#your opinion isn't a fact and you shouldn't treat as such

[epickiya722]

Just remembered that anon that told me to "please use my critical thinking skills", which by the way I'm still waiting on that apology (sarcasm), and all I can think is...

Is it that I lack critical thinking skills or you're just upset that I don't share the same views as you and that I don't care to make a story out to be something it's not.

I honestly feel like some of the BNHA fandom (any really) chooses to try to make the story it's not just because they hate it. If you don't like the story, okay? Who cares? Why do you want people to care so much that you hate it?

"I don't care that people---"

Stop, because you do. You do care because you're going out of your way to ruin the experience for everyone else because you want to be an ass. Over fiction.

You're upset because this story wasn't what you wanted because of your sense of enlightment so you go out your way to say "it's this and it's that" just to paint this picture that the story is oh so bad. Just putting all energy into being a hater not just over the manga, but also towards others who want to read it, enjoy it for what it is and move on.

[centrally-unplanned]

I will always be annoyed as a very pro-welfare person that my "camp" is not going to come around to Social Security being Bad, Actually. It is so antiquated! Most crucially, it probably isn't even welfare - the best analyses in my opinion generally view it as neutral, maybe mildly progressive, and maybe even mildly regressive. Maybe your own paper thinks it is more on the progressive side? But it is ~5% of GDP! I do not have to "debate the progressivity" of food stamps, they are obviously insanely redistributive; the opportunity cost of Social Security is huge in this regard because you do in fact have a limited tax budget to play with.

More importantly to me, it is a redistribution from the young to the old in a society where that is becoming quite costly. The "forces of social reproduction", from work to innovation to families, are pretty universally created by the non-retired, and while most people are Doing Fine that doesn't mean we aren't creating unnecessary frictions for all of that. Right now we would all socially be better off "front-shifting" more spending, giving the ~30 year olds more income and the ~70 year olds less - 70 year olds in America are quite rich, they really don't need it.

Meanwhile the reasons for the program have vanished. I get why it was a decent idea in the 1930's - it is an insurance program built around the idea that the elderly can't "bounce back" from economic setbacks since they have a limited ability to work. In a world where bank runs junking someone's savings were common this makes sense. And in a world of fertility rates hitting 4.0+ targets it was easily affordable. But nowadays the idea that the median someone "cannot save for retirement" is very silly, they absolutely can safely and reliably - banks are stable and insured, government bond programs exist, and so on.

Of course, there are those who are too poor to save, which you can address with, like, actual welfare? I won't go down the UBI rabbit hole but it is very silly to fix the problem of elderly poverty with a universal forced savings plan that pays out to people based on their past income. Just give poor people money and cut out all the middleman bullshit.

Which is the rub of course - Social Security works politically precisely because it isn't welfare, it is something "everyone" gets. Which, again as a big UBI proponent, I get, it is how politics works. But that doesn't change the fact that Social Security probably makes most people on net worse off despite how much they defend it, and limits the fiscal capacity for better alternatives. From an ideological lens it isn't a left program, and shouldn't be treated as such. (And it isn't a right program either, but in the US rightwing ideology is pretty incoherent so who knows)

But in the end winning elections is the actual determinant of policy, so may the Democrats continue to worship it - and hopefully get the courage to slip some changes in that people don't notice somewhere down the line.

[kyeomkuppie]

Rooftop.

Pairing: Wonwoo x gn!reader

Genre: I honestly don't know but let's just say crack and a pinch of angst

Warnings: Wonwoo thinks reader is about to commit suicide

Synopsis: You were just trying to get a better look at the sky, but someone misunderstood and tried to save you.

You valued your peace of mind and the best way (in your opinion) to clear your mind was to look at the stars. At the edge of a rooftop.

Yeah, not the smartest idea but who cares!

Technically, anyone was bound to see a random person standing at a rooftop, misunderstand the situation, then call for help. Something you didn't exactly take into account.

And bingo as you had guessed, not only did someone see you, someone was at the same rooftop thinking you were about to jump, and you being at the edge didn't exactly help either.

Out of nowhere, you felt yourself being pulled backwards. Your back was now against the chest of a random stranger, and to make matters worse, on top of him.

"Uh, excuse me?" You were baffled and you didn't really know how to explain without him thinking you were lying "Can you let me go, please?"

No answer.

Oh shit. Is he dead? I don't think I'm that heavy though. You were thinking of the endless possibilities of you being charged for involuntary manslaughter. Great.

You finally feel the person who you thought you murdered move. "Are you okay? Why did you pull me like that? You could've been hurt!" You turned around only to be left awestruck. At least he was handsome.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his breathing was heavy, yeah it isn't the time for flirting. "How could you treat your life like it's something to be toyed with! You can't simply choose to end it because things are getting rough." His tone was stern and angry— but wait.

What? Your mind short-circuited for second. He thought you were doing what!

"What about your loved ones and the people who would blame themselves for your death? At least think about all those variables before treating your life like-"

"Excuse me?! I was just standing like a normal person, looking at the damn sky. I wasn't toying with my life, I was enjoying it!" You were starting to get riled up as well, couldn't he at least wait to hear what you had to say about yourself— and wait, what does he even have to do with it?!

"You shouldn't lie about things like this! If you need help, say it."

There's was no convincing this man. "Listen here stranger, if I needed help I would in fact ask for it. But can't a person watch the fucking sky in peace." You huffed "Why are you even making a big deal out of it? It's not like we know each other."

You pushed his hands which were gripping you away. "At least try to understand, I mean it's not the smartest thing to do, to stand at the edge of a rooftop I mean, but I assure I wasn't trying to do anything you were thinking of."

You had an idea! Not the smartest either but good enough "Want to grab a meal?" If he didn't say yes, you'd bury yourself alive, but you wouldn't have to see him again. If he said yes, you'd resolve that misunderstanding and you could go your separate ways.

He suddenly realized that his body was so tense and his body was still on the ground.

You gulped as he proceeded to get up. His features became more clear. His face had a soft expression but his eyes were sharp, so was his jaw. Yeah, you were right, he was one handsome fellow.

He was weirded out by your spontaneous personality. One moment you were all angry, and the next you were asking him to grab dinner? Yeah, not normal.

"Fine. I'll pretend that I believe you, and we'll go grab dinner. But for the love of god go stargaze anywhere but at the edge. I had the ambulance ready." He scratched his neck.

"Okay Mr. Overdramatic." You laughed, it was a peculiar day, not the peaceful kind you usually preferred, but definitely a day to remember.

"Wonwoo."

"Hm?" You tilted your head in confusion.

"If we're going out for a meal, you might as well know my name." He shrugged.

Yeah, he had split personalities, you were sure of it.

"[name]." You extended your hand "It was nice meeting you here— wait what were you doing up here?!" Your eyes widenened.

"I was stargazing."

"Yeah, no shit. I'll pretend that I believe you." You mimicked him from earlier.

Inspired by that one scene in true beauty.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

[tsw1234]

Moth To A Flame - D.G.

"And you'll leave him, you're loyal to me"

Word Count: 1549

Pairings: Dick Grayson x fem!reader

Notes: Heyyy pookies...how have you been... So, sorry for the long upload wait, y'all when I tell you that school's been kicking my ass like I need to lock in. I feel like I rushed towards the end so if you guys want any corrections or additions please let me know. I give my deepest apologies. Anyways let me not bore you, take this as an apology ;)

Synopsis: You've been hooking up with Dick Grayson (or mystery guy as your friends know him) for almost a year now. Despite multiple protests against it from some of your friends along with your best friend Jason Todd, you just can't seem to call it quits. Why?

Warnings: Toxic-ish and manipulative Dick, suggestive content, mentions of smut, cursing

​​Oh Dick Grayson, where to even begin? Dick is a very goal oriented person; he's always believed in shooting for the stars, to do the impossible. It's safe to say he's always had a tendency to want things he shouldn't have (which isn't much considering his dad is Bruce Wayne).

Insert you, Jason Todd's best friend of almost 2 years and roommate of one. Last year, you and Jason decided to move in together. At this point, you were aware of his ‘Red Hood’ persona and it didn’t hurt that you knew how to do a stitch up or two. From there, your friendship only blossomed.

You were first introduced to the rest of the Wayne family at Bruce’s Gala, around the same time you and Jason moved in. Jason needed a plus one and who else better to ask than his bestie of course! So there you were, on the arm of Jason Todd in a red dress which complemented his red tie perfectly. From the moment you walked in, you caught the eye's of all Wayne family members, Jason was always alone, why wouldn't you? But you resonated with one Wayne in particular; and just like that you became Dick's newest obsession.

Dick being the man he is, tried everything under the sun to charm you (and he did) but you weren't the type of person to give in easily. Though what you weren't aware of, was Dick's ability to be patient and persuasive. And after three long, and agonizing weeks of sexual tension and flirty remarks, you finally gave in.

Flash forward to present day, you and Dick have been hooking up in secret for about 7 months now; and girl do you have him whipped. It doesn't matter that he's been fucking a different girl every week, you were his main priority. You were aware that he was hooking up with others, so you took it as an opportunity to do the same. But Dick wasn't too fond of your decision to reciprocate his actions, despite him doing the same, leading to a huge fight between the two of you.

Now Jason? Although in the dark about who you were hooking up with, he was still caught up regarding all the drama between you and Dick. Jason wasn't fond of this "mystery guy" you would tell him about. He didn't like the fact that "mystery guy" could call you, ask to talk and you'd drop everything to go resolve whatever issues the two of you had. He didn't like hated how loyal you were to him.

Jason just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that a person as gorgeous and funny as you could ruin yourself over and over again for some douche. He wasn't the only one who expressed their dislike for Dick. Cue all of your friends having an intervention with you in your living room.

"Girl you guys have been hooking up, on and off for almost a year at this point. If he wanted to make it official, he would've. Stand up. If he can hook up with others, so can you!"

"How many girls does he have to fuck before you realize that he don't care about you. Was that drunken night when he came to you with hickeys not enough?"

"Why don't you go for Jason instead? He's the one for you, I feel it. He treats you so good, he truly cares for you and he truly loves you."

After hours of opinions exchanged and your friends giving you guidance on the situation, the day was done and the group chat had parted ways, each member returning to their homes. You take a shower and change into a shirt (that just happened to be Dick's) and a pair of shorts. Unbeknownst to you, there was still one more person paying you a visit.

In the midst of you watching your favorite movie whilst eating a snack you hear a series of knocks at your apartment. You pause the movie, place your snack to the side, and walk towards the door. Before opening it, you glance through the peephole in order to get a glimpse of who you're potentially about to interact with.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." you mutter as you open the door. "What do you want, Grayson?". He was still in his Nightwing suit which had to have meant he had just gotten off of patrol.

"Still giving me attitude, princess? I know we got into an argument but I at least thought you would've blown some steam off by now." he says walking past you, stepping into your apartment. You scoff in disbelief and turn your head to look at him. The audacity this man had was ridiculous.

"There's no way you just walked in here like that-"

"Relax princess, I'm just here to talk." he voices, throwing his hands up in defense. You roll your eyes and close the door behind you, making sure to lock it. "Whatever Grayson, I'm going to the bathroom. When I get back, you have five minutes to talk your head off and that's it." you warn.

Perfect timing. He's been trying to find an excuse to snoop around ever since he saw your friends leave your apartment, gossiping about the relationship between the two of you. He just needed evidence. In that moment he noticed your phone, that you left at the living room table, blowing up with notifications. Lucky him. After double checking to make sure you were still in the bathroom, he walked on over to where your phone was and picked it up. Your phone unlocked with ease the moment it saw his face thanks to him putting his Face ID in your phone. How he got your password to do so is a whole nother situation. Once your phone unlocked, he tapped on the messages within the group chat with your friends.

Reading those messages irked him. He didn't like your friends. He didn't like how they would speak about your relationship which he claimed they knew nothing about. He didn't like how they made him out to be the villain when it came to you. What really set him off were the comments they made about you and Jason. Why couldn't they respect the fact that you two were together hooking up.

Once you walked out the bathroom, Dick started reading out the messages one by one.

"[Name] get a grip."

Reply: "Seriously girl, we can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

"Leave her alone guys, she clearly has conflicted emotions between him and Jason."

"Really? You're just going to let them talk about me that way? And you like my brother?". You could tell he's pissed as he has a stern tone in his voice.

"Why are you going through my phone? And how did you even unlock it?" you question. At this point you could feel your blood boil. "That's not what I asked."

"Are you for real right now?" you scoff. "You're so unbelievable!" you chastise, leading you to walk around in circles and go in a rant about how he was being unfair and hypocritical. If you were paying attention, you would've noticed the way Dick's body tensed up or how his jaw clenched. He was turned on by your frustration and he would've let you continue if that meant he could listen to you scold him some more, but you weren't the only one who had anger that needed to be released.

He grabs your arm and leads the both of you over to the couch where you sit.

"Your friends think so highly of Jason, as if he's some type of angel and it's sickening. Does Jason know that when you're scared at night or bored or horny you call me? Huh?". He's toying with the hem of your shorts. Your hands are folded across your chest and your head is turned away from him out of pure annoyance. That drives him crazy, you giving him attitude. He grabs your chin and pulls it towards him, forcing the two of you to make eye contact. Exactly what you've been avoiding. Step one of how to get you to forgive him.

"Does Jason know that it's me leaving you with the inability to walk the morning after I fuck you in your bed the previous night?"

"Fuck you." you dispute. Girl he's been trying since he entered your apartment. "Is that an invitation?" he quips, raising an eyebrow. You suck your teeth at him. Taking a deep breath, and closing your eyes you try to remember what your friends said. Fully convinced that you were standing your ground, you open your eyes only for them to meet with Dick's blue ones, filled with lust, staring at you expectantly. Damn it.

"Come on pretty girl, please?". You hated when he begged. You hated it when he begged because you knew that you would give in every time and that's what he was banking on. And so, you drop all your walls and give in, which you'll make a mental note to scold yourself for. But that's tomorrow you's problem. Right now? Your attention is dedicated to the man currently in between your thighs.

[decepti-thots]

spurred on by your Drift and Roddy post from earlier, i'm terribly curious about your take on Prowl and Rodimus' dynamic/relationship? i never read through LL so i may be missing context but my read on the Overlord thing was very much that he was forced onto Rodimus, much the same way Megatron was, but i never really see anyone talk about them in relation to each other

I am going to first answer this purely based on the text of the comic, which is all I consider to be definitively canon. Then after we establish what I feel about that, I'll bring up some word-of-god as additional optional context.

Based on what we see in the comic in early MTMTE, we establish very clearly that Prowl and Rodimus do not get on, and specifically that Rodimus openly detests Prowl. He mocks him to his face; it's neither subtle nor very surprising. And in the Costa run, we see in Prowl's burn book he has a low opinion of Rodimus, so. We can assume they are openly disdainful of each other as members of command and that this is long-running.

I think this negativity, the open disdain, is where the read that Rodimus was somehow 'made' to take Overlord comes in. Why the hell would Rodimus do a favour for someone he didn't like? One he does not stand to benefit from? It therefore tracks it was somehow coerced.

The big question though is... if that was the case, why did Rodimus not bring it up to Drift. There's a post-RiL scene where Rodimus bemoans that he agreed to do it because he realizes it was a stupid-ass decision now it's all gone to shit, one Drift opposed, in The Sound of Breaking Glass:

“This is my fault, not yours. We were standing in Prowl’s office, and he was trying to convince me that bringing Overlord onboard was ‘right and proper’, and you called me an idiot for even considering it.”

If Rodimus had been pressured, even blackmailed, he'd be taking this opportunity to cuss out that Prowl forced him to, or perhaps even to cuss himself out for bowing to whatever pressure Prowl subjected him to. He does not. He says Drift called him an idiot for considering Prowl's persuasion. And what that says to me is that Prowl indeed just persuaded Rodimus, seemingly by painting it as a contribution to the post-war Autobot cause that would reflect well on Rodimus.

Which makes sense, because while they respond to it very differently, Rodimus and Prowl have one thing in common; they are unhappy with how the war ended and how anti-climactic their defeat of the Decepticons has been. Prowl continues to spiral into treating the war as ongoing as he becomes conspiratorial, while Rodimus leaves the planet entirely in an attempt to restore it to a 'golden age' and elide the issue of making co-habitation with Decepticons and Neutrals work. But they're both in denial about this just... being how things are now. As much as Rodimus loathes Prowl personally, he's also presumably being buttered up as someone who understands the risk isn't gone, the Autobots need to still act like they're not done with things, and look, we need that phase sixer, Rodimus, you understand that...

Basically: I think he agreed out of a combination of ego and like... that sense that at least Prowl shared a dissatisfaction with the compromises everyone else was making and which Rodimus felt they shouldn't. And as an impulsive person inclined to trying to make big grand moves and act decisively, but whose judgement often winds up instead simply making him reckless, I find it completely plausible, and have always assumed this is how it went.

As for word of god... well, turns out that was apparently also how Roberts saw it, more or less. Which I found out after the fact. Hah. He's spoken about how he basically thinks that Prowl went 'oh well, if you're not able to step up for the cause, I'll find someone who can do what needs to be done' and Rodimus got defensive and talked himself into it while Drift, I assume, dropped the sycophant act for once and rightfully called him stupid as hell for it. LMAO.

[optimist-pine]

Chicken

Summary: In which Daryl greatly regrets ever offering to help you.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 614

Era: The Prison

A/n: There's no dignified way to wrangle a chicken. (Source: just trust me.)

Capturing the ever-wilding fowl had been your bright idea, and you're sticking to the opinion that it's a good one - no matter what your companion's thoughts on the matter are. The crops are great, the pigs are fine, and the horses are beautiful. But the chickens have been your project from the start, and you take pride in your contribution.

At least, that's what you remind yourself as you stand here in the middle of the woods, out of breath and almost out of patience.

You take a step and startle the three birds in Daryl's direction for the umpteenth time. "If you-" You start to say.

He interrupts, "If these damn birds dun' start cooperatin' I'm eatin' chicken for dinner." He lunges for a black hen, wrapping his hands around her middle, but one of her wings isn't covered completely and it slips free, thwacking him square in the face. He recoils and drops her instinctively, cursing when she gets away again.

It's your turn to try and snatch a bird but you're finding it hard to stop laughing and your attempt is halfhearted. Daryl jumps on the opportunity, managing to hang onto the orange hen this time. Her wings are flapping like crazy and she's squawking as if he's trying to wring her neck; his arms holding her out as far from his body as possible. He's shouting at you to grab the crate to put her in, but a snort squeezes out and then another, and you're engulfed in laughter so intense you've got to hold your stomach and fight your screaming lungs for air.

You put your palm against a tree trunk for support, attempting to rein in the ridiculous sounds that your body is producing all while a chicken and a full-grown man have a mutual freakout a few steps away.

Somehow you manage to push the crate near enough to him that he can safely trap the hen. "It ain't that funny." He grumbles, giving you a squinty scowl.

"I know, I know, it shouldn't be-" You gasp around lungfuls of air.

"It ain't." He repeats.

"-but it is!" You choke. "You- you both looked ridiculous, I'm sorry!" Tears are leaking out of the corners of your eyes. The image of Daryl and the bird in full panic mode won't move out of your mind.

He huffs, the equivalent of an eye roll. "C'mon, girl. Let's get the rest'a yer stupid birds."

When you've made it back to the prison and introduced the new chickens to the rest of the flock Daryl points at the gorgeous white rooster you'd finally managed to wrangle. "Tha' one's gonna make a great meal."

You slap his arm lightly. "You better keep your grubby paws off'a my chickens! Sides, ya can't eat 'im til we get some chicks outta 'im."

Hershel joins the two of you with a gentle smile. "How'd the chicken catching go?"

"Piece'a cake." You grin.

That same orange hen is staring Daryl right in the eye. "That's not how I would'a described it..." He says, and you swear he shudders ever so slightly.

Unfortunately (for him) you spend a lot of time around the coop, and it's not long before a strange friendship reluctantly blossoms between the man and that bird. She constantly follows him and he actively tries to avoid her. It never fails to make you smile, and soon enough he's bringing her treats and giving her pats and it's rare not to see her tailing his heels.

And fortunately (for him) the day comes when he does in fact get to eat that rooster. He's adamant that it's the best chicken he's ever tasted.

[interstellarsystem]

Source Memories and Trauma

There's a lot of things that tend to come up about the source memories of alterhumans. Fictives, fictionkin, factives and anyone else with memories of another place or time are common in the community, and they can all have differing opinions on if those memories "actually happened". The thing is, some people tend to contest those memories as being entirely "made up" and dismiss any benefits or issues that might come from them, even going so far sometimes as to accuse those who have exotrauma of faking, being insensitive or ableist.

It's important to acknowledge that whether you, your system (if you have one) or any others around you believe your source memories to be spiritual in origin or psychological or anything else, they're still memories that can affect you and should be treated the same as any other memory you have of the current physical world. It doesn't matter if the memories are good or bad, spiritual or psychological, what matters is that you feel things as a result of them and that isn't something to be dismissed.

Things from your memories might not be "real" in the sense of physically happening here or even anywhere depending on your beliefs, but that does not matter because they can still very much affect you. You have these memories of things from elsewhere or another time or body and they are real to you because you remember the feeling of going through them. You remember, regardless of "true reality", those things in your memories and so, you react in apropriate ways. Maybe you had something nice happen in source so you remember things associated with that event fondly even here. Maybe you had something bad happen in source so you instinctively avoid things related to it here. Even without realising, your memories are your experiences and they can affect many things. Your experience shouldn't be downplayed just because they aren't proveable to have physically happened.

If memories need to be "real and physical" to count toward being something you should respect, what about people with psychosis? We're fortunate enough to not experience horrible hallucinations very often but we do get them and they're terrible when they want to be. Hallucinations are decidedly not real in the sense that they aren't physical, but you still live through it and deal with it. And sometimes, you can get traumatised from it. Hallucinations and delusions can be absolutely debilitating and if source memories are a psychological phenomenon too, then they really aren't all that different in how they can affect people. That's not to say that source memories can't be spiritual either--If your memories are spiritual, you literally did experience them. They are just as real to your experiences as any other, regardless of "actual" origin.

Plenty of traumagenic systems have introjects with source memories that mirror their own body's trauma but it's not always exact. Are those memories also to be dismissed because it's not the real deal? What about trauma from inside a headspace itself? For some systems, headspaces aren't as physical as the outerworld and for some, no harm can happen in them. However, there's a lot of issues that can come up in headspaces or within systems in general that are entirely abusive--is that real enough to not be shoved aside or harrassed over?

Memories are messy and the fact that source memories are so often downplayed or dismissed is upsetting. People have gotten angry at and harrassed others over experienceing exotrauma just because they simply have it. In the past, we've gotten our spaces online raided and had images posted to cringe subreddits simply because we and others described exotraumatic experiences. It's not just the subreddits of course, there's been plenty of personal experiences in the plural community itself we've had that follow the trend--and we're not alone. Every so often a post shows up talking about how people with exotrauma are ableist, lying, attention-seeking or insensitive for daring to say they have exotrauma. It's a recurring thing we see on and off and it's always as sadenning as it has been.

People who are affected by their source memories deserve to be able to find coping skills and find others who have similar experiences. You shouldn't have to wonder if you'll be taken seriously for your exotrauma. You should be allowed to take the time to heal just as anyone else would. It doesn't matter if you have exotrauma, this-world trauma or no trauma at all, everyone should be allowed to talk about their experiences and get whatever help they need for themselves. It's that simple.

[merakiui]

https://www.tumblr.com/merakiui/744520913494671360/azul-who-was-spoiled-as-a-child-so-he-believes?source=share

Mera are you not going to elaborate 👀 on how,,,, absolutely entitled tako would be with his not so subtle complex and also riddle who deserves this okay? This is all he's truly ever wanted and by golly he will see it through to the end! He can get through any trial or tribulation so long as he can put it in you

And ofc the tweels are soooooo sex brained that ur opinion doesnt even matter, they dont even have to justifying themselves bc there is no justifying- they want you? They got you!

ACTUALLY........ now that you say this, my thoughts can be expressed more succinctly!!!!!

(cw: yandere, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, non-con, brief mention of slut-shaming, obsession, everyone is just really horrible here)

Azul's mother and stepfather who know their son could do no wrong, so they're shocked and appalled when you start accusing him of something so disgusting. How dare you accuse him of such a horrible crime! He would never! Your parent(s) sits down with the Ashengrottos to discuss and hopefully smooth things over. Azul is so sickeningly sweet and cordial throughout the entire thing while you look scared out of your skin. You insist he's lying, that you're telling the truth, that this is what happened. But then his stepfather threatens to take the matter to court. He knows the law. In the end, you're forced to drop it because your family can't afford a trial right now.

On your way out, Azul smiles at you. Even at twenty-something, he's still their spoiled brat. So entitled! Because he got everything he could ever want from his mother when he was a child, he automatically assumes he'll have you without any problems. But you just had to reject him in elementary. You just had to make a fool out of him in front of the class. It's your fault he couldn't have the one thing he's always wanted. But now he's so much better than his past self, and this time he's not taking no for an answer.

I think it would be a similar situation with Riddle. His mother refuses to believe her son could do any wrong, and the fact that you—some slut who shouldn't be near her Riddle to begin with—have the gall to throw around such wild accusations... You must have been raised so poorly to forgo basic manners and social etiquette. Riddle apologizes profusely for causing such trouble, but his story isn't the truth. You watch him lie to his mother's face and she believes him because he's Riddle Rosehearts, the paragon of pristine perfection. Of course if you and your parent(s) continue to press the matter, Mrs. Rosehearts will threaten to sue and when you're up against the Queendom of Roses's most renowned magical doctor with her prodigious son who could never do any wrong... Surely it's impossible from the start.

Riddle does feel bad. Somewhat. Deep down he knows it's wrong, but he's never had anything special before. Everything has always been chosen for him. He's never had friends. He's never had any hobbies. He's never had a life. And when he saw how radiantly you would shine while passing through campus with your group of friends, he just had to have you. You're like those forbidden strawberry tarts from his youth. He knows it's bad, but he can't help wanting to indulge even if it breaks rules. He's been so good. Surely he's allowed one treat! If it makes you feel any better, he was just as anxious as you were when he mixed that stuff into your drink.

And the twins... oh, the twins. >_< terrible. Their mother babies them incessantly. In canon, it's noted that she tends to call them frequently (nearly every day) because she worries. So she absolutely spoils them rotten. Those are her babies; of course she will! Papa Leech is just as adoring, I'm certain, but then I feel like his love is more of a "tough love" type. In any case, the twins won't accept the word no because they're so used to just getting things. Those sturgeon scales they proudly wear? Those were won through a fight. They want and then they take. It's simple.

So the fact that you'd tell either of them no... Unheard of. All of Floyd's smiley pretenses drop when you reject him. Jade can keep up his own placidity, if only to give you another chance so that you won't whine about how unfair it was in the aftermath: "Would you like to think more carefully about your decision?"

Whatever happens, you can't say or do anything. No one's going to speak ill against the Leech family. They can't. That's just how it is.

[melverie]

Okay, but you guys do realize that the reason Mephisto behaves the way he does is because he has been raised with the intent of only being beneficial to the future demon king and nothing else, right?

(Buckle up because this is going to be a loooonnngggg post)

Mephisto comes from a family that has been serving the royal family for ages. He mentions multiple times that his family has always acted as their knights, their advisors and their protectors to them, and it won't be any different with him. It shouldn't be any different with him. Being beneficial to Diavolo has literally been decided to be the very meaning of his life even before he was born. He's been forced into the role and he's following it to a T because he's never known anything else, and because he can't afford to lose that. Without it, what else is left of him? What worth does he hold other than being essentially a tool for Diavolo?

And then the brothers fall and suddenly his position is at risk. Lucifer and Diavolo have already gotten along fairly well back when Lucifer was still an angel. Both Diavolo and Lucifer (as well as several others) mention that they go way back in their Nightbringer homescreen dialogues, and we see them having mutual respect by the end of the 'The Glory Days' Devilgram in the original game. Mephisto and Diavolo meanwhile might be childhood friends, but here's the thing

Diavolo wants a friend. A real friend. Someone that genuinely appreciates him for who he is as a person instead of focusing on his status as the future demon king. And that's something Lucifer can give him. They often hang out for the sake of it (apparently even eating dinner at Ristorante Six together regularly), they regularly engage in lighthearted banter, and Lucifer isn't afraid to give Diavolo his honest opinion

But that's not really the case with Mephisto...? He was never meant to be on equal footing with Diavolo; Diavolo even calls him "mini-Barbatos" at one point. He is literally still calling him 'Lord Diavolo' all the time, requests to speak his honest opinion first and waits for Diavolo to allow him to do so before actually giving it. That's why Mephisto keeps pushing down his own feelings and keeps showering Diavolo in praise any opportunity he gets while he adjusts every aspect of life to be beneficial to Diavolo in a way. Sure, he might be popular, but as long as Diavolo doesn't want him to get married he doesn't even waste a thought about relationships. He might have no real interest in journalism, but of course he'll take over RAD's Newspaper Club. After all, Diavolo asked him to! He's part of the House of Lords because as the future king's right-hand man that just makes sense. He was always just meant to be a tool for the crown prince to use, so he doesn't know how to treat Diavolo as anything but. He was literally groomed to be dispensable, so he's obviously going to act like it

And that's also where Mephisto's dislike for Lucifer stems from—he can only watch as Lucifer slowly grows closer and closer to Diavolo, and threatens to take the role that was always made up to be his. And so Mephisto keeps challenging Lucifer over and over again, trying to sabotage their friendship any way he can in hopes of winning back his position as the crown prince's right-hand man

That obviously doesn't make the way he treats Lucifer (and the rest of the brothers!) right. Lucifer isn't responsible for any of this, and blaming him for it is misguided. But it still doesn't change the fact that Mephisto has the right to be hurt at the situation at hand. His entire purpose of existence is just being ripped away from him right before his eyes and all he can do is watch. That must hurt. Especially when your entire familiy's purpose has been to serve the royal family, and you are the first one to lose that

Also, I feel like something else we need to talk about is how his fight only ever really seems to be with the brothers, especially Lucifer? Again, part of the reason is the entire Diavolo situation, sure, but I feel like it also has to do with the situation in the Devildom at large? I already vaguely talked about this in a different context a few months back, but ever since the brothers have been cast out of the Celestial Realm and arrived in the Devildom, the entire situation has just been super unstable. We as a player have a unique perspective on the events because we only have a limited outsider view to on the actual politics going on the the Devildom, while also being aware how things will play out in the future. We know that ultimately letting the brothers stay is the right choice, but that's not the way a regular denizen who has to live through all this sees it. I mean, just the way Mephisto describes the brothers really puts things into perspective:

The entire realm is super destabilized, they just semi-lost their current king, and there have been multiple very real threats of war—first when the Devildom took the brothers in in the first place, then when "Raphael" showed up and told the brothers to return, and Lucifer rightfully points out to (a comatose) MC that they are bound to go to war should the Celestial Realm ever find out that Diavolo turned Lilith into a human. There's just a lot of tension in the air, and the brothers—extremly powerful as both angels and demons—seem to be at the root of most of it in one way or another. From a the House of Lords' perspective, it makes sense to want the brothers gone, same goes for a denizens perspective. And while it is a delicate situation all around that can't just be blamed on the brothers, it makes sense for Mephisto to also see them at the center of it all. Again, that doesn't make the brothers' treatment right, but it's at least understandable given the circumstances

On a side note, when discussing his beliefs, I think it's also important to remember that he to this day is incredibly sheltered. He just accepts all this as normal because to him it is normal, but as we've seen in lesson 31 hard mode Thirteen was so shocked by his views that she immediately decided to drop everything and play therapist for him (absolute Queen for not just blaming it on him btw 💖). I know this was just a throw-away line, but this paired with him basically excisting to serve Diavolo already says so much about his character:

And with everyone else he seems to be generally pleasent? I mean, he says he doesn't want anything to do with angels or humans, and yet he risks getting injured in order to save Luke from falling. Yet he actively seeks out MC to solve one of the 666 Mysteries of RAD together with them, and saves them from tumbling on the floor because "anyone else would have done the same" (they wouldn't have. The season 1 brothers would have laughed straight in MC's face). He literally complained to Thirteen about how he was just about to go home and how he doesn't have time for her, yet diligently carries all her things for her as rain is pouring down on him. His actions always end up betraying his words

Also he has a massive sweet tooth which alings perfectly with one of the headcanons I had for months and is RAD's local horse girl so we stan! <3

-> more character & relationship analyses -> masterlist

[heyftinally]

https://www.tumblr.com/defendingts/750845507072622592/what-do-you-think-the-p-and-the-r-in-pr-stand-for?source=share

“no celebrity is treated the way Taylor is.”

That is such an outrageous claim. Taylor is praised by 90% of the media. Taylor has a [rabid] fan base that send literal death threats to people who voice their negative opinions on her. Taylor being called out for genuinely bad work and bad choices is not hate it’s accountability.

Britney Spears has it worse than Taylor and continues to have it worse than most celebrities. Miley Cyrus endured some of the worst treatment from the general public and media of a current star when she was growing up. Justin Bieber has been abused by the media since he was 15. Michael Jackson was ridiculed at every turn when he was alive and people still tried to take advantage and drag his name through the dirt after he died. Marilyn Monroe was treated as more of an object than a person and still is mistreated today with misrepresentations of her life being made for entertainment purposes. Cassie literally just had footage of being assaulted by her ex Diddy released to the public. God I could keep going but I won’t. The proof is out there. She’s just too blind to see it. She claims she’s not a Swiftie but she clearly is. If she’s neutral towards Taylor she could at least acknowledge that Taylor has had it very easy in contrast to MOST celebrities.

I had her original account blocked but she made a new one and keeps posting in the anti tag and I’m just fed up. I’ve blocked her again but I needed to rant. Most people in the anti tag aren’t actively hating just expressing their frustrations and even if they were hating. ITS IN THE ANTI TAG. OMG. Sorry but she’s clearly a Swiftie who doesn’t have a god damn life and is baiting people into her ask box. She probably sends herself messages to show she’s got a larger following than she actually does. It’s pathetic. She calls antis pathetic but really we vent to a couple of blogs who agree with our thoughts and those blogs post them. She’s the one seeking out these things to complain about them. It’s so f*ckin annoying

I've honestly called other performers WAY worse things than I've called Taylor Swift. I've criticized countless artists for a variety of things. Hell, anyone who knows me knows I have just as many issues with Harry Styles as I do Taylor Swift (they're basically two versions of the same issues if you ask me).

I tag my posts the way I do for one reason, and one reason only: so that swifties can block me, block the tag(s), and fuck off. I'm not going to sit here and try to convince someone that they shouldn't support her - that has to come from your own moral compass. But in return, don't come on to my posts and tell me I'm wrong for having an opinion based on the facts we're given 24/7.

And as far as the old bullshit of "antis are pathetic" (how very 2010 tumblr lol), I say mocking someone for having an opinion you don't like is MORE pathetic. Taylor Swift is shoved down our throats literally constantly - if I'm forced to be aware of her bullshit, I'm going to have an opinion on it. If that opinion isn't favorable towards her, sucks to fucking suck. You know what I don't post about? Who Hilary Duff did or didn't go on a date with last weekend. Because I have no clue what happens in her personal life, and I'm not about to go be a stalker freak to find out. If Taylor Swift can't stand people not liking her, maybe she should put less of herself on display. And again, if swifties don't like my opinions, they can block me and my tags like adults and move on.

[aspd-culture]

hey, so i recently did some research and took the mmpi and a few other tests that i knew were well regarded as diagnostic tools by professionals, as well as self reflection and matching myself with criteria. (all tests found free probably illegally online via links on reddit cause i dont got that kind of money) and it appears that i have aspd.

I consider myself a good person, i try to always be good to everyone which is a lot of effort because it’s something i dont do naturally, and imo that makes me better than a “normal person” but i digress

finding this out, while relieving in the way that it explained a lot of stuff, has also made me feel more alienated. i cant tell anyone im close to because theyll just hear “sociopath” and think i dont care about them or ive been manipulating them this whole and leave, and i wont be able to find new people because im bad at connecting with others so ill be alone. and no one online with aspd seems to have my experiences (also a lot of the online spaces are filled with pwBPD and pwNPD using our tag lmao and i dont relate to them either obviously) so i feel alien here too.

I dunno, finding this out was helpful in some ways but in others i just feel worse.

I guess it’s a net good now that i know that my way of thinking and going through life doesnt make me a bad or manipulative person its just how i naturally think bc of my disorder, and as long as im choosing to be good to people it shouldn’t matter. i just wish it wasnt so stigmatized to have, and i wish people would realize that i am capable of being a good person just as much as they are, i just have my own way of doing it.

I actually dont get why having it Come Naturally is such a good thing anyway, isnt it more meaningful if someone isnt “good by nature” but actively chooses to be anyway? I think it means less and is less reliable if someone is good by nature because then it means that they don’t actually know how or why theyre doing it, and if they have a moment of fluctuations in their empathy then they could be worse than any of us disordered folk who had to learn they why and how of this stuff.

lmfao ok uh sorry for having a character arc in your ask box you can delete if you want idc

No, no worries! I'm sorry it took me this long to get to honestly because yeah I agree with this - it is in my opinion objectively better to do good things by choice, even when it's hard for us. And, in fact, the NTs feel that way too but they don't like that it applies to us.

It's a whole cliche people like to throw around, that it isn't easy to be a good person and that the only truly good people are the ones that doing it when it's hard too - that the easiest thing isn't always the right thing, all of that. They just don't like that those things apply to us too and therefore we are very much their definition of good people.

The world has so much stigma against us, and I'm sorry you're struggling with it, that any and all of you are. We shouldn't be treated this way as a result of us being mistreated as kids. It's not our fault, but we're labeled and demonized anyway. And it sucks, and even though it says everything about them and nothing about us, people believe them bc they're so used to thinking we're the scary ones so we must be wrong.

That seems to be slowly changing, and I hope I (and you) are around to see when it does.

Plain text below the cut:

No, no worries! I'm sorry it took me this long to get to honestly because yeah I agree with this - it is in my opinion objectively better to do good things by choice, even when it's hard for us. And, in fact, the NTs feel that way too but they don't like that it applies to us.

It's a whole cliche people like to throw around, that it isn't easy to be a good person and that the only truly good people are the ones that doing it when it's hard too - that the easiest thing isn't always the right thing, all of that. They just don't like that those things apply to us too and therefore we are very much their definition of good people.

The world has so much stigma against us, and I'm sorry you're struggling with it, that any and all of you are. We shouldn't be treated this way as a result of us being mistreated as kids. It's not our fault, but we're labeled and demonized anyway. And it sucks, and even though it says everything about them and nothing about us, people believe them bc they're so used to thinking we're the scary ones so we must be wrong.

That seems to be slowly changing, and I hope I (and you) are around to see when it does.

[epickiya722]

Okay, it's sharing time. It's gotten to a point in my life that now I decided to say "fuck it" and take off the gloves.

There was a time in my life that I didn't want to share my opinions on anything because I didn't want to disappoint people. A part of me even still don't like disappointing people but it's not a very small part that's reserved for certain people.

I know people aren't going to share my opinions, but you know what? That is fine.

In fact, I encourage others to have different opinions because sometimes the norm isn't good. Be based.

You can disagree, but it's arguing with me and treating me like I'm stupid is going to be the problem.

If I say something like "I like purple is a fun color", don't come at me like "so you think blue is an awful color?"

I didn't mention blue, I didn't mention no other colors. I didn't bash no other colors.

My statement is just purple is a fun color. That is it. Simple.

When are some of you going to stop going through tags and reblogging every post you see to dispute how that person feels about it and play "well, actually..."?

It's people like that that makes it hard for others to want to share anything. Makes it unbearable to be in a fandom. You want to criticize that person and make them feel dumb because you think you're like some captain of a fandom.

Well, you're fucking not. You're just a "fan" like the rest of us.

"But I wasn't trying to make you feel stupid or argue."

Yes, you were. If you weren't, you wouldn't have said anything on that post. Could have just made your own. No, you wanted to nag at someone because you felt some kind of way. And when they point it out? You want to double down? Nope, you already crossed a boundary you shouldn't have.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

What do you define as traditional femininity and masculinity? I don’t think it was bad that women were liberated. Not everyone wants to marry so she should have the right to be able to take care of herself and domestic violence was very high back then so an escape route for women was needed. I think we need higher wages and maybe fewer hours as a whole. Including more time for parental leave. I am curious though as a gay man, do you think two same sex parents lead a home life that is lacking?

First off, I don't see it as "liberation", hence the quotes I used in the last ask. All women's lib did was add more taxable income to the income pool and lead to children being raised by strangers and devices. It's a net negative for society and culture, even if some individual women benefited. I'm not saying women shouldn't be allowed to work, but in a family, only one parent should work full time.

Traditional masculinity is when a man takes responsibility for himself and his family. He provides for his children, treats his wife right, and leads by example. One of his main goals is to see his children lead a better life than he did. If he doesn't have a family, then he should do his best to leave society better than he found it. He should be strong, decisive, and hard working. He should be polite and well dressed. He should protect his family at all costs. He should be his wife's strongest supporter and advocate.

Traditional femininity isn't as different to traditional masculinity as you'd think. Femininity is not weak, it's just strong in different ways. Where a man is more attentive to the physical needs of his family, a woman should be more attentive to the emotional needs. She's the one the kids come to with their issues and their feelings. She maintains the house and does the chores the man can't because of his other responsibilities. She should be publicly modest. She should be unrelenting in defense of her family. She should be her husband's strongest supporter and advocate.

And despite me using the words "man and woman", masculinity and femininity aren't necessarily gender locked. A man can fill the traditionally feminine role, and vice versa. In a single parent family, the parent can potentially fulfill both roles, or another family member can step in to one of them. But the roles themselves are important, in my opinion. You need both influences to raise children right. And they're both ideals that everyone should strive for regardless of which role they want to fulfill.

As to the rest of your ask, higher wages and fewer hours would solve nothing. Assuming by "higher wages" you mean "all jobs raise their wages for all employees" you're basically arguing for an increased minimum wage which always results in higher prices, negating the entire point of raising it in the first place. Just throwing money at a cultural crisis isn't going to fix it. It needs to be fixed within the culture itself. People need to want to fix it. And sadly, most people won't even admit that there's a crisis.

Your claim that domestic violence was "very high back then" doesn't really have data to support it. Domestic violence wasn't even tracked until the 70s, so there's no real data before that, and the first organizations to track domestic violence were feminist activist groups, which have a political motive to inflate domestic violence against women and have a history of lying about women's suffering. The rate of domestic violence has gone down since the 90s, but that rate has mirrored exactly the rate of all violent crime falling, so there's no way to tell if that had anything to do with domestic violence laws being passed, or women being able to work, or any other specific factor other than society becoming less violent as a whole. As for domestic violence being mainly an issue of men beating women, that's just not true. Rates of perpetration are much closer between the genders, with female perpetrators exceeding male perpetrators in some demographics, such as high school students. Lifetime rates are higher against women, but in more recent years men have been victimized more.

Actually I'm just going to post that second link here, because there's a lot of interesting data to look through that shows domestic violence isn't as cut and dried as activists and tv shows try to make it out to be.

So the idea that women need to work in order to be "saved" from abusive husbands might be true in some cases, but it's not a society wide fact of life. And again, I'm not saying women shouldn't work ever. If a woman wants to leave an abusive man and she needs a job to do so, then she should get that job and leave that man. The problem here isn't with women being "kept out of the work place", it's with the whole society wide scam of "you need college and an unbroken work history to be qualified for any job", which is another society wide problem that must be fixed with a cultural shift that will take years, if not generations.

Finally, to answer your question about gay parents, I honestly don't know if gay parents are overall good or bad. All the studies that have been done that show either children of gay parents being worse off than straight parents, or vice verse, have methodology and/or sample size issues and they're all politically motivated. So I tend to disregard all of them. What I do see is entirely non-scientific, but there's a severe lack of proper morals in the gay community that I'm very wary of those people getting their hands on children. At the same time, the gay "community" doesn't represent all gay people. Not every gay person is a trans cultists or a sexual degenerate. But when those people are the public face of "LGBT", and there's no significant push back against that from the rest of the supposedly normal gays, it's not an unreasonable assumption that those kinds of behaviors are, if not practiced by most gays, at least seen as acceptable. Which is not okay and is not an environment children should be raised in.

[nekropsii]

Hey, appreciate the post you made about terezi, caliborn and meulin being good reps. Care to elaborate why Tavros wasn't on that list for the people in the back?

Hey, no problem! Glad you liked it!

To answer your question, it's because Hussie fucking hated Tavros. He served as nothing more than a punching bag to the narrative, the cast, and the writer. His disability was, textually, a meaningless tragedy, and he was treated as and seen as nothing short of lesser for it. It wasn't something to adapt to, it was something to "fix". It was a problem that had to be resolved. His disability wasn't a neutral trait, it was a character flaw. Tavros hated himself for his paraplegia. I'm not saying that you can't portray people struggling with their new disability- not everyone is peachy keen with winding up disabled. Most people aren't. The adaption process can be really, really hard, and it can be devastating as any other injury. But that wasn't the way to go about it. It's an extremely sensitive subject that has to be handled with an intensive amount of care. Hussie handled it with cruelty, not compassion. He was a joke to be laughed at. It was clumsy, and it was uncomfortable.

Even Mituna's disability was handled better, in my opinion, and Mituna got it pretty bad. At least the tragedy of Mituna's disability lied not in him being disabled, but in the fact that his disability was gained as a sacrifice he willingly made that was left wholly thankless, and he's treated worse for it now. It's less the status of being disabled, and more the reaction. I can respect that choice, even if a solid chunk of the rest of his writing was a punchline.

I love Tavros as a character, but Hussie treated him brutally. He doesn't get to have the label of "good representation" because he was written with hostility, which isn't a trait shared by Terezi, Meulin, and Caliborn. I'm not sure why Hussie was chill with their disabilities but not Tavros's, honestly. It's definitely not a visibility thing, because Terezi is visibly blind- her eyes and the cane- and Hussie goes out of his way to make Caliborn's typically invisible disability visible. It's perplexing.

Now, is it my business if a paraplegic person finds personal comfort in Tavros, and sees themself in him a lot? No. Is it anyone's business outside of that disabled person? Also no. Sometimes the way a character's disability or disorder is portrayed is good to and for certain people on individual levels, but not on a "greater scale", so to speak. That's fine. It happens. The human experience is more varied and nuanced than any of us can even fathom. But on a technical level, Tavros isn't treated well as a disabled character, and therefore shouldn't really be counted as "good disabled representation"... When discussing that topic on a technical level.

[st4r-sh0t]

Posting my opinion because i'm correct and i don't argue: Monster High edition

i know its nothing new to say that i dont like gen 3 but all im seeing on my fyp is shit about gen 3 getting cancelled and i NEED to tell someone or else i will explode and tumblr is literally the only place willing to hear me yap

I think its a great thing gen 3 got cancelled. The way i see it, MH shouldn't have even gotten a gen 2 because its not a multiverse. these shows are not made to keep going on forever!!! mattel only cares about making safe money and people keep supporting it because they can't handle the fact their fav show is over

Like never ONCE in MH (or most other shows they do this with, honestly) was there a plot point where they r like "omg theres actually another universe where everyone in MH is green!" or smth. MH is not a multiverse so obvi treating it as such isn't gonna pan out well.

"Oh, WeLl, It'S fOr ThE kIDs!111!!!" HOLY SHIT STFU. I understand that the people who grew up with gen 1 aren't the target audience and it "isn't for us" but once again, lets bffr cuz who's buying the merch for their kids?? who is paying these streaming services??? ME BITCH! and imma tell u what when i have kids, they r growing up on gen 1 MH.

although i don't argue and i am 100% correct all the time i would love to hear your opinions! do you agree? do you disagree? lmk in the comments!

TLDR; THANK FUCKING GOD GEN 3 GOT CANCELLED!!! MH isn't made to last forever like spiderman or smth. Fuck mattel, hopefully we get some NEW shows around here!

(sidenote; the kids that grew up on gen 1 are NOT that old cuz i grew up on gen 1 and im not even legally allowed to drink yet so....)

[katakosmos]

Elaborating on my last ask:

There’s a LOT of patriarchal subtext in HP, which shouldn't be a mystery to anybody at this point. And if we’re taking that subtext to mean the Wizarding World and esp pureblood culture is patriarchal, than I think we can use that as a tool to see how traditional masculine bonds between men form under that system and how women factor into that.

Under patriarchy, women to men are a status symbol as much as money is. You get validation from having a lot of money but you don’t seek approval in your money. Because it’s money, it’s an object its opinion doesn’t even exist to you. Women are considered in the same. Men idolize and seek approval/respect from other men and that approval makes up the foundation of a lot of their self worth.

To Barty, his father’s rejection/absence doesn’t only hurt on a typical parent/child level: it’s emasculating for him—it marks him as someone who is weak and undeserving of respect. He feels wholly disempowered by it. And his mother’s love cannot heal this because she is a woman and her love for him is at best useless. If not, it’s a nuisance that makes him be seen as a “mama’s boy”, which is further emasculating. Winky’s devotion is even more irrelevant bc she is literally his property.

Obv this is not the only way to view bcj’s whole deal but it is an interesting one that i think helps explain why he was so vulnerable to radicalization

ohhh, this is so interesting and so right.

i never noticed cause we don't have many examples of pureblood families in harry potter, but in the ones we have, it seems that women play an important role. bellatrix is one of the most faithful death eaters, narcissa has a fundamental role in the story; or even walburga, who is mentioned by sirius much more often than orion, of whom we know almost nothing. but then, beyond the surface, we have the problem of arranged marriages, or the fact that women in harry potter (<- and they are also really few) seem to only fulfill themselves when they become mothers.

between women treated as objects or stereotyped (both for personality and race) there isn't much choice. not to mention the absolute lack of female solidarity (like all the HORRIBLE things molly, hermione and ginny said about fleur when she started dating bill).

about barty... i like this interpretation. even if, for me, the absence of barty crouch sr in barty's life was not highlighted for a case of emasculation, but more to create the classic storyline of the problematic child with abandonment issues (which i don't like anyway, and it doesn't make sense for the character). BUT I MEAANNN give me the worst barty you can ever think of and i'm in.