoulder blade with his hand behind your head, giving your hair a slow stroke down to your back.

That's where you started to cry on his skin.

"I don't care about the money that much, I just hate it when someone threatens or mocks you without even having to know you."

He hears you sniffle at his skin, your tears wetting a small patch on it along with your face. He hushes you for a second before patting your bum, indicating he wants to see your face. With head lowered, you pulled away from his shoulder, sniffling down the tears while roughly using your wrist to wipe your eyes.

He grabs one of your wrist as his soften eyes met your red ones. He lowers your hand down to your lap, with your other one following as he was the one to wipe your tears away.

"It hurts me to have them say such things and have you crying like this. You have no idea how far you are from what they say."

The both of you took a small pause, letting him squish your cheeks with his thumbs rubbing underneath your eyes as small, left over tears escaped. Your hands below pressing against his bandaged abdomen, wondering how much trouble he's gone through just for you with a new batch of tears ready to fall.

"You don't cause me trouble, baby. I did this because you didn't deserve it. It was my decision, not yours or anyones. You will never be the reason for my troubles."

He was an observant guy, any little sign of of your body he knows what's going on. He slides your hands up from his abdomen, to his chest and placing them on his shoulders for you to hold onto. Tilting his head a bit to get an angle of your view, he gives you an adoring smile at the sight of your lips slightly pouting out and your eyes wide and glossy.

"You look cute right now."

Blinking away the blurred vision, your heart thumps a little from the way he was looking at you and his small compliment. You loved it when he gave you a lot of assurance and reminders about yourself. Even in times where they seemed unnecessary.

His finger tracing your cheeks to your nose, tapping at the tip making you shut your eyes and crinkle a little. When he groaned at the shift of your hips now snugging against his growing bulge, he quickly places his hands on your hips to hold you in place.

Your eyes popped out, stammering apologies saying you didn't mean to do it on purpose while gripping his shoulders. You hear him sigh out, worried you might've hurt him but soon vanished when you felt his hands sliding down once again to your bum.

"Why don't I show you how pretty you really are?"

He moves from his position. By instinct, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he lays you down on bed and pushes himself up.

"W-wait, your wounds."

"I'm fine, baby, don't worry."

His hands found their way down to your pajama shorts and pulls them down with ease. He let's his shirt that you were wearing on as it only fueled his arousal at the sight of you looking smaller compared to him.

Thighs shaking and biting back a moan when his index finger slid down on your clothed slit, he repeats his actions upwards and downwards until you shortly got the middle part of your panties wet.

"Just enjoy and relax for me." 

You clutched the pillow underneath your head when his finger started to press in your clothed slit, his warmth radiating strongly against your sensitive regions, it made you grind shyly on the finger teasingly trying to intrude your entrance. 

He bites lip at the delicious sight and pulls his fingers away, spreading your legs apart so that he could settle himself on his stomach and his face near your lower lips. Sliding your panties down almost too quickly, he pushes your inner thighs to spread for him, giving him a better view of what his teasings done to your body and blowing cool air on your twitching hole, drooling with more arousal.

He hears a small whimper from you and looks up, you covering your mouth with the back of your hand, and your other fisting the sheets. Giving your inner thighs a kiss to calm you down, he winks at you before repeatinf his early ministrations on your now bare pussy.

"You're so easily aroused."

It came out like a breathy whisper from his lips as he watches his finger slide up and down. The thought of you tight and clenching to nothing makes him want to plunge in immediately.

He hums pleasingly at the sight and slowly inserts his index finger in. You moan out loudly in surprise, hiding your face to side and not wanting to look down thinking you might just cum from the sight. He began pulling his finger out and then pushing it back in, he wiggles a little inside of your hole loving how warm and wet it was, until he inserted a nother finger in to stretch you.

"Keiji!!"

He thrusts both fingers in with a decent pace, not wanting to go fast knowing how sensitive and easily you'll cum. His mouth was watering at the sight of his fingers being swallowed in your small pussy, and leans his face down with his other hand spreading your lips and giving it a small kiss that made your hips jolt up as he began to attack your clit.

"K-keiji! Too good!"

His free hand holds one of your thighs way to keep you spread amd at his mercy. The two fingers inside of you thrusting erratically when you tightened around them, now hearing the sloshing noises and his mouth sucking you to death.

He watches your head move from side to side and your chest heaving from his treatment. He can feel his own cock painfully erect inside his pants and moves bit, moaning against your clit at his boxers friction, and your hands finding their way to his hair and begging him not to stop.

"Keiji! Please, please, don't stop! Please, I'm close!"

His fingers beckoning inside of you knowing what he was now pressing at and flattens his tongue on your pussy before smirking up and saying,

"Go on, pretty girl, cum for me."

Hearing his voice was like a knock out for you as your hips arched up and the grip on his hair tightened. The pads of his fingers pressing and teasing your sweet spot until you were cumming hard for his mouth to take in.

He pumps a few more thrust until your orgasm faded. You whimpered from the additional thrust and grabbed his wrist to stop.

"Too much, Keiji.."

Hungry eyes raking your sweating body and wet folds, his pants getting unbearable at the moment and zips it down immediately along with his boxers, letting his cock free and breathes in the cool air as it hits his cock that made it twitch in need.

How much he wanted to keep eating you out despite being sensitive, but the need to be inside of you caves in as he hovers above your quivering body and attatching his lips with yours. He slips in his tongue to deepen the kiss, grinding his cock against your wet slit as you moaned inside his mouth from the much needed friction and something inside your needy cunt.

But Akaashi wanted to savor the moment, he knows you were a virgin. He's only fingered and eaten you out during the years of relationship. Even though the thought of having his cock a taste of your cunt drives him insane, he wanted to make sure every part of your body was touched, kissed and adored like he promised.

"Mmh!"

Fingers now tweaking your right nipples as your legs tried to close themselves from now having to be stimulated from your torso, to his hard cock still grinding tantalizing. But his body was in between them, and his mouth was practically eating your whines and mewls for him. Seeing how sensitive you were getting over the little touches he was giving made him moan against your lips. His hand moves to tweak your other untouched nipple and pulled a little, your back arching as he releases his mouth from yours letting you moan loud.

Your back still arched giving him a quick access to suck on your erected nipple, biting softly yet playfully in synch with his pinching on the other nub.

"KEIJI! HAH— PLEASE!"

Trying to move away from his mouth and fingers by pushing his head gently, he uses other hand to pin both of your smaller ones above your head and releases your nipple with a pop, shivering from the air.

He stops playing with the other one and moves there to suck on it. His finger moving to the soaked one and pulling it softly. You trashed on his hold as he continued to assault your breast. Not seeing the way his eyes are now getting half lidded at the sight of your teary ones from the amount of pleasure and the sound of your pleading singing in his ears.

"AH! Keiji!! Please— no more!"

But he knows how much you didn't want this to stop. If you really did want to stop, you would've used your safe word. But just smiles at you fondly, letting his finger move from breast to breast and pulling and pinching quickly.

"Mm, I just love," he pulls a little harder on your left nub, but not to painfully for you, "How your body reacts to me." you hear his chuckled laugh when he stops to massage your breast alternatively, leaving you whimpering from how skillful his hands were.

"You're getting cuter and prettier as time goes by."

Shamefully, your walls clenched from his words. He knows judging by how you bit your lip and shutting your eyes and grins at you. He knows how much you loved getting praised and told all the lewd things he wants to do to you.

"You'll be prettier with my cock stuffing inside you, won't you, baby? 

Hands trying to pry his stronger ones away so that you can hold him, hide on his skin and let him ravage you. He does however, using both his hands, he separated your arms and pins them at the side of your head and proceeds to attack your neck.

"Baby."

He cooes at the side of your skin, cock now lubed from his pre cum and yours with the tip just poking on your lower lips impatiently.

"Please..inside, Keiji, please."

Yours legs widened themselves, preparing for what you've both been wanting that evening. He laces his hands on yours, the position you now had more vulnerable for him and he wanted nothing more than to take you and make you feel protected and pleased.

"Tell me if it hurts, okay?"

Lips pressing on your forehead as you relaxed on the sweet sensation, but as seconds went by, your body tensed when he entered the head of his cock in, inching slowly his hard length.

Akaashi's hands gripped yours harder when he feels your cunt fluttering and hugging his member tighter than he expected. His breating becoming ragged so he started leaving trail marks of love bites on your neck to calm the both of you down from the foreign feeling.

Each mark he gave came with a soft praise, telling you how good you were doing taking his cock perfectly and how beautiful you were breathless underneath him. He told you, you were doing a good job holding in and with that you let out a shaky breath before telling him he can move.

Thrusting out slowly, letting your juice slide freely on his cock before thrusting back in with force, enough for you to choke a moan. His hips taking their pace into what he knows is bearable for a first timer like you, but the way he was clenching his jaw tight indicates how much he wants to have his way and fuck you like he was on a rut. You were so tight and small compared to his impressive length that it was getting painful for him to be in a vice like grip down there.

It was a struggle to take him, but at the back of your head as you feel his cock move in and out of you felt so right, you wondered if it could be more pleasurable as it is. His face was alarming to you so you rubbed your thumb on his hand letting him pause and exhale harshly. He didn't know he was holding back so much to the point he forgot how to breathe.

"Are you okay?"

He panted above you as you stared in daze and in euphoria from being stuffed. Trying to stay grounded, you attempted to grind your hips to rile him up, only for him to growl and thrust in, forcing your hips down with a squeal from your lips.

"Don't do that."

"But you're struggling."

He breathes through his nose, he hates to admit it but he had to hold himself together not to take you like a freak in bed. He reminds himself that tonight was about you and only you. How wrong the words were of the people he's beaten for you.

"It's fine, I don't want to hurt you."

Nuzzling his nose on your cheek, he hums happily on your skin when you press your cheek in reply. As your eyes stared at each other, you knew how gentle your Keiji was with you. You knew he would never hurt you even if he could. He wasn't going to.

"Please Keiji."

Moaning wantonly when your shifted your hips in a good angle for his cock to thrust on, you looked at him with pleading eyes and drooling mouth.

"Please go harder."

Groaning on your skin, he thrusts in suddenly, lettinf your back arch once more as he placed his chin on your chest and licks his lips in hunger.

"You asked for it, baby girl."

The thrusts he was making was now audible inside your room; his balls slapping below your bum, your cunts lewd juices being messed up on both your bodies and your moans slowly becoming screams.

"KEIJI!!"

His mouth found their way back on your nipple, biting roughly and licking away the pain followed by a good sucking. Hips never faltering or holding back anymore and engulfs your shaking body.

"Fuckers were so wrong about you, love. Look at you,"

Your mouth was drooling from the side, hair messed up in display on the pillow that made  them look soft and angelic on you, eyes, your hands holding onto him tight with your body jiggling up everytime he thrusts in.

"You look absolutely ravaging."

He lets go of your other hand and places his on the back of your leg, hoisting it up and placing it on his shoulder, letting his cock piston deeper into you and making a mess out of you.

"I can't even move a lot from how small and tight your cunt is."

He laughs breathlessly as he aims to find your sweet spot again. You were trying to pull away from his hold but with your thigh up on his shoudler, you were stuck taking this all in like a good girl.

"I think I may be too lucky to have you in my life."

The tip of his cock was now kissing that spot that made you scream out in the blue, Akaashi cursed when your cunt clenched his raging member as he kept aiming at your precious spot.

"Fuck, do you like that, baby?"

"AHN— YES! PLEASE, PLEASE, I WANT TO CUM!"

Sobbing for the much needed orgasm, your body gives up and lets the male above you use it to please you both.

"Fuck, my hips can't stop."

He buries himself at the crook of your neck, moaning near your ear, edging you close to your release to the sound of him. He lets out small whimpers and groans, his cock twitching violently inside you with his thrusts losing their rhythm.

"Baby girl."

"KEIJI, SLOW DOWN! AHH— I'M GOING TO CUM!"

The heat in your stomach felt different from your previous orgasms. This felt hotter, tighter, and a whole lot messier. But Akaashi showed no mercy and carried on,

"Cum for me, baby."

The freed hand he had a minute ago now being a teasing bastard and rubbed your swollen clit. Pinching and rolling all four of his fingers on, making you scream and thrash. Panting with the thought of dying frkm the immense sex he was giving until the last line made you scream without a sound,

"I'm going to cum inside."

Your eyes rolled sinfully at the last line, your bodh ascending above not hearing Akaashi gasp from the way you came and groan as both his cock and abdomen get soaked from your cum and your stomach filled with his thick load and kept thrusting in a slower pace. Your cunt spasming on his member, milking him dry until you were taking all of his load in.

Exhausted, his body stills and lays a bit above you, not wanting to squish you with his member remaining inside you. Sniffles can be heard coming from you as you calmed down from your high, Akaashi stroking your hand that was still clamped on his and peppered you with small kisses and sweet confessions.

"You did so good."

"That's my baby."

"Always so beautiful even like this."

You other arm came and wrapped themselves on his neck, pulling close to you as you inhaled his masculine scent, anchoring you down back to earth before coming to realization on how damp your bottom was.

"I—"

"Squirted?"

Blushing, you buried your head on his neck followed by a laugh from your boyfriend, listening to you blabber multiple apologies.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, I liked it," He captured your lips with kiss, kissing you lovingly and a little longer before pulling away only to give you small pecks repeatedly, "It was sexy."

"You sound so different when you use that word, Keiji.."

"But it's true."

He didn't bother pulling out after you pleaded him not to. Even if it was your first time, it was addicting to have something fill you up to the brim. It made you feel snug and full, and it felt right. Akaashi wasn't complaining on the cock warming, in fact he held you closer to his chest and twirled your hair nonetheless.

"You're really not what they describe you, love," he admires how the dim light from your room manages to create a good lighting that made your skin glow. The hairs that sticked to you forehead after the intimacy you both caught up made you look like a soft baby with eyes looking at him full of love,

"I can't even describe you anymore."

Your eyes trailed down to his wounded torso from his face. Even though he was tainted, Akaashi was sculptured beautifully like no other. But inside you prayed that he wouldn't go home another day with freshly opened wounds just to defend you as you traced your fingertips on each bruise and scar.

He spots on and grabs one of your hands and pulls it in for a kiss on the knuckles, "I promise, I won't make you worry anymore."

Smiling, you snuggled on his chest pleased and full of bliss, feeling his lips kissing the top of your head repeatedly and his arms hugging you closer to his body.

"Keiji?"

"Hm?"

Pressing your cheek on his chest, you looked up to him and asked, with a small tint of blush on your face in embarrassment, "Um..W-why did you you know...In me?"

For a second he blushes as well, but in the end he seemed to be smiling excitedly as you missed the way his eyes glanced somewhere down your stomach.

"So I can have another pretty baby to love."

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Shinso and Toga as a team headcanons:

( Based on this post )

I think I said this before in one of my oldest bnha / mha posts but I really love to think about Toga and Shinso and the things they have in common.

For once, they know what is like having a "villainous" quirk and being bullied by that.

With Toga, she had to pretend she was okay and normal when in fact she was suffering, struggling with the nature of her quirk.

With Shinso, he had to pretend he was okay and it didn't bothered, to have people pointing out that he would make a good villain.

More than thinking about them in terms of villains or heroes, because we'd be only reinforcing the dichotomy, we'll just talk about their possible dynamics in neutral scenarios.

Let's go:

First of all, they both have what I call "support quirks". This means their quirks are not enough on their own in a battle, they only support the users or give them extra abilities.

For example, Eraserhead has a support quirk. His strength, his speed, his agility, all those things are from his mundane side, his quirkless side. He can only erase a person's quirk, but he needs to defeat people with his normal abilities. In the end, his quirk gives him a plus, it supports him, but it's not the core of his fighting strength.

Even without using his quirk, Aizawa is as fast, strong and badass as always.

The same happens with Toga and Shinso. They can't rely on their quirks alone like Bakugo or Todoroki could, for example. They can't release huge blasts or protect themselves with their quirks alone.

That's why for me Toga is one of the most badass characters in bnha / mha. Her existence alone is a contradiction to the idea that a person can't be a hero without a quirk. Why? Because Toga doesn't need her quirk at all to be lethal.

She can dissappear her presence by practice alone, she's deadly fast and has a mad knife game but only because she learned to be. Her quirk has nothing to do with any of this.

Add her quirk and she's terrifying. And she's only 16-17 years old.

Now now, Shinso lacks the practice Toga has had because she was forced into a learning after her middle school incident. She needed to work fast in order to survive. Shinso hasn't had that yet.

But once he learns, oh boy, we're talking about a man that will be able to brainwash several people at the same time and use them as he needs to.

The problem with their abilities is that they rely on the surprise factor, Shinso more than Toga.

Ha, kidding. Of course there are other methods. Let's take a look at them.

First of all, have you tried to shut your mouth for a longer period of time under a lot of stress or in the middle of a battle? no?

Even if you know how Shinso's quirk works, he can pressure you into talking to him. They only thing he needs is to be patience and have some support.

The bands he use are perfect for him to keep the movement, preventing the enemy from catching him. And the idea of him adopting the voice of another person is brilliant. He can keep on running away and hiding while pressuring the enemy with the voice of someone they love. Ufff.

That's where Toga fits in.

Toga is small and fast, she works perfectly with two knives in each hand. This is the type of girl that'd cut the back of your legs to make you kneel, the type that you can't quiet hit or trap.

And she can shapeshift into other people with their blood.

So imagine you're in a battle against Shinso and you hear the voice of someone on your team calling for you. You don't answer, right? But then you see the person and you're like!!! It's not Shinso!!! It's them!!

And you let them get near and...

She stabs you. Because it's a she. And you scream as she shifts back to her normal form. It's Toga Himiko, my dudes.

Or imagine you're going against Toga and you answer to one of your team mates and you get brainwashed immediately, courtesy of mister Shinso Hitoshi.

The best part is that they can help each other with their archives of voices and blood. Together, they can shapeshift into anyone and sound and act like them, a perfect trap for you to fall into their brainwashing.

This is the type of people that would be dangerous against political figures, because they can take your form and talk like you and take advantage from that.

This is the type of people that can't take down a bunch of villains together if they take the correct form.

For example, Toga Shapeshifting into Redestro and she simulates to talk, but it's Shinso using his voice. So they could, i theory, brainwash the people closer to Redestro in a minute.

And they can get any information they want. They can access a lot of places. They can infiltrate anywhere.

Deku fell into Toga's trick. So did Aizawa.

Those two are extremely observant and smart. That's the magnitude of Toga's skill.

And Deku won against Shinso only thanks to the vestiges. If he learns Aizawa's fighting style.... I'm looking respectfully to all that power.

But my favorite part is not how deadly they would be, but how good is their dynamic.

Toga is a ball of excitement and Shinso is tired of the entire world. However, Shinso is such as dumb and Toga is such as angry. They both are stubborn, they both know exactly what they want and they would do anything to achieve it.

Contrary to what you'd think, Toga doesn't like a moral code. The reason why she's fighting on the League's side is because she doesn't understand the morals and the ethics of the hero society.

That's exactly why Shinso fought so hard in the sport festival. He wanted to prove the system was wrong about him, about his quirk being weak or useless.

They just need someone to understand them and work with them. They need to find their own way for making things work out.

I think the big problem with their quirks is the fact that they're violating people's wills or they are taking something from somebody without asking.

I mean, their quirks are something that affects directly the other instead of affecting directly only they user of the quirk.

For example, with Todoroki he's the one catching fire or going cold. The quirk happens in the body of the user and allows them to fight with their own abilities.

With Shinso and Toga, they need to take something from someone to use their quirks. That's why they're viewed as villain quirks.

Personally, I think this is a big flaw from the hero comission because there should be some legislation about this. Different type of quirks should have different types of laws applying to them, you know?

How did I started talking about Shinso and Toga and ended up talking about how the justice in the hero society sucks, we'll never know.

We better cut it off here before I start ranting about something not related to the title of the post.

The end.

[bookwyrminspiration]

I don't remeber if I've already asked this so I'll do it again

I don't really like the whole Forkle twin deal. It's like Forkle 2 was there to replace Forkle 1, so what was the point of killing Forkle 1 in the first place? Forkle 1's death was a big deal, and it really affected Sophie. I feel like Forkle 2 just made everyone forget about Forkle 1, including Sophie. Instead of a twin, I would have liked to see Sophie angry. Someone close to her has died. Now she's not only fighting for what's right, she's fighting for revenge. I think this will be a motive in the upcoming books, she will think about Brielle, and Forkel, and her friends and family, and herself who the Neverseen have hurt.

Sorry this was so long, but I just had to rant

Don't worry about length; I agree with you! I think for me it's not necessarily that I'm upset Mr. Forkle turned out to actually be two people, but rather the way it was used.

Because we didn't feel the impact! The story didn't change for Sophie. We know that someone died and they planted the wanderling and everything, but aside from that, she still has a Forkle to look to and to ask questions of. He still can be a guiding/supportive figure and can still be cryptic and can still assume multiple identities. To the point that (for me at least) I have to be reminded that he died when I'm reading. Like yeah I'm aware it happened but I don't feel it--and I think that's part of why Shannon had those scenes where Mr. Forkle is now like "I am not what I once was :(" and "Things are so much harder without my brother now :(" because if she didn't keep bringing it up it'd be like it never happened!

I can understand the importance of him being a twin in the sense that it gives him a very intense personal reason to be in the Black Swan and working against their society. Because their situation is extreme in the fact they're two people living one life, and it impacted every aspect of who they were. There's no simple way for them to have been accepted into society, so they turned to other measure (the Black Swan). Sophie mentioned that at one point she thought of him as the Black Swan, and I think that's because he no longer has a life outside of it. Tiergan is a mentor and has a son, Livvy is also a doctor in real life with responsibilities, Juline has an entire family and is a mother. They all have lives outside of being in the Black Swan, but Mr. Forkle feels like he's in the Black Swan and sometimes lives other lives, if that makes sense.

but back to the topic, Mr. Forkle having a twin who could continue to be Forkle didn't (in my opinion) allow for his twin's death to have an impact beyond the confrontation scene. After the planting, it felt like nothing.

I think it would've been interesting to see her reaction to a death close to her, the permanence of it. I don't think she'd react like when her human parents were taken, because that was a situation where things could still happen to her parents and it was held over her. But with the person dead? Nothing worse can happen to them and she doesn't have to worry about them getting hurt if she does something.

There have been a few scenes (if I'm remembering correctly) where Sophie does something similar to the thinking about those dead. It might've been the inflicting scenes, where she thinks of all the people the Neverseen have hurt and it enrages her and fuels her inflicting. Don't quote me on that though i'm vaguely ruminating about what it was. My point is I don't think that's impossible! She's been getting angrier over the course of the series, and a huge shift happened in Unlocked when she went from defense to offense. So I think it's very possible that with that shift her mindset could shift from protect to avenge.

I think most of us would like to see Sophie...I don't know how to describe this. Go feral? Unleash herself? Abandon her previous attitude and let herself hurt people? To avenge those she loves who have been hurt? I think you kinda get the idea even if I'm forgetting the word right now.

But I do agree with you! I don't like how the twin thing was handled or how Mr. Forkle's death didn't feel impactful, so thanks for bringing it up!

[yellowocaballero]

could you either elaborate on maculine vs feminine traits/roles in lit and how we interpret people/stories based on that portrayal or direct me to a resource that would have info on that stuff? i've always struggled with definitions of masculinity and feminity, considering it's also tied to culture and literally everything else — i think i have some intuitive understanding of how it affects people (see: shift that happens when you find a person online is a woman; the -coded thing), but not enough vocabulary to talk about it out loud. i always had a hard time with gender, so it's interesting to me how you describe, well, leaning into the archetypes of sorts.

that is, if you have the time to explain/find resources, and you aren't afraid of anons that would misunderstand you.

Oh. I am always afraid of the anons that would misunderstand me. So much. So, so much. It’s why I never talk about disability on here, despite the fact that I am actually educated about that one. To give a blanket disclaimer, I don’t read much theory and I don’t know the theory on this. Don’t listen to me, go read theory. It protects you against TERFs and it’s good for you. Go look at Bluestockings or Gay’s the Word and find something from there, or use it as a resource to check out things at the library. 

That being said, I can speak a little on lit. Very specifically. 

I put effort into understanding the nuts and bolts of a story. A story will always have a ‘role’ for everyone. It is very infrequent that a ‘role’ is novel, or never before written. Most roles are very, very old. And most roles reflects a person’s position in society, fantastical or mundane. As a result, roles tend to be gendered, because life is very gendered. 

I’m not going to even attempt to define masculinity and feminity. Way more intelligent people than me have way more intelligent things to say on it. Go read them. I just tend to think of it in terms of that Naomi Alderman quote: “Gender is a shell game. What is a man? Whatever a woman isn't. What is a woman? Whatever a man is not. Tap on it and it's hollow. Look under the shells: it's not there.” 

I think of it as a kind of form defined by a negative space, like the vase optical illusion. My younger sibling once remarked that, in a group of men, masculinity was ill-defined and amorphous, and a thing that nobody strictly wanted to have - but nobody wanted to have the least of. It was always a competition for who had the ‘most’ - most of what? A construct that’s defined mostly as what is not there as in comparison to what is there. This is probably why you struggle with defining it outside of culture - culture is that bamboo structure that everything else is built upon. Constructs only exist in relation with each other. 

So gender is built upon roles and archetypes in literature because that is basically what gender is, and it’s how we understand and quantify gender. When you do a lot of genre writing like I do, the roles tend to come through extremely strong, because the characters are little more than archetypes. Even when you subvert or invert or act ‘independently’ of a gendered role, it exists in relationship to the role. It can’t exist independently. The closest we can get to that is scifi/fantastical roles like the robot or the alien, but the place they have in a story is also inevitably colored by these roles because they’re so baked in that they’re hard to escape. Alternatively, you can pull an Alien and cast gender-blind, but also Alien is about being a mother and the fear of womanhood. Stories are written by people, we live in a society, etc. 

I don’t think you should try to ‘beat’ this by trying to write the most ‘non-roled’ character possible, unless of course that is your specific story or character relevant intention. Like with race, trying to make everything ‘invisible’ rather instead leaves you with the ‘default’. If you’re going to write people who live on Earth in a gendered society, gender will be apparent in character dynamics, societal dynamics, and in characterization. Can’t ignore it. Rather, I like to do what I’m doing with knowledge of what I’m doing, with a purpose, and with something to say. But in general, you should always be writing purposefully, because otherwise you’re going to be saying things that you didn’t mean to say.

TL;DR - We live in a society and your writing does too, so don’t pretend it doesn’t. 

Thanks for the q!

[crimeronan]

Can you explain the appeal of Julian Blackthorn? This is a genuine question because I read the books and came away utterly bored by him and unconvinced of his moral greyness as opposed to like, Adam Parrish’s. He seemed so one dimensional to me but I want to know if I’m Wrong TM considering I tend to be very very biased toward my favourite characters and bored by the rest, and my favourites were Mark and Kieran. So maybe I just didn’t pay him enough attention??

it’s been a while since i wrote any earnest tsc meta but cringe culture is dead and the chance to infodump about my julian thoughts has me vibrating where i’m sitting so.  yes okay.

technical stuff

(aka: things pertaining to How The Story Is Constructed)

cassandra clare’s characterization has become much stronger just in general since she first began writing the series like twenty years ago

perhaps most importantly: the more recent stuff i’ve read from her has involved characters who actually grow, change, and learn from their past mistakes 

rather than repeating the same stupid decisions over and over again

and over and over and over some more

seriously take a shot every time someone in tmi miscommunicates or self-destructs in ways They Have Learned Not To Do for no real reason. u will die of alcohol poisoning

in tda this shines ESPECIALLY with the evolution of mark, kieran, and cristina’s relationship, but that’s a separate post

clare’s trademark is also the angsty traumatized jerkass love interest with a secret heart of gold

the woman is almost singlehandedly responsible for draco in leather pants and the proliferation of this kind of character type in fandom and teen lit. this isn’t a criticism it’s me marveling at how if you commit hard enough to a single trope you truly can change the world.  follow your dreams

sad jackass with a heart of gold isn’t an Inherently Problematic Character Type

but poorly done it can lead to relationship dynamics in which one partner is constantly being hurt by and then forgiving the other despite them making no real effort to change, because they are narratively absolved due to being sad

(there’s a lot of this with earlier jace content.  in some ways i think will was later created specifically to be a same-archetype protagonist who actually does get called on his shit and grow. that’s also another post)

also if all of your sexy male love interests are tortured jackasses with a heart of gold then people start calling you a one-trick pony

enter julian blackthorn!

from the very start everything about him is designed to be the INVERSE of the heart of gold jackass.  which immediately makes him interesting just from a meta perspective

(mark and kieran are also both alternate angles on this time-honored archetype.  mark gets the heart of gold and kieran gets the jackass and then they’re both much more deeply messy than that.  yet another post)

julian is kind, self-sacrificing, empathetic, artistic, emotionally supportive, responsible, and favored by old grannies everywhere

so a completely nonthreatening milquetoast guy, right

immediately forgettable if you’re only here for the dramatic conflicts and shithead antics of clare’s other protags

except that he is A Mess

and that he has structured his priorities very carefully, and they are as selfless as you expect from The Hero (TM) but they are also Not Heroic (TM) and they do not align with the moral framework The Hero (TM) is supposed to use

moral ambiguity in characters always exists in relation to their narratives imo. you mention adam parrish - trc’s narrative already mucks around in different ethical shades of gray, and adam falls on the canon scale about where julian does on his canon scale.  both more willing than the average pov character to do the ruthless thing or make the fucked-up choice if the ends justify the means; both with an intensely strong sense of internal priorities that they adhere to at all costs, both so unbelievably fucking down for murder; etc

i do think there are ways julian’s choices could have been pushed even further, but considering the number of readers who hate his guts already, i can see why clare opted not to go for the most controversial possible conflicts

so we’re flipping the narrative

instead of seeing this angsty bad boy and peeling back the layers of his trauma to find his heart of gold, we’re seeing the put-together selfless family man and peeling back the layers of his Responsibility Mask to expose the rotting husk underneath

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

THAT IS FUN AS FUCK

then when julian DOES lash out in hurtful, uncontrolled ways, he has significantly more narrative justification for it than most of clare’s protagonists (will elaborate in characterization thoughts)

julian is also interesting as fuck because of how his struggles allow for a more in-depth look at the failings of shadowhunter society, something that’s also sorely lacking in clare’s earlier work

his apparent amorality is simply the result of him making pragmatic and impossible choices because he has been faced with fucked-up ethical dilemmas since age 12 Because Society Has Failed Him

which opens the door for narrative exploration of how and why he’s been failed so badly & what needs to change

i also love that he has such a coldly calculated way of analyzing situations and allowing harm to occur when need be, bc a lot of clare’s early protagonists have such a bad case of Rush In And Get Myself Killed Because I’ve Got Feelings About Impulsive Heroism syndrome that i wanna push them in front of a truck

probably there’s other meta narrative stuff i could say but i’m stopping myself and moving on to character analysis

characterization stuff

(aka: reasons why i’m also attached to him in a vacuum)

i don’t read him as one-dimensional at all tbh

u may feel the narrative pushes “ruthless julian blackthorn” too much without delivering enough actual ruthless julian But i don’t think that’s the same as having only one dimension

from the get-go, the big question centered on julian is always “how far are you willing to go?” and the narrative pushes the stakes slowly higher and higher to continuously test julian’s “the price is always justified” mindset

he has a far more layered and realistic response to trauma than clare’s early protagonists - trauma affects every single aspect of his personality and how he conducts himself, and the effects vary depending on the circumstances

his conviction that he has to be the perfect parent to his siblings because they will fall apart if they see him show weakness??  rooted in how he feels like he’s fallen apart since losing the stable adult support he once relied upon

his willingness to hurt semi-innocent people, commit coldblooded murder, manipulate people using political leverage, allow harm to befall any stranger if it protects his family??  rooted in how he has already had to ask himself how much he’s willing to sacrifice, and how his family is his only source of stability when the world has never done Shit for him

his conviction that he has a darker heart than anyone else because he killed his possessed father, even though intellectually he knows he was saving his brother’s life??  rooted in having no means of processing this trauma and being unable to voice his feelings for fear of backlash from a deeply non-understanding society

the way he represses every single negative emotion he ever has, to the point where emma - his actual literal magic soulmate who can feel his emotions - is startled to find him hurting or angry??  once again all about how he has to be the perfect father or he’s failed completely

the way his anger is so totally disproportionate to different situations and the way his negative emotions can only come out in completely uncontrolled breaks??  all that repression baybey.  this kid has not processed a single bad feeling in five years.  every single real grievance and petty annoyance has been festering indefinitely inside him like a slowly spreading infection

julian’s arc involves him needing to get thru being his worst self to actually start to heal

as in, he has to actually learn to acknowledge his feelings, take care of himself, lean on his family, and let other people take some responsibility

he also has to learn that in his quest to be the perfect emotionally controlled authority figure, he has not actually learned how to control or deal with his emotions. like. At Fucking All. good god

the narrative setup is also about asking “how far are you willing to go?” until the answer is finally “not this far.  not this far”

and once he reaches that point, he has to reevaluate everything about how he weighs his priorities and morals and plans, etc

(i also like that emma has a perpendicular arc in which she’s always the one tempering julian and telling him “no we can’t go that far” until she’s willing to do something horrific that he absolutely won’t and HE has to stop HER. very sexy)

it’s also just really nice to have a character who’s learned to relate so well to literally every single member of his family while still having a very detached ruthless interior consciousness. i have similar feelings about how adam teaches himself to love people, but with julian it’s spelled out more explicitly in canon & it’s a more central character theme

i’m sure i’m also forgetting stuff here but this post is long enough so i’m gonna say good enough

and like i said in the tags on my other post, there are things i’d personally write differently if it were my story - plot points i’d shift, character contrasts i’d up, themes i’d explore differently, pacing i’d adjust, etc.  i have plenty of ways i could be nitpicky and editorial about the effectiveness of julian’s arc.  but i also don’t feel like writing them out at the moment & none of my critiques on effectiveness have an impact on the core appeal of his character 2 me.  he’s so fucking good