#and how in their world their version of polite/acceptable is very different and it can lead to tense situations

[professor-doc-emeritus]

I love the dichotomy we get between jinshi and the emperor that shows off how the traits that make jinshi a great prince, boss, friend (husband 👀👀👀👀) are the very same traits that will make him a terrible emperor.

His hard working streak that lets him handle his weird assignments with grace and manage the clashing egos of the inner palace is what will get him killed by overwork as emperor since he has no real head for delegation. It took 11 volumes and the intervention of most of his immediate family just to get jinshi to hire a secretary. The emperor always being free to host parties, sleep with the consorts, and bust jinshis balls in-between it all is, much like lakan always being free to annoy maomao, actually a sign of him being god-like at delegation and organizational management.

His lack of ego and willingness to look the fool if it gets the job done is great for avoiding political snafus and getting to the truth of things. It's genuinely the thing that makes all his expeditions to the western capital so wildly successful: he really doesn't gaf about how he's seen by the public, so long as the job gets done and his friends aren't in immediate danger. It's also the exact opposite of what you need from a head of state who's legitimacy is not-insignificantly based on the public perceiving you as an instrument of the will of heaven. The emperor being willing to kill people and their families over slights jinshi (and most sane human beings) would be willing to let slide is cruel and inhuman, but it's also what keeps the populace at large from being able to organize against him and challenge the imperial power.

Jinshis compassionate streak, his urge to save as many people he can and find the best solution for everyone possible, makes him great to work for. He'll give you assignments that match your hyper fixation, work around your crippling social anxiety, give you a post that just-so-happens to involve you staying with the love of your life for a few months. More over, he isn't gonna risk his life and your position over petty ego or greed when he can find a peaceful solution instead. But the hesitation he feels at using people like tools, and his unwillingness to act if it means throwing people under the bus, is what will lead to death and destruction if he's the emperor. Especially in a time of war. The current emperor is willing to ruin lives and crush nations if it reaches a goal, advances an agenda.

Finally, jinshis loyalty, I'd say even more than his looks, is what draws people to him. He loves his toys, can't stand to give them up. It makes him a great romantic figure. But when you're the emperor, and you need to be willing and able to marry someone for political ends, produce as many heirs as possible regardless of who with, and set aside the feelings of those women for your own sake, that loyalty is poison.

Idk, so often in stories with these systems they sorta follow the logic of "if he's a good person he'll be a good leader." I think it's cool to have a series talk about how being a leader involves being EXTREMELY comfortable with being an asshole, for a myriad of reasons, and how someone being pleasant to work for wouldn't make them an effect monarch.

[stephobrien]

Is your pro-Palestine activism hurting innocent people? Here's how to avoid that.

Note: If you prefer plain text, you can read the plain text version here.

Over the last few days, I’ve had conversations with several Jewish people who told me how hurt and scared they are right now.

To my great regret, some of that pain came from a poorly-thought-out post of mine, which – while not ill-intentioned – WAS hurtful.

And a lot of it came from cruelty they’d experienced at the hands of people who claim to be advocating for Palestine, but are using the very real plight of innocent Palestinians to harm equally innocent Jewish people.

Y’all, we need to do better. (Yes, “we” definitely includes me; this is in no small part a “learn from my fail” post, and also a “making amends” post. Some of these are mistakes I’ve made in the past.)

So if you’re an advocate for Palestine who wants to make sure that your defense of one group of vulnerable people doesn’t harm another, here are some important things to do or keep in mind:

Ask yourself if you’re applying a standard to one group that you aren’t applying to another.

Would you want all white Americans or Canadians to be expelled from America or Canada?

Do you want all Jewish people to be expelled from Israel, as opposed to finding a way to live alongside Palestinian Arabs in peace?

If the answer to those two questions is different, ask yourself WHY.

Do you want to be held responsible for the actions of your nation’s army or government? No? Then don’t hold innocent Jewish people, or Israelis in general (whether Jewish or otherwise), responsible for the actions of the Israeli army and government.

On that subject, be wary of condemning all Israeli people for the actions of the IDF. Large-scale tactical decisions are made by the top brass. Service is compulsory, and very few can reasonably get out of service.

Blaming all Israelis for the military’s actions is like blaming all Vietnam vets for the horrors in Vietnam. They’re not calling the shots. They aren’t Nazis running concentration camps. They are carrying out military operations that SHOULD be criticized.

And do not compare them or ANY JEWISH PERSON to Nazis in general. It is Jewish cultural trauma and not outsiders’ to use against them.

Don’t infuse legitimate criticism with antisemitism.

By all means, spread the word about the crimes committed by the Israeli army and government, and the complicity of their allies. Criticize the people responsible for committing and enabling atrocities.

But if you imply that they’re committing those crimes because they’re Jewish, or because Jewish people have special privileges, then you’re straying into antisemitic territory.

Criticize the crime, not the group. If you believe that collective punishment is wrong, don’t do it yourself.

And do your best to use words that apply directly to the situation, rather than the historical terms for situations with similar features. For example, use “segregation,” “oppression,” or “subjugation,” not “Holocaust” or “Jim Crow.” These other historical events are not the cultural property of Jews OR Palestinians, but also have their own nuances and struggles and historical contexts.

Also, blaming other world events on Jewish people or making Jewish people associated with them (for instance, some people falsely blame Jewish people for the African slave trade) is a key feature of how antisemitism functions.

Please, by all means, be specific and detailed in your critiques. But keep them focused on the current political actors – not other peoples’ or nations’ political or cultural histories and traumas.

Be prepared to accept criticism.

You probably already know that society is infused with a wide array of bigotries, and that people growing up in that environment tend to absorb those beliefs without even realizing it. Antisemitism is no exception.

What that means is, there’s a very real chance that you will screw up, and get called out on it, as I so recently did.

If that happens, please be willing to learn and adapt. If you can educate yourself about the suffering and needs of Palestinians, you can do the same for Jewish people.

Understand that the people you hurt aren’t obligated to baby you. Give them room to be angry.

After I made a post that inadvertently hurt people, some were nice about it, and others weren’t. Some outright insulted my morals and intelligence.

And I had to accept that I’d earned that from them.

I’d hurt them, and they weren’t obligated to be more careful with my feelings than I had been with theirs.

They weren’t obligated to forgive me, trust me, or stop being mad at me right away.

I’ll admit, there were moments when I got defensive. I shouldn’t have. And I encourage you to try not to, if you screw up and hurt people.

I know that’s hard, but it’s important. Getting defensive only tells people you care more about doubling down on your mistake than you do about healing the hurt it caused.

Instead, acknowledge that they have a right to be angry, apologize for the way you hurt them, and try to make amends, while understanding that they don’t owe you trust or forgiveness.

Be aware that some antisemites are using legitimate complaints to “Trojan horse” antisemitism into leftist spaces.

This is a really easy stumbling block to trip over, because most people probably don’t look at every post a creator makes before sharing the one they’re looking at right now.

I recently shared a video that called out some of the Likud and IDF’s atrocities and hypocrisy, and that also noted that many Jewish people are wonderful members of their communities.

I was later informed that, while that video in particular seemed reasonable, the creator behind it is frequently antisemitic.

I deleted the post, and blocked the creator. I encourage you to do the same if it’s brought to your attention that you’ve been ‘Trojan horse’d.

EDIT: Important note about antisemitism in leftist spaces:

While it's true that some blatant antisemites are using seemingly reasonable posts to get their foot in the door of leftist spaces, it's also true that a lot of antisemitism already exists inside those spaces.

This antisemitism is often dressed up in progressive-sounding language, but nonetheless singles Jewish people and places out in ways that aren't applied equally to other groups, or that label Jewish people in ways that portray them as acceptable targets.

If you want to see some specific examples, so you can have a better idea of what to keep an eye out for, I suggest reading this excellent reblog of this post.

Fact-check your doubts about antisemitism.

Depending on which parts of the internet you look at, you’ve probably seen people accused of antisemitism because they complained about the Likud and/or IDF’s actions. So you might be primed to be wary, or feel unsure of how to tell what counts as real antisemitism.

But that doesn’t mean antisemitism isn’t a very real, widespread, and harmful problem. And it doesn’t mean many or even most Jewish people are lying to you or being overly sensitive.

So if someone says something is antisemitic, and you aren’t sure, I encourage you to:

A. Look up the action or thing in question, including its history. Is there an antisemitic history or connotation you aren’t aware of? For best results, include “antisemitic” in your search query, in quotes.

B. Understand that some things, while not inherently antisemitic, have been used by antisemites often enough that Jewish people are understandably wary of them. Schrodinger’s antisemitism, if you will.

C. Ask Jewish people WHO HAVE OFFERED TO HELP EDUCATE YOU. Emphasis on WHO HAVE OFFERED. Random Jewish people aren’t obligated to give you their time and emotional energy, or to educate you – especially on subjects that are scary or painful for them.

@edenfenixblogs has kindly offered her inbox to those who are genuinely trying to learn and do better, and I’ve found her to be very kind, patient, reasonable, and fair-minded.

Understand that this is URGENTLY NEEDED.

In one of my conversations with a Jewish person who’d called me out, they said this was the most productive conversation they’d had with a person with a Palestinian flag in their profile.

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I didn’t do anything special. All I did was listen, apologize for my mistakes, and learn.

Yes, it feels good to be acknowledged. But I feel like I’ve been praised for peeing IN the toilet, instead of beside it.

Apologizing, learning, and making amends after you hurt people shouldn’t be “the most reasonable thing I’ve heard from a person with a Palestinian flag pfp.”

It should be BASIC DECENCY.

And the fact that it’s apparently so uncommon should tell you how much unnecessary stress and fear Jewish people have been living with because of people who consider themselves defenders of human rights.

By all means, be angry at the Likud, the IDF, and the politicians, reporters, and specific media outlets who choose to enable and cover up for them.

But direct that anger toward the people who deserve it and are in a position to do something about it, not random people who simply happen to be Jewish, or who don’t want millions of people to be turned into refugees when less violent methods of achieving freedom and rights for Palestinians are available.

Stop peeing beside the toilet, people.

[cirusthecitrus]

Dissecting Horde Prime's titles

So do you remember the time when this polite lil gentleman dropped HP's long ass title at us? Which is-

The Emperor of the Galactic Horde, Ruler of the Known Universe, Regent of the Seven Skies, He Who brings the Day and the Night, Revered One of the Shinging Galaxies, Promised One of a Thousands Suns!!! AND I'm pretty sure there were a couple more left unsaid before Scorpia shut bro up All those pompous titles could simply be a bunch of clashing words thrown at the heroes to show how absurd and fullish and superficial the Galactic Horde empire truly is. But I'm willing to analyze each and every one of them and, as always, find more meaning that was probably originally intended And my first question is: is this really who Prime is known as in the Known Universe? Do people on other planets accept him as any of those things?? Or is it something only the clones actually know about and they are the only ones to whom Prime's titles hold any meaning at all? Did he made this all up? Is it yet another lie to make them believe their god is more important and powerful than he is? To make it seem like their servitude is even more noble and honourable, to make it seem more like a privilege? Or are those actually normal legitable titles for intergalactic rulers and emperors? Is Prime a simple menace to the universe and a self-declared ruler or a recognized big political and spiritual figure?

The second big question is - if those titles are real, where do they even come from and what do they mean? It is possible that HP's given himself this long list of titles as yet another way to elevate himself above everyone else, demonstrate his importance and simply stroke his own ego. But he might've also be given those titles by someone else. For something he did for or to the world So let's go through all of them one by one and try to guess the meaning behind them The Emperor of the Galactic Horde, Ruler of the Known Universe - yeah these ones are pretty self explanatory. Though it is still unsertain if he was officially declared a ruler of the whole universe or Prime just thinks everything he sees belongs to him even thought he hasn't actually conquered it all yet

Regent of the Seven Skies - now this is interesting. The Seven Skies might be the cosmic version of the Seven Seas, aka seven main parts/routes of the Known Universe. OR, if we bring up mythology and religion the Seven Skies might mean seven levels of heaven/gods' domains. Makes sense so far But why regent? "Prime is eternal" so why calling himself someone who only governs the Seven Skies for someone else? A temporary substitute for the real ruler? Now this might be the title given to Prime by someone else. Was he chosen a regent for the previous Prime or another ruler? Was he chosen to be someone overseeing the world/heavens before the real gods return? No matter what actually happened, in the end HP refused to give back his position of power. And thus he might've kept this title as this weird reminder of how it all started (wink-wink totally not smth i explore in my kur twins au wink-wink)

Thought in our case the word regent might have a different meaning. In very rear instances a "regent" can be called a person who conducts a church choir... And now it all falls back into place

He Who brings the Day and the Night - yeah a doubt Prime has the ability to control the luminaries so lets focus on a more metaphorical meaning. Day and Night - Peace and War - Life and Death - Rebirth and Destruction - you get it. But day and night may also mean Light and Darkness, which kinda implies that Prime is the source of everything the Horde is supposedly fighting against. It is Prime who brings the shadows and darkness to the world, something he himself deems sinful, horrible, unforgivable and undeserving of existence. And he doesnt even hide it! The truth was right before his brothers eyes, and they never realized...

But it's also interesting to speculate if once upon a time the darkness and the shadows weren't actually something inherently bad in the eyes of the Horde. What if the dark was once celebrated along with the light? What if the members of the Galactic Horde were once allowed to love the dark? Allowed to love the night?

Revered One of the Shinging Galaxies - now this one implies that he is (or rather was) someone highly respected among many galaxies (cant tell how big the numbers are), might as well be idolized and worshipped. I mean duh, he'd supposed to be a cult leader, they are meant to be adored by their followers. But this might actually be the only evidence of Prime not only being feared and hated, but also loved by the world. This might proof that his clones werent his only real followers. Again, if this is a legit title Prime didn't pull out of his ass

Promised One of a Thousands Suns - I can't tell what are the Thousands Suns exactly - kingdoms/empires/councils/rulers? Are the Suns if what the Know Universe calls their gods? Can Prime be also called a Sun then? Is he a chosen one, something close to what She-Ra was to the First Ones? Was there some type of prophecy predicting Horde Prime's rise to power? Was he promised as a bad omen, as a future plague to the universe? Or was he awaited, wanted, beloved, treated like the world's savior even before he even existed?.. (wink-wink)

Another interesting thing - the words Sun and Son sound almost the same. Which unintenionally adds another hidden layer to this title's meaning. Promised One of a Thousands Sons. Thousands sons - thousands brothers... It almost feels like a sound illusion, a trick to make the clones feel closer to Prime, feel like he belongs with them and they belong with him for they're the same, to make them believe that they're almost equals. They are all brothers, they are all important and special and they all play a role in the higher plan. But Horde Prime is a little bit more important, a little bit more special, and there's no other brother like him

So yeah, that was my free and totally biased interpetation, i'd love to know what your thoughts are cause I do not remember anyone else discuss Horde Prime's full title before. They may be meaningless afterall, but not to me, never to me u-u

[kawaii-queen-kaiju]

I get the feeling some people don't quite get two things about the apothecary diaries: (spoilers for the lns ahead!)

a.) it is a fictional setting, based on a historical one! our standard on what's proper and polite and acceptable aren't applicable! I watched some regency era stuff with my brother and he kept bitching about the age differences, and yeah, that's kinda weird to us now, but it was completely commonplace at the time, it was the norm even!

b.) the legit backbone themes of the show?? are about the human condition?? how we can be horrible, and ugly, and toxic, and POISONous, but any medicine can be poison in the wrong dose, and we humans can also be beautiful and caring and kind and wonderful!

The show doesn't stray from darker themes like sexual trauma, murder and suicide, and pointing out jarring class differences (mirroring our real, modern world if you look at it from a certain angle), why would it have picture perfect protags? why would it have characters without flaws and nuance when the world around them is imperfect? why, if they go so far with world building, would it have characters whose personalities downright contradict their circumstances? I've seen a fair bit of this discourse centered on Jinshi, even quoting the author's distaste for the character (which is only cus he's difficult to write, not any actual hatred for the character), and that moment in ln 5, then saying he's toxic and cruel, even though it's said (multiple times) that he's a kind person! he cares about the lives of mere serving girls, and goes out of his way to save innocent people (the shi clan kids, suirei, the white lady later on) when standard protocol would say obliterate them all. he's a prince in a patriarchal society, where it could be a crime to tell him 'no', where women have no rights as anything but another tool or object. yes, he's pushy and childish and has little understanding of boundaries..... at first. he learns and grows though, and yes, he can still be childish and pushes Maomao's buttons, but so does she!

'oh but the ln 5 moment-' fair, fair, that was not his best moment but! I would like to remind that for all of his pubescent years, jinshi has been taking what was basically HRT, and only got off of it at the end of ln 4. my guy has never actually experienced puberty, and then he was hit with a wave of hormones making him horny and angry in ways he's never experienced before. jinshi has insane self control, but he's in uncharted territory, and Maomao is pushing his limits! that doesn't make what he did acceptable at all of course, it's not an excuse, but she gave as good as she got in that moment, and he regretted it afterward. there's also the matter of a translation issue; in the og japanese version, he doesn't grab her throat, it was the back of her neck! 'but he sexually harasses her!' yes. he does. and no, it's not okay, but he learns her boundaries as he comes to love and respect her. he's not used to being told no, and even if he chugs his woman respect juice, that doesn't change the latent values he's surrounded by. the fact that he's willing to go at maomao's pace once he gets through to her speaks volumes about his character! 'maomao doesn't love him tho!' doesn't she? nvm the fact that as readers we know they're the endgame ship, but; maomao doesn't understand feelings. she's very much emotionally constipated. she knows she can care about people (her sisters, luomen, xiaolan and shisui, and yes, even jinshi) but she doesn't think she's capable of love. she's very much an unreliable narrator. most of her protests to jinshi's proposal involve status and the hassle it'd be, not feelings. and she does accept his feelings anyway (and is willing to do what people who accept the other's feelings do and HE's the one who stopped it-) despite the trouble it brings. would she have done that if she didn't feel anything for him? we won't hear the word love from her because of her feelings on it, but it's clear she feels something special for him and only him (sorry shimao shippers, I'm not against the yuri I promise, but I don't really see their relationship as anything but queerplatonic at most).

I could go on and on and on about nuance and reading between the lines and looking at things from an objective perspective befitting of the time period it's set in, but I'll take a chill pill and stop here.

[rainbowsky]

Hi RBS! I felt very moved and inspired by their individual stories and their love. So much that it’s given me more motivation in my own life, hoping to develop some of the amazing qualities I see in them. To be able to put in the dedication and work to be the best you can be, to fight for your passions and your person, and to pick yourself up after failure when you need to without letting it break you – that’s very much a person I’d like to be.

So I wanted to ask: Have they/their relationship inspired you in your on life?

Hi blah-bla-blah!

Far be it from me to answer a fun, simple question with a fun, simple answer! 😅

Thanks for the question, I hope you're well! You're right, those are good qualities to have, and I'm glad you've been inspired to become a better version of yourself.

I think this is an interesting question for every turtle to ponder. Not only is it fun/valuable to reflect on how GG and DD have inspired us, but I think it's equally important to have some self-reflection around what we get out of fandom and out of following them.

It's easy to get caught up in fandom and in beautiful pictures and exciting stories and lose sight of where we are in all of this.

I want to be a better person and live a better life, and I equally want to make sure I'm not doing anything harmful or losing sight of what's important both as an individual and as a fan.

So here's the honest truth on that.

The good

On a personal level, GG and DD have had a huge impact on my life and on my perspective. Most of that impact has been due to who they are, where they're from and what they create rather than anything to do with their relationship or 'their love'.

Yes, like most turtles I find GG and DD's devotion to each other and their incredible alignment and rapport with each other very unique, sweet and even entertaining - especially their bickering in multiple languages and through cryptic references - but that's not by any means the biggest impact they've had on me.

Probably because I define 'impacts' as 'factors that have changed something fundamentally about me or my life'.

Here are some of the most positive impacts:

Expanding my horizons

Since becoming a fan of GG and DD I've noticed that my world and my mind have expanded dramatically on multiple fronts. I have been inspired to dig deeply into Chinese social and political topics, history, culture, queer issues, human rights, etc. and I've become a bit of a scholar on all of that (and by 'scholar' I mean 'someone who strives to learn as much as possible' not 'someone who knows a lot').

And I have learned a lot about China and many topics as they pertain to China, but by extension I've also learned a lot more about that entire region of the world - the political, social and historical realities, the cities and geography, the languages and cultures, the landscape of queer rights, queer acceptance and queer culture, etc. And as someone who was already interested in Asian countries and cultures, it's been humbling to realize how little I actually knew/know.

It has enriched my life immeasurably to have these topics become a deep interest of mine.

Fan fiction

Another really great thing that's come out of my interest in GG and DD is that I've developed an appreciation for and an interest in fan fiction - which has in turn enriched my life in so many ways:

It's given me a new perspective on remixing culture and a newfound respect and admiration for one of the most maligned and marginalized art forms on the planet. I strongly feel most of the hate fanfic gets comes directly out of misogyny as channelled through the more socially acceptable vectors of queerphobia/kinkphobia. I can't help but compare remix culture in male-dominated musical spaces with remix culture in female-dominated fandom and literary spaces, and look critically at how differently they are treated in our society. How differently they are valued, perceived and discussed.

It has given me an entirely new insight into writing and into how to improve writing. Almost all the published material that exists in the world is heavily edited and highly polished, so that we're rarely put in a position to be exposed to a lot of amateur writing. Reading so much amateur - often somewhat raw - writing has enabled me to get a much fuller picture of the structures of storytelling and of what works and doesn't work for me, which has had a positive impact on my writing and on my attitude toward storytelling.

Reading a broad range of stories has really opened my mind about a lot of things I used to have a bit of a closed-minded attitude about. ABO, for example, used to creep me out. Now I find the ways this genre examines and subverts social structures extremely interesting and compelling (although there are still limits to my appreciation of the genre).

I've also learned more about myself and my kinks through reading fan fiction. I have had the occasional moment of self-discovery from reading stories that feature so many different relationships and dynamics, and that go to so many unique lengths to explore and subvert social and sexual norms. This is part of why I feel so strongly that the exploration people do via reading and writing fanfic is deeply important, even if authors and readers don't always set out to have a 'meaningful journey' when they write/read a particular story. And once an interest has been sparked, there are dozens, hundreds - in some cases even thousands - of stories to be found that explore or examine that angle/topic.

One good example of this is just the idea of romantic/sweet stories in general. I have never been particularly interested in such things. I consider myself to be pretty unromantic. I'm not even much of a romcom guy. My partner likes romcoms, and I generally just 'tolerate' them when he puts one on. If someone told me prior to getting into this fandom that one day I'd spend a lot of time reading romance stories I would have thought they were trolling me, but here I am voraciously reading about how a cafe barista meets a graphic designer and falls in love, or getting excited about the new ER doctor/single dad music teacher story or whatever. 😅

It has also given me an entire community of interesting people to connect with (and a whole new language/way of connecting) that I previously had no idea existed.

The vast majority of the fan fiction I read is WangXian fan fic, but I never in a million years would have started reading fan fic at all if it weren't for GG and DD and my interest in them.

Putting myself out there

I've talked a bit about this in the past, but blogging has been somewhat rehabilitative for me. I tend to keep to myself a lot and I don't generally put myself out there in a public way. IRL I'm quite private and even withdrawn. My interest in GG and DD has given me a venue for being more socially open without making me feel too socially unsafe.

As a result I've made a lot of new friends and I've been able to share my ideas in ways I've never been able to before. Especially on topics like this. I just can't imagine myself ever talking openly about some of the topics I talk about on my blog - particularly some of the topics that are stigmatized or considered to be 'feminine' topics - prior to getting into this fandom.

And because I've been discussing and sharing these topics for so many years, I've become much more comfortable with and open to discussing them IRL. Some of them, anyway. It's progress.

I've also discovered that there are ways to feel socially comfortable, confident and safe in the world. This is huge for me. As an autistic/ADHD queer person I have often felt uncomfortable in social situations, worried about whether I will be misunderstood or put my foot in my mouth. Here I've found people who have a lot of the same issues, and I've mostly been accepted for who I am (although of course I've also had a lot of hate thrown at me).

I've always had 'special interests', but I've rarely ever been able to fully explore them and share them with others. Tumblr has given me a platform/venue to do that, and it's made a huge difference to my life and to my self-acceptance around being different and around having deep interests that others find strange.

Overall, having this blog and sharing these interests has been a massive positive force in my life.

Self-acceptance

Another thing that GG and DD have given me is a better perspective on my own limitations and self-expectations. While a lot of fans say GG and DD inspire them to strive for more, achieve more, etc. - and they do for me as well to some degree - the bigger impact is that they remind me that not everyone is going to be a superstar, and that's OK.

GG and DD have both had support, opportunity and options that I simply didn't have and never will have. I talked about this in a bit more detail in an ask response back in 2020.

Given where I came from and the background I had my achievements are practically miraculous, but they're also very modest. When I look at GG and DD I remind myself of that, and I am able to be more forgiving and accepting toward myself for my perceived shortcomings and limitations.

There are other self-acceptance aspects to this as well. For example, I have always had an attachment to plushies. It's something that I just can't explain and have always been very ashamed and embarrassed about. I always have a favored plushie and I can't get to sleep without one, ever since I was a very small child.

Seeing GG in his airport photos many years ago, he would always be carrying a plushie. He also often had plushies around him in the video diaries that he would post. That meant a lot to me, and helped me heal some of the embarrassment and shame I have had throughout my life.

There are other things like this, often little things that have made me feel like it's okay to do this or it's okay to be that way. Some bigger things as well.

How about DD and his blunt honesty? This is something that I have been maligned for throughout my life. When I was a little little kid, my mother used to warn people who came to the house, "Be careful, he says what he thinks!"

Throughout my life, especially considering that I have been different from other people in ways that I can't always hide or fly under the radar about, there has frequently been a pitchfork-wielding sort of mob attitude toward how I express myself. I have often been misunderstood, singled out and demonized for simply being an honest person.

I see that this happens a lot to DD as well. People, especially people who are negatively predisposed to him for one reason or another, frequently interpret him as rude, or disrespectful, or savage. It's heartbreaking, because he's such a deeply respectful, kind-hearted person.

I cannot possibly overstate how much I treasure this about him, his personality and the way he expresses himself. I have felt like a horrible person for so long, and watching him makes me see myself through another lens and realize that I'm not that horrible person I've been taught to think of myself as.

So yeah, there are some personal ways that watching them has led to self-acceptance that I never thought I would find.

Other artists

Being a fan of GG and DD has exposed me to a lot of artists actors, musicians, etc that I would never have otherwise learned about. Some of whom are a huge inspiration to me in their own right (Seungyoun, Zhou Shen and Ayunga immediately come to mind).

This has been a huge blessing to my life. I feel so grateful for all of the new artists and creators that I have discovered through my love of GG and DD.

Turtles

Of course I cannot fail to mention all of the ways in which turtles inspire me. They are such a fun, humorous, mostly humble and sweet group of people. So much incredible creativity and so many people who are full of love and enthusiasm. All of the great works of charity that are done in GG and DD's names as well. Their ingenuity and cleverness and wit. C-turtles especially can be truly brilliant and hilarious in ways that are often totally new to me.

And turtles have brought this fascinating language of clownery, fake rumors, detective work and insightfulness that I find so enjoyable to be a part of.

The dolls. Let's not forget the dolls. I never would have thought that I would be interested in dolls at this stage in my life, but I absolutely love all of the dolls and the little outfits and the fictional GGDD offspring, Zhanbi and Bobi, all of pairings of all of their drama characters... It is all just so much fun to be a part of.

Turtles and GGDD have also helped me to get through some of the most difficult times of my entire life. Through deaths of people close to me, through a freaking pandemic, through wars and disasters and climate change and political horrors, through some pretty deep personal lows. I feel so grateful to have had GG and DD and all of my friends and fellow turtles who have helped me survive all this darkness, and who have shared a lot of the brightest moments with me.

The bad (and grey)

Like I just said, as a ND person I tend to get immersed in special interests, and while this fandom and this blog have mostly been a positive way for me to do that, there has been a downside to it. I spend a lot of time with these topics - not just GG and DD but all the topics that have sparked my interest via this fandom: Chinese/Asian politics and queer rights, fandom topics, fan fiction, etc. etc. - and this exploration inevitably happens at the expense of some of my other goals and interests.

I used to spend a lot of time on creative projects, for example, but it's been ages since I've worked on any projects, and even longer since I've finished one. There is only so much time in a day, and every hour I spend with fandom interests is an hour I don't have for something else.

It has also at times negatively impacted my relationships, and I've been actively trying to prioritize them more, which means even more sacrifices of other things.

That's why sometimes you'll see me be very active here, and other times I will be much less active. It's why I can start posts but have a hard time finishing them (my drafts folder is shocking, trust me - you'd be genuinely shocked at how many lengthy posts, reviews, years old ask responses, etc. that are nearly finished but not ready to publish).

I'm not great at finding balance with things like this, and I struggle to keep organized and focused, especially when I have outside demands being made of me that conflict with some of my other interests.

Anyone who's read my blog knows that I can be preachy at times. I'm aware of that, and I actively try not to be so tedious.

But I'm also a bit preachy in my life outside fandom, toward people who say and believe ridiculous shit about China/Chinese people. There's so much Sinophobic propaganda hammered into everyone in the West, it's appalling. I have always been intolerant of any whiff of racism or xenophobia in myself and those around me, but since becoming a fan of GG and DD I've become somewhat of an unapologetic asshole about these things.

I just get so sick of hearing anti-China commentary, I have no patience for it at all. NO, I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a China cheerleader. I'm actually pretty brutally critical of China on many levels - particularly of the CCP - and I cringe when I hear naive people parrot CCP propaganda. But it's kind of alarming how uncritically people accept what they are told about people and situations they know nothing about.

And yeah, on some levels this is a really good thing. People should be challenged on their incorrect or harmful ideas. But overall it's added some friction and conflict to my life that wasn't there before.

It's also fucked up my sleep a lot. As an insomniac and as an autistic person I need a very consistent sleep schedule - ideally one that aligns with the sleep/wake schedule of those around me - or a lot of bad things will happen for me.

Insomnia tends to have a snowball effect in my life, and if I don't get enough sleep one night it's twice as hard to get sleep the next night, and so on and so on. That in turn has a big negative impact on my ability to handle stress and overstimulation, to focus, to stay organized, etc..

Being a fan of Chinese superstars has mercilessly fucked with this on a regular basis. It's pretty hard to stick to a healthy sleep schedule when I'm following events that are happening in a distant time zone. I've become a lot better with this lately, but again - that comes at a sacrifice. When I'm getting 8 hours of sleep a night instead of 3, those hours have to come from somewhere.

The ugly

I have become a target for hate in ways that are often really hard to avoid. This is somewhat inevitable. Anyone who puts themselves out there in any way - no matter how well-intended - will find themselves the target of hate and harassment from someone somewhere.

And it just so happens that there are some features of this fandom that make it a particularly compelling target for some people. The fact that it's a fandom, the fact that it involves queer topics, the fact that it involves real people, the fact that there are rivalries, the fact that it involves discussing ideas some people might find challenging or offensive. The fact that so much of it is a matter of opinion, and I am daring to express mine.

And being targeted is difficult for me. I grew up being viciously bullied throughout my life. People used to call me names, throw stuff at me, spread hateful lies about me, even physically attack me, right from childhood into adulthood. Being different - especially where I was from - was not acceptable, and I was different in so many visible ways.

So while I've gotten much better at handling this kind of thing (and that should really be added to the 'good' list above), it isn't without its harms. Closing my anonymous inbox has massively improved things, but haters will unfortunately always be a fixture as long as I continue in this fandom.

Another impact that falls in the 'ugly' category for me is the fact that I almost never read non-fandom content anymore. I used to voraciously read literature and a wide range of non-fiction books, at a very high volume. I rarely do anymore. When I read it's usually fan fiction or else something fandom-related. I feel this has rotted my brain a bit, let's be real.

However, as I said before, fan fiction and this fandom in general has enriched my life in a lot of positive ways, so it's not all bad. But it does bother me.

It's just the way my brain is wired - it has become much harder for me to get into things that aren't directly related to my interests. I also find that fan fiction feels safe and soothing - something that I often need as a trauma survivor, autistic/ADHD person, etc.

I have to regularly evaluate where I am with all of this, and make adjustments to ensure I've got time for IRL commitments, 'regular' reading/viewing topics, etc. and that balance is not always easy.

What about love?

This is what a lot of turtles talk about when it comes to GG and DD, and I suppose it does apply to me here. They've definitely had an impact on how I view romance, and my own relationship.

I guess I could say I've become more patient and less complacent. I look at our disagreements more affectionately as bickering, and don't read too much into them or let them fester. I take more notice of our compatibilities and accomplishments.

I've always been the sort of person who needs/expects independence in a relationship. A relationship is always made up of individuals. I believe that two people who foster each other's independence and individuality are going to thrive and maintain their interest/satisfaction with each other better than those who focus unduly on the 'relationship' as some sort of third party entity.

It inspires me when I see GG and DD doing what I perceive to be the same thing. They're out there taking their own paths and doing their own things, while supporting and appreciating each other and sharing all the ways in which they're compatible. That's what a truly healthy relationship looks like IMHO.

I've always been this way myself, but watching GG and DD makes me appreciate it more than I used to. It also makes me want to protect and preserve that aspect of myself and my relationship, because I can see how important it is to a truly companionable, loving connection.

I think of DD saying, "Miss me later" and I laugh, because that's exactly how I am (yet according to GG he's 'more clingy than Jianguo' 😅). I think it's possible to go out in the world and live your life as an individual, while sharing a private internal world with someone you love. To me that's the ideal.

Some of the best for last

One of the biggest and best impacts GG and DD have had on me has come through their creative works. I can't overstate how much I love and appreciate the work they do. Especially their music, and for DD, his dance (although their acting projects have also been great to watch and follow).

It's often a source of frustration for me that the projects that have impacted me the most are the ones that I struggle to write about on my blog. With the exception of Stand Up and some other bits and pieces here and there, I don't think I've ever been able to fully articulate my feelings about the projects that have touched me the most.

I have a huge long post still in my drafts about Like the Sunshine. That is a song and dance performance that can't even re-watch or re-listen to because it hits me so hard. The song came out years ago and I still haven't finished that post.

Similarly, Hidden Blade was so inspiring to me in how DD tackled that role and really brought his character to life. I was completely blown away by that performance.

WM hit me like a freight train, and I really want and intend to write a full and thorough review of the entire album and all of the video content (and the physical album if/when it ever arrives), but I haven't been able to even make a proper start.

I also have so many feelings and thoughts about the career choices they have been making, especially DD, who I could not be prouder of. I have written a bit about some of that, but I haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg of how much it all inspires me.

All I can say is, I'm here because I get something very important out of following them and out of sharing my thoughts and feelings about them. They both mean a hell of a lot to me, and I have a lot of fun and learn a lot of new things and see a lot of new perspectives that inspire me through being a fan of theirs.

I also just really appreciate all of you who read and engage with my blog, and who interact with me - whether to challenge me or praise me, either is fine. I just really value that a lot. I feel inspired by the ideas people share with me and by the opportunity to (hopefully) contribute in some way to a positive fandom experience for others.

And I have a few very close friends here who mean the world to me. I truly treasure all of them.

I could go on and on. This is a question that sparks a lot of thoughts and feelings.

I know this has gotten very long-winded, and I will understand if 90% of you have not gotten far enough to read this sentence, but to all of you (whether you got this far or not), thanks so much.

May we all continue to enjoy everything that GG and DD have brought into our lives, and all the ways that they have brought us together. 💛.

I would love it if my readers could share some of the ways that GG and DD and turtles have inspired you. I'd love to hear some of your stories!

There is a somewhat related post about how I deal with people's reactions IRL to my interest in fandom, which you can find here.

[cute-little-fly]

Why I like and relate to Helluva Boss

This post is going to be personal and introductory to me and where I stand as a fan of the show.

When I decided to make this blog I really wanted to talk and tell the world why I think this show is cool, and it’s worthy of respect, even if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Yes, is different. Yes, it’s weird. Maybe it is even cringe, if you care about that. But… I have seen that this show has been special not just for me, but for other people and I think that matters more than perfection and correctness, considering the current state of things.

You know, and it’s not just for the sake of escapism or just because okay is silly and it doesn’t matter. I mean, if that are some people’s reasons to watch it perfect! Go for it!! But, for me it is more than that.

We often make fair arguments about the show, against shallow or bad intended criticism. I read them and I think, yes, makes sense, they are overblowing silly stuff… But, the reason why we defend this show it’s because it brings us something special, and because it caters to us deeply and I think that is very important to talk about too!!

Considering that part of the reason why I talk so much about the show (besides being kinda fixated on it), it’s that for me it was unfair to see how much negative unfair stuff. So, here I have my list of (some) reasons why I like Helluva Boss. My opposite version of these kinds of posts of why I stopped liking it.

Reason 1: This show doesn’t try to cater to everyone, and THAT is a good thing!

This might be controversial, or not, but I wholeheartedly believe that the reason why most of mainstream media nowadays falls so flat and devoid of soul, it’s that they are trying too hard to cater and be liked by everyone.

That it’s just… hardly possible, and less now that public opinion and politics are so divided. I think that even the notion that things in the past were liked by “everyone” is kinda a lie… It was just because hiding queer and minorities was accepted, because all media catered to the majority and because doing the bare minimum for minorities was the standard. Also “normies” usually didn’t had much access to things like queer cinema or comics, and the internet didn’t had enough presence for this kind of people to discover those things and rant about them with other… let’s say similar people. They just had less issue with those things existing, because they were out of their sight, and there was no right wing making noise and fuzz about it.

Reason 2: I watched the show just when I was just discovering and accepting my neurodivergence, and it made me feel seen in different ways.

This show has one of the best neurodivergent coding that I have ever seen without been too on the nose, it feels natural and they just kinda exist.

At the same time, we see them struggling with things like Blitzø with his spelling, and Stolas having a hard time socializing in parties. The first time we saw Stolas in a party at the Circus I just thought… Oh man, I know what that is like. Then, I saw some people on the internet not understanding why Stolas doesn’t just… talk to people… and I thought like: What??? Then it hit me… I realized how that wasn’t a shared experience for everyone.

A lot of the things this show has are experiences of people that didn’t fit in, like neurodivergents, and that was so valuable to me and one of the main things this series touched me. So, this differences we have with other people are also not painted in a idealized way. It’s realistic, and at the same time they are unapologetically just how they are.

Reason 3: This is a labor of love, and these are rarely found in animated shows, or are cancelled.

Labour of love shows and movies need to be supported right now. I know this show won’t be cancelled or that it’s highly unlikely and that just… gives me peace to engage with it. You can say it has flaws or anything, but it is being made with love and passion. That’s undeniable.

Reason 4: Helluva Boss has male leads that display different expressions of masculinity and their romance is top tier.

You know… it doesn’t bother me that most of the leads of this show are male… because these men not are just queer, they display a varied of behaviours related to masculinity and the negative ones are not applauded.

It’s not the same to have a male focused show where male say to each other: are you going to punch like a girl? Or they just sit to watch soccer and not touch the kitchen (Blitzø is shown cooking his own meal), or are not shown as any traditional way men are according to traditional masculinity.

I always asked myself why the issue with the Helluva Boss women being not focused most times has never bothered me, considering it bothers me in other shows, and this is the exact reason.

Helluva boss men are queer, and they aren’t mysogynistic. Millie is appreciated and elevated by her boss. Moxxie is flawed and is not traditionally masculine, but his arc is about finding his own courage.

Blitzø’s initial issues with temper and treating others badly are not painted as: he is just a man and he can’t prevent it. It’s a result of his trauma and the series addresses that as a problem he needs to overcome to make fulfilled bonds with his found family and love interest.

Reason 5: The female leads are actually cool!!

They are unapologetical, they have their own agency, they have their own set of issues… so, they are both capable and relatable at the same time, the same way male leads are. Millie is shown to be very resourceful on fights. She is actually very good and Blitzø saw that on her.

I understand why fans of the Helluva Women might feel disappointed that they are less focused and less utilized in some plots. But… they are good characters.

Reason 6: The animation, The music, The aesthetic.

Self explanatory. I sing the songs in the shower sometimes.

Reason 7: The humour is quirky… a lot of the times it works with me.

You know… I don’t like a couple of jokes of the series… But, most of the times, the humor of the series works with me. Being an autistic person, I have a very weird relationship with humour. I don’t laugh at all with shows like “Arrested Development”. There are some humor that I just don’t get why it is funny, even if I understand the jokes. With Helluva Boss I manage to laugh a lot of times! I love silly humor and this series delivers that to me most of the times.

Reason 8: Helluva Boss queernes is cool and good actually.

This has been discussed before… and the only thing I want to add is that after this show, I find some common queer representation boring and insufficient. Blitzø cross dresses as if it was a normal thing and it’s not framed as: oh how funny the man looks like a woman and that is just so funny... Nah… he looks like a DIVA and serves cunt. Phrases like: Be nice to him, he is gay… show support and normalization of being queer and I find it very endearing.

Reason 9: Helluva Boss has adult drama and is silly at the same time.

I have always disliked the idea that when you grow up you are meant to not like or not engage with some things anymore… Because I am an adult, and I still like silly things. Like the way my humour doesn’t match with some adult comedies, and maybe it matches with children’s humour. Helluva Boss gives me both. Helluva Boss makes me laugh and cry. I can be a hopeless romantic and feel like a clown at the same time.

Reason 10: Helluva Boss is deep down a light hearted story with angst and some hard themes.

Interestingly when I was younger I used to look for more dark-themed stories. Distopic universes, disasters, sad and dark endings. You get it. But… recently I have to admit being enjoying more “found family stories”. Sometimes I just want to watch something safe. That makes me feel strongly? Yes, but safe too. Helluva boss is very good delivering that.

[seeminglyseph]

I really appreciate that Eurylochus in Epic I am pretty sure is adapted from a character in the original who is at the very least somewhat antagonistic and cowardly in characterization and has spun him into a compelling and interesting character who has genuinely caused the fandom to basically to be like “but was he wrong though?”

Because like, the fact that at multiple points both Odysseus and Eurylochus have been right at different points of their adventure and just too fucked up emotionally or too “we can’t talk about things” to like. Clear up the issues they were having, means that they just. Became a tragedy.

And it is especially beautiful because Eurylochus and Polites bring this weight of friendship and loss to Odysseus in Epic, despite their existence in the Odyssey fully lacking that characterization. Though I think it is part of the miscommunication at times because like. Perspective. And if you try to look up extra information from the source text to give more context, Eurylochus is so different in that source text that like… it will back up arguments in favour of Odysseus more easily. But modern sensibilities side with Eurylochus more easily due to monarchs and tyrants like… heavily falling out of favour. So things like kings, gods, princes, captains, status, and rank are like… they exist but they aren’t seen the same.

Like the Odyssey is set in the Mycenaean age, late Bronze Age. This was a tale of ancient times when Homer was telling it. So by modern standards things can’t help but be archaic in ways. Especially given that The Iliad and Odyssey have so much to do with colonization and war and just like. Contemplating it. Existing in it and the aftermaths of it, and being conscious that it is being told to a world of people who are still acting and living in a unifying country due to colonization, that is expanding and growing its power with war and language and colonization. And the stories of the past wars are both glorious and tragic because of the necessity for glory to the heroes of the past but caution and understanding that…

Like Troy was once favoured by Zeus, that favour can be lost or swayed. Only the gods can count on their power lasting for eternity, men must know that a grudge can bloom anywhere and topple the mightiest kingdom if he does not mind his actions carefully.

The Aeneid, by Virgil which is written much later and I admit I have only read a summary, refers to Odysseus (through his Roman name Ulysses) really negatively, but that’s partially because the Romans kinda saw themselves as refugees and survivors of Troy. So like. By the time the Aeneid was being written, it was kinda the story of “those bastards who burnt our home down” from what I understand.

“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” For realsies. Looking things up apparently the Aeneid was the most popular version of both the Odyssey and the Iliad for a while and it wasn’t until the World Wars that Homer’s versions came back into fashion. Part of that was translation issues but still, damn.

This has become the most unhinged ramble, I’m sorry. I don’t know what any of this is even about. Translation? Perspective? Adaptation? The power of storytelling? All of it? Honestly the fact of the matter is that Eurylochus has been adapted to a new character for Epic, but he fits the narrative of the Odyssey especially as far as we need it to be told today because of how power structures work, but it’s been executed extremely well.

It keeps the technicalities of the traits of the poem “cowardice” and “mutiny” and creates a character with insecurity and missing sense of self who is afraid in a reasonable way and in order to overcome that fear reacts with aggression or violence. But in a way that is encouraged, acceptable or rewarded for a soldier. However, as a second in command, he is accustomed to having a role where he checks Odysseus’ plans for flaws. This is a good position to have him in when you’re plotting a battle action, it’s a bad position to have him in when you need him to provide a united front to keep the crew from panicking.

His position as both one of the crew and Odysseus’ Right Hand Man puts him in a position where he gets part of Odysseus’ picture, and is used to a relationship where he can be comfortable and doubtful and easy with Odysseus, however Odysseus as the Captain and the King cannot be fallible in the eyes of his men, because his men need to be able to follow his orders without question in the case of a crisis or it will be a serious issue.

Honestly the whole “I need you to be able to trust me and follow my orders in a crisis” is… part of general insubordination going on into modern day practice in crisis response and military as far as I understand it so like. I do get that. Though like. They are… two deeply damaged and traumatized men who just… cannot have a proper conversation with each other.

And also I am of the opinion that Odysseus in Puppeteer, when he brushes off Eurylochys’ attempted confession with his

“There's only so much left we can endure”

I am pretty sure that is not just brushing off, that is fully Odysseus admitting to Eurylochus like “I can’t handle anything else, please.” Like. My brain is making parallels to FMA “terrible day for rain” and Eurylochus drops it because he’s looking at a man on the verge of breaking down, and grants him some dignity or peace.

I mean Mutiny calls back to Puppeteer when Odysseus calls Eurylochus out, he would have done the same. Eurylochus wanted to cut and run on Circe’s island, leaving the men she had to their fate. But since Odysseus has all the power he carries all the blame, which makes it easier when any of the others make a mistake or something goes wrong. And it’s part of the reason Ody goes back to being Captain as soon as the crew is in trouble again. If they’ve angered a god, it’s better and easier to have Odysseus deal with it.

Unfortunately for everyone Odysseus has now crossed the Despair Event Horizon and all that matters is Penelope, Telemachus, and Ithaca. Everyone else can go fuck themselves.

Which, you know. Bodes well for all the fucked up dweebs who’ve been harassing his family for years. That’s probably gonna go great for them considering all the last shreds of his humanity he sacrificed to get home and see them safe.

[a-bottle-of-tyelenol]

~ EPIC modern beyblade au ~

polites — bey & backstory

— polites art by duvetbox —

— bey art by me —

— requested by @acpola01 —

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

💙 - friends with odysseus since childhood, polites was actually the first to be interested in beyblading when they were kids. he really enjoyed the community aspect of it and how you can meet so many different kinds of people from all over. he eventually dragged odysseus into it, who was much more interested in the strategy and bey crafting part of it rather than the battling. polites’ bey, starry suidae, was actually a gift from odysseus when they were teenagers.

🤍 - polites was the champion in ithaca, known as the greatest blader they had. he continuously climbed the ranks, dragging odysseus along with him. they teamed together (alongside eurylochus whom they met at the very start of their competitive journey) until nationals, where they were forced to separate and compete in solo matches. there, odysseus rose in the ranks while polites and eurylochus lost before they could make it to the finals.

💙 - when odysseus won and declined his position as part of the jury (a group of the top twelve bladers in the world), polites opted to continue competing, trying to make it back to nationals so he could try and claim a spot on the jury for himself. eventually, he managed to do it and chose poseidon’s spot as the one he wanted to challenge. poseidon’s bey, despite having the type advantage, was a very similar structure to suidae and polites thought that he could use that to his advantage by targeting the same weaknesses. during the battle, however, poseidon’s bey, striking cyclops, ended up physically destroying starry suidae, completely crushing polites on live television.

🤍 - odysseus, who had been watching as a retired blader, was so pissed that he challenged poseidon to an unofficial match, where he won and claimed striking cyclops as his prize. he attempted to give it to polites as a replacement for suidae while odysseus tried to fix it, but polites declined and, instead, started to use odysseus’ old bey, trojan horse, that had originally won him his nationals.

💙 - unfortunately, odysseus couldn’t fix starry suidae. while he offered to make polites another one, an exact replica or an upgraded version, this particular bey had been with him for over ten years and he’d meticulously cared for it to keep it in good condition and he couldn’t accept. after that, polites didn’t exactly retire from blading, but he did stop participating in anything competitive. to him, playing without his suidae broke his heart and he couldn’t stomach trying for another title with it unable to be the one he did it with. so, instead, he became a bit of a coach for telemachus when he got old enough to start blading competitively.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

🤍 - an attack type, starry suidae was carefully crafted with the intent of striking fast and hard, winning a match before there was even a chance for it to lose. it has a star-like shape on it’s energy layer and raging tusks that stick out, giving it multiple points of impact against another bey while using the curve of the tusks to keep those points from getting stuck on any of an opponent’s indents (so long as the launch has enough strength put into it). it has a heavy fusion wheel, allowing its attacks to be steady and consistent.

💙 - the heavy fusion wheel also aids the strangely light-weighted performance tip. with hollowed out rings that allow for increased air flow and a flat, rubber tip, starry suidae is able to gracefully maneuver around a stadium in a serpent like motion, allowing it to move unpredictably (in how it tilts and how it circles around an opposing bey) and aim attacks under its opponent’s energy layer. the biggest flaw with this bey is its stamina; with how it moves and how top heavy it is, suidae is prone to either running out of steam or moving so uncontrollably that it takes itself out.

(the reason polites actually lost to poseidon’s cyclops is because he assumed (correctly) that stamina would be its biggest weakness, just as it is for suidae, and tried to get cyclops to run out of steam first. this, however, activated a last resort move that cyclops has (explained here) that hooked suidae and threw it out of the stadium. unfortunately, the way it landed cracked it in just the right spot and it shattered. the bey was really old and, after ten years of continuous blading, even with maintenance, it was on its last legs. it was a tragic accident and poseidon did offer his apologies that were, obviously, rejected by odysseus.)

— bey art* design notes —

Disclaimer: this bey is based more on the burst generation of beys, but I just cram shit together until it looks cool so it has aspects of the metal saga generation of beys and, as such, I use a combination of terms from both generations. None of this is particularly accurate to IRL beys or anything you’d find competitively.

Starry Suidae and Striking Cyclops are intentionally designed to be fairly similar. Obviously both are based on an event associated with Polites and I wanted Polites and Odysseus to have beys that pair well together aesthetically and shared similar traits.

Suidae is the family name for hogs, pigs, and boar. This bey was heavily inspired by the cut song, Your Light, that talks about how Polites was originally there when Odysseus faced Athena’s boar. The tusks are obviously from the boar itself and the star shape of it is meant to reference light and Odysseus following the stars to make it home (the star also serves as a compass shape or direction key on a map— which references how Polites was Ody’s moral guide in the beginning of the musical). I also very intentionally had it require strength in its launch because I support strong Polites supremacy, and the maneuverability of it is based on the fact that I see Polites in combat as someone who is fast and agile— his movements likened to that of a dancer and extremely deadly. Still, I added the unpredictability because it is a wild boar and I also enjoy headcanons about Polites being a beast in war.

The bey is a pinkish/purple for the same reason Cylops is— referencing the winions/lotus eaters and Odysseus’ purple cloak while being far lighter to keep in line with Polites’ character thematically. The fusion wheel being dark and somewhat rounded is another reference to the cyclops (these are meant to be like rocks/boulders, similar to the fusion wheel on Striking Cyclops). And the white is meant to give the tusks and performance tip rings a bone-like appearance— making them look a bit like a ribcage and referencing Polites’ actual death as well as the death tarot card. The stars are also meant to reference the sun tarot card, both of which are because of @fennytama’s tarot assignment for Polites.

*please note that I am NOT very good at art and I know my proportions and perspectives are kind of wonky. these are mostly proof of concept, rather than anything super clean. if you combine my traditional sketch with the digital one, you’ll get something close to what I actually envision it looking like lolol

[brucewaynehater101]

One idea I've been tinkering around for a few years. I'd love your thoughts. It's very similar to your Tim Rules the Universe idea....

It's a 'royalty au' where Tim was born the prince but had to leave the planet due to an evil uncle (who wants to be king) at three.

Evil uncle killed Tim's original parents, and the Drakes had the unfortunate task of raising a child. They were special operatives for royalty. They had never considered having children, but now it was their job.

(They weren't very good at it. After all, they had no concept of how much attention/care children needed).

Flash forword a few years, and Tim is exhausted and working his butt off for Bruce. He's proven the man is alive, saved him from time... all the good stuff.

Someone knocks at the Wayne Manor door.

It's the previous kings butler (servant, whatever). The people are asking for Tim back. The uncle sucks and Tim is eighteen. He can rule.

Tim is annoyed that his family now knows. He didn't want them to treat him differently.

(But he says yes and comes to the planet. He hadn't been there since he was three after all.)

The planet has had civil wars after civil war over the rightful king. It's in ruins (except the royal castles and a few spots)

Tim has his work cut out for him to get these people to like each other and him. The batfamily is WORRIED about him.

Jason insists on being Tim’s bodyguard. Tim shrugs. Why not? He wears his red helmet and loves it when the lesser royals (dukes, duchesses) make a fuss about not seeing his face. The previous leader of the royal guard doesn't understand why his king replaced him before even meeting him, but tries to accept Jason as his boss. Eventually, the other royal guards assume red is their kings favorite color and add red bits to their uniforms where they can. (Jason loves it!)

Anyway, the concept is Tim in this new world with alien politics (but I'm not sure what all they should be... Maybe he doesn't want to marry his betrothed. Stuff like that.) But I want it to be funny.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

This is a fantastic AU idea ^^

One thing to note that would be absolutely hilarious to go into: Tim's "fake" uncle.

Tim, because he thinks it's funny, put the evil uncle's name as his "fake" uncle. He then hired an actor to play a waaaay better version of him. That way, he would be lying about who his uncle is, not that he has one. The funny conundrum about this is, when Bruce discovers that the uncle is an actor, there are no records of Tim's actual uncle. This leads Bruce to the conclusion that Tim made up the entire uncle.

Fast forward several years later when the Bats find out. I bet Bruce is bashing his head in at the fact that the uncle WAS real. Tim didn't lie about that.

That's the tricky part about Tim. You don't know when he's telling the truth or not because he hides it under several layers and within itself.

The way you talked about the Drakes and Tim leads me to believe that all of them are an alien species. If you'd like to get more into that (what makes them different from humans, what is their culture like, do they speak a different language, etc.), I would be thrilled to learn more.

If the Drakes are human, them having an alien baby thrown at them as they are kicked off planet excuses why they maybe didn't know how to raise Tim.

If they are aliens, did they know English before they got to earth? The culture shock (and maybe different requirements/guidelines for human parenting) could have just confused the hell out of them.

I hope Tim, even from the distant Drakes, was raised in his native culture (or at least got some connections to it throughout his childhood). There's definitely some angst that can be explored there (including references to the stars).

If Jason went with Tim, I bet some of the Outlaws did as well. Kori would probably give Tim great advice on being alien royalty (and all that mess).

Hmm... perhaps the Drakes became rich and integrated into Gotham high society to do a weird form of prince training? They obviously didn't have the resources available that they should have had, so they made do.

Perhaps part of the reason the Drakes were archeologists was to grab the things previous alien ancestors left behind when they visited Earth. It's a way they can bring Tim a piece of his home world.

Questions: If Tim left at three, he might not remember that he's a prince. Do the Drakes keep reminding him (maybe some angst about the emotional separation due to them technically serving him [which can be a Bruce and Tim parallel])? Does Tim remember his bio parents? Does he consider Jack/Janet to be his parents, or does he consider himself an orphan until Bruce adopts him?

Now, for court humor: Customs, traditions, rituals, and customer service.

Tim is trying to put a planet back together and his advisors/council spring random ass rules on him.

A/C: "Overlord, sir!"

Tim: *sighs and puts his head in his hands* "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

A/C: "My apologies, overlord, sir."

Tim: *deeper sigh* "Just continue."

A/C: "You can't send those supplies out."

Tim: "... The supplies that will save people from starving to death?"

A/C: "Yes, overlord, sir."

Tim: "And why not?"

A/C: "Grain and seeds must be sent separately and three weeks apart! You must also dance before their departure!"

Tim: "... what the fuck?"

Stuff like that where Tim or Jason (or other Bats if they are there) get informed about strange restrictions. Tim can't change too many rules (no matter how weird they are) cause he wasn't even raised on planet. This is a reason some folks don't want him to rule them (and thus his position is unstable).

More humor could come from Tim listening to his subjects and their problems. The more ridiculous it is, the better.

Little hc you may or may not want to add: I think Damian would spend the most time going over different customs/rules/histories of the planet out of the other Bats.

[x23innocencelost]

Can you say more about how TF fans need to accept that some versions of characters are different? Because this is a pet peeve of mine (every time I see people assume it's canon Shockwave in any continuity other than the IDW comics had a face removed I get so annoyed... oddly in my experience it's usually comics fans applying IDW to cartoons not the reverse) ~arceespinkgun

Oh, yeah, 100%. I don't get this the same way I get it with Wolverine (original subject of post), possibly because I interact with the fandoms differently? I'm not posting a ton of analysis about Version A of a character with people responding of analysis of Version B acting like we're talking about the same character, let's just say. (Though... some of the responses when I posted Rodimus Prime's G1 character bio...)

Anyways, I think it's a result of an impulse to take elements of various continuities that you like or find personally interesting without considering why those elements were implemented in the first place or how they fit together and what they mean for the characters, world, and story. This is, obviously, not actually hurting anybody and the worst thing about it is, as you said, it's Really Annoying.

Like, for a very broad example, I've seen people write it so that the Decepticons in G1 have the same (or at least similar) history, motivations, and politics as the Decepticons in IDW, when G1 is just not a setting that has produced functionism and also more important the Decepticons are, if I had to ascribe a political ideology to them, fascists. Like I guess that one is kinda harmful in that it replicates the "these militant rights activists are EVIL and BLOW UP HOSPITALS" thing but honestly I'd rather get to that at the source than approach it in fanon so like... whatever.

And then for more specific examples... God, every time I see G1 fic where Arcee is some ancient warrior or Springer & Prowl give a single solitary fuck about each other...

Anyways. I'm not actually opposed to mixing continuities in the abstract, I think there's a lot of opportunities to do cool and creative stuff there and I've definitely seen people do it in ways I found really interesting. But it definitely works best when done with thought and consideration, which does include actually knowing what things are canon to what continuity, LOL.

(edit @arceespinkgun forgot to tag you 🤦‍♀️)

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

umm if you could “fix” the cruel prince, how would you do it?

Hm so the problem with Cruel Prince imo is that it’s not very cohesive and meanwhile has a lot of plot points that feel redundant to me. So on some level fixing it would require generating entirely new content. And then there are so many directions you could go in with that, and like are we trying to keep to Holly Black’s vision? Am I her hypothetical developmental editor here or am I just writing a version I would personally enjoy? The answers would be wildly different!

Personally, for me the most interesting parts of the book center Jude and her place in Faerie. How she grapples with the memory of her dead mother, and the looming threat of suffering a similar fate. And how, in distancing herself, she places herself in a false dichotomy where if she is not Eva, then she has to become Madoc

Like I don’t care about Cardan beyond how he can facilitate that! I’m here for Jude, her relationship to her fractured family, and her capacity for ruthlessness

Anyway I think the book simply starts out poorly. The contemporary high school vibe to the interpersonal drama is an ill fitting one. The way Jude and Taryn are bullied doesn’t feel grounded in their lives and like faerie culture beyond just… looking like school yard bullying for the sake of plot. Why is faerie high school even a thing?? Culturally how did that even happen with the medieval trappings of their society?? (Ironically I am fine with the high school vibes in TGT despite it being equally/more incongruous in-universe, but it serves a thematic and narrative function, so I can accept it.)

There was also a general tonal incongruity. I felt like there was a lot of stuff in Jude’s backstory that was very harrowing and felt analogous to real world trauma. Madoc has strong domestic abuser vibes. The fact that he murdered the twins’ parents and is just… awkwardly their terrifying adoptive father now is scary! Meanwhile several past instances where Jude’s been mistreated for being a human in Faerie feels nearly like sexual assault allegory. The faerie fruit bit, the guard biting her finger as a child, even her being forced to dance in the revel. They’re all incredibly traumatic moments for her, but are never given as much weight as I would like. And they just end up feeling way less potent next to the bullies like throwing her stuff into the river and kicking sand in her food, where the latter is framed as the more important thing to her. It’s not even that she can’t do anything about frightening adults but these dumb kids she can at least try to fight back against. It just doesn’t feel thought through at all

So I would personally prefer if how scary and violating it was had been highlighted more as opposed to the sillier bullying. Like if she were being treated reasonably well next to the constant knowledge that things like that could always happen to her, that who knows what the fae would do to her if it weren’t for Madoc’s position? I feel like that would just be much more interesting and emotionally organic feeling

Also like the twins’ social capital has always felt weird to me. On the one hand Madoc is super socially and politically important— which they keep mentioning! And Locke is apparently willing to marry Taryn. On the other, apparently literally everyone feel comfortable treating them like shit, not even fearing Madoc’s retribution. Like idk if it was established that Madoc would be disappointed in them for not handling things for themselves therefore they never go to him (and the court gradually catch on that they can get away with tormenting them with no consequences) that would work for me. But it just doesn’t feel even handed. Like we know Jude isn’t going to say anything but how do they!

Apparently Madoc easily replaced her pen (as a kid lol) when Valerian stole it. So apparently at one point she was comfortable talking about the bullying. If he got scary enough over time that she didn’t want to say anything anymore I wish it was laid out. There’s simply no timeline for the bullying and no sense of how and why it happens and why Jude doesn't report it. It just starts out feeling kind of flimsy

But that is to say, right off the bat we’re getting rid of Faerie High. It’s not a thing. Instead Cardan and his posse of important fae kids can be tutored privately and Jude and Taryn are included as a personal favor to Madoc. Which is something Cardan would take immense offense to!! Also a sort of bullying that just has more deniability than kicking dirt in their food. Like all smiles while also doing terrible shit

As for Cardan and his friends… I have some issues with them

Cardan’s overall character concept of a mostly normal guy who’s stuck trying to keep up with, and to be perceived as the leader of, his insane bloodthirsty friends lest they turn on him, is a good one! But I dislike how the book leans into softening everything he’s ever done basically. Also treating the Jude letter— confirmation that he’s mean to her because he’s attracted to her essentially— as a way to soften him as opposed to framing him as a creep is kind of insane lol. Like the realization that your bully really wants to fuck you isn’t exactly a good one??? And there’s just so much you could do with that! But Holly Black simply does not. And then the Locke reveal ends up contributing to the vibe of cleaning Cardan up and making him into the guy who was Nice All Along. It’s just so cliche! So idk I think he should just be thornier

I also generally disliked how the Taryn and Locke situation was handled. I think there’s room for some very interesting contrasts to be made with Taryn as a literal mirror to Jude

Taryn represents everything Jude is desperately trying to escape. She deliberately embraces it no less. But despite their very different external personas, the twins take turns between each other in where they place their loyalties. Jude starts out seeming closest to Madoc, but by the series’ end Taryn is the one who’s truly acting for him. (Also, interestingly, they both end up killing their respective spouses. Though only Taryn does so in malice)

So in that sense, I think the love triangle with Locke feels fitting? But I dislike the execution. I think it mostly just feels too pointless and therefore mean spirited. I wish there was more emphasis on why Taryn chose to endure his stupid bargain

Locke’s status isn’t particularly a focus. But he’s friends with a prince and his mother was a former lover of the king’s. Presumably marrying him would be more advantageous than any other guy in Faerie. I would want to focus on that, on the security and respectability Taryn is chasing. There’s also something to be said for her going for the silliest kind of dandy coded guy at court as a sort of anti-Madoc, if she also has any fears of being murdered like Eva. Additionally there’s the question of whether a human could hope to have any real marriage prospects in faerie at all. Is there any degree of take what you can get mentality for her?

On a related note, of the relationships and worldbuilding not fully adding up, Jude specifically saying that she wants to make her own way in court strongly highlights to me that I have no idea what route is being planned for her?

Pre-coup, from Jude’s pov we have no idea what she thinks her life is going to look like. She’s trying to break away really badly from something, and that’s a huge part of her motivations. But there’s no concrete answer about what she thinks that is. Even if it’s just terrifying uncertainty, I’d want that established!

Is it that Madoc’s so hands off and/or bemused at the prospect of raising mortal daughters that he has no real idea what the rest of their lives is going to look like? There’s so much focus on Jude wanting to go against the grain and prove herself, so I do wonder what following the grain would look like. Just living with him forever and never doing anything? Trying to pull a nepotism for a trivial position at court? Is garnering a prince/princess’s favor absolutely in her and Taryn’s future?

Tangentially, I did think there was room for some more gendered exploration with Jude writing off the princesses circle moreso than even Balekin’s. With her wanting to be a knight so bad and meanwhile not respecting Oriana, and to a lesser extent Taryn, for being softer and more typically feminine, I feel like the bones of a theme are there. But Holly Black never does anything with it so I’m not sure if it’s even intentional

If she thinks there are no plans then I wanted her to have more anxiety about that specifically, that they’re mortal, and basically… what if there isn’t any real path set out for them to succeed in Faerie? What if it’s just being spelled servants or dead fridge wives?

Anyway I would focus on these things over the high school bullshit lol

Also if I had my way, the first book would be split in two. I’d push the coup to the sequel, and the first book can focus on the family drama and Jude’s like coming of age struggles. She’s worried about her future, she doesn’t know what it’s going to look like but she’s terrified of ending up like Eva. I’d then keep her motivation to become a knight and enter Dain’s service but then diverge with her joining the court of shadows and expanding on that as her main way of coming into herself. I’d just give Jude more time to bond with them? And maybe get better at spying lol but the bad intrigue/spying specifics is also baseline just an author failing. Also because Dain was hot and I would like to see more of him

But yeah I’d honestly like an entire plot focused on them unraveling some sort of court intrigue thing. I would really like to focus on Jude’s mother, so it would probably have to do something with uncovering some scheme that hatched when she was at court? Highlighting the fact that the faerie are wildly long lived and so their schemes and rivalries span lifetimes. The Locke love triangle thing could stay in this book, tho the Oak reveal would be pushed back. Cardan I would keep as a rival for her and keep her surprise bonding with him over the coup events in the second book. If eye am writing this towards my own interests then she would absolutely be hooking up with Dain— probably when things fall to pieces with Locke. If not, then she can just have her same hero worship vibes from a distance. Basically I want the hero worship she’s got for him to feel earned though, and for his eventual death to feel more impactful

Book two I would open with Taryn getting married to Locke. The coup can be the midpoint. The fallout can be pretty similar, and then it can end with Cardan ascending the throne. I do really like how the coup goes down in canon, and how Jude ends up out scheming everyone to put herself in power. The ending holds a lot of promise! The second book just doesn’t deliver though

Then I’d essentially combine aspects of the second and third book. Have her with the bargain over Cardan’s head. And she can be like actually puppet mastering him as opposed to them??? not speaking???? about anything???? With her main flaw clearly being that she’s refusing to accept any help in good faith from anyone and is instead going way too far making sure she’s completely in control at all times. My biggest gripe with the later books were that they always held Jude back and never allowed her any dignity or respect from anyone even though it seemed like with how institutionally powerful she is at the time, they’d at least pay her lip service!

Also twice!! the books end on a cliffhanger where Cardan’s meant to look like he’s kind of scary and going to have his revenge on her and then he’s just a slightly mean drunk for the entire fucking series. Like. I would like some follow through there. They should be fighting like insane people, imo

Anyway and then we can do some variation of the undersea plot where she’s kidnapped. But just… not due to gross negligence on her part maybe! The way her control of everything slips is really good! I found the plot device of just… keeping her away from the palace… as a means to stop her from meddling pretty cheap. But I would like her to come back and realize that everything has changed in her absence and the power dynamics have flipped. (Which, you know, only works if she was ever allowed any fucking power) Maybe the undersea kept her long enough that her bargain with Cardan ran out. Maybe she thinks he tactically drew out negotiations to get her back for that long for that to happen

The series constant, fairly juvenile, refusal to let Jude acknowledge that Cardan remotely gives a shit about her was annoying. But some degree of miscommunication and misinterpretation of actions can be fun! I just can’t deal with the constant “but does he like like me 🥺🥺” middle school stuff on repeat sjfhff

Anyway here Jude can refuse to see that she and Cardan could actually like… feasibly work together in good faith (especially against a common adversary in the Undersea!) without her having to have him magically enslaved lmao. And that can be her main failing here

She can flee Cardan after a huge falling out over this. I think she should throw in with Madoc and Taryn. Just because I would love to explore what their faction is up to more! She can be bitter about how she’s being sidelined and so *clearly* the correct response to this is to just completely change sides lol. Tangentially, maybe we can see a bit here about things having majorly soured between Taryn and Locke

I like the killing spouses theme, and I intend to do away with the snake Cardan plotline (and Jude being forced to kill him) so I think Madoc and Taryn should just outright convince her to poison Cardan— which preserves some of the tail end of TWK. Jude goes back, with some poison, and pretends to make up with Cardan in order to spike his drink. He can use this opportunity to confess feelings, that he was convinced she had left for good and he’s so glad she’s back, idk how devastated he was while she was being held prisoner etc etc. They never really have like proper emotional pay off scenes in canon imo so I think they really need something where they sit and talk about feelings. But Jude is doing this under false pretenses and she could be feeling massively fucking guilty about it. And just her luck he’s not even drinking from his poisoned goblet that much because he wants to be sober for this conversation lol and lmao. Anyway maybe, as per canon, he can also offer to marry her as a compromise to the bargain having concluded. While Jude is wallowing in doubt and guilt, I would somehow like to get Balekin into the room to drink the rest of Cardan’s poisoned drink. He drops dead! (Which should matter to Cardan!!) And also it’s super easy to put two and two together for who poured that drink and who it was meant for. Maybe they could’ve been privately talking but somewhere semi public? At a revel or whatever? Anyway I would like there to be an audience as per canon, and he can exile her! As per canon! But fucking mean it!!! (And Jude hasn’t married him in this scenario to be able to unexile herself) Because it being a misunderstanding pissed me off but also, again, the series never made good on Cardan as any real threat to her

Anyway book three can still have Taryn killing Locke. I would like there to be a bit more motive than “she was mad at him” but I’ve already spent too much time thinking about this. So. insert possibly some intrigue related motive. Or maybe he was going to divorce her and she was about to lose the security and status afforded to her by the marriage— which she could still keep as a widow. Anyway I do like the initially teased premise of Jude having to stand in for Taryn for the murder trial. I think Cardan recognizing her on sight was frankly a cop out, so I would probs lean into generating plot towards that. And focusing on Jude’s very conflicted feelings over seeing him again even though he doesn’t know it’s her. He should probs still figure out like just pre mid point, and they can talk it out. The sappy letters he sent her in canon are good so maybe it’s revealed that he’d actually cooled down and taken it back, had been writing to her, etc but Jude’s family had been keeping the letters from her?

And yeah idk insert some sort of intrigue plotline to carry the remaining half of the book, where they probs have to team up against Madoc as the final boss. And Jude learning to trust and be vulnerable without having to control, etc, etc, which probs does involve them getting married (and not killing each other lol) to show her escaping that Eva and Madoc dichotomy

[anghraine]

this is entirely unprompted on your end, but i love your darcy and faramir takes and wanted to get your opinion on aragorn/faramir as a ship.

i'm salivating over it and nobody. cares. but i just love how it can show the possibilities of book faramir being a "threat" to aragorn's kingship in a way that nobody else is...how they can relate through their shared ancestry but the entirely different ways it impacted them in their respective lives - something about aragorn being the heir of isildur, growing up surrounded by elves, arnor. something about faramir being distinctly aware of the legacy of the stewards, his numenorean heritage and how it's fading away in the world of men, gondor (my fav world in lotr, you are so under-appreciated, gondor.) i personally adhere to the stewards-were-most-likely-also-royalty headcanon because of that extra juicy tension. throw in the i-knew-your-father-as-a-young-man aspect, the whole steward-quite-literally-serving-in-wait-of-the-true-king aspect? it's everything.

i dunno. the natural cause and effect of "return of the king" & "departure of the steward" is so interesting to play with in a romantic context, especially if it keeps both of them in the limelight when naturally, it should only be one of them? i think it's the aragorn ship that pushes his character and ambition the most, and in the same way, it can push faramir to show more machiavellian traits, more of him utilizing his political power and/or personal strengths. especially since his canonical fate is extremely satisfying but also...very conclusively an *ending* if that makes sense.

i might just want to see faramir clashing with aragorn wanting to wage more war. let him cook! let the man speak about "queen among other queens: not a mistress of many slaves"!!!!

also must admit that it's my contrarian ass wanting to rebel against the fanon "aragorn never ever wanted to be king" + "faramir is a pathetic meow meow" headcanons. the existing faramir x aragorn fics i've read all adhere to it which is frustrating.

anyways, any thoughts on this ship i randomly latched on to?

Anon, this is my #1 Tolkien ship and actually one of the only m/m ships I've ever been super into. I used to guiltily sneak-read Aragorn/Faramir as a teenager because I grew up in a conservative community and hadn't come to terms with my own queerness at the time, and was still figuring out how to get by in that community just as a Democrat, much less a lesbian.

Anyway, I got a huge kick out of your ask because it's basically point-for-point my own feelings about them. If you haven't seen it, I even wrote a ship manifesto for them over ten years ago.

And unfortunately I do also agree that the (very PJ film-inflected) fanons around both characters have made it very difficult to find fic for the ship that isn't deeply OOC for the original versions of the characters (tbh the last time I looked, it was hard enough to even find F/A fics where Faramir had black hair, much less his deeper canon characteristics). Add in the fanon depictions of Gondor and the Stewardship, and a lot of what appeals about the pairing is lost for me. I read some good ones a longggg time ago, but wouldn't begin to know where to find them now.

(I know I should be the change I want to see and write some myself, but apart from the AU f/f and m/f/f versions, I think the closest I ever came to it was this post about a mostly-the-same-as-LOTR AU only with Faramir/Aragorn and this feeling explosion about "Faramir actually does accepts the dream-visions obviously intending him to be the one going to Rivendell but also it's Faramir/Aragorn.")

And if you haven't found it yet, my ship tag is #otp: love was kindled.

I hope you enjoy <3

[stephobrien]

Is your pro-Palestine activism hurting innocent people? Here's how to avoid that. (Plain text version)

I kept getting "needs pt" tags on the original post, so here's the plain text version:

Over the last few days, I’ve had conversations with several Jewish people who told me how hurt and scared they are right now.

To my great regret, some of that pain came from a poorly-thought-out post of mine, which – while not ill-intentioned – WAS hurtful.

And a lot of it came from cruelty they’d experienced at the hands of people who claim to be advocating for Palestine, but are using the very real plight of innocent Palestinians to harm equally innocent Jewish people.

Y’all, we need to do better. (Yes, “we” definitely includes me; this is in no small part a “learn from my fail” post, and also a “making amends” post. Some of these are mistakes I’ve made in the past.)

So if you’re an advocate for Palestine who wants to make sure that your defense of one group of vulnerable people doesn’t harm another, here are some important things to do or keep in mind:

Ask yourself if you’re applying a standard to one group that you aren’t applying to another.

Would you want all white Americans or Canadians to be expelled from America or Canada?

Do you want all Jewish people to be expelled from Israel, as opposed to finding a way to live alongside Palestinian Arabs in peace?

If the answer to those two questions is different, ask yourself WHY.

Do you want to be held responsible for the actions of your nation’s army or government? No? Then don’t hold innocent Jewish people, or Israelis in general (whether Jewish or otherwise), responsible for the actions of the Israeli army and government.

On that subject, be wary of condemning all Israeli people for the actions of the IDF. Large-scale tactical decisions are made by the top brass. Service is compulsory, and very few can reasonably get out of service.

Blaming all Israelis for the military’s actions is like blaming all Vietnam vets for the horrors in Vietnam. They’re not calling the shots. They aren’t Nazis running concentration camps. They are carrying out military operations that SHOULD be criticized.

And do not compare them or ANY JEWISH PERSON to Nazis in general. It is Jewish cultural trauma and not outsiders’ to use against them.

Don’t infuse legitimate criticism with antisemitism. By all means, spread the word about the crimes committed by the Israeli army and government, and the complicity of their allies. Criticize the people responsible for committing and enabling atrocities.

But if you imply that they’re committing those crimes because they’re Jewish, or because Jewish people have special privileges, then you’re straying into antisemitic territory.

Criticize the crime, not the group. If you believe that collective punishment is wrong, don’t do it yourself.

And do your best to use words that apply directly to the situation, rather than the historical terms for situations with similar features. For example, use “segregation,” “oppression,” or “subjugation,” not “Holocaust” or “Jim Crow.” These other historical events are not the cultural property of Jews OR Palestinians, but also have their own nuances and struggles and historical contexts.

Also, blaming other world events on Jewish people or making Jewish people associated with them (for instance, some people falsely blame Jewish people for the African slave trade) is a key feature of how antisemitism functions.

Please, by all means, be specific and detailed in your critiques. But keep them focused on the current political actors – not other peoples’ or nations’ political or cultural histories and traumas.

Be prepared to accept criticism. You probably already know that society is infused with a wide array of bigotries, and that people growing up in that environment tend to absorb those beliefs without even realizing it. Antisemitism is no exception.

What that means is, there’s a very real chance that you will screw up, and get called out on it, as I so recently did.

If that happens, please be willing to learn and adapt. If you can educate yourself about the suffering and needs of Palestinians, you can do the same for Jewish people.

Understand that the people you hurt aren’t obligated to baby you. Give them room to be angry. After I made a post that inadvertently hurt people, some were nice about it, and others weren’t. Some outright insulted my morals and intelligence.

And I had to accept that I’d earned that from them.

I’d hurt them, and they weren’t obligated to be more careful with my feelings than I had been with theirs.

They weren’t obligated to forgive me, trust me, or stop being mad at me right away.

I’ll admit, there were moments when I got defensive. I shouldn’t have. And I encourage you to try not to, if you screw up and hurt people.

I know that’s hard, but it’s important. Getting defensive only tells people you care more about doubling down on your mistake than you do about healing the hurt it caused.

Instead, acknowledge that they have a right to be angry, apologize for the way you hurt them, and try to make amends, while understanding that they don’t owe you trust or forgiveness.

Be aware that some antisemites are using legitimate complaints to “Trojan horse” antisemitism into leftist spaces. This is a really easy stumbling block to trip over, because most people probably don’t look at every post a creator makes before sharing the one they’re looking at right now.

I recently shared a video that called out some of the Likud and IDF’s atrocities and hypocrisy, and that also noted that many Jewish people are wonderful members of their communities.

I was later informed that, while that video in particular seemed reasonable, the creator behind it is frequently antisemitic.

I deleted the post, and blocked the creator. I encourage you to do the same if it’s brought to your attention that you’ve been ‘Trojan horse’d.

EDIT: Important note about antisemitism in leftist spaces:

While it's true that some blatant antisemites are using seemingly reasonable posts to get their foot in the door of leftist spaces, it's also true that a lot of antisemitism already exists inside those spaces.

This antisemitism is often dressed up in progressive-sounding language, but nonetheless singles Jewish people and places out in ways that aren't applied equally to other groups, or that label Jewish people in ways that portray them as acceptable targets.

If you want to see some specific examples, so you can have a better idea of what to keep an eye out for, I suggest reading this excellent reblog of the original post.

Fact-check your doubts about antisemitism. Depending on which parts of the internet you look at, you’ve probably seen people accused of antisemitism because they complained about the Likud and/or IDF’s actions. So you might be primed to be wary, or feel unsure of how to tell what counts as real antisemitism.

But that doesn’t mean antisemitism isn’t a very real, widespread, and harmful problem. And it doesn’t mean many or even most Jewish people are lying to you or being overly sensitive.

So if someone says something is antisemitic, and you aren’t sure, I encourage you to:

A. Look up the action or thing in question, including its history. Is there an antisemitic history or connotation you aren’t aware of? For best results, include “antisemitic” in your search query, in quotes.

B. Understand that some things, while not inherently antisemitic, have been used by antisemites often enough that Jewish people are understandably wary of them. Schrodinger’s antisemitism, if you will.

C. Ask Jewish people WHO HAVE OFFERED TO HELP EDUCATE YOU. Emphasis on WHO HAVE OFFERED. Random Jewish people aren’t obligated to give you their time and emotional energy, or to educate you – especially on subjects that are scary or painful for them.

@edenfenixblogs has kindly offered her inbox to those who are genuinely trying to learn and do better, and I’ve found her to be very kind, patient, reasonable, and fair-minded.

Understand that this is URGENTLY NEEDED. In one of my conversations with a Jewish person who’d called me out, they said this was the most productive conversation they’d had with a person with a Palestinian flag in their profile.

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I didn’t do anything special. All I did was listen, apologize for my mistakes, and learn.

Yes, it feels good to be acknowledged. But I feel like I’ve been praised for peeing IN the toilet, instead of beside it.

Apologizing, learning, and making amends after you hurt people shouldn’t be “the most reasonable thing I’ve heard from a person with a Palestinian flag pfp.”

It should be BASIC DECENCY.

And the fact that it’s apparently so uncommon should tell you how much unnecessary stress and fear Jewish people have been living with because of people who consider themselves defenders of human rights.

By all means, be angry at the Likud, the IDF, and the politicians, reporters, and specific media outlets who choose to enable and cover up for them. But direct that anger toward the people who deserve it and are in a position to do something about it, not random people who simply happen to be Jewish, or who don’t want millions of people to be turned into refugees when less violent methods of achieving freedom and rights for Palestinians are available.

Stop peeing beside the toilet, people.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hey, I love your account!❤️ I started my journey of being the highest version of myself. I wanted to ask some tips on how to be more intelligent and do you have some suggestions on podcasts, people you can follow that active on politics/history? English isn’t my native language.

Thanks! ❤️

Hi love! Thank you so much <333 I can't think of any specific podcasts/blogs at the moment, but sharing some other advice below. Bisous xx

Here are some of my tips:

Read books, articles, blogs, studies, and journals from credible & fact-checked sources

Watch & listen to evidence-based documentaries and podcasts

Take expert-backed courses and classes (from universities, industry leaders/certified organizations)

Attend forums/lectures from industry leaders museums, libraries, etc. (Virtually or in-person)

Talk to people in different fields and from different walks of life

Travel (globally, domestically, or locally), explore museums, parks, and stores in your area

Ask for feedback on your creative or skill-based projects and work; or insights from trusted people in your life on different situations in your life, from your past, or their greatest life lessons

Remain curious and diligent regarding your pursuit of knowledge. Live as a lifelong student

For emotional intelligence:

Embrace self-awareness & self-reflection: Observe how you feel, behave, and how people generally respond to your words/actions in different situations

Practice self-regulation: Learn to differentiate between your feelings and the actions that would be appropriate in a specific setting or interaction. Internalize that feelings are fleeting and non-factual. You're in control of how you respond/(don't) act on these emotions

Engage in active listening: Pay attention to what others are saying with the intent of understanding, not responding

Focus on emotional differentiation: Understand where your thoughts, feelings, intentions, and opinions end and another person's identity/perception begins

Display radical empathy and acceptance: Understand that almost all people's words and actions result from their own beliefs, past experiences, and current life circumstances/priorities. Put yourself in their shoes when attempting to understand their choices, behaviors, and times they come to you to discuss a problem, success, or major life decision. Accept that you can only control what you do. Very little of other people's actions/the world's workings are personal. Things are happening around you, not to you

Let go of your ego: View yourself as objectively as possible with the potential for improvement. Abolish any superior complex or overwhelming desire to prove your self-importance in others' lives and decisions

Remain open-minded: Question your own beliefs and opinions. Stay curious as to why you believe them to be true/authentic to you. Allow your opinions to change or have the capacity to modify your beliefs upon hearing new information. Understand your worldview and values are valid, but they're not definitively correct beliefs, just because they resonate/feel comfortable for you

Be receptive to feedback: Embrace constructive criticism as a self-improvement tool. Approach it with curiosity and optimism, not as a personal attack

Differentiate between your feelings and capabilities: Your thoughts are not facts. Remember you can do things you don't feel like doing most of the time (work, waking up in the morning, working out, etc.). Learn the difference between being a slave to your emotions and genuinely running out of energy

[lintwriting]

i think i really love how visceral the politics of signalis is. not just in the in-your-face propaganda aspects. but like, the way it dooms the narrative.

the whole plot of signalis is based around two entirely disconnected settings -- the Penrose ship and the Sierpinski prison. They are so disconnected from each other across time and space that you spend the whole first half of the game disoriented by the whiplash these two locations give you.

and personally? I stayed confused until I realized what connected them:

they're the two branching paths of Ariane's future.

after her military service, she gets a state letter informing her that if she's not accepted into the Penrose program, she'll be sent to Sierpinski, a "re-education" camp that's actually just a prison mine.

And, to her luck, she "somehow did end up joining the Nation's Penrose Program, the same one on the posters she had seen years prior."

I love and hate the way the wiki frames it, because yes the Penrose space expedition program seemed preferable to the prison camp.Yes, she had seen posters of it and glamorized it as a new start for her. After all, she was an art-obsessed outsider in a world where people molded into being unfeeling machines, where art is frivolous and degenerate except for how it serves as propaganda. Why not dream of a new planet?

But it's all a lie. The Penrose program sounds too good to be true for Ariane-- how can this under-qualified, ostracized freak get accepted into such a prestigious program? -- because it IS too good to be true.

The truth of the program is that it's a glorified propaganda tool, and a useful way to get rid of political enemies. Just send them off into space and tell them it's for the good of the empire, to find new planets to colonize. Then, after 7.74 years of loyal service to the program, tell them:

If you have not found a suitable world for landing by this point, accept that you will not. Find solace in the thought that others might be successful where you failed.

Remenber, you will die having served your Nation by partaking in a glorious demonstration of our power. --- End of decrypted transmission ---

As you are probably aware, your ship's spare parts and rations will soon be depleted.

Penrose is ostensibly about founding new colonies on different planets, but the reality is that these vessels seem to have very little planning put into them, like throwing darts at the wall and hoping one of them will stick. Some people wonder about the efficacy of wasting ships of supplies for this seemingly useless endeavor, but they're missing the point and buying into the propaganda.

The truth is that Ariane was just a pawn for their political power play, quite literally a demonstration of their power, like a horrifying version of The Tallest sending Invader Zim on a useless quest to conquer Earth to keep him out of their hair, like Ozai banishing Zuko off to chase a hundred year old myth. And it cost Ariane her future.

And like, that means no matter what, Ariane never had a future. Penrose is death by space, and Sierpinski is death by mines. She never had a choice, only the illusion of one, because she was doomed by the political reality of living in under an authoritarian state that would never value her.

And like, it's so impossible to ignore the similarities of this to the Cultural Revolution in China. I think the retro aesthetic of the nation references that, along with the Chinese characters littering all the walls.

Ariane's story reminds me a lot of Ye Wenjie's story from the 3 Body Problem, as a similarly powerful woman who also dooms the whole world because of the ANGUISH of the Cultural Revolution destroying her future.

Except, unlike Ye Wenjie, we're not going to get a bunch of assholes calling her an Eve, doomer of mankind. Instead, the story actually succeeds at portraying Ariane as a tragedy doomed by the narrative.

[ashoss]

Child of Venus (or alternatively a legacy) Tim Drake. 

First really quickly going to run down some very basic history quickly. 

Roman Venus comes from the Greek Aphrodite, who comes from the Western Semitic goddess Astarte, who is known by the ancient Mesopotamian as Ishtar and earlier Ianna. 

This is an extreme overview of thousands of years of history, but it conveys my point. I want to explore all of these aspects quickly before I get into my thoughts on how this connects. (Also, like an extreme basic rundown of things that people might not know)

Ianna - is the goddess of love and war (along with several other fields) but is also heavily associated with divine law and political power. An interesting fact is that she was actually a three-form goddess. She went from a fairly localised deity to one of the most venerated deities across Mesopomeia. When the Assyrians took over, she became the highest deity, even above their national ones. She was so popular and essential that she is alluded to in Hebrew text. She didn’t experience a proper decline until the period between the 1st century CE and the sixth century CE when Christianity became widespread. She was in more myths than any other Sumerian deity.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna 

Astarte - is the goddess of these associated combinations: war, royal power, healing, and hunting (and several others). The travels, trade, and colonisation of the people would end with her being worshipped and an accepted deity in many places, from Egypt to the Iberian peninsula. She is considered to be the equivalent of Isis in some schools of thought. Her worship would land in Cyprus, where she could have merged with a local goddess and would slowly go to mainland Greece during the late Mycenean era or the following post-Broze age collapse. In the Greek classical period, she was occasionally equated with Aphrodite through (what a great many Polythetsic cultures did) the practice of synchronising deities.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte

Aphrodite - is the goddess of love, beauty, and passion (along with the others everyone knows). She is one of the twelve Olympians and is one of the most widely celebrated and worshipped deities in the Hellenic world. Some of her other epithets were Eleemon (the merciful) and Enoplios (armed). She was called Tymborychos (gravedigger) along with the previously discussed Areia (the warlike) in one of her darker, more violent natures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_Areia

Venus - is the goddess of desire, prosperity, and victory. She is the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, and Julius Ceaser claimed to have been her ancestor. A couple of the epithets I want to highlight for a moment are Fleix (lucky), Genetrix (the mother), Physica Pompeiana (Pompeii’s protective goddess), Verticordia (charger of hearts), and Victrix (victorious) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(mythology)

Okay, now let's move on to my thoughts because this consumed my brain so much that I needed to grab my computer and write it down. 

The Thoughts! 

I’ll start with the child of Venus and then do the legacy version. 

Janet and Venus. Imagine if, on one of the important archaeology trips, Janet comes across something important to Venus. It could be anything, whether it be the start of new ruins of a worship spot or a statue. Venus appreciates Janet's respect towards the findings and wants to know more about Janet. (There is also the fact that there is an extreme difference between the number of men and women in archaeology, especially field archaeology.) The two of them share a conversation where Janet shows interest in the history of Venus, and Venus herself drops the idea that the history behind Venus and the goddesses that precede her is also enjoyable. It was a test. Janet takes this information, wanting to have another conversation with the woman and learns as much as possible. Realising that she can do more field research, she sets it up. Venus appreciates this, and he wonders whether Tim is just the kid of Janet and Venus or if he has a three-parent setup. Tim exists. 

Did Venus more or less give Janet a quest? Yes. Does Janet regret it? No. It is a very cute and tragic set-up because to be favoured by the gods is to be doomed by them. You could change up their death a bit, too. To match the tragedy vibe. 

Tim grows up learning all about his parent's work. It may not have been his favourite, but he listened and learned. Tim, sent to boarding schools and in the comics, always saw school as a necessity but something secondary—Tim, who was often separate from his parents. What if when Dick Grayson’s parents died (Monster attack?), his parents realised just how dangerous the world is, and they sent him to different boarding schools to try and keep him safe. It could also explain some of Jack’s attitude. Knowing that Tim isn’t truely his. Knowing the reality that fate could hand his son. Explain why he often sits back to parenting, knowing that his son could die in tragedy young, but also why he clings sometimes. Why will he hammer down on parenting when he realises that he can’t protect his kid and his kid could die? 

Now onto Tim. Tim loves his city so much. Tim goes back to Gotham even when his whole family moves. Tim would do anything for Gotham. That is Passion and Love. That is dedication. Tim, who becomes Robin. Who must go through a much longer trail and training before becoming Robin properly? He who trained under Shiva, who Shiva sees potential for. He who chooses an unconventional weapon. One that does not quickly kill but requires skill and ability to use. (He is fighting a war in Gotham but also loves Gotham. He hurts and helps. He causes pain, and he saves. He brings himself to ruin to help his loved ones in his beloved city and make something better for the world he lives in.) 

Tim finds himself victorious most of the time but sometimes has to rely a bit on luck. He is Robin, a protector of Gotham. Tim, by the way of being Robin, is trying to create a better Gotham. Tim is the one who created the Batfamily as we know it. He often gets people to work together that do not work together very well. 

He is also well-travelled because he is Robin and a hero in general. He has been on multiple teams and has worked alone, and despite seeing what the world (the universe) has to offer, he is still from Gotham and will belong to Gotham. 

But tragedy follows him, and he ends up in front of the graves of his loved ones more often than not. His parents, his friends, and those he feels he has failed. Even with the best of intentions, people still die and leave, and generally, being Robin creates a tragedy. 

Tim being the first Roman in the family could be very alienating and make him feel like he has to prove himself, but also the idea that he would have to work harder to prove he can fight and be here, and people still underestimate him? Venus may have been significant, but people have inherent biases. No one would assume a child of Venus would be a skilled warrior despite the history of war. However, the opposite is how people would think he only got this far because of how important of a goddess his mother is. That he didn’t have to put in the hard work because he wasn’t expected to. 

I have many more thoughts, but they generally vibe without a coherent statement. If I find words for them, I’ll send another annon. 

~~~

The Legacy idea

One of the Drakes is a child of Venus who is doing archaeology because it is part of the quest their mother sent them on. They are constantly travelling because staying in one place could have put their son in even more danger. If you still wanted Tim to be tied to Athena, you could have the other parent be a child or a legacy of Athena. 

Annon AK

(btw if you guys are interested in aphrodite lore, i really enjoyed Overly Sarcastic Production’s video on her! theyve also done one on Dionysus, Hermes and Hades/Persephone - plus a ton of other myths and classics :))

Honestly i am so in love with aphrodite/venus child tim (no pun intended). while yes athena fits him in terms of intellect and wit- tim is more so defined by his love- for his friends, family, gotham itself. (and thank you @pooky-chan for telling me abt aphrodite tim, i feel like his love is such an underused part of his character.)

i think actually going into janet and jack's relationship with venus is super interesting! i hadn't really thought about how their birth/godly parent would effect any of their family dynamic at all.

tbh everything youve said is really great! i definitely couldn't have gone in that much detail for his background. thank you for sharing :D