#i think were not allowed to have nuanced conversations about it without being called like misogynists or whatever

[nururu]

I'm sorry I can't watch the new trigun and I never will. it looks so ugly. the vibe is no where near the same and it takes away 90% of the charm of the original and makes it into something totally different. I feel like theyre giving it the sports anime treatment where they're banking on twinkification selling lots. like a yaoi head trap.

[the-mpreg-guy]

Okay, entering kinda controversial territory here but I really enjoy your meta and I put a lot of stock into your analyses so I'd genuinely like your opinion: what're your thoughts on exploring emotional incest in the Winchester family? While I do say ship and let ship, it is frustrating that Wincest shippers kind of take over the conversation when this topic comes up, because I'd like to explore the concept of emotional incest WITHOUT leaning into titillating smut territory because emotional incest is a common staple for abusive family dynamics and I think there's an argument to be made that it's present in the show. In all honesty, what got me thinking about it was more dean and John's emotional enmeshment rather than anything to do with Sam and dean, because John often pigeon holed dean into the role of 'partner' when he was younger, especially when it came to taking over stereotypical caretaking duties from Mary. Anyways, I'd just like to hear your thoughts on this pretty delicate subject because I love you well thought out your meta is!

Banger ask, let's get into it. Also everyone be normal about this, or else.

I'm going to answer your core question first before I get into my rambly thoughts on whether or not John got weird emotionally with his kids. My thoughts on exploring emotional incest within John and Dean's relationship are this:

1) people are allowed to do whatever the fuck they want with fiction

2) John and Dean have an incredibly well written, fraught relationship that lends itself well to many kinds of critical analysis.

3) as someone with specific trauma that I'm not getting into on tumblr dot com, sometimes the best way to interact with your own issues is to explore them cathartically through fiction.

In other words, I'm on board with people looking at John and Dean and going hey that was weird right.

EVERYONE CALM DOWN THERE'S NUANCE. Because, like, also I don't think anything happened.

Let's get rambly. I don't actually believe that any of the Winchesters engaged in any kind of incest. Emotional, physical, or otherwise. If we analyze the show from a Doylist perspective, we can know for sure that incest was not something happening. At all. Kripke nor any of the creatives involved were interested in telling a story about incest when their target audience was middle America. And even from a Watsonian perspective? All the tongue in cheek references to sibling incest are the creators directly mocking shippers. It's fairly consistently portrayed in a light where both brothers react with revulsion and embarrassment. You can also throw together an incredibly strong classism reading from the incest jokes (Zachariah, a white collar-coded character, calling the boys, two blue collar-coded characters, homorotically codependent?) which is usually the analysis lenses I use.

But again, on the other hand? Season 1-5 is about the abuse we see offscreen.

Oh, Kripke era aesthetics I miss you. Remember when they referenced the night Sam left for Stanford, but we never see it? Dean and Sam stand outside the building in Sam's Heaven and we never see what happens inside. This compels me. But do you know what compels me even more?

Dean never brings up the night Sam left for Stanford. We never hear what happened after Sam left, we never hear what happened during the fight, except from Sam and John. Dean's perspective of that night is completely cut off to us.

Other things to note about seasons 1-5: Dean summing up John's reaction to Sam running away with the sentence "and then when dad came home," Dean figuring out John was possessed because he didn't "tear Dean a new one" for protecting Sam, Dean's shifter explicitly saying "you left me with Dad" to Sam, Alastair calling Dean "Daddy's little girl," Dean having a secret in that made him a target for Bloody Mary, Dean being used as bait in 01x20, and of course Dean offering himself up as bait in 01x02 like it's a given that he's supposed to do that.

Later seasons do some other interesting things with Dean and John. We have the "wide-eyed hitchhiker routine," we have "I had to be a father, mother, and brother to him," we have an incredibly suspicious story about how John showed up out of the blue to save Dean from being roofied and SA'ed when he was "way underage," we have MOC Dean calling a girl a skank, but immediately identifying the specific kind of abuse that she suffered, we have Bela aka Dean's s3 mirror who underwent horrific sexual abuse from her father, and then we have Dean's entire relationship with sex ever.

There are a bunch of ways you can unpack this, and I don't think there's a wrong way as long as you have the reasoning and evidence to back up your claims. To me, this reads a story of a young boy who was parentified, emotionally (and at times, physically) abused by his father, and has a relationship with sex that is directly informed by being enabled and encouraged into unsafe sexual situations as a minor. In other words: I don't think John ever touched Dean sexually or wanted to. I would respect someone who took all of the evidence above and constructed an argument for it, but it isn't a personal take of mine.

But like, it's also complicated because of the whole grooming thing.

I don't really attach sexual connotations to this. Grooming is when a specific kind of power balance is built in a relationship where the victim is getting manipulated- and that dings all the bells on Dean and John for me. Dean also being parentifed into a little-mini mom for Sam was certainly a choice, and should be considered as upsetting and icky as it sounds.

And then there's the Mary mirror stuff, because we have a weird relationship between Samuel and Mary. He doesn't want to bring his wife back, he wants to bring Mary back. When Azazel possessed him it got weird and incest-y with him and Mary. And Dean, being Mary's mirror, has a complicated relationship with John that can be paralleled with Mary's relationship with her dad.

We also have to take Dean's Mary flashback in Dark Side of the Moon into account. This might be a stretch, but given the fact that Dean was emotionally stepping up in places where John wasn't when he was four years old indicates to me that both John and Mary have a tendency to fill a hole where their partner is lacking (also see: Mary relying on Cas almost as if he was John in later seasons).

Again, I don't personally read this as emotional incest on John and Mary's part, but it wouldn't exactly be a stretch for someone to draw that conclusion.

All of this has been an incredibly rambly way to say, I don't usually explore the concept of emotional incest with any of the Winchesters, but I can't discredit any analysis other people make on the topic. And I also can't say that I'm always uninterested in exploring darker takes that I don't usually engage with.

John creates a power dynamic between him and his children, and Mary is entirely capable of doing the same thing, but it's really up to the individual person on how they wanna read that. My reasoning for usually not going down that route are more personal than anything, but it's not something that's going to trigger me or ick me out if someone wants to talk about it.

[youhavelessproof]

Not a batcest shipper but your brudick propaganda helped me understand the context behind how these characters were written and how real life affected their characterizations. I don't think I can ever become a batcest shipper, I find the idea of Bruce and dick being brothers who's relationship is constantly evolving but always having that foundation of trust and deep understanding far too interesting, but I do understand why some ppl are. I find it interesting how fandom tries so hard sanitise and arrange relationships and dynamics into neat little easily digestible boxes and in the process of doing so we sometimes strip the most interesting parts of these characters

Ppl are taking these polls a tad bit too seriously and I feel like ppl just need to learn how to block, move on and not actively try to consume things that make them so upset. So 👍🏿

I totally respect not being a batcest shipper. everyone has their likes and dislikes. I really appreciate you listening to what I had to say though. even without shipping Brudick, I think it's important to understand the history behind it. if only to deeper your understanding of their bond (platonic or not) and just Batman comics in general.

it's not even just fandom that's trying to box the relationships into easy to understand categories. DC has really been pushing the Batfamily into those categories too. that's why, even if you hate batcest (not talking about you specifically) you should also be upset about the current state of found family in DC.

complex relationships like Bruce and Dick, (like you said they had a very interesting brotherly relationship,) that's being reduced to Bruce being Dick's dad and that's all. even if you always read them with parental undertones, which you definitely could, that was never all they were.

though fandom has been taking that and running with it and it makes it hard to have nuanced conversations about character dynamics. I mentioned Dick and Jason in one of my responses and like. part of their fun was that they were sorta brothers but they were also just two guys that had a mutual connection to a very important person in their lives. but now they're just brothers. that's all. Dick isn't allowed to have complex feelings about Jason, that's just his baby brother. that's all.

I love mama bird Dick, don't get me wrong, but he's not a character to just sit there and have no complex feelings about people. sometimes it feels like Dick is made of conflicted feelings.

wow this got out of hand. basically I am agreeing with you very hard. comic book characters are messy, let them be that way. they can still love each other and not be this perfect father/son dynamic. Dick doesn't need to call Dick dad for there to be a mutual understanding that Bruce did help raise him.

also ngl I do have to remind myself to not respond to everything. I'm trying to be good about only responding to stuff that's directly responding to something I said (aka reblogs) or when I'm addressed directly. it can be hard when I see people misinterpreting my words, but that's bound to happen and I need to let it go. (though I keep noticing that there are anons talking about "these people" or "Brudick shippers" or "that propaganda post" on the poll blog and it is a little entertaining to be referred to as a boogeyman figure. like you can just call me YouHaveLessProof or Moon. promise I won't appear in your room if you do.)

[bratbarzal]

https://www.tumblr.com/bratbarzal/780412311084072960/httpswwwtumblrcombratbarzal78040448270203289 I think it’s unfair for everyone to start jumping on this when the post that was made had her apology in there though

I do mean it now I’m not speaking on this after this post, I feel like you’re not understanding the severity of this situation

people have a right to be upset about it, I don’t think expressing an opinion is “jumping on” - the girl formed a community on here that was based on what she repeatedly knew to be dishonesty and theft - like I said in the last response, there are screenshots of conversations in 2023 where she said she felt guilty about it - not enough to stop, though

at the time I made my post, that post with her apology did not exist, and even so, as harsh as it probably sounds, I don’t think deleting your blog and speaking through somebody else and having other people face the consequences of what you did is accountability. I respect people saying it’s going too far, but I also think some people need to grow up a little and look at more than one perspective

I also think saying otherwise is enabling that behaviour - I didn’t know her and wasn’t friends with her, but if I was I would be saying to her I now have a responsibility to speak up about what you did whether it upsets you or not and you need to be big enough to own up to that.

calling out your friends is a part of supporting them

anybody who isn’t acknowledging it, and is sitting there with stolen content reblogged and praised on their blog, wether they like it or not, is complicit in what she did - staying silent on it is allowing people to go misinformed on what happened, and i personally would have a whole lot more respect if people were open to having the nuanced conversation without the word bully being tossed around

at this point, it’s bigger than the one person doing it. if we as a community of writers can’t call out this sort of thing, then what the fuck is the point in any of it.

[softness-and-shattering]

You know its really easy to [not do a bigotry]. Here are some tips:

[A list that on its own mostly sounds nuanced and sensical, a couple orange flags but nothing outright terrible.

Except that its vagueing recent discourse and painting nuanced issues and reactions and conversations into a neat little "Im right and theyre wrong and bigoted towards me" package with zero recognition of "and I mightve been bigoted towards them" because thats the black-and-white smoothing over at work, "They just need to recognise when theyre being bigoted, eg when theyre telling me maybe I did an oopsie doopsie because actually its bigoted to suggest I could ever hurt someone. But lets leave this between the lines so people without context will all agree and make me feel good and the people Im calling bigoted will feel small. This is a normal reaction to a complex intracommunity dynamic. Remember nuance folks!]

And then its reblogged "this all seems correct to me, always remember nuance"

And you sit there like, is the reblogger clueless or are they engaging in the erasing of serious discussion and conflict that needs curiosity and thoughtful resolving into "dont be a meanie because thats bigotry, think with your nuance goggles.on!".

And you sit there like. Not wanting to engage. Wondering if you should unfollow or.block the person putting it in front of your eyeballs or are they clueless. Tired of the disingenuinty because this happens in some variation every week. Sometimes you know what its referring to, sometimes.you just see [nkt being bigoted is really simple, hereas a reasonable sounding list] and youre just like, what didnt I see and what actually are the perspectives other than this one.

Its so fucking condescensing to. "If these silly people just realised theyre being bigoted towards me and stopped asking me to examine myself at all, they would realise theyre obviously wrong amd bigoted and I have never done anything wrong in my entire life ans youre especially a bigot if you disagree".

It reminds me of the first time someone told me that by me confronting them about the fact that they were bullying me, it really triggered them so it really wasnt a conversation they could have, I was triggering them! Deny, accuse, reverse victim and offender, DARVO, right? I didnt know how to react then but that was a long time ago.

This is using therapy-progressive-leftist speak to be manipulative, and it isnt less manipulative or shitty behaviour because you belong to a marginalised identity and are using therapy-speak. Its not bigotry every time youre uncomfortable, its not bigotry when people try hold you accountable for hurt or harm you have caused, its not bigotry to criticise you. Your identity and your trauma are not a free pass to be a piece of shit. If you cannot concieve of healthy conflict you need to remove yourself from public spaces until you can behave like a healthy adult, because passive agressively calling everyone who disagrees with you a bigot is not acceptable behaviour. If you cannot handle criticism or reslonsibility, remove yourself from environments where its required until you can handle yourself. Go to therapy, meditate, find some kind of healing practice that works for you. You are not allowed to just be an asshole on main whoever you are. No ones fooled.

[kamenstranger]

X-men '97 (mostly) spoiler free Review.

I'll be honest, when X-men '97 was announced I didn't think much of it. I've held a long stance of (at best) indifference towards reboots, remakes, or continuations of legacy properties. At worst, I hold a deep cynicism towards the often mishandling and cheap regurgitation to cash in on nostalgia.

The thing that most often goes wrong with such things is either it becomes so different one questions why it has X name attached instead of being a whole new thing, or it's so similar it does nothing new and only serves to callback fond memories and memes spawned from the original. It's a delicate balance to be familiar yet fresh. More often than not, it goes terribly wrong.

X-men '97 does not suffer that fate.

The most shocking thing about '97 isn't how much it feels like a proper continuation in every sense one could possibly achieve, but how better it is top to bottom. Sure, it has surface level nostalgia like the intro, callbacks, and the occasional campy tone (although never quite as much as the OG series, which lets be real, is for the better.) But it also understands how paramount it is to elevate and evolve the narrative with what the show explores, rather than relying on the familiar. The kids who grew up with the original are in their 30s if not their early 40s, and the ones that didn't remain children want more nuance and complexity. Not to mention the original, for all the good, is extremely flawed.

There's a story I read about Genndy Tartakovsky having a sign outside his office in the heyday of Cartoon Network that said something along the lines of "Make the Cartoons the way you think you remember." The idea being that a lot of people don't recognize the flaws in the shows they enjoyed at kids and have false idealized versions of those memories. '97 feels like that philosophy in some ways. It feels like all the legitimately good aspects cranked up to 11, and a lot of the lesser parts filtered out; an idealized version of what the original could be. In fact, Tartakovsky might be an apt comparison in another way, in that it feels as natural a progression as Samurai Jack with how it matured upon a revival, but without losing the parts that made the original so endearing.

Where X-men '97 hooked me was as early as ep. 2. Magneto gives a speech to the UN stating "As a boy, my people's homes were burned to ash because we dared to call God by another name. Then, my people hunted me with those who had once hunted them." The balls to go there hit like a truck and made me realize where this series was going. It might be trite to say "This isn't your childhood X-men" as if to imply some dark bend to the series. But no, this is simply an X-men that doesn't play coy with the analogies or side skirt death because of broadcast standards. It's an X-men allowed explore topics and stories in a manner much closer to the comics. The greatest example of that here is with Magnus, who for the first time is treated with a level of complexity I've not seen in any adaptive work.

The thing I love about Magneto is his versatility as a villain. He's full of himself, and goes too far in areas, but often still makes a good point. And even if he has those two flaws, is that much different than Xavier? Is his way ultimately more correct even if not 100% so? Conversely, you can easily turn him into a megalomaniac, unquestionably in the wrong-- yet still somewhat sympathetic because much of Humanity has reinforced time after time that it's oppress or be oppressed, with no alternative or in-between. That also makes him very interesting as someone who struggles to change their ways, to avoid falling down that slippery slope of becoming that very thing he so hates.

It should come as no surprise that this added focus on Magneto results in some killer lines throughout the run. The trailer made it clear that he would become leader of the X-men after Charles' apparent death at the end of the original series (as an aside, pay close attention to the language used when referring to Charles, it's very clever.) About half this season deals with Magnus building towards something beyond the school and beyond the X-men with the Island Nation of Genosha, creating a proper haven for Mutants to exist freely and in the open. He's honestly one of if not my favorite part of the show, both as a character and how that characterization helps drive the plot. Of course it's just one of many. Another big focus is Scott and Jean's relationship, the pregnancy, the fear of and eventual birthing of a child into a world that hates and fears them. That added dimension makes Scott a lot more nuanced this go around. Ideally, Cyclops should make difficult and perhaps unpopular decisions that are ultimately for the better, justifying his position as someone capable of making choices others would not. In practice, a lot of instances have Scott making boneheaded decisions and being a punching bag for Wolverine. People like to hate on the dude, and I don't blame them. It's very easy to make someone like that unlikable, and most of time, writers do.

But '97 gives a lot more personal scenes with him, showing how he's scared of his position, how Xavier's absence added a great weight upon his shoulders. Not to mention one of their greatest enemies-- the one ideologically opposite of Charles-- is entrusted with carrying on Xavier's dream, not him, not even another X-men. Then there's the baby on the way, everything that happens afterwards which is just the cherry on the shit sundae. I felt bad for Scott, the poor guy is sent thought the ringer this season. But that also makes him and his relationship with Jean legitimately interesting.

Meanwhile, the latter half of a show blows up into a much bigger cataclysmic event that actually manages to pull off some of the best suspense, trepidation, and "Oh shit, what next?" moments that few series achieve with such a level of success or frequency.

All that said, as much praise as I have for the story and characters… the stuff with Rogue is a bit weird and will probably be the most off putting aspect during the first half.

This is one of those parts I can't really skim over in a mostly spoiler free fashion, so get ready. For half the show Rogue spends a lot of time with Magneto after he takes over the X-men, and it's a source of friction for Gambit. And you think you know how this is going; Rogue obviously has some sorta past with Magnus no one else knows about, which makes sense given her checkered history, and Gambit is horribly misinterpreting that prior relationship as something more out of jealousy.

But no, Gambit was right. It was a lot more than just partners in crime. See, Magnus' whole electromagnet field can protect him from Rogue while the two still feel a touch, as it where, and they took full advantage of that way back when. So yeah, that's a thing that happened.

I get what they're going for; giving Rogue a complicated relationship with a major antagonist, how fair is keeping that information from Gambit, what does that even say about Magnus etc. The comics have done or tried similar things, often to a worse extent. (In fact this is based on a bit from Age of X) Still, it feels a tad weird here, and the age gap certainly plays a role. Which again, I realize is the point. I think part of the hang up on my end is Animated Rogue and Gambit always felt just a tad younger than say Jean, Scott, and Storm-- and the thought of the much older Magnus hooking up with an at the time technically legal Rogue bothers me. Not in an ageist way, but in a Jerry Seinfeld sorta way.

But I think that they're a bit more up there then previously thought. So if this goes back 5 maybe 10 years, that makes it feel less like Magnus was taking advantage of a very lonely and still naive girl, but having a fling with (at minimum) mid 20 something, which has it's own baggage, but is far less creepy and but in-line with Magnus' ego. His crimes against humanity I can forgive, but not acting like a libertarian. As for Rogue…I mean I wouldn't judge her anyway. Especially from her POV. I mean… look at Magnus.

If I couldn't have physical contact with 99% of people, I'd jump at exploring that magnetic pole, too.

That's probably the biggest "issue" I have with the story, and honestly I'm sorta coming around to it because it's told so damn well and leads to some pretty great bits. Rogue's argument with Gambit in particular is heart-wrenching.

And we also get some lovely scenes later in the series with Nightcrawler being a supporting brother to Rogue, which I just adore. I'll admit I'm slightly bias here because Kurt was one of my favorite X-men characters along with Remy, Rogue, and Magneto. So I'm eating good this season.

What I don't care for however is the romance between Forge and Storm. In fact, Storm probably gets the worst arc this season simply due to constraints and timing. It's not bad, but you can really tell hers was meant to be a larger and more intimate tale that was condensed down to what is effectively a single episode hacked to pieces. The passage of time is very poorly conveyed, so it feels like Forge proclaims his love after a week and one romantic dinner. Storm's more internal demons and struggles with her powers, while interesting conceptually, suffers from structural and pacing issues as it's split over two episodes shared with other stories. This is compounded with the fact one episode in-between those two is on the much more grandiose story of Genosha-- which is itself is grounded by that love triangle between Mags, Gambit, and Rogue-- not to mention a number of character deaths as the mid season "Oh shit" moment. The result is a vast cloud being cast over Ororo's narrative. We don't even get to properly delve into the Adversary.

There's some more minor things I can think of; the first episode is a little rough because of the dialogue being very hamfisted. It's made to be friendly to newcomers that didn't watch the original series, which I respect, but the consequence is some very weird statements of facts from characters to others that already know them. I think they knew this, which is why the much better ep. 2 dropped the same day. Smart. Outside ep. 1 it's handled much better. Slight spoiler, but if you know the comics you know about Madelyne Pryor, a clone of Jean with all her memories. OG Jean pops back in, but has a fragmented memory which allows for a much more natural flow of information as she slowly remembers events like the Phoenix and such.

Another use of conveying information to new comers is the newest member to the team, Roberto da Costa AKA Sunspot. Early on Roberto doesn't really have much going on, he's used similar to Jubilee as the audience POV saved by the X-men and that's kinda it. There's sparks between him and Jubilee, but for the most part his story takes a back seat to the much larger going ons. In fact I don't really think he ever comes into his own this season, although he is getting there by the end. However, I do think his character is used well thematically. Roberto's mother is a very wealthy business woman and philanthropist, and she's basically the stereotype of every rich minority liberal. She doesn't mind her son being a mutant, but she wants to keep it secret for social and financial reasons. She holds big charities for mutant causes, but will sell her own son out to authority figures if pressed. I never got invested in Roberto as there simply isn't enough time to focus on how that affects him on a deeper level beyond "Maybe Magneto is right." But I am impressed at showcasing that type of performative ally-ship, and with a parent no less.

I guess the last thing to address the new villain this season. I won't get into the story stuff, but if you know who Bastion is, then you sorta know where this goes anyway. And if you don't, then I won't really be getting too deep into that stuff. To be honest, I don't have a ton to say about him. He is quite different from his comics version to better fit within TAS universe, and he's sympathetic as a result of those changes. Pretty typical with this iteration of X-men to mix, change, and mash storylines across multiple decades. So nothing new there. I think he's a good threat, I like the portrayal of the prime sentinels, he's built up very well as a mysterious puppet master and power house; possibly too good given a "get out of jail free" moment with Jean in the finale. Theo James also does a good job making him sound calm, collected, almost emotionless-- but not bored, which a lot of people struggle with. I just don't really find him all that captivating or fun as a villain compared to say Magneto or Mr. Sinister. What he is, is a good catalyst. And I'm fine with that. X-men thrives on its melodramatic interpersonal relationships to carry damn near any story. Take characters you like, build'em up, have complex emotions, then throw them into scenarios to exacerbate all of that. If you can pull it off, you've got a fine formula for entertaining stories-- so long as you keep evolving those characters and scenarios. So, sure, I don't think Bastion is an all time great, but I'm more interested in the team having to deal with his shit and each other than him specifically, and I'm still getting other villains I do find interesting, so I can't really complain. But that's enough but the story, let's get into the other bits. Animation On the Animation side X-men '97 looks damn good. Comparing it to the original isn't even fair. The original studio, AKOM, was constantly threatened with firing because their output was routinely bad. Be that from a massive workload, poor management, crunch, Saban being a fuck stick, etc. Whatever the cause, the end result was not good. The first episode of X-men aired in an incomplete state, and that sort of trouble plagued the entire production. Heck, fellow Fox Kids series Batman The Animated Series terminated their contract with them for similar errors.

The first episode on '97 meanwhile takes every opportunity to showcase dynamic action. It probably has the most clever combination and uses of the X-men's powers; Scott using his optic blasts for movement, Gambit charging Wolverine's claws, Jean creating a containment field for Storm's tornadoes to increase pressure. That standard of quality is mostly maintained throughout. The biggest critique I can make is that some of the more subtle movements; raised eyebrow; slight head tilt; gritting teeth, tend to have an…off look. It reminds me a lot of the adoption of Flash in the 2010s and other digital animation, where every now and then certain objects just sorta float and slide in an overly smooth fashion, as if someone is simply moving a png around.

Another quirk is that there are A LOT of close ups of eyes. Sometimes that's an artistic choice, but very often it feels like a work around to avoid animating mouth movements for dialogue, showing backgrounds, other characters, and so on. And it's a trick used a wee-bit too much, one I'm hoping is ironed out by next season because it did become distracting by the end. But ya know, this is also better than Castlevania's first two seasons.

Voice Acting.

The voice Acting is great, no surprise there. Hell, the cast was the best thing out of the original series. While the dialogue and the delivery varied wildly, the voices themselves were generally on point, weird takes or direction notwithstanding. Those to me will always be the voices for those characters. I still hear Alison Sealy-Smith when I read Storm's dialogue in comic form, or Lenore Zann's Rogue, or George Buza's Beast. Most of the surviving original cast is back, either as their respective characters, or in other roles if they didn't want/fit the role anymore, as was the case with Catherine Disher and Alyson Court. Hilariously, Morph's original actor, Ron Rubin, now plays President Kelly.

Oddly enough Gambit's original VA, Chris Potter, returns but in the role of Cable. Credit where it's due, this Cable sounds similar to a much gruffer Cyclops, but in such a way that's clearly a different voice. So I think that was a good change.

Speaking of Scott, Ray Chase is the new voice and he knocks it out of the park, absolutely perfect voice for the character that captures the smarmy routine Norm Spencer had. I'm frankly impressed how perfect he fills those shoes, while also adding a world weariness. Likewise, Jennifer Hales is a fantastic choice for Jean. She's played Jean before but this is much more influenced by Disher's performance. Ironically Hale's performance made me realize how perfect she would've been as Jill Valentine, and I'm sorta surprised she was never picked for any of the remakes. Additionally, Hale is clearly having so much fun in a villainous role as the Goblin Queen. In fact, her tone is slightly different for Pryor in general, but my god is the Goblin Queen stuff a joy. It's only like an episode, but Hale is just REVELING in being a baddy.

Nice to see X-men awakening things in people even years later.

Other new cast members include A. J. LoCascio, who does a great job as Gambit. Of course we have new addition Roberto, voiced by Gui Agustini, who fits lovely and speaks Portuguese to boot. Holly Chou takes over Jubilee and is so damn on point I had to double check it wasn't a time-displaced Court. You actually get to hear Chou and Court opposite one another and it is WILD how subtle the differences are. Ross Marquand is also pretty damn close to Cedric Smith's Xavier, albeit a tad younger sounding. One returning member I do want to give special mention to is Cal Dodd's Wolverine. Dodd was always a favorite, and like the others "the voice" of that character to me, and it's great to hear him again. Although I will note it doesn't really sound like 90s Wolverine, with exception to the penultimate episode where it sorta comes back. I'm not sure if they told him to do a rougher voice, if it's just the result of age, or if he's just getting back into it (Logan doesn't have many lines this season) but it's certainly different for most of the run. Every so often you'll also get a very slight inflection of an accent. Now Dodd is Irish born, but he doesn't have an Irish accent, yet I swear I hear one coming from Wolverine. Honestly? It weirdly works simply due to Logan's age and coming from Alberta, which was pretty heavy on immigrants from all the British Empire's isles. So…I kinda dig it, even if I'll always default to the OG performance in my head.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the incredible music by the Newton Brothers.

But I also don't really know what to say about it beyond "That's some damn fine music and remixing of the Main Theme." Part of the problem is the Soundtrack isn't released at the time of this writing, there's only a single for the opening. But the harrowing vocal version of the theme, the BGM, all that's not released in a format I can point to and tell you to check it out, or even give a name to the ones I like. So... I just have to throw my hands up and say I love their work and am glad they're returning next season.

I hope they remix the second X-men theme from the later seasons. Final Thoughts

X-men '97 has been by far the most pleasant surprise this year. I loved the feeling of looking forward to each episode, wanting to know what events will transpire, waiting until next Wednesday for the follow up. Few series manage to capture my attention to the extent '97 did. In the wrong hands this could've been exhausting, but it's a masterclass in pacing and escalation without feeling tiresome. X-men '97 pulls off a perfect balance of new and familiar, maintaining and building upon a strong foundation of character drama to reach new heights that results in, above all else, an extremely rare example of a revival surpassing the original in every regard.

Now, I just hope the firing of the director wasn't a sign that Disney is going to sabotage this because the suits are rock stupid. Or that the series will become bogged down with cameos and references to other stuff. I gotta tell you, one of the best things was '97 not dealing with MCU and just having relatively subdued cameos and name drops. It was quaint compared to what it's like now. But that finale made me wince in spots. You can justify it all you want, but I'm tired, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come.

I couldn't figure out where to put this in the review, but I did want to mention a moment in ep 2 that I loved. Jean goes into labor and while Logan is driving her to the hospital, her powers go a little out of control and rips the roof off his vehicle. She made him a convertible.

They do not draw attention to it, no smarmy comment, just something that happens. But I have to imagine it was an intentional reference, and that's my favorite kind of callback. All that said, thanks for reading this. It's not often I do spoiler free reviews, but sometimes the format is just right for what I have to say without delving into a big plot synopsis. Hopefully, if you were cautious like me, maybe you'll check out '97 and find something you really love.

[trickstarbrave]

the dan schneider thing is interesting bc i think for years he has been "the" problem to mention when it comes to child stars and this has only grown since he was fired and this documentary came out. quinton reviews already mentioned this but a lot of ppl enjoy how easy it is to blame one singular person (or even just one network, i see that a lot too with ppl being like 'glad i only watched disney!!!' like disney did not hire an open convicted child abuser who was caught assaulting a child star for another network) because it's just easier.

it is easier to think about. there is no nuance. there is no wider social issue. you can sweep all guilty feelings under the rug for being an active audience of these shows that financially supported them. it was ONE GUY'S fault and now he's fired.

and this is something that isn't unique to the conversation. many times people enjoy blaming their problems or every moral failing in an issue on one person, a handful of people, one thing, and then divorcing themselves from it. they make it black and white. dan schneider was the bad guy of nick and everything bad about the shows you love is his fault and none of the good can be attributed to him. if something bad happened on another nick show it was probably dan's fault. dan single handedly destroyed amanda bynes' entire life and none of it can be blamed on anything else.

but the fact of the matter is this does nothing to address the problems. was dan an shitty human being? absolutely. he was verbally and emotionally abusive, misogynistic, sexually harassed people on set, forced people to work long hours, and made a bunch of people absolutely miserable. even though he was not found to have sexually abused any children on set the work environment he cultivated was extremely friendly to predators. but he is NOT the only person in entertainment who was or is like this. a lot of people who made your favorite stuff from movies to tv shows were potentially like this or inspired by someone like this or wouldn't have gotten to where they were without working with people like this.

this is a pervasive issue. its not the fault of one guy. bad people can make good pieces of art that genuinely impacted you and made a difference in your life. and how and why they are bad is not unique to them. the whole system is fucked up and needs addressing. the entertainment industry is absolutely horrible and needs to be completely overhauled. but it wont be because that makes money. dan was allowed to be horrifically abusive on set because getting things done faster made the network money. children and actors and actresses are put into horrible situations because they need to support their families and speaking out could mean losing a good opportunity at best and losing your entire career and way of making money at worst.

we need to not just be calling out specific people and blaming them for everything bad and deciding retroactively everything they ever did must be bad or divorce them from it (especially when they still profit off of it like JKR). we need to be calling out specific practices. we need to be okay with not having new shows or new movies and waiting longer for less. we need to be keeping in mind the rights of workers and creatives alike and continuing to support them fighting for more protections of those rights.

[late-to-the-fandom]

Discipline bid him go no further. Renathal swept it ruthlessly aside. There was no reason not to take what he wanted now. Elisewin would soon be gone. The least they both deserved was to enjoy themselves before the end. Read on Ao3 here. Warning: M-Rated smut.

Renathal sat in his trousers and shirtsleeves in one of the little-used chairs by the unlit fireplace in his bedroom, waiting for Breakfist to arrive and turning his medallion over in his hands, wondering if there was any point in wearing the useless thing to court at all.

He liked to think he controlled the other Harvesters as much through his own abilities as his Master’s imparted magic, but he could not deny the Medallion of Dominion had always helped keep the more unruly Venthyr in line. A slight lean into its irresistibly imperious power could stop the Fearstalker and the Stonewright coming to blows; the Countess circulating some vindicative rumour; the Tithelord pocketing unattended anima rubies. The ethics of this might unsettle the likes of the Accuser, but Renathal slept just fine. It was his job, after all, and, unlike many Harvesters over the eons, he had never used his powers for personal gain.

Although...

He toyed idly with the fine, filigreed gold and imagined how different things might be with Elisewin if this were a rule he was willing and able to bend. He did not think it was coincidence keeping her from him the last few days. Since her nightmare, she had refused to remain long in any room Renathal entered and always had a ready reason to excuse herself from conversations he attempted to engage. Embarrassed at her display of weakness, or the unintended misconduct it had birthed, Renathal supposed; and with court preparations the top priority of all Darkwall Tower, he had permitted her behaviour to pass without comment. But it rankled him, nonetheless.

Might a gentle pressure from the medallion - so light in his hands now its reservoir was depleted - have persuaded her back to his side? Allowed them to resume that comfortable companionship he relied on to stave off his more dangerous cravings? Perhaps not. Perhaps the mortal flesh preventing her soul from being harvested also possessed the ability to resist even the Master's dominating power.

Hypnotised by his own aimless train of thought and the glint of the dull purple jewel in his room’s dim candlelight, Renathal heard the soft, tentative knock only distantly, and called “Enter, Breakfist,” without registering its implications. The click of unfamiliar shoes jerked him from his reverie. He twisted in his seat, caught sight of the figure in the open doorway, then shot up with an alacrity that sent the chair tumbling backward onto the hearth.

“Breakfist is busy, Your Highness,” said Elisewin, closing the door behind her and politely failing to notice the clatter of wood on brick or Renathal’s muttered oath as he hastily righted the chair. “There is some sort of last-minute disaster in the kitchens. He was quite frantic about it, and since I am little use with food, I volunteered to come and… assist you in his stead.”

There was a stilted, formal note to her usual impassivity, and she stood awkwardly just inside the room, the door at her back, as if reluctant to venture any deeper inside. But Renathal barely noticed her nuances of demeanour. His eyes were busy adjusting to the sight of her new and entirely unexpected attire.

"Where did you get that dress?" he asked, the question staggering between astonishment and awe.

Elisewin blinked, then looked down at herself.

"The wardrobe," she said simply. "It's quite lovely, thank you." Her fingers traced the corset's bronze buckles and trailed into the swell of red satin skirts beneath. "Mind you, it did take two dredgers to help fasten me into it, but it’s surprisingly easy to move about in once it's on, and" - she glanced up at Renathal, violet pinpricks glowing on her cheekbones - "it's a perfect fit."

That was obvious. From the hem that fell just above the top of her brocade boots to the graceful, gold, winged shoulder ornaments positioned precisely not to scrape her pointed ears, every inch of the ensemble looked as if it had been tailored to Elisewin's exact mortal specifications. Which made it all the more perplexing.

"You say you found this in the guest room wardrobe?" asked Renathal, his words as uncertain as his steps as he made his way towards Elisewin, dropping his medallion carelessly onto the chiffonier as he passed.

"Yes," she replied, warily watching his approach. "I... assumed you left it for me to wear?"

"Ah."

It was not really an answer. But Renathal had no answer. He had not left her a dress, specifically commissioned or otherwise, and he could not think why one should be there. He could barely think at all. He reached Elisewin before he realised, standing far too close than strictly proper, but reluctant to retreat and unable to tear his eyes from the entrancing sights: her dark hair in its elegantly arranged high pile, the little red jewel set against black lace fastened around the exposed skin of her throat, the plunging neckline that clung to the swell of her breasts as if painted on...

…until Elisewin coughed, a little pointedly, and waved a dubious hand at the dress form on which Renathal’s armour waited.

“Shall I help you into your armour, your Highness?" she asked. “I... would not want to make you late for your own court.”

Renathal closed his eyes briefly and wrestled his thoughts, a tangled knot of confusion and desire, back to firmer, safer ground. Court was the top priority now. All other mysteries could be dealt with later.

“Of course,” he conceded. "Come. I will... guide you through the process," and, with the faintest of audible sighs, Renathal braced himself for what he was sure would be a most exquisite torture.

He was not disappointed.

Besides the anticipated cruelties of long, warm fingers pressed firmly to various parts of him - his back, his chest, his upper arms, his lower stomach where fiery anima pooled and every fibre of Renathal's being was required to keep his body's natural responses in check - there was something highly sensual about watching Elisewin handle his armor. Her hands moved across each green and gold piece of plate with easy grace, positioning them precisely, and almost before he had issued instructions - exactly as they did not when wielding a duelling rapier. Half in curiosity and half to distract himself from the sight of her sinking to her knees to affix his tassets, Renathal remarked:

"This is not your first time working with plate, I see."

“It is that I recall,” Elisewin contradicted absently. "But I suppose I may have done it before and just cannot remember."

There was none of the morose frustration that usually accompanied such admissions. She lapsed back into studious silence, wholly focused on his legs, and Renathal searched frantically for another distraction. His eyes fell on his medallion, abandoned atop the chiffonier. Moving carefully so as not to upset her work, he reached for the simple silver chain and slipped it over his head. Light though it now was, something about its familiar feel against his chest plate strengthened Renathal’s sagging self-control.

"What is that?" asked Elisewin, rising and straightening her rumpled skirts.

“The Medallion of Dominion,” he answered, pleased to hear his voice resonate with well-composed pride. “My allotted portion of the Sire’s power. Each Harvester is given one to assist in the execution of their duties.”

Elisewin eyed the unassuming purple gem.

“It has powers?”

“Well. Usually,” Renathal admitted. “But the drought has required sacrifices from us all. I am afraid the medallions’ powers are… not what they once were. But I have never attended court without wearing it before. I should feel quite naked without it.”

Elisewin ducked her head abruptly, ostensibly adjusting the drape of her skirts, but with her hair pulled back off her face she could not hide her creeping violet blush. Renathal turned tactfully away, allowing her time to recover, and inspected the reflection of his irrepressibly smug smile in the mirror of the chiffonier.

This was no expertly crafted, anima-imbued Venthyr creation, but a slightly warped mortal looking-glass, acquired from the Night Market epochs ago and chosen specifically for the way it lent Renathal’s torso a slightly more generous breadth. He admired it for a few satisfied seconds, then flicked his gaze to the image of Elisewin straightening up behind him, and wondered if the dark, almost hungry glint in her blue-white eyes as she appraised him was simply another trick of the imperfect glass.

Immoderately pleased regardless, he gestured towards the door and announced, "Shall we?" at the same time Elisewin blurted, "Shall I do your hair, Your Highness?"

For a few frozen heart beats, each stared at the other through the safe medium of the wobbly glass. All Renathal's smugness had evaporated. Even Elisewin's impassivity seemed to waver at the edges. In the end, it was Renathal who found his tongue first.

“What would you do to it?”

“Oh...” Elisewin blinked. Apparently, she had not expected this response. “I... don't know.” The red jewel in the hollow of her throat quivered as she swallowed, then reached up to run a cautious hand through the long, loose strands of pale hair cascading down Renathal's back. “Is there anything you would prefer? Something... elegant? Impressive?”

She pronounced the words like questions, as if the Dark Prince might be above such frivolous concepts. He was not. But Renathal knew he would have agreed to almost anything to keep her touching him just like that.

"Surprise me," he heard himself say, and allowed Elisewin to lead him to his vacated chair by the fireplace and ease him gently down.

And if having her dress him had been torture, this was a punishment worthy of the Sire himself. And one Renathal knew he deserved, for how easily it could - and should, he berated himself - have been avoided. But once Elisewin sank warm fingers into the mass of hair across his scalp, stroking gently as she parted and gathered, all thought of courts and resolutions and time itself drifted away, and it was all Renathal could do to keep himself from moaning aloud.

When was the last time anyone had touched him like this? Soft and sweet and unassuming, entirely free of hostile machination or unpleasant ulterior motive? He let his eyes flutter closed, forgetting to affect even the slightest breath as he tilted his neck, offering himself up to un-self-conscious pleasure, until - far too quickly - the fingers ceased their work, and a throaty voice murmured in his ear, "There. See what you think, Your Highness."

Renathal rose and followed Elisewin to the chiffonier, his movements steady but perception hazy, as if he had stepped into the realm of dream. A sensation compounded by the unusual reflection staring back at him from the mortal mirror: his yellow eyes gone anima-red with heat, his pinched features relaxed and cast slightly into shadow by the raised and intricate braid adorning the top of his head like a crown, the rest of his hair falling gracefully about his noticeably less-tense shoulders. It was almost, realised Renathal, the reverse of the Master's signature hairstyle. He wondered if Elisewin had done that on purpose. He wondered many things about her as he caught the eyes of her reflection again, even darker than before.

“Do you like it?”

"I..." In his dream-like state, it took Renathal a minute to sift through his store of words and find an appropriate sentiment. "I am... immensely pleased. Thank you… Elisewin." The little compulsive blush at his use of her name made Renathal's lips twitch. "Perhaps, we ought to make this one of your regular tasks."

The mirror caught a brief glitter of blue-white fire as Elisewin's eyes glowed at his reflection, then paled just as quickly. Renathal wondered if she, too, battled a set of conflicting emotions at the thought of repeating this scene every day.

But her response - "As you command, Your Highness," - was demure and devoid of undercurrent. And with a short dip of her head, Elisewin stepped backwards, redrawing inscrutability around herself like a cloak. “I should check in with Breakfist, now. Guests will be arriving shortly. I will see you in the courtyard, Your Highness.” 

Renathal waited until the door clicked closed behind her, then counted to ten - then ten again, when his simmering anima had not quite settled - before following her out the door and down the passage at a more dignified pace.

As he walked, he made a concerted effort to corral his wildly racing thoughts about his mortal: her unexpected talents, the mysteries that seemed to spring up in her tread, her recent reticence to be alone with him compared with her surprising eagerness to serve. These were all intriguing topics due long and serious contemplations, but they would keep until later. Renathal could not afford to be distracted.

He had a court to host.

Harvester's Courts were a time-honoured Revendreth tradition, a chance for the busiest and most heavily burdened of the Venthyr to relax, mingle, and entertain - or impress - their peers. Court offerings differed depending on the unique style of the hosting Harvester: the Fearstalker's, a hunt; the Stonewright's, feats of martial strength; the Countess', a generous sampling of lascivious activities; and the Accuser's, some staid, formal, and traditional - in other words, dull - display. 

The Dark Prince had developed a reputation for offering a court that catered to every taste. The atmosphere was lively, but refreshing, the provided entertainments interactive and accessible. Guests were handpicked by the Prince and chosen for their expertise, conversation, or charm - the Sire himself could often be seen in attendance. There was music and dancing in the Tower's modest ballroom; fencing demonstrations and occasional duelling tournaments, outside. Food was a quaint addition at which the other Harvesters initially sneered, but which had become quite the trend in the last few centuries, even the Countess forced to capitulate to its utilitarian decadence.

It was an exquisite event, always months in the planning, and Renathal might not have bothered with any of it. For this particular court, at least. Each guest who ascended the stairs or stepped from the lift or emerged from the shadows through which they had wended ignored the fastidious finery - the shadow of a thousand flickering candle flames dancing across the spotless terrace, the heavy, ornate tables laden with anima-infused food and drink - and spared only the briefest of required greetings for their host before taking up strategically placed positions around the courtyard, the better to watch the work of the realm’s newest and most noteworthy resident.

But if Elisewin felt the weight of the hundred odd eyes, she gave no indication. She flitted between clusters of guests in time to the distant strains of sweeping music with barely a wobble on her high-heeled boots, offering trays of drinks and foodstuffs, allowing herself to be gaped at and even, occasionally, touched.

Renathal, monitoring her carefully from his own post by the courtyard's central anima font, wrinkled his nose in disapproval as one brazen noble traced the length of her exposed lavender neck with a curious, gloved hand. Renathal's own tightened on his glass of anima wine; an uncommon indulgence, but necessary for settling his still-electric nerves. Elisewin's, however, remained perfectly steady. Her tray did not even rattle as she curtsied and extricated herself from the Venthyr's attentions. Her implacable demeanour was, Renathal conceded, particularly well-suited for a formal court. And, making a note to find some sin with which to condemn the noble in question to an especially dank crypt for a fortnight at least, he tore his gaze reluctantly from Elisewin's competent perambulations and turned his focus to the rest of the terrace and its sea of rustling, muttering guests.

"Everything seems to be going smoothly," remarked a gravelly voice from over the Dark Prince’s shoulder.

"Yes, it certainly does," Renathal agreed without turning. He knew the General's voice, and the hulking, winged shadow he cast across the square, paved stones, by heart. "I expected a few squabbles over anima conservation, allotments, and the like, but… nothing so far. No fights, no rumours, no plots. It would appear the other Harvesters are on their best behaviour."

He sipped idly at his drink while the General digested this observation.

"They are up to something, then," Draven concluded.

"My thoughts precisely."

Renathal’s expression was half grin, half grimace as he made a subtle survey of the four Harvesters currently in attendance over the rim of his glass.

The power struggle for control of the most medallions had been a favourite pastime of his for many an age. Everything from securing loyalties and wielding their powers by proxy to outright theft of the coveted gold-bound gems, the Dark Prince had done it all. And better than most. But even before the mortal’s arrival, he had felt the game’s appeal beginning to wane. And now, where once he enjoyed, even encouraged, instances of in-fighting for a bit of fun, Renathal’s foremost concern was ensuring court ran as smoothly as possible, without any - his eyes flicked to the circulating Elisewin and her easily-marked mortal skin - collateral damage.

Shifting slightly, so he might face Draven and still keep an eye on the courtyard at large, Renathal cleared his throat and began with a show of polite hesitation.

“My friend… you are here as my guest, and I would hate to put you to any undue trouble. However-”

"Which one should I keep my eye on?" the General interrupted decisively.

"The Stonewright," replied Renathal at once. "I do not think the Accuser or the Curator will deign to attend. And Chelra is keeping watch on the Fearstalker and the Tithelord."

Both Venthyr and Stoneborn shot identical glances at the shadowy corner of the terrace where the latter two Harvesters stood together, side by side in awkward, silent companionship, noticeably unattended by their usual requisite bands of hovering sycophants.

“It is strange to see them so… friendly with each other,” said Draven, voicing Renathal’s thoughts.

“Yes, and both have been ominously quiet of late. If those two particular harvesters have formed an alliance, it can be for nothing good. Which is why I have assigned Chelra to keep an eye.” Renathal flicked a finger at the sky above where a lone Stoneborn figure glided in low, eerie circles. “Of all quarters, theirs is the one from which I most suspect potential attack. As Princeguard, monitoring their activities has become part of Chelra’s duties.”

Draven nodded briskly, noting, “That still leaves one major player,” and Renathal did not need the Stoneborn’s rough jerk of the head towards the courtyard’s most fashionably dressed contingent and the Harvester holding court in its center to know to whom he referred. “She is still seething that you managed to capture the mortal for yourself. She will want to interfere.”

As if guided by some supernatural sense, the Harvester in question lifted her beady eyes to where the Dark Prince and the General stood. And, whether informed by the same uncanny power or simply guessing at the nature of their private conversation and taking it as her cue, she leaned languidly across the table to murmur something in the ear of a nearby noble who jumped from their chair in a rattle of gold bangles and scanned the surrounding terrace for something or someone.

Renathal, eyes narrowed, guessed who.

“Leave her to me.”

He downed the rest of his wine but held tight to the glass as he descended the anima font’s high platform. Gliding sedately across the terrace, formal coat billowing dramatically behind him, Renathal rearranged his features to reflect an equal degree of regal composure. He anticipated battle. And a cool head and cooler demeanour were the greatest weapons he could wield against his epochs-old nemesis: the Harvester of Desire.

Historically the least among the seven harvesters, this particular incarnation - the Countess - had elevated the position to one of fear and grudging renown. She oversaw festivities, entertainments, and carnal privileges; approved - or disapproved - relationships of all sorts and reported illicit examples to the Master. She had spies in every corner of the realm - including, Renathal was certain, his own estate - and an appetite for new and interesting experiences to rival even his.

The skin on the back of Renathal’s armoured neck prickled as he watched the Countess stand in a swish of narrow hips and dark skirts to greet his mortal charge. Hunger gleamed in her black, beady eyes, and a snap of her fingers had some socialite whisking Elisewin's tray from her hands, leaving her open and unprotected from the Countess' salacious inspection. She looked the mortal up and down with undisguised greed, ran a wanton hand across the fine material of her skirts, her sleeves, her corset; reached up - Elisewin was several inches taller than most Venthyr - to adjust the red jewel sparkling in the hollow of her throat. Catching sight of the Prince’s approach, the Countess smiled - wet and predatory - and locked a proprietary arm around Elisewin’s waist to prevent her escape.

"Well, well, Renathal," the Countess gushed in her languorous alto. "Just look at the delicious prize you have tucked away up here. I was just saying to the Duke, you must lend her to us for one of my own little parties. It has been such a long time since any of us laid hands on a living mortal."

From further down the table, Renathal could hear Theotar's attempts at jovial protest sliding in and out of the hearty agreements and lascivious catcalls from the rest of the Countess' coterie.

"A charming idea," said Renathal, and the table was suddenly struck with an expectant hush. Leaning casually against the nearby candle-covered archway, he lifted his empty glass to his lips for a moment before continuing, "But... I fear the mortal is still pursuing her atonement. Such decadent pleasures are beyond the privilege, and, indeed, the appreciation, of new, unrepentant souls."

"Oh, I offer as many punishments as pleasures," purred the Countess. "If it is suffering she deserves, that can most certainly be arranged." 

Her crimson-painted, claw-like nails closed tighter around Elisewin's waist, digging into the bodice just above the protective corset. Elisewin hissed with the unexpected pain, and Renathal's carefully modulated control abruptly snapped.

"No."

It was too blunt, too brusque. It went against all Venthyr tact. The nobles at the table looked scandalised, the socialities tittered, and even the Countess had to work hard to conceal her offended shock.

"Tut, tut, Renathal," she chided, tossing back her corkscrew curls. “Such rudeness unbecomes a gracious host.”

"And openly purloining a host's staff unbecomes a gracious guest."

The Countess laughed; a lusty, practiced sound.

“Share and share alike, Renathal. Or have you not yet learned your lesson?” She retracted her claws from the flesh of Elisewin’s waist in favour of stroking her delicate cheek as she mused “Such warmth. I can certainly see the appeal. Perhaps I should apply to the Master for my own turn with the mortal. Where is he?” She made a show of peering around the courtyard. “Oh, that's right. He did not come! What a monstrous slight. Although...”

The Countess' small eyes flicked from a nearby band of roving dredgers to the candle wax dripping down the brick of the archway beside Renathal's rigid form. She gave a small sniff of distaste.

“This is hardly your best work, Renathal. Spending a little too much time on unsanctioned distractions, are we? I doubt the Master will be pleased. But his methods of correction have proved painfully effective in the past, have they not?” The implications of her threat uncoiled horribly between them like some enormous serpent rearing its restless, hungry head. “Or…”

The Countess caught Elisewin’s chin in her crimson claws, tilting her head down to breathe her words obscenely into the fixed and unblinking lavender face.

“I suppose I could take the mortal off your hands myself. We need not involve the Master at all. And, of course, you would be welcome to pay a visit. When you are not busy attending to your own, far more important duties, of course.” She cocked her head at Renathal, black eyes glinting in triumph. “What say you, Prince of Revendreth?”

Unbroken silence reigned through the courtyard. No dredgers moved, no guests dared speak, even the distant music from the ballroom had ceased. The only sound was the dull thump of the motionless mortal’s hammering heartbeat as every living and unliving thing in Darkwall held its breath, waiting for the Harvester of Dominion to pronounce his judgment.

Renathal did not notice. Heedless of anything but the two females watching him in wildly different examples of tense expectation, he pushed off from the candle-lit archway. All his writhing knot of repressed concerns and confusions were stilled as he stalked toward the Countess. There was room for only one thing within him. He set his glass on the table, prised the Countess’ fingers from Elisewin’s chin and tightened his hand around them, enjoying the feel of bone splintering under the force of his fury.

"If you touch her again..." intoned Renathal, and the dread and dominion in his voice made the very air across the courtyard shudder. "You will find yourself Countess of the Ember Ward, your greatest indulgence licking scraps of anima off burning glass."

This time, the Countess' laugh was bitter and brittle, her face contorted in an attempt to conceal her fear and pain.

"So possessive, Renathal. Such an unappealing trait. I never did enjoy it." With an unglamorous spasm, she ripped her hand from his and stumbled back, bumping into the chair behind her and tucking her broken fingers into some hidden fold of her gown. "I would reign that in before it gets you into trouble. Yet again. Come."

She spat the last at the breathlessly waiting table. There was a sudden flurry of capes and gowns and a clatter of scraping and sliding chair legs as the nobles and socialites stood and hastened to follow their Harvester's instructions. The surrounding courtyard, too, sprang back to frenetic life. Summoned servants rushed hastily past, dredgers scurried underfoot, fetching coats and sinrunners and carriages. Renathal grabbed Elisewin's waist and hauled her back toward the brick archway, safely out of the fray. 

But not out of danger.

In the clamour and chaos, no one could hope to prove for certain whether the Countess' elbow jostled the tower of red tapers off the arch by accident or with deliberate intent. But Renathal, whose coat the candles just happened to land on, had his suspicions.

"Whoops," she said as she passed, swelling fingers pressed to her cheek in entirely unconvincing chagrin. "How clumsy of me."

Renathal had no time to retort, or to hurl the Countess off the edge of Darkwall. The hem of his coat had ignited, flames creeping toward his hair at an alarming speed. Dredgers were yelling, socialites were screaming, and Elisewin was twisting in his arms, crying something he could not understand. Hands working in tandem, they managed to extricate Renathal from the burning garment, with many indecorous contortions on his part and more than one rude and raucous laugh from the gawping crowd.

Finally free of the threat of flames, Elisewin's warm hands found Renathal’s face. He could hear her this time as she asked, “Are you alright?” in a low, strained hush, but he did not answer. His attention was gripped by the figure in the distance, watching the coveted mortal stroke back his wayward hair with beady, vindictive eyes. Renathal read their intent. And, as she was ushered into her carriage, he knew exactly where the Countess was going and what she going to do.

It was, unquestionably, the worst court the Dark Prince had ever hosted.

The best that could be said was that the fire did not spread to any of the guests. And a combination of mud and liberal stamping eventually extinguished the flames. Renathal’s coat was a filthy, smoking ruin, of course, and he had been forced to forgo it as he bid his guests early and unceremonious farewells. The ones who bothered to give him notice of their leave, that was. The Stonewright took flight with her Stoneborn attendants after throwing a cursory look of disgust the Prince’s way. The Fearstalker and the Tithelord had simply disappeared, and the Accuser and the Curator - as well as the Master himself - had never bothered to arrive.

Which was lucky, even if it was a glaring slight, Renathal considered, as he dragged himself up the staircase to the quiet sanctuary of his bedchamber. Unkind of him, perhaps, to leave the mess of the courtyard to the dredgers and Elisewin, but what was the point of having servants if one could not assign them such tedious chores? Especially when one was weighed down with other, heavier burdens, and Renathal’s back was practically bent under the day’s frustrations and confusions and… other things.

The memory of the Countess' fingers on Elisewin's skin….

A bolt of vicious jealousy like a red-hot brand seared through Renathal’s chest, sending him sprinting up the last flight of stairs and down the hall as if it were an enemy he could outrun. Reaching the safety of his rooms, he ripped the useless medallion from his neck and threw it against its velvet stand. Even a fraction of its usual power would have had the Countess as far from Elisewin as the terrace allowed with a single, murmured word and no unnecessary fuss, sparing Renathal a mortifying scene, and him and Elisewin both its inevitable repercussions. Even now, the Countess would be reporting their visible attachment to Denathrius, the essence of which was true even if the salacious details she inevitably imagined and would relay as fact were not.

He would lose her. He had failed, in spite of all his efforts. If he was lucky, all the Master would do to them both was take her away. And if he was not-

A knock at his door interrupted Renathal’s miserable spiral. This time he recognised the quiet, cautious rhythm, and his anima vibrated in simultaneous excitement and dread. He should send her away. He was in too dangerous a state for this. He did not have the proper mental equilibrium necessary to resist what he wanted.

Although… a new and intriguing thought wormed its way to the front of Renathal's mind... did he really have to, anymore? Now that punishment loomed regardless...

“Enter, Elisewin,” he heard himself call.

The door creaked open, then closed with a gentle snap. Heeled shoes clicked nervously across the wood floor to the Tazavesh rug.

“I… came to see if you needed any help. With your armour. Your Highness."

Elisewin's voice was oddly jumpy; her breathing, slightly uneven. Renathal fancied he could hear the rapid fluttering of her mortal heart, and the pitch and toss of conflicting emotion within him coalesced into something clear and urgent.

“Yes, thank you.”

His own voice was steady, his face calm and collected when he turned to face her. He even managed to conjure up a small, encouraging smile. Nevertheless, Elisewin approached with more trepidation than was her usual idiom, and kept her eyes fixed on each piece of soot-stained armour as she unfastened them from his body and replaced them fastidiously on their stand. This time, Renathal did not shy away from watching her, even when she dropped to her knees in front of him to remove his dusty tassets. The visual was stirring, and he let himself be stirred; the anima-rousing sensation a welcome distraction from impending dread.

“I’m sorry, for… everything. With the Countess,” said Elisewin quietly to his knees. “I didn’t know what to - I mean, I didn’t mean to-”

“Do not apologise. You were exemplary,” said Renathal with genuine earnest. “The Countess was always going to make trouble, one way or the other. There was nothing more you could have done.”

His reassurance seemed to hearten Elisewin enough to lift her gaze as she worked.

“I do hope an… an imperfect court won’t hurt your reputation with the other Harvesters. I know this was important, and they did seem… displeased.”

Renathal laughed at that. Elisewin blinked, and fumbled the final buckle.

“Oh, please, think nothing of my reputation. It will not suffer. This was a very minor setback. One loss in a long-standing game. There will be an eternity more, and I have the advantage.”

“I see,” she said in a tone that belied her words. “I was only worried because… well, the Countess mentioned the Sire. I hope you won't suffer any… repercussions?”

Renathal swallowed hard, his brief surge of humour drained.

"None to which I am not well accustomed."

Rising awkwardly, arms laden with green and gold plate, Elisewin cocked her head at Renathal as she brushed past him to replace the rest of his armor. But Renathal could bring himself to confess no more. He wondered if he ought to warn her what was happening, what consequences awaited them both. But perhaps she might not mind them. Certainly, the other souls the Sire claimed never had. During the act, anyway, and what became of them after Renathal had never permitted himself to discover.

The memories twisted his face into a ghastly grimace, one look at which made Elisewin swallow any further questions. Averting her eyes, she ducked quickly around him and reached up to undo his braid, the rhythmic caress of her fingers a pleasant balm against the upswell of agonising despair.

When she finished - again, too quickly for Renathal’s liking - she inhaled raggedly and met his gaze in the chiffonier’s warped mirror.

“Is there… anything else I can do?”

Renathal turned slowly. He wanted to be sure the darkening tint in Elisewin’s blue-white eyes as they wandered over his loose linen shirt was no trick of the glass or the light. But the glitter in them lingered even as he faced her, worrying at the buckles of her corset, waiting breathless for his invitation.

“No,” said Renathal, and the disappointment that danced briefly across her impassive features decided him. “But perhaps I may do something for you, since the dredgers are occupied. Let me help you out of your dress.”

Without waiting for her response, he spun his finger in a circle, indicating she should turn. Elisewin, eyes wide, did so, tripping on her heels; a clumsiness she had shown no sign of during court. Renathal closed the distance between them in a single step, his trousers brushing against her skirts as he leaned in to undo the overdress’s many fastenings and tiny clasps. “Lift your arms,” he murmured in her ear, and reached around her waist to unbuckle the complicated corset. It fell to the floor with a muted thud, followed by the rustle of satin as the overdress slid from her arms. All that remained was her thin, vermillion shift. Elisewin shivered where she stood in her pool of shed garments, but did not otherwise move.

Discipline bid him go no further. Renathal swept it ruthlessly aside. There was no reason not to take what he wanted now. Elisewin would soon be gone. The least they both deserved was to enjoy themselves before the end.

On a sensual whim, he unlocked the clasp of her lacey necklace, then slid his fingers up her newly bared neck and unfastened her hair from its high-piled knot. Dark silky waves fell across Elisewin's exposed back. Renathal brushed them over one shoulder, leaving the other entirely bare. He traced long, sharp fingernails delicately across its inviting dips and planes, drinking in her sharp gasp like a redolent wine and catching her waist with the other hand as her back arched against him. The feel of her body pressed instinctively to his with so little left to separate them evaporated whatever inhabitations he might still have maintained.

Dipping his head without thought, anticipating without regret, Renathal let his lips find the madly beating pulse beneath the mortal flesh of Elisewin’s throat.

It was warm. A living heat radiated through her Renathal would happily, gratefully burn in. He opened his mouth wider, trailing wet, sharp-edged kisses up the lavender skin he had dreamed of since the first time he saw it. Elisewin’s legs shook like willowy tree limbs beneath him, his arm around her waist surely all that kept her from collapse. And the cry that escaped her - “Your Highness!” - seemed excessive for how little Renathal was really doing. He could not tell if it begged for more or begged for him to stop.

Drawing his lips reluctantly from her skin, he spoke against her ear.

“What do you want, Elisewin?”

There was a delightful, full-body shudder at her name, then the briefest hesitation, before Elisewin craned her neck to find Renathal's anima-hot eyes and whisper raggedly, “Don’t stop, please.”

Such short, small words to shatter the Dark Prince’s epochs-old resolve. But his body took her request as a new and truer law. He pressed more firmly against her as his mouth resumed its work, tasting every inch of skin it could reach while his hands wandered the quivering curves of her body through her shift. And that had to go. It all had to go. He would permit nothing to keep her from him any longer. Undoing the laces of her underdress with frantic speed, Renathal kept his lips on Elisewin’s jawline, lapping up each breathy sigh and needy whimper, every high-pitched sound she made for him sending anima singing to his core.

When the last of her layers hit the floor, he spun her to face him, dragging her mouth to his, and giving their lips the relief they both sought. Her taste was refreshing, the blunt edges of her teeth and the heat of her mouth, a strange blend of exotic and somehow familiar, like coming home after eons away. Too soon, Elisewin was tugging her head to the side, gasping for the air Renathal had forgotten was not an affectation for mortals. As she panted, her lust-clouded eyes met his, then fell to his chest where her hands waited, trembling, and he knew exactly what she wanted. He tugged his shirt over his head, saving them seconds of undoing buttons, and reveled in Elisewin's open-mouthed stare of longing as she traced his cold flesh, entranced.

But there was no time for long, exquisite explorations. Any moment could bring the Master to his door. Renathal claimed her lips again, and Elisewin eagerly complied, though now she was sure she had permission, her hands continued their journey, mapping the harsh angles of his torso and arms. Nor could his own stay idle for long.

“Your Highness,” called Elisewin hoarsely as his fingers kneaded and dimpled her warm, naked flesh. And Renathal paused, one hand cupping her chin, tilting her gaze to his and reclaiming the skin from the memory of the Countess.

“Say my name."

It was as much plea as command.  Renathal had longed to hear the distinct way Elisewin said his name since crying it after her nightmare, and -

“Renathal…”

- he could not suppress his moan of satisfaction. It was every bit as delicious from her now as it had been then.

“Again," he growled.

“Renathal,” Elisewin gasped, as Renathal lifted her into his arms, wrapped her bare thighs around his trousers, and stumbled with her to his bed. He set her down as gently as his desperation allowed him, divesting himself of the last of his clothes, and “Renathal,” she moaned again as she drank in the sight of him ready for her.

Her mouth hung slightly open and Renathal gave himself up to pride. What was one more sin?

“That’s right,” he murmured, his voice a low, guttural purr. “Call for me.”

And, attentive to his needs as ever, Elisewin obeyed. For hours. Long into Revendreth’s socially constructed night. There were wards on Darkwall Tower preventing even the Master’s eavesdropping, but, even so, there were points where Renathal was certain her cries must be heard across the district. Not that he minded. Elisewin’s encouragements only spurred him to greater, deeper, harder heights. He wanted to discover every sound he could draw from her, every beautiful way she could say his name.

Renathal’s stamina surprised him. After all, he had been sadly out of practice for thousands of years. But even he had a limit, and, at last, he could do no more than collapse back, panting, against his silk pillows, holding Elisewin to his sweat-slicked chest and running his fingers like a ritual over and over through her own damp hair. He knew he was spent, but he wanted more. Mere hours of pleasure were not enough. The despair Elisewin had held at bay crept back up Renathal's ribcage, and he clutched her tighter to him.

Where was Denathrius? Surely, he was on his way. The Countess had plenty of time to relay the story of his court by now.

In the distance, the grandfather clock's deep chime reverberated through the Tower, and Renathal strained his ears to catch its sounding time. A quick calculation informed him nearly all of Revendreth’s resting hours were gone. And there had been no interruptions. No Breakfist knocking to inform him the Sire was waiting, no messengers with summons. A tiny flicker of hope, deadly as Light, licked at Renathal’s resignation. If he had miscalculated the Countess… if the Master had not spared the time to see her… if he had not believed her...

“Come here,” Renathal rumbled, beckoning Elisewin to his lips. She complied, slowly, meeting him in a kiss clumsy and weary from their hours of satisfying exercise. “Stay here tonight,” he murmured into her mouth. He could taste her teasing smile as she breathed, "Is that a command, Your Highness?" in reply.

“Yes," said Renathal with equal jest, but even as he said it, he thought better of the joke. “No.”

Elisewin's lips froze against his, then pulled away. She blinked down at him as Renathal struggled to find words for concepts he had never in all his countless years had occasion to explain.

“This is… not a command," he said. “This…" He let a sweep of fingers toward both their naked bodies illustrate the indirect article, "is not part of your atonement. If anything, it may take you further from it. This - us - together - it is... ill-advised,” stuttered Renathal, choosing a word at random. “If the Master discovers us, there will be consequences for us both."

"What sort of consequences?" 

But even admissive as the mortal inspired him to be, Renathal could not bring himself to put those memories into words.

"The Sire possesses a wide selection of lessons," he said cryptically. "Most of which are unpleasant. And all of which will certainly set your atonement back. Any intimacy is... dangerous. I cannot command it - or, even, in good conscience, ask it of you..."

Renathal's voice trailed away as Elisewin peered down at him through her reaffixed inscrutable mask. He fought to keep his eyes on hers, watching what little could be gleaned of her thought process, but her parted lips were an unfair distraction. It was a struggle to keep himself from leaning up to capture them again, to lose himself in more of her warm, elysian pleasure, to forget what was coming just a little while longer...

“Do you want this?" asked Elisewin, interrupting his wayward thoughts. "Do you want... me? I mean... us?" she fumbled the word as if unsure of its correct pronunciation.

“Yes,” said Renathal, infusing his agreement with every ounce of his endless, sinfully possessive longing.

“Then it’s worth the risk,” she decided, placing a kiss on his forehead before drawing back to observe her handiwork - Renathal's dazed, slightly punchdrunk face. “You are worth the risk, Renathal. As long as I’m here, as long as you want me, I’m yours."

With a sigh, Elisewin let herself fall back, exhausted, against his pillows, and Renathal, her words igniting some hidden reserve of anima within him, followed her down. She was wrong, of course. Everything in the realm belonged to the Master. Her included. But for here, for now, for the moments he still had her, it was the thought that counted.

Read Chapter 8: Safe in the Shadows | Visit the Masterpost

If you enjoyed this story, I would love to hear it 💜

[cleverhottubmiracle]

HAPPY 2025!! I can’t believe I am writing those words. Last year flew by, and to be honest, I was glad to slam the book closed on 2024. It was such a challenging year for me personally and I am looking forward to all the milestones 2025 will bring. Atlantic-Pacific turns 15. I turn 40. And, I celebrate a big wedding anniversary! I am hoping ’25 will be much more kind than ’24. I thought I would kick off the year with an updated Q&A. Every few months on Atlantic-Pacific I like to round up some new (and a few recurring) questions that I receive via comments, emails, and DMs. So today I am answering some of your most recently asked questions! You can also see older Q&A posts here, here, here, and here as well as visit many of my FAQ posts below. If I didn’t answer your question this time, please reach out and I will try my best to get to it! How do you achieve your low bun hair? See my tutorial here. What is your everyday make-up routine? See it here. How did you start Atlantic-Pacific? Read about it here. How and when did you get into the fashion industry? You can read all about that here. Q: Where do you see the influencer space heading? A: The influencers space is more nuanced than ever. Where we used to see HUGE OVERT trends in the space, I think the growth in diverse platforms and the overall number of influncers means we are seeing the rise of micro communities. Influencing will continue to grow due to more and more people of all ages turning to different platforms for advice, education, and inspiration. Now that there are creators covering any and all topics, and there are so many platforms to deliver information, the influencer space continues to grow and find new ways to reach people. In the beginning traditional blogs were king, then YouTube exploded, then Instagram took over. Now you can look out and find so many different platforms to be successful on and through different types of content. The diversity of platforms allows creators to focus on the content they love and how they choose to deliver – writers on Substack, comedy on TikTok, educational videos on YouTube, controversial conversations on podcasts, etc. Marketing dollars continue to flow to the influencer world because time and time again many influencers can prove their ROI better than traditional marketing. We have seen year over year increases in digital marketing spend in every sector and I don’t think that is going to change. Overall the space will continue to grow and thrive, but now it is much less about being the ‘biggest’ or following a trend and more about micro influence. It is about building communities and having more specific interests to attract a very like minded audience that is highly engaged. And thanks to the growth of different platforms to reach this audience you can do this in different ways and how it feels most authentic to you. One trend I do hope to see is the influencer space more widely embracing privacy, especially for children and non consenting individuals (people in the background of videos, being included in content without permission). Next to time I think one of the most valuable things in our lives is privacy. I think authenticity and sharing is still important, and I am not trying to call any one influencer or type of influencer out, I just hope we can all embrace being safe and protecting our peace in what can be a dangerous online world. Q: Any collabs in 2025 or co-branded product? A: This comes up every year, and always makes me feel so grateful that so many of you enjoyed my past collabs and may be looking forward to more. At the moment, the answer is no. I took a very intentional pause in 2024 and am open to possibilities moving forward. I am having conversations, but nothing is set in stone at the moment. For me a product collaboration is my ultimate stamp of approval. It needs to be the right brand fit, the right price point, and the brand has to have the team/bandwidth to execute new quality designs that can be delivered on time with great customer service. I prefer not to partner with brands that have done multiple collaborations in the past and careful with brands that are too green or with little experience. It is all a delicate dance and after many successful, beautiful collaborations that I am so proud of, I will only commit to the perfect fit moving forward. Q: Ins and Outs for 2025? A: Sometimes I hate year end trends, but this year I loved reading so many intentions for 2025 with what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’. I do set goals, but they are typically quarterly, and usually professionally grounded. That being said, I’ll take a stab at my ‘Ins and Outs’ for 2025 below: IN: secondhand shopping, monthly purges, taking up a new active hobby, shutting down negativity, learning to cook new dishes, handwritten notes, recognizing rest is important and being unproductive at times is okay and not lazy, and consistency over controlled perfection. OUT: doomscrolling, obsessing over the weather in hurricane season (this is joke but also not a joke), too much mindless Amazon spending, being impatient with Penny when she is having an anxious day, sending the reply (text or email) ASAP vs. ruminating, creating a more concrete working schedule. Q: How often do you clean out your closet? How do you decide what to keep vs. get rid of? What do you do with your old clothes? A: Okay, this is always my most asked question. I’ve decided to do a BIG, BIG post on this topic and it will go live later this week! Q: Cute professional work attire? Lightweight clothes for a trip to India? Do you offer personal styling services? A: One thing I have tried to embrace over the years is that I can’t be everything to everyone and I need to stay in my lane. I love fashion and sometimes will dip my toe in beauty and lifestyle where is makes sense. I don’t like doling out advice or giving product recommendations if I am not confident in them. I haven’t worked in a true professional environment in over five years and even then it was more of a ‘wear whatever you want’ office. I have never been to India (would love to go) and wouldn’t want to give recommendations as I am not well versed enough in the climate or culture to provide sound advice. I LOVE dressing myself, but dressing others is a whole different type of art. I have so much respect for stylists, but I am not one! I love answering your questions but always want to honest about where I can truly add value. This hopefully keeps you coming back and trusting me. Q: What is a trend you used to love you find yourself no longer reaching for? What is a trend you are looking forward to in 2025? A: I have a hard time answering questions about letting go of something because I never want to offend anyone. Trends ebb and flow, but know if you love something, WEAR it. For me personally, I am not reaching for overt western boots, headbands, or oversized tunics as much as I used to. This is not at all to claim they are ‘out’, I just find myself gravitating towards different items in my closet! As for 2025, I am most looking forward to sheer materials and the return of more romantic/feminine dressing. I am also not hating the trend of styles becoming more voluminous and baggy. I think when done in a more sophisticated way, mixing and matching volume can be so fun and beautiful. ITEM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: Q: Where did you get your silver Adidas? A: I bought mine on Nordstrom, but sadly they are sold out. They are still in stock here and here! Q: Best understated luxury bag that won’t break the bank? A: For me that would be the Savette pochette. They are well made, timeless, and I personally love a top handle design. I have the bag in three colors now! Q: Favorite item you bought this year? A: This Oscar De La Rent runway skirt that is SO fab. Almost all my favorite purchases this year were second hand! Q: Favorite outfit of 2025? A: It would probably be this outfit or this one. I think having style means to have a common thread in how you dress but also to be ever evolving. These two outfits feel like a grown up version of 2012 Blair – and I love that! Q: How to create your own personal style and a unique closet? A: I actually did a whole post on that here. It can be frustrating while you are experimenting and figuring out what works for you and makes you feel great. My biggest piece of advice is to take it slow and not invest in anything until you feel you have really nailed what you feel is your unique style expression. Q: Can you do more styling posts? A: In 2024 I did a lot of styling posts and you can see a few examples here, here, and here. I have vowed to do more in 2025! On my list are how to style the button down, loafers, a simple bodysuit, and more. If you have any specific requests DM or email me! The post THE FIRST Q&A OF 2025! appeared first on Atlantic-Pacific. Source link

[norajworld]

HAPPY 2025!! I can’t believe I am writing those words. Last year flew by, and to be honest, I was glad to slam the book closed on 2024. It was such a challenging year for me personally and I am looking forward to all the milestones 2025 will bring. Atlantic-Pacific turns 15. I turn 40. And, I celebrate a big wedding anniversary! I am hoping ’25 will be much more kind than ’24. I thought I would kick off the year with an updated Q&A. Every few months on Atlantic-Pacific I like to round up some new (and a few recurring) questions that I receive via comments, emails, and DMs. So today I am answering some of your most recently asked questions! You can also see older Q&A posts here, here, here, and here as well as visit many of my FAQ posts below. If I didn’t answer your question this time, please reach out and I will try my best to get to it! How do you achieve your low bun hair? See my tutorial here. What is your everyday make-up routine? See it here. How did you start Atlantic-Pacific? Read about it here. How and when did you get into the fashion industry? You can read all about that here. Q: Where do you see the influencer space heading? A: The influencers space is more nuanced than ever. Where we used to see HUGE OVERT trends in the space, I think the growth in diverse platforms and the overall number of influncers means we are seeing the rise of micro communities. Influencing will continue to grow due to more and more people of all ages turning to different platforms for advice, education, and inspiration. Now that there are creators covering any and all topics, and there are so many platforms to deliver information, the influencer space continues to grow and find new ways to reach people. In the beginning traditional blogs were king, then YouTube exploded, then Instagram took over. Now you can look out and find so many different platforms to be successful on and through different types of content. The diversity of platforms allows creators to focus on the content they love and how they choose to deliver – writers on Substack, comedy on TikTok, educational videos on YouTube, controversial conversations on podcasts, etc. Marketing dollars continue to flow to the influencer world because time and time again many influencers can prove their ROI better than traditional marketing. We have seen year over year increases in digital marketing spend in every sector and I don’t think that is going to change. Overall the space will continue to grow and thrive, but now it is much less about being the ‘biggest’ or following a trend and more about micro influence. It is about building communities and having more specific interests to attract a very like minded audience that is highly engaged. And thanks to the growth of different platforms to reach this audience you can do this in different ways and how it feels most authentic to you. One trend I do hope to see is the influencer space more widely embracing privacy, especially for children and non consenting individuals (people in the background of videos, being included in content without permission). Next to time I think one of the most valuable things in our lives is privacy. I think authenticity and sharing is still important, and I am not trying to call any one influencer or type of influencer out, I just hope we can all embrace being safe and protecting our peace in what can be a dangerous online world. Q: Any collabs in 2025 or co-branded product? A: This comes up every year, and always makes me feel so grateful that so many of you enjoyed my past collabs and may be looking forward to more. At the moment, the answer is no. I took a very intentional pause in 2024 and am open to possibilities moving forward. I am having conversations, but nothing is set in stone at the moment. For me a product collaboration is my ultimate stamp of approval. It needs to be the right brand fit, the right price point, and the brand has to have the team/bandwidth to execute new quality designs that can be delivered on time with great customer service. I prefer not to partner with brands that have done multiple collaborations in the past and careful with brands that are too green or with little experience. It is all a delicate dance and after many successful, beautiful collaborations that I am so proud of, I will only commit to the perfect fit moving forward. Q: Ins and Outs for 2025? A: Sometimes I hate year end trends, but this year I loved reading so many intentions for 2025 with what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’. I do set goals, but they are typically quarterly, and usually professionally grounded. That being said, I’ll take a stab at my ‘Ins and Outs’ for 2025 below: IN: secondhand shopping, monthly purges, taking up a new active hobby, shutting down negativity, learning to cook new dishes, handwritten notes, recognizing rest is important and being unproductive at times is okay and not lazy, and consistency over controlled perfection. OUT: doomscrolling, obsessing over the weather in hurricane season (this is joke but also not a joke), too much mindless Amazon spending, being impatient with Penny when she is having an anxious day, sending the reply (text or email) ASAP vs. ruminating, creating a more concrete working schedule. Q: How often do you clean out your closet? How do you decide what to keep vs. get rid of? What do you do with your old clothes? A: Okay, this is always my most asked question. I’ve decided to do a BIG, BIG post on this topic and it will go live later this week! Q: Cute professional work attire? Lightweight clothes for a trip to India? Do you offer personal styling services? A: One thing I have tried to embrace over the years is that I can’t be everything to everyone and I need to stay in my lane. I love fashion and sometimes will dip my toe in beauty and lifestyle where is makes sense. I don’t like doling out advice or giving product recommendations if I am not confident in them. I haven’t worked in a true professional environment in over five years and even then it was more of a ‘wear whatever you want’ office. I have never been to India (would love to go) and wouldn’t want to give recommendations as I am not well versed enough in the climate or culture to provide sound advice. I LOVE dressing myself, but dressing others is a whole different type of art. I have so much respect for stylists, but I am not one! I love answering your questions but always want to honest about where I can truly add value. This hopefully keeps you coming back and trusting me. Q: What is a trend you used to love you find yourself no longer reaching for? What is a trend you are looking forward to in 2025? A: I have a hard time answering questions about letting go of something because I never want to offend anyone. Trends ebb and flow, but know if you love something, WEAR it. For me personally, I am not reaching for overt western boots, headbands, or oversized tunics as much as I used to. This is not at all to claim they are ‘out’, I just find myself gravitating towards different items in my closet! As for 2025, I am most looking forward to sheer materials and the return of more romantic/feminine dressing. I am also not hating the trend of styles becoming more voluminous and baggy. I think when done in a more sophisticated way, mixing and matching volume can be so fun and beautiful. ITEM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: Q: Where did you get your silver Adidas? A: I bought mine on Nordstrom, but sadly they are sold out. They are still in stock here and here! Q: Best understated luxury bag that won’t break the bank? A: For me that would be the Savette pochette. They are well made, timeless, and I personally love a top handle design. I have the bag in three colors now! Q: Favorite item you bought this year? A: This Oscar De La Rent runway skirt that is SO fab. Almost all my favorite purchases this year were second hand! Q: Favorite outfit of 2025? A: It would probably be this outfit or this one. I think having style means to have a common thread in how you dress but also to be ever evolving. These two outfits feel like a grown up version of 2012 Blair – and I love that! Q: How to create your own personal style and a unique closet? A: I actually did a whole post on that here. It can be frustrating while you are experimenting and figuring out what works for you and makes you feel great. My biggest piece of advice is to take it slow and not invest in anything until you feel you have really nailed what you feel is your unique style expression. Q: Can you do more styling posts? A: In 2024 I did a lot of styling posts and you can see a few examples here, here, and here. I have vowed to do more in 2025! On my list are how to style the button down, loafers, a simple bodysuit, and more. If you have any specific requests DM or email me! The post THE FIRST Q&A OF 2025! appeared first on Atlantic-Pacific. Source link

[chilimili212]

HAPPY 2025!! I can’t believe I am writing those words. Last year flew by, and to be honest, I was glad to slam the book closed on 2024. It was such a challenging year for me personally and I am looking forward to all the milestones 2025 will bring. Atlantic-Pacific turns 15. I turn 40. And, I celebrate a big wedding anniversary! I am hoping ’25 will be much more kind than ’24. I thought I would kick off the year with an updated Q&A. Every few months on Atlantic-Pacific I like to round up some new (and a few recurring) questions that I receive via comments, emails, and DMs. So today I am answering some of your most recently asked questions! You can also see older Q&A posts here, here, here, and here as well as visit many of my FAQ posts below. If I didn’t answer your question this time, please reach out and I will try my best to get to it! How do you achieve your low bun hair? See my tutorial here. What is your everyday make-up routine? See it here. How did you start Atlantic-Pacific? Read about it here. How and when did you get into the fashion industry? You can read all about that here. Q: Where do you see the influencer space heading? A: The influencers space is more nuanced than ever. Where we used to see HUGE OVERT trends in the space, I think the growth in diverse platforms and the overall number of influncers means we are seeing the rise of micro communities. Influencing will continue to grow due to more and more people of all ages turning to different platforms for advice, education, and inspiration. Now that there are creators covering any and all topics, and there are so many platforms to deliver information, the influencer space continues to grow and find new ways to reach people. In the beginning traditional blogs were king, then YouTube exploded, then Instagram took over. Now you can look out and find so many different platforms to be successful on and through different types of content. The diversity of platforms allows creators to focus on the content they love and how they choose to deliver – writers on Substack, comedy on TikTok, educational videos on YouTube, controversial conversations on podcasts, etc. Marketing dollars continue to flow to the influencer world because time and time again many influencers can prove their ROI better than traditional marketing. We have seen year over year increases in digital marketing spend in every sector and I don’t think that is going to change. Overall the space will continue to grow and thrive, but now it is much less about being the ‘biggest’ or following a trend and more about micro influence. It is about building communities and having more specific interests to attract a very like minded audience that is highly engaged. And thanks to the growth of different platforms to reach this audience you can do this in different ways and how it feels most authentic to you. One trend I do hope to see is the influencer space more widely embracing privacy, especially for children and non consenting individuals (people in the background of videos, being included in content without permission). Next to time I think one of the most valuable things in our lives is privacy. I think authenticity and sharing is still important, and I am not trying to call any one influencer or type of influencer out, I just hope we can all embrace being safe and protecting our peace in what can be a dangerous online world. Q: Any collabs in 2025 or co-branded product? A: This comes up every year, and always makes me feel so grateful that so many of you enjoyed my past collabs and may be looking forward to more. At the moment, the answer is no. I took a very intentional pause in 2024 and am open to possibilities moving forward. I am having conversations, but nothing is set in stone at the moment. For me a product collaboration is my ultimate stamp of approval. It needs to be the right brand fit, the right price point, and the brand has to have the team/bandwidth to execute new quality designs that can be delivered on time with great customer service. I prefer not to partner with brands that have done multiple collaborations in the past and careful with brands that are too green or with little experience. It is all a delicate dance and after many successful, beautiful collaborations that I am so proud of, I will only commit to the perfect fit moving forward. Q: Ins and Outs for 2025? A: Sometimes I hate year end trends, but this year I loved reading so many intentions for 2025 with what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’. I do set goals, but they are typically quarterly, and usually professionally grounded. That being said, I’ll take a stab at my ‘Ins and Outs’ for 2025 below: IN: secondhand shopping, monthly purges, taking up a new active hobby, shutting down negativity, learning to cook new dishes, handwritten notes, recognizing rest is important and being unproductive at times is okay and not lazy, and consistency over controlled perfection. OUT: doomscrolling, obsessing over the weather in hurricane season (this is joke but also not a joke), too much mindless Amazon spending, being impatient with Penny when she is having an anxious day, sending the reply (text or email) ASAP vs. ruminating, creating a more concrete working schedule. Q: How often do you clean out your closet? How do you decide what to keep vs. get rid of? What do you do with your old clothes? A: Okay, this is always my most asked question. I’ve decided to do a BIG, BIG post on this topic and it will go live later this week! Q: Cute professional work attire? Lightweight clothes for a trip to India? Do you offer personal styling services? A: One thing I have tried to embrace over the years is that I can’t be everything to everyone and I need to stay in my lane. I love fashion and sometimes will dip my toe in beauty and lifestyle where is makes sense. I don’t like doling out advice or giving product recommendations if I am not confident in them. I haven’t worked in a true professional environment in over five years and even then it was more of a ‘wear whatever you want’ office. I have never been to India (would love to go) and wouldn’t want to give recommendations as I am not well versed enough in the climate or culture to provide sound advice. I LOVE dressing myself, but dressing others is a whole different type of art. I have so much respect for stylists, but I am not one! I love answering your questions but always want to honest about where I can truly add value. This hopefully keeps you coming back and trusting me. Q: What is a trend you used to love you find yourself no longer reaching for? What is a trend you are looking forward to in 2025? A: I have a hard time answering questions about letting go of something because I never want to offend anyone. Trends ebb and flow, but know if you love something, WEAR it. For me personally, I am not reaching for overt western boots, headbands, or oversized tunics as much as I used to. This is not at all to claim they are ‘out’, I just find myself gravitating towards different items in my closet! As for 2025, I am most looking forward to sheer materials and the return of more romantic/feminine dressing. I am also not hating the trend of styles becoming more voluminous and baggy. I think when done in a more sophisticated way, mixing and matching volume can be so fun and beautiful. ITEM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: Q: Where did you get your silver Adidas? A: I bought mine on Nordstrom, but sadly they are sold out. They are still in stock here and here! Q: Best understated luxury bag that won’t break the bank? A: For me that would be the Savette pochette. They are well made, timeless, and I personally love a top handle design. I have the bag in three colors now! Q: Favorite item you bought this year? A: This Oscar De La Rent runway skirt that is SO fab. Almost all my favorite purchases this year were second hand! Q: Favorite outfit of 2025? A: It would probably be this outfit or this one. I think having style means to have a common thread in how you dress but also to be ever evolving. These two outfits feel like a grown up version of 2012 Blair – and I love that! Q: How to create your own personal style and a unique closet? A: I actually did a whole post on that here. It can be frustrating while you are experimenting and figuring out what works for you and makes you feel great. My biggest piece of advice is to take it slow and not invest in anything until you feel you have really nailed what you feel is your unique style expression. Q: Can you do more styling posts? A: In 2024 I did a lot of styling posts and you can see a few examples here, here, and here. I have vowed to do more in 2025! On my list are how to style the button down, loafers, a simple bodysuit, and more. If you have any specific requests DM or email me! The post THE FIRST Q&A OF 2025! appeared first on Atlantic-Pacific. Source link

[sagevalleymusings]

Responding to "Lesbian is a Powerful Word:" With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

So I wrote the bulk of this essay in February of 2020 when the original article I reference came out. Then… I dunno, something happened. And I forgot about this in the face of… well, you know. Everything. But I think it’s still highly relevant, so I’ve wrapped up the ending, cleaned up my sourcing, and am setting it loose on the world. Enjoy.

A while ago, AfterEllen published an article by Claire Heuchan called “Lesbian is a Powerful Word: Here’s Why We Will Always Need It.”

This bothered me a lot, not because I disagree, but because I felt like the argument being made was disingenuous at best. The author assumed that their definition of lesbian (a biological female who is exclusively attracted to other biological females) is the only valid definition, then proceeded to use this assumption to explain why lesbian identity needed to be protected from modern queer politics or risk erasure.

I wouldn’t just disagree, but would counter-argue that Heuchan is pushing a dangerous false narrative, one that misses a huge swathe of discourse around how the term lesbian can and does fit into non-binary spaces.

But what struck me the most was that the argument itself was poorly constructed. There were multiple instances where I didn’t just disagree, but didn’t think that the argument even made logical sense. For example, at one point Heuchan cites three articles about how modern lesbians dislike the term lesbian. But there are two issues with this: the first is that two of the three articles are joking listicles with no real substance which of course could be torn to shreds with the most basic of counter argument, but the second issue is that Heuchan constructs this as an attack on lesbians by non-lesbians when in fact these articles were about how lesbians themselves feel about the term for their own identity. Not only that, but the only article of substance wasn’t provided a link for, so by lumping that article in with these two joking listicles, and then on top of that falsely claiming that these listicles were written by non-lesbians, Heuchan has literally constructed a strawman argument that non-lesbians are trying to tell lesbians not to use the term because it has too many syllables or sounds like a disease (a point made, ironically, by lesbian icon Ellen, who AfterEllen gets their name from).

I was so frustrated by this lack of well-constructed argument that I did some research, and I discovered that self-proclaimed radical feminist Claire Heuchan has a blog where she made a much longer, more nuanced version of this argument. And although I still disagree with the premise, I think it’s important to acknowledge that for me to respond purely to this AfterEllen fluff piece without an acknowledgement of the fantastic work Heuchan has done on black feminism on her award-winning blog would be as disingenuous as failing to include an intersectional perspective of lesbian that is trans-inclusive in an argument about where the term lesbian fits into modern queer rhetoric. Because not only is it the case that lesbian can fit into modern queer rhetoric, it’s a conversation that is happening in trans-inclusive spaces.

But Heuchan’s accomplishments as a black radical feminist don’t change the fact that she’s a radical feminist, and only the briefest dissection of her six-part series on sex and gender does legitimize my concern that this means that Heuchan is a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. And on some level, I have a hard time taking trans-exclusionary arguments seriously, because they so frequently construct a false narrative. Heuchan’s argument assumes that all lesbians agree with her definition of lesbian, because in her world, a lesbian is a cis woman attracted exclusively to cis women, and anyone calling themselves a lesbian who doesn’t fall into that category is contributing to lesbian erasure. 

It’s a winner-take-all argument that allows for absolutely no middle ground, because all dissent is just considered oppressive patriarchy. Heuchan doesn’t believe in gender. At all. She believes that gender is a tool by the patriarchy to keep women (and by women she means people with vaginas) oppressed. So any argument that I attempt to make about queering lesbianism to include trans women or non-binary folks is stopped before it even gets to the discussion stage because the premise that people can identify as women at all is considered invalid.

If I were to make a counter-argument to the AfterEllen article, it would be to say that “lesbian” does have a checkered history of transphobia which means that lesbians like me have trouble relating to it. So do I stop identifying as a lesbian because it feels like other lesbians are trying to push me and the people I love out? Or do I try to open it so that more people can be included? The argument I would make is that lesbian fits into modern queer politics better by opening. Lesbian used to be defined as an attraction to women in general (fellow queer tumblrina star-anise has documented this extremely well), not an exclusive one, and that older definition is very compatible with modern queer politics. A loosening on the reigns of lesbian would allow non-binary folks and trans women to find acceptance of the very real experience they have. And although trans-inclusive rhetoric can get pretty aggressive, at times complaining that lesbians refusing to date trans women is itself transphobic, I think there is a place in the middle where we can acknowledge that trans lesbians and cis lesbians who date trans women exist, while still allowing for preference, much like anything else. No one is forcing transphobic lesbians to date trans women. This point even gets brought up in the much longer discussion Heuchan is encouraging on her blog, when she talks about the “cotton ceiling.” But the way in which it’s brought up here conflates the argument in a disingenuous way, not only by pointing out that the cotton ceiling was coined by a trans woman but then not providing links to the original conversation, but then also by dismissing the entire argument of the cotton ceiling and by extension the trans activist’s extremely valid point that cis lesbians are bad at talking about trans inclusion. 

I want to add a sidebar here to say that actually I think I can understand why Heuchan didn’t cite the original cotton ceiling discussion. It’s poorly archived. I am not the only person who has looked and failed to find the original source. Wikipedia doesn’t even cite the original source - they cite an academic article citing a blog that no longer exists. The oldest sources I can find are trans exclusive radical feminists tearing into it as early as March 2012, but none of them screenshot the original tweet (it is implied it’s a tweet). If it weren’t for the fact that I have heard other trans activists use the term, I would almost say it was made up whole cloth. At the very least I think it is telling that the term traveled through Heuchan’s spaces far more than it did trans activist spaces - potentially an example I see not infrequently of radical feminists blowing a bad take out of proportion and treating it as representative of trans perspective as a whole. 

To go back to my point about Heuchan’s premise, there is a counter-argument being skirted around that seeks to incorporate lesbianism into modern queer politics. The problem is that Heuchan’s argument doesn’t allow for this possibility at all, doesn’t even acknowledge it, because from a trans-exclusionary radical feminist viewpoint, lesbians who have sex with trans women are no longer lesbians and therefore do not get a say.

Another way to construct this argument would be to say that Heuchan is arguing that lesbians who think lesbianism includes dating trans and non-binary folks are themselves contributing to lesbian erasure, and that trans-exclusionary lesbianism is here to stay. But phrased this way, the argument sounds a lot less defensible. Because from that perspective, the trans-exclusionary stance is one that stands against other lesbians specifically. 

And yeah. It does.

Lesbian is a powerful word, and I want it to be here to stay. But it’s hard to advocate for a term when so many people have tried so hard to link the term lesbian with transphobia. And this especially hurts when… it’s just not true. 

In March of 2023, the LGBT+ youth charity Just Like Us published an early report on their survey on trans inclusivity among LGBT young adults. They found that of the over 3,000 LGBT+ young adults surveyed, lesbians were the most inclusive orientation, with a staggering 96% saying they were supportive or very supportive of trans people. 

Queer folk are more supportive than the general populace, but 96% is unreal. And yet, those numbers back up my own experience in lesbian spaces. Almost all of us are supportive or very supportive of the trans people in our lives. 

Lesbian does not necessarily just mean “female homosexual.” It can be a cis woman attracted to femmes. It can be a non-binary she/they. It can be a he/him butch. Hell, believe it or not, some trans women are also lesbians. 

Lesbians aren’t being erased. It’s just that a lot of the people calling themselves lesbians now are people you disagree with.

Welcome to the club.

[cozmic-ash]

i love how so many people in the comments are associating getting rid of child porn with getting rid of gay content, really pushing the vintage homophobia. ao3 has a child pornography problem, and it is not evil to want to address that. the fact that REAL CHILDREN have porn written about them is vile and it should not be something that is allowed on ANY website.

who even are you lol

anyway. Like, shit-tons of people have articulated this better than I'm about to, but yeah I'll give it a shot

When people, particularly queer people (like me) talk about censorship of fandom spaces inevitably leading to the purging of queer content, we're not pulling that concern out of our asses. It has happened Over and Over and Over and Over and Over again. It happened with fanfiction.net, with livejournal, with old-ass email lists and dinky web.1 sites and email lists made by tiny groups of people, it happened with tumblr, it even happened with youtube (the demonetization and soft-blocking of queer content, and when creators tried to appeal, they were told that their content was unsuitable for children (HMMMMMM))

There is a huge amount of historical precedent off of which to base the fear of censorship leading to the purging of queer content.

We're gonna put aside the dead horses of 'just because you write about something doesn't mean you endorse it in real life' and 'fiction =/= reality' (because I think those both often lack nuance when brought up in this conversation, and overlook some very real exceptions). Alright? We're not gonna beat those horses at all. Put them out of your mind.

I agree with you that real children having porn written about them is completely vile (honestly I hate rpf in general, but in the case of children it's especially reprehensible). I wouldn’t be sad at all to see underage fics be purged from AO3, honestly, if I thought there was a way to do that without it inevitably leading to queer content and queer creators being obliterated from the site. Which I don't, currently, because it's literally never been done.

The thing about associating queer content with csam (and pushing the 'vintage homophobia') is that QUEER PEOPLE AREN'T DOING IT. I keep seeing this come up like it's some blazing hot big-brain take, but it's just, incredibly fucking insulting. Knock it the fuck off with this asinine assertion that queer people are victimizing ourselves and bringing this association on of our own volition.

Take a look at any conservative twitter account (particularly conservative politicians) and count how many times they call queer folks (particularly trans folks, and especially trans women) 'groomers'. It's literally like, their big hot button issue right now, calling queer people pedophiles and groomers, and attempting to get legislation introduced which categorizes us as such

WE ARE NOT FUCKING DOING THIS. THEY ARE.

Okay so let's go on a little hypothetical journey, yeah?

You censor underage fics. Okay cool! What does that mean? Where's the line? What constitutes a child? Under eighteen? Under sixteen? The brain doesn't really stop developing until around twenty-five, so should that be considered the line? Is it still objectionable if both characters are underage? If both characters are, say, fifteen, and this fic was written by some horny fifteen-year-old who, whilst trying to figure out their own sexuality, just wanted to write about their blorbos fooling around, should that be purged?

When I was a teenager, I wrote about teenage girls being ravished by older men, because I myself was attracted to older men. Should I have been punished for that? Should my content have been deleted? It never felt like some mortal sin I should have to atone for; it was fantasy fulfillment through the safe space of fucking fanfiction.

If other teens do that, and post their fics online (because teenagers do indeed have a right to post their mature fics online if they want to), should they be required to divulge private information about themselves to justify their content existing? Should readers be required to divulge private information to verify their own teenagerhood before reading the fics, to prevent intergenerational cross-contamination? What if they lie? How would that be enforced? Is that even ethical, to force people to divulge actual, real life private information like that for the sake of keeping a fandom space 'morally pure'?

Moving on from that, let's say we somehow figure out how to purge only the truly morally bad and gross fics (which, to be sure, some of them are obvious and easy). Well, okay, but maybe while we're at it, we should go ahead and purge [insert additional objectionable content of your choosing here], because it also has no place in polite society.

And again, how do we draw that line? We could have that above back-and-forth conversation for every single morally objectionable category on AO3, and you will never find a solution that doesn't catch innocent people in the crossfire, nor will you ever find a solution that doesn't lead to further descent down the slippery slope of censorship

When conservatives (and yes, censorship is almost always inherently conservative) get a foot in the door of power, they do not stop. They might start with purging the obviously nasty and gross fics, but they will take it farther (and we know they will because again, this has already happened Over and Over and Over and Over). Queer content will inevitably, invariably, always be on the chopping block when censorship comes into play, because to conservatives, queer people are pedophiles just, inherently -- and thus our content is automatically categorized as csam or grooming material.

Sometimes the slippery slope is real. And there's heaps of historical and cultural precedent for this one in particular.

So like. I'm really solely concerned with queer content being purged, because I've literally watched it happen before, and I care more about queer rights, and queer content, and queer people in general, than I care about the murky morality of writing questionable fanfiction (which are, y'know, as a sidenote, nearly always appropriately tagged and warned for so as to be easily avoidable; the dead dove tag trend is a gift, actually)

AND..... this is all putting aside the fact that AO3 was never meant to be a moderated space in the first place. It's literally just an ARCHIVE, it's right there in the name. It has no morals of its own, nor any responsibility to bear such. It's like throwing your fic into a remarkably well-organized warehouse (perhaps, with bookshelves, and some sort of.... system to find what you want; I feel like we might have a name for these spaces in real life? but idk) and then peacing out.

anyway AO3 good, go suck a conservative's clown shoes since you wanna join their circus so bad

[castielcommunism]

I don’t mean this in a “I want to start fights with people” way, but I genuinely don’t get the strain of argument on here that the show itself is especially punishing towards Dean or that he’s treated unfairly compared to other characters.

Like usually the order of operations goes: someone will say dean is the POV character of the show, and his interpretation of events, his emotional state, and his needs are privileged above other characters. Someone will then respond and say this isn’t true and basically argue the opposite, citing character assassination (either deliberate or accidental depending on who you ask), especially in dabb era, as a big source for this argument. Like, he’s written as intentionally bad or malicious in a way that is OOC and casts him in a negative light by virtue of him doing XYZ awful thing. So he’s “punished” by the writers by being written as out of character.

And so like I said I don’t really get this framing very much? At least, when I say “supernatural is The Dean Show” I mean basically that - he is privileged above other characters. He gets more screen time, more character-centric arcs and episodes, more nuance, etc. This is especially true when comparing him to Cas, but I think it also holds true when comparing him to Sam (and I don’t think saying “Sam has nothing to do and very little personality in the later seasons” is a generally controversial statement? Like I love Sam but I agree with this, he’s given very little to do and it sucks).

And Supernatural does regularly punish its characters! Nobody can be happy. They get Mary back, she dies. They get Cas back, he dies and comes back and dies again. All their friends die, either because of Sam and Dean’s choices or by pure tragic circumstances. Jack dies. Dean has a breakthrough moment in season 3 where he ostensibly realises his father is an asshole and regrets devoting so much of his time and energy to him, only for the brothers to go on to praise their dad for virtually the rest of the show. These guys are not allowed to have long term happiness or catharsis. They are not allowed to grow.

So where my confusion lies is like, all the main characters on spn perpetually have a bad time. They’re all punished, both fairy and not, for their actions (Cas especially, he’s always failing and fucking up, which forms the basis of a lot of conflict in the show - godstiel and casifer to name a couple big ones). I think it’s also true that Dean is generally proven correct by his own assumptions, and when he’s not (ie, him thinking Jack is a monster for example), there’s no real reckoning moment where he’s like oh shit I just did this awful thing and was wrong, I need to go reflect on my actions and then become a better person. People might call him out for his shitty behaviour but nothing really comes of it. Like I can’t really watch spn without noticing that Dean is the de facto protagonist and occupies a special space in the narrative that other main characters don’t. He also holds power over Sam and Cas - he is almost always in the driver’s seat, both literally in the Impala and narratively in the story. There’s even a post on here joking that we need to invent a version of the bechdel test to measure how many conversations in the show don’t reference or relate back to Dean somehow.

And then ALSO another important thing is that like I don’t hate Dean for this lol. I just think it’s boring and bad writing. There are a lot of very good posts on here talking about how the show would be better if he were a deuteragonist. Asking how the show would shake out if he were de-prioritised and we got more arcs dedicated to exploring Cas and Sam is, I think, a genuinely interesting question, but you have to accept the premise that Dean is privileged in the narrative in order to ask that question.

So tl;dr I guess my point is like, every guy on spn is punished and tortured by the narrative, and Dean is the principle character of the show that every character arc eventually bends towards. And I think because of that, as much as his suffering is highlighted more and given more space (because he is, again, the protagonist - we don’t see Sam crying alone in a field because Mary died, for example), he’s also given more opportunities to be correct and is generally favoured on a narrative level even if the text of the show is punishing him for doing something. So I don’t really get what people mean when they say “Dean is unfairly punished” above and beyond the general punishment that happens on the show to every character

[moxiesz]

Do you even fucking know her? Clearly not. You have no brain and cannot read at all. You truly are a dumb fucking idiot. She is the only fucking Death Eater who believes he can make mistakes. She called him mistaken for his faith in Snape when even Dumbledore's Order blindly believed him. She's the only one who sees who he really is at his core and accepts him for it. The extent of his attachment to Bella (and yes, he is very, very attached to her. Academics admit it) isn't possibly without acceptance.

Bella doesn’t see and accept V. She is a raging blood-supremacist and V is a half-blood. Bella curses and screams at Harry whenever he brings up V’s blood status, because she doesn’t see and accept V at his core. She worships him, his power, this idealised version of him. The only person who actually sees V for whom he is is Harry Potter, as stated in canon.

Bella and Voldemort aren’t equals, both parties allow for that fact, so how on earth is she supposed to see and understand him when their dynamic is literally servant/lord? worshipper/god?

Though I do agree on you on the point that Bella sees V’s mistakes. She doesn’t dare speak up though, because V punishes her when she doubts him.

No, she fucking wouldn't. You truly have no understanding of nuance at all. She was angry at Harry and there is no way she didn't know about his blood status. All the other DEs knew and her husband's father went to Hogwarts with Voldemort.

Well can you give examples from canon how the DE’s knew about V’s blood status? You claim this yet you give no proper argument to back it up. Also, even if her husbands father went to Hogwarts, why would he tell that to Bella, his sons wife? If he knew, that is.

I am so fucking tired of this trite, dumb, disgusting, filthy, illogical fucking argument. Bellatrix alone doesn't warrant such an extreme reaction if it was just about usefulness. If Voldemort were purely pragmatic about her, his response would have been calculated, not explosive. Nagini was far more crucial to his survival, yet he never reacted to her injuries or eventual death with the same intensity. He never showed concern for anyone's survival before, so why would Bellatrix suddenly change that?

I think you don’t fully grasp Voldemort’s character. He can be (and is) rash, explosive, impulsive, almost Gryffindor-like. For example, in CoS the diary Tom Riddle admits that his plan on framing Hagrid for Myrtle’s murder was stupid and impulsive. It doesn’t exactly hold up to a closer inspection, does it?

And then, going on to split his soul at 15, after his very first murder, you think that’s “cold and calculated”? Is V giving Harry back his wand during GoF “cold and calculated”? He’s literally arming the enemy. Yes, V is cold and calculated when he has time to be cold and calculated, but in the heat of the moment, he is rash and explosive.

If this were just about losing a useful follower, he would not have reacted this way. His response was emotional. Rowling makes this unmistakable in the way the scene is written and with the contrast to his pragmatic reaction to Nagini's death.

I believe you should reread my post. Especially the part where I stated that V was reacting, not to Bella, but to the fact he was losing and Bella’s death clearly signalled that loudly and clearly.

And why the fuck would you not count CC? Who the fuck are you to decide what's canon? YOU ARE NOTHING. YOU DON'T EVEN EXIST TO ME. One-sided? No. Toxic and abusive, yes. Any filthy fucker who thinks a relationship with Voldemort can exist without being toxic needs to never talk about him again.

Because CC contradicts the main series and wasn’t even written by the author to begin it.

Your lack of ability to be able to have a proper conversation or debate without insulting and degrading the other is worrying and immature.

Bellamort is the most shallowest ship I’ve ever seen.

They could never truly love each other. I mean, sure, Bellatrix would rearrange every single atom in her body if Voldemort asked her to. She’d follow him to the end of the world, to the depths of hell, she’d wait thirteen years for him in Azkaban.

But who is she following, and waiting for? This idealised, glorified version of him? It’s in the sense that Bella believes V to be incapable of wrong (obviously I don’t mean morally, nobody in the inner circle cares for morals and ethics). This Lord she worships, it’s really the romanticised version of him. I don’t “fault” her or anything, all of the Death Eaters do too.

They follow Lord Voldemort, the man with power at the tips of his fingers. The man that warps others reality in illusion upon layer of illusion to his own agenda, that strikes fear and amazement in others. The man born out of the ashes of his former self.

V has essentially created this “stronger”, “better” version of himself. But Tom Riddle the orphan is who he is at his core. And that’s part why, I believe, is why he belittled and humiliated Bella for her sisters child, in front of the DE. Mocking her for her in-law being now a werewolf, a person of “dirty blood”. Not unlike V himself, no?

Bellatrix (“Filthy Half-blood!”) would be (and I’m terribly sorry to say this) absolutely disgusted at Tom Riddle. This boy, trying to rise above his station, lording himself over his supposed superiors. Oh, she’d hate him in the way she hates Harry Potter. V knows this, he knows she likes the idea of him. His power. Bella is madly enraged when Harry points out V’s true blood status and upbringing, his past and truth.

Voldemort doesn’t particularly care for her either. He might be fond of her, maybe, he definitely trusts her with information more than the others (I’m using the word “trust” loosely here). But his shriek of rage when Bella died was because he knew then that he was losing, losing a good soldier, losing the war, losing his immortality and losing the Battle of Hogwarts. He knew he was done for.

Even if they were canon (not counting Cursed Child as canon) their dynamic would be incredibly toxic and abusive and one-sided. Voldemort just doesn’t care, he doesn’t see her as his equal but below her, and Bellatrix would let him hurt her if it meant he’d touch her.

[daddyissuesyo]

Monsta X Reaction: You’re hurt during sex

tw: suggestive; unintentional pain during intercourse

(The context is that he accidentally hurts you. It is not intentional, nor is it a form of bdsm. If a partner ever purposely harms you without consent, do not stay with that person or allow them to continue. Be safe!)

Shownu- In the midst of a heated moment, he unknowingly thrusting harder than he intended to. You enjoy the slight pain at first, but when it becomes sharp you can’t help but wince and cry out. Hyunwoo immediately stops. He is concerned and confused; he thought you were enjoying yourself. You’ll likely have to explain to him that you are enjoying the sex, but he needs to be more sensitive in a particular area. He listens intently and apologies softly. He waits a minute longer, easing back into things by caressing and kissing before putting it back in. Extra after care and gentleness.

Minhyuk- The mood is intense & his mind is clouded with desire. He winds up getting too rough too quickly. His thrusts quicken in pace and before he realizes what he’s doing, he sees your face contorting in pain. Instantly pushes himself off of you and inspects your body, assuming he crushed your arm or something. It doesn’t occur to him that the penetration is the problem. When he sees your legs squeezed together, trembling, he recoils. “Holy fuck, I am so sorry, baby.” Hesitant to start up again and waits until there’s absolute certainty in your eyes. He admits that he gets carried away. “In the future it will be best to establish limits or safe words to prevent this from happening again.”

Kihyun- Probably overestimated your endurance/pushed you too far or overstimulated you to the point of it being unpleasant. Tears of pain well in your eyes and you whimper. “Owww..” He thinks it’s a moan at first and meets your gaze, but his eyes widen in horror when he realizes. Ki’s absolutely devastated. Your sex life is sacred to him and the thought that he could’ve possibly hurt you is enough to bring him to hysterics. He can’t stop apologizing & kissing you through his tears, even after you’ve told him it’s alright. He can’t continue: instead opts to make you tea and bring you a heated blanket. “Forgive me, angel.”

Hyungwon- I have a feeling he can read body language incredibly well and would be able to sense when can’t take anymore. You’re more likely be hurt by his size than his actions. It feels good at first, but your moan soon turns into a cry of pain as he slides another inch in. He acknowledges this and stops everything he’s doing, looking down at you with sympathy. “I’m sorry, love,” he whispers, “take all the time you need to adjust. Or if you want to stop we can do that, too.” Will brush the hair off your face and make solicitous eye contact until the pain subsides. Vanilla sex the rest of the night. Would feel guilty if he took advantage of your vulnerability by being rough.

Jooheon- You love having sex with Joo. You never want to make him feel lacking in bed, but his pace is becoming unbearably painful. He is grunting loudly, unaware of your state. You let out a painful moan and squeeze his wrist. He halts and looks down at you, heart broken. He pulls out slowly, not wanting to make it any worse. Burying his face in his hands, he bites back sobs, apologizing endlessly. He never wants to hurt you or prioritize his needs but he fears he’s done just that. He would feel the most shame out of all the members and maybe even view it as a moral failing. Too stressed to make an attempt at aftercare. After several days, he initiates a thoughtful conversation and asks you to explain every nuance of what happened so as to avoid it. Treats you with upmost care and tenderness.

Changkyun- Another one who caused the pain by being too rough. You were in a new position that you weren’t yet adjusted too, not to mention the power behind his movements. “Changkyun..” “Nnngg” “Changkyun, it hurts,” “Yeah, baby. Fuck.” It takes his brain a second but he snaps to his senses. “Oh my God, does it actually? I’m so sorry.” He lets you be the one to get out of the position and immediately embraces you thereafter. Above all else, he wants to make sure that you are okay. He asks what you need. More worried than he lets on, as he doesn’t want to to make it about himself. Will call a hyung to vent and help talk through things.