#feminine narrative

[clambuoyance]

[DC] doodled these two a lot this week

[the-daily-dreamer]

Reminder that if your feminism revolves around propping up women that partake in traditionally masculine activities/roles and shitting on or even hating women who embody traditionally feminine roles and enjoy feminine activities you’re not really a feminist.

It sets the precedent that women are only valuable and valid if they have traditionally masculine traits, which feeds a narrative that masculine traits are better simply because they are associated with men who are the ideal. It perpetuates the idea that things that are feminine and traditionally associated with women are in fact inferior to men/masculinity and should be looked down upon and belittled.

And, it alienates so many individuals that feel more comfortable in femininity, regardless of gender identity.

I think people in the ASOIAF fandom really need to learn this because feminine characters are so despised on the basis that they are not “better” women. Simply because they don’t embody traditionally masculine things like conquering or fighting.

Much of the hate comes from stans that love characters like Rhaenyra, Daenerys, and Arya (and do not get me wrong I love Arya), who are women and girls that are in positions that allow for more traditionally masculine behaviors and tomboyishness. And they will say incredibly sexist things about how the other women in media are inferior and directly contrast these women to their faves negatively by pointing out that they’re “too weak” or “subservient”. They reduce femininity to weakness and bowing to patriarchy instead of considering that some people have a different, more feminine nature. And that is OK! Just because a woman isn’t wielding a sword or fighting on the front lines or pursuing leadership roles in masculine ways (because historically women exacted and sought power in different ways than men) doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable and strong characters. Do not use feminine characters as a negative comparison to show how “feminist” and great your fave is. Because it’s just so blatantly sexist.

Don’t fall into the trap of reinforcing patriarchal rhetoric!!! Don’t reinforce narratives that traditional masculinity is superior to femininity!! Don’t belittle feminine activities and act as if they aren’t valuable!!! Girbosses are great but so are gentlewomen.

[succulentsiren]

Change the narrative.

Start speaking from the position of your highest self, not as the empty handed beggar looking to obtain what you want, but as an opulent being already having what you desire.

[direquail]

One of the many things I find funny and irritating is the slant of a lot of interpretations of Alecto's name (that it's about feminine rage)--on this here wlw internet in the year of our lord 2024, it's easily made to figure as rage against God, or rage against patriarchy, or religious oppression, and therefore an allusion to the idea that she's going to get her vengeance on John for betraying and oppressing her somehow, but like

John is the one who named her Alecto. He's the one who named her that. So, naming her "Alecto" is alluding to the embodiment of John's rage--their rage, since they are joined inseparably (John even explicitly says that when he first perceives her: "You wouldn't stop screaming. You were so scared. You were so goddamn mad").

He says of Alecto to Harrow, "In a very real way, you are [Alecto's] children". At a very surface level, Alecto is (depending on the text or tradition), one of the Furies--famously, in several surviving Greek tragedies, who punish Orestes for the crime of killing his mother. In fact, in Aeschylus' Oresteia, they declare that they are specifically bound to avenge matricide.

So the name "Alecto" alludes to the nature of John's mission and how he sees it.

It also implies that his divine rage, the rage that gives him power, the power that makes him divine, that he either represents or wants to represent, is feminine rage. He was chosen by Earth (which, Furies are sometimes the daughters of Gaia); he is her champion, however he's managed to fuck that up. Once the truth of that comes out, it becomes clear that all of his power comes from her.

And that's why you get statements from Tamsyn Muir like:

“[T]he God of the Locked Tomb IS a man; he IS the Father and the Teacher; it’s an inherently masc role played by someone who has an uneasy relationship himself to playing a Biblical patriarch. John falls back on hierarchies and roles because they’re familiar even when he’s struggling not to. Even he identifies himself as the God who became man and the man who became God. But the divine in the Locked Tomb is essentially feminine on multiple axes – I think Nona will illuminate that a little bit more."

So yes, he plays the role of Emperor and God and Teacher, with all of the things that implies. And I don't think it should be discounted. But he also is (and partly sees himself as) the chosen champion of a goddess, or what is for all intents & purposes for a human like him a goddess. He is her avenger, and while she sleeps, her avatar.

And I don't think we're meant to read him purely as a parasite who's taking advantage of her to gain power for himself, either. Or an oppressive, Kronos-like figure. Especially if you consider Palamedes' theory of the Grand Lysis, even if he was purely motivated by desire for power before (which I really doubt), there are parts of each in the other, now. What was clear and separate before is uncertain and interpenetrated. Is his rage his own, or hers? Is his mission of revenge his, or hers? If he wants power, is that his own selfishness, or her desire to survive?

And does it matter?

[seasicksilver]

so much chaeya on the tl, felt the urge to design fem!chaeya

[immediatebreakfast]

Well, the consequences for Jonathan's disobedience were quite terrifying, on top of destroying an aspect of Jonathan's beliefs as a character.

We already have seen plus noticed how Jonathan identifies with what femininity, and women represented in the 19th century. He is a male character that expresses so much love for the ideas of safety, and comfort that the feminine entails without the narrative trying to paint this in a derogative light anywhere.

So, it's not wonder that the visit from the Weird Sisters (a.k.a. the speculated brides, and housemates of Dracula) left him totally traumatized. Nothing that Dracula has done so far has gained such huge reaction from Jonathan.

Great God! merciful God! Let me be calm, for out of that way lies madness indeed.  ... for now, feeling as though my own brain were unhinged or as if the shock had come which must end in its undoing, I turn to my diary for repose. The habit of entering accurately must help to soothe me.

In his journey as a gothic heroine as he is trapped in the castle, Jonathan has been surviving by employing the same ideas used by fictional heroines he admires and looks up to in dire times, and he has comforted himself with Mina's memory, and his undefying love for her. Everything that Dracula represents regarding masculinity means danger for Jonathan, he is scared how the power that the Count holds over him; not as a man towards another man, but as a man towards a conceptual woman within Jonathan's mind that is part of his being.

All of this concludes in Jonathan taking a nap in the ladies' chamber room, away from Dracula's aggresive masculinity in his tainted designated room, and inside what he now deems a safe space because women lived there.

Then the Weird Sisters appear in their ethereal, beautiful glory, and as Jonathan recalls the incident in his diary, the feeling of angry loosing sanity is written with an underline tone of pure defeated betrayal. It feels as if Jonathan keeps asking himself "why did they do that to me? Aren't they in the same position as me?"

The feeling of what Jonathan calls repulsion cut through the sexually charged scene like a knife. All of the soft adjectives to describe the Sisters' appearance, Jonathan's attraction to them as he shames himself for thinking like that because of Mina, the emphasis of voluptuos charm laced with danger, all of it gets cut when Jonathan realizes what the Weird Sisters are planning to do.

There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal.

The ladies that he thought were a dream at first are there to use him the same way that Dracula has been doing... the only difference is that the vampire ladies made very clear that they will kill him. So out it goes the kind language to describe women, and what enters is the language that Jonathan uses to describe the Count.

The femininity that Jonathan felt comfort in to shield himself from the horrors he has seen is now fractured to incorporate the monsterhood of the Weird Sisters. It's a realization that shatters him, not all women are soft, and kind, these women would have killed him if not the Count arriving, and if Jonathan cannot go to the Weird Sisters for safety against Dracula, then it means that the only being who stands between his death and life is the Count himself.

The man who is keeping Jonathan as a prisoner in everything but name is who he has to run to if Jonathan wants to keep living... What a nightmare indeed.

[rinbylin]

"what is the image of the ideal person..."

[theflikchic]

I really hate that whenever the HP fandom discusses Snape as Neville's boggart, they just rehash the same debate of "Is Snape being Neville's Boggart fucked up or not?" instead of (with everything we now know about JKR) discussing: "What are the implications of Lupin being framed as a good guy by having everyone laugh at a man in a dress because haha men don't wear dresses and especially not THIS man how silly to help a student get over his fear when they all wear robes anyway?"

Because THAT has taken over my brain and despite all the takes that make Harry Potter sound like a hate manifesto and some theories about what MIGHT be transphobia in those books, I'm not seeing ANYONE talk about this (probably because it has to do with Snape).

Genuinely, I think this is the discussion about that scene we as a fandom should be having and we're not.

And this is not meant to be like a "defense of Snape". I'm thinking in the narrative and in real-life: Lupin decided to help Neville get over a reasonable fear by making that fear- a man who bullies him- funny and to make that fear funny, he instructs Neville to crossdress it which is framed as funny by the narrative because "men don't wear dresses" when what Neville's grandmother wears is already very similar to what MOST wizards are shown wearing- the only difference being that she is a woman.

Like, is this not weird to anyone else- especially with what JKR's been spewing. I really find this interesting and I barely see ANYONE talking about it. What are the implications?

[sk-lumen]

What she says: I'm in my dark feminine phase. What she means: *busy focusing on her growth and mental health, doing shadow work, healing her wounds and traumas, diving deep into the abyss of her darkness, setting strong boundaries, reclaiming her power, productively expressing her rage, celebrating her wildness,

[whoblewboobear]

I have a post about feminine rage and how klck doesn’t quite fit the definition that’s just been hanging out in the drafts for a bit so if anyone’s interested I might polish it up and post it

[evilios]

"The voice of all Achaean wives" scene but retold from the perspective of the Greeks inside of the horse. Imagine you're sitting in a dark, tight space within your wooden construct, nerves ablaze from the anticipation before the fight that's bound to happen, and suddenly you hear a pretty voice calling your name. Maybe a light thud on the wood as she circles the horse thrice. And there's no other woman in the whole of Troy to know all of your names but Helen, but she also sounds like your wife left at home. Do you feel longing or is it the stuff of nightmares?

[lnsfawwi]

Evidence 1823847 Bucky makes Steve feminine coded: Grieving

a brief analysis of the portrayal of Steve's emotions in the context of grieving and how Bucky is (again) the person who adds gendered layers to Steve's character.

we can all agree that Steve represses his feelings more often than not. he has to. he was a poor, tiny, sick kid who got picked on or pitied all the time, neither of which was desirable, and over the years it just became who he is. it's not necessarily a bad thing, but emotional constipation is often associated with masculinity because emotions are considered a weakness, especially for a male (super)hero. they either tough it up or use unhealthy coping mechanisms to hide their trauma (anger, drinking, repression, suppression, denial, joke, etc.).

Steve is repressive as hell. he is, by nature, a very emotional person, sensitive and empathetic, but his childhood made him believe that he needed to be as tough and strong and independent as possible. to some extent, Bucky is the same, if not worse, but that's for another time.

Steve lost, well, almost everyone he's ever loved. but how often does he get to actually grieve them and be vulnerable?

chronologically:

after Sarah's funeral, Steve was sad but holding it together. he kept his head down all the time and didn't look at Bucky until Bucky said the wedding vow to him. Steve was obviously playing the tough guy persona. but Bucky cut right through his bullshit and let him know that it's ok to be vulnerable, you don't have to pretend when you are with me. and Steve, the definition of stubborn, actually took Bucky up on his offer. and Bucky made him smile, even just a little bit, on the day of his ma's funeral, with not a sassy joke, but a heartwarming, earnest, gay ass declaration of love and loyalty.

after Bucky died in catfa, Steve was so overwhelmed by the pain of the loss he was crying alone in a ruined bar. he allowed himself to grieve, to break. he thought he was safe because he was alone. After all, Captain America couldn't be caught crying while trying to drink himself to oblivion for the death of a compatriot. and he thought he was safe because Peggy was supposed to be the only person besides Bucky who saw him as who he was. but no. she said 'then don't deny him the dignity of that.' she said to tough it up. see it as an honor for Bucky, your grief is tantamount to decimating his courage and sacrifice. stop being swallowed by grief and get your ass moving.

him mourning the loss of his friends in the first Avengers movie was cut. he was canonly not allowed to be sad.

during the entire Steve sadness errands, he was sad but not explicit about it. god knows how many times has he visited the museum just to see a couple of familiar faces on a screen. did he have to hide in a bathroom stall the first few times he saw Bucky's smiling face, when he heard about the Howlies sharing ridiculous war stories? we can only assume, because how can you make a movie about the greatest superhero and have him have a mental breakdown 30 minutes into the movie? because how could Steve ever let himself be so openly broken without Bucky being there to piece him back together? 'what makes you happy?" Sam asked. 'I don't know.' Steve answered, with a smile.

Peggy's funeral was a crowded public event, he was on camera, he tried to hold his tears back because again, he had a reputation to uphold. Sam and Nat were there to quite literally hold his hands through this. however, Sam's presence was practically ignored and Nat's visit was shadowed by the ominous immediacy of the Accords.

endtrash didn't happen so we don't talk about it.

in a Watsonian reading, Steve consistently mask the true depth of his grief. partly because that's just who he is, partly because that's who people think he is (Captain America).

Bucky becomes the outlier case. Bucky allows Steve to be vulnerable, hell he pushes him to be cus he knows how hurt Steve truly is. and when it was Bucky who died, Steve couldn't hold his emotions back.

interestingly, it was Nat, a woman, who echoed Bucky's sentiment, you can be vulnerable with me, I'm here for you. even so, his response was not directly shown on screen, therefore more a demonstration of their relationship than Steve's emotional state. [a tangent: Cap trilogy Nat was much more of a real human than whatever joss wheden fantasizes about sexy deadly russian spy. she can be scared, uncertain, earnest, annoyingly gossip, and caring in Cap movies and still be the badass black widow as we know it.]

regardless, the point stands that Steve showing his grief is not easy, due to the environment and/or his own stubbornness. and it's ultimately a feminine trait (iterated by Nat's parallel) that best presents itself when Bucky is involved.

I rest my case.

now I don't want it to be an anti-peggy post because what prompted me to write this post was also partly because of the comics, where Thor basically told Steve the same thing as Peggy. but I only want to limit the scope to the MCU so. it's not my fault that stucky was in the narrative but steggy is not.

[sweetshire]

is anyone else on the genderfluid eowyn train? can you hear me.

[future-crab]

Thinking about the way such a disproportionate amount of lesbian representation is super femme, and I know this isn’t the primary reason or probably even a major one, but like… as a person who writes queer characters, it definitely doesn’t help that every time I make it explicit that one of my female characters (or even one of my nonbinary characters who people will inevitably decide is basically a woman) is disinterested in makeup or dressing femininely I can hear a thousand bad-faith critics in my head scornfully saying, “Wow, I guess she’s really not like the other girls! Why can’t women wear makeup? What’s wrong with being feminine? They really need to work on their internalized misogyny!” and it’s just… so tiring.

[linddzz]

I do think a lot of the exploration of "what it means to be a woman" in Barbie was very heteronormative focused. Which like...didn't bother me much but it did mean that America's big speech made me check out a bit because it didn't resonate. It mostly reminded me of all of the "being a woman is suffering" straight feminism I see that always makes me be like huh...can't relate so while she was going on I was just like...man in all honesty being a straight woman seems like it suuucckksss glad I don't have all That. Glad it resonated with other people.

[opheliasam]

I think kripke should be in extensive therapy and i personally don’t want jared on that set i just hope things work out for the best however.