#|| OH MY GOD THE QUESTION OF AUTONOMY IN IT ALL.

[smouldring]

the mutual larp brainrot that those girls had. and then they killed god.

[hematophag]

Is it, like, hostcentrism or something. if I make my parts use sideblogs instead of posting here or making new accounts

[creatingblackcharacters]

How to spot a Stereotype: An Example

Okay, so I talked about this in my Lesson 6 Stereotypes series, but I feel like people haven't quite... Understood what I meant. So I'm doing a mini lesson/application. First, I'd really appreciate it if you take the time to read the links in my posts, because that will provide you the historical and social context necessary. If you lack it, you will never be fully able to understand this. Remember, all I do here is provide the beginning steps. You have to be willing to do the rest!

One thing I constantly emphasize is that it's not the description of a character that (always) reveals an existing stereotype, but the writing! And again, until you grasp why anti-Black stereotypes are what they are, you will continue to be frustrated with how to avoid incorporating them, both in your writing and in your mindset. I'm going to use one stereotype as an example.

The Mammy Stereotype

"[Black woman character] is very fond, doting, and protective. She's like the team mom of the group."

On the surface, people who are worried about this stereotype will worry, because Black readers have long rolled their eyes and said we're tired of seeing this as one of the Only Options for Black women characters. And we are. Here's the disconnect: the attributes are not what we're tired of, but how they were utilized in the writing- often by non-Black writers!

Mammy: put simply, the caricature of the Mammy is the Black nursemaid that would take care of the Master's white children and the Mistress, prioritizing them above the well-being of herself, her own children, and her own community. She is fat and homely (so as not to attract the Master from the Mistress), unthreatening, sweet and subservient.

In other words, the only value she held was to serve white people's needs (and quench their guilt).

While the image of the Mammy herself is a strong imagery that has faded from its specific origin, I would say the modern day fan archetypes that ring of the Mammy stereotype are the Black woman character that "holds the Braincell", the "begrudgingly fond mother of the group", the canon love interest now relegated to the "mommy/mean lesbian" whose feelings are erased altogether, her new role to help the two white characters get together without acknowledgment of her own potential. She has no real story of her own, or as mentioned, has her own story stolen because "it doesn't look good with her in it" (which is its own bag of worms).

Now, people often give these characters motherly (or what society deems motherly) traits: caring, sweet, protective, loving, self sacrificial. Because they want to defensively show that "they're a great person! Nothing bad! I still think they're good! I'm not racist!"

But upon learning of the stereotype, there appears this insecurity- "oh, my Black woman character has these traits, is she playing into this stereotype?" When you get to this question, what you really need to be asking yourself is:

What makes the Mammy a Mammy?

They are a tool, a utility to white people with more power.

They lack autonomy. How they feel is irrelevant, if it does not serve the white person.

Nonthreatening so as to feel "harmless" to white people who bask in her "selfless" care.

They are not allowed to show frustration or upset at their lot or at life; it is seen as a negative attribute because if they are not caring, they have no use (and may now even be considered a threat).

They will also disagree with anyone else, even to the detriment of themselves, to the benefit of the white person. This is considered "selfless", rather than sacrifice (consider that "real" Mammies were originally slaves. They probably hated every single day with the people they "cared" for, but God forbid they speak on it. To white people, they were supposedly so happy and grateful! Smile and nod!)

Notice, out of the things I listed, "strong", "protective", "intelligent", and "caring" weren't there! Because those aren't bad attributes for a Black character to have! Why would we ever suggest that?? Why would I be mad that a Black woman was any of those wonderful things to her peers? That's not the issue. The issue is that they are often used in service of usually white characters and their stories. They're a tool of the writer to coddle their white characters, versus a character that has their own inner workings and existence.

Knowing what you know now; things that would make your strong, protective, and caring Black woman character fit the Mammy stereotype can include:

If she is pushed to the side with no autonomy or inner life of her own, as the narrative centers the white characters and their needs.

If she is never shown to have any reason for acting outside of to the benefit of the white characters around her. That's the only time her presence counts.

If her disagreeing with, getting upset with, or refusing (or really, just not being "motherly") the white characters is deemed trashy by the narrative (whereas anyone else receives nuance or reason for their behavior).

If the white characters in the story treat her poorly, and it is treated as a good thing that she "stays calm" without any sort of reflection on her feelings.

You can come up with any sort of setting, plot scenario, and description of your Black woman character. But at the end of the day, what's going to make it the stereotype is how the narrative treats her, which you will only find out by writing it, and then reviewing your own work!

You're going to have to approach any stereotype this way. It's part of the *intent* thing I keep pushing 😅 if you don't intend to write a stereotype, you're going to have to actively understand what it is, which will help you actively avoid it.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

do u have any resources for how to do like . ok not sex ed per se. but i’m in a position where im interacting pretty regularly with a couple of 16-18 year old coworkers (im late 20s) & they see me as kind of a mentor or older sister figure. i’ve been finding myself in a position where they’ll try to get my advice on what seem like risk taking behaviors & i have a hard time balancing my advice between my belief in personal autonomy (ie they’re adults and have the right to make their own bad decisions) and OH GOD THAT GUY IS 30 RUN YOURE TOO YOUNG FOR HIM. bc in my experience telling teens that they’re immature or too young for something tends to be a nonstarter in terms of . them actually listening to advice. especially when theyre 17 but have a job and a lease. so i guess what im asking is do u have any resources or advice on how to parent high schoolers? im too young to be a father but i have found myself in this position and its giving me gray hair

okay listen. as someone who answers questions for a LOT of teenagers on here, the model I've always tried to embrace is "this is an intelligent person with thoughts, feelings, and desires that are exactly as complex as an adults, they just have slightly less lived experience in which to contextualize things." it's completely possible to give someone younger than you advice the same way you might offer input to someone your own age; just offer information without acting like they're dumb for needing it.

in the case of the age thing, you've obviously already clocked that "you're too young for him" is an approach that can easily come across as condescending and shut you down as a reliable your of advice. instead, let's try reframing this in a way that puts the issue where it belongs: on the 30 year old trying to date a teenager. it's not "ew, you're too young," it's "ew, I've known a lot of guys like him and they're always trying to date teenagers becase they think teenagers are dumb and easy to manipulate. people his own age probably all think he's a loser."

but, more importantly, it's not your job to stop them from making any risky decisions ever, okay? some of them are still going to want to hang out with that 30 year old. your role in that case is to help minimize harm. you can't make them ditch their creepy older boyfriend, but you can make sure they understand how to have safer sex, their options for protection, the realities of STIs and how to get tested + treated, the risk of pregnancy and options for unplanned pregnancies if that's an option. you can't run anyone's life for them, but you can always give them tools to be safer!

[churrochamp]

Let's talk about Merlin and lying. This isn't meant to be character bashing, but it might not be the most generous take either.

In All About Love, bel hooks writes: "In our culture privacy is often confused with secrecy. Open, honest, truth-telling individuals value privacy. We all need spaces where we can be alone with thoughts and feelings - where we can experience healthy psychological autonomy and can choose to share when we want to. Keeping secrets is usually about power, about hiding and concealing information."

(hooks has a lot more to say about the reasons why people lie in relationships, and our need for love and difficulty with love in general. Book is fantastic, highly recommend.)

The question is: was Merlin's years of lying about his magic, and all that he did in Arthur's defence, justified? Why'd he do it?

I've been trying to think through how the fandom generally interprets Merlin's character and choices in the show, and how this character makes me feel. It's really complicated and interesting (to me at least lol).

I often see the claim that Merlin lied about his magic for years out of fear for his safety, but it's never fully satisfied me as an explanation. Given that as a fandom we pretty much all agree that magic can be a metaphor for queerness, there's a natural alignment with the claim that queer people aren't ever obligated to come out, for any reason, but it's often said, especially if their physical safety might be jeopardized (which I agree with btw).

And it's true, given Camelot's genocidal laws, Merlin's life could be threatened if he revealed himself as a sorcerer. On the other hand, Merlin is basically all-powerful in the universe of the show, and I don't think the rest of Camelot could do much to him if he were prepared.

What's more convincing to me is the claim that Merlin's afraid of the potential emotional harm that could come from revealing himself. What if Arthur hates and rejects him? That's something his magic can't defend against.

I think Merlin's heart is in the right place. He believes all his work is done in service of Arthur and their joint destiny, which is the good of Albion. And he does save Arthur's life a whole dang lot.

The issue is, probably a good half of the show's major conflicts directly relate to Merlin's actions and inactions - usually, lies he's telling (Morgana, Mordred...). Conflicts that maybe could have been resolved with much less harm if Merlin, who often is the only one with crucial knowledge, had made different choices (and Gaius too oh my GOD). Dude is shooting himself in the foot. Merlin's lying isn't just about personal privacy and autonomy. It becomes a fundamental part, baked into his relationship with Arthur and his role in their prophecy (and the governing of a kingdom jeez).

In addition to plot SNAFUs, the way I see it, Merlin's lying has two major consequences for him:

His most important relationship, with Arthur, is deeply flawed and incomplete.

Merlin remains the most important, influential character in the show. His energies go to trying to keep the power for himself.

As bel hooks argues, there can't be true intimacy in a relationship if one or both parties withhold and deceive the other. This could look like lying to manipulate the other party to get what you want, or even lying to make the relationship go easier. Relationships built on untruth aren't fair to all parties - the deceived person can't make informed choices in the relationship, and the deceiving person robs themselves of the opportunity to be fully supported and loved for who they are. When Merlin lies to Arthur about magic, when he tells Arthur that magic is evil, even if it is for "his sake," he's taking choice away from Arthur often at crucial moments, for both their relationship and the well-being of the kingdom. Without knowledge of the truth about magic, and about Merlin, Arthur can't make fully informed choices as a king or a partner. Things go to shit, and it's terribly lonely for both of them, even if only one of them know about it. Merlin's reason for this might be fear of pain. However, when you don't give someone the opportunity to love or reject you for who you are, how can you feel held by that person? You deprive yourself of the chance.

Another reason to lie can be desire for power and control. By keeping the secret of his magic and their destiny, Merlin keeps all the responsibility and power to himself. This is the premise of the show: Merlin is the only person who can turn Arthur into a good king, save magic, secure Albion's future well-being--and he must do it all secretly. The show jokes about it, the characters joke about it. This premise is a kind of power-fantasy - being the secret power working from the shadows, using all your wit and guile to succeed despite the secrecy, risking life and limb for no recognition, but having the satisfaction of knowing that you are instrumental. It's very James Bond. Without the secrecy, what would be the point of Merlin? The secrecy might be part of what makes Merlin feel special, worthwhile.

As the years go by, the lies compound and the relationship becomes inseparable from them. The most significant on a personal level, probably Merlin's poisoning Morgana, Mordred, Ygraine, and Sophia.

Merlin can't control all the factors, he can't do it all by himself, he can't make Arthur into the ideal king and boyfriend of destiny, and from the start it's a doomed endeavour. Luckily Arthur loves him all on his own, and does get to see him at the very end, and they'll get a second chance.

So in summary, why does Merlin lie about his magic and his actions for so long? Fear, love, and power, is what I suggest. And ultimately it leads him and Arthur to ruin. It's not exactly exemplary behaviour, but it is very very human.

[eldritch-spouse]

Shags get obsessed with a girl that works at an art store where he gets his supplies. She's laid back and chit-chats with him about any projects he's working on.

[Okay but what if you had a really strange thing going on?]

You like this little freak.

Yeah, okay, that's a bit of a mean thing to say. But can you be blamed? There's no word that fits him more aptly than freak. Not even in the physical sense, there's a lot of variety in mushroom monsters, you know some of them can be tall and gangly like Shags. He's just bizarre.

The way he speaks, moves, conducts himself. You swear, not a single mannerism this monster makes feels natural or reflexive. Even the way he seems to intensely wait and make himself an obstacle until you initiate conversation with him... God, even the fucking topics of conversation, it's like he makes an effort to speak in riddles.

In this rather boring dead-end of a job, seeing this weirdo bend and squeeze through the doors like Samara about to crawl out of the TV is the highlight of your shift.

That's why he's your favorite client.

He's been standing still in the same supplies isle for too long, you already know what he wants.

" Having trouble finding something, Mr Shags? "

As if, he probably knows this store better than yourself.

In fact, he outright told you he used to be a client before you started working here.

He murmurs a response too quietly to interpret, forcing you to come closer. And, predictably, as soon as you are within grabbing distance (not hard to achieve when you're a lamppost of a monster featuring branch-like arms), a spider hand slithers onto your shoulder. It's cold, he's always a little cold.

You're urged in front of a shelf, his head looming over yours.

" Ahh, I need your honest opinion on something... If you don't mind? "

This is the paints section, a mural of hues that hurt the eyes.

" Sure. "

" What shade of orange do you think I should get? "

You love these questions. Because never once does he elaborate on what he's creating or why he wants you to choose. It's happened many times before. What size of canvas should I get? What pen should I get? What sketch books should I get?

You like the strange autonomy of getting to pick, offering him the same level of context he does to you.

Absolutely none.

" Alloy. " You point.

Shags reaches towards it with little effort, snagging several little containers with his root-like digits. The hand on your shoulders tightens.

" What a choice. Thank you very much, my dear. "

" No problem. "

It takes a bit of shifting before the hand on your skin is lifted.

You stroll back to the cash register with a small smile and occasionally observe the monster in the same way you'd study an animal at the zoo.

It's strange how little he moves sometimes. Initially, you thought it was just so he wouldn't drip ink everywhere, but it seems to be a part of him now. Blending in with all his other vaguely creepy mannerisms. Mr Shags gets all his items at a snail's torturous pace and finally, finally approaches you.

" How are the latest projects going, Mr Shags? " You start while scanning the paints first.

The shroom actually seems to frown for a second. Fingers busy on the balcony. " Not as smoothly as I wished... "

Tap tap tap.

" My latest muse and I, our chemistry, I'm afraid it has no substance. "

" Oh? " Your eyes deviate to his face for a moment.

" Yes... Something tells me it's time to move on. But I do want to honor our time together with one last, preserving piece. "

Tap tap tap.

" Mhm. Sounds good, I hope the next one works out. " Frankly, you're not sure what he's talking about, but you usually never are to begin with.

" Me too. " Then he smiles again, and you get the distinct feeling his stare has turned into a more scrutinizing one.

Far from the first time, it doesn't scare you like it did initially.

It's pretty funny, actually. You started out thinking this guy was some kind of loser looking to harass you, to intentionally make you uncomfortable. Nowadays he's more of an entertaining almost-friend.

Tap tap tap.

" Will that be all, Mr Shags? "

" Shags. "

He's told you to call him just by his name a couple of times. You always ignore it, but he keeps trying anyway.

There's a silent beat.

During your first years of work, the lack of action would have made you antsy enough to break the silence, which is what you know he wants you to do. But now, you have no trouble staring back placidly until he continues the conversation.

Apparently, the shroom enjoys that continuous challenge, because his grin widens slowly.

" You have a peculiar facial definition. " He eventually rasps.

A nothing statement, not quite a compliment, not quite an insult, definitely said to confuse and prompt a question. One you don't give him the satisfaction of hearing.

" Thanks. " The customer service smile has an edge of playful smarm this time.

Tap tap tap.

" ... I would enjoy sketching you sometime. Your facial expressions are intriguing. "

This is essentially his way of asking you out, you presume.

" You've drawn me before. "

He's even given you the pages, pencil depictions of you caught in a selection of moments. Mostly bored to tears and staring at the little universe between the cracks in aged walls.

Shags tuts. " It's quite different when the muse in question is part of the experience. I much prefer it that way. "

You can't help the hint of a snicker that tugs at the corners of your lips as you bag his items to hurry things along. Not that there's anyone else inside right now.

" Mm. And what if we don't have good chemistry? "

The shroom monster hands you his card, not even caring about hearing the total.

" I think we both know that wouldn't be the case. "

Tap tap tap.

It's only a few moments of intentionally creating suspense until you hand him all his new belongings and card.

" See you soon, Mr Shags. "

His grin only twitches for a delightful glimpse of a second before he carefully takes his possessions and leaves.

Playing with fire is fun.

One day, you'll get burned.

[who-dat-homeless]

My big take on why spock did undertake Kolinahr despite being more comfortable with the "human part" of himself at the end of the season three is that the the whole five year mission (and especially you can see it in season three) was questioning his belonging to vulcan-kind. And not (only) in a way of "haha you're feeling in emotion YOU'RE A FOCKEN HUMANNNNNNN!!!!"

I need you to understand that he experienced very traumatizing events, that questions his "vulcanity"(akin to humanity, man idk how else to call it).

tw: mention of rape

Like let's just for the sake of this post imagine that the main "humanity" defying things are bodily autonomy and our free will. And when a human gets raped they are a) objectified/sexualised in the process b) sometimes afterwards a person objectifies themselves as a coping mechanism, either way this traumatic thing breaks a bond between a person and their sense of "humanity"

Back to spock - in season three we have two episodes that deliberately and violently break his bond with his vulcan identity. We have "plato children" and "all our yesterdays". In both episodes Spock is forced to go against Surak's teachings - the very essence of being a vulcan (to spock ofc)

In Plato children, Spock was forced to show emotions and then even endangered kirk, and I need to point out the method of how it was forced upon him - his body was controlled, i.e. he himself, in his mind, did understand that it was wrong, he didn't wanted it and he was mentally present while this thing was happening to him. Like the whole thing was awful and absolutely horrible for him and it's generally, without joking, a fuking traumatizing event for him, and I personally think he would've come back to it and go through a mental hell all over again. And I also want to notice that at least his mind was under his own control.

Which is not the case with All of our yesterdays. In that episode (however fucking stupid I think it is for lore contradictions and implications and etc.) Spock loses control not only over his body, he loses control over his mind. Basically everything that was happening in the plato children (showing emotions, forced intimacy etc) is present in the episode, but on top of that spock is forced to actually like it. And i need to emphasise it HE'S GOING THROUGH THE SAME FUCKING TRAUMATIC EVENT OF BREAKING HIS IDENTITY AND THIS TIME HIS MIND CONTROLLED TO LIKE THIS ACT OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HIS BEING!!! HELLLOOOOOO

And I think there's a difference between "we're trying to show spock that he's also a bit human" and "we're breaking spock's vulcan identity". In the first one we're still acknowledge Spock as vulcan, but also proposing that he might try embracing an additional identity, in the second one we're just breaking his sense of self.

And I think that this two instances(and maybe others that I forgor lol) is the root of why he undertook Kolinahr. And then, on top of that root cause of "I've lost the sense of being vulcan" there was this problem with "oh god I think I've become too human"

And also I think the time at starfleet just generally changed him so fucking much that at some point he(metaphorically) just didn't recognize himself in the mirror.

So I think Kolinahr was a kind of an attempt to return to his old (outdated) self, regaining his "vulcanity". Though at the end of the day he's not a human nor he's vulcan, he's not the sum of his separate identities but something more grate than that, that's why he failed Kolinahr, that's why he came to terms with who he is

[kimeoshi]

RE: Corrupted!Ratio now I'm imagining Aventurine returning home from a business trip to all of this and immediately setting to work covering up Ratio's crimes like "DW I got you bbygirl also what the fuck is going on"

Cleaning up after his wife but... Aven knows something is deeply amiss oh... Oh.!

My god I feel sorry for Aventurine that I ever let C!Ratio loose. I think Aven would play a crucial part in getting him back to normal after he realizes what's going on.

But this also assumes there was an outside influence which got Ratio corrupted; I haven't decided the 'canon' lore for this AU just yet, so bear with me.

How I see C!Ratio is that while his motives have not changed significantly, his methods and execution did. You might ask, how so?

While Ratio has always believed that ignorance is a disease that needs to be cured, standard Ratio respects his student's autonomy in their journey to learn. C!Ratio, however, sees things differently.

He begins to derive pleasure from destroying their student's self-confidence... they start to become pliable and terrified, tormented by and trapped in the power imbalance taking its root. They don't have means to escape, do they? They become malleable for Ratio to reform them according to his ideals— forcing them to learn. 'A lesson they won't forget.'

This can sometimes escalates to extremities. Physical, emotional, psychological means, nothing is out of the question. And it is also why he brings out the scalpel he owns at the end of my short comic.

When Aven finds out about this case, he immediately recognizes it as wrong, this is not the Ratio he knows. It is telling in the way he seems more irritated by daily inconveniences, the anectodes he shares about idiocy are more bitter, more unforgiving, more hopeless.

But he does not outright question the doctor about it. No, as direct confrontation would not work, not in this case, unless he wants to risk it to escalate to violence, which he vehemently wants to avoid. He is well aware Ratio would not resort to violence, but...

His silent investigation begins so: one fateful day, he slips unnoticed into one of Ratio’s lectures, just as he has done countless times before.. But this time, he confirms his worst fears.

That is where I'll leave it for now! I do not want to spoil further or make anything seem like it is set in stone. Or perhaps make room for future comics 👀

[tea-earl-grey]

i had an itching for comfort media so i went back to watch some s1 voyager episodes and s1 is soooo much better than i remembered. the later seasons appeal to my tastes a bit more but all the characters in s1 are so earnest and hopeful even when they butt heads and disagree and i'm just sitting here like "oh god they don't know what the next 7 years have in store..." i doubt it was that purposeful on the writers' part but it's so compelling how all of the characters have pretty open insecurities and are clearly people with lives and dreams beyond Voyager and bit by bit that's chipped away in later seasons. yes everyone becomes more confident and competent but is that really who they are or are they just losing themselves along the journey? (unfortunately the Doyalist explanation is just that the writers stopped putting focus on like. half of the main cast but shh i'm here for Watsonian analysis.)

like it's particularly noticeable with Janeway. she's definitely always been written as a strong leader but i forgot how much in early seasons we get to see her insecurities and vulnerabilities, how different she acts from when she's acting as captain to when she's alone, how often she questions her morality and whether she has the right to make decisions for her crew (and how often others questioned that right). then in the later seasons (around s3 and definitely by s4), she almost never questions her moral decisions, she rarely shows doubt, she plans heists on Borg cubes without a second thought, she dispenses her justice to the Equinox crew without really considering their position, she regulates others' autonomy (especially with Seven and the Doctor) without seeming to realize how easily that can go wrong. and don't get me wrong i love this development and think it's incredibly realistic for Janeway to deeply internalize her role and authority as a Captain and for it to permanently change her sense of self. Endgame is the perfect closure for Janeway's character because her future self exerts that same authority that she's been practicing over herself (also Janeway gets to live out her martyr complex one last time). i just wish the show was a little bit more self-aware that it was writing Janeway (and other characters) like this because there could be so many more interesting character conflicts.

anyways rewatching early ds9 made me say "aww these characters don't know that one day they'll all grow together and basically become family" and rewatching early voyager has me saying "uhohhhh these characters don't know the unhealthy relationships and neuroses they're going to uncover and develop". toxic found family for the win.

[dribs-and-drabbles]

I was encouraged by @grapejuicegay to trash watch Pit Babe and so here I am but I have...questions...

Is Babe really getting off on hearing the sound of the engines?!

Why is Babe having sex with other Alphas (I can't believe I'm writing this 🤦🏽‍♀️) and not Omegas, especially if he doesn't like the way the Alphas smell? Is it because he's a 'Super Alpha' and prefers Alphas to Omegas? (oh dear god why am I doing this?!)

Isn't it a tad unfair to let him race using his special powers against others who don't have them?

I nearly choked on my water reading Pavel's tattoo thinking it said "Full Sausage" but then I remembered @slayerkitty or @sparklyeyedhimbo had already made a point of this and I thankfully realised it says "Full Savage" 😂

I actually can't stop thinking about how salty Babe's skin would be because that man would have been sweating in that car race...

Wait wait wait...are they really calling (translating) Babe having sex as the "concentration"?! Like it's a thing he needs to do to...release pent up energy?!...to focus his mind?!

Do we get to know if any of Babe's friends are also Alphas (or Omegas or Betas) or is he the only one?

Please! This is so silly (affectionate). They can't compete over a person...someone who has their own autonomy to say what he can do and with whom 😂 And, sorry, but Charlie, love, you should have had more confidence in Babe since you went to him as a fan.

How did Winner win that first one?... I can't believe this show has me googling how to win a drift race... "It's all about dominating the other driver..." ah, ok, now I get why they're doing this.

Oh, if I'd just continued watching I wouldn't have needed to google it 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

Kind of impressed by the actual drivers of these cars though.

Winner needs to take some advice from Elsa and Let It Go.

"I don't go into strangers' houses"... I smell a parallel in the future, it's that alpha stink.

*she squints* TINIDEE APARTMENTS?! Charlie is staying in the same building as Pat and Pran?! (*aaaand there she goes making it about Bad Buddy again*)

OMG what is it with villans and bonsai trees?! (I want a bonsai tree, does that mean I need to become a villainess? 🤔)

Why are they calling that guy 'Uncle'...he looks the same age?!

Okay, that was...not as bad as I first thought. Nut is a big bonus and Pavel and Pooh are doing a decent job. I do wonder if Babe and Charlie are endgame though or if Babe and Way are... Will I keep watching? Probably, now that I've started, but I may not do this each time...unless each ep throws up more questions. Thanks kk.

[inkofthebrain]

GLUTTONY

[Lee (Bones and All) x reader]

“The flesh endures the storms of the present alone; the mind, those of the past and future as well as the present. Gluttony is a lust of the mind.” - Thomas Hobbes

Tags: No Maren (sorry bae ily) Mentions of religion/religious trauma, drugs & alcohol, no use of y/n, blue truck lives, future series, more tags will be added, briefly proofread, Masterlist coming soon

Warnings: Typical Bones and All things

Previous Next (coming soon…)

Masterlist (coming soon)

Two———

The rugged sounds coming from the engine of the truck only alluded to what would, as Lee put it, be a problem we wouldn’t stick around long enough to see. As it sputtered and let out coughs your eyes attempted to follow the trees in the skyline but they whipped past faster than you count.

Lee’s hand rustled in the center console before soon enough his voice broke your focus.

“You smoke?” He held the cigarette between his lips, extending the box to you.

“Thank god” you sighed out, “I ran out miles ago.”

A chuckle left lee as he shook his head to the side,

“Yeah?”

You nodded your head as you pulled the stick out and put it between your lips before throwing the pack back at him.

“Light mine, I’m driving.'' Lee pointed at the road and balanced a zippo between his two fingers. Your fingers grazed his lanky cold ones as you grabbed it and flipped it open. First, you lit yours, then as Lee leaned over cocking his head closer, you put the flame to his. The click of the lighter closing left you satisfied.

“Thanks” you mumbled.

“For what? Making you light my dart?”

“For the ride”

“No problem” a silence fell upon you soon after as the road ahead continued to spit out behind you.

As you puffed on your cigarette you started to observe the strange boy next to you, he drummed on the steering wheel while you traced his tattoos with your eyes. His hair was a messy canopy over his head, occasionally readjusted by his hand.

“I can feel you staring” his voice broke the silence.

“Mhm.” You hummed, “you can tell a lot about a person by their mannerisms” you took a drag of your cigarette.

“Oh yeah?”

“You like rock music”

“Well no shit It’s playing on the radio, that’s too easy”

“You're tapping on the wheel, yeah? You’ve heard this song enough times to have the drums memorized” you pointed at the radio before pointing at his left leg, “and you have either skated a fuck ton or just are clumsy as shit because your knees are covered in scars”

He stared at the road silently before quickly turning to you.

“You’re fucking weird man” he said with laugh.

“We eat people, we are both weird” you quipped before turning back to the road.

“You hungry? God knows how long you’ve been walking” Lee asked, “looks like there’s a small town up ahead, we can stop n get a bite.”

“No money”

Lee let out a small tsk before brushing his hair back, “my treat?”

It almost sounded like a question, like he was asking you for a meal rather than buying you pity food. You liked the autonomy and kindness; and lord knows, you were hungry.

———

Want to join the Taglist? Just ask!

[bumblekastclips]

BODY SWAP: Shadow & Amy

KYLE CROUSE: We're back, and we have a question from NateRay! "Shadow and Amy Rose bodyswap, what would happen? Please, I want chaos — not the character. I'm feeling evil."

IAN FLYNN: Uh... I think Amy would struggle with the air shoes at first, because how do you turn them on and off? KYLE: You don't! IAN: Do you flex your feet a certain way? Do you walk a certain way? She keeps falling over and blasting off into walls — this is stupid! Help! KYLE: She keeps moon walking. [laughs] IAN: [chuckles] And otherwise, y'know, she's going to be very respectful of Shadow's body autonomy, and just not touch anything. She's going to sit here and wait for things to calm down and go back to normal. And... she would go ask for help, but she can't figure out how these stupid shoes work! KYLE: [giggles] IAN: Until she finds a Chaos Emerald, and then she does Chaos Control first try and freezes time, so she can like, just hobble and crawl wherever she needs to go, but she isn't wasting her entire day. KYLE: [chuckling] Who's the first one to take off their, uh, Inhibitor Rings? IAN: [laughs] That would be Shadow-as-Amy, because he can't lift the hammer, and he doesn't understand why. KYLE: [laughing] Good. IAN: He isn't even really sure how it got there, but, y'know, it's here, so he might as well use it. But he can't! Move! It! She flings it around like a baton! How is this possible?! He doesn't understand! KYLE: [chuckles] He is not worthy! IAN: Then he drops the inhibitor bracelets, and he still can't move the hammer— KYLE: Nope! IAN: —but just by attempting it, he shifts the entire continental plate! KYLE: [laughing for nearly 8 seconds] I'm here for it! IAN: He looks out his window, and all of a sudden, he's on a beachfront property. When did that happen?! And now Shadow's crawling on the floor, asking for help with his shoes! What is goin' on with today?! KYLE: [cackling laughter] Everything is- everything is screwed up! Everything is messed up. [chuckling] Oh, boy... this would be adorable. [sigh] I'm glad the Piko Piko Hammer is Mjöllnir. IAN: [chuckles] KYLE: Amy deserves it. She truly is worthy.

--- TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Please remember that nothing that is said on BumbleKast is canon! It's just some guys and their opinions occasionally spitballing ideas. If you don't like an answer, you don't have to take it as Word of God or anything like that. It's all just for fun! ----- This question was asked and requested by @transgendershadowthehedgehog! Do you want a specific question transcribed and posted? Send the question and the episode date to my ask box! Or if you just want questions about a certain character, send me their name and I will see what I can do!

[wishcamper]

Gone Baby Gone: birth control and the ethics of risky sex

CW: abortion, sexual violence.

Creds: licensed counselor with expertise in addiction, trauma, and gay stuff. Experience with tx exclusively for pregnant people and young parents with addictions.

Okay class! Today we’ll be talking about abortion oh my god don’t run away I’ll make it worth your while I promise.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I’m not interested in debating whether abortion should be legal/allowed/is moral or immoral. The research bears out, unequivocally, that access to comprehensive reproductive and family planning options improves everyone’s lives (1). And again, not actively anti-SJM or any characters, just exploring themes and what they say about us.

It’s so funny to me that NO one liked the pregnancy plot line in ACOSF, whether they love or hate or are indifferent (me) to Rhysand. And I think that’s because we, the largely femme audience engaging with the material, recognize the strings of violence weaved into it, possibly not even consciously but on a deep, bodily, instinctual level.

The 2007 crime drama Gone Baby Gone centers on a conversation about motherhood, parenting fitness, and what society owes to children. Beneath that though, and I believe unintentionally, is another story about pregnancy-capable people’s autonomy and the cycle of oppression around reproductive rights.

I’m going to spoil the movie for you - I don’t want you to watch it because Casey Affleck is a creep, and it’s not that good anyway. There’s a whole mystery plot, but the basics are: drug addict Helene’s daughter Amanda is kidnapped, then later thought to be killed but they never find her body. Casey Affleck, Boy Detective uncovers a scheme by two rogue cops to fake Amanda’s death and kidnap her because they think Helene isn’t a good mom. And they’re kind of right; once Amanda comes home, Helene is an incredibly neglectful mother, and the movie wants you to go woahhh, maybe those murdering unethical cops were right after all!

Sure, Jan.

The movie ends with the lead character wondering if Helene, for whom he’s literally killed people to bring her child back, is even fit to raise Amanda in the first place, even interested. And here’s where I feel complicated, because on one hand - yes, this is your child, and she’s completely innocent in all this and doesn’t deserve abuse and neglect. AND what were this women’s other options? Does anyone ask? Living in deeply Catholic working class Boston, did she have access to birth control? Could she have gotten an abortion? Would her culture (and her internalization of it) even allow her to entertain that option? Could she perhaps be using substances because of the circumstances of her life over which she has no control? (See Nesta, Interrupted for more on that.)

So I ask myself: what does it mean in our culture, as a person who can become pregnant, to have sex with someone who can impregnate you? What happens when your body becomes the battlefield on which larger conflicts are played out?

I’ve been thinking on these question a lot recently because my IUD is about to expire and my doctor recommended a back up method while I wait to get a new one. This has prompted my husband and me go farther into the kids conversation and consider not just what it would mean for me to get pregnant on purpose or accidentally, but what it would mean for me to get pregnant here. Where we live, abortion is technically legal but functionally impossible to find. Even for a wanted pregnancy, if it became life-threatening I might have extremely limited options.

This makes any sex inherently risky for me. IUDs failure rates range from 0.3% to 2.3%, but that still means as few as 3 in 1000 and as many as 2-3 in 100 users still get pregnant. And IUDs significantly raise the likelihood of medically dangerous pregnancies if a fetus is conceived (2). The long odds are somewhat comforting, but if I were to have an ectopic or other life-threatening pregnancy complication, I can’t trust that my local doctors would be able to save my life, legally. 

And we have talked about how we both feel strongly: it’s my life first. My husband says he would rather have me, and he would rather any children of ours have me, too. And there’s this sort of sick sense of gratitude I feel, because that is, to me, the only answer, but it feels like such a kindness nonetheless.

So we get to ACOSF (you forgot this was about ACOTAR, right? Me too.). When they decided to start trying to get pregnant, Rhys had to know the risk was there. My boy, you are half Illyrian. Even without Feyre being Mystique, get out your punnet square and do the math. Your baby always had a 25% chance of having wings. Conception was always risky. I refuse to believe he didn’t know that, and it was irresponsible of him to not inform her, a person who only entered his world like two years ago.

Then they conceive a baby with wings that, as far as they know, she has no way of safely delivering. If that’s true, why couldn’t Feyre have an abortion? I’m serious. They found out very early the baby had wings. It’s not unlike an ectopic pregnancy, or even a very small person becoming pregnant. Adolescent mothers (age 10-19) (god it feels gross to type that) are at much higher risk for conditions like eclampsia, endometritis, and systemic infections, not to mention fetal complications (3). Regardless of the details, Feyre’s body is not equipped to handle this pregnancy, and yet they never seem to explore the option of terminating it.

Which begs the question: did Feyre even know abortion was an option? Is it an option in Prythian?

In my opinion, probably. If the fae have contraception (let’s not even get into STDs and the ’they have magical healing’ BS), they must have abortion. The first record of an induced abortion was on an Egyption Papyrus around 1600BC, though the practice likely well predates that. The Ancient Greeks drove a plant to extinction for its abortifacient properties (4). And even when banned, people find ways, because they have to. Reproductive health has long been of importance to pregnancy-capable people for reasons of safety, resources, and survival. 

At the end of the day, Feyre is allowed to carry a pregnancy to term that she knows will kill her. That’s her right to bodily autonomy being exercised freely, and I will never begrudge her that. But imagine if abortion were an open option for her, and she knew the birth would kill her, and then Rhys. Knowing that, what do you think she’d choose? To die, bringing her mate along with her, and leave her child parentless, if they even survive? I really struggle to see that. Feyre loves hard, and knows what it’s like to grow up with extreme neglect. I cannot imagine her condemning a child to the same circumstance she found so damaging. But Rhys doesn’t tell her, forbids anyone else to, and possibly robs her of the ability to terminate the pregnancy. And also Madja, I don’t forgive her either for glossing over it. Girl needs to retake her boards.

In the beginning of my career, I worked at an inpatient substance use treatment center that was specifically for pregnant people and mothers with young children. They were allowed to bring two kids under the age of 5. I could write a million words about the flaws in that place, but it was at least something. In working with these people, the same themes came up over and over:

They wanted to get jobs but couldn’t afford childcare. 

Caring for children kept them isolated from support networks and financially strapped.

The daily maintenance and self-focus of sobriety felt at odds with being responsible for children. Ironically, that neglect of self often created the perfect conditions for relapse.

Children kept them tethered, legally and/or personally to abusive partners.

They received extreme judgment, even while seeking help, for “doing this to their children”.

They did not have adequate access to reproductive autonomy, whether financially, from religious beliefs, or otherwise.

This evidence is purely anecdotal, but I do think it speaks to the larger cycle of covert violence and policing of women and pregnancy-capable people’s bodies. It is well-documented that lack of reproductive freedom has a direct negative effect on mental health and wellbeing of people of child -bearing age (5). There is also a much larger intersection to this conversation when it comes to race, class, and the systemic oppression of people of color via reproductive restriction, but Feyre is privileged in the ACOTAR world for the most part so this doesn’t touch her. She doesn’t have to wonder if she can afford a baby, or if her husband is going to be racially profiled and taken to jail or just straight up murdered by law enforcement. (and this is not to downplay the experiences Rhysand have, that Sarah doesn’t give us, being a mixed race man, more so that he is in an extreme position of power.)

I think it’s a shame we didn’t get to explore this in ACOSF with Cassian and Nesta. They jump in the sack even after learning Nesta’s body could not handle an Illyrian baby. No amount of ‘the monthly aid’ justifies not having an honest and thorough conversation about what having sex means before they sleep together. Cassian must feel real confident in the birth control options of Prythian to be spreading his soldiers around so willy nilly. And I just hope, for all their sakes, that he’s right.

Ibis Reproductive Health and Center for Reproductive Rights, “Evaluating Priorities: Measuring Women’s and Children’s Health and Well-being against Abortion Restrictions in the States,” (2017).

Kim SK, Romero R, Kusanovic JP, Erez O, Vaisbuch E, Mazaki-Tovi S, Gotsch F, Mittal P, Chaiworapongsa T, Pacora P, Oggé G, Gomez R, Yoon BH, Yeo L, Lamont RF, Hassan SS. The prognosis of pregnancy conceived despite the presence of an intrauterine device (IUD). J Perinat Med. 2010;38(1):45-53. doi: 10.1515/jpm.2009.133. PMID: 19650756; PMCID: PMC3418877.

World Health Organization: WHO. (2023, June 2). Adolescent pregnancy. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy#:~:text=Adolescent%20mothers%20(aged%2010%E2%80%9319,birth%20and%20severe%20neonatal%20condition.

Muvs - Abtreibung in der Antike. (n.d.). https://muvs.org/en/topics/termination-of-pregnancy/abortion-in-antiquity-en/

Liu SY, Benny C, Grinshteyn E, Ehntholt A, Cook D, Pabayo R. The association between reproductive rights and access to abortion services and mental health among US women. SSM Popul Health. 2023 May 12;23:101428. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101428. PMID: 37215399; PMCID: PMC10199416.

[peacereturnedtothevalley]

palisade 56 //

Great intro with leap I love to be laughing 2 minutes in

I did not remember leap’s epilogue at all LMAO just that he stayed on palisade

Hiiiiiiiii Jorie

Barnacle….

Rye and Gallica…. Rip to her… love a sexy evil duo

I need to relisten to this but again hiiii jorie “the scalpel” is so sexy

Cori’s that’s so raven vision

Wait a minute… looking at description names… Svir…. Five…….

Xylem

Resolute welkin..

they smiled at each other

Vibrant copse

HELLO?

I was getting vibes but I wasn’t sure but I’m sure now oh my god. Austin. Austin thank you

Branched x Delegate/Wakeful Yuri what a beautiful world

I’m like obsessed with every npc Austin has presented before us today

—

JACK.. Let’s go

They’re so gleefully inventing a worse peer to peer gig worker society

Cannot believe this is what they meant when arbitrage was like okay we can do not a contract :)

They haven’t said this but how I would make this shit work is everyone gets a rating and doing a shit job ostracizes you from society

God this gig economy feverdream is so nauseating. And it makes sense to me as a continuation of connadine’s on cycle shit.

Not to bring personal things into it but. I saw a movie at a film festival recently, about an Uyghur girl in 2017 who was going through family pressures to get married on top of increasing surveillance and detention of Uyghurs at that time. There was a director Q&A and when she was asked about how the situation is currently, she said the surveillance and restriction is less severe now, not because of the goodness of their hearts but like, that status quo got to them and the uyghur population are policing Themselves now. For events like weddings and stuff they proactively call a cop to join them so that rather than be questioned later, they know what’s going on already. People can’t and won’t say how they really feel freely and this is the way they have found survival . I still can’t call family and talk about things in any specifics. More and more people can visit again/leave the country after years of not being able to but their families will be too terrified to actually meet with them in case it brings trouble, and who knows when they might flip the switch on the limited freer travel

Okay that ended up being a longer tangent than I planned but all that to say, rather than arbitrage enforcing things with a contract, why not make it ubiquitous with how you have to live in society. It feels parallel to the stuff I outline above :)

You know how in stardew valley you go into the road tunnel and there’s a place where you can insert batteries for mr qi stuff that’s arbitrage to me

—

Connadine takes his shirt off to call arbitrage

Connadine and Arbitrage’s loving partnership is so funny to me

Cas’alear time

Routine hooked up with them huh

Svir time… Five……

10 years of solitude :(

I care him… the isolation is so real and agh

HES LOOKING FOR THE NOBEL..

doing snaps in the air for Austin

okay I think the partizan finale is such a blur to me and I did not remember what specifically happened to autonomy itself

Svir :((((((

OMG DID HE FIND THEM…. Or did they find him…

Brnine time 😎

Agh in the wreckage of a lost war…

I just got to a harrowing point in the new ffxiv expansion and its coloring this war zone vibe

Brnineeeee you’re so depressed. My meow meow

The leaving a letter thing is so funny brnine is emotionally doing a Turkish ice cream situation on Levi

Gangs back together :) we’re soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Back

Whole episode thoughts: that was excellent. I needed this. I loved every npc in Austin’s stories and I need to listen to them all again… got a little lost in the first one oops

No word from jesset or gucci so far but I hope we get some of it at Some point but who knows

Cas…. Cas’alear has always been technically compromised but has never truly betrayed millenium break or something. You know that I don’t believe in monarchy but I love it when the chosen king gets the throne tweet, something about apostolos brings up that emotion and cas does so in particular

Levi really speedran the revolutionary leader thing I hope we get some inferiority or interpersonal stuff for him tbh… cori hugging him was cute :’) my poor girl…

In my heart I believe in Cori’s ability to find and save Elle but with the say the contracts work I’m so worried for her

I wonder if we can get more eclectic later… the second story kind of contextualized the amount of independence he may have. Also glad Austin got to portray a softer story of how wakeful kind of works

excited and nervous for the sortie now good luck everyone don’t die

[vanilladrpepper]

Heya! 2, 7, and 8 for Wolfwood

HIHIHIHIHIHI SPOILERS AHEAD

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

freed birddddddd. freed birdddd.

^ thats a short catchall i wont lie bc theres so much to discuss that i love abt him in canon like . the details oaughg the intricacies im an insane man . but my number 1 thing that encapsulates what i adore about him in canon is the freed bird extra bc it provides a look into his past thats been (mostly iirc) just alluded to prior to it, and it allows him a moment to interact with someone younger than him and with someone that he took care of and on top of that its in the time (i think) after he defected from the eom, when he was still rough as can be and purely focused on survival. so its a nice contrast with the following volumes that showcase wolfwoods latter development and its just . its so good. i constantly think about the . the panel about the luxurious cage wait let me get it

screenshots from trigun-manga-overhaul

the chapter in and of itself perfectly encapsulates wolfwoods faults and strengths when it comes to his worldview and its technically one of the first times someone challenges his worldview head on - maylene doesnt lay down and take the easy way out, the safe way out, while wolfwood sees it as the only way for her to go - because anything else is too much of a risk and ultimately hes got a bleeding heart. even in the midst of a gunfight, maylene stands her ground, not caring for wolfwoods idea of safety over happiness, regardless of how he came to have that idea. its also a classic showing of how different things couldve turned out - if wolfwood had been adopted out like maylene, would he have retained his worldview? would he have instead agreed more with maylene? if maylene had dealt with the eom, would she have more of a pessimistic worldview?

regardless of that - another huge thing i adore about the chapter is the bird metaphors that get attached to wolfwood, where up until now its not too obvious, not too crazy - but the chapter posits the question to both the reader and wolfwood - is it worth sacrificing your autonomy for safety? is it better to risk your life to be free of any outside control? is it better to hurt and trip and fall or to stay inside a bubble where you could suffocate at any point? i adore it sm hes so ajkbvhjfdbvjhdbv

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I ADOREEEEEE WHEN PPL GIVE HIM SOME HEALTHY WEIGHT. GIVE HIM A TUMMY RIGHT NEOWWWWWW !!!!! LOVE HIM BUT PLEASE NIGHTOW PUT SOME MEAT ON HIS BONES . also i love when ppl give him long hair <3 literally THEEEEE wolfwood design choice everrrrrr .

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

i hateeee when ppl make him suave and smooth all the time and like. a heartbreaker etc bc ill be honest it is notttt realistic to him. hes a fucking loser . PLEASE he can have his moments from time to time but for the comedic effect - immediately have him fuck up somehow. he pulls off one good one liner and then runs into a streetlight in the parking lot or eats sand and wipes the fuck out. what brings to mind is a scene from trimax;

this one from volume 10. literally pages before he drops dead and seconds after he says this:

like i get wanting to write just serious shit (because lbr trigun especially trimax lends itself to leaning into serious shit heavily) but when it comes to fanworks, wolfwood is often made to be just . a little too serious if ykwim. like in some fanworks his stuff lands too often to make sense for his character. let him be a failman loserguy for a second <3

another thing i despise. the weird microaggressions and weird racism around how some people portray his character in fanworks and fanon - specifically in reference to making him like. ungodly aggressive or like. making it weird as hell :sob: pisses me off for real like please just write him normally im begging oh my god

[yanteetle]

Ok I'm asking because a lot of people have different opinions on this and I wanna know yours

How do you think kraangifaction (I have no idea if I spelled that right) works?

Do you think it turns people into mindless zombies

Do you think it manipulates people into wanting it?

Do you think people are still conscious but can't control their bodies?

Or do you have another kraangifaction (still not sure if thats right) headcannon?

Oh god. Someone finally asked me.

Okay okay hear me out. There's this yandere Raph au that involves the Kraang, I call it the 'fucked UP' au (because I'm terrible at names) and well, ai can't give spoilers because It's a work in progress for my 900 follower's special! I'm almost there, and I've even got some sketches prepared and I need the time to finish them.

But to answer your question, my idea of kraangification is that depending on how you're infected, it can range from turning people to zombies, to keeping the person conscious and removing all control over their body. When infected directly by the kraang, eg: like how the foot clan was turned, they simply turn mindless, mostly because their bodies change so drastically from the kraang that their insides could be ripped open and they'd still be moving as the Kraang controls them remotely. So in my mind, when someone is directly infected, they'll die from the transformation.

Raph however, is a special case. Raph was trapped in a special 'Containment bubble' of sorts, and although we don't know how it works exactly, it can infer that his kraangification process has had time to lets say... cook. And from the climax of the movie, we can infer that he can hear Leo and the others, and this could show that Raph having more time to settle in the infection process allowed him to stay alive, but also forced him to give up bodily autonomy to the Kraang's will. And if I were you, I wouldn't think that ripping out the Kraang off his eye would really make his infection disappear. Because if the Kraang let him sit in the infection for so long, who knows how deeply ingrained this infection truly is..