#it's all very ableist even if that wasn't the intent of the person who posted it

[kahluah]

The reason people like storyboards better is because current Chelsea is an awful twist villain, literally only motivation is " I'm a flipping Mermaid" and a one-dimensional character , the twist villain is obvious, the trident is a Chekov's gun nobody's denying that, the I'm Nerissa is a Hans-level asspull, it has nothing to do with shipping, the twist trades their friends dynamic for nothing in exchange. People don't dislike the twist because of shipping, people dislike awful twist villains.

The reason for the switch was Shock Value and a way to have Agatha without blood on her hands, as per the Instagram posts.

You can tell it's a last minute switch by the murals, where the mermaids are depicted as adults. Good luck portraying the mermaid-kraken war in the future when they're all teenagers.

I think everyone was going into the movie knowing that the mermaid was going to be the villain, especially because of the marketing it had. The movie outright told us mermaids are selfish and bad. The fact that the mermaid is selfish and bad in the end like we were told isn't shocking... We were told... and you also just said it was obvious... Hans was a shock value twist villain because there was no foreshadowing leading to it. Chelsea/Nerissa was simple and predictable but I wouldn't say shocking.

Having Chelsea also be a teenager and pretending to be Ruby's friend as she manipulates her into getting the Trident doesn't add anything substantial to the narrative. You still have her manipulating Ruby for her own gain, all that's really different is that it isn't as strong of a connection to the narrative of "Ruby and her relationships with women in her life" because we've now made her a peer instead. The exact same plot happens... Ruby listens to the idea, thinks it's good, gets the training, gets the Trident, oh no the mermaid is evil, they all come together to beat the mermaid. Like her age has zero impact on the overall "the mermaid is the bad guy" plot of the movie, there will still be a friendship montage and bonding and whatnot because that's the hustle she is pulling, but having her be older ties her story to the theme better than if she was a teenager. Her being a teenager gives the story nothing in exchange.

I've seen people saying it adds depth to the character of Chelsea because then she's not only trying to kill all the Krakens and rule over everything as a tyrant Queen, she's also trying to avenge her mother! You know, the mother that also wanted to overthrow and kill the krakens, so she found a weapon that could do it so that she could be tyrant Queen of everything. It sure is an extra layer to the character, but is that really a layer you guys want? I get that people love to pull out the morally-grey card and have stories do the "both sides are bad" thing, but for the info we got in the movie, the mermaids were the instigators. And once again, the info we have on the mermaids being "opposed and in hiding" comes from our bad guy who, even if she was a teenager, is still a liar and manipulator.

Like as far as real life goes fuck monarchies and the ruling class,,, but this is a movie aimed at younger kids and we have no reason to doubt the lore from Grand Mama being wrong while we have all the reason to doubt what Chelsea says no matter her age.

With what was in the movie, even if we went back to cover more of the war to flesh out teenage Chelsea and her motivations, the Trident would still be your Chekov's gun, and the villain Nerissa would still have the awful motivation of "I'm a flipping mermaid". This would add a story theme of 'history repeats itself' which is something I don't think they were aiming for.

If they kept blood on Agatha's hands by having her kill Nerissa, it would totally add depth to her part of the narrative and how she relates to her mother and ran away so Ruby wouldn't have to grow up in a post-war warlord household setting. I would feel bad that she got blood on her hands when she may not have wanted to. I don't feel bad that she killed someone who was very much trying to kill her people on purpose in a bid for power.

And for your last bit, of it being a last minute change because the murals don't look like teenagers. Let's just put aside the fact that they are stylized. Are you trying to say that adults can't look young like that? That there aren't adults that appear younger than their age because of whatever various reasons there are that cause that exact thing to happen? For mermaids it might just be a quirk of the species. But I will not have anyone using some form of "they look like a teenager so they can't be an adult" as some sort of proof on my blog because being an adult mistaken as a teenager has been a good fucking chunk of my life. I go to a restaurant with my family and we get asked "do you need a kids menu?". There are many middle schoolers taller than me. If people really look at my face they guess I'm around high school age, physical appearance plays a lot into perception of age and having someone who is extremely short, and cis female with absolutely zero signs of boobs makes 14-16 really popular estimations. They are very much wrong and have been so for over a decade. So I personally find it incredibly possible that mermaids might just look like that.

[creature-wizard]

ngl as an abuse survivor the whole “micro trauma” thing makes me roll my eyes back into my head like that’s life babe sometimes we have a negative experience it’s not trauma 💀💀💀 i really feel like so many folks live soft lives that any negative feeling becomes “traumatic” and something to avoid. i don’t think it’s good to conflate times your ego was tested or times that didn’t go exactly your way with genuine trauma. you’re more resilient than that. (obviously this isn’t about day to day trauma living as a bipoc in a racist white society etc but i don’t think you were talking about that either)

Welp, there's a lot to unpack here.

First of all, I'm an abuse survivor with my own share of trauma. I was raised in a form of conservative apocalyptic Christianity where beatings were considered an acceptable form of punishment. Because my parents believed that parental authority was never wrong, and anything a child did or even felt that seemed to challenge that authority (whether intentional or not), I was constantly told that I was wrong for having my own feelings, punished for having my own feelings if I dared to to express them. In addition to this, my family thought I needed to be very aware that the Mark of the Beast was coming and I needed to emotionally prepare myself for beheading once the Antichrist took over and started killing anyone who refused the Mark of the Beast.

In addition to this, I was subject to all of the day-to-day trauma that comes from growing up with ADHD and autism in an ableist society, as well as the trauma that comes from growing up with ADHD and autism in an environment where people think children must be obedient at all times. (My parents believed spanking and slapping was fine, by the way. So, that happened often enough. And when it wasn't spanking or slapping, it was my mother screaming and yelling.)

Now with all of this context established, I'm going to tell you: You don't get to decide who does and doesn't get to have trauma. Trauma doesn't work according to some abstract notion of what should and shouldn't constitute "trauma." People can, in fact, be genuinely traumatized over things that seem totally ridiculous to you.

Also? You don't know what other people are living through. You don't know what goes on behind closed doors. You don't know how people are being traumatized by economic circumstances, by bullshit at the workplace, by knowing that Christofascists want to subjugate them or kill them. You don't know how many people are being slowly traumatized by partners who invalidate and mock them in countless tiny ways every day. You don't know how many people are being traumatized by thinking they should be able to meet certain expectations that they don't realize are based in ableist standards or impossible capitalist ideals.

You've also evidently never had a conversation with someone who can't figure out how they're such a mess because they "don't have a reason to be traumatized," but the more you talk to them the more it comes out that they lived a profoundly messed up life, and were profoundly mistreated in a thousand ways that they didn't even recognize as mistreatment at the time. (No, it's not normal for your mother to call you ableist slurs if you can't tend to her every whim in five seconds.)

You also say "obviously this isn’t about day to day trauma living as a bipoc in a racist white society etc but i don’t think you were talking about that either." And you know what? You wanna know what? I absolutely was, because my post was meant to be inclusive of all forms of microtrauma.

Anyway, I hope you can recognize that suffering and trauma aren't a contest, and trying to decide who does and doesn't "deserve" to have trauma based on your own personal abstract ideals and limited comprehension of their lives doesn't help anyone.

[memento-morri-writes]

Do you have any advice or specific tips to writing a low/no empathy character? Or a resource to recommend?

Hi nonny! Thanks for asking! I'm going to try my best to answer your question, but keep in mind, this is all based on my own personal experience, and that varies vastly from person to person. (if anyone else experiences low/no empathy, please feel free to add on to this post!)

So, some things to keep in mind:

Why does your character experience low/no empathy? For me, it's a symptom of my autism, but there are multiple reasons a character could have low/no empathy. The most common is probably going to be some form of disability (autism), or disorder (psychopathy), etc. (Be careful while doing research though, especially on disorders like psychopathy! You're going to run into a lot of ableist bullshit. Make sure to look for sources written by people living with these disorders/disabilities.) (If anyone has any resources on other disabilities or disorders that cause low empathy that they personally recommend, please feel free to add links!!!) Whatever the reason, it's not going to only affect their empathy. It's going to affect every part of their life. So make sure to do your research, and write respectfully. If you know someone or follow someone who has a certain condition, ask if they'd feel comfortable answering questions for you. If they aren't, that's fine. If they are, they're going to be a great resource. (I'd also recommend getting a sensitivity reader, particularly when writing about mental disorders that are already frequently stigmatized. You want to make sure you're not promoting harmful stereotypes.) I should note, however, that neurotypical people can also have low/no empathy!!! It just happens to also be a common symptom of various mental disorders.

Consider what kind of empathy does your character lack. There are two kinds of empathy! Emotional (or affective) empathy, and cognitive empathy. Affective empathy is made up of three parts: Feeling the same emotion as someone else, feeling discomfort or stress in response to someone else's suffering, and feeling compassion for or understanding another's emotions. Cognitive empathy is the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of someone else. This includes being to "stand in someone else's shoes", or take another person's perspective, and generally understand what they're feeling. This one has been called more of a "skill", in that it's something people can "learn", where as affective empathy can't be taught or learned. When people talk about having low/no empathy, they are usually referring to lacking affective empathy, but a character might struggle with both!

Not everyone experiences empathy the same. Some people lack empathy in some circumstances, but have it in others. For example, I lack empathy when it comes to human beings, but I am much more empathetic when it comes to animals. A character might only be able to empathize with very specific scenarios or people. (For example, if someone else is going through a very similar scenario to one they have experienced in the past, it may be easier for them to feel empathy. But it might not!) Some people can empathize with certain emotions better than others. (I empathize better with anger, but can't empathize at all with grief.)

Understand that a lack of empathy does not equal a lack of caring. Just because a person doesn't feel the emotions someone else is feeling doesn't mean they don't care. A person with low or no empathy can still be kind and compassionate to others. They might go about trying to cheer people up in a slightly different way (I personally tend to try and go for distractions), but they still care about their friends and loved ones. Even seemingly "uncaring" things said by those who lack empathy do not come from a place of malice. (I can't tell you how many times I've said something well-meaning and had people assume I was being cruel. I wasn't, and I genuinely had good intentions.)

Keep in mind how your character reacts to other's emotions. People with empathy tend to feel similarly to those they empathize with, which generally creates a feeling of connection. (This is part of what leads to that sense of "coming together after tragedy".) A person with low/no empathy might instead feel alienated or uncomfortable when faced with large outpourings of emotions. They might be uncertain how to act or what to do, and they may try and avoid situations with strong negative emotions because of it. (In my case, people crying makes me very uncomfortable, because I don't know how to respond. So I try and keep my distance.)

Think about how your character processes their own emotions. Just because a character doesn't feel empathy for others doesn't mean that they are incapable of feeling those emotions on their own. A character who has no empathy for a grieving friend can still grieve! But chances are they will process that emotion differently than a person with "normal" empathy. They might try to push their emotions away and bottle them up. Or one emotion might transition into one they have an easier time processing. (For me, I don't experience sadness normally. It either transitions to anger, or it is replaced by different thoughts.)

Think about how their lack of empathy influences their life. A person who lacks empathy is not going to experience life the same way as a person with "normal" empathy. They might have a hard time making friends, or they might excel at a job that requires a logical mind. They might give great advice, or their friends might know to never ask them about relationships. They might be great at organizing people, even in times of stress, because their brain compartmentalizes and thinks pragmatically. They might totally shut down when faced with an emotional situation because they don't know how to process it.

Having no empathy can be very alienating. People expect empathy constantly. It's a big part of why people love emotional media, and it's the expected response when someone you know experiences suffering. Not having empathy can mean that you feel disconnected from your loved ones or community as a whole. It might mean biting your tongue and not saying what you think because people would read it as uncaring or cruel.

Remember: Having low or no empathy is not a bad thing. People with low/no empathy are often villainized in media, and the trait is often given to antagonists. But that's a harmful stereotype and harmful belief in general. That's not saying that your character with low empathy has to be "good", but don't use their low empathy as proof that they're a "bad person". Try thinking about situations in which having low/no empathy might be useful! I personally am reminded of the post I saw years ago where someone was saying that if not for their lack of empathy, they probably couldn't do their job. (iirc, they worked handling the bodies of organ donors, some of whom were quite young.)

Okay, that's all I can think of for now, but like I said before, anyone else who experiences low or no empathy is encouraged to reblog this post and add on to it! And if I made any mistakes here, please let me know so I can fix them!!! I tried to base this mostly off of my own experience, so take it all with a grain of salt.

[mariejordans]

Have you considered being a nicer person? I just happen to be friends with the person you slagged off on your blog and you clearly didn't expect your post to get back to her, but it did, as a few people alerted her to your post. FYI, that wasn't her post, the thing you were attacking her over about Sam and Cate, that was submitted to her blog from somebody else from Reddit. Second, she's not a Stan, she has development disabilities and Sam is her special interest/emotional focus. He makes her happy, so of course she's only going to focus on him. Calling her a 'Mega Stan' is rather ableist on your part. She's also not a Cate stan. Why would you even think that? Cate hurt Sam. So maybe next time you want to attack disabled people on your blog, take two seconds to cool down, consider how your words may hurt people and just don't do it. Mkay? This fandom is small and it got back to her eventually, so just think about your actions next time please. You are very lucky she isnt the call out type, because she will never say anything on her blog about this, but at least some of us know your true colours. Consider your actions and check to see if your posts are hurtful.

first of all, as someone who is also neurodivergent, i apologize for my comments hurting your friend. it hasn’t and never will be my intention to attack disabled people on this blog, so i’m genuinely very sorry for that. to be honest, i did not know that your friend had developmental disabilities, so again, i apologize.

that being said, i believe you’re talking about this post i made almost a month ago? it was in response to this post just to be clear, because a few of your comments have me a bit confused. i’m not sure what you mean by “that wasn’t her post, that was submitted to her blog from somebody else from Reddit” when everything i was responding to in my original post were based on things that she did say in this post (which she published so it is her post) not the person who sent the ask or the redditor (who i actually agree with.)

secondly, i don’t have any issue or problem with sam being her special interest. it doesn’t bother me that most of what she posts is about sam. most of what i post is about marie or jordan, so i get it. there’s nothing wrong with sam being her sole focus.

what i DID have an issue with was the way that she constantly undermined marie in her post. marie moreau IS the main character of gen v. that’s not an opinion, it’s literally a fact. every single point that the person made in the reddit post is correct and your friend wrote an entire post trying to come up with excuses for that not to be true. it just comes across very odd to me that they wrote an entire post trying to undermine marie and her importance to the show.

and honestly, why does it bother her so much that marie is the main character or that other people think of her like that anyway? her being the main character doesn’t diminish or take away anything from the show or sam, so i genuinely don’t see the need to make a long post about how marie actually isn’t the main character.

you can like any character you want. you can dislike any character you want (although if you dislike marie, i do give you serious side-eye) but undermining one character’s importance for the sake of another, ESPECIALLY when said character happens to be a queer black woman that you discredit in favor of two cis white characters, that’s where i have a problem.

[donewiththisshitplsstop]

No I'm sorry because I do agree that if what Christian said is true and RBR employee's children are being bullied than that is categorically wrong but don't tell us that we can't call out a pattern of RBR continually victimising themselves and their employees or any individuals associated with RBR in situations that they are wrong in, victimisation that is in fact perpetuated by toxic RBR stans. Don't tell us we can't call out the negative behaviour exhibited by RBR and their employees.

RBR don't victimise themselves? The RBR that incited racist abuse against Lewis by insinuating that he purposefully with malicious intent crashed into Max only to later suggest that their golden boy had been (Rightfully) criticised for inciting racist hate against the only black driver of the sport and therefore this perpetuation of discriminatory behaviour isn't that bad. That RBR?

RBR stans don't attempt to victimise their employees? Oh the same stans that coddled Max like he was a little baby the 2 TIMES he said ableist slurs and the one time he defended racist abuse. "Oh but he's Dutch", "It's part of his culture" "He's young" "Well actually Nelson said the N-word a year ago sooo", "Hey guys I think we should keep Kelly and Max out of this even though Kelly just liked a post in which she agreed it was okay for her father to use that language and Max just suggested that every black person who was offended by that racial slur had simply misinterpreted the definition" DO NOT infantilise a 24 year old man only to turn around and accuse us of thinking RBR and their stans are the masters of being victims and making people the victims.

P.s. Also you guys totally said leave RBR/Max out of the Juri vipps situation and it was really funny because no one was acc talking about them and then u guys opened ur mouth and we remembered oh yh Max also used discriminatory language oh yh rbr did the same thing and then we realised that the only reason you wanted us to separate rbr/Max from juri was bcs yall realised that Max did the same exact thing and u lowkey agree that vips did something messed up but u couldn't possibly say that Max messed up so u just attempted to separate the two situations (well played u lil victimisers)

Oh and wasn't RBR so upset about Deitrich dying. Well how come they had a whole party to celebrate Max's victory?.

And yeah you guys bring up a very good point RBR employees shouldn't be abused for doing their job. So why was Shaila Ann Rao having her whole integrity questioned by a bunch of you guys because she used to work for Mercedes and now the FIA - Fun Fact: 4 men from Ferrari also worked at the FIA but you guys had nothing negative to say about that. Was it misogyny or sexism idk but there's something very messed up there. Oh and why is Angela always being reduced to Lewis' s*x slave when she's an educated physio like yall do kno that happened right - for the longest time Angela was not given the respect she deserved. Oh and we musn't forget the time Susie got told she belonged in the kitchen. But then Hannah Schmidt gets called a snake and you guys are so outraged. You know before hannah got called a snake Angela got called a s*x slave but I suppose you become anti-misogyny when the RBR woman gets called a snake. To clarify, it's good that Misogynistic attitudes within f1 are being combated but like where was all of this outrage when that was happening to the merc ladies. Or acc where was this attitude when ur golden boy called Kelly his "most expensive purchase" or is there a doubl3 standard in the fact that you absolutely CANNOT call out the misogyny of ur golden boy objectifying his girlfriend but hannah schmidt getting called a snake is what makes u put ur anti-misogyny hats on.

Oh and apparently Toto like leaked the budget cap info and he was the first person to know? No it was actually AMUS. And apparently Toto musn't leak info like this about RBR because the current situation on social media is very anti-rbr (do I sense some victimising) but like Helmut can accuse Lewis of taking performance enhancing drugs after he saw the fallout of Silverstone, Horner can accuse Lewis of faking injury after seeing how RBR stannies latch onto his words and unleash racist abuse. But toto's the bad guy. Funny how you teehee over Christian's misogyny and discrimination and call it 'Shitstirring' but lose respect for Toto talking about Abu Dhabi.

And the next bit may sound like me being a right bi*ch but I'm not going to care about the mental health of a team/man/fanbase that refused and often denied the mental trauma that other members of the f1 community have suffered at the hands of this pathetic team. Lance get's called ableist slur and apparently that isn't a horrific thing to experience as if it won't make Lance feel horrified at the implications and the thing is maybe there are neurodivergent people on the F1 grid, maybe there are people with hidden disabilities and what does that do to their mental health but its fine because Max is Dutch and young and he doesn't know the meaning of the language (Maybe someone should have educated him the first time he said it so it wasn't said a second time?) And apparently he doesn't use it that often and it was just a slip of the tongue in that situation but I've never heard any other driver use a slur on team radio. Have you? And if he's saying it so casually on his radio how casually is he saying it day to day life. And if he is saying it in day to day life than how can it just be a slip of the tongue. Oh and if someone was too distressed to go into the car again after a crash like Romaine's then Max would just fire them, why should i sympathise with his mental health when he himself cannot sympathise with the distress of the people around him. And the large communities who have to deal with the negative implications of having their safe sport (place) being infiltrated by a man who can say the same slurs as the bullies in school or the thugs on the streets apparently will have perfect mental health after such an incident because apparently Max doesnt care enough to apologise when a whole organisation asks for one and instead says 'not my problem' I suppose their mental health wasnt all thag important to max was it. Lewis apparently crashed into Max on purpose and that led to 200,000 racist social media posts being deleted and who perpetuated this abuse may you ask a certain team and a certain driver and I suppose that his mental health wasnt important enough to consider.

So it's upsetting that Max and the other people in charge of RBR (Christian, Helmut) have poor mental health I simply cannot muster a large amount of sympathy simply because they've perpetuated huge amounts of negative ideas/behaviours against certain drivers/teams without a single apology. The only people I feel for are the employees working their backsides off for a livelihood (I think many people in these teams are underpaid) and their children that are being bullied for a budget cap.

Also last point: don't say that we're making Max the villain by calling his Misogynistic and ableist when he has been Misogynistic and ableist. You say they're trynna make him the villain only for him to have done the villainous stuff.

[wonderful-world-of-hetalia]

About your agere post...

Why do you always have to lie? I am that so-called "former mutual". You are willfully misinterpreting what I said to villainize me, even when I wasn't speaking about you, OR real age regressors. What I was very CLEARLY talking about at the time are the adults who PRETEND to age regress in order to manipulate minors who don't know better. How dare you put such insensitive, ableist, vile words in my mouth. If your post was truly made with positive intent, you would not have needed to drag a friend that you lost in fucking June of 2022 into it. Keep our names out of your mouth. Mind your goddamn business. I'm tired of hearing about your bullshit.

hello anon, which I can clearly tell who you are from your tone; I will not stoop down to your level, but i am willing to educate about what age regression is because it seems that even when you said that in the first place, you've confused age regressors with the dreaded DDLG community, who are known to infiltrate many SFW spaces; those same people in that dreaded community are the ones who you were "CLEARLY talking about at the time are the adults who PRETEND to age regress in order to manipulate minors who don't know better."

as i said earlier, the DDLG (and variants) people you confuse us with do not belong in agere spaces at all, since they believe regression is inherently kinky, which is already a huge misconception about agere. there have been countless reports of ddlg people using regression to lure actual regressors into their fetish without consent, which is actually fucked because many regressors are minors who cannot consent! when people regress into littlespace we cannot consent even when their body is an adult! literally look at how many times regressors have to tell the ddlg community to not interact with anything, because many times, the ddlg community does not have boundaries and will sexualize anything seen as childish, innocent, cute, or even in some cases, sexualize an entire alternate fashion that was meant to repel these people away in the first place.

now let's go on to why people regress and there's a good amount of reasons why. “People with a history of trauma may be more likely to regress” and is “used by people who’ve experienced childhood trauma, mental health issues, or physical health issues.” i regress because i have survived abuse, and i have involuntarily regressed when i am reminded of the countless times i have been abused and dehumanized from my family and from my abuser, who was very prominent in this fandom although if i recall, they have moved to the Centricide fandom. other factors of why people regress include:

schizophrenia

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

depression

dementia

borderline personality disorder (BPD)

think about why people regress in the first place before making an incredibly harmful assumption about a perfectly healthy coping mechanism that has been recommended by countless psychiatrists as a means to heal from trauma and to reclaim a childhood many survivors never had.

this extremely toxic mentality is why I have said that the hetalia fandom has been extremely dangerous towards regressors, especially if someone sees one of the country people as a caregiver to them! germany has always been the closest thing i’ve ever had to a father figure, because guess what? i lost my dad when I was 3 due to generational trauma taking a toll on him!

also about that last part: your names have never been mentioned at all, even in the tags??? i do not stoop down by calling out the names of certain people because i am an adult with critical thinking skills and know better than to spit the vile names of those who harmed me. besides, why not mind your own business when you see regressors having fun and healing their wounds with the anime country guys? consult this image:

[saltymcsaltything]

A little rage on a Friday afternoon

I had an incredibly angry rant drafted because of a post one of my mutuals reblogged - it wasn't their reblog that was the issue, but the absolutely ridiculous chain of reblog above. I found the topic and tone incredibly triggering, but rather than unloading that specific vitriol, I am just going to address the underlying problem, then unload a different stream of vitriol that is more inclusive of all of the bullshit I see lurking beneath the surface of a certain variety of 'discourse'

If you mock what people eat, the quantity they eat, or the quality of the food, including whether it is "healthy" or not in your opinion, you are an elitist and an ableist *at a minimum*

Those attitudes very often are wrapped up in racial, ethnic, cultural and gender biases as well, and even if your intent doesn't stem from one of those biases, shit takes about what other people put in their bodies reinforce systemic biases. I will not 'assume noble intent' when the impact is upholding systems of abuse and exclusion.

Bodies are different and you have no valid justification to judge someone because of their diet. Ever. Not even if you're their fucking doctor. Doctors make faulty assumptions more than the average internet random because there is incredibly fucked up 50+ year old junk science underpinning the scant nutritional training in med schools. And they hurt people routinely because of their ignorance and misplaced sense of authority. With few exceptions, fuck doctors. Having MD after your name is basically a red flag that you are likely an ignorant, abusive asshole with an oversized sense of entitlement and self importance.

If you see a person's diet or weight as a reflection of their health, you are actively and willfully ignorant and hateful. Full stop.

If you see a person's actual or perceived health as a reflection of their value as a person, you are ableist and you are actively and willfully supporting the rhetorical underpinnings of eugenics. You have aligned yourself with those who believe eve that some people deserve death because they are less valuable to society. Fuck that bullshit especially.

If you knowingly support eugenics in any capacity, you accept and validate the history of racism, classism, ableism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and virtually every other form of systemic hatred and discrimination that eugenics is fundamentally and irredeemably based on. There is no moral justification for eugenics that isn't grounded in dividing humanity into the worthy and the degenerate. There is no "good" eugenics. If you can't accept that, then you are an enemy of all humanity and should be treated accordingly.

Fat phobia, thinspo, pro-Ana, and all of the associated bullshit is disgusting, harmful, and bogus hatred. You aren't helping people when you insert your garbage opinions on what and how people eat into a conversation. I cannot fucking even with the comments I see fatshaming people, however vaguely worded and veiled. If you think you are helping someone by bullying and harassing people, then I think you would be helped by dying painfully from your genitals exploding in a rain of blood and your bowels evacuating through your esophagus. My opinion is equally valid and actually harms fewer people. This includes anybody who pushes a fad diet that worked for them. Your unsolicited opinions on someone else's health border on harassment. Sell your food cult elsewhere you mindless shill. Bleed from all of your orifices you self-righteous joiner.

I am saying all of this as someone who comes at this from the utter opposite end of weight and food struggles. I gave to fight on a daily basis to get enough digestable, calorie dense food to keep myself from being clinically underweight. I have had to actively and purposefully do everything "wrong" when it comes to eating just to consume enough calories to not constantly lose muscle mass. My hormones, energy levels, kidney function, liver function, and cognitive abilities are all negatively impacted by repeated episodes ofbrapid and unintended weight loss, and regaining weight is a long and incredibly difficult process.

Everything I do in my life that is pathologized as unhealthy is supposed to cause weight gain. I 'should' weigh 300 pounds at least based on how I eat and exercise. But I I can't even get myself to stay at my safe weight, which is less than half that.

And the shit that personally irritates me the most is that because we are obsessed with weight loss despite the fact that being clinically underweight is at least as dangerous to long term health and mortality as being morbidly obese, I cannot find resources or get most doctors to take me remotely seriously when I try to get help for whatever is causing me to struggle with this shit. When I was actually overweight (during a relayovely 'healthy' period of my life), I had an allergist dismiss my concerns about wheezing after exercising by saying I needed to lose weight. Not only did that not help, it actually made my breathing difficulties so much worse, to the point I was finally diagnosed with asthma despite having clear symptoms for over 20 years after dropping over 55 pounds, a full third of my body weight, when the symptoms were so absurdly obvious that anyone with even a basic knowledge of lung function would have come to the same conclusion years earlier if they weren't a fucking fatphobic ableist with an overpriced 'education' and two letters after their name that are bow so associated in my mind with gaslighting and abuse that they scream "danger"

I've had multiple specialists ignore neurological and cardiovascular conditions because my weight is considered "healthy", but if the 3" of height loss from spinal compression, cervical instability and pseudoscoliosis is factored in, I have spent most of the last half decade at or below the threshold for being clinically underweight. Considering my head is in the 99th percentile for circumference (I wear an XL in hats despite almost everything else being S or XS) and probably accounts for a disproportionate share of my total body weight, I am probably underweight even at 10 pounds above the threshold for my full height. But almost none of my doctors can look beyond their own biases. One of the few that has acknowledged that I am actually extraordinarily thin is my general surgeon, because it turns out that being 'very slim' affects the position of organs in the chest cavity and abdomen, and she actually looked at my body rather than relying on BMI. I was actually a full 15 pounds heavier at the time.

Our society's attitudes towards food and weight are so utterly fucked that well meaning friends have praised me for losing weight. I wanted to throat punch them. That weight loss was triggered by intense grief and depression leading to the worst appetite loss and executive dysfunction of my entire life. I was panicking over how sick I felt and unable to force myself to eat enough to even slow it down until I started taking Adderall (which allegedly suppresses appetite). I was dissociating for hours and forgetting to eat, engaging in compulsive hair pulling and skin picking, and dipping into periods of anxiety and panic attacks so severe that I was contemplating suicide. But I was skinny, and that's always good, right? It's not like life threatening illnesses frequently lead to rapid weight loss to such a degree that rapid weight loss should be alarming to everyone instead of celebrated like some kind of fucking accomplishment.

Our obsession with weight loss and policing what and how much people eat is fucking toxic and hurts people physically and emotionally. If you ever find yourself preparing to comment about someone's food choices or weight, *don't*. Whatever your motivation, the action itself is universally harmful and continuing to engage in it with the justification that you are somehow helping someone is deeply disingenuous. Fucking check yourself.

If any of this offends you in any way, unfollow and block me. This is not a safe space for fatphobes, elitists, ableists and eugenicists and if you read through this and came away feeling attacked, *you are one or more of those things* and arguing your garbage ass takes with me will not end well for you. I will not play nice. Be glad I can't actually bite people over the internet, because I have a strong urge to crush some fucking throats between my teeth.

[nikkiitalks]

I just want to apologise to you and other Natives that saw the leaking of the insulting screenshots as taking away from the issue at hand. I sent them to that blog and I did not mean that at all. At the time I submitted them there was only two people talking about this, and I wasn't going to submit those to the blog that had been ableist and cruel about the person being spoken of. I didn't even think how them being submitted to a burn book blog would look. But said blog was being inundated with people calling their proof lies because Natalie would never race-fake, and she was so kind and all that. I thought if people saw how she spoke about someone who she was supposedly friends with. That seems to be well liked. That people would take off the blinders and see that if Natalie can say this. Then maybe I should actually look at the proof of her race-faking instead of just dismissing it. I am very sorry if it was the wrong thing to do, even if my intentions at the time were trying to help people look at the message objectively. I wish nothing but healing for the Native community. You do not need to post this but I am very sorry.

This is so sweet and thoughtful. Thank you for taking the time to apologize, I really appreciate that. I get where your intentions were, and I think this apology is very nice. Hence my posting it.

[hello-nichya-here]

So he comics and other extended media is so bad that we should silo ourselves off from the rest of the Avatar fanbase like the Zutarians did and ignore whatever Avatar Studios does until they get competent writers that push back on their ableism and bad writing choices huh? Like, if I am understand you correctly, isn't alienating to be part of a fandom without really being part of it? Or to have to constantly filter material for acceptable content? Like were is the fun in that? 1/2

2/2 Also, on a sidenote, sorry if my responses come off as sealioning; its just that I have seen a trend among pro-Azula blogs to (mostly) refuse to engage with any with any Avatar material post-TV show. And it irks me because you guys are really talented content creators (ex. You, Balsa, Ultranos, Lightdancer, etc.) and so I am sure that if you guys engaged with the material, you could make a masterpiece out of it, or at least something worthwhile out of it imo.

***

There's a huge difference between "My ship wasn't canon and I'm bitter" and "The writers took everything that made the story great and threw it in the garbage, and I'm not gonna pretend I didn't notice it just because I liked the very thing that is now ruined." And I'm not shaming anyone for creating content based on the comics, and I do interact with people who do that. I just don't consume their work.

There's a reason I, and many others don't engage with the material that came after the original show: we don't enjoy it. I read the comics twice, and tried watching Korra five times. I hated nearly every second of it, because, again, they ruined everything I liked about the original, mostly by commiting character assassination with nearly all the characters.

Now, tell me, is it fair that I don't get to stick just to the show I actually liked? Do I have to either leave the fandom completely or pretend to enjoy something I can't stand? Do I, a mentally ill person, no longer get to criticize the offensive, deeply ableist way they writers are presenting the subject to kids just because I liked ONE THING that they made over 10 years ago? Where is the fun in that? What would even be the motivation to do something like that? No one is that much of a masochist.

Brian and Myke created my favorite show of all time. They also spent a decade ruining it AND repeating every horrible thing I've ever heard people say about mentally ill people. This isn't about something as shallow as "They didn't do what I wanted them to do, so I won't acknowledge anything else they did in retaliation!" and I'd appreciate it if you stopped pretending that it is.

People use one or two ideas from the comics and Korra all the time, myself included. People try to fix the comics all the time - I am not one of them, and every attempt I've seen didn't work for me at all, and only made the damn thing worse in my eyes because it is that fundamentally broken. I compared everything post-atla to the Shyamalan movie for a reason, buddy: I genuinely think the comics and Korra are on that level of trash.

I'm sure there are people who liked or even loved The Last Airbender movie, and it was certainly made with the intention to please fans. But it didn't, so most people pretend it didn't exist. Why is it that hard to accept that some of us do the same to the comics? Again, I don't owe Bryke a goddamn thing just because they made one masterpiece before they started creating solely garbage, and I'm not gonna pretend I enjoy something I don't just so I can be "allowed" to interact with the rest of the fandom.

In this blog, the comics and Korra don't exist. I understand if you don't like that, but don't tell me what I should or shouldn't like or talk about.

[moon-kissed-witch]

"If intent is all that matters why do you even need ingredients like crystals and herbs"

The gift of manifestation does not come naturally to the vast majority of people. Using things like crystals, herbs, oils, etc. cab help people, especially beginners, feel more grounded, more focused, and become more used to not only feeling these energies but absorbing and releasing them.

I would also go on to add that this kind of thinking leaves craft reserved for those able to afford a lot of materials, as well as has an undertone of "If using objects distracts you or stimulates you too much, you can't be a witch" and that's just.... Ableist, to be quite blunt.

But back to the point: There's a reason people are called baby witches. They're learning. Not just about crystals and tarot and deities but how to actually practice.

This is not a naturally aquired ability to most people. It's just not. It takes time and dedication.

Some people, usually called natural witches by others, have a very easy time manifesting and often do it simply by intent alone and without having to use any sort of organized craft.

I'm gonna use an example my energy therapist once told me.

She said one of her clients told her he was going to find a hundred dollars that week. Very matter of fact, that somehow he would get an extra hundred dollars. She was skeptical. He found a hundred dollar bill in the park a few days later, tried to turn it in but was told to keep it. He wasn't a self identified witch. He just naturally had that ability and the confidence to use it.

(she also talked about how not all empaths are sympathetic and kind people, and how they can sometimes use their ability to harm others. But "empath does not equal good person" is for another post)

TL;DR : Tools offer energy to assist you as you so choose. They do not inherently create effects by just sitting there. Intent is absolutely what matters most. The idea that it's not is both extremely pretentious, as well as harmful to lower class individuals, disabled people, and those who are just starting out.

[saltminerising]

Anon who sent an ask for context behind the traumadumping discussion here. I want to apologize if it was my ask that upset you, it wasn't my intention at all. I was concerned that it wasn't relevent to flightrising. The topic was making me uncomfortable partly because I didn't know why it was happening. I didn't want to sound demanding. I'm so sorry if it came across as guilttripping or if it made you anxious. I didn't mean it that way at all. I should have worded it differently, so in the future I will keep that in mind whether or not it was my ask that made you uncomfortable. If it's not too much trouble, may I request clarification on what comes across as guilttripping and what doesn't?

I really appreciate this sweet reply! I don’t remember which ask specifically inspired me to post that. I totally forgive you, no worries!!!

What comes across as guilt-tripping to me, these aren’t quotes just stuff I made up:

Basically:

1. The person wants me to do a thing

2. And in the ask, there’s hints at a negative consequence, but they don’t say exactly what the consequence is *or* the consequence is unlikely/small

Example: “when you don’t tag caps lock, maybe some people will think you’re ableist.”

Reason: it’s unclear if they think I’m ableist, but it is clear they want me to be worried if I’m ableist, and tag caps lock for them.

Better: “can you tag caps lock? When I read it in my head it sounds like someone is yelling at me, and that’s upsetting to me. Thank you!”

Example: “if you post the name of the real money trade website that people get banned for using because it’s cheating, you could be considered responsible indirectly for them getting banned”

Reason: it implies I could be liable for people doing things that are outside of my control, when there’s no reason to think people have been inspired by this blog and our constant #banxiety and #crime. and #rmt posting to knowingly do something bannable. It’s basically a made up situation to encourage me to do things as they want me to

Better: “some blogs avoid mentioning the name of real money trade websites so that people are less likely to look them up and use them. I’m not sure if you’ve thought about that already but it might be a good idea if you’re worried about that sort of thing.”

I hope this helps, please do feel free to ask questions about this, in the comments is best but of course if you’re not comfy with that you can send an ask!

Just to make sure this is ultra clear: this isn’t about the niceness of the ask. People send us criticism from time to time, and that’s fine as long as it’s not like “Saltmin you are a dumb bitch and I hate you” lol. This stuff is a bit complicated and I’m not expecting everyone to have seen this post. I am definitely very sensitive to guilt tripping (which can be done accidentally!) so I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this and feel like it matters how the people reading your asks feel!

I know the other drama places don’t do stuff like this so I also appreciate y’all being vulnerable with us over dm and in asks, and letting us be vulnerable with you, even if you don’t really know who we are. It’s very kind!

[softer-ua]

in regards to what you pointed out a few posts ago, ngl one of my least favorite fandom things is when they make Kaminari the Har Har Stupid Joking ADHD Bi Playboy Who Is Never Serious Trope. like, he's very smart, 'worst in ___ area of a UA course' is very impressive and I don't remember if it even said that or just that he was studying with some other students, worried about his grades overall, calls himself stupid with implied insecurities about it, and didn't think he was very smart compared to the other people in the course. quirk overuse makes him loopy, incoherent, and think everything's funny. and yeah, he's a bit of a flirt and made a few perverted comments and actions that he clearly didn't think through that well. I'm pretty sure he's not ever stated to be bi in the manga because it was written by a coward, so I think people should think more about why they're associating and pairing together the idea of "hot flirty playboy who if legally able would sleep with everyone he meets" with emphasis or joke in the captions of whatever the content is on him being bi. I don't think this is inherently bad, even put together, but the execution feels kind of :/ and shallow. and I mainly just wish they'd pause to consider if there's any reason (subconscious or intentional) why one of those makes them think about the other, and at the very least lean back to see if they're blatantly making those traits centric around each other and tweak how they're showing them a little. Part of this is also because it's basically his fanon sexuality, but then they stick together "oh he's bi and everyone thinks that" and "he's made flirty or perverted comments and actions in canon at some point" and then mentally exaggerate and have this Canon Image of him as *waves hand at above* and I don't think that's happening consciously in most cases but. again. Cookiecutter Bi Party Playboy Who's Made a Date Offer to Everyone In The Building. not a flirty Person or a Playboy who is bi and flirts with more than one genders

I myself headcanon him as adhd and while the exact sexuality depends on my mood I think of/have him as bi in a lot of my content, but it's the same thing with why non adhd people see how he acts and label "adhd!" Especially about comprehension speed and derpy acting and intelligence and attention span jokes/tropes. Again, not bad in and of itself, but the specific parts of his behavior that make them think he's adhd, or that they start making jokes about or Ha Ha ADHD'ing, or that they think is why we project ADHD on him, (which they aren't necessarily wrong about, but like right in a really disrespectful look at how funny this is oh look squirrel way that's only funny when adhd people are doing it and it isn't all mocking like that) when they see other people calling him adhd, are the wrong ones, I think, and it shows in their characterization of him.

I'm not saying that any of those traits are bad in a character, but as a queer adhd girl with very high annual test scores and Gifted Kid Intelligence but extremely poor grades, focus, and brain damage (admittedly nothing like his, it was a longterm passive thing that mainly just made me have a Lot of Really Bad headaches, and closest thing it did to me was make me sluggish and emotional on bad days and also techincally have the potential kill my language bit if left untreated or the surgery messed up, which it didn't, and it won't be a problem again. but even after explaining that it wasn't cancer or any sort of tumor, and after seeing it do very little at all to affect my behavior outside of irritability and performance, because y'know, constant migraines, gone after the surgery but this was before that, Certain People I Was Vaguely Kind Of Acquaintances With started to treat my like I was a fragile glass thing going to to drop dead and revive myself speaking like a comic relief cartoon crazy person at any moment which was. patronizing.) I've since had surgery for, the way the fandom combines them into stereotypes and portrays them really just rubs me the wrong way- "Flirty Bi(tm) Playboy" "Har Har ADHD Can't Focus Or Get Things After They're Explained To Him, He's Still Confused And An Idiot" "Stupid Person With Brain Damage Who Can't Take Care Of Or Think For Themself And Acts Stupid And Funny For People To Laugh At" which tbh is super ableist even and especially when people irl do fit that description, and also reminds me of the Autistic Person Freaking Out And Being Dramatic sense of humor. And I know it's not helped by canon, because it done for comic relief and to limit his powers, but explored more I think it as a limitation could have been used way more interestingly than canon did and also call me biased but that quirk induced brain frying sounds at least as concerning as Izuku's quirk's backlash.

And it's a shame!! Because he's so much more interesting than that! Instead, the fandom gives me the Cookicutter Funny Bi ADHD Flirt Who's An Idiot and I am sad about it.

tbh it reminds me of what happened to percy jackson, esp with the ADHD Idiot Trope thing. which sucks because apparently it originated in the author making up stories around characters like his adhd and dyslexic kid inspired by Greek myths to tell him after running out of actual myths because it was his special interest and he wanted more. and then the series got kind of all over the place and the fandom processed that the adhd and dyslexic main character who does dumb things sometimes but is very combat smart and great at strategizing and leading gets bad grades and has trouble focusing and has, y'know, adhd, and made him the ADHD Idiot and erased his Gifted Kid girl friend's traits and ADHD and dyslexia into No Nonsense Calls Him an Idiot And Thinks He's Stupid And Has To Tell Him What To Do And Manage His Life For Him and honestly that just kind of sucks and it reminds me of what happened to fandom Kaminari. and now that I think of it people have jirou like that around him a lot too.

im fine with you answering this publicly if you want or have something to add but probably tag as ableism and maybe a biphobia mention content warning for people who don't have the energy to deal with thinking about those kinds of negative things rn because I kind of Went Off About It

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences 💚(and double thank you for tag suggestions)💚

I couldn’t agree more that a lot of fandom has messed up Kami’s character, which is why I’ve kinda been posting more about him cause he’s just stuck in my head.

I think a lot of fandoms have trouble with characters like this, people have a hard time with duality in characters and fast/fun posts are easier to make if you flatten a character down.

The did it to Kami, they did it to Percy, they did it to Ron Weasley, they do it to Thor, the list goes on. If being the Smart One ™️ isn’t your thing and you can be goofy than you get pigeonholed into the idiot trope.

I feel for Kami a lot(probably because I have adhd/brain damage too)

It sucks when you’re smart but it’s not the traditional, measurable kind of smart(even if by national comparison Kami technically is).

I got terrible grades growing up, and I pretty much got the absolute lowest gpa you can get and still graduate. But absolutely no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, because I’m not dumb.

(It’s okay if you are “dumb”, I love me a head empty just vibes friend. You’re 100% valid, stil worthy of joining discussions, and should be listened to and taken seriously. This just isn’t about that tho)

I joke sometimes that I’m clever and witty but not smart, because that’s exactly what it feels like.

I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I think I articulate pretty well, I am excellent at finding the humor in things and expressing it in a way that’s funny to others too, and there is almost zero problems I can’t find a work around. And the people in my life love it, and they love to use it.

But eventually everyone in my life finds out that I’m not smart. They see the way I have to pause to Google how to calculate a tip, that I don’t know the name of all 50 states or even where to find them on a map, or I legitimately just can not spell (if you ever see a post where it looks like I used a weird word choice it’s probably because I tried 4 times and autocorrect+Google couldn’t help me and voice to text wasn’t an option)

No one ever questions my intelligence until they find out about my adhd and/or catch me struggling with it. After the mask comes off it’s like they can’t even hear me anymore, nothing I say could be true or matter because I’m now just the goofy accident prone spacy girl. My family literally calls me Spacy

And ya know what sometimes I just let people think that because it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining that I’m dyslexic and that I didn’t have a single geography/history clas until 10th grade and shocker the capital of Iowa doesn’t come up much by then. And it’s easier for me to laugh off losing my keys again than dwell on the fact that sometimes it feels like I’m losing my marbles.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after this post I get a lot more “fact checkers” and push back on anything else I post.(not talking about people who want to genuinely engage,y’all are always welcome, I’m talking those people who don’t wanna look it up themselves but no longer trust me to know what I’m talking about)

Kami is a sweet brilliant boy. He’s in a nationally high ranking school, he loves the weather channel, he’s careful about his quirk that could easily hurt his friends in combat, he has a very high emotional intelligence level, he wears dorky shirts with electricity puns on them, and he pays attention to his friends and remembers a lot of little things about them.

He wants to be a hero and he takes that seriously, and the series has tried time and time again to tell y’all that smiling and laughter are an important part of that. Kami excels at this part! So what if his history grades don’t rival the top of the class, the top 5 students would struggle hard to do what Kami does.

Iida can’t relax, Momos rather shy, Todo struggles with social cues, Midoriya is canonically not funny, and jfc where to even begin with Katsuki. I’m certain they’ll all grow up to be excellent heros in their own right, but none of them are going to bring the level of joy and camaraderie that Denki can. You can’t test that into someone.

Kami also just notices people differently and has any easy way of joining in with them, he doesn’t struggle approaching Katsuki or Shinso. Sure he doesn’t hit the the nail on the head the same way Deku does but he’s the only one who has the guts and skills to try. Also he’s not that kinda friend, he’s not looking to a save these guys but pal around with them

I think Kami 100% realizes what a special case and tough nut to crack Bakugo is, I don’t think he’s just careless or too dumb realize his life’s at stake or whatever.

I think he’s purposely testing Bakugos boundaries all while trying to not be a threat to Katsukis actual ego and calling Bakugo out when he needs it in a way that not to serious. Kami knows how to be just goofy enough that he’s approachable. He’s also keyed in that the way to Bakugo is through Deku, meanwhile everyone else is stuck believing the opposite.

Kami also realized how important music is to Jiro and saw an opportunity to let her display her skills and combin the two worlds she lives, and he wasn’t afraid to get some back lash from her for it.

Like Deku Kami isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. You really can’t teach that level of social ease, you can teach the posture and feed people a couple of lines but it’ll never hit the same. Funny approachable people have spent a lifetime learning the craft, usually out of necessity.

It’s actually what gives me the biggest adhd vibes from him, because adhd is (speculated to be) a dopamine deficiency disorder. People with adhd are constantly trying to raise their dopamine levels, and that means looking for praise and reward and nothing makes the human brain light up faster than postative human connections.

Adhd children struggle a lot with connecting with peers and often find making people laugh a fast way into people’s circles and makes it more likely people will overlook being interrupted or spaced out on.

Also adhd people are pretty much forced by their own brain structures to be genuine in all they do, low dopamine levels make it very hard to do things you don’t enjoy because there no promise of dopamine from the activity and you don’t have enough to spare, plus impulsiveness makes it really hard to not show when you do or don’t enjoy something.

I agree that Kami is also painted as overly perverted at times, he’s a little flirty but in a fun casual way but it’s not the foundation of his personality and it’s really mellowed out over the course of the series.

And while I subscribe to the bi hc from his interactions with Jiro and Shinso, we should all be very mindful that we don’t lump these characteristics together. The are separate facets of his personality that are not dependent on each other in anyway.

Kami deserves all the respect and love, I can’t wait to see our electric king again 🖤⚡️🖤

[sifshoney-notactive]

Ragnarssons: saga vs show.

This is the first post of a serie, in which I will point the difference between each son of Ragnar, not only from a narrative point but also from a point of characterization, and their relationship with their parents and other people, and what makes them who they are.

Ivar The Boneless.

Birth and circumstances

In The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok, Ivar The Boneless is the first of Aslaug and Ragnar's children. After Ragnar and Aslaug meet for the first time, and she comes to him answering his riddle ("to come to him neither undressed nor dressed, neither hungry nor full, neither alone nor yet in company") she tells him she will marry him under the condition that he completes his deeds in Sweden. Ragnar thus accomplishes his goals, and comes back to her seven months later. She finally agrees to marry him, but during the wedding night she tells him she won't sleep with him for three days, and that if he will still have his ways she will give birth to a "deformed son". That same night Ragnar does have his way, and Aslaug subsequently gives birth to Ivar, whose name will be the Boneless because "his legs were only made by cartilage". While Aslaug's warning did suggest she wanted to prevent this, the condition does not cause any disruption among his parents nor among his brothers (the already existing sons of Thora Town-Doe and his future ones), and it sharpens his mind to find alternatives to make up for his disability.

Ivar the Boneless is described as the handsomest of the Ragnarssons, and the wisest too, the last trait inherited by his mother Aslaug and her lineage (Sigurd's acquisition of wisdom in the Volsunga saga). He was a patient man with an inclination to be quiet, observant and reserved, which caused his enemies to be wary of him, considering him the most dangerous of all the sons of Ragnar. Ivarr's condition is speculated to be connected to his father Ragnar and his grandfather Sigurd's slayings of two dragons, the dragon of Thora Town-Doe and Fáfnir. The correlation between Ivar and the two dragons could be that they were serpentine creatures, no legs or wings to help them move, and his way of being patient and quiet and striking his enemies in a calculated way.

In the show Vikings, Ivar is the last and fourth son of Ragnar and Aslaug. After Aslaug and her children have to flee from Kattegat due to Jarl Borg's invasion, and the subsequent rescue by the hands of Ragnar and his former wife, Aslaug and Ragnar have a peaceful moment in the barn they are hiding in. There, Ragnar clearly wants to initiate sex, and Aslaug reveals later on that she told him that she would bear him a monster if he ever forced himself on her. In the show Ragnar does have his way, and Aslaug gets pregnant soon after. Her pregnancy causes her troubles with unusual pain, and she starts to worry about her prophecy, revealing to Siggy that "it wasn't her who spoke those words", and that she did not know who or what made her say them. Ivar's birth shows Aslaug in extreme pain, that causes her to faint for a few minutes before finally gathering strengths and releasing him into the world. Soon after we are shown Ivar's condition, that is just like in the sagas: his legs only constitute of cartilage. Unlike the Sagas, his condition is shown as almost a monstrous foreshadowing of his conduct and create clear disruptions among the family; Ragnar is intentioned to leave him to his destiny in the woods, which he even attempts to, and Aslaug intentioned of saving him and raising him taking in account his disability. While his brothers were either neutral or not disturbed of the situation at first, it then sparks disruptions among them too, sometimes even causing them to outright mock him or exclude him because of it.

Ivar is shown as a handsome young man with an unusual intelligence, which was (implied) inherited from his father. His intelligence though doesn't make up for his character, that is arrogant and quick tempered, extremely different from his saga counterpart. His brother's constant mocking and the knowledge of his father wanting to get rid of him hunted him, which resulted in his inclination to need other's approval and attention.

His condition had no correlation to any of his parents' deals, and is actually used in the narrative as a physical reflection of Ivar's monstrosity^. His already existing intelligence and inclinations are further enhanced by Floki who mentored him since a young age, after his accidental slaying of a child.

^ I feel the need to add that I do not condone this since it is an ableist connection, but it is indeed present in the show so I have to mention it.

We can argue that while in the saga Ivar is shown as a continuation of Ragnar's legacy, completing his deeds (the Hvitabø expedition which Ragnar never managed to complete) and reflecting Ragnar in many ways, but filling the gaps in his personality, becoming a person of his own, Ivar in the show, just like his brothers, is actually a part of Ragnar in a symbolic way, trying to prevail amongst his brothers (one of the many parts of Ragnar trying to prevail amongst the others).

Relationships

Father:

In The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok we are shown that Ragnar tends to flee fairly often from home, even after his marriage with Aslaug, to engage in Viking activities. Despite this Ivar is shown to be a devoted son, who actually shares Ragnar's desire for exploration and adventure, without giving in to what are Ragnar's impatience and flaws.

In the show, Ragnar and Ivar's relationship is stern since he was just a child due to Ivar's condition, after his attempted abandonment and Aslaug's consequent rescue, Ragnar is left unsure on how to move when it comes to him, almost neglecting the child but for rare occasions. When Ragnar comes back after an absence of 10 years, he takes Ivar with him on his doomed journey, and that bonds them as Ivar is the last Ragnarsson to see Ragnar alive and the one to whom Ragnar gives the reins of his legacy.

Mother:

In the saga, Ivar and Aslaug's relationship is stated as a happy one, bonded not just by their family relation but by her lineage and prophecy. We also see that, after the death of the sons of Thora, Ivar and Aslaug discuss wether to avenge them, having different views on the matter; Aslaug is decided in avenging her beloved step sons, but Ivar is unsure about the success of such deal.

His opinion is changed afterwards by young Sigurd, whose stance of support for their mother and her praise for it, convinces his brothers and he himself to avenge Eirekr and Agnarr. This passage shows that the Ragnarssons strive to be praised by Aslaug, and Ivar is not an exception. After Ivar and his brothers go to England with the quest of avenging Ragnar, he stays in the lands he was given by King Aelle never coming back home.

In the show Ivar is clearly preferred amongst his brother, and Aslaug gives the majority of her care to him due to his special condition. She is clearly very protective and defensive of him, and he finds that she is the only one who ever truly loved him. When Ivar departs with Ragnar, Aslaug tries to stop him from going because she sees "it will end in disaster". Ivar doesn't listen, and a footage shows Aslaug "miscarrying", symbolically and magically bonded to Ivar, as in the same moment a storm rages and drowns the ship Ragnar and Ivar are in.

After her death, Ivar pledges to avenge her and remembers her often, mentioning their bond or her beauty.

Brothers:

Ivar in the saga is extremely respected by his brothers, who look up to him. We can see him lead during their battles, the first example of this was Hvitabø, where he suggested raiding there even if Ragnar had attempted and failed the same quest before. Even with this dominating stance, or his teasing ways of encouraging his brothers, their relationship is a happy one, and they all avoid to go against each other. Ivar gives great respect in return to their opinions, even young Sigurd who was only three years old when he started participating in battles.

In the show, Ivar is often mocked or excluded by his brothers, who do not appreciate the attention Aslaug gives to him. His condition is sometimes brought up by Sigurd in a mocking way, and he struggles with being respected until he shows his skills in battle and strategy on the field. His relationship is especially troubled with Sigurd, who feels neglected by Aslaug and blames Ivar for this. Conflicts amongst the Ragnarssons are not uncommon, and after Ragnar Lothbrok's death Ivar kills Sigurd after an argument, for which he does show remorse but not guilt.

Ways of ruling

In the saga, when Ivar is given lands by King Aelle he was considered a generous ruler who "gave money with both hands", and his wisdom was considered so great that everyone seeked him for advice. He became very popular amongst the people and was considered friend by everyone, even nobles of adjacent lands.

In the show, when Ivar becomes king, he creates a regime of control and fear, in which he was not very generous and often killed whoever went against his word. The people of Kattegat did not trust him as a ruler, and were forced to refer to him as if he was a God.

Sources:

The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

Þóra and Áslaug in Ragnars saga Lođbrokar : WOMEN, DRAGONS AND DESTINY

Vikings the tv show (2013)

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