#but still pretty damn racist

[tiredlyinfandom]

My experience with the library system of the American Public School program

I would like to begin with some background of my literary experience. I was raised by a mother who did not believe in censoring what I read. I was not allowed to read her very clearly trashy romances until I was 18 (side note, I read much worse smut at 13. Comedy romances are pretty good though). I was basically allowed to get and read whatever I wanted. That's how it was for me.

So, I went from Magic Treehouse in first grade, to middle school novels by the time I was in the third grade. I was a big fan of my older sister's spy novels at the time. I was making leaps and bounds in my reading and language comprehension. And then of course, our schools got too crowded and I was redistricted into a middle school for fifth grade. I was excited at first, I would have access to the books that were in my reading level, right?

Wrong.

First library day rolled around, and we were told we could only check out books that were grade level appropriate for our group. Try telling this to a mousy me who had never been told a book was too mature for me. Me, who went to the library once a week during the summer, and read two to three three-hundred page books in one day, staying up all night because I had to know the ending and it couldn't wait until morning.

So I looked around and found that spy novel I remembered reading in third grade. I tried to check it out, only to be told that it was a middle school book. So I had to put it back, I would then pull several books that I had read before, because I had asked my older sister if I could read them from her book shelf. All too mature for a fifth grader.

I eventually settled with a book trilogy I had read before last summer that I knew I would be allowed to get.

A few weeks later we took that stupid reading level test. I, young, 10ish years old, had the reading level of 14-15 year old. I was supposed to be reading three grades above where I was.

So I, smart boy that I was, talked to my mom, told her everything, talked to the librarians, teachers and the principal to negotiate a way for me to read within my actual level. We suggested permission slips. we got shot down, the middle schoolers were taking the books meant for my age range, meaning we had no books to read.

I read the same series eight times, librarians tried to give me new books but I owned most of the good series, read and reread them long before I had been "of age" to comprehend the stories.

Middle school rolled around and I had begun reading Jules Verne, Sherlock Holmes, and had tried to convince my mother to let me buy a book on the murders of Jack the Ripper when I was 11. (My gram was on board, she appreciated my healthy curiosity in the morbid. my mom? Less so).

So yeah, I learned about the censoring of reading by 10, and at that point I was pissed, I didn't like that, I was never one to be told no on my reading material. So I began reading more than what they would have wanted me to.

Now I'm anti government, and censorship of literature is the largest downfall of man. One of the first thing we learn in middle school is the book burnings the Nazis did in Germany. That was the first thing we learned about, to show that a government was controlling.

AND GUESS WHAT.

Controlling the flow of information is fucking fascist. And we have both challenged and banned books, I have read several. Granted, just because a book has been challenged or banned in some places and or schools does not mean a child want's to read about an infant shoved into a freeze when they're 15. I have read Anne Frank, Over the Cuckoo's nest, Of Mice and Men, When the Street Cars Come Back. Those were required readings, and I hated them, Anne Frank had so much trauma, Over the Cuckoo's Nest was written by a white man in the perspective of a mute Native American man. Of Mice and Men was Ableist and infantilizing of character's with a disability, causing us to feel sympathy before hitting us with the "shoot the man with a mental issue because he's better off dead". When the Street Cars Come Back had, among other things, incest, rape, abuse, infant murder, murdered infant in a chest freezer as black mail.

Now if you want to read these things, go on, you can, I just don't think kids should read on murder and war, death and rape, as a requirement. Do I know what should be implemented instead? Hell no, I'm not a teacher, I'm a college student who likes to write. Kids should read stories that teach them lessons and inspire them to push boundaries, not scare them into conformity.

All this to say, I'm still fucking bitter that my school wouldn't let me read spy novels at the age of 10. Fuck you guys, now I write porn on patreon.

(Plug for the patreon: lemon_yard is the username, go support my gay ass, if you want)

[chrismcshell]

theres a provincial election happening in ontario right now & there’s this new “New Blue” party & the house right across from mine - visible from my bedroom window - has a couple of New Blue lawn signs.

i finally looked up what exactly the New Blue party is, & apparently they’re a Socially Conservative party that was created because the existing Conservative party was too left-of-centre for them (fact check: the ontario “Progressive Conservative” party is very much centre-right, NOT centre-left). Doug Ford isnt right-wing enough for them. they want ontario to be MORE right-wing. they want to stop covid lockdowns & vaccine mandates. they want to stop “woke culture”; they want to stop “critical race theory” & “gender identity theory” being taught in schools.

and my neighbours support them. very cool i definitely feel safe here haha :-)

[deconstructthesoup]

Personal Ranking of the Fantasy High Moms, From Worst to Best:

Arianwen Abernant: -19999/10. She's not as bad as Angwyn, since she's convinced herself she's a good mother, but her "I just want the best for you" shtick isn't any better, and the fact that she's ignorant about how horrible she is doesn't make up for years of neglect. And she also attempted to rope her daughters into raising a being of pure nightmares because she lost her status, so.

Donna Applebees: 0/10. Conservative, racist, judgmental, only loves her kids conditionally... you get the gist. Also, she's absolutely a Karen.

Hallariel Seacaster: 3/10. Yes, I know, she's a MILF, she's got such an iconic vibe, she's a badass with a sword, but none of that excuses years of being emotionally absent from your son's life. She's not a bad person, but she unfortunately doesn't know how to be a mom. Sorry, Hallariel. I wish I could rank you higher.

The Last Phoenix: 5/10. Bird. She's a bird. We don't know enough about her except for the fact that she is the last phoenix, she started out as a "haha Arthur Aguefort is a crazy motherfucker" gag, and she gave us the incredible gift that is Ayda. I cannot rank her fairly, but given that she is Ayda's mom, she goes on the list.

Roz Last-Name-Unknown: 6/10. Same deal with Gorbag---we don't know enough about her for me to properly rank her, but we do know that she was a teen mom, and she's made the choice to reconnect with her son and be in his life. Props for that.

Sandralynn Faeth: 7.5/10. I am ranking her realistically, but let it be known that I love her so much. She is such a beautiful example of a flawed person who consistently tries to be better, and even though she does relapse into old behaviors, she's still growing---and outside of the serial cheating (that is a response to trauma, by the way) and occasional lapses in social skills, she's a pretty damn good mom, all things considered.

Cathilda Ceili: 8/10. She's the parent that Fabian needed, even if he didn't always realize it. She's sweet, she's caring, and if anybody hurts her boy, she will fucking rock your shit. (Also, the reveal of Cathilda being an incredibly fearsome and ruthless pirate outside of Solace was one of my favorites.)

Wilma Thistlespring: 9/10. She's a caring and supportive mom who writes songs, is sex-positive, and loves her son! Again, she does need to recognize when she's embarrassing Gorgug, and she needs to recognize that he's gotta learn how to be angry, but still! We all love her!

Lydia Barkrock: 9.6/10. While she doesn't quite get the full score due to the fact that her son was briefly an ass, it clearly was not her fault, and from what we've seen of her, she is a fantastic mom. She's a badass disabled powerhouse who cooks incredible spreads and cares about her son and his friends a lot. I love her a lot. She's amazing.

Sklonda Gukgak: 10/10. She took that spot in her very first scene, where she poured water in her cereal so Riz could have milk in his, and she's been holding it up ever since. Despite the fact that she's constantly swamped with work, Sklonda is literally one of the best moms you could ever ask for. She deserves the world and it's a constant injustice that she's not getting it.

Bonus: Garthy O'Brien, while having transcended gender and therefore not being able to fit into either of the "mom/dad" rankings, is an 11/10 parent---not just to Ayda, but to everyone younger than them who they've essentially adopted. Words cannot express my adoration for this person.

[quasi-normalcy]

Which Star Trek series should you start with?

The Original Series: Advantages: + The one that started it all + Has some sophisticated and socially conscious science fiction that has held up exceptionally well + The lead characters all have really good chemistry and fun to see play off of one another + It's what most people probably think of when you say Star Trek (together with TNG) Disadvantages: - It can feel very dated and kind of sexist, particularly in its treatment of women - The sci-fi and social commentary may have held up, but damn it, the special effects really haven't - When TOS is bad, it's really, really bad.

The Animated Series: Advantages: + Basically just more TOS. Disadvantages: - Basically just more TOS, but substituting extremely cheap animation for bad special effects

The Next Generation: Advantages: + Probably the most popular one at this point + The crew is full of interesting characters and they're fun to spend time with + Just really smart people solving Space Mysteries + Socialist space utopia + Geordi-And-Data! + Lots of cool sci-fi concepts and social commentary + It's what most people probably think of when you say Star Trek (together with TOS) Disadvantages: - Although not in the same way as TOS, it can feel dated at times, particularly in terms of its treatment of women and it's near complete refusal to acknowledge queerness - Without wanting to bias viewer opinion, the first season is widely considered to be pretty bad - The series makes no bones about the fact that the socialist space utopia is better than every other society that has ever existed and will reiterate this point over and over again

Deep Space Nine: Advantages: + The most popular Trek series on Tumblr + Has a complete story arc, as well as arcs for all of its characters, including the extremely minor ones + Plain, simple, Garak. The humble tailor. + Garashir, if you're into that + Seriously has a really sophisticated treatment of things like post-colonial politics, anthropology, worldbuilding, and the horrors of warfare + Just the characters in general + Is the only Star Trek prior to the 2010s to even look meaningfully at queer representation Disadvantages: - Has an absolutely massive inferiority complex with respect to TNG and this drives a few poor writing decisions that seemingly exist just to poke the Socialist Space Utopia in its eye - Introduces a space religion and then just slowly turns it into Christianity with the numbers filed off - Seems to think that sexual harassment is just a quirky eccentricity - There's no women in its writers' room, and frankly it shows

Voyager: Advantages: + Probably the clearest instance of found family in space + Lots of really good episodes + Lots of fun new characters + Strong female role models + "Set a course...for home." Disadvantages: - Continuity? I never knew her! - Probably about 90% of Trek's reputation for technobabble comes from this one series - Even less queerness than TNG. - Only like...3 characters actually get arcs. - The first few seasons lean very hard into bullshit fake "Native American" spiritualism with one of the characters - How do these guys have warp drive but can't find any water?

Enterprise: Advantages: + Chronologically the first series + 90% less technobabble + The only series to plausibly frame our heroes as astronauts...on some kind of...star trek. + Still has probably the best production values of any series + Makes alien cultures of the week feel somehow richer and deeper than other series + Faith of the Heart is good, fuck you. Disadvantages: - Oh my god, the decon scenes - Seriously, if you've ever wondered what a "sexy" series written by a 14 year old boy who's only ever seen a bit of scrambled softcore porn on late-night cable would be like, this is the show for you - Somehow feels more sexist and racist than the show from the '60s - Seriously, the POC characters mostly exist to fill seats on the bridge; the women constantly have to undress themselves - Hellooooo, Bush II-era political analogies - Scott Bakula is a good actor but you wouldn't know it from this series - In season 3, they add a tambourine beat to Faith of the Heart and ruin it

Discovery: Advantages: + Noticed the lack of queer characters in the first 50 years of Star Trek canon and decided to make up for lost time + Seriously, the "Bury Your Gays" tally for this series is like...negative two + Just incredible representation in general + Some really good science fiction plots, particularly in later series + Some really fun, memorable characters + It's still running, so it has an active fandom on Tumblr Disadvantages: - Makes Elon Musk out to be one of the great visionary geniuses of history - Not really representative of Star Trek as a whole - The series swerves wildly in tone because of constant, behind-the-scenes churn in the writers' room - Offputtingly grimdark first season - Let's be honest, none of the season-long arcs have actually had satisfying conclusions - Half the cast feels like it's just there for exposition and to be killed for cheap drama

Picard: Advantages: + Has the best dramatic acting of any Star Trek series by a fair margin + Has the best musical score of any Star Trek series + Introduces a whole crew of fascinating new characters + Introduces all kinds of fascinating transhumanist concepts + AGNES. JURATI. Disadvantages: - You know all of those fascinating new characters that I mentioned? Yeah, it unceremoniously gets rid of all of them to bring back the old TNG gang. - You know that all of those fascinating transhumanist concepts that I mentioned? Yeah, it gets rid of those too so that to give us some generic action - Oh my god, someone teach the set designers to operate a fucking light switch - Grimdark - Nossssstalgia - Each season is basically unrelated to every other season - Depends so heavily on TNG that its final season is basically unwatchable if you haven't already seen a 30-year-old TV series

Lower Decks: Advantages: + It has probably the most efficient storytelling that I've ever seen; seriously, it's incredible how much it can fit into a half hour episode + It has a bunch of delightful, archetypical characters you get to know and love + You like hanging out with these people + The ship is kind of crap and you will learn to love it that way. + Basically a sitcom version of TNG. + Has a big fandom on Tumblr Disadvantages: - The art style is pretty Rick & Morty-ish - It takes most of its first season to really strike a good balance between being a sitcom and being a Star Trek series - The main character, Mariner, is kind of unlikable for the first season or so (she gets better) - Lots of callbacks to other series (though always either incidental or clearly explained) - Given that it's the first Star Trek sitcom, the comedy is honestly kinda the weakest part? Subjective I know.

Prodigy: Advantages: + Absolutely gorgeous to look at; the most visually stunning Star Trek by quite a ways + Lots of fun new characters on a cool ship + Gives you clear on-boarding notes to the Star Trek franchise if you're watching it for the first time + Can be watched on its own, but also works as a direct sequel to Voyager and a prequel to Picard (making both of them retoractively better, in fact) + Kind of like the Clone Wars or Rebels of the Star Trek universe, I guess? + Found family in space! The next generation! + Soon to be running on Netflix, so if you already have a Netflix subscription, you don't need to pay for another service + Written for a younger audience. Not necessarily an advantage, but nice if you happen to like family friendly animation or YA. Disadvantages: - *sigh* You basically need to pirate it. Thanks, Paramount. - Has a second season that we may or may not ever actually get to see even through piracy. Thanks, Paramount. - Isn't airing on the same streaming service as all of the other ones. Thanks, Paramount

Strange New Worlds: Advantages: + Basically what the original series would be if it were released today, rather than 57 years ago; all of the cool, socially consciousness sci-fi adventure, none of the weird 60s sexism + Fun, awesome characters you get to like spending time with right away + Incredible visuals + Nifty sci-fi concepts, mostly without the 90s-style technobabble Disadvantages: - A huge cast with only ten episodes a season, so many of them feel underdeveloped - Unfortunately, a bunch of its characters are younger versions of the characters from The Original Series, and they hog most of the spotlight; and the characters whose futures aren't locked in stone are kind of treated as disposable - In general, it needs to spend less time being a prequel, and more time being its own thing - "What if Starfleet ran into the Xenomorphs from Alien?" "Well, they'd probably kill them." "Okay, let's spend several episodes on this."

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

"Are you asleep back there?"

The response at first was just the rustling of fabric as Daryl shifted in the back seat of the SUV the two of you were hiding from the storm in. The rain had slowed and was now just a soft pitter patter on the roof. "If I was, I wouldn't be anymore, would I?"

Your face appeared between the two front seats, peering back at him. "Right... Sorry. I just—I can't sleep."

Daryl sighed and sat up, stretching his tall frame as much as he could in the cramped space. "Yeah, me neither," he drawled.

"It's kind of funny, isn't it? Us being run partners now," you said.

Daryl rubbed a hand thoughtfully over his mouth and chin. "What d'ya mean by 'funny'?"

This drew a small laugh from you and you paused thoughtfully. "Um—I guess, just compared to how things used to be."

Daryl hummed a vague acknowledgement and stared down at his hands. He still always felt a bit sick at the memory of how things had been between the two of you, though he couldn't say he completely blamed you alone. He hadn't helped his own case much in the beginning.

There was a moment of silence that felt suddenly thick. You sounded a bit guilty when you spoke again, still leaning toward him with your chin resting on your hand on the seat. "I—I used to hate you, you know... Well, hate is probably too strong a word. Really dislike."

Daryl's blue eyes shot up to meet yours and you found them, to your own anxiety, unreadable. "Yeah. I know," he drawled.

"I thought you were pigheaded and brash and immature and insensitive—"

He laughed a little dryly. "Easy now, ya know I can't take compliments well."

You gave him a sympathetic look. "—and I wrongly assumed that the way Merle was, that you'd be too."

He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "Ya mean a racist sonofabitch?"

"And sexist..." you explained apologetically. Daryl nodded knowingly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed so much."

"S'alrigh'. To be fair, back then I was pretty much angry, insensitive, and stubborn."

"We were practically kids," you said. "Anyway, do you know how I feel about you now?" you asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Darryl's eyes met yours again in the dim glow of the lantern hanging from the hanger hook above and he shook his head. "No. Not really."

You got that damn smile on your face then, the half-smile that still touched your eyes and sent them sparking. "Do you want to?"

Daryl's brow furrowed. "Is this some kinda trick question? Who the hell goes around just tellin' people what exactly they actually think 'bout 'em?"

You laughed and shrugged. "Me, I guess." You only paused for another moment. "Now? You're my favorite. Period."

Daryl gulped and thanked the universe that it was dark in there so you wouldn't see the red flush that he was sure accompanied the heat he felt in his ears and face, spilling out from his chest.

Prompt: "I used to hate you, you know." / "Yeah, I know." / "Do you know how I feel about you now?" / "No. Not really."

[hero-israel]

I think there needs to be a reckoning about how so many white (passing) American secular/nonpracticing antiZionist Jews can say "Not in my name, Israel doesn't speak for us!" and then think they can speak for Israel. How so many of them can have a limited familial connection to Israel, have such a disdain for Israelis, Israeli culture and society, and Israel as a concept, and then have the gall to act like their opinions matter?

I see their attitudes be described as fear, but to me it strikes me as more than just fear. A lot of them, I suspect, have incorporated antiZionism as a fundamental part of their Jewish identity. It's not just a disagreement, they're not just saving face. Take away the Goyim and talk to them privately and they still believe what they believe, and express it in the same way. They hate Israeli Jews.

And Israel is only going to become less Ashkenazi (aka less "white") as time marches forward. The bad faith hysterical Israel bashing and condescension is only going to look more and more like Orientalism, and frankly, racism.

I think it's very possible that calling something antisemitic can't just be a catchall term when this chicken comes home to roost. I think if there aren't already, there will be distinct forms of antisemitism, some that only Diaspora Jews face and some that only Israeli Jews face. And if this is true or will end up being true, it's pretty important that we not speak over each other's experiences. To do that we have to recognize these experiences and respect them. Do some Israeli Jews disrespect the Diaspora experience? Yes, from what I've seen. Is it nearly as vitriolic and is it growing nearly as quickly as the disrespect for the Israeli experience among antiZionist American Jews? Not even close.

All this divisive language to say: sometimes when Israelis say "so and so is antisemitic!" in the context of antiZionism, they're talking about themselves, their experiences, the stakes for them, and not Americans. So maybe we should all learn to stay in our lanes sometimes.

A lot of Israeli Jews disrespect, or at least are unable to grasp, diaspora existence, particularly when it comes to Americans. I can't even count the number of times I read Israelis say "Why are you American Jews so upset about Trump? Don't you see how good he's been for Israel?" Which is the worst damn argument a person could possibly use - it feeds into both left-wing and right-wing antisemitism, while ignoring that American Jews live HERE and are at risk from Trump's fascist cult and general lawlessness. And it is bad FOR EVERYBODY to have "pro-Israel" become the position of stroke-babbling grotesque racist criminals, and also for America to be too focused on anarchic decomposition and Yugoslav-style street warfare to be able to support Israel like it traditionally has.

And because turds of a feather flush together, Netanyahu wants ALAN DERSHOWITZ to be Israel's advocate if the ICJ case proceeds. I knew Netanyahu was a senile failure undermining all the strengths he had ever built for the country and this is just the shit cherry on top of the shit sundae. Alan Dershowitz is the ultimate stereotype of a Boomer who was kind of useful in the 1980s-90s and became awful and embarrassing now, Trump is surrounded by them (i.e. Rudy Giuliani). Your grandma in Florida remembers Alan Dershowitz for writing "Chutzpah" and being tough and quick-witted, and everybody under 40 knows Dershowitz as a Trump cultist and Epstein fuckbuddy. Big "Vladek Spiegelman can only compare his artist son to Walt Disney" energy. There are surely thousands of lawyers better-suited for the role, just off the top of my head I'd prefer Eugene Kontorovich and so should anyone who is more aware of the world as it actually is than how it was in 1994.

I say all that to parallel your original point, not to contradict it. Yes, the American Jews who performatively loathe Israel are by and large just an Extremely Online phenomenon of the most college-town bubble-protected, least observant, least affiliated, and least aware of non-Ashkenazim. It is not so hard for American Ashkenazim to stay protected from antisemitism as long as they totally unplug from their Jewish identity and any public-facing aspects of it. Can't be killed in a synagogue or JCC or kosher store if you never go in, head tap.

[ganondoodle]

"bc i find it weird and uncomfortable how nintendo treats and comments on Riju and the gerudo as a whole"

Could you elaborate on this? Outside of men perving on the Gerudo (which is honestly just representative of real life scenarios) I can't think of anything problematic in regards to how they or Riju are treated. (Her being put into power at such a young age is questionable but that's just one of the downfalls of hereditary ruling I think.)

This is genuine, I'm not trying to be sarcastic or obtuse or anything! I never noticed anything overtly concerning so I just was curious what you were referring to. (Sorry I'm sure there's a post or something I missed where you were talking about it.)

so, this ask comes off as a little weird since the Gerudo are very overtly orientalist/racist stereotypes and you can just .. .research it instead but, given that i recently got an ask from someone saying they were 14 i will answer it bc i know sometimes you think first about asking someone about something instead of looking it up yourself

so, mind you, i am not a person of color, and the issues are a giant can of worms i cannot possibly go into every detail of nor know every detail of

the Gerudo, both in older games and new ones (botw/totk) are basically a bunch of stereotypes about black and arab people rolled into one, they are based on a mish mash of middle eatern cultures together with popular stereotypes about them

they wear stupidly impractical sexy clothing for people living in the desert, its very skin exposing (something that is the opposite of what you do living in an environment like that) and based on the wrong but popular idea of the 'belly dancer' outfit- an outfit that isnt sexual but was popularized as something akin to a strippers outfit by western people (colonizers im pretty sure .. who else) and is STILL used as that, they also wear high heels ... in the desert ......... a sand desert .... and wear heavy make up (like hylian women dont)

even worse then that the EXACT SAME outfit is used for the children as well, they too are put into heels, heavy makeup, and that 'belly dancer' outfit which is very VERY uncomfortable if you know what that oufit is largely seen as .. (even if youd try to argue that Riju wears it to seem more like a competent leader, it falls flat bc the children wear the same damn weird outfit as everyone else)

the Gerudo are also all very muscular in a way that no other women is in the game, which plays into the stereotype of black women being more masculine/mannish than uwu frail little white women and thus, among more, less women, or being able to feel less pain (yes that is an actual belief wtf??), while at the same time still sexualized

now in OOT they were thiefing evil women (thief being yet another stereotype for arabs as well as evil) whos only 'good' one both rejecting some of their tradition (kinda playing into the idea of those tradtions being wrong and adhering to the "good" traditions of western people is what makes you good) and is also abused throughout the game; in botw/totk they are not eviiiil but live in a closed to all men city and their entire society revolves around finding a hylian man to marry, their only goal in life is basically to find a man and have a family which i HOPE i dont have to explain why that is problematic (misogyny anyone) while it is treated by other NPCs as something to be conquered, something alien and other that beckons them to invade, they constantly try to get into the city where all da sexyyyy women are (hello????????????) and its less treated as disgusting and more like a haha little joke (in botw theres a guy circling around the city at all times??? excuse me?? and in totk the same guy is SNEAKING ON THE ROOFS OF THE HOUSES IN THE CITY LOOKING TO GET IN?????????????????)

the argument of that just being real life is ... not all wrong per se but the thing is, ONLY the Gerudo are treated like sexy things to be oogled at (both in OOT and botw/totk, possibly even more but i am not as familiar with all games in the franchise) and no other women from any species is eyebrow raising to say the least, and it never really gets called out either beyond making fun of that one guy by scamming him out of his boots by .. pretending to be a girl (pretty sure link is the only non Gerudo that is oogled at by anyone and its the creepiest creep)

then, with Riju in particular its made even worse that she is not just young but VERY young (which also begs the question why the fuck the Gerudo would put someone so young into the seat of leader of their entire region- something also no other race does), shes only 12 in botw and yet, like all the other children too, put into the same kind of outfit, but then theres also the commentary in the concept art book saying that "gerudo age faster than hylians and thats why shes got a mature air to her" which, among being a way to make how shes sexualized (both in outfit and at times camera angles- also applies to Urbosa) seem more okay (its not) and plays into the stereotype that people of color are quicker to gorw up and thus be treated as adults despite being children like any other child- hence why often in the news when a black child is shot they dont call them a child but "young man", using that to subtly shift it to seem more okay (like we are currently seeing in the genocide of palestine, news calling a murdered SIX year old palestinian "YOUNG WOMAN" while calling a 19 year old white soldier lady who got a little bruise an abused child)

and it also applies to Ganondorf, he is the epitome of evil arab men stereotype, power hungry abusive and ruling over lots of women (in this case its his entire race...), (with a hint of antisemitism too, his hooked nose being both used as an overemphasized feature for arabs and jewish people as a sign of their connection to the devil/sing of evil and to other them from white 'good little noses'- (((i want to yell about this so much bc big and hooked noses are so cool and beautiful argh))) and his skin tone being always some strange greyish-yellow color no one else has and even worse mint green in totks official art, despite him being very dark grey in model- green skin being yet another antisemitic trope PLUS playing into the whole idea that being evil means you also LOOK evil, whichs is often, who would have guessed- anything that isnt the traditional western beauty ideal of thin thin white and young)

while also in totk, he as well is sexualized with his new revealing outfit and the weird constant emphasis on how he is meant to be sexy to everyone alike (and it not being apparent in the game nor used in it) in multiple interviews with the main people in charge of the franchise- and his evilness being what all the Gerudo must atone for, they birthed this eviiil man (who is evil from birth i guess bc thats totally fine and logical) and they have to bear that sin for all eternity (as in dialog about him in the gerudo sage cutscene, plus the whole idea of the closed off city, despite there having been no ganondorf in thousands of years, being closed of to men as to shut out any potential Ganondorf or similar evil? though the latter im not sure how supported it is .. i cant remember every line of dialog ok) while the hyrulean monarchy and its uwu blonde god descdendants are never even confronted with the horrible shit they did, bc its fine if they torture and murder people (OOT and possibly more), chase them into the void or persecute their own servants bc da king got afraid they could rise up against him- with their only choice being give up their tech and knowledge to live under the royal rule (botw/totk ancient shiekah- shiekah, and its presented as a good thing, we are all happy beign the eternal servants of the monarchy :)))) or be killed, and the ones resisting are eviiiill and now a cult and also very stupid and silly and not to be taken seriously (yiga) while its mentioned once as a fun fact and never ever mentioned again, bc, the hyrulean monarchy is all god descendant uwu white blonde people that are so good you guys, everything they do is in the name of good uwu and neva to be questioned uwu bc obviously everyone that opposed to them is evil bc they are the perfectest good guys uwu

youd think, and i hoped, they would do better by now, in botw, the gerudo are not well done at all, different than before but still bad, but at least they introduced other people with darker skin tones that arent Gerudo so they are not the literal only people with non white skin anymore- but with totk espeically, they had the chance to make Ganondorf into an interesting villain with a point, maybe not even full blown villain, bc he has a point- he does but its not treated as such, its treated as if he is the most blatantly flat evil guy ever- even more flat and one note evil than all his previous appearances, which is frankly, quite insulting to say the least

look i wanted to keep it short but here we are, i dont know if this anon was genuinely being genuine or not (since bigots like to act all non offensive and like to ask you to explain your very obvious point ..) but i dont htink i ever talked about it as a whole so eh- i probably missed stuff but anyway, heres a good video about it for zelda in particular

[geeneelee]

I need an educated opinion: Which Disco Elysium character has the best ass?

Prelude:

Page 1 of ?? Your search for 'ass' gave many results and will be shown as several pages of 100. Perhaps a more specific search is in order?

Ass time.

For your viewing pleasure, anon: Every ass in Martinaise (of legal age) (that doesn't cause visual distortion when put on screen)

The objectively correct use of collage mode. Alas, many characters' derriers are obscured by that villain known as "clothing appropriate for March".

Okay so the obvious, most generic answer is Klaasje. She's hot! It's a plot point! Klaasje is canonically traditionally attractive, to her chagrin.

And behold! That's a pretty nice ass, IMO. But this ass has baggage and tragedy. It makes me sad. It's also kind of generically good. Let's go in search of a better ass.

Number 1: RACIST ASS

Measurehead's personality sort of ruins it but damn! Damn! Look at that ass. It's a good ass.

Number 2: RACIST ASS: WAR CRIMES EDITION

Why are the war criminals caked up? Why did the armor company lovingly sculpt each villain's ass just so? Is this a power move? I really hate it. Are those even their real asses?

Number 3: GROUPIE ASS

Measurehead Babe #3 has junk in the trunk!

Numbers 4 and 5: FACTION LEADER ASS

Despite their heavy outerwear, you can still see the outline of some impressive rear. Heavy is the ass that sits on the throne?

Number 7: WIDOW ASS

The Working Class Woman has some sizeable junk. Sorry for your loss! Congratulations on your arse!

Number 8: NPC WITH NO DIALOGUE ASS

He's just called "Drunk Worker" and he has a portrait? But I don't remember ever seeing him.

Number 9: BARTENDER CAFETERIA MANAGER ASS

It's not the biggest ass in Revachol, but it's a very respectable one and Garte is a mostly respectable man, so I feel endeared.

Number 10: CRAB MAN ASS

It's also not the best ass, but there's a certain charm from it's mysterious nature, and the small waist makes for a good contrast.

But for me, the winner is....

THE GUY WHO OWNED THESE JEANS

An ass SO POWERFUL, that it can salvage Harry's Hank Hill butt.

BONUS: REALLY AWFUL CONCEPT ASS

It's okay Harry, I still love you. But where'd your body hair go????

BONUS BONUS:

Stick bug.

[meanderingstar]

the way Daenerys treats Irri in the books is incredibly disturbing and I hate how it's overlooked by both the narrative and the majority of the fandom.

Daenerys uses Irri for sex at least twice over the course of the story, once in Storm and once in Dance. I really, truly cannot overstate how horrific the power imbalance between them is: Daenerys is her khaleesi, her queen and her employer; Irri was formerly a slave in her service and is now her maid with absolutely nowhere else to go. She has evidently been conditioned to believe that displaying absolute obedience to her higher-ups, including sexual services, is her "duty", which Daenerys recognizes and still actively exploits for her own pleasure. This is also why consent between them is utterly impossible – contrary to some asoiaf blogs who claim that consent was not a major issue in this situation (lol) or that Irri freely consented, Irri’s conditioning means that she will never be able to freely consent to someone like Daenerys, who is her employer and holds absolute power over her. Daenerys herself acknowledges this and feels guilty (damning in itself), but ends up using her in such a manner anyway, despite explicitly recognizing that Irri's kisses "tasted of duty" and nothing more.

What makes this even worse is that despite using her in this way in Storm, Daenerys has no issue saying that Irri and Jhiqui (who are her age and have had the same, if not worse, experiences than she has) are "only girls" in comparison to her. She also dismisses their (pretty sensible, imo?) concern about her touching sick and dead people by calling them "utter fools" and saying the Dothraki were only wise when it came to horses. She says all this AFTER sleeping with Irri, which makes it twice as bad - Daenerys considers her a little girl and a fool when it comes to advising her, but still finds it perfectly fine to use her for sex? This condescension extends to their sexual relationship as well, where Daenerys refers to Irri as "the maid", "her handmaid" and "the Dothraki girl" as she has sex with her. It's patronizing, disrespectful and exploitative at best, outright dehumanizing at worst.

While I highly doubt this was Grrm's intention, Daenerys's dynamic with Irri is clearly reminiscent of the horrific way Cersei uses Taena Merryweather. Dany is obviously not as vicious with Irri as Cersei was with Taena but that really doesn't change the fact that she was still a queen exploiting her employee's obedience and conditioned sense of "duty" for her own pleasure, made even worse by the fact that Irri, as a servant and former slave with no family, no connections and nowhere else to go, was 10x more vulnerable than Taena was and certainly more dependent on Dany. It's bizarre how Cersei's treatment of Taena is recognized as fucked up by most of the fandom but Daenerys's treatment of Irri is not, even though the power imbalance between them is infinitely worse. (also: Grrm writing about TWO white queens using their brown maids/ladies-in-waiting for sex is flat-out racist. I'm also extremely uncomfortable with how both wlw interactions are dubiously consensual at best and arguably revolve around Cersei/Dany's relationships with men to some extent: Cersei uses Taena to reenact her trauma by Robert, and Dany not only "pretended it was Drogo holding her...only somehow his face kept turning into Daario's" when she was having sex with Irri, but also explicitly states that "it was Daario she wanted, or perhaps Drogo, not Irri").

Certainly, Daenerys and Irri's dynamic is part and parcel of Grrm's fucked notion of consent and piss-poor writing of wlw relationships (both of which he should be called out for far more than he is, btw), but it doesn't change the fact that in-universe, these are Daenerys's textual actions. Grrm seems to believe that Drogo didn't rape Daenerys (a 13 year old who was forced into marriage) on their wedding night because she said "yes", just like he seems to believe that Jaime didn't coerce Cersei to have sex with him over their own son's dead body because she eventually responded to Jaime's advances, but I clearly recognize them as rape and coercion. The same logic and same standards apply to Daenerys and the way she uses and exploits Irri and she should be judged accordingly.

[cocogum]

My honest reactions of episodes 5 and 6 (part 1)

PART 2 : HERE

(‼️SEASON 4 SPOILERS‼️)

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We obviously start with the ✨sadidas✨ Armand and Amalia (as we should 💕) coming back from the assembly meeting with the Eliatrope goddess.

Okay so were starting off pretty strong lol

I LOVE how Armand thinks about the Eliatrope goddess cuz yeah we were pretty much thinking the same thing (about how she’ll pretty much stalk them and will put her children in their world) and I just absolutely LOVE how he’s keeping his guard because of her and has become even more doubtful of Yugo. (Just look at his eyes as he stares at Amalia!!)

Because yeah, even though he wasn’t as wary of Yugo before, some hints were still shown in the OVAs when he called him “a king without his people is unheard of” but Yugo shrugged his comment off.

BUT NOW WE GET TO SEE MORE OF ARMAND SLANDERING YUGO and basically exposing Amalia acting “not rational” when she talks about Yugo.

Armand, my man, your sister’s clearly in love with Yugo OF COURSE SHE WOULDN’T BE RATIONAL WITH HIM (you should’ve seen how she kissed Oropo tho you would’ve lost your shit lo)

BUT DAMN ARMAND CHILL WTF ARE U RACIST AGAINST ELIATROPES NOW???!!? Same ngl 🥰🥰 I want more drama 💖💖

I just ADORE Az and his family playing on their tree Tofu tower they look so adorable ☺️✨💖 I already made a headcanon that Yugo and Alibert built it (while Chibi and Grougal just watched).

OMG EVERYONE STFU MY SONS ARE HERE ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍😍😍🥰😍😍🥰😍😍🥰🥰 ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I’VE SEEN U TWO 😭😭😭💖💖

Look at these two not doing anything and just being lazy bums 😭😭🥰💕💕

Also I need a gif of Yugo and Alibert hugging with Az and his kids in the background asap ✨

But all cuteness aside, in all my years of being a Wakfu fan, I literally never saw Yugo make that face before. Like it was so uncalled for that my heart literally dropped when I saw him like that. I never thought that the face of terror and shock (combined with the booming sound in the background) could go so well on him and now I wanna see it more!! I HOPE YOU TORTURE HIM ANKAMA!!

Btw the Eliatrope goddess is such a fraud and can’t think for herself even though she said she wants to rule a freaking planet but okay (u fucked up the first time by default when ur kids had one planet for themselves but ur already messing up ur second time cuz ur running away from ur problems when U AND NORA WERE THE REASON WHY THE NECROMES GOT OUT ARE U KIDDING ME- YOU DIDN’T CHECK?!!!???!)

Armand’s really trying hard not to say something racist right now.

Dude can’t even look him in the eyes while saying hi lol

Also can we talk about what Armand told Yugo??? :

Like………

IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE SOME KIND OF FORESHADOWING ?!?!? I DONT GET IT AND IM SCARED NOW ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

ANKAMA STOP PLAYING WITH ME, DON’T TOUCH MY AMALIA ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

No because im legitimately scared that something bad will happen to her, why else would Armand say these kinds of things to YUGO of all people????

I swear I will actually cry if this ended up being foreshadowing cuz honestly wtf…why did Amalia ever do to you people….My fear for Amalia was already there even before Season 4 so why do you gotta make my paranoia resurface like that??? Why do u gotta do me like that???? 😭😭😭

This is the guy who started a genocide against his own people and has more common sense than the GODDESS right in front of him. I get that she’s traumatized cuz of what happened to her but you gotta realize that they’ll always run after you if you just keep running, so the least you can do is throw your kids to fight for you. I just love how the only reason why Qilby is saying any of this is because for once, he’s not the one in control of the fate of the world and can’t redirect the signal or stop it himself lol

[blushweddinggowns]

Despite the fact that he had been spending the past three years intermediately dealing with the supernatural, Lucas had to admit, his life was going pretty damn good. Like okay. Yes, he almost certainly had a case of PTSD going on from all the demons and monsters he’d been forced to encounter, and the murders he’d unfortunately witnessed. 

But like, besides that, his first year of highschool was kind of awesome? He made it on the basketball team, varsity, despite being a freshman. Something that hadn’t happened since Steve was in school. And yeah, maybe he was a benchwarmer in a way Steve hadn’t been, but whatever. He was still on the team! 

Max freaking Mayfield was somehow still his girlfriend, a miracle in and of itself considering all of the insane shit she’d gone through. He was, for literally the first time in his life actually within the popular crowd, or at least popularish, all while not having to give up any of the silly, nerdy things that used to make him a target in the first place. And okay, maybe he wasn’t expressly advertising the full extent of his obsession with Hellfire with his teammates, but whatever. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Besides, his best friends would always come first, even if they were all really annoying about his new interest in sports. 

Everyone except Steve, who was the only one outside of his dad who was actually proud of him for pursuing something new. And that wasn’t even mentioning how the guy had taken the time to practice with him every weekend for months in preparation for try-outs. And he knew so freaking much. That was one perk of having a head basketball coach that had been around for twenty years, the alumni were definitely able to teach you all their plays. Lucas could nearly read the head coach’s mind by the time the official season rolled around, all thanks to Steve. 

Steve who, in Lucas’ humble opinion, did not get enough credit for being their coolest friend. Yeah Eddie was great, more than great, he was awesome but… Lucas couldn’t help but think that it was Eddie who was lucky to have Steve, not the other way around. He loved both of them to death, but it was Steve who got his ass handed to him by Billy Hargrove to keep Lucas safe and who fought demodogs with nothing but a bat. All in the same day. It was Steve who helped to keep his dumbass sister alive when she thought it was a good idea to get involved with the Upside Down shit, and who hit a possessed racist with a stolen car right before he almost killed them all. 

Lucas thought he was badass, even if he kind of acted like a lame, overprotective dad half the time. Steve had earned the paranoia when it came to their safety, especially since he was one of the only reasons he and all of his friends were even alive. 

He was just… cool. And probably none of his friends would agree with him on this, but he was kind of… suave? With the hair and the cool car and the no-fucks-given attitude. And yeah, maybe working at a video store in a silly little vest while living in his boyfriend’s lap didn’t exactly match the image, but whatever. Steve would always be cool to him, even if the rest of the world couldn’t see it. 

He would be the coolest person he knew if he wasn’t aware of a literal superhero and his own super, awesome girlfriend. But he was a solid third place. Max, El, then Steve. And maybe it was a little insane to put Max above the girl with superpowers, but hey, she’d earned it. And he was horribly biased, but sue him. Not many people could roll with the punches in the way that girl could. Or be that funny while going through such a few hellish years. 

Lucas was just happy that she lived near Eddie and Steve, especially since her mom’s embarrassing mental breakdown. He kind of hated the woman for making Max’s life more difficult than it already was, but he kept that one to himself. It wouldn’t help anything but God, did he wish that she could get it the fuck together for once in her damn life. 

Even with her shitty mom, Max was never alone, not if Lucas could help it. Though things had been pretty rough for a second there. She had dumped him pretty soon after Billy had passed away, not that he minded. Lucas was willing to go through their stupid cycle of breaking up and getting back together for the rest of his life if it meant being with her. But that last time had felt too… real for his liking. Not because of anything he did, but just from the fact she couldn’t handle having a boyfriend, her mother’s marriage falling apart, and the guilt from her step brother dying all in one go. 

Though eventually she did reach back out and they at least got to stay friends. A friendship that didn’t last long. He had really tried not to let his feelings get in the way of being there for her, but the love he had was too obvious to be ignored forever. He was just lucky as fuck that she still felt the same way. And Lucas hadn’t been messing around when it came to his second chance. His dorky side had definitely come in handy for his overnight transformation into the best boyfriend ever. He forced Eddie and his own mom to give him some cooking lessons. Because if Max’s shitty parent couldn’t provide what she needed, then fuck it. Lucas would. And the smile she would give him every time he’d bring her a homemade lunch or dinner was so worth Erica making fun of him for being whipped. He was even taking notes on all of the successful relationships he knew, going as far as interviewing his own parents and Steve and Eddie like the little weirdo he was. But all tips were necessary for him not to mess this up. 

And it did help. He got her to open up, slowly but surely. He got the chance to actually be there for her, and that’s all he really wanted. And it had been so freaking worth it. She was smiling again, laughing and being herself despite the crappy circumstances surrounding her life. And outside of Steve and his dad, she was the only one who actually gave a shit about his basketball games. She was always at every one of them with no complaints, despite the fact that he knew it wasn’t her thing. She would even get mad at the others for not taking it seriously on his behalf, and she had forced Dustin and Mike to start going through intimidation alone.

She was always able to say the quiet part loud, a talent that was definitely a godsend for his current situation. 

Lucas had a lot of patience. It was something he prided himself on, something that took years to cultivate. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t pissed that his friends weren’t even considering rescheduling Hellfire to go to the championship game, even if he was having a hard time specifically saying it. 

Max did not have that same problem. 

“You’re telling me you can’t stand up to Eddie Munson of all people?” Max asked, hands on her hip in a certified Steve stance as she stared his best friends down, “Are you freaking kidding me right now?”

Lucas didn’t know why having your girlfriend fight your battles for you was considered emasculating. From his point of view it was pretty awesome, especially with how scared Dustin and Mike were looking. 

“He can be intimidating when he wants to be!” Dustin tried, cringing at the way Max glared at him. 

“The guy who cried at Splash is intimidating to you?” She asked, incredulous, “That guy? Fucking really?”

They both shrugged, but at least they had the grace to look a little guilty now. But Max still wasn’t having it, “You know what? I don’t even know why I’m asking you guys. Move.”

She barreled past them, not even looking back to see if she was being followed. She was; all three of them were too invested to see where she was going with this. She went straight to a pay phone, dialing the number while mumbling rude comments under her breath.

She was so freaking cool. Had Lucas mentioned that he loved her? 

She perked up when the call was answered, sighing into the phone, “Steve? I need a favor.”

from the latest chapter of this fic

[bijoumikhawal]

anyway I am going to spoil everyone's fun. The Mummy is a racist movie, it's frustrating that it's popular and no one discusses that, and let me explain why

Whitewashing/brownface/self orientalism. The Carnahan's are meant to be mixed race. Their actors are white. Oded Fehr is white and a significant portion of his career has been playing exotic brown people in media made for white people, specifically while weaponizing the ethnic ambiguity he does have. Imhotep is white- insult to injury, his actor is an Afrikaner! Playing a pre-colonial African character! The only Egyptians played by people who arent white are the sex pest warden, Dr. Bey (also a minor character who dies), and Anck-su-namun. None of their actors are Egyptian.

The portrayal of Egyptian men. The warden and Jonathan are both portrayed as pathetic, weak, morally circumspect, and the warden is a pervert. Imhotep is also a pervert, frankly. The Egyptian public at large- mostly male crowds and male workers- are literally canon fodder and senselessly killed on multiple occasions. They're turned into mindless zombies, with no consideration given to what happens to them afterwards. Did hundreds of people just die? In public? The only two Egyptian men that aren't utterly horrible are Evie's boss, Dr. Bey, and Ardeth.

The portrayal of Egyptian women. The only two we actually hear speak is Evie and Anck-su-namun, both of whom have orientalist tropes applied to them- Evie, when they make her dress "local", and Anck-su-namun with the whole titlating "the pharaoh has me walk around naked and covered in wet body paint so no one can touch me without him knowing" nonsense- similar tropes are applied to Ardeth, frankly, with how his tattoos are portrayed, his ethnic background, etc. They specifically chose tattoos a Western audience would still find sexy (which aren't based on the actual local tattooing traditions). Face veils in early 20th century Egypt didn't really look like that, even the ones you might call flirty, and I find portrayals that make Ancient Egyptian society's overall often greater comfort with bared skin into titillation for the audience pretty offensive, especially as there are currently existing cultures in Africa viewed through lenses like that. It's not merely ahistorical, it's apart of a broader issue with how living people are viewed by others.

This is more of a me thing, other Egyptians may not agree: I think mummies as a horror trope are racist. The key fear to mummy movies is that white people might get punished for disturbing the graves of the honored dead. You are asked to identify with literal colonizers and view the local population as antagonistic (past and present in this case), especially in this movie, which is set before England started pretending it wasn't controlling Egypt (and by the damn way, ask ANY Egyptian when the country got independence and we'll say 1956. Between 22 and 56, England still had explicit control over some of the government, notably foreign relations and military, it used this an excuse to justify control of Sudan, and it was militarily occupying the country, especially the Suez area. When King Farouk tried to make a decision they didn't like, they put his palace under seige. That is not independence. Whoever made the 1922 declaration the first result on Google is manufacturing apologia for imperialism).

[meanbossart]

How does du drow feel about humans? druids? is there any race or class he abhors or legitimately opposes?

I will say that he is... A little bit racist in all directions lmao.

He can get along with anyone who doesn't mind his eccentricity (and hey, once you get past the looks he can be quite charming) while simultaneously holding onto a most of the preconceived notions behind other races. He thinks half-orcs are all a little dimwitted and crude, tieflings are inherently bloodlust-y, dwarfs are all greedy and brash, etc etc. He will hang with anyone who can hold an entertaining conversation, though.

These are things he keeps to himself unless you get on his nerves OR he feels like you can take a joke well (Astarion gets the well-humored high-elf jab here and there - but he does call DU drow a murker to his face so you could say they have an understanding).

He would probably steer clear of any githyanki he came across, but that sounds like a rarity in itself.

Yet, there isn't really a race that he actively thinks should be eradicated lol not even drow. If they could keep their nonsense to the Underdark he wouldn't give less of a damn. As long as whatever you're doing doesn't get in his way, he usually doesn't care.

He pays much less attention to people's classes/schools of combat, but finds most wizards to be pretty annoying and doesn't think too highly of warlocks because of the whole transactional nature of their powers.

He's mostly shocked that humans still, like, exist.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

From the moment I first watched Stranger Things, I looked at Steve Harrington and knew that this boy was not straight. I had pretty much convinced myself that he, Tommy, and Carol had hooked up at least once. I hated Tommy and Carol, though, the obnoxious hyenas that they are. I kept waiting for him to reveal himself.

So, season 2 comes along. . .and I'm like damn, he's still with Nancy. . .oh, wait, now he's not. This is when he's going to get a boyfriend. . .but then. . . The shower scene, and I'm just like. . .they better fucking not. . .not with this racist bully. Not with Mr. I like to threaten children by running them over and slamming them up against walls. I was like, this is NOT going to be Steve’s first boyfriend.

Then season 3 comes along, and I honestly was surprised that Dustin started pushing him towards Robin because I knew that they were strictly platonic. I'm just like, why are they doing this. The reason why he's striking out is because he hasn't found a dorky boyfriend yet. He's a dork, and in my mind, he has NEVER been smooth with the ladies, although it doesn't mean he's not still attracted to them. Just a dork. I mean, him in that outfit with the hair and the lips, it just screamed, raging bisexual to me. Then the bathroom scene and Robin came out, and I was like, yesss and then I thought he was going to come out to let her know that she wasn't like alone or something but then he didn't. I was okay, then, still a happy moment, though.

Then, season 4 hits, and Eddie Munson drops in, the dorkiest of dorks. King Dork, if you will. . .and I COMPLETELY FUCKING MISS IT. To be fair most of his scenes with Steve were like dark and I couldn't fucking see anything. So I watched it again on another device and I still fucking miss it because I was shipping Hellcheer (there's nothing wrong with that either) and then I watch it again. I see it. I finally fucking see it. THIS IS THE DORKY BOYFRIEND I WANTED FOR STEVE ALL ALONG. HOW DID I MISS IT THE FIRST TIME? Anyway, this is the story of how I started shipping Steddie.

[physalian]

When a Villain’s “Villainy” Dismisses Their Valid Argument For Change (Or, Marvel)

Marvel stories aren’t the only ones that pull the whole “this villain has a very valid and justified stance on something socially acceptable but actually terrible and- oh, nvm, they’re a murderer, thus they’re totally bad,” schtick, but they’re the loudest voices.

Pop Culture Detective did this deep dive into how the “Avengers” really are “Avengers” (as opposed to “Prevengers,” like Tony points out) because they don’t have any initiatives or social stances that promote change, they just stop villains from making change. Most damning example of this character is Killmonger.

Excellent deep dive, go watch it. I won’t regurgitate it here. Instead, I’ll talk about how these villains are also attempts at having depth and nuance and are very hit-and-miss about it.

So. Villains with nuance: How to write a character with something to say, while showing that their way of going about it is wrong, while also still agreeing that they were right.

—

This isn’t actually that hard, y’all. Marvel doesn’t do it because they don’t want to piss off the rich people or be “woke”.

So say I have my antagonist named…. Wilson.

Wilson’s goal: prison reform/dismantling the for-profit punitive “justice” system that works to keep people in the system instead of helpful rehab.

Wilson’s motivation: that his dad got incarcerated for possession of drugs, and through a series of Very Bad and Corrupt Legal Practices, Wilson’s dad spent 45 years in prison and died there.

Wilson’s plan: peacefully protest, then when that doesn't work and he's exhausted all other legal avenues, systematically blackmail every cop, justice, and prison employee that he deems corrupt, racist, etc, on the grounds of either “just following orders” or “that’s how it was” isn’t good enough in effort to get them fired/ruin their lives. Doesn’t matter how involved in his dad’s incarceration these people are, Wilson wants to make a statement, and he’s going to make it as loud as possible.

Enter the hero: Sarah.

She’s the seasoned detective trying to catch him because crime is crime and he’s done a lot of it.

Marvel’s hypothetical version of this story: Wilson joins and organizes several peaceful protests and marches and nonviolent gatherings, gathering a vocal following that’s concerning to local, then national, government officials when he gains more power than they’re comfortable with. Around halfway through the story, Wilson breaks and starts randomly murdering these same people just so the audience doesn’t start to root for him.

Marvel’s solution: Wilson ends up in prison, or dead from a high and ambiguous fall, due to his own actions because murder is bad and he’s done a lot of it. Prison reform, what?

Or: Wilson ends up in prison because he still committed violence against a lot of innocent people and the punishments he enacted didn’t fit their crimes. The populace remains horrified by his actions, mourn the corrupt government people, and claim this is exactly why the prison system is the way it is. Sarah, however, understands that Wilson was right, and works for the rest of her career on enacting prison reform.

You know, Zootopia did this pretty well, for a kids’ movie, by having Judy publicly admit that what they’re doing is wrong and try to change it, while also simultaneously botching it entirely.

Ironically, Marvel does have a property that tries its damndest to do the “villain actually has a point, he’s just going about proving it the wrong way” and that’s X-Men. Their best efforts aren’t the ‘ha ha CGI explosion of cool mutant powers’ but the social commentary these characters were meant to reflect.

You can write a villain with a point. But if you’re going to go far enough to make a polarizing statement in your work, knowing it will piss people off, commit to that message and don’t abandon it the second you’ve made them “irredeemable”.

That, and, like Zootopia, it gives your hero so much more nuance when they can admit their staunch, heroic worldview is flawed and needs growth, or complete dismantling, and that hard life lessons can come from anywhere, not just their heroes—particularly when they themselves are an archetypical “hero”. (also killing this complicated villain instead of giving them the chance to see the proper enactment of the change they want to see in the world is a huge missed opportunity).

Not limited to superhero stories, either, or hot button issues like prison reform. Do it in fantasy with fantasy bigotry. It doesn’t have to be a huge global plot either. “Critical voice is painted as the villain and resorts to unsavory-to-illegal activity to stay alive and/or promote their cause” also fits plenty of war stories big and small.

Heck, go even smaller, with lower stakes, and you could write about a high school bully victim who goes too far in trying to get justice/catharsis when the law doesn’t do enough about it. Write about a dysfunctional family. This trope is so flexible it’s disappointing how rarely it’s done well.

Whatever the case:

Make a problem in the world of your story that the society/powers that be of that story doesn’t actually think is a problem, or isn’t doing enough to solve

Make solving this problem the villain’s goal

Make the villain’s plan to solving this problem deeply flawed and the wrong way to do it

Make the hero (and the narrative) recognize that their intentions are in the right place, the actions aren’t, but the villain’s plight was heard, and the hero, presumably with the social and political power to enact real change, resolves to make that change.

The villain loses, but they also still win.

I am sick and tired of throwing the whole character out and trying to eat your cake and have it, too, pretending to have a deep and nuanced narrative that ends up saying nothing more than “crime is always wrong no matter the circumstances if the governing bodies aren’t paying you to commit those crimes.”

I’m not a huge fan of Black Panther (I think by that point my Marvel fatigue on all these new characters was starting to creep in), but they really did Killmonger dirty, didn’t they?

[beemers-hell]

i desperately wanna apologize to you but you would call bullshit and paint me like something evil bitch when in reality, i want the cycle of abuse to end and to ease my mind. i just wanna redeem myself before ending it all.

- you already know who

to everyone else sorry about this, but I've had enough, anyway i was just gonna delete this, just like i deleted the TWO suicide notes you sent me in my ask box a lil bit ago, but a number of my friends DM'd me about what you've been posting on your blog so I can only assume this all came from Nene, also known as @/shugurrsn0w , and for anyone who doesnt know Nene is, well this callout thread will get you acclimated with her REAL quick lmfao:

You are not fucking apologetic at all if you are using s0uless' full REAL name on your blog, you stupid bitch. That kind of information can put them at risk of REAL GENUINE HARM. S0uless made the mistake of using their name as their art handle when they were younger but they have been doing a pretty extensive wipe of that username being online, I know this isn't exactly doxxing because of that but USING IT WHEN THEY'RE CLEARLY NOT WANTING IT TO BE PUBLIC INFORMATION IS SOME PRETTY SCUMMY SHIT, AND CAN BE USED FOR ACTUAL REAL HARM BEING DONE TO HIM YOU JACKASS

Don't come in my ask box hiding behind anonymous acting like you actually feel bad for the shit you did when you are STILL making posts calling me and my husband fucking freaks when you know DAMN WELL we're not. Don't you dare try and act all remorseful and pitiful and like you're some misunderstood fallen angel when you've been doing but helping making our lives a fucking nightmare. You don't get to act like you've done nothing wrong when you have CONSISENTLY VICTIM BLAMED THEM, CLAIMED THEIR TRAUMA WAS FAKE, BEEN RACIST TO ME, MOCKED MY ABUELAS RECENT DEATH, THREATENED HARM ON BOTH OF US, HARASSED AND STALKED US, AND SPREAD ALL THIS INSANE SHIT ABOUT US FOR NO GODDAMN REASON. You don't get to just act like you made some petty mistakes that you can walk off, you have been non stop harassing, stalking, and falsely accusing me and s0uless of being scum of the fucking earth when there is no goddamn evidence that we are and you KNOW there isn't, because we fucking ARENT. Unlike your freak ass, we KNOW what the fuck is right and what is wrong. But that kind of shit gets around to people and makes people start thinking we ARE those freaks that we aren't.

And you should be well aware of how fucking awful that makes a mother fucker feel, you know? Since you wanna keep whining about how "people keep being mean/demonizing you for no reason." What, you don't think people are gonna DM me asking me what the fuck you're talking about in those posts you make? Newsflash dipshit, most people wanna know both party's stories regarding drama that surrounds someone they know. Don't you try to twist this and cry about how I'm some creepy weirdo that's stalking you, you should've thought harder about following someone and then IMMEDIATELY sending them an anonymous ask about me and s0uless, cause that DEFINETLY isn't fucking fishy at all, dumbass. That's how I was alerted to you and your new bullshit. Don't try and act like I'm a freak that keeps tabs on you, I thought you'd drop off the face of the earth after that one callout thread got made on you. You wanna talk about evidence of wrongdoing? Nothing really shows your true colors more than publicly being racist, harassing minors, and consistently AND RECENTLY consuming bestiality porn of minors. Try bouncing back from saying that YOU want to make noncon porn of your favs, or being a whole ass adult saying you wanna fuck a 16 year old character that you KNOW is 16. THATS some REAL freak shit that YOU admitted to your damn self, you don't get to act like me or s0uless are the real freaks when there is REAL AND RECENT EVIDENCE of you doing that shit, you gross fuck.

Leave us the fuck alone, I do not care about your pathetic ass and s0uless sure as shit doesn't either. This has been going on for over a FUCKING YEAR NOW and i dont give a single SHIT about playing nice and being quiet about it anymore. Don't fucking come whining to me and acting like you're remorseful again when you're PULLING THIS SHIT AGAIN. Leave me the fuck alone and I'll leave you the fuck alone. Expect a restraining order dumbass, it was real easy to get your info when you've got it so readily available online! If youre gonna play stupid games, expect to win stupid prizes. Get the fuck off my and my husband's dick and focus on fixing yourself you ghoul. Do some fucking introspection so you can figure out why the fuck people don't like you. And don't come to me threatening suicide again, I don't give a single SHIT about you and I'm sure as FUCK not going to give you any sympathy when you've shown no fucking growth or genuine remorse for all of this. I've thought about killing myself a lot lately too, you're not fucking special.