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almadesarrollo · 7 months

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Miraculous ladybug and progressivism (WOKE)

Very good, today I come with something from Miraculous again and with all these latest Wish posts (where I talk about the Asha controversy and others, take a look if you want hahaha, it's just that I feel very comfortable hahaha) it has led me to think a little about a similar lake but in the miraculous universe

And in the same way that Miraculous Ladybug has been criticized for the lack of plot and lack of development, etc., (which I explain because in my posts) it has also been criticized for passing what we call progressivism, (couple lgbt, feminism etc.)

Well, here I come out in defense, I think that this IS NOT LIKE THAT,

IN FACT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT ONE OF THE MAJOR DISTRIBUTORS OF THIS SERIES IS DISNEY AND THAT IT IS BROUGHT ON THEIR CHANNEL, DISENY CHANNEL (who currently has a lot of problems with the WOKE issue), THE PROGRESSISM IN THIS CHANNEL is quite acceptable.

Disney plans to get out of the economic crisis, bring back the original Avengers, look how desperate they are because of wokism and forced inclusion, it has led them to ruin.

And if you look closely at the series, it goes further. I have already explained a little how it works, that they always tell us one story through another, well, to give clues that includes this type of inclusions . Since most people only watch a normal series, they see it as forced inclusion, but it really is not, in fact Thomas has been very intelligent by putting them in this system, because if that were not there, if it did not tell a little story within of other. IT WOULD REALLY BE FORCED INCLUSION AND WOULD REACH THE LEVEL OF DISNEY ITSELF, BUT NOT ONLY THAT, we would not have a series directly, since this is the reality of the animation industry.

When you make a film, a series, a show and you want it to be broadcast, you have to contact the person who produces it and who is going to distribute and broadcast it, they always tell you that the series or the film meets a certain requirements, so in this case they have probably asked Thomas to target these types of couples, LGBT, women to be empowered, etc... you understand me, sometimes one has to make those sacrifices, it is not as they say that "there is freedom and creativity and etc.."

then surely Thomas thought the following:

"Well, since they ask me for this format and to add a little progressivism, I take advantage of how the story is designed and that's how I add it, then I can show my show and they calmly broadcast it and they are happy and so am I because both "We get what we want and so the series gains popularity, and I make money."

I'm going to give you 2 examples so you understand a little what I'm talking about.

1 THE PROTAGONISM OF LADYBUG

CRITICIZED TO THE EXTENT "LADYBUG IS THE PROTAINE AND PEOPLE ARE ANNOYED BECAUSE SHE SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS A BRAIN WHEN CHATNOIR IS TREATED LIKE A FOOL AND BUFFON AND ONLY THINKS ABOUT LOVE AND KISSING LADYBUG," CHATNOIR IS BADLY WRITTEN ETC... LADYBUG ALWAYS IT HAS TO BE THE PROTAGONIST"

HAHAHA this sounds familiar to you, doesn't it? Then you think:

"arghh how heavy with toxic feminism and women over men"

One gets tired, especially after watching so many Disney movies where they force you to do this as much as possible, hahaha, but it's not, this feminism is very well embedded. How is that?

If you have looked around my analysis posts you will know that we are discovering that the theory of Marinette's diary is true.

"MARINETTE'S DIARY THEORY, is a very popular theory that tells us that since she is going to lose her memory, and is currently writing a diary, the series itself is the memoir of Marinette's diary that Adrien would be reading to her. the adult Marinette so that she would remember, that is why the series is titled The Adventures of Ladybug, like a story or a story."

So it makes sense THAT SHE BE THE PROTAGONIST, THAT EVERYTHING REVOLVES AROUND HER, then it is not toxic feminism or that the woman considers the man stupid, so Thomas takes advantage of this, that is, part of the script to insert what the others ask of him.

THOMAS: "ah! Do you want an empowered woman and for her to be the protagonist? Well, taking advantage of the fact that these ARE MARINETTE'S OWN MEMORIES RELATED OR TOLD BY ADRIEN, WE LEAVE AND LEAVE ADRIEN OR FELIX OUT OF PLACE, AND THIS IS JUSTIFIED THEN SHE HAS LOST HER MEMORY, AND HE IS READING TO HER SO THAT SHE REMEMBER, THEN WE HAVE A GOOD STORY WHERE THE WOMAN IS THE PROTAINE, I TELL THE STORY HOW I WANT AND THEY HAVE WHAT THEY WANT, WHICH IS FOR THE GIRL TO HAVE POWER, TWO BIRDS OF ONE SHOT"

Do you understand now? Of course it is justified, because it is not like that because yes, she has lost her memory and has everything written down to remember again, so if we are reading her story she has to be the center, AND OF COURSE AS THE READER IS ADRIEN HAS TO BE IN 2ND PLACE and thus the woman is the protagonist in a healthy way, without intentions of doing the politically correct thing.

2 THE KISS OF BUSTIER AND GISELE.

also very loved and criticized at the same time, through this couple they tell us about the love and respect that Félix and Marinette will have when they are together, notice that they are different in terms of color, different race? FEELING AND HUMAN, look at how they are dressed, the big difference there is, the elegance that Bustier has, it is very reminiscent of Félix, while Gisele's is more rock, like Marinette, and you remember that she has a motorcycle, right? and who else has a motorcycle, aha marinette...then Thomas takes advantage of this to give the clues to Felinette, and so we have an afro girl, a white girl and a couple of women, pure progressivism, but not forced.

and so everything is the same...

Now, I want, do I want you to realize something? We don't have that many of these types of couples and so on, I mean we do have but it's not one bomb after another, it's from time to time because those who distribute it ask for it, so in quantity I think it's pretty good, for which Disney doesn't he's used to it hahaha

now

WHAT IS FORCED INCLUSION REALLY? FORCED INCLUSION IS WHAT DISNEY IS DOING, MEANING BECAUSE YES, WITH THE INTENTION OF BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT, BUT ALSO IN A BRAZEN WAY, BECAUSE MANY TIMES IT IS NOT JUSTIFIED AND SINCE IT IS NOT JUSTIFIED, THERE IS WHERE THEY GIVE THEM OUT AND YOU SEE THAT IT IS THEY DO FOR THIS IDEOLOGY AND TO LOOK GOOD, WHAT IS LEADING THEM TO RUIN and on top of that they blame you, who are asking for quality content hahaha, when as a consumer it is your right.

I hope this post has helped you and clarified some things, thanks for reading and following me, a hug and see you.

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lucy-moderatz · 24 days

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aceness and re-learning to read romance

this is long. just warning you.

For a good portion of this year, I thought I’d started to hate romance novels. They’ve never exactly been the focus of my reading, but since I’ve started reading regularly again, they’ve always been a feature. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed them. There are always duds, of course, but more and more over the last few months I just…haven’t been able to take them.

Tropes I used to like suddenly annoyed me. Writers I once really enjoyed flopped time and time again. Was it them? Was it me? I severely downsized my romance collection. There were some hits, for sure. But they were fewer and farther between. I started to have much better luck when I focused primarily on queer romances, where I saw far more success. But that left me with another question. Why?

We should all be reading queer stories. Sci-fi, fantasy, non-fiction, horror, every genre, every month, every year. That goes without saying. My sudden fixation of queer romances could have just been a desire to see stories told in a different way, from a different point of view, old tropes reimagined. But what about my queerness: my aceness. Did that have something to do with it?

My aceness goes like this: I do not want to have sex. I probably never have. I probably never will. That’s the base from which I operate. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to read about sex. That doesn’t mean I don’t love reading about sex. I do. I love a well-constructed, hot, dirty love scene between any two consenting adults who want to be there. That’s fun. Sex is fun, as long as it’s not happening to me.

However, a thought recently occurred to me that I haven’t been able to let go of: have I begun to gravitate away from, full disclosure, mostly heterosexual romances because they make me feel like sex is happening to me?

I know a common criticism that gets lobbed at the romance genre and romance readers by joyless morons is that it’s all wish-fulfillment and self-insert. That women imagine themselves in the place of the heroine and get off vicariously through that. That’s certainly not always true. And if it is true, so what? I read sci-fi novels to live vicariously through people who get to fly around in space. I read cozy fantasy to feel like I’m in a magical world where everything is safe and comfortable. Self-insert is a valid way to read, but since we apparently need to be policing women’s desires all the time, it’s something women have to defend themselves against all the time.

But this isn’t about how capital “W” women read. This is about how this lower case “w” woman reads, and how I come to a piece of work as an asexual/aromantic. I realize I may have been coming to the piece as if I am the woman in the piece. I’m now forced to be her. Which is difficult because more often than not, she wants to be there and I don’t. I don’t relate to her because I can’t relate to her. I wouldn’t give the male love interest a second chance because I don’t feel her feelings and I don’t know how. Therefore I get frustrated when she does because what’s the point? Living happily ever after? I’m happy now.

You see where this is a problem.

I am not the person in the book. But somehow, I have been reading romances, and I feel it is particular to romance, as if I am. With queer romances, particularly ones where there are no female love interests (and those are, for the most part, the ones I inevitably picked) there’s a built-in defense against that. Against the uncomfortable feeling of being unable to separate myself from the female protagonist, from her choices feeling like mine, and her desires being completely antithetical to mine. I find myself liking those books a much higher rate more because I feel inherently set apart in a way I suppose I no longer feel in most heterosexual romances. It's just a book again.

I don’t think we’re taught to read this way. Maybe subliminally, I don’t know. I know not everyone reads this way. I know that “this has nothing to do with me, these people are not real, let’s see all of the fun things they do” is the way, probably, most people come to a book. I just never realized, when it came to romance, maybe I wasn’t one of them. Maybe I didn’t know to have that barrier up. Maybe I didn’t know it would end up bothering me so much.

I told my Dad I was asexual because I was reading a book and two characters were having a conversation and suddenly, or at least suddenly it seemed to me, one character began thinking they were sexually attracted to the person they were talking to. In the middle of the conversation. I was just…annoyed. Baffled and annoyed. Because here we were again. This was not a romance book. This was a mermaid and a human talking about some heavy stuff and then there it was. I felt slammed into. By this feeling I don’t get, this thought I’ve never had, that every single person seemed to have but me. I’d been thinking about asexuality, reading about it, talking with friends, asking myself, “Is this me? Is that why I don’t feel these things? Should I tell him? What will he think? I can’t not tell him. I can’t not tell someone. He loves me. He’ll understand.”

He did, by the way. They all did. I was lucky.

So. I haven’t had long to test this theory. I just finished my first heterosexual romance in a long time, and though there were very few sex scenes, I went into it with the thought, “This has nothing to do with me. Let’s have some fun.” And I did. I can’t promise they’ll all be like that. I don’t know if it matters if they are. They’re just books. But I wanted to reflect on this part of myself, this journey into what being ace means for me, how being more aware of it and accepting it as part of my identity, part of how I intrinsically think and approach the world, may change, may expand, how I approach everything.

I’ll never stop reading queer romance. It’s not a shield, I’d never treat it that way. I just hope that I’ll now be able to approach all romance the way I have always approached queer romance, as it’s own piece of art to be judged and evaluated on its own merits, as a story about people completely separate from me who happen to want relationships and like sex and will live happily ever after.

After all, I’m already happy now.

#okay #i just had to get that out #you don't have to read really #i just needed it out of my head #ace ace baby

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essayofthoughts · 1 year

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during gencon 2019, Taliesin was asked a question about the similarities between Fjord and Percy, and if Orthax was as insistent and keen on punishment as ukotoa, Percy would have gone in a similar direction as Fjord. As a writer who studies Percy’s character what does Taliesin’s answer mean to you? From what I’ve seen Percy seems to think he’s getting the best out of his deal with Orthax and that he’s also somewhat in control. Am I seeing things? (This is rodneypoo btw :) ) Q - 17-18 min mark

Link For Context (thank you for the details and timestamp!)

tl;dr: Taliesin says that Fjord has more willpower in resisting a negative influence than Percy did.

To start this off, let me say that I do generally trust the cast’s understandings of their own characters and that goes double when it’s Taliesin because he’s very aware of Percy’s flaws and happy, even gleeful, to call him on them. So pretty much I agree with this entirely! I think the disconnect you’re getting is because Percy is canonically a dealmaker and pretty confident in his understanding of those deals which is why I’m gonna let you all in on a little secret:

Percy is an arrogant piece of shit.

Like. This is very important to understand, Percy is not as smart as he thinks he is (stated by Taliesin during a conversation about, iirc, Raishan. Taliesin outright said that Raishan was as smart as Percy thought he was). He is arrogant and proud, overconfident in his intelligence. And he is intelligent! He invented guns for god’s sakes, and a damn taser glove; boy is clever. But he also assumes his cleverness and the fact he is “the clever one” means he has (or with regards to his inability to do anything to save his family, has to have) all the answers, even when he doesn’t. As my lovely friend @nanyoky has pointed out in our discussions on many an occasion, this is a principal issue between him and Vax - Vax is willing to admit he doesn’t know things and receive feedback, while Percy is prone to getting defensive and taking that feedback as an insult to his intelligence.

This is, incidentally, why I think Percy was defensive of his intelligence to his siblings. Taliesin has said that Percy had a tutor, Professor Anders, which means most likely he was privately tutored by the time the Briarwoods came around, but has also stated that Percy at one point was in school and had classmates who he didn’t get along with so well. I imagine he considered his intelligence and his need for private tutoring as setting him apart from his (to be fair, many!) siblings, and so was proud of it and didn’t take kindly to his siblings needling him over it.

And then, after his family is massacred and he’s tortured and he loses his sister in the escape and he comes to on a fishing boat - he spends years dissociating and surrounded by strangers. It makes perfect sense for him to retreat into himself and become defensive when faced with complete strangers, especially after the betrayal of Anders and the attack - why would he show them such a vulnerability? Why would he take that risk?

And this holds true when he meets Vox Machina. They find him in a cell; they have the power, not him, and there’s more of them; it serves his purposes to stay on their good sides and avoid conflict and also not reveal his vulnerabilities in case he needs to flee. And then, by the time he trusts them, he’s been that prickly, noble, proud, person that whole time; he can’t just open up all his vulnerabilities to them because that’d be a drastic shift that none of them are expecting and, also, with some of them he probably still wouldn’t trust that he’s safe to do so with them (someone ask me to go off on one and explain why Percy gets on better with the women of VM than the men). We know that he’s hesitant to talk about the Briarwoods with them even when asked and while we all know that VM cares for him, Percy has had his trust catastrophically betrayed once before; he is too wary to bank on that.

This is not aided by the fact that after the first time the smoke shows up, when they fight Stonefell, the group immediately demands answers and starts questioning his state of mind - and that brings his defensiveness back. It’s not quite a betrayal of him but it is doubt, and he’s smart, he’s intelligent, he clawed himself back to sanity after the mass murder of his family and he’s determined to get revenge: their doubt of his state of mind is the last thing he wants or needs. Even as Orthax digs his claws in deeper Percy both cannot admit that to the group, and may not even be willing or able to admit that to himself. If he’s not in control of himself, who is? He has to be in control of himself - he was tortured by Ripley, and we know from his reactions to being Hold Person’d and to being blinded in the Feywild that his personal autonomy and control of himself is important to him. So I’m not surprised he was in massive denial regarding Orthax until the end.

And it’s notable that it’s only at the end, when he’s faced with something he will not, cannot do, that he finally acknowledges it. He’s on the revenge path for sake of his family; he will not kill the last of it. And it still takes the intervention of the others continually to get him to that point! Keyleth and Vax’s doubt, Vex shoving him up against a wall and demanding to know he’s all right, Pike cleansing the corruption from him, “Darling, take off the mask” and “Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third, you will fight this monster inside of you!”

It takes all of that for him to be willing to recognise the influence for what it is. If Pike hadn’t cleansed that corruption, he would have tortured people before killing them. If his friends hadn’t challenged him and anchored him back to them he could have turned on them - which we know is what he was most afraid of, which is honestly why in the show and the stream, putting Cass on the List was Orthax’s single biggest fuckup*.

And it is only then, only once Percy has been so consistently challenged by the people he trusts to hold him back, to help him, that he openly acknowledges Orthax’s presence and rejects him and asks the very important question: “... did I even want revenge before I met you?”

Which is really important! Percy woke up from a dream and two years of dissociation with an idea and the purpose of vengeance and he didn’t question it because it was his only point of certainty and purpose. He can’t doubt that or he’ll dissociate again. He can’t doubt that or his family will never be avenged. He cannot afford to break and so he cannot afford to doubt, so he has to be enough. He has to be smart enough, clever enough, strong enough, because he wasn’t the last time and if he is this time, maybe he can prevent that from ever happening again.

(He’s scared, he’s traumatised and terrified and doing what he can to try to build some sense of security.)

His arrogance is partially from his upbringing and his intelligence, partially from his own personality and partly as a defence mechanism after everything.

But Percy de Rolo, much as I love him and find him fascinating, is absolutely an arrogant piece of shit. I completely get where Taliesin is coming from.

Percy was a broken mess and didn’t dare challenge the thing that gave him certainty. His arrogance was defensive and so he refused to acknowledge the problem until it was severe. He didn’t have the willpower on his own - it was due to his friends challenging and pushing him that he chose to and was able to in the end. Because he won’t hurt his friends and allies, the people who’ve never betrayed him. He won’t hurt the only family he has left. He told them that, and he won’t break his word.

(Percy, in the Underdark, shooting Clarota, “Some people have no sense of fucking honour!”)

His friends challenged him, he promised them and it was for them he pushed Orthax out. Not for himself. Not solely because of himself. Percy is strong-willed enough to resist a lot of possession (though not always Charms, see: Garmelie), but that’s more stubbornness, and it was stubbornness that caused his denial to begin with. He’s not strong-willed enough to admit his doubts to his friends, to openly do that, because he is as scared of vulnerability as Vex is (and that’s why they’re so good for each other, helping each other find a safe space in which to slowly let their guards down).

So yeah. Percy isn’t as strong willed as he’d like to think and, seemingly, not as strong-willed as Fjord (note: I have watched barely anything of C2; I cannot speak to this myself). He’s arrogant and overconfident and that’s why he presents his deal with Orthax the way he does - which is denying it until there’s no denying it anymore and still believing he can make it work for him even when that is obviously unlikely. It’s a defence mechanism born of his arrogance and this is reason #551 why I want to shake this man.

* I hold that this was more of a fuckup in the show, because on the stream it doesn’t happen until after the reveal of Cass’ betrayal, which implies Orthax did that based on some genuine feeling of betrayal Percy was feeling, rather than in the show where it appears before Percy learns of the betrayal, implying Orthax was assuming he would feel so on seeing the name and receiving the revelation (But then, Orthax isn’t the smartest).

#percy de rolo #percival de rolo #orthax #vox machina #rodneypoo #critical role #living up to my username #ask #cr meta #critrole meta

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broodpuff · 5 months

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are you seriously saying under a post about genocide how much you love media that glorifies genocide? you're evil

no, you foul fucking dipshit. maybe it didn’t come across clearly as to what i meant; that franchise was extremely important to me growing up as a kid and I was devastated once it was unveiled that it was created by zionists and israeli apologists. I denounced my support of naughty dog as a whole amongst any remaining supporters aware of the fact.

I’m heavily involved in any way I can in terms of supporting the end of the genocide, donating to

just as anyone with spare change should contribute towards, as well as inquiring about any brands who are in support of Israel, my method is using the following:

in summary of what i meant through my tags:

the game meant the world to me > found out that naughty dog is filled with zionists > denounced any support towards anything to do with naughty dog > literally just want to know if Ashley Johnson is also a zionist because i haven’t heard a thing about her involvement because i adore(d) her and need to know if i need to denounce her because it’s not her fault she’s been involved with something that’s only just been brought to light has actual evil contributors after Oct. 7th to my knowledge.

I really hope you see this anon and recognize how unsettled i am to even be misconstrued as anything other than a supporter of the end of the genocide in Palestine.

Literally all I want to know is who tf to stop supporting, who is delusional enough to support trigger happy, demented, corrupt murderers.

Don’t ever, EVER accuse me of being anything other than a supporter of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Yemen, etc.

If you have an issue with something I’ve said or feel as though I’ve done something wrong in the future, don’t start hurling insults at me, try speaking to me first.

If you need anything clarified, if I’ve left anything out or need to be made aware of anything further that I might’ve missed, especially because I’ve needed to take a break from twitter due to every single post being nothing but dead palestinian children, so i’ve probably missed a few integral updates over the past week or so.

In case it needs to be reiterated, Fuck Israel and anyone who’s been stupid enough to blind themselves into believing they’re doing any of this in defense while they cheer when shooting a civilian a mile away with a sniper and then making jokes about it…. And fuck you, anon, I’m real pissed at the accusation while a Palestine pendent hangs from my neck, the proceeds of which went straight to Gaza relief aid. Eat a dick.

edit: It’s come to mind that i saw a post a while back saying that tlou2 came to fruition through Neil’s despise towards Palestine, which I never saw firsthand so I can’t source it and I wondered if that’s what you meant by the glorifying part, i’m not certain that that’s true, if I could be linked, that’d be great and whether it’s true or not, it doesn’t take away from anything said above or at all about Druckmann’s role in all of this, he’s still a despicable zionist. Just wanted to include this whether it’s true or not.

#palestine #gaza #israel #idf #hamas #tlou #the last of us #naughty dog #tlou2 #the last of us 2 #tlou hbo #the last of us hbo

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nyx-lyris · 2 years

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Cobra Kai (VERY LONG POST)

so... y’all are probably going to hate me for this post, but i’m tired of feeling like i have to stay silent or risk being bullied off social media just for my beliefs, so i’m just going to say it and endure the potential onslaught.

i have always had a bit of a problem with the way this fandom appears to view the show in general, and daniel in particular - especially relating to his relationships with the other characters (as well as other similar relationships among the younger characters). this is not to say i have a problem with people fantasizing and joking about the characters and their relationships - everybody is of course free to ship whoever they want, and it is certainly not my place to tell anyone what to (or not to) ship or fantasize about. anyway, i digress.

this fandom appears to view daniel as a female-coded character and see his story - as well as the entire karate kid/cobra kai franchise in general - as commentary on toxic masculinity. many also see the story as having a great many queer themes. as you may (or may not) have guessed, i do not entirely agree with these assessments of the story. i would like to preface the rest of my argument by saying that this is merely my interpretation of the movies/show and the above-mentioned issues, and i am not taking into account the creator’s or the actor’s comments on the story as i have not looked into much relating to that.

first, daniel as a female-coded character.

i have never seen daniel as a female-coded character. he is small and lean, making him appear weak to those around him - like he’s the runt of the bunch, if you will. he is underestimated because of this and because his style of karate is defense-oriented, as opposed to the more aggressive style of cobra kai. to an outside observer with no knowledge of the history of karate and its origins this appears rather strange, as most people associate fighting with aggression.

the only time i ever see him as anywhere near “female-coded” is in cobra kai season five during his scenes with terry silver. they have an abuser-victim relationship and many people have understandably linked this to toxic sexual male-female situations.

aside from that, i believe daniel is simply a different sort of masculine than say johnny lawrence or mike barnes. both of those men, as well as john kreese, are traditionally masculine - aggressive, dominant, blunt, and unafraid of getting their hands dirty, literally or figuratively.

daniel is much softer - not submissive, just more reserved and gentler than his counterparts. he is still very masculine - he is still a fighter, very much a knight in shining armor type of character, and he can put his foot down when he needs to. he simply prefers to use more peaceful methods to defuse and deal with situations whenever possible. his gentleness does not make him more feminine - in fact, truly masculine men know how to do both. true masculinity puts a brave face to the world and to those they love, and acts as a pillar for others to lean on. masculinity can be aggressive and blunt, but it can also be softer, as is the case with daniel larusso.

now to my next point: daniel larusso’s story being commentary on toxic masculinity.

this is where you guys are going to hate my guts.

i do not believe that daniel’s story is commentary on toxic masculinity because i do not believe that toxic masculinity exists. now, before you rip me to shreds, let me explain. i dislike the term toxic masculinity very much because it is extremely difficult to define - and from my observations many people simply associate traditional masculinity with toxic masculinity, implying that there is something inherently toxic about men who are more aggressive, dominant, etc.

i believe that toxicity exists. anyone can be toxic, though there are differences in the ways in which men and women are toxic due of course to inherent behavioral differences in the two sexes. men are typically very dominant and aggressive with their toxicity, while women are much slyer and more backhanded, typically becoming passive-aggressive with their attacks. traditional masculinity by itself is not a predeterminer for toxicity and to imply such is blatantly sexist.

case in point: johnny lawrence is a traditionally masculine man - however, he is not toxic. neither are any of his old friends. they have all made mistakes in their lives and the mantra of “no mercy” definitely made things harder for them as they got older. however, it was not the aggression and the toughness that they learned from cobra kai that was toxic - it was the no mercy aspect of the training, the idea that mercy is for the weak, the lack of nobility.

we see this in how johnny teaches cobra kai verses how john kreese teaches cobra kai. johnny actually emphasizes fair play, while still reinforcing traditionally masculine traits such as aggression and dominance. kreese on the other hand teaches them to be merciless and without nobility, acting as if there is no difference between showing mercy and backing out of a fight out of cowardice. kreese, too, is a traditionally masculine man, but it is not these aspects that make him toxic - it is his ruthless and manipulative tactics that make him toxic. he is traditionally masculine and as such these traits show themselves as he is acting toxic, but they are not what makes him toxic.

traditionally masculine traits are not what makes any man toxic. this difference is key, and it is this difference that cobra kai is attempting to convey - that one can be traditionally masculine and not be a ruthless, manipulative asshole. put more simply, masculinity is not the problem or a contributor to the problem - toxicity and a lack of properly dealing with trauma is.

how does this relate to daniel? well, many have naturally compared the methods of cobra kai to daniel’s miyagi-do methods, as well as the fact that he is generally smaller and apparently weaker than his opponents. this toxic-masculinity-narrative viewpoint partly stems from the idea that daniel is a female-coded character which, as i said earlier, he is not in most scenarios.

and finally, my third point: the supposed queer themes in cobra kai.

if you guys didn’t hate me for the last point, you’re definitely going to hate me for this one.

there are no queer themes in cobra kai - at least none that i can see. i have seen many people attempt to take situations in both the movies and the show and interpret them as queer-coded but when i actually go back and watch the scenes, i don’t get the same message. i have come to the conclusion that many people are letting their own fascination with sexuality, gender, and identity overrule their rational mind when watching different elements of the franchise and simply see what they want to see between the characters.

i would like to again emphasize that i am not in any way saying you can’t have fun with the characters and their relationships on the show or in the movies - obviously i have no authority over what you do (nor would i want to) and i think people should be able to ship whatever they want. hell, i have plenty of my own gay ships - i have no issue with that. i simply have an issue with people saying that those relationships are there on the show - or could be there - but the writers are simply too cowardly to let them become a reality. the truth is the writers aren’t putting them in there because that does not logically follow the story and is, despite popular belief, not in line with the characters’ personalities and previous actions.

i will address the ships with daniel first - johnny, chozen, mike and terry silver, in particular.

johnny, chozen, and mike all used to be daniel’s enemies. we haven’t seen as much of mike yet, but both johnny and chozen have done complete 180s with regard to daniel, now defending him instead of fighting against him. they are dedicated to him. they care about him. they have deep bonds and shared trauma, relationships that, though only recently rekindled, go back years. yes, this can be construed as johnny and chozen having closeted romantic feelings for daniel.

but what this also looks like - and what the show has been trying to emphasize this entire time - is brotherhood. they went from being staunch enemies to being brothers, to being family. and family is loyal to each other, family cares about each other, family crosses oceans and takes beatings for each other. this is not exclusive to romantic relationships.

now to daniel and terry. contrary to what i’ve seen some people mention in their posts, there was never any sexual tension between daniel and terry in the karate kid III. only die-hard simps of terry silver would ever say such a thing, and they are the only ones who can truly fantasize about them as a faithful and loving couple. personally, i believe people who ship them have some problems they probably need to sort out with a therapist, but what do i know. yes, i am shaming this ship - if you can ship it, i can criticize it.

anyway, i digress. daniel and terry have an abuser-victim relationship. and, though there are references to terry as a sexual predator on the show, in the movies daniel was a barely an adult when terry came into his life, making their relationship mirror more that of a child abuse situation than an abusive romantic relationship. in the show, as i said, they have given their relationship a bit more of a sexual tinge, but it is still not the primary focus of their connection. the point is that terry is an abuser and daniel is the victim - and terry, like any abuser, is working his way back into daniel’s life, grabbing onto his mind, bashing in his heart, and not letting go.

terry and daniel’s relationship in the show is honestly the closest thing i can find to queer-coding in the franchise - and honestly, it’s barely that.

now i will move on to the kid’s relationships - particularly sam and tory, both as individuals and as a couple.

samantha is a disney princess, and i mean that in the best way possible. she is loving and caring, but a feisty go-getter - she’s got a smile that could light up the room, but a fury that would make even the bravest of men tremble. she has also never shown any evidence in the show of being anything other than straight.

tory is the posterchild for lesbian characters. she’s fierce, she’s tough, she’s a fighter, and she doesn’t take shit from anyone. she’s the archetypical warrior lesbian character - and of course sam is the perfect opposite to her, the archetypical little spot of sunshine to offset tory. except, tory is also straight - she outright rejected the one advance from a girl she got on the show and, though it’s a small moment, i believe it shows that she isn’t even remotely interested in that. (as a small aside, i am honestly grateful the show didn’t take the lesbian route with her. as i said she is the posterchild for that type of character, and they easily could have done that - but they didn’t. and i am so relieved because it is such an overused trope.)

sam and tory’s relationship mirrors that of daniel’s relationship with his ex-rivals. tory has caused sam a great deal of trauma and pain, sam is aggressively opposed to tory being anywhere near her, but eventually tory redeems herself and comes to the right side (though we haven’t actually gotten an apology scene yet, as tory’s joining of the miyagi-fangs is still new) and sam begins to soften towards her.

people like the enemies-to-lovers trope and i completely understand that - but there is no objective implication of this sort of chemistry between them on the show. this goes for both sam and tory, and the daniel x ex-rival ships listed earlier.

to conclude...

this story is much more realistic and down to earth than most of what hollywood has been releasing up to this point - it’s not posturing and virtue signaling every five minutes; it’s not placing “diverse” characters in the plot for the sake of diversity alone; and it addresses issues that are relevant to all people no matter what boxes they may or may not check. it’s a show that tries to appeal generally to everyone - giving us characters that are defined by who they are rather than what they are; giving us a plot that makes sense and is (mostly) in keeping with its own rules and logic; and graciously not lecturing its audience about their supposed prejudices, rubbing things in our faces that at the end of the day do nothing for the story and simply make the audience feel like garbage.

daniel is not female-coded but instead expresses masculinity differently than johnny does; the story is not a commentary on toxic masculinity because it can’t be a commentary on something that does not exist in the first place; and the queer themes people claim to see are more a result of certain audience members’ own fascination with the subject of sexuality, gender, and identity.

this show is much better than a lot of people on tumblr will give it credit for and i find it very sad that most people on this site can’t look at anything without somehow applying identity politics to it and judging it based on how much the creators include or don’t include said identity politics in the media they are consuming. there is more to media than the superficiality of identity. not every piece of media needs to be filled with and catered to leftist ideology.

put simply: entertainment is not required to be political.

i rest my case.

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 12

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.❤️.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I awoke, disoriented. Where was I? I looked around the unfamiliar room and remembered about how close I'd been to being killed last night. I slipped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom.

The tiles were black and green, definitely sticking with the Slytherin theme. All of the appliances were white though. I quickly jumped in the shower, washing my hair thoroughly with some sort of jasmine shampoo he had. I tried not to stay in there long, knowing he probably wanted to use the shower too.

The thought made my cheeks hot and I quickly got out of the shower, getting dressed in the bathroom. I used a quick spell on my clothes so they were unwrinkled. Then I hung the towels back up and exited the bathroom.

I sat by the now lit fireplace- when had it been lit?- and let my hair dry quickly while I ruffled through my school bag, bringing out my potions essays and making sure they were still there- and even more important- that the ink hadn't smeared.

The bedroom door opened and Snape walked in, something rolled up in a napkin. "I brought this for you." He said in his usual bored sounding voice. "In case you didn't wake up in time to make it to the great hall."

I got up from where I was sitting, almost falling backwards into the fireplace (of course). Snape reached out, yanking me into him.

"So sorry." I whispered, feeling highly embarrassed.

"Please refrain from setting yourself on fire Miss Kane." Professor Snape snarked, setting the pastry down on the table. It was a chocolate muffin.

"Thank you." I said. "For everything."

"I already told Professor Dumbledore." Snape said, not facing me. "He's not going to do much about it now since he doesn't have proof and I think Dumbledore has another plan of his own. But he says that you don't have to attend the class anymore."

"Not attend the class anymore!" I exclaimed, horrified. "But exams are seven weeks away! There's already so much to learn and if I don't attend class how am I going to ace my exams?"

I suppose I wasn't thinking properly. After all, the teacher of this so important class had tried to kill me.

"I'm going to tutor you for the last couple of weeks for Defense Against the Dark Arts." Snape said calmly, seeming almost amused by my outburst.

"Oh." I said, feeling relieved. "Okay."

"Would you have really attended the class after last night?" Snape asked in interest.

I hesitated, trying to think about it. "Maybe. Would he really have hurt me during class?" I asked hesitantly.

"You'd be surprised what wizards can get away with magic in front of others." Professor Snape said darkly. "Please take care to stay out of his way."

"Right." I said, picking up my bag and muffin.

"I should go to Charms."

"Of course." He murmured.

"Thank you, really." I whispered, stepping past him and out the door. I looked around the office quickly. True to his word, there was another loveseat in the corner he could've slept on. There were also many more shelves out here with lots of jars and slimy things. I wondered why he'd keep some of those things in his bedroom.

He had a smaller bookshelf in the corner which I looked at as well. There were a few textbooks on here, more potions book, less dark arts.

I heard him clear his throat in the corner and I flushed, "Sorry. I was comparing the books in here to the books in the bedroom. You really like the Dark Arts."

"If you wish to read anything, come back." Professor Snape said softly.

I would've squealed in delight if I wasn't trying to impress him. I simply nodded and then headed out of the office.

I hurried out the classroom door and immersed myself into the now busy corridors. I fell in along with Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. They were surprised to see me, but not suspicious, and we started talking while I kept an eye out for Quirrell.

The days passed swiftly and I didn't see Quirrell a single time. Then, Saturday came and I met with Harry and Hermione out by my tree near the lake.

"Hermione and I will have to do it." Harry said, talking about taking Norbert up to the highest tower tonight. "It's not a good idea for you to move about the castle without the cloak Elizabeth."

I nodded, okay with this turn of events. "Just remember the invisibility cloak, it's important."

Harry nodded, "We will."

.❤️.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, I woke up to find that Gryffindor had lost 150 house points and Slytherin had lost 20. Harry had forgotten the cloak at the top of the tower. I sighed. Well, there was nothing to do about that now.

Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff had completely turned their backs on Harry, Hermione, and Neville. I remained their only friend, but since they mostly kept to themselves in their house common room now, I wasn't able to spend much time with them anyways.

I too had started spending much more time in the common room, though I itched to go out with the Centaurs at night. The only time I left the common room was for classes and eating, then I went back to the Common room.

Over the next few days after getting Norbert out of the castle, Quirrell tried to corner me and get me alone, but I always managed to escape, either by Professor Snape walking along or someone else I knew. I think he gave up too because he had started avoiding me as well. Maybe he thought that the fact Dumbledore hadn't sacked him meant that I hadn't told anyone. Maybe he thought that I didn't understand what happened.

We had a week before exams and I was in the library with Ron and Hermione. We were all studying astronomy, my least favorite class. Hermione started testing Ron on astronomy terms and I listened in, setting my textbook aside.

Harry came into the library and sat down next to me. He leaned forward and said, "I heard Quirrell in an empty room sobbing. He kept saying no-no- not again and then he said all right- all right. I'd bet anything that Snape just left the room."

"Snape's done it, then!" Ron said, much to my annoyance. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell-"

"There's still Fluffy thought," said Hermione.

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron hypothesized. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"

I could tell that Ron was itching for an adventure and I opened my mouth to say something but Hermione beat me to it, "Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry, sounding both frustrated and complacent like he'd given up. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him. Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione shot me a look as though she was thinking I could use my futuristic visions as an excuse for knowing. Instead I said, "We also don't even know if Snape truly is the one after the stone. How do we know it isn't someone else and all the instances have just been coincidences?"

"That's a lot of coincidences then," Ron said, shaking his head at me and then said to Harry, "If we just do a bit of poking around-"

"No." Harry said flatly. "We've done enough poking around." He pulled his map of Jupiter towards him and I returned to reading my chart of Mars. I couldn't concentrate. All I kept hearing was Mars is bright tonight. . . Mars is bright tonight. . . Mars is bright tonight. . .

.❤️.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 as Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco's detention, I was already down at Hagrid's asking him if I could come along.

"I know it's supposed to be a punishment, but I really want to help find the unicorn. Please Hagrid?" I begged him.

Hagrid sighed, putting together crossbow arrows. "Oh alright, fine. But yeh have ter listen ter what I say, alright?"

"Of course," I said, breathlessly.

I had envisioned what was going to happen of course, parts of it anyways, and I wanted to be there for it. And of course, I would get to see Firenze again who was, of course, my favorite Centaur.

Hagrid finished sharpening the last of his arrows and filed them into a quiver, slinging it over his shoulder. He called Fang out of the cabin and we watched as Filch came walking down to us with the other four.

"Abou' time." Hagrid said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"

Both of them peered curiously at me, probably wondering what I was doing here.

"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid." said Filch coldly, also looking at me, and then looked away. "they're here to be punished, after all."

"That's why yer late, is it? Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, turning away, "for what's left of them."

Malfoy was looking at Hagrid with some sort of expression of fear and anger on his face. "I'm not going into that forest." Harry looked pleased about the panic in Malfoy's voice and I had to say- I was too. What a nasty little boy.

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts. Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it." Hagrid growled.

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd-" Malfoy complained.

"- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts. Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or ye'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

I grinned at Draco, and then looked at Harry and Hermione. They were also both smiling.

"Spoiled brat." I muttered under my breath.

Draco glared at me and then at Hagrid, but didn't move.

"Right then. Now listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an ' I don' want no one takin' risks." He shot me a look when he said this and I blushed though no one could see, "Follow me over here a moment."

We fell in behind them. Hermione and Harry both claimed a side of me.

"What are you doing out here?" Harry asked under his breath so Draco and Neville didn't overhear him. "You have detention too?"

I shook my head. "No, I just wanted to help. You'll see." I whispered back. Really, by now Harry and Ron should just piece together that I was able to see the future, I was making it so obvious. Hermione shot me an annoyed, haughty look. I scowled. It was my business, what did she care?

"Look here." Hagrid said, kneeling ,and we all crowded around him. "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."

My heart clenched at the thought of that. I'd hate to have to kill any precious animal or magical creature, even if it was hurt.

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Draco asked, his voice quavering.

"There's nothing' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang. An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."

My heart clenched in pity for the unicorn again. It must be in so much pain, if it wasn't already dead that is. I wasn't sure about that at this moment. I just knew it would be dead by the time we found it.

"I want Fang." Draco said suddenly and unexpectedly.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," Hagrid said though I could tell he was smiling. "So me, Harry, Elizabeth, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now."

I sent up green sparks quickly with my wand before any of the others had their wands out.

"That's it- an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh- so, be careful- let's go."

We all walked into the forest together and as much as I would've liked to have split up on my own, I stayed with the group. I had promised Hagrid I'd do as he said. We came to two different paths. Draco and Neville went right with Fang, and the rest of us went down the left path.

The forest was black and silent and more ominous and scary looking than I was used to. For the first time, I really understood the proximity of the dangers that were in the forest. I'm surprised that I was still alive at this point.

"Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked and I gave a start at the word 'werewolf'.

"Not fast enough. It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."

"Plus," I added on. "Werewolves don't generally go for animals in their state. At least, they aren't supposed to be dangerous to animals." Lupin had told me how my father, Sirius, and Peter had become Animagus so that they could be around him when he was in his werewolf state.

We continued to walk for a while. I had goosebumps on my arms and I was starting to wonder if it wouldn't have been better if I had waited in the Gryffindor common room with Ron.

"GET BEHIND THAT TREE!" Hagrid yelled, scaring me. He grabbed Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path and behind a large oak tree. I darted up behind them. Hagrid notched an arrow in his crossbow as skilled as a hunter and pointed it out into the darkness. Hermione clutched my arm and I found myself clinging to Harry's arm.

I heard the sound of a cloak slithering over the dead leaves. I shivered. The noise faded away and Hagrid lowered his crossbow. "I knew it. There's summat in here that shouldn' be." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"A werewolf?" Harry asked.

I scoffed. "Werewolves belong in here."

"That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn't no unicorn, neither. Right, follow me, but careful, now."

All the talk about werewolves made me think about dad and how he was a werewolf right now. My heart clenched again and my resolve to study potions even harder was invigorated. I was going to create a werewolf cure, I had to.

We were walking more slowly now and then, in a clearing ahead, something or someone moved. I squinted my eyes, I was pretty sure it was one of the centaurs but I didn't say anything.

"Who's there?" Hagrid called, his crossbow raised again. "Show yerself- I'm armed!"

A chestnut colored centaur with red tail hair and a mane and beard walked into the clearing and I sighed in relief. It was just Ronan.

"Oh, it's you, Ronan," Hagrid said in obvious relief. "How are yeh?" He walked forward and they both shook their hands.

"Good evening to you, Hagrid." Ronan said in his deep handsome voice. "Were you going to shoot me?" It was hard to tell, but he sounded as though he was actually amused at the idea.

"Can't be too careful, Ronan. There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, an' Elizabeth Kane by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you three. He's a centaur."

"We'd noticed." Hermione said faintly. I realized it was probably one of the first magical creatures she'd ever interacted with.

Ronan looked at me with his piercing green eyes. "Good evening. And welcome back Elizabeth Kane." I walked forward and curtsied and then shook his hand like I had so many other times. Then he turned to Harry and Hermione. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?"

"Erm-" Harry said, looking between me and Ronan.

"A bit." Hermione finished for him.

"A bit. Well, that's something. Although that may be why others come to learn from us forest dwelling creatures." Ronan said, looking up at the sky. Yes, he was certainly amused. I blushed. "Mars is bright tonight."

Mars is bright tonight.

"War is coming." I whispered, looking up at Mars as well.

"Yeah." Hagrid said distractedly. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a-"

I stopped listening as a bunch of flashes came into my head, blinding my vision. I couldn't make any of them out. They were blurs of color and patterns and noise. They must've been much farther into the future. But then again, I couldn't see much except towards the end of this year. The last image I saw was dust particles rising into the sun.

I blinked multiple times, trying to get the images to fade. I saw a pure black centaur walk into the clearing now. Bane. I wrinkled my nose. He didn't like me much. He didn't think I should have access to the Centaur's knowledge though nearly every other centaur was happy to converse with me.

"Hullo Bane." Hagrid said heavily. Perhaps he didn't like Bane much either. "All right?"

"Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?" He looked over at the three of us and said, "Ah and Elizabeth Kane, naturally you've come along."

"Hello Bane, doing all right?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"Look Bane, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anything' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured- would yeh know anythin' about it?" Hagrid interrupted our talk.

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked up at the sky.

"Mars is bright tonight." he said, not answering Hagrid's question. I bit my palm to stifle my laughter. If only we'd run into Firenze, we'd have some straight answers.

"We've heard." Hagrid said grumpily. "Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then."

Hagrid stomped off, Harry and Hermione following. I stayed behind a second longer, looking up at Mars again. I wished I'd seen something more definite for the upcoming war, whenever that was going to be.

Out of nowhere Ronan said, "Yes Elizabeth Kane, war is coming."

I ran to catch up with the others.

Hagrid and Hermione were having a conversation about the centaurs.

". . .many of them in here?" Hermione was asking.

"Oh, a fair few. . . Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. And apparently if Elizabeth ever wants a word." I blushed darker this time. "They're deep, mind, Centaurs. . . they know things. . . jus' don' let on much."

"You introduced me to the Centaurs, just to keep the score." I pointed out.

"D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" Harry asked stupidly. I was starting to wonder if maybe he had a hearing problem. Werewolves, unicorns, centaurs. . . all things that didn't make that swishing noise that we'd heard earlier. Though of course, perhaps I was being to hard on him. He came from the Muggle world after all and wasn't used to the noises that those creatures made in the forest.

"Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns- never heard anythin' like it before." Then Hagrid turned on me, "And just exactly how have you met the centaurs? I only took yeh to meet Firenze before."

I blushed again. "Oh well you know, I've met them in here a fair number of times. They like my opinions, except for Bane."

"Is that what you were doing the day of the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor quidditch match?" Harry asked. I had forgotten until now that he'd seen me in the forest. The day we'd both overheard Professor Snape and Quirrell talking.

"Yes. I was talking to Firenze." I said. "He had fou-"

"Hagrid look! Red sparks, over there! The others are in trouble!" Hermione said, grabbing Hagrid's arm and pointing.

"You three wait here! Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!" He crashed through the undergrowth until all noises disappeared.

"You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" Hermione whispered fearfully.

I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning against a tree. "I think Draco got bored and scared Neville as a prank."

"Sounds like something Malfoy would do." Harry said through gritted teeth.

We waited for what seemed like a long time but it was most likely only about five minutes. Every cracking twig seemed to be an ominous noise and the rustling of leaves were like murderous whisperings.

At last, there was a great crashing noise that announced the return of Hagrid and the others. Hagrid was fuming. I was also right, Draco had been trying to prank Neville.

"We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups- Neville and Hermione will stay with me. Harry an' Elizabeth, go along with this idiot." Hagrid leaned in and whispered, "Sorry Harry, but he'll have a harder time scaring yeh. And Elizabeth, yeh seem ter know the forest anyways."

Harry and I set off with Fang and Draco. I led the way, tracking the silvery-blue blood that was dashed on leaves and in small puddles along the path. The trees started to grow thicker and soon we were walking in a single filed line- Fang taking up the rear.

The blood started getting thicker and finally I saw the pale body of the unicorn. I held out my arm to stop Harry and Malfoy. Then, drawing my wand, I threw up green sparks.

Harry and Draco crept closer, to get a better look at the dead unicorn. I didn't want to look but I couldn't tear my eyes away. The long slender pale legs were stuck at odd angles and the pearly white mane was spread out on the leaves. The body seemed to emit a pale light, like the moon. It was even more beautiful and terrible in the moonlight.

Harry started to walk closer to the unicorn when the three of us heard the slithering sound we'd heard earlier. "Nox." I whispered and my wand light went out. A shadowy, hooded figure came crawling across the ground, seeming to slither like a snake. As it reached the unicorns side, it bent its head and I could hear slurping sounds as though it was drinking its blood. Goosebumps flew up my arms faster than I would have thought possible.

"AAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy's scream made me jump in the air as he turned to run. Fang bolted after him. The hooded figure looked up and I drew my wand, pointing it at him. The figure rose, unicorn blood dribbling down his robe.

Harry gasped in pain and I shot a glance at him. He was clutching his forehead where his scar was. At that moment, I too gasped in pain.

My locket seemed to grow hotter and it was burning against my skin. I tried to pull it away from my skin but it seemed to be stuck there. Harry fell on his knees, still clutching his scar. I held my wand up, trying to ignore the literal burning pain in my chest.

I heard hooves and someone jumped over Harry and charged the hooded man. The man fled and Firenze circled back around to us. I lowered my wand. The burning pain was gone and I quickly pulled the locket out from underneath my clothes and placed it over the top of my clothes. It did not feel hot to the touch, but instead felt like the cool metal it usually did. There was no mark on my chest, no heart shaped imprint, and I wondered if I'd imagined it. Except that my hand was also stinging from the pain.

"Elizabeth, are you alright?" Firenze asked.

"Yes." I said shakily. But not shakily enough that I hadn't noticed he hadn't called me Elizabeth Kane. He always called me Elizabeth Kane.

Firenze bowed to help Harry to his feet. "And are you all right?"

"Yes- thank you- what was that?"

Firenze was now looking at Harry's forehead, where the scar was livid on his forehead. "You are the Potter boy. You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time- especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way." He lowered himself so that Harry and I could climb onto his back. Harry scrambled on clumsily but I hesitated, knowing how the Centaurs would react if they saw me on his back.

"Firenze-" I started but at that moment, Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees. Their flanks were sweaty and heaving as though they had run a great distance.

"Firenze!" Bane yelled. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"

I was immediately glad that I wasn't on Firenze's back, though I had dreamed multiple times of riding through the forest with him. (Normal dreams, not futuristic ones).

"Do you realize who this is? This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better." Firenze said urgently. I knew he wished that Bane shared his ideologies. But Bane was old fashioned and less likely to let go of his human prejudices.

"What have you been telling him? Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" Bane growled back.

Ronan pawed the ground nervously, his arms crossed, looking at the leaf covered ground. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best." he said, anxiously looking at me and then back down at the ground.

Bane kicked his back legs in anger. I bit my lip. "For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in the forest! Even Elizabeth Kane has more sense than to ride!"

Now I was immediately regretting not being on Firenze's back. Firenze reared on his back legs, making Harry clutch around his neck to not fall off. "Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed in anger at Bane and Ronan. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? Even Elizabeth Kane understood why it was killed and what purpose it serves. I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

I wanted to disappear, being dragged into these conversation, wondering (once again) if I should've stayed in the castle. Then, Firenze turned, pulling me up onto his back by my arm. I clutched onto Harry to keep from falling off as Firenze galloped into the forest. I didn't even have time to look back to see Ronan and Bane's reactions before we had galloped a few meters.

"Why's Bane so angry? What was that thing you saved me from, anyways?" Harry asked cluelessly. "What does Elizabeth have to do with anything?"

Firenze slowed to a walk but did not answer any of Harry's questions.

"Er, because I'm human so the fact that I was able to interpret the signs is a surprise." I said quietly. "Centaurs are superior to humans and far more intelligent. It was an insult to Bane, saying that even I could read the signs."

"You are not unintelligent, Elizabeth Kane and far smarter than Bane thinks, or is willing to believe." Firenze said, but still did not answer Harry's questions for a moment. Then, Firenze stopped walking completely. "Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

Harry seemed surprised. "No. We've only used the horn and tail hair in potions."

I rested my head on his shoulder. This was wonderful, this closeness. I tightened my arms around his waist just a little more.

"That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn." said Firenze. "Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

"But who'd be that desperate? If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" Harry asked.

I sighed, though not loudly. Harry was a bit slow on the uptake. Then again, I reminded myself- he grew up as a Muggle.

"It is," Firenze said in agreement. "Unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else- something that will bring you back to full strength and power- something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"

Even with my future seeing powers (I really don't know what else to call them), I was surprised that Firenze knew about the stone.

"The Sorcerer's Stone! Of course- the Elixir of life! But I don't understand who-"

"Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" Firenze asked.

Harry was silent for a moment and I felt him shiver. "Do you mean, that was Vol-" Harry croaked out roughly and I felt terrible for him.

"Harry! Harry, are you all right? Elizabeth!" Hermione said, running down the slope of the hill. Hagrid crashed through the brush behind her.

Harry spoke quickly to Hermione and Hagrid. Hagrid left, probably to go and find the dead unicorn. Firenze leaned close to me. "Are you alright, Elizabeth?"

"Ronan and Bane aren't going to be pleased with me." I fretted. "I shall wonder if I'll ever be allowed back to converse with you all."

Firenze put a kind hand on my shoulder. "Of course you will. Not all of us want to see an innocent child dead." he meant Harry, of course.

I nodded, and touched Firenze's hand for a moment. "Thank you- for saving us I mean."

"Anything for you." He murmured quietly, touching one finger lightly to my forehead. "Friend of Centaurs."

I felt pleased.

Firenze then turned to Harry. "Good luck, Harry Potter. The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."

He galloped away into the forest. I watched after him even after he'd disappeared, wondering what was going to happen next.

.❤️.

𝖂𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖔𝖚𝖗 way back up to the castle and I started to go off in the direction of my common room. Harry grabbed my elbow and said, "We need to discuss everything with Ron now, and I'm going to need you there."

I reluctantly went with Harry and Hermione, wishing I could just go back to the common room and sleep. What was I needed for? But then again- Harry needed me.

Ron was asleep in the Gryffindor common room and I looked around in interest. The last time I was here, a large party had taken place and I hadn't seen much of the décor. It was mostly full of squashy arm chairs and a long couch in front of the fireplace. Many portraits decorated the walls, though all the inhabitants were asleep. The fireplace wasn't lit. All the tables were made of Cherry wood.

I sat down in an arm chair and curled my legs up underneath me, hoping not to fall asleep. Hermione took a seat in the opposite arm chair while Ron sat on the couch. Harry paced back and forth in front of the fire place, recounting what had happened in the forest for both of them. Luckily, I didn't have to contribute much to the conversation.

"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort and Voldemort's waiting in the forest. . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich. . ."

"Stop saying the name!" Ron said in a terrified whisper. I rolled my eyes.

Harry ignored him. "Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so. . . Bane was furious. . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen. . . They must show that Voldemort's coming back. . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me. . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

The only thing I agreed with was that Bane was going to furious with Firenze. . .he already was.

"Will you stop saying the name?" Ron hissed angrily.

"So all I've got to wait for now," Harry continued, still ignoring Ron and if the situation wasn't so serious, I would've laughed, "is Snape to steal the Stone. Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off. . . Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

Bane didn't like humans, sure, he was always promoting the idea of me being banned from the forest, but I was fairly certain he didn't want me- or Harry- dead.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you." Hermione said, trying to speak comforting words.

I nodded, "Harry, Quirrell or Snape or Voldemort isn't going to act until Dumbledore's gone. As long as Dumbledore is in the school, none of 'em are going to attempt to steal the stone out from underneath his nose."

Harry then turned to me, "How many times have you been in the forest exactly?"

I shook my head, "More times than I can count, that's for sure. The Centaurs are interesting creatures and I like their insight on the future. They also seem to find my human characteristics and insight hilarious. But Firenze is kind and so is Ronan. To be honest, the only Centaur that doesn't particularly like the Centaurs sharing knowledge with me is Bane."

"What a surprise." Harry said sarcastically. I smirked.

The sky was turning light out and I got up. "I should get back to the common room and get some sleep. At least it's a Saturday."

I hurried back to my own common room, seeing only one ghost who ignored me, and climbed into bed. I fell asleep immediately, dreams of Voldemort and Centaurs and werewolves and potion professors and flashes of green lightning played in my head as I dreamed.

⬅️➡️

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itscomplicatedx · 2 years

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The Dumbass most common reactions to Hash Bingo

(which I am too lazy to put in an actual Bingo Meme)

-If you claim to be a Tom fan and you’re saying any of this stuff, you especially should be ashamed of yourself.

Update: Now with a board by @in-defense-of-loki !

1). “She’s showing off her pregnancy!”

Yeah, they get kind of hard to hide when you’re a few months in. Of course she was going address it in the interview- she showed up with a baby bump. What was she supposed to say when they asked- “No, please ignore the fact that I’m so obviously pregnant?”

2). “She got pregnant to trap Tom!”

They got engaged in September. And yes, men who feel trapped constantly light up with goofy smiles when their fiancé is around, and go around talking about how “very happy” they are when congratulated/s. 🙄

3). “It’s a publicity stunt, just like Benedict and Sophie!”

Oh goody, the insane tinfoil Cumber bitches who are obsessed with Benedict and Sophie conspiracy theories are now going to move on to Tom and Zawe. 🤦🏻‍♀️

4). “She’s punching up/is a social-climber” (some sick fuck actually tried to put this on her Wikipedia page! 😡)

He’s not going to date you sweetheart. He doesn’t even know you exist. Get over it.

“Social Climber?” What century are you living in??

5). Unhinged “heartbroken” rant about how he’s no longer single.

See # 4. And please get therapy.

6). “Zawe looks like an ape, man, etc.”

Ah yes, racist dog whistles. You’re racist scum. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said about this one.

7.) “She’s just using him to further her career and get into Marvel.”

Update: Zawe talks about how she got the role here

My original answer: Because her career totally wasn’t rising on its own before they got together/s-she got picked to star in Broadway after all. She got the Marvel role before they went public. It’s possible Tom put in a good word for her-that’s how the industry often works. In case you forgot, when Tom was being considered for the Loki role Kenneth Branagh put in a good word for him. He probably would’ve done that even if they were just friends. But if either Tom or Zawe had truly sucked, no good word would’ve gotten them the roles.

8). “I miss him with Taylor!” ::proceeds to spam Zawe tags with Hiddleswift::

It was for 3 months-6 years ago. They both moved on-you need to as well. And don’t spam tags!

9). “Taylor ruined him for decent women and he’s scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

This one seems like a combination of 4, 6, & 8. As well as how ridiculous it is that you somehow think that every woman should be measured by your particular idol, who is not the model of perfection you seem to think she is.

10). “They’re both gay and using each other as a beard.”

While I’m all for more out Queer people in the industry, there are actual straight people there. Everyone is not gay and hiding it. How about concentrating on supporting Queer rights within the Entertainment industry, instead of wasting your time publicly speculating about stuff like this?

11). This one has been aimed at me personally-“You only like Zawe because she’s with Tom!”

No, actually I took an interest in her since I first saw her in Betrayal. This furthered when I had a pleasant personal interaction with her-when I was at stage door I was coughing and sneezing a lot, and she got me some tissues and asked me if I was okay. I then started researching other stuff she’s been in. I know for a fact I’m not the only one. Them getting together was icing on the cake.

Besides, if she came to peoples’ attention because they saw her with Tom and started to like her, what’s wrong with that? I, along with many others, first found out about Tom when we went to see the first Thor movie; and I was originally there to see Chris Hemsworth.

12). “Her grandfather/family was bad, blah blah.”

I tend to take these things with a grain of salt, but let’s say for the sake of argument that it’s true. So what? Are we holding people responsible for what their ancestors did now? In that case, we’re all in trouble, because I guarantee you every body has got at least one asshole ancestor-probably multiple ones.

That’s all I got for now.

#zawe ashton #tom hiddleston #tom and zawe #hash #Hiddles baby #hash baby #asshole Tom Hiddleston fans #fandom racism #Loki fandom racism #Tom deserves better than fans like this #anti hiddleswift #racist dog whistles #Dumbass most common reactions to Hash Bingo #jealous bitter fans #Loki

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ragingstillness · 2 years

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A continuation of my casually feral Ethan post because ppl liked it so much. Note, my previous take was mostly canon-based, this is more headcanons:

So Chris does indeed get approval to bring Ethan into the BSAA, at least for assessment. He disguises it as wanting to take a statement from Ethan and Ethan, with amazing survival skills but zero social awareness skills, agrees.

Chris brings Ethan in through a back door so he doesn’t have to go through the front scanners which would immediately have identified him as a BOW and activated remote defenses to try and kill him. After what he’s seen Chris is not entirely sure who would win, the guns or Ethan.

Ethan is, as any middle-management office drone would be, very impressed with how sleek and technologically advanced the BSAA HQ is. He gawks around like a tourist. Claire walks out of a conference room and scans Ethan up and down then gives her brother a look like “this guy? Really?”

Chris gets Ethan settled into a reinforced conference room and sits him down. BSAA staff are standing by and all officers are viewing the meeting room remotely.

Chris sighs and sets his hands on the table. Ethan looks a bit confused at the lack of any writing equipment. Best to just rip off the bandaid. “Ethan, I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you this but you are indeed infected.”

There’s silence. Ethan lifts one of his arms and stares at his skin for a moment then says, “but I’m not black and goopy?”

“You’re not, and as far as I can tell you don’t seem to be manifesting any visual signs of the virus but the scanners and your blood samples don’t lie. You are not only the most whole infected person we’ve ever seen, you’re also the most infected person we’ve ever seen.”

“Dammit.” Ethan puts his head in his hands. Chris braces for everything from sobbing to sudden mutations. But Ethan just whines, “I fell unconscious after Mr. Baker hit me in the head with that shovel but I was hoping nothing happened to me while I was out.” He peeks up at Chris. “Was that naive of me?”

Yes! Chris wants to scream. No shit! “Also, while you did not ingest the fungus while you were conscious, you came into pretty much every other kind of contact possible.”

The tech team had managed to salvage some of the footage from Lucas Baker’s cameras and Chris still couldn’t tell if Ethan was crazy brave or just didn’t feel fear.

“Um.” Chris refocused. Ethan was scratching his head. “I’m not gonna turn into one of those things am I? Like I don’t really want my brain growing out of the side of my head.”

Chris didn’t ask. It was far from the strangest mutation he’d seen in his day. “To be perfectly honest we don’t know. The fact that you haven’t mutated yet is a good sign. You’ll have to stay away from your wife though.”

Chris felt a little shitty for including this stipulation. The man had walked through hell and worse to see his wife again and now they were being separated. The true reason behind the separation was to keep an eye on Ethan and to allow the BSAA to build the case that Mia was a Connections scientist. Hopefully some more distance would help Ethan take the news better when she was officially arrested.

“Can i video call her?”

“Yes you may. As often as you want.” Chris himself had argued for this, unwilling to hurt Ethan more than they had to.

“So I guess you’re not going to kill me then.”

Chris startled. “What?”

Ethan laughed. “I’m not an idiot. This is the BSAA. You brought me here then told me I’m a BOW. The BSAA literally exists to kill them. I was expecting you to pull a gun any moment now.”

Well he had seemed remarkably relaxed for someone expecting his imminent death. Or was he so confident he wouldn’t die? Chris leaned back in his chair. “And what would you have done if I had?”

Ethan thought about it. “Well I suppose I would have tried to get away. Natural instinct, the desire to survive, but I’d probably end up running to somewhere remote where I could hide and not hurt anyone.”

This told Chris two things: one, Ethan was confident he would be able to make it out of the building, consciously or otherwise, and two, that Ethan’s primary drive was to protect not to kill. That was good, they could use that.

“As our first sane,” that might have been a bit of a stretch, “BOW, you are in a unique position. Your biology is integrated with the infection in a way we’ve never seen before. The science team has been chomping at the bit to get a look at you. Also, while your supernatural abilities are somewhat unclear, the one we can pin down is accelerated durability to injuries that would kill regular humans. We could use someone with that ability on one of our squads.”

“You mean, I could work here?” Ethan’s jaw had dropped open.

“You could. You’d be under strict supervision, have to be cautious, you understand, but yes you could work for us. Our mission is remarkably simple, you’ve probably even heard it already, to destroy all sources of the infections we can find, including BOWs, black market auctions, science labs making new virus strains, criminal organizations trying to use BOWs as soldiers, etc. We’d train you on the weapons we use so you won’t have to improvise with ancient guns again. In return you’d get room and board, a job, and have to submit to various tests.”

“It sounds too good to be true.”

“Time will tell if it is.”

Ethan rubbed his upper lip. “It’s not safe for me to be in regular society anymore is it?”

Chris shook his head. “No Ethan. We wouldn’t let you go out there anyway.”

Ethan deflated like a sad beach ball. “So I’m a prisoner.”

“You have to be. We can’t take the risk. I’ve lost too many friends and the world at large has lost too many lives to BOWs. I wish we could afford to treat you like any other human, but we can’t.”

Ethan nodded. “I’ll do it, on one condition.”

“What?”

“If I ever do start to mutate, kill me.” Chris’ eyes widened. “Kill me, kill me immediately. Don’t try to pull me in for experimentation or try to cure the virus. Just kill me. I’ve had enough of experiments and viruses and foreign substances invading my body. I claim that autonomy, if I can claim nothing else.”

His expression was fierce. Chris was reminded of Claire and Jill. He held out his hand to Ethan. “Done.” They shook on it.

#ethan winters #re7 #re7 fic #chris redfield #resident evil #resident evil biohazard

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tessiete · 1 year

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One Hell of a Fanfic

youtube

So, completely unbeknownst to me, the podcast One Hell of a Fanfic took the time to read and discuss my fic The Eternal Spring. It’s an older fic – I think my first real foray into SW as an author – and it shows. But the wonderful hosts, Steph and Lauren, found it, read it, and talked about it here.

This new podcast focuses on SW fic exclusively, and is an absolute delight to listen to. As a reader, it gives you insight into the experience of reading the story and introduces you to work you might have missed. And as an author…wow.

It’s like when someone leaves you an essay in your comment section. Chef’s kiss.

Anyway, because I love to talk about process and intent, and because I love to talk about stories, and because while listening to this episode I had so many moments of “YES BUT DID YOU SEE THE BIT WHERE I –” I’ve decided to write up a little response going into detail about what Lauren and Steph discovered while reading The Eternal Spring.

I’ll try and organise it, too, by sort of keeping to the five categories they break their episodes into. So here goes:

CANON

Right off the bat, this section made me question everything about myself, my writing, and what on earth I was doing. Both Lauren and Steph mentioned how incredibly deep the lore is, how many Easter Eggs I included, and how I blended canon, Legends, and fanon into a unique lore of its own.

This is wild to me because I’d never thought of that.

Listen, I’ve got a very complicated relationship with canon. I treat it as equal to Legends, and fanon. To my mind, it’s no better, no more real, no more accurate than Legends is, or even fanon. In fact, I’m of the opinion that fanon occasionally has the absolute best take on a character.

For instance, Obi-Wan having precognitive dreams. Sorry, that’s real to me. That’s true.

And you’ll see this come up as a given in my work all the time. I hardly even think about it anymore. So that’s one way in which these different sources are pulled together – unconsciously.

However, I won’t deny there was conscious reference to two fan works specifically. Those being Tatooine Slave Culture (created by fialleril), and more significantly the Lineage series (Jedi Apprentice rewrites by ruth baulding). I am a huge Jedi Apprentice fan, and a huge ruth baulding fan. I know JA especially has its haters, but I love it (for reasons I will not go into here for the sake of HA! brevity).

I know TSC especially has faced controversy in the past for appropriation and insensitivity, though admittedly, I was unaware of that at the time of writing this story. I had just entered the fandom much like a bull enters a china shop. I made a lot of missteps. That said, I don’t think I use TSC culture with any significant overstep in this story (as it is largely only referenced by people outside of the culture), and so while I probably wouldn’t do it again, I don’t feel it’s detrimental in this case.

Ruth Baulding, however, is perfect. While the Lineage series is extremely whump-heavy (heads up should you go looking), there is one story in particular where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon visit The Stewardship of Terajon (StewJon) and encounter Obi-Wan’s birth family. While Qui-Gon handles it with a quiet and permissive grace, Obi-Wan is reflexively defensive and hostile, especially when he finds out that SPOILERS his family is on the opposite side of the conflict. They do no support the Republic, while Obi-Wan has dedicated his life to it. Qui-Gon recognises that their reasons are legitimate and ideologies are not so black and white as good and evil. Obi-Wan, however, cannot reconcile the idea that his family are so-called traitors. They end up finding an uneasy peace where Obi-Wan tells his parents that Qui-Gon is and has always been a father to him, and Obi-Wan’s mother makes him promise that if he ever needs help he will ask her for it.

I really wanted to write a story where he does that.

Partly because I wanted to depict an Obi-Wan who had grown into a maturity that could handle shades of grey, especially in politics, and partly because this story is so much about parents and their children, absence and presence and legacy, that I felt Ue, his mother, needed to be there for it.

Side note: I will forever cling to ruth baulding's conjecture that Obi-Wan is named for the obiwan flowers that grow on Stewjon. IRL our obiwan flowers look similar to how she describes them!

As for Qui-Gon and his love of plants – I don’t know.

I think this is a blend of fanon and Legends that I’ve once again just taken on board as fact, and only with this podcast am I compelled to examine it.

Though recently contradicted by LFL canon (In CG’s Master&Apprentice), fanon loooooong held that Obi-Wan was the one with a connection to prophecy and Qui-Gon was Master of Living in the Moment. I really love the tension this creates between them, and that’s why I keep it.

To that end, Qui-Gon is very frequently depicted in fanon as being Super Into Plants. He’s like, the Order’s #1 Plant Dad. His rooms are full of plants, and he is deeply connected to the Living Force.

In the Jedi Apprentice novels, Obi-Wan is almost sent to live as a farmer in the AgriCorps, and he is convinced he’d be a terrible farmer.

I kind of connected these two dots to suggest that much as Obi-Wan still ends up on Tatooine, he also still ends up a farmer. Qui-Gon taught him the horticulture he was so afraid of finding on Bandomeer, and Tatooine sees him eventually relying on those skills for survival.

This ties into one of the things I wanted to grapple with in this fic. Free will vs. Destiny. I think, ultimately, this story’s perspective on it is that destiny = destination. You are always going to the same place. But the journey itself is free will. How you get there, which path you take, and what you learn from it – that’s all on you.

And if we believe that it’s not about the destination, but the journey, then isn’t that the same as free will after all?

Anyway.

That said, Steph and Lauren point out several times that this complex mingling of lore leads to much confusion AND that if you’re not acquainted with even something as (to me) ubiquitous as The Clone Wars, then much of it won’t land.

On the one hand, this is intentional. I love Easter Eggs, but I’m staunchly of the opinion that Easter Eggs aren’t meant to be found by everyone. They’re for the dedicated readers, the hyperfixaters, the deep-divers, the re-readers. I think Easter Eggs aren’t PointingLeos so much as they are sly winks, and things that make returning to a story rewarding. Every time you come back, you find something new. They’re meant to increase the longevity of novelty. And that’s how I try to use them.

THAT SAID I 100% TOOK IT FOR GRANTED THAT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME KNOWLEDGE BASE AS I DO.

In retrospect, that’s ridiculous. This is what I mean by saying they made me question my whole approach to fic. I didn’t think that TCW was a deep-cut. I didn’t think that Siri Tachi and her mandrangea beans were unknown, or that Obi-Wan loving muja fruit was obscure.

And that’s on me. That’s my bad. Because objectively, Lauren and Steph are absolutely right. That is so much information to expect a reader to have as a baseline, and dramatically decreases the size of the demographic I’m reaching.

Do I regret it? ….nnnooooo?

But I will absolutely be more mindful of that in the future. I think that’s a hugely important lesson for me to take from this. It’s not just a “My perspective isn’t everyone’s perspective” but a “Not everyone has been hyperfixating on the exact shade of orange in a Tatooine sunset since they were five, please provide some context thank you”.

EXPANDING THE LORE

Okay, I really wanted to address this, because in a previous episode, Lauren and Steph discuss World Without End by disasterisms. Specifically, they mention their love of mythology and how interesting it is that WWE is a retelling of the Hades/Persephone story.

And it had me frantically raising my hand like a pick-me!

So, fun fact, The Eternal Spring is also based on a Greek myth. Specifically, the myth of Psyche and Eros. In the original story, Psyche marries Eros but swears never to look on his face. She can’t deal with the curiosity however, and one night as he’s sleeping, she holds her torch over his head to get a look. He’s beautiful. But oil from her lamp drips onto him and he wakes, fleeing until she atones for her crime by completing a series of Impossible Tasks.

I love Impossible Tasks.

And more, I loooove hanging my stories on the preexisting structures of other works.

The Forlorn Queen is a long-form poem I wrote that is meant to be a Nabooian version of Psyche and Eros. In it, the unnamed Queen is assigned four Impossible Tasks that all correlate to the tasks of Psyche.

Sort seeds from sand

Retrieve the Golden Fleece

Collect water from a sacred spring

Steal the Beauty of Perspephone

In the fic, these are played out by Padme in variously metaphorical ways. In the first, she literally has to sort the seeds from the sand after a sandstorm destroys their burgeoning garden. But more than re-enacting this myth, each task is meant to explore some emotional challenge in how she copes and reconciles her grief.

Sorting seeds from sand is a metaphor for her sorting out her priorities. What is alive still? What is worth saving? How closely she has to examine the sand, how long it takes, how tedious it is – this is all a reflection of her looking at her own life, her own struggles, and sorting out what she needs vs. what she wants.

Likewise, she retrieves the Golden Fleece/Golden Scale (saves Boil from the chip and his own lack of purpose, his transformation symbolised by him painting his armour [his scales] gold and taking on Padme’s commission, which is also the Mandalorian colour for vengeance). By sending Boil after Obi-Wan she is bringing water to the goddess (relief to Obi-Wan). And finally, the task that Psyche fails is the one Padme fails, also – at least, she cannot do it alone. This is about the acceptance of death and the loss of youth. This is Padme not joining the rebellion, and Obi-Wan reconciling with Qui-Gon.

Greek myths don’t directly correspond with symbolism as we understand it today, so yeah, I had to do a bit of research and even more extrapolation to get these tasks to mean more than simply Things To Accomplish, but that was always the intent. This story was always a myth – just as Revenge of the Sith (esp. As written by Matthew Stover) is explicitly Greek in its framing as a tragedy.

WHEW! Onto the fun stuff!

CHARACTERS

The thing that struck me most here was Lauren and Steph’s breakdown of small action vs. big action, and how they both agreed that it was sometimes difficult to follow and occasionally off-putting. Small action is the emotional conflicts deeply examined, while big action is like, the pew-pews.

They are totally correct in their assessment.

I could say that I think this is something that the OT and PT especially do. A New Hope, especially, spends what modern audiences would consider a loooong time without any significant Big Action, and the PT really struggles with pacing. It’s something sort of inherent to SW, and I really wanted this fic to feel like SW. It wasn’t entirely unintentional on my part to give you a lot of small action and then suddenly drop in big action…

Buuuuuuut it wasn’t entirely intentional, either.

You know, in writing this fic, I was constantly, constantly afraid it was incredibly boring. You can see it in my ANs. The small action is what I live for, but I was scared no one would want to read it if I stayed there.

So I think this is honestly more a reflection of my own insecurity than it is a deliberate reflection of Star Wars itself.

Again, a lesson. And something to keep in mind!

OMG ALL THAT NONSENSE! If you’re still here, well, I got more!

FAVOURITE SCENES

Qui’s ghost

I am so happy Lauren loved this scene. This was the scene that I first envisioned, this was the scene that I was always writing towards, this scene, to me, is what Star Wars is all about.

And yes, I am actually George Lucas.

For more wild speculations of mine that have since been canonized by LFL please see Only Hope (including, weirdly, Mandalorians being super into culture soups…so…HMU Kathleen!)

But yeah, I love Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. When I was writing this story I was deep into the QuiObi fandom, and I just really loved any and every expression of love and intimacy between them (platonic or otherwise).

Again going back to Legends, for me, I always loved the idea that Obi-Wan is frequently driven by his desire to be good for Qui-Gon. A good padawan, a good knight, a good Jedi. A good person. In JA he has to beg to be his padawan, and never really seems to feel like he measures up to Qui-Gon’s expectations. He wasn’t wanted and he worries that Qui-Gon’s disinterest in him never changed.

To me, it’s very obvious that Qui-Gon does want him. Very early on. But to a young teen, and someone so deeply insecure as Obi-Wan, it’s hard to see.

I LOVE THAT TENSION.

And I felt Obi-Wan really needed his dad to give him a hug at the end of it all.

The idea that Qui-Gon has always been with Obi-Wan is…I mean, I think that’s just intrinsic to their story. It’s weird because I can see how it looks like I “Just Knew” but I think everyone knew because it’s sort of the inevitable conclusion to their journey together. Qui-Gon literally defies death in order to be with Obi-Wan. I can’t think of any greater expression of love and devotion than that…and yet, Obi-Wan still needs it spelled out for him.

ANYWAY I COULD TALK ABOUT THEM ALL DAY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I’m very happy it made you two cry.

KORKIE IS A KENOBI

Look, I’m not even being ironic about it anymore. I love Korkie Kenobi. I believe in Korkie Kenobi. Korkie Kenobi is the best, most under-utilised, over-disparaged, misunderstood storyline that Star Wars never took.

As I briefly mentioned before, this story is really about parents and their kids. It was not an indulgence but an acute necessity that Korkie be a Kenobi in this fic. I’m not saying that because I love the theory (though I do), but because thematically it is imperative that Obi-Wan sees himself as a son, a brother, and a father. That he understand he is part of a family of blood, of duty, of choice, of circumstance. That he knows he is connected to the Force, to the world, and to the people around him. That we all are. That we owe ourselves to the people around us. That nothing ends, and everything continues.

That absence is not oblivion.

And Korkie specifically fits into that theme in the way he and Obi-Wan are connected despite Obi-Wan’s own ignorance. He is biologically present (by blood), he is spiritually present (in Korkie’s Force sensitivity), and he is emotionally present (in the way Korkie was raised watching him, being inspired by him, holding him up as a model of bravery and integrity – despite Obi-Wan not physically being there to parent him, he still was formative in Korkie’s emotional development and, to me, that’s massively important).

I really, really dislike the notion that Korkie being Obi-Wan’s son inherently frames Obi-Wan as a neglectful and dead-beat parent. What a small way to look at someone’s impact on others. What a cruel way to frame purpose, duty, and obligation. What a sexist way to ignore Satine’s importance and capability. What a mean way to dismiss the experiences of so many readers and people who grew up in single-parent homes for whatever reason.

My mum works in medicine. She missed a lot of school concerts, a lot of bedtimes, a lot of birthdays because she was SAVING LIVES. My dad explained this to me as a small child, and even as a small child, I understood. I got it. Kids aren’t dumb, and I knew a lot of kids in similar situations – we’re not traumatised.

Never mind the kids who had a parent die, or deployed, or transferred. It’s hard to be a parent, and yes, some parents are uninterested and dead-beats. But that neglect is not defined by their absence.

PERSONAL PET PEEVE EXORCISED THROUGH KORKIE

I tried to really connect things here by having Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan mirror Obi-Wan and Korkie. Just as Obi-Wan was simultaneously present and absent in Korkie’s life, so too is Qui-Gon present and absent in Obi-Wan’s.

There’s a little moment where Obi-Wan’s mother, Ue, reassures Korkie that he’s wanted. Obi-Wan will not reject him. She tells him, “You are not a consequence, or a punishment, aso-aso,” she murmurs. “And I don't see that any parent could hold you any less than the very best of all beloved things.”

Then, at the end of the story, Qui-Gon uses the same words telling Obi-Wan, “Never think, my dearest Ben, that you are anything less than best beloved of my very heart.”

(“Best Beloved” btw is very much stolen from Kipling)

As for him taking the Kenobi name – hey man, we need more Kenobis.

But I love the bravery it takes because, as the hosts mention, it puts a big target on his back in a galaxy where the most powerful Force user is constantly on the look out for Kenobi.

And, in fact, if you’re curious, I explored the possibility of Vader finding Korkie first here: Or Else I Shall Be Lost

HERE there was also another lesson:

Steph and Lauren discussed the revelation of Korkie’s Force Sensitivity, and how it was confusing until the very end when I explicitly commented on it.

I TOTALLY DIDN’T REALIZE THIS WAS CONFUSING because mostly, I didn’t realise that I was writing a mystery.

BUT I WAS! Holy heck! I’m honestly surprised. Another like, surprising reframing of my own intentions and process. Because looking back, they’re totally right.

Kind of in line with using lore I like without explanation or justification, I also like referencing things I as the author know to be true but without actually telling the audience. In this case, I used wild coincidence as a thin cover for Force sensitivity, not revealing that had been intentional until the end.

Of course, in my head I was like, “Ha! Another clue! They’ll be putting this puzzle together by now” without accounting for the fact that I never told anyone there was a puzzle to begin with.

Not sure how I’ll address that in future fic, but it’s…it’s really something to think about. Is it a mystery if you don’t tell your audience something needs to be investigated?

NUMA REFERENCE

I honestly can’t remember, but I think Kano is canon….or Legends…and was there on Ryloth. I love using clones that make sense, even if they’re lesser known. It makes me feel less like someone’s got plot armour and more that they were lucky which was also why I used Boil. I know, having been in fandom for ages now, that fandom would’ve preferred Cody be the clone to find Padme on Tatooine and go after Obi-Wan, but like…

Look, I’m super proud that fandom has made Cody the character he is, but canonically, most of that doesn’t exist.

Canonically, the clones assigned to cover Obi-Wan’s back are Waxer and Boil.

And I think Waxer dies, right? So the only clone that made sense to me, as a fandom newbie, was Boil. It had to be Boil.

And his relationship with Numa cemented that. Because Numa is – in a way – his daughter. The same way Leia is. She is the inheritor of whatever is left after the war. Numa lives, but what of Ryloth? Did she survive the rest?

I think that moment is the one, uncomplicated victory that Boil looks back on to ground himself. He can look at Ryloth and think “We did the right thing” because after that, everything gets complicated. And that’s the thing that convinces Kano to help them, also. The desire to believe they’ve done good. Simple, uncomplicated good.

QUESTIONS

Okay, I really wanted to address this next part – Lauren and Steph were so unconvinced that Padme would stay on Tatooine and not join the Rebellion.

You guys, I was SCREAMING!

And again, they weren’t wrong. I can totally see how they came to that conclusion, how Padme’s choice felt OOC and wrong, and how it does contradict everything we know of her from canon.

And while I have no intention of changing their interpretations of canon, or of my fic I sooooo want to discuss it from my POV. And you know what, again – my bad for not articulating it in a clear enough way. I would probably rewrite this scene if I were to do it again.

Because that contradiction is the point.

This isn’t what Padme would choose. Like she says, she thinks about it. She thinks about going to Bail. That’s her first thought.

But, this fic is meant to show why she can’t.

It’s not that the destination has changed, but she has.

Technically, this fic takes place over the course of a full year. It’s vaguely charted in the growth of the twins (again, tess, you can’t just assume everyone knows baby milestones). At the beginning, Padme is in a state of shock. And so is Obi-Wan…

Let’s get into the kiss.

In a fit of just, complete upset, Padme slaps Obi-Wan. And then she kisses him. She says she hates him. And he does nothing.

This takes place about thhhhhreeeeeeeee??? Months into their time on Tatooine, and for this whole time, Obi-Wan has really done nothing but exist on a cursory, polite surface level. He smiles because it is expected. He farms because he must. He wakes up and functions but he says absolutely nothing about what they’ve gone through.

And Padme cannot stand it anymore.

She feels like she’s on her own. And she tries to make him react. In this, I really wanted to show just how well suited Anakin and Padme were to each other. She likes Obi-Wan. She’s glad he’s with her, but she needs to see him hurt. Because she hurts. She absolutely takes it WAY TOO FAR.

Obi-Wan turns inward in his pain. Padme explodes outward.

Well, she wants to.

But she CAN’T. Because she has the twins.

Obi-Wan gets to be an automaton, but Padme has to be a mother. She has to engage with Beru and Owen. She has to negotiate at the market. She has to feed, and clothe, and raise her children. She has to BE PRESENT ALL THE TIME. She doesn’t get to be numb.

Is it a comment on the division of emotional labour between men and women? Yyyyyes? But not in a derogatory way. Obi-Wan went through the same thing when Anakin was little and Qui-Gon died, but the difference is this time, Obi-Wan doesn’t have the purpose Padme has. She has the twins. Obi-Wan feels he is entirely superfluous.

This is all related to those messy emotions Lauren and Steph mentioned and which I really love to write. People – even good people – can be ugly. I love it. I truly believe there are no bad emotions, no bad traits. Everything evolved to keep you alive, to protect you. Obi-Wan protects himself with little cruelties. Padme lashes out.

I’m so happy the I hate you moment hit! I thought it was so sick. Had to do it.

And emotions are also inconsistent, even if motivation or ideology remains stable. So like, the part where Padme looks at Obi-Wan sleeping and is very empathetic – she’s still centering herself. She’s looking at him from the perspective of a mother, and imagining his mother. She is kind and generous in her assessment of him and his suffering here, and at other times, but…

She’s very conscious of it. Obi-Wan is vulnerable in sleep. It’s easy to be kind then. And later, she has all of Anakin’s insight into Obi-Wan, and a lot more patience than Anakin ever had. She understands how Obi-Wan copes. She lets him do what he needs to.

But MONTHS pass. And she’s so tired of carrying it all. She runs out of patience.

Anyway.

Anakin betrays them. And Padme can do nothing.

Obi-Wan leaves. And Padme can do nothing.

Padme is so frequently stripped of agency by circumstance, and you’re right – in canon, she fights that! She leaps into the fray and takes control.

But she has twins now. Her purpose, but also her burden.

She can’t join the Rebellion. Where would they go? How would they live? Who would take care of Luke and Leia?

If they go to Alderaan, they put a huge target on Bail and intense scrutiny on the Rebellion. They also bring themselves into direct contact with the Empire. If Vader got even a hint that Padme lived he would not stop until she was in his custody. If he knew he had kids? If he knew they were with Obi-Wan? It’s way too dangerous. They are a huge liability. She is a huge liability.

As Luke says, if there’s a bright spot in the galaxy then Tatooine is the place that’s furthest from it.

Tatooine is SAFE. Vader won’t go there, and the Empire doesn’t care about it. Is it run by the Hutts? Yeah. But better Hutts than the Empire, especially because the Hutts don’t care about the little people living day to day. Padme can give the kids a quiet, boring life on Tatooine. She can keep them safe.

And as she sorted the seeds from the sand in chapter one, THAT is her priority. Her kids. They have no one else, and furthermore, if their existence were known they would be targeted, captured, and killed – or worse. She wants to join the Rebellion. She would. But she can’t because she needs to keep Luke and Leia safe.

While Obi-Wan’s reason for staying on Tatooine is a passing on of legacy, and setting down the burden of war (he’s done his time), Padme’s reason for staying is a reassessment of her priorities. Hers is a maturation of responsibility. Sometimes, we can’t do what we want. It sucks. But we’re adults.

“Living in Squalor” though made me LAAAAAAUGH! You’re so right.

Oh my gosh, she’s tandem carrying! That’s the term. Hahahaha, yeah, poor girl. Lots of tandem carrying, but once Obi-Wan’s back, they’re basically a two-parent household. Plus, the fic sees them building that community. There’s Korkie, there’s Boil, there’s Beru and Owen. Padme screams at Obi-Wan that she’s alone, but by the end she’s not.

And like, in terms of practicality, I think Owen? Obi-Wan? I think there’s mention of them “digging out the cellar”. The idea is that more than half the house is buried, but once they dig out the cellar and reinforce the walls down there, there’s a significant chunk of living space they can utitilise (ie. at least one, if not two bedrooms underground where it’s cooler like we see in the Lars house in ANH).

But yeah, babies in the haffa chest for now!

QUAINT CABIN NOT SQUALOR!

Lastly, Owen and Beru! Ahahahahaha, I’m so happy Lauren and Steph were charmed by them. And I love their insight on the inversion of protection. In canon, Obi-Wan is there protecting them, but in Eternal Spring, the Lars’ are very much protecting Obi-Wan (and Padme). I thought that was really insightful. God, I love clever readers!

I just quickly wanted to touch on Owen’s grudge against Obi-Wan because yeah, it’s totally silly. I imagine Owen as being very typically masculine, and Tatooine culture being pretty big into gender-roles, though the expression of those roles may not fall directly in line with gender presentation (but that’s another topic).

Anyway, Owen is a dude’s dude. A guy’s guy. You know - a Man™.

And Obi-Wan is………SO SOFT.

This dude comes into Owen’s house with Trauma. He’s soft-spoken, and polite. He doesn’t speak much, and when he does it’s with a cut-glass accent that sounds so out of place. He listens without interrupting, he doesn’t make ribald jokes.

And he’s got magic powers.

There are ten thousand Jedi in the entire galaxy. Owen met Anakin once, and he went off the deep end.

Obi-Wan freaks him out. He’s so weird. He is not the kind of person Owen knows how to deal with, and he’s certainly not the kind of guy Owen can relate to. And Beru says to be gentle. Gentle? On Tatooine?

As we see when he’s coaching Padme, Owen doesn’t believe that gentleness or mercy have any place out here.

The secret is, Owen’s SUPER SOFT underneath. And Beru knows this. Hence why she keeps encouraging Owen to take care of Obi-Wan, to bring him out to mingle with other people. Beru sees that Obi-Wan is collapsing in on himself, and is trying to get Owen to draw him out.

When he nearly dies, Owen is more angry that they almost died. Not at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan is just a convenient punching bag because he doesn’t punch back. If he did, Owen would know how to respond – he’d buy him a drink, and shake his hand.

I think, underneath, Owen really likes Obi-Wan (and we see this at the end when he’s jealous that Obi-Wan went to visit his blood brother, AtasOWEN – an alternate Owen, and also a reference to the old Legends lore that Owen Lars was Kenobi’s half-brother). Owen wants to be Obi-Wan’s family, and he gives him the gift of brotherhood (he tells the whole town that they’re related to protect him, yes, but also because he’s claiming that title). It’s very much one of those “Hey! No one gets to pick on my idiot brother, except me!”

The same way he is gruff and blunt to Luke in ANH, Owen is the same way with Obi-Wan. “Too much of his father in him.” Too much of Anakin in everyone for Owen’s taste.

But that, again, is on the author to make clear! All these lessons. I’m so thankful that I had this opportunity to listen to such a generous and in-depth analysis of my fic. It’s been fun, informative, and genuinely really instructive in the most supportive and uplifting way.

I highly recommend everyone check out One Hell of a Fanfic here, or on Spotify. Thank you so much for reading my fic, and until next time…

May the Force be with you!

#my fic #podcast #star wars #fic rec #process and stuff #indulge me #padme lives au #Youtube

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redwinterroses · 2 years

Note

For the road trip, on a personal note (and thus the separate ask so feel free to delete or what have you): I noticed the Christian description in the bio and out of curiosity as a Christian myself, were you raised as such? Did you convert later in life (either to a different denomination or Christianity as a whole)?

I guess I'm just asking about your testimony because I like hearing them. :) BUT I get it if you don't want to share or if I've misunderstood your bio lol

In any case have a safe trip today!

This ask makes me so happy, but I'm going to stick it under a cut due to general conversation of religion and some religious trauma. :)

So -- first off, sorry for taking so long to answer this. I'm like an infant with no object permanence as far as asks go. The minute I look away it ceases to exist, lol.

But! Answering now.

Yup, there's Christian in my bio. I'm not very in-your-face about it but I occasionally mention church or my pastor's wife or something on stream. I think I started humming a hymn the other day before I caught myself lol.

My dad's a pastor, and I was raised in church. Literally. Like -- every time there was an event, and half the time when there wasn't: I was at the church. We lived next door to the church(es) most of the time, and in later years we would sometimes go spend the day there in the summer because the church had AC and our house did not. XD

But yeah: churches. Plural. Being a PK is no bed of roses -- we were chased out of one church by an assistant pastor who bullied the congregation and scared them into "asking" my dad to resign, and in another my then-best-friend's mom led a ring of conspiracy theorists who thought Dad was part of a cult out to take over the world. (I wish I was exaggerating. I'm legitimately not.) We were forced out of our house (because the church owned it) two weeks before Christmas, no one from that church would speak to us ever again, and though I still live relatively close to that town I refuse to drive through it.

I'd lived in ~8 different houses before I was 12, and that particular event ended with us being homeless for 8 months and living in my grandad's basement. it was bad, I still have nightmares about it 20-ish years later, and I've legitimately blocked out a large portion of that year from my memory -- which can lead to some fun discussions sometimes with parents or sibs who remember something I don't.

And because of all that, I... don't have a lot of trust in the church, as an organization. I teased my dad the other day that, frankly, he's lucky all of us didn't ditch the whole shebang. He didn't laugh, actually. He agreed.

These days I'm dealing with what certain circles call "deconstruction" -- dunno how in on Current Popular Christian Lingo you are, but basically I'm going through the (very arduous, very stressful, often very emotional) process of picking apart everything I've ever been taught and trying to evaluate what's really true, what's just tradition, and what's outright wrong. So my testimony is kind of just starting, honestly. I don't have any dramatic conversion story (though I was baptized in January in a church where they forgot to turn on the heater in the baptistry so that's a vivid memory XD) but I'm in the middle of some kind of reformation, rediscovering the beauty and hope of my faith, and we'll have to see what comes out the other side.

Sooooo... yeah. That's the answer there. Probably a bit heavier than you were expecting, so sorry about that. :) Being a Christian on this webbed site isn't exactly... a popular option, so I feel a leeeeettle defensive about the faith that I've worked dang hard to keep and am working even harder to grow like some stunted little bonsai tree LOL.

But thank you so much for the question! And we had a lovely and safe trip back, so thanks for those well-wishes too. <3

#redwinteranswers #cw religion #cw religious trauma #<- hopefully the read-more is enough but just in case we'll stick those tags on there too

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 1 year

Text

Just gonna weigh in on the Hogwarts Legacy drama real quick

If you've dipped your toes in the tag, you've seen what a storm it is. Also, if you follow my posts, you likely already know my thoughts. Still.

I'm someone who's not giving Rowling one cent ever again, and I'm not buying the game for that reason. If at some point, I have the opportunity to play the game without supporting Rowling, then I probably will, out of curiosity if nothing else, but I'm definitely not going out of my way. Of course, I can always use an emulator, which is an easy enough solution, but we'll see.

I've not played, but I've seen footage, including details about the whole controversy with the Goblins. I have my doubts that they were ever intended to be a stereotype, but the stereotype still exists and this game...does not help. One of the primary antagonists is a Goblin and so far as I can tell, they don't make him sympathetic or offer the option to side with him. They should have done that, especially considering how many eyes are on the Goblins right now. This game could have been a chance to at least try and "redeem" them. Seems like it failed on that end. Which probably means it will wind up doing more harm in the long run. (I'm not Jewish, so I'm not really qualified to speculate, but it would follow the pattern.)

There's also the Rowling issue. That being, she's an active transphobe doing real harm and the money that goes into her pocket is then spent on contributing to this harm. Which is why I'm not buying the game and I don't believe you should either. I'm not a trans woman, which is who she primarily targets, but I am nonbinary, so I know where I stand and I choose to stand with pride.

That said. I'm not going to say you're a bad person if you do choose to play the game. (Especially if you pirate it.) I won't decry you or proclaim that you're not an ally, because to be frank...that's not really for me to decide. I can't speak to the actions you've taken in the past, or will take in the future. Only you know if your conscience is clear. Only you know what your beliefs are and what you're willing to sacrifice for them. Some of the more dedicated boy-cotters are drawing a line in the sand, arguing that anyone who plays Hogwarts Legacy has chosen their side, and stands with Antisemites and Transphobes. To me, that's senseless, and not altogether helpful.

To such folks, I have to say that I think your heart is definitely in the right place, and I appreciate the passionate defense. But you're attacking the wrong people. In some cases, I've seen people posting major spoilers online without tagging them, purely out of spite. That's...not helpful, and it's very immature. Punishing the average fan for wanting to play #ThatWizardGame isn't going to do anything but ruin their day. It won't stop Rowling's agenda. Really, I'm not sure what can at this point. Bigots will continue to inflict harm upon the world regardless of whether or not a single video game from an already timeless franchise does well. The Harry Potter brand makes a metric fuckton of money and so does Rowling. That would still be true even if the game bombed. I'm not saying we shouldn't do our parts to fight back, but I live in a dystopian capitalistic society and it's also not lost on me that this was always a rigged fight.

Because there's no ethical consumption under unregulated capitalism.

I realize that's a meme at this point, and I've seen a lot of arguments about this very point. I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment about most of it. For instance, I won't comment on the game developers and whether or not Hogwarts Legacy should be successful for their sake. That's a debate that I don't know enough to participate in. But I have seen allies who make a very good point, that there's a difference between having to buy clothes that were made in a sweat shop because public nudity is not an option...and having to go without a game you want. Those two things are worlds apart. I'm also aware that the idea of "separating art from the artist" doesn't really fly when said artist is still alive, still profiting from our support, and still has a platform with which she is doing genuine harm.

However, it strikes me as odd that this one game is what everything rides on. Because countless people follow mega-corporations that they do not have to, despite being self-proclaimed allies of the minorities that these corporations have always harmed. I'm willing to bet that some of the boy-cotters do as well. If playing Hogwarts Legacy makes you a transphobe, and an antisemite...then it stands to reason that having a Disney Plus subscription makes you a homophobe, and a racist. Nobody has to support them. Oh, but you just really want to watch Star Wars, right? I could say the same thing about anyone who has an Apple device. While Smartphones have become the only real phone on the market, there are other brands available. What about Marvel, and the fiasco with Chris Pratt? See, this is what I mean. This is why I feel like (most of us) have no right to judge other people for a choice that, to them, probably seems as meaningless as watching a Disney movie. Even if you're totally clean and have no metaphorical skeletons in your pocket, I still think judging the people who do is a bad idea, and a waste of your time.

Media is not the same as things that are essential to life, but it's an all-encompassing aspect of our culture and for a lot of people, it's almost like a kind of addiction. I think blaming the people who consume the problematic media is pointing your finger in the wrong direction. Make no mistake, there are bigots who will support this game, and do so proudly, specifically because they agree with Rowling's crap, but that's not going to be everyone. There will be people on our side who play the game, and I think alienating them is just a terrible move, pragmatically speaking. This gets into a bigger discussion about radical beliefs versus moderate beliefs but again, I am a pragmatist. The majority of my political views do fall on the "radical" side, but if we abandon the "moderates" because they're not "doing enough"...the other side will swoop in to win them over. I get that it might be frustrating, that you might not respect someone who claims to be an ally but chooses to play HPHL anyway. But if you can stomach it, you should, because we're much more likely to recruit them.

So that's my advice. Don't die on this hill. Because even if it shouldn't, it makes us look like the bad guys.

One more thing, if you think the game looks objectively bad, then fair enough, but...I have to assume at least some of you are kidding yourselves, or trying to bash HPHL just for the sake of it. Graphically, the game is very advanced, and I don't think it make me a bigot to say that it's aesthetically pleasing. This reminds me lot of the people who pretend the books are retroactively bad and "always were." It makes it very difficult to take you seriously. Cash cows don't emerge from crappy books. Rowling doesn't have to be a good person to be a skilled writer. Bad people can have talents, and there's a reason that Harry Potter took off. It's a great series. For a lot of us, it's more than that.

I'm someone who had a #HardChildhood and I'm (probably, but not diagnosed) neurodivergent in various ways that resulted in fiction being my escapism from the trauma of real life, the Harry Potter books being my first real taste of reading and writing. Stories and their universes have always been my passion, and Harry Potter was the first. It's a part of who I am, and I know I'm not alone in that. I know there are Potterheads out there who can't begin to imagine trying to cut HP out of themselves, and don't feel like they should have to. The books didn't hurt anyone, right? The game isn't responsible for Rowling's bigotry. Well, no, but supporting the game does translate to supporting her, as unfair as that might be. To such people who have dug in their heels, I get it. I really do. It's hard. People mock you for it and infantilize you, but it really is hard. For some of us, it's like grappling with a childhood friend or family member who turns their back on us.

I've struggled with this a lot, wrestled with myself and gone back and forth. What my responsibility is as an ally, what it says about me that I'm still a Harry Potter fan. What I should do about #ThatWizardGame. (Or as some of the critics have dubbed it "Blood Libel: The Game. Which is definitely provocative but I admit, it got a dark chuckle out of me.) For instance, how should we interact with the game? Do we refuse to acknowledge it's existence? Would that even help? Again, it's going to burn across the internet like fireworks, no matter what we do. Giving it the silent treatment won't change that. Anymore than refusing to buy the game will stop Rowling from being rich. (Which is not to say we shouldn't still try, just that it feels a little hopeless sometimes.)

But on the other hand, is talking about the game and engaging with it in the fandom, discussing the plot and characters and so on...is that acceptable? Or is it a slap in the face to the Jewish and Trans communities? For instance, my blog gets a lot of anon messages, and I can already tell I'm going to get several of them about Hogwarts Legacy. (I've already gotten a few.) Is it wrong for me to respond? Does it "count" if I haven't initiated the conversation? What if I feel inclined to craft an OC for this particular era of the Potterverse? Is that bad? It's not as though I'll be making posts saying "And now a word from our sponsor, Nord VPN Hogwarts Legacy!" It's a tricky field to navigate, though I'm sure most people boycotting the game would tell me not to interact at all and stop overthinking it. Still, as this blog has spent the last few years talking about Hogwarts Mystery...is that any better? I can see how giving #ThatWizardGame exposure is a problem. Then again...this is Tumblr. I feel as though Tumblr exposure should probably come with an asterisk. It's a "dead" website that is the antithesis of any other platform building site.

What about Let's Plays? Do I unsubscribe from any channel that plays this game? Because plenty of Let's Players do this for a living and their paycheck depends on playing all of the topical games. I hear that there are Hogwarts Legacy streams that are hosting donations to support the Trans community. Which is a downright hilarious middle finger to Rowling, but on the other hand, that could just as easily be done with a different game. One way or another, I have a friend who's making a Let's Play and she's told me outright that she doesn't want to get involved in the drama. Which I consider to be more than fair. Some people just don't want to get involved in politics. It's true that abstaining from these discussions is lot easier the more privilege you have, but that doesn't erase a person's right to make that choice. Politics can be murder on a person's mental health. Is it wrong for me to support my friend as she enjoys the game? I genuinely don't know.

I don't believe that simply asking questions or engaging in conversations is inherently bad. I'm rarely sure about what I should do and in my experience, people who are always certain can still make mistakes, but they're far less likely to believe they do. I don't believe it makes me a bad person or a false ally to weigh the various factors. Having these conversations, (with each other, not the bigots) and having them politely and in good faith, is how we grow as people. It's how we communicate. It's how we unite against threats like bigotry. Facing these threats can take courage, and integrity. Which isn't always easy, but no one ever said doing the right thing was easy. Doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. Each and every day, we make choices, and we have to determine which ones are good or bad. In this case, though, addressing my fellow potter-heads, those waiting in line to buy the game, those who have an emotional connection to this universe as I do...I can only encourage you to follow the word of a man we're all quite familiar with. A man who is... a lot of things, but he was also extremely wise.

We have to choose between what is right and what is easy.

At the end of the day, here's my point. It's just a video game. To the critics, remember that before you go bullying people for choosing to play it. (Or at least cancel your Disney + subscription first.) Rowling's empire does not live or die on a few nerds sharing head-canons in the back alley of a hellsite like this. But to the players, ask yourselves if engaging with HPHL is actually worth it. If it means that much to you. A simple video game isn't worth supporting antisemitic subtext from a transphobic creator and I think, deep down, a lot of you know that. There are plenty of other open world RPGs you can use to scratch that itch. Go play Witcher, go play Skyrim. If it's the Potterverse you're missing, just reread the books. (I assume you already have them.) But the game also isn't worth infighting among people who are basically on the same side. There's a difference between being a bigot and just being a nerd. Let's all try and remember who the real enemy is here, and do our part to resist them.

Because it really is just a video game. And these problems are much bigger than whether or not you boycott it.

(I welcome discussion in comments and reblogs, or if you want to go into my inbox, feel free. Let's just keep things friendly, or at least civil. So long as you stand with the Trans and Jewish communities, we are all on the same side.)

#Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy #Harry Potter #J.K. Rowling #Anti J.K. Rowling #Antisemitism #Transphobia #Allyship #Politics #Disney #Capitalism #Hogwarts Legacy #Long Post #Just one cat's opinion #Blair Speaks

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rollercoasterwords · 2 years

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algorithms are destroying the world make your own gd decisions about shit

if you hate freedom so much go read a google ads round robin fanfic on ff.n (I think Michelin and Bridgeport are doing the enemies to lovers back and forth rn) or go 😳 at whatever happened to lj

or change all the names and sell your erotica to bellsaplus; just know that the writing is better, and the porn is more diverse on ao3

🥂

(I say porn but JEEZ guys even if you’re reading nothing but gen-fic the writing is still usually trying to say something unlike the useless pap that capitalist “content creators” churn out — to generate clicks in order to generate data on what people do everyday sitting and watching or better—-shopping. that data is then sold to other bidders. please protect the plentiful, the beautiful, the ao3. god knows what anyone would say if they say my ao3 history)

wow ok coming in hot! i'm assuming this message is meant to be like...ranting at me the way u would to a friend on facetime and that the "you" you're yelling at isn't actually me? and i am also going to take a wild guess and say that this is a response to the tiktokification essay i wrote that has escaped its enclosure and is now running wild across tumblr. so.

yes i agree we need to protect ao3 and yes i agree anything made for the sole purpose of getting as many people to click on it as possible is probably going to be pretty soulless but i feel like this rant is maybe getting slightly away from what the original intent of my post so i'm just gonna use this as an opportunity to address a few things i've seen across people's responses that have made me like :/ (warning this gets long lmao)

the tiktokification essay was not intended to be an all-encompassing analysis of the way things are across every fandom space connected to ao3. like. i am pretty secluded over in my little corner of marauders-fandom tumblr and i generally post my little essays expecting maybe like...10-20 people to interact with the post? like, when i post stuff on this blog, it's just because when i start thinking about something i can't really relax until i sit down and write my thoughts out and organize them. so when i'm posting those thoughts on tumblr it usually feels to me like the equivalent of facetiming a friend and rambling at them, except the friend is my little handful of beloved tumblr mutuals <3 anyway, i know the post is called "the tiktokification of ao3" which is a very broad statement, but that's just because i like pithy titles. if i had known it was going to run amok across tumblr i probably would have been a little more intentional with my phrasing, but oh well! what i did do is specify in the post that i was only talking about the marauders fandom, because that's literally the only fandom space that i am a part of. it's interesting to see how widespread the stuff i was talking about seems to be across different fandoms, but for anyone who has interacted with the post to essentially just be like - "ok but this isn't true everywhere/in every case"....cool! that's because i was talking about a phenomenon i have observed specifically within the marauders fandom.

it was also not intended to be me shaking my fist and cursing the youth, nor was i trying to invite like...an "us vs. them" mindset between older and younger members of fandom spaces. this is where i've seen some stuff that's made me a little like...hm. because, ok. i am one of those people who's sort of in-between the like...older versus younger sects of fandom spaces. and so i see the ageism that gets aimed towards older people by a lot of younger teens, and i understand why a lot of older adults are fed up with young fans and feel defensive, and i get that teens can be annoying on the internet. on the other hand, i still very clearly remember when i was an Annoying Teen on the Internet, and it was because i was still just...learning, y'know? like. i was just coming into contact with complex ideas about emotion and morality and relationships and everything, and that is just part of being on the internet together. there will always be shitty people, yes, but there will also always be people learning, and especially when those people are young teens, i personally tend to try and start out by giving them the benefit of the doubt. like, i tried to be clear in the post and also included in the tags (though those do get lost when the post gets spread around) that i wasn't trying to condemn anyone for engaging in the behavior i was talking about, because i do genuinely think that a lot of it is simply coming from a place of not knowing any better. so, while y'all can vent however you want on your own blogs and i do understand the frustration, i just want to make it clear that my own intention was to say - hey! younger marauders fans! here are some things to think about moving forward in how you interact with fic, since you have maybe grown up with only one model of social media, unlike those of us who grew up with the internet (i was literally born the same year google was invented) and have seen various examples of social media and observed how it's changed over the years. and it was also intended to say - hey! older marauders fans! if you're scratching your head and wondering wtf is going on with younger fans, consider that they maybe genuinely do not know better and this might help explain some of the roadblocks when it comes to trying to communicate with each other about our fandom spaces.

i did not intend to imply that there is anything wrong with wanting people to read your fanfiction. this is another thing that like. i might have spent some more time clarifying had i known how many people were going to be reading the post. but i did state very clearly that "those sharing their work online might be seeking community, but that is fundamentally different from seeking an audience." it is completely natural and understandable to want people to read your writing!! i actually made a separate post about this after the tiktokification essay but obviously they're not going around as a pair lol. however, i stand by the statement that writing fanfiction with a goal of going "viral" or just getting as much interaction as possible is not sustainable and will not bring you deep or lasting joy. idk i'm not gonna go on about this here if u want to know my thoughts on social media culture rot u can scroll through my blog i've talked abt it in a few different posts.

i was not trying to say that negativity is a new phenomenon in fandom spaces. a few people have interacted with the essay and said something along the lines of "i disagree with this"/"this isn't accurate" because there always have been and always will be people in fandom spaces who are entitled and rude and criticize fic. which like...cool! i'm sure that's true. i do think you missed the point of the post a little bit. it was specifically about a phenomenon in the marauders fandom involving the way that changes in social media over recent years have fundamentally altered the way we view online interaction, and the way i have observed that bleeding over into the marauders fandom. it wasn't just about general negativity in terms of things like comments and messages so much as it was about how expectations relating to influencer culture and virality have led to things like...people making tiktoks about "jegulus fics i hate" or fics going viral on tiktok and people then interacting with the writers as though they are the ones who made those tiktoks. and granted, i have only really been involved in this fandom for a single year, so maybe i'm just wrong about how new this is! but the tiktok stuff at least can't be older than like...2020. so. i do actually do think it's valid to talk about how changes in social media culture might be affecting the ways people interact with ao3 and fic, and i do think there's more to it than just "people will always be negative and entitled sometimes!"

i was not trying to say that we have a right to treat influencers/people posting shit on other social media sites as though they are products. this is another thing that a few people have felt the need to add on, which...okay. nothing wrong with wanting to clarify that. again, if i'd known the post was going to get so much attention, i might have spent some more time talking about it. but i'll just clarify here - my observations about the way capitalism gives rise to an influencer culture that essentially leads to viewing people as products are just that. they are observations. they are not normative statements. just because i understand why we interact with influencers like that does not mean that i think we should interact with influencers like that. however, there is a difference in an influencer whose job is content creation on social media versus an ao3 writer, and the purpose of my essay was to talk about that. saying "we shouldn't treat ao3 writers this way" does not mean "but we SHOULD treat all influencers this way."

anyway, as i warned at the beginning, this got very long -- and honestly, each of these points could probably be its own separate essay, but....i'm tired rn lol. i know that most of the people reblogging the tiktokification essay probably will not come all the way to my blog and run across this post, but i'm just leaving it here because i get grumpy easily and it's annoying to see people misinterpreting or missing the point, so i want to have all the little things i've thought about addressing in one place.

and anon - the main reason i say you may have been getting slightly away from the original point is just

1 - it had nothing to do specifically with porn, and that seems to be mostly what you're talking about? which like. real. but also just wasn't really part of the original post lmao

2 - you seem pretty angry, which again is valid, but i'm just...not. like i feel like u came into my inbox wanting to rant back and forth, and the thing is that i wasn't really intending to rant in that essay! like i said, i'm not necessarily angry at the people i've seen asking for algorithms, because i think a lot of them genuinely don't know better because they have only ever used social media that is algorithm-based, and to me that's mostly just sad and something i wanted to pick apart and piece back together like a puzzle, so. apologies for hijacking your rant to as an excuse to write a whole 'nother essay lmao i appreciate ur energy tho <3

#this got!! so long!!#but it's essentially just me clarifying shit #that i didn't clarify in the original essay #because i was not expecting it to get so much attention #so...here we are lol #ask #ranting and raving

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