#it's hard to trust that people who don't share your identity will do it right

[alliepretends]

Since I posted one of my Dimension 20 hot takes, and didn't literally explode. I think I'll post the other one that really matters to me.

The discourse around aroace Riz is really hard for me. And I find it really hard to be empathic toward people who think about it differently than I do. And I think it's important to put that lack of empathy in context. Fandom (and by this I mean the broader fandom culture, not D20 fandom specifically) has generally been an extremely hostile space for aromantic people. Shipping is the central pillar of fandom engagement and dialogue. And a romantic lens is typically the very first lens applied to the source material when it is brought into fandom spaces. By that I don't just mean it's what people think about first, I mean analysis tends to pass first through the lens of romance, and then only things the romantic lens can't lay claim to are left for other kinds of analysis. Even for aromantic people like me, who very much enjoy romance when it exists in the realm of fiction, it's hard not to feel like there's a message in that. "Characters, and the fiction they exist in, are only valuable when seen through the lens of romance. Regardless of the genre of the source material. That's because romance is unquestionably the most important and defining feature of life. Unless it's sex." This can get pretty extreme if you become a fan of something with an especially strong central ship (like a Supernatural), where it can feel like literally all analysis of any aspect of the work has to tie back to the ship. In my experience, the sub-culture of fandom, for all its trappings of queer acceptance, is far more arophobic and aro-hostile than any other culture or sub-culture I participate in. Not because fans are actively making anti-aro posts or hate aro people, but because romance is elevated as the primary element of human experience. The only one really worth talking about and exploring. The only one worth writing fics about or dedicating massive posts to. It is worth noting that the Dimension 20 fandom (and, based on my experience, actual play in general) seems to be less romance-focused than other fandoms. There's lots of gen fic. There's lots of discussion that doesn't focus on romance. But that doesn't mean the Dimension 20 fandom somehow exists separately from overall fandom culture. The baggage of that larger culture still informs this fandom.

And that's why the way Riz gets talked about feels like such a slap in the face. He is the first example I (and I expect many others) have encountered of a heavily-coded aromantic character popular with fandom. And yet, that hasn't freed him from the fandom scramble to read him through the lens of romance. I'll admit to being a bit of an extremist on this. I know that for many aromantic people having a single qpr that fills many of the needs of romance is really an important part of their experience. Many of my aromantic/aspec friends feel this way. But I don't even like qpr Fabriz. Because even though that is an authentic and important part of aromanticism to represent. With a character like Riz, whose fears are explicitly based around the lack of access he has to coupledom, qpr Riz still feels like an attempt by romance-oriented fandom to jam the first aromantic character the sub-culture gets its hands on into something that looks enough like traditional coupledom that no one has to change their romance-oriented outlook. The myth of the OTP can live on if you just change some of the verbiage. I know there are arospec people that would also feel excluded if fandom fell in line with my perspective and kept Riz as far away as possible from anything resembling romance. I don't actually know what the right solution to these problems is. We got thrown one bone and there's a bit of a desire to fight over it (Wikipedia's list of aromantic characters has 18 characters, and while that's not all of them, it's a decent percentage). But I did want to put this out in the world. Because I feel like there's a lot of context and baggage missing from this discourse. And all I really want is to have fandom still be able to treat an aromantic character as valuable even when they can't neatly pair him off

[yandere-daze]

Love your yandere academy AU!! I have a few Thoughts on it if you don't mind...

First of all the inherent loneliness and otherness you'd feel as the only darling at school? Mwah 🤌 The constant fear of being found out? Delicious. In a way it almost reminds me of Furina in 4.2, having to put on a never-ending show, never letting anyone see your true colors. Her stakes might have been a little higher, sure, but the general vibe is the same.

Next I could imagine darling using the classes as a way to get a leg up on their classmates. They know everything the yanderes do, which helps to even out the playing field, even if just a little. It's easier to avoid being manipulated when you're taking the same psychology classes as the people trying to manipulate you.

Finally I've been thinking about how the yanderes would feel when falling for diet before their identity is discovered. Yanderes falling for other yanderes is rare, and when not reciprocated, it rarely ends well. Especially if darling is a straight A student, they'll know they have to work twice as hard to get them in their grasp, either willingly or not. And with so many people starting to take an interest in them? Even more work. Normally it'd be fine to deal with one or two rivals, but multiple classes of them? Not so simple.

Idk it's just a really neat idea and I'd love to see more of it sometime

First of all, thank you for sending in an ask! I´m very happy that feedback has been pretty positive so far because I was actually a bit hesitant on posting my idea at first. So this is really uplifting! ☺️

And yes, absolutely do share your thoughts with me if you have any, I love discussing ideas with other people, it´s one of the greatest things regarding fanfiction in my opinion 💕

So let´s discuss all of these concepts you brought up for a bit!

Introduction

1k words

gn reader

tw yandere, discussion of normalized toxic relationships, implied stalking, mention of murder

Yandere! Normalized Genshin Academy AU

First of all, yes, you´re totally right! I´m really happy that the inherent feeling of loneliness came through in my writing because it´s one of the first thoughts I had when envisioning this AU. Just imagine how truly alone you must feel, living in a world where all these toxic relationships are viewed as normal and even desirable. All your life, you´ve been terrified of the future, of when the day a yandere desires you would come. You´ve been having nightmares about the day you would feel eyes cling to you way too long for comfort.

And now, you find yourself in this gigantic mess. Not only will you have to stress over your new academy life, but also the people you have to cross paths with in the hallway every day. You have to keep your guard up and play along with the insanity going on around you all day long, you can´t rest or relax for even a second. Because one second might be enough to expose you as who you really are: a helpless darling within a sea of predators just waiting to sink their claws into you.

No matter what, while you´re here you can´t be your true self, you can´t speak your true thoughts because you would be putting yourself in danger. You try your best to stay away from your fellow students but isolating yourself like that feels just as lonely.

And sometimes, you catch yourself almost slipping up when you inevitably have to talk to another student. People like Thoma, Amber, or Kaveh have easy-going and friendly demeanors, they talk to you so eagerly that you can´t help but feel yourself let loose for a bit, only to realize with a start that even these people who seem nice and approachable have to hide dark feelings and thoughts if they´re going to this school. Maybe in another life, you might have loved to have them as close friends but you know how twisted they must be deep down. You cannot allow yourself to trust anyone here and it´s so mentally taxing.

Oh, absolutely! Darling might be terrified by what they´re being taught as if it was the most normal thing in the world but they´re certainly glad to know some of the tricks a yandere might use. They obviously don´t plan on ever using those tips themselves but it´s useful when it comes to keeping their guard up. Thanks to these classes, they know better than to readily accept gifts from any of their "friends" without thoroughly checking them for cameras beforehand.

It´s both a blessing and a curse, really. Darling has a harder time keeping up the facade when confronted with all these new wicked ways to ensnare a darling during classes but they also serve well as a safety precaution. Can´t be tricked if you know all the tricks yourself, right? Though their anxiety would probably skyrocket, questioning every little gesture, gift, or phrase directed at them.

And your last point is also a very interesting point that I would like to elaborate on a bit more! I indeed also think that yanderes dating yanderes would be a very rare thing and I´d even go so far as to say it might be discouraged by society at large. And it´s not for the logical reason one might think of. The fact that two yanderes together would probably cause a spike in murders or similar catastrophes is not the real problem here.

It´s the fact that two yanderes dating each other means that two poor darlings will now have to go without a yandere </3

Even though yanderes are very normalized, I would still say that they´re probably still a minority ( at least I sure hope for the good of the world that half the population isn´t some sort of crazed lovesick fool). This of course comes with the conseqence that there are many more darlings than there are yanderes. Factor in the fact that a darling x yandere relationship is seen as the ideal relationship, something to strive for, and very soon you will see why yanderes dating other yanderes is kind of frowned upon.

Now even fewer darlings will get to have a loving yandere partner!

To you, it´s sick and twisted that this is the consensus, that yanderes and all the horrible things that they do are so romanticized. But at the same time, you´re really glad for this being a thing now because it greatly reduces the risk of one of your fellow students pursuing you for as long as you can still pose as a yandere.

But just because it´s frowned upon doesn´t mean that it´s illegal or that it never happens. There isn´t really any reasoning with a yandere in love so when they have their sights set on someone, there´s pretty much no stopping them. And who would want to be the one to tell them that they shouldn´t be in love with another yandere? That they should give up on you? That wouldn´t go very well.

So sadly enough, once your fellow students grow really interested in you, even you being perceived as another yandere would be enough to deter them. Of course, they´ll have to be more careful when approaching this than if you were a darling. As mentioned, you know all about the different ways to "win someone´s heart" and so they´ll have to adapt their approaches in some way.

Of course, having multiple rivals for your love isn´t making things any easier. Trying to get close to you when you know all their tricks is hard enough, they don´t need any distractions trying to steal your affection. It will certainly turn into a very fierce competition soon and it only gets worse the more people grow infatuated with you.

Your only hope is that they´ll just spend all of their time trying to get rid of the others so that they leave you alone. You´ll certainly have to be very careful about how you interact with your classmates from now on. One compliment and they´ll latch onto the possibility of you secretly loving them as well and then they´ll certainly never let go of you.

Tag list: @charming-mage @blueventss @tonightwrites @lady-of-the-sith-leia-skywalker @kio-may @heartsforseo

[raayllum]

Anyway Runaan-Callum parallels slap so let's talk about 'em (semi requested by the lovely @hoothalcyon)

Although Runaan and Callum are about as different presentation wise as they could possibly be, especially in Arc 1 - one a stoic, serious Moonshadow elf sworn to duty over family, who believes wholeheartedly in a dastardly human enemy, and the other a goofy heart-on-his-sleeve prince who always believes elves may be worth reasoning with - they do have, at their steely cores, have a fair few similarities. This is largely in their respective relationships with Ezran and Rayla.

For starters, in spite of Callum's idealism, he does have a more skeptical core (just like Runaan) both in regards to potentially listening to / trusting 'former enemies' and in trusting the people they love with possibilities they've already deemed impossible.

Runaan: No. Humans are liars. This is a trick and a trap. You're a fool, Rayla.

Rayla: Just... trust me. Callum: Right, right. That makes sense. Since we go way back. Like that one time, ten minutes ago, when you chased me through the castle trying to stab me. Haha, good times!

You have Callum and Runaan both being terse/angry at Ezran ("Ezran, you don't get it, do you? Why do you think they're sending us away? Because they're coming to kill him!") and Rayla ("Of course he was afraid, but you had a job to do! You let him live but you killed us all") for not seemingly getting the severity of the situation they've found themselves in, even though Callum told Ez that everything was okay when the younger boy expressed doubts earlier, and even though Runaan didn't listen to Ethari's cautioning that Rayla wasn't ready for this sort of mission.

Runaan and Callum are both also lied to / betrayed by people they trusted, leading ultimately to disaster once the illusion has been revealed; for Runaan, it is his adoptive daughter, and for Callum, it is his childhood friend(s) in Claudia and Soren. And both turn away from each girl in the end, leaving them staring off sadly as Runaan and Callum devote themselves to the missions they believe have to be done that Rayla and Claudia were attempting to derail.

Callum and Runaan also believe that Rayla can be better than how she's presenting herself ("Why? You know this is wrong" / "You're better than this") even if they have opposite ideas of what 'better' is. For Callum, it's Rayla embracing her compassion ("You have a big heart") and for Runaan, it's largely shutting it off ("Your heart isn't hard enough to do whatever it takes"). Which is why I think it's nice that they are both the ones who label Rayla's said compassion, initially in Callum's case, as hesitation.

And of course, in Chasing Shadows, they are the two voices inside Rayla's head, helping her retain her identity (to a degree with Runaan, who is also paralleled with RedFeather in spite of the distance and/or fraught dynamic between them, as well as being the two people to pull her out of the water from near drowning.

“An island is land,” said a voice in her head, so playful and cheeky she could almost see his smile. [...] “A hidden dagger,” Rayla understood. It was something Runaan had told her time and time again: “a defenseless enemy may keep their daggers hidden.”

I love you. I wish I could say that we will see each other again, but I don’t know if we will. I hope so. 

Callum can also be determined bordering on stubborn, like Runaan (a trait many of the main cast share, given the adversity of their circumstances; "We have to keep going, no matter what" from 1x08; "Justice will not be denied" from 1x03) but he is ultimately more willing to change. He can be stoic (in S4) if not very well, and has his own self sacrificial tendencies, particularly if that means protecting his loved ones: "We'll be stronger as five" now that Runaan knows the mission will likely require sacrifice and "I need you to kill me" now that Callum knows Aaravos has turned him into a threat. Given the trouble that magic has recently brought Callum, I wonder if we will start to see him have similar doubts as Runaan in Bloodmoon Huntress over being an assassin, of "I wonder if perhaps I shouldn't have become..."

However, as Ethari lays out in BH: "Souls like that feel called to protect everyone as fiercely as those they hold close. I've known since we met that this is Runaan's calling, that nothing will deter him from his duty." When Runaan is offered freedom and a chance to go home to Ethari - to free himself and return to his loved ones, to ease their suffering - he doesn't take it. It is the end of his episode in which he states, "I will never help you," allowed to hold fast. (Even though, if he had been freed, he possibly could've taken the coins holding Lain and Tiadrin with him as well, if through force.)

But Callum has his "I will never help you" at the beginning of his episode, so it's unsurprising from a structural standpoint that Callum's vow doesn't hold (and doubly unsurprising from a characterization standpoint) since as we all know, Callum "values those close to him more than anyone or anything."

Now, we don't know what Runaan would've done if one of his loved ones' lives had been on the line, as opposed to Viren just further threatening his own safety, but he was willing to sacrifice the lives of all of his assassins (granted that they were equally willing of the risk), so there's a little grey room. We also know that Finnegrin had to meet a challenge similar to Viren's: Callum didn't fear his own lack of freedom, torture couldn't break him, and he wasn't scare either when it seemed he was assuming he was the one going to be fed to the giant sea serpent. So Finnegrin had to find something that Callum, likewise, would "fear more / find worse than death" and he did:

Magic is very important to Callum and it's what he absolutely wants to pursue, but he's not willing to risk his life or heavily bend his morals just for his calling (2x04, 2x02, 2x08); he is willing to do those things for his loved ones, time and time again (1x01, 1x02, 2x07, 3x09, 5x08).

The fun thing is that we see this sort of language (Finnegrin's whole thing about fair prices) reflected in BH with Runaan as well, specifically with Kim'Dael holding an innocent Skywing boy hostage and using him as leverage for Runaan to sacrifice himself (which, given Callum's subsequent dark magic use, is also a level in 5x08, because he's also willing to sacrifice/risk corrupting himself further to save Rayla):

Which we could see Callum consider if there's something that requires him to do dark/dangerous magic again in S6, since in his mind, he's already 'tainted' and stained by dark magic, just as Kim'Dael taunts Runaan over it (and those sweet assassin-dark mage parallels continue to persist):

I know you're brave. The kind of brave that would sacrifice your life to save the ones you love. Let's make it simple. Give me your blood, assassin, and those two you came with walk away free. You've killed, but they haven't. They can still have long full lives.

(I do still lean towards this ultimately coming back around for Rayla first and foremost because BH basically exists to hold up a sign like "Runaan and Rayla are similar" / her paying the price motif and sacrifice, but I do think ultimately both Callum and Rayla will end up in a situation similar to Runaan's above whether in structure or in how they process it.)

Where are all these parallels going, besides Callum being the one to free Runaan and co. in S6, and Runaan possibly encouraging the "You need to kill me" idea at first? No clue! But they're fun either way.

Other fun misc. parallels:

Guiding moon (Ethari and Rayla to Runaan and Callum respectively, parallel, maybe)

And last but not least, the parallel that gave me the tag for their foils / dynamic in the first place

[risnabeaute]

🫧💗✨ Self- Love Needed! 🫧💗✨

hi beautes! 👋🏻♡ ̆̈ I want to share my opinion about self love this time, because yesterday I was feel lost and confused about myself. Having a great concern for your own happiness and well-being is a sign of self-love. Taking care of your needs and not compromising your wellbeing in order to appease others are key components of self-love. Not settling for less than what you deserve is a sign of self-love. Since we all have different ways of taking care of ourselves, self-love can mean different things to different people. Determining what self-love means to you personally is crucial to your mental well-being.

For the enchantment of self-love is something you make for yourself, not something that is thrust upon you, let me ask you to do this. Settle into a calm and serene area, prepare a cup of your favorite tea or coffee, and disconnect from all potential sources of distraction. This will assist you in taking the time and care that you need for yourself. You've already taken a step toward self-love by grounding yourself in this way and giving your all to whatever comes next.

I was really sad yesterday because I feel im not loved, im not worthy of anything and everything getting worst. But I relized I have to manage and controlling myself before myself controlling me, yes that sounds so pity to me but its real. To begin with its not necessary for pursuing radical individualism in order to love myself. It also means letting people love us even when we don't feel worthy of love. Because we tend to punish ourselves severely for not being perfect at loving ourselves, handling our emotions, understanding ourselves, praising ourselves, and feeling confident about ourselves, even when we do our best to do so. We will come to understand that we are never fighting this struggle alone if we allow people in. Then I Ask for assistance what I feel.

Yes, it might be challenging to love who you are. It takes severe consideration and focused action, especially because it's quite simple to give back into feelings of self-love that are accompanied by anxiety, bitterness and and even hatred. In light of this, loving yourself calls for a great deal of courage and strength because it necessitates being honest with oneself and taking a close look at your identity and values. Accepting your flaws, errors, and all of your incorrect turns and poor judgments requires you to embrace everything about you, without exception. This is what it means to love yourself.

You have a generally favorable self-perception when you love who you are. This does not imply that you always have a favorable self-image. That's not easy at all! Accepting yourself for who you are right now, flaws and all, is the definition of self-love. It entails prioritizing your physical, emotional, and mental well-being and accepting your feelings for who you are. And then I slowly love my self, and this 3 ways what I do when I feel unloved:

1. DO NOT LOCKED YOURSELF!!

"My advice to you is please don't ever sit in your room and lock yourself away because you don't think you're good enough" -Catherine Tate

When I was upset at teenage I always locked myself in my bedroom then I cried loud, I felt empty, unloved, angry and unworthy at all. And it really sucks, Please, go outside and see beautifull world! There is one thousand reason to smile, to be grateful for what you have, it is not by compring yourself to others but believed that everyone is so beautifull, learn how to love, look for what makes you happy. Go to coffeshop and read book it really make myself better and You so.

2. Belive in Yourself!

Darling, You glow differently, trust me. The key that opens the ignition and starts the car is similar to the belief we have in ourselves. Honestly, without it, we can't get very far. Thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors that aren't in line with our objectives prevent us from moving forward, no matter how hard we try. Consequently, we either fail to accomplish our goals or we intentionally harm ourselves along the way, sometimes in ways that are evident to us and sometimes completely hidden from us. When I belived myself I feel lived, I feel everything happens for reason and I have a purpose to do. So do you are love.

3. Celebrate Yourself!

The act of appreciating who you are right now—rather than who you hope to become or who you view yourself as—is known as self-celebration. It's about standing in your own strength right now, supporting and believing in yourself. And for any cause, at any time, wherever, you can celebrate who you are. This isn't egoistic.

You know what, I used to think that Im not worth it all to celebrate every accomplishment in my life, I think others have more bigger than mine. I relise its all wrong. I have to celebrate mine too.

For example, my birthday was last month, and many people think it's ridiculous that I still celebrate in my life. Do you truly mean it when you say "it's just another day" or "presents aren't important" or "I'd rather forget it's my birthday"? No matter how strongly you believe their truth, it's your birthday, and let's be honest, everyone wants to feel recognized, even if only in modest ways. My birthday has always been a major deal for me, since I can remember, and I look for every reason to celebrate it during the entire month, as well as inviting my beloved best buddies. So there is a picture of mine when I celebrate myself. Lets celebrate ourself!!!!, xo -Risnabeautes

happiest girls are the prettiest

𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒₊˚*ੈ🎀⸝⸝🍓✩‧₊˚˃̵ᴗ˂̵𓍢ִ໋🌷֒✧ ༘ ⋆｡♡✧˚ ʚɞ˚ ༘✿ ♡ ⋆｡

[asexual-society]

Hii hope you have a wonderful day today! -I wanted to ask something to make sure im not being mean but- is it possible for an Ace person to be Aphobic? Im in a fandom where there used to be a Ace character- he said he was- thing is, the show never said he was SexRepulsed- but fans took his lack of interest as such. believed he was in fact SexRepulsed. -that character is gone- now, there is yet another character (think, a reboot of the old one) believed to be Ace but this time, he seems to be ok with touch an even seems very friendly ~ with only one character. my ask is, if some people view this second version, as still Ace. but sex favorable, is that aphobic? is maybe having another view on this chracter that is questioning himself, a bad thing? because this is said a lot, that ppl is being aphobic for "refusing to accept he is sex repulsed" or "using the fact he is questioning himself to ship him" (mind you-most shipart is literally hand holding and being buddies) hope Im making sense- im so lost and I trust your blog to help me (because im also scared to be harrased for asking this inside that fandom)

Hey! (We got your other ask, I got half way through answering it and then forgot, so I will get to that soon I promise) Good to hear from you again :) I ended up going a little off topic here, but I hope I managed to fully answer this (if not, just send another one). Also get ready for some parentheses.

In answer to the first part of your question, yes ace people can be aphobic (many ace people can be arophobic, but also acephobic, both to people who share their own identity and others who have a different identity under the ace umbrella).

This is a pretty interesting question actually, because there is acephobia at play in the situation you're describing, but not necessarily in the way those people mean. It is NOT acephobic to have a sex favourable ace character, that's fine, because there are sex favourable aces out there and they're just as much a part of our community as those who are indifferent, averse, repulsed, or some sort of mixture. Sex favourable aces have just a much right to see themselves represented as sex averse aces, but unfortunately, there is so little asexual representation that it can feel like if one flavour of ace people are represented, that that representation has been taken away from aces of other flavours.

It's totally understandable to feel that way, but that doesn't mean those feelings are actually justified? And people get pretty negative reactions for complaining about any lack of rep, which can lead to bad feelings all round and just creates even more of a divide between us. We have to understand that our individual experiences not being represented is NOT the fault of other ace people. It's not fair to want one group to miss out on representation, just so another can get theirs. Additionally, it can be important for people who are questioning or struggling with their identity to work through that in their art, and explorations of things like touch aversion and touch starvation can be very nuanced because one person can experience both to very high degrees, and they each can even compound the other. And, a sex favourable asexual person will not feel the same way about sex as an allosexual person, and that is an equally nuanced and interesting (and fun) thing to be able to explore.

I don't know what media this ask is about, so I can't comment on specifics, but I can admit, I've been frustrated by this sort of thing in the past; it can be really hard to shake an instinct to push back when you feel like you're being treated unfairly, but sometimes we do have to step back and understand that everyone in our community feels the same way, we just want to see ourselves and to feel seen by others. As a person who is both aro and ace, and doesn't want to have sex or be in a romantic relationship, I don't feel represented by characters who are alloace in the way an alloace person does, or sex/romance favourable aroace characters in the way sex favourable aroace people do, but they probably feel that same way when they see aro characters or sex averse characters. It does really suck when people outside of the community ignore and erase the identities of aspec characters because they don't feel our experiences are interesting or valuable enough to represent and explore, but that isn't what's happening on an intracommunity level (as in, within the ace community).

The recent discourse about shipping aroace characters has sort of been getting me down, because it's a complex topic and rather than being a black-or-white, two sides thing, there are people with good and bad takes (mostly bad, let's be real) coming from so many different directions, there is so much nuance it would take me much more than one little answer to cover (and let me tell you, if I were to try, it would not be on this blog!). I might have said this before, but I tend to avoid fandoms of media with canon aroace characters for the most part for this exact reason, and within the community we are SO far ahead of where the rest of the world (and even the rest of the queer community) sees aspec people, I genuinely believe (call it cynical if you like) that this will continue to be a problem for several more years. And like, you can just block people and move on with your life, your fandom experience will be so much more enjoyable if you block people who say shit you think sucks, aphobic or not. Everyone should do this.

I think this is probably long enough now, and I've definitely missed something important, but I hope it helped.

~ mod key

[welcometothelairofthebitchking]

Why it's funny to me that people give Way sooo much shit but think Charlie is the best thing that ever happened to Babe:

Okay so first of all, I am NOT a Way apologist. That boy is crazy and sick in the head and a very deep shade of red when it comes to red flags, but the thing is? Charlie isn't that much better?? Im not even talking about the 'Charlie faked his death and it hurt babe' part. I don't even really care about that. I'm talking about up to episode 8. Because at least up until the moment that Way snapped and tried to actually r*pe babe, the things he and charlie were doing weren't that different. 'Oh but Way used his powers on Babe and brainwashed him and controlled his whole life.' Exactly. Way used the privilege Babe gave him to get close to him whenever he wanted, to put his hand on his shoulder, and use his power on him to steer things in the direction he wanted. Each time Babe thought his best friend was being affectionate, he was actually being abused in the worst way possible. Babe trusted him with his love and the power to come close and touch his body whenever he wanted, and Way took advantage of it.

And you know who else did that? Charlie did. He did the exact same thing. Actually, I can even take the paragraph above and replace the words:

Charlie used the privilege Babe gave him (long term sexual contant never shared anyone else, cuddling in the bed and touching throughout the night, the kiss oh my god the kiss) to get close to him whenever he wanted, to put his hands on his body, and use his power on him (aborbe everything) to steer things in the direction he wanted (the grand plan, am I right? The one him and Jeff worked soooooo hard on). Each time Babe thought his sex buddy/lover was being affectionate, he was actually being abused in the worst way possible. Babe trusted him with the power to come close and touch his body whenever he wanted, and Charlie took advantage of it.

'But he did it to protect Babe'. That does not matter. Babe isn't a child. Charlie doesn't get to decide to protect him without asking his opinion. Babe is an adult. He can make his own choices. Moreover, his senses have been with him all his life. They shape his whole identity and who he is. Actually, given his fucked up childhood and how he was raised, given that his whole career and number 1 'identity' depend on them (because it wasn't just a number 1 spot, it was who he was. Pit babe always wins. Pit babe won't be pit babe if he loses.), Babe probably thought most of his worth comes from his senses. He said that once, that he's not sure he'd be worthy if he doesn't have his senses (and here the point isn't that he would be worthy, it's that HE thinka that)

And charlie just comes and? Decides to take them? Decides to take the whole identity of someone he 'loves' in order to 'protect' them without giving them a choice or even explanation?? That's fucked up. When I got to that point of the series, I legit thought this is a kind of r@pe, and worse than the sexual kind.

So the thing is, what he did was fucked up. It doesn't matter what his motivation was. I'm sure that Way too actually thought r@ping Babe and putting a baby inside him by force is the best way for both of them too. Which, obviously, bonkers, but my point is that your intentions don't cancel out the harm.

Everyone in this show treat Babe as some sort of object or kid that doesn't know what is good for him. No one gives him a choice while it's literally HIS life. They just come in and use him and his trust. They just manipulate him and lie to him, and no one considers how much that would HURT.

And you know what the real difference between Way and Charlie is? Obv. That charlie is 'selfless' and does everything for babe rather than the sake of his own desires/safety, but I assure you a writer can twist that. I can easily write the same situations and characters (up until chapter 8), and this time make charlie the red flag. In a case like this, the real difference is the way the narrative guides you and your emotions along, and the most important part in that is Babe himself. It's about who babe chooses to forgive. Who he decides to stay with despite the hurt. It's not about choosing between a saint and a red flag, but choosing between two people who have hurt you. And you choose the one who you love so much, you would keep hurting for.

And that's the beauty of it. Despite what this might come off as, I'm not a charlie hater. Not at all. I like him and babe together actually. I like Way too. And I love all of them because they are incredibly fucked up people trying to do what they think is right and I find the struggle interesting. My point is that, we are too fixated on finding a green flag and a red flag and choosing between them, when in situations like this, when all characters have been through hell, there will be no green flag. You can't rip a person apart and then bitch about them being red like blood can be any other color.

My point in making this wasn't to say charliebabe is abusive or toxic. It can be at points, but my point isn't that. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't fall into the trick of the narrative. You shouldn't decide a person is good and saint like just because their intentions were good or because they're the one the protegonist choses. You shouldn't ignore the hurt they do. The show moved sooooo fast from what was the biggest betrayal to me and I don't see anyone talking about it, simply because Babe decided to forgive and forget and the narrative pretended everything was perfect with a mama joke and a hug

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

anyone else struggling to come to terms with their identity ? i know im fictoromantic (and i dont feel romantic attraction to other real people) but im scared its cringe or weird so i pretend im not most of the time

im sure i cant be the only one right 😭 ?

You're definitely not the only one. A lot of aro spectrum people struggle with accepting their identity, and I think microlabels especially tend to get targeted by less accepting people and bad faith actors.

My first big of advice is if you do see people going after microlabels, block liberally and use filters where applicable to avoid seeing those posts. The opinions of people who target other people's identity are not ones that matter and you'll be missing out on nothing by hiding them.

Second, seek out fictoromantic positivity. Do a tumblr search, check tags, and reblog or save your favourites somewhere you can go back and regularly look at them. Follow ficto people and people who post supportive things about ficto people.

Your identity is not cringe, microlabels like fictoromantic give people words for experiences they were already having and helps them find other people with similar experiences. You probably already know this logically, but it can be hard to learn it emotionally. Writing out positive things about the fictoromantic label or being fictoromantic, or saying it to yourself while looking in a mirror can help bridge that gap.

If you want to use more general labels (either with some people or everyone) to avoid being mocked that is allowed, it's always up to you to decide how much of your identity you want to share, and with who. If you don't trust people to be respectful, you don't have to share your identity, or your full identity. Though of course if you want to be loud and proud, that's good too, but be aware you have a choice in the matter and you're allowed to do what feels right to you.

All the best, Anon! Good luck!

[bestworstcase]

Okay, sorry in advance for the consecutive asks (I'm the anon who asked abour Theo and the GoL) it's just it's been ages since I've seen fresh, thoughtful takes on the show in the RWBY FNDM shsjsksksjsj and your metas are scratching a particular corner of my brain lol. My one other question is what would be the state of the world when all is said and done with GoL's ascension and the Ozlem reconciliation? And what would be the fates of characters like Ruby, Summer, Cinder, and the other Maidens?

i enjoy being encouraged to ramble :P

anyway, i think the ending after the climactic resolution is always the most difficult to part of a story to anticipate in anything but the broadest strokes. generally, my thinking here is informed by a few key tenets of my reading of the story so far:

i think the grimm do have souls, and that being grimm is not what's wrong with salem or a problem that must be solved

i do not think any currently dead characters will be brought back to life, but we may see one or more of them return to a new life

i think remnant's cycle of life and death will settle into a form of reincarnation that is like ascension but not the same (transcendence)

i do not think that salem, cinder, or ozma will die by the end of the story, but i am unsure about summer rose

i think that the huntsmen academies are a failed institution that will have no place in the world anymore, but that the identity of a "huntress" or "huntsmen" can be reclaimed and changed into something better

i think the story is building to a positive ending that refutes the idea of "happily ever after;" it will feel like a hopeful new beginning.

specifically on that last point, ozpin's afterward in fairytales of remnant tells us what kind of ending we should expect:

No one is guaranteed a happy ending, but the tales told about Remnant and its people do hold a bittersweet promise: who we are and what we do are important enough to be remembered and shared. We exist. Our existence means something. Stories will survive longer than all of us, but through them, we may continue on. So, rather than “And they lived happily ever after,” I favor a more honest and hopeful closing: And they lived.

in terms of what impact the god of light ascending might have (aside from the obvious of removing the existential threat he poses to remnant), i don't think there will be any. this world—remnant—is not the world he and his brother created, and hasn't been for quite some time. the god of light only mattered at all because ozma believed he did.

(this relates to why i think it will be easy to beat him, in the end. remnant is not his world; he did not create these humans, and he has no real power over them. it matters—i think more than symbolically—that his promised day of judgment needs to begin with humans inviting him to come back to adjudicate.)

so, remnant will change because its people decide to change it. how?

if i am right about the grimm being a kind of people, the story cannot end in their destruction and the huntsmen academies must be reckoned with as an institution of war, not protection. the resolution that i find most likely is that grimm will still present a danger, but with the explicit possibility of peaceful coexistence between humans and grimm. 

the huntsmen academies as they were do not belong in a world where humans, faunus, and grimm can live in harmony. but lasting peace doesn't happen overnight, and as ozma is learning in the aftermath of the great war, it isn't enough to sign a treaty and then sweep every new conflict under the rug. it takes real cooperation and hard work and trust and honesty. 

i think this is what huntsmen and huntresses will become after this war is over: mediators between humans and grimm. the bridge, not the bulwark.

and this is why i don't think salem will die at the end of her story. the grimm need someone who will advocate for them, and humans need guidance in navigating peace with their ancient enemies. salem has already begun to do this in a limited way—she taught cinder and summer how to communicate with grimm. and if i'm right about her historical identification with the faunus, she may have already done this once before, long ago. 

so,

i think salem and ozma will both get what they've always wanted: ozma's curse will be broken and her exile ended, and they can come together again. salem will be more involved in the effort to rebuild and renew, partly to atone for her violent destruction of the old order but mostly because she wants to build a new world. whereas i think ozma will let go and take a step back to focus on his own healing and figuring out what he wants to be and who he really is without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

cinder, i think will end the story at a point where she has found peace with salem and made peace with her past through that reconciliation, and is ready to close this chapter of her life and open a new one. she can't stay in salem's shadow forever; she needs to leave the nest and find herself. my feeling is that cinder's arc will probably have the most open-ended resolution out of the core cast, although i do think that she will keep the arm and (unlike a lot of cinder fans!) i'm not convinced she'll leave to go on a journey. 

her anger is righteous, even though her indiscriminate violence is not, and i don't think cinder will relinquish that anger as part of her villain -> hero arc—because she doesn't need to. instead, she'll find hope and hope will transform her anger into a driving constructive force. in the end, i think cinder will be VERY KEEN to have her say in what the world will be; what makes her evil now becomes what inspires her to be good.

summer… it depends a lot on who summer rose is now, after fourteen years with salem. i've seen the sentiment that if she is alive, she will have to die in the end because her absence and ruby's grief are so central to the story that it would undercut the story's theme for her to be "given back," but i do not agree with that at all. summer being alive now doesn't change the fact of her absence or the pain she left behind—just recontextualizes it. her heroic death is revealed as a profound betrayal. she left to join salem. 

will ruby or yang even want her back, once they know that? can they forgive her? does it matter why she did it? what happens if ruby wants to reconcile with her but yang does not—or vice versa? how does summer feel, as their mother and as their adversary? what about her relationship with cinder, whom she may well have known for longer than she knew her own children?

i think it might go either way, but i err on the side of thinking that summer will live and be on civil terms with her children and teammates but not reintegrated as part of the family. given her experience as a former huntress and salem's general, she might become a teacher or otherwise be a part of establishing peace between grimm and humans. 

ruby, i think, is probably not going to know what to do with herself after they actually somehow did the impossible and saved the world. figuring that out is half of what ruby/oscar is for but i doubt she'll really grasp that there is an "after the war" at all until it hits her. and then what? i think, out of all the characters in this story, she and oscar are the ones who are most likely to just leave for a while. they're the youngest, and they're "special" in ways that multiply the weight on their shoulders (silver-eyed and ozpin's heir). moreover, ruby enjoyed the trip across anima and has expressed a desire to go exploring several times; likewise, oscar wanted to see more of the world than his farm but has so far been prevented from doing so on his own terms.  so i think they might set out on a journey just for the sake of it.

winter, raven, and obviously cinder are the endgame maidens. i am pretty confident about that. 

also, this might be going against the grain—i don't know—but i don't think the maiden cycle is going to change in any significant way. i also don't think ancient magic will "come back" or the maidens will cease to be or anything like that. the idea that the maidens are innately harmful or burdensome is silly; the problem is the dehumanizing system ozpin built to control the maidens, and that will be dismantled. then they can just… exist for themselves.

i think weiss is going to return to solitas and rebuild mantle—not atlas, mantle. obviously not by herself, but she is taking the loss of her home very hard and her guiding motivation has always been a determination to define herself apart from her father and redeem her family's name and legacy. math.

similarly, it seems pretty open and shut that the bees will get what they wanted from the beginning: blake comes into her own as an advocate for the faunus and bridge between cultures, specifically in a manner that involves a lot of traveling with yang. her fierce ambition and focus answers yang's lack of ambition (and complete comfort with being a supporter and cheerleader for her loved ones) in a very complementary way. again, math.

i think the ending i'm most curious and uncertain about right now is jaune's. what they did with him in V9 was really interesting and very specific, and also took a turn in a direction that has been making me go hmm in the back of my mind periodically. i wish he'd been in the second rwby x jl movie even just for one scene so that i could have a sense for where he's at emotionally in vacuo. 

he's important for the ozlem reconciliation and narratively intertwined with cinder in a way that almost but doesn't quite feel like the set up for an enemies-to-lovers romantic arc and the weiss/jaune flirtation in V9 is followed by what seem to me to be clear narrative signals against that pairing too. weiss, jaune, and cinder all repeat salem and it's striking to me that all of them refract the tower in similar ways: weiss is her own knight-in-shining-armor, jaune wants to be "the hero," and cinder fights her way out alone in pure desperations. 

possibly there is a point being made here about what the hero tells the girl at the end of 'the girl in the tower': "all you needed was a little help, but in the end you freed yourself." even in the fairytale that is not really true and i think there is perhaps a thin line between giving salem agency and misrepresenting the tower as something she did not, in fact, need saving from—and thence ozpin's rather bizarre insinuation in commentary that the girl might have been an evil manipulator all along.

and then we have cinder (the abused child who truly did free herself, alone) trying to kill weiss (the abused child who, like salem, had agency in her own escape but needed serious help to achieve it) to hurt jaune (the "damsel in distress" who dreams of being his own hero). and in V9 jaune stagnates until he resembles ozpin more than salem and it's weiss who helps him find himself again. it's an interesting suggestion of what might be going on in salem's head, if nothing else.

but there's also jaune's simmering resentment of ozpin and his outburst lashing out at oscar in V6, which makes his corruption in V9 particularly interesting. it's about changing perspective and gaining insight that leads to greater empathy and forgiveness but who for whom? jaune for ozpin certainly, but whether it foreshadows salem coming to understand ozma better or the other way around or both i'm not sure.

i think it will start to clarify quickly enough once we get to V10. a lot depends on where jaune falls emotionally once the dust has settled. the guilt he feels about penny and alyx have risen to the surface and being able to save neo was not nothing but those decades festering haven't just disappeared, and he'll be dealing with this guilt in conjunction with ruby's and winter's and pietro's grief. it's easier to be cynical, but he has his friends again, but he's experienced horrors none of them can fully grasp…

much to think about. 

assuming gillian asturias is a significant player in the vacuo arc, i think she and jaune are going to be narratively linked… somehow. their semblances are mirrored, his lineage of warriors reflects her claim to royal heritage, her absolute devotion to her brother matches his absolute devotion to his friends, she was a prodigy who dropped out and he cheated his way into beacon. there is a lot of really obvious potential for character foils here. 

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

I just want to say, after seeing your post about your recent metas losing you followers - I really appreciated your meta about Yuuri as a sex-favourable ace. It exposed me to a label I had never been introduced to before, and it's helping me explore and understand my own sexuality differently. It's also given me even more reasons for why I relate to and appreciate Yuuri so much as a character. So thank you 🥰

Also, I always appreciate reading your metas even if I'm not always the best about engaging with them, so know that what you're doing is appreciated, even if the numbers don't always reflect that. Never feel pressured to do this kind of stuff for others' entertainment of course, but I'll keep enjoying it as long as you keep posting it!

Hi and thank you for your sharing your thoughts and feelings! I'm happy to learn that I did something right by writing this my meta and that it helped another human being. Too often, I feel that my content isn't good enough to be liked, much less to be shared, and that I don't belong in this place, no matter how hard I try. Your message was a silver lining that brightened my day. The best way to show appreciation always is to interact. Thank you for reaching out 🩷

I hope you don't mind if I talk a bit about how it came to this meta.

Yuri!!! On Ice and writing fanfiction about it has taught me so many things not only about Yuuri but about myself. It helped me understand my anxiety and figure out the different flavours of my own queerness. I always related very strongly to Yuuri's experience in every aspect of his personality, which made writing him a wild combination of entertainment, trigger, and therapy. However, I didn't know that I was subsconciously writing him as ace-coded in addition to all the other aspects in which I "got" him, until a couple of months ago, a reader thanked me for making him so relatable to an aspec-person. At that time, I had been questioning for a while whether I was ace myself, but I had some residual doubts. I had heard people say that Yuuri is acespec, but it didn't really click with me because I couldn't relate to the food-metaphor. However, that comment was a tipping point for me. As a canon fanfiction writer, canon-compliancy is my Prime Directive, and if there's a way to write a character even truer to his canon version, I'm compelled to follow this path. It turned out as just the right decision because as a side-effect, exploring this side of Yuuri dispelled the residual doubts I had about my own identity.

My reading of Eros!Yuuri as being a part of a kink aside, characterising Yuuri as a sex-favourable ace instead of any other ace microlabel was convenient because it allowed me to write him based on my own experience. I don't trust myself with writing a demisexual character (which is an equally valid reading of Yuuri) because I don't know how to make the switch from 0% to 100% sexual attraction believable.

I was so busy being scared of receiving hate for this characterisation of a fictional character that is so dear to me like Yuuri is (and mentally dealing with the hate that meta received from a few spiteful individuals) that it occurs to me only now that discussing and writing ace!Yuuri, especially with the flavour sex-favourable, might help other people. Until I befriended another ace person last year, I never considered the label for myself, and when it all started to make sense, I still had a hard time untangling sexual attraction from libido, sex-related kinks, sexual behaviour etc. I believe this process is especially tough for sex-favourable aces because of the common misbelief that someone who has sex and likes it can't be asexual.

I wish the knowledge about asexuality would be more widespread since there are so many harmful misconceptions surrounding the label that ostracise ace people even within the queer community. And I wish you all the best in your journey of figuring out your own identity 🩷

The meta mentioned in this post is this one.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Hello I’ve been seeing people come out to you and was going to do that but decided to go in a different direction with this. I’ve been questioning my gender identity a lot lately, and I was wondering two things. 1. Do you have any advice for if you’re feeling like you can’t be a part of a gender community due to appearance? I guess this is dysphoria, I just have been having a hard time with it. 2. How should I go about coming out to friends and family? I’ve come out to most of them with my sexuality and have gotten good reactions to the biromantic part, and mixed reactions to the asexual part, but it feels a lot harder to even tell them I think I may not entirely be a girl, or even a girl at all. Sorry if this is bothersome, I just really need some advice and figured I could trust you to give good advice.

Hi!!!

You're not a bother at all!

I completely understand this. As someone who has come out as nonbinary, I struggle with this a lot with feeling the need to look androgynous. What has helped me a lot is meeting other people who are a part of the community (mostly online). I've realized that even thought stereotypical enby people are very androgynous, plenty of enbies dress more mac or more femme or switch it up based on how they're feeling. How many people have you met and talked to who share your identity? It might help to start there.

As far as coming out, yeah that's a tough one. I think a lot of people have more trouble with gender because its not talked about as much. I think there are a couple directions you could go with it: first, with anyone who is genuinely supportive and WANTS to understand but just doesn't have the education, you could (if you feel comfortable) try educating them. When I came out, I used this infographic*** to explain to people the difference between gender identity, expression, sexuality, romantic attraction, etc. It was very helpful! For people who might be less accepting or understanding, you might just go the route of 'x is my identity and x are my new pronouns. I would appreciate if you would refer to me this way because it's what feels good to me and I ask that you respect me by doing this.' You always have the right to ask for respect, and if people don't respect you by using your preferred pronouns then those are the people who don't deserve your time and respect, either.

I hope that helps a little? If you ever want to talk more, feel free to message me!

***Notes on the infographic- I don't think it perfectly illustrates the spectrum of gender. However, I think it's helpful to show people the DIFFERENCE between gender identity, expression, romantic and sexual attraction, etc. I also like that it offers 'none/neither' as an option for a lot of things.

[limbusexperiments]

Greetings all Limbuscompanius owners,

It has recently come to the attention of our corporation that a new blog has been on the rise, which is posing as a group of people with expertise on the Limbuscompanius genus. Despite claiming to clear up misconceptions about the care of these strange beasts, a simple fact check against our renowned research proves almost all of their information to be incorrect. We are here to put a stop to this heinous behaviour.

Whilst we are unable to share the small details of our identities, this blog is ran by three moderators. This post is being written by mod Samjo, and it would be appreciated if you would use they/he pronouns for me. As a secretary and close associate to our branch manager Dongrang, I have been surrounded by Limbi and have all sorts of information on them at my fingertips in order to right any wrongs when it comes to the 'limbushusbandry' blog and it's posts. Similarly, the rest of our moderators are well versed in Limbi care, and have spent years of their lives as researchers with a specialised focus on these creatures.

After the... Unfortunate death of Shrenne, we were left to look for a new hire. We decided that we would pick up a new, very experienced scientist, who is only the age of 8! Unlike most workplaces who discriminate against age, here at Kcorp we believe anyone of any age can work hard to make the world a better place. He has taken her place and is working very hard to make up for work that she left unfinished.

Now, a message from one of our employees,

"Faust uses she/he/they pronouns, she will not disappoint."

As all limbis are special, we find it inhumane to categorise their species into such animalistic categories. As scientists we have decided to categorise them correctly, and those categories are as follow:

"The slut" and "The schompwompers". Much like genders, your limbi can be transslut or transschomp. We ask that you figure out through divination methods such as a "wegaboard" what category your limbi falls under.

"Secret" is the third category which has been removed from the public eye due to frequent police investigations.

If you are a police you are not welcome on our blog.

On our official K-corp branded husbandry blog, we will be responding to any misinformed posted by the limbushusbandry mods, as well as doccumenting our further findings on the limbi species.

We are in partnership with @warpcorphusbandry; Please check out their blog as it is a trusted and official source. We have clearly vetted WCorp and their blog employees to make sure only the most accurate of information is posted.

Disclaimer: Sang Yi is not a mod. Do not let him out of containment. He loves it here. He comes here and tries to coerce everyone to let him out. Don't do that. He's wings are broken. Cannut fly.

[asuddencold]

What is it like recovering witch avpd /genq? we have avPD (along with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and a whole mess of other stuff) but we're curious what its like

I'm not gonna lie, it's extremely tough.

I have a bunch of other stuff as well, so, before i could even do anything about avpd, i had to be chemically stable (get the right meds without abusing any substances (unfair)), stabilise the conditions caused by other disorders i have, find a psych i trust and can work with, and start sharing with them.

For me, what has helped the most so far is going by Actions over Thoughts when a situation triggers my avoidant tendencies. For example:

Situation: My girlfriend expresses that something i do in our relationship makes her feel bad

Thoughts:

I have made a mistake

I am an imperfect partner

I am a terrible person

Because she dislikes one thing i did means the entirety of me is rotten, my mistakes are unforgivable, and she's not blind, she will see that if she doesn't already, and she will judge me for it, reject who i am, and i would rather tear my eyes out than live through that therefore

I need to leave now, i can't ever be with her again, we should break up, this was a mistake, if i try and explain myself and why i did the thing i did wrong she will either dismiss it or hate me more for it, so i should shut the fuck up, never open my mouth again, never try to have an interpersonal relationship again, i am destined to ruin everything and should actually fucking die

Actions: Don't do ANYTHING i though about doing. It doesn't help me. And it doesn't help my partner. Instead, do the opposite. If the rot inside me thinks i should burn that bridge, it means that the healthy thing is to build it up. And so

I apologise to my partner

I explain myself and open up specifically to the point where i'm slightly out of my comfort zone. Will i tell her that the thing i did to make her feel bad is probably something i thought up in order to manage to be with people for more than a second without craving the sweet embrace of death? No. But i'll tell her that i'm not great with people, that it's hard to manage these new relationships and connections that i have and thus i make mistakes.

I try to strengthen our connection. By opening up, by hearing her side of things, by being understanding and kind, by de-escalating the situation (not that it needs much de-escalating. she's an angel who couldn't be hostile of she tried. but you know how avpd is). And, after that's passed, by doing things to soothe the both of us, like watching a movie or playing a game together, or cuddling, insted of withdrawing

And i keep moving forward. Keep trying.

What i tried to explain above is obviously an "advanced level" scenario. When i first started recovering, i wouldn't dream of having a partner or friends that i would actually be able to keep instead of running away, especially while sober. But everything is a continuous process of moving one foot in front of the other and getting up when you trip and fall. Sometimes it feels like you never do anything you want. You go against your own wishes so much that it can feel awful at the moment, but the rewards are the most amazing thing you've ever felt

Anon, i hope i hope that my answer helped you even a little, and that you manage to find peace one day and work towards recovering too. If there is anything i could help you with or if you just need someone to commiserate, you can send me a message anytime. I'd be happy to answer !

[ikamigami]

I'd argue that Earth and New Moon were one of the closets in the family, besides Moon and Solar, she was the first one to meet New Moon as he was and be there for him, even defend him against the others when needed, Moon doted on, supported, and protected her in turn, they shared their deepest insecurities and darkest secrets ...Only to have New Moon take those secrets and use them to hurt her for his benefit as soon as he realized the ghost was up, like she approached him calmly because she was worried about him and he immediately jumped to that, if you've ever had a family member who you had such a strong bond with do that to you, take your deepest insecurity, one tied to the core of your identity, your dream, your life's purpose you've chosen for yourself, and go "you're not a real X or Y", the unspoken but implied implied "you're not good enough/at all", and for extra points go "truth hurts" to really twist the knife? It would break you, even if you were prepared for it, if they meant it, which Moon did, it would break you, that's not just a pithy spur-of-the-moment insult like she was warned about, he went out of his way to say something he'd know would shatter her... And she was still going to help him anyway, even after that she was still ready to help, even willing to forgive, and even if she didn't, she never abandoned him even now, after he tried to murder her, no wonder she had to take a few days to process that, but Moon already was letting himself sink faster and faster that before she even had a chance to compose herself she got kidnapped and burned Sure, Moon could be seen regretting his actions after the fact yes, doesn't change the fact that he did those things anyways and after feeling a flash of regret decided to double down instead even though he always had the choice to stop, turn back, and do better It's a lot, but people keep going on about how she "abandoned him" and "didn't try hard enough" and "oh look she replaced New Moon with Old Moon"...She did try, and it made no difference, love and help was always an option, he chose this

Exactly! Very well said, dear anon 👏

I don't have to add anything cause what you said is true..

Earth thought that she can trust New Moon.. but it turned out that she was wrong.. and yet she still feel more closeness to him than creator.. probably because she believes that he actually loved her unlike that old brain fart..

And yes, Moon chose to be a villain.. he chose to do bad things.. he didn't even show any struggle or even the slightest of regrets he quickly shoved down..

Even if it's a virus Moon could try to fight harder with these urges at least.. idk.. it's just for me Moon gave up so easily.. this is not caused by mental issues.. if it was he'd try harder.. hence why I'm saying that this is caused by his selfishness..

He gave up so quickly cause he doesn't want to feel hurt.. which is understandable but at the same time.. why not try to fight for those who you care about? Hence why I say it's egoism.. cause it's only me and my feelings and nothing else..

But I believe that Moon will realize his mistakes and what he did was wrong.. and he'll try to do better and take responsibility for his actions..

But you're absolutely right that it wasn't just "mean words".. for Earth it was like a stab in a heart.. she lost trust in yet another one of her relatives..

[kidstemplatte]

matchmaking event #1

request:

1.pronouns/identity - she/her, afab

2. I don't know my mbti/enneagram anymore, but I'm mostly introverted, have a small close circle of friends I spend my time with, but also a larger group of good peeps that I know and get along with. Very intuitive, don't like drama (but sometimes I just want that tea spilled!), I can take time to warm up to people. Homebody who likes the not-so-rare spontaneous adventure for a day trip, somewhat nerdy but also punk rock/witchy aesthetic. Secretly spicy and ready to fight if needed y Don't necessarily like to take the lead but often have to because no one else will (Personality and brief is hard - there's layers like an ogre!)

3. Hobbies - knitting/crafting, writing, photography, watching TV/movies, tarot, spending time with my dog/ animals. Sitting with my friends watching shows and just chilling.

Marvel over DC. I have too many hobbies.

4. Pet peeves - Drunks are annoying, as are ultra-conservatives. People calling me on my phone, especially without warning ( don't use it for that! Lol)

5. Appearance - dark hair, blue eyes, average height, curvy/plus size.

𓂃 ˖ ִֶָ𐀔 your match is…

Copia!!!

-you and copia are the worlds biggest couch potatoes together

-as we know copia loves movies and is a bit of a dork so he is more than willing to sit down and watch marvel movies with you.

-i feel like he’s a DC person just cause he’s a little more old school but he likes the comics haha

-you two talk through movies with eachother, him sharing his favorites with you, and you with him

-he loves your animals.

-he talks to them like they’re people

-and when he’s alone, gives them each voices and talks back as them.

^when you catch him doing that he is mortified but it’s adorable haha

-doesn’t know much about tarot but he will ask for a reading just to hear you talk

-he’ll even ask to listen in on other people’s readings just because he’s so in awe of your knowledge

-he really appreciates your intuition because it helps in his decision making, he’s not the most decisive person and your input always makes him feel secure, he trusts your sense of right and wrong <3

-you and copia gossip the house down in private but once someone tries to involve either of you it’s a harsh no.

-copia knows you’re not a fan of calling and he respects that. but simultaneously, he texts you all the time. it’s not like he even expects you to text back, it feels like he’s just taking notes in your conversation. also uses a trillion emojis because boomer.

-since you’re a good photographer and that’s not exactly his forte he’ll send you the world’s worst pictures to get a laugh out of you. very dramatically set up. spends 15 minutes learning how to use the countdown feature on the camera app and add filters, then sends you a black and white picture of him dramatically looking out the window. nothing is in focus. he’s like halfway in the frame. or he’ll sneak selfies from under the table during meetings which makes the angle hilarious.

-if you two are staying fairly sober at a party together, you are like the parents of the group, making sure a ghoul doesn’t pass out on the floor or terzo doesn’t start dancing on top of a table (again)

-if he’s drunk, he tries not to act drunk because he doesn’t want to get on your nerves but it’s honestly adorable cause he’s really bad at it

-asks you to make things for his rats with your crafting and knitting skills.

i hope you had fun reading!!! you sound like a lovely person ❤️

[makiruz]

Hey sis,

Just wanted to tell that you don't really have to answer my comments on your post. I promise no one told me what to say, I am not a propaganda mechine, and I am not brainwashed.

I am really offended that my opnion is being thrown aside as a propaganda. I thought tumblr was where we could share our emotions and feelings.

If any solider sexually mistreated any palestinains it's wrong, and I trust the IDF to deal with that. I was judged once for losing my identity card, we all answer for our faults and misdeeds.

Based on what I've seen from the hostages that returned to Israel there is a reason to belive they endured sexual assultes.

Rape is wrong, no matter who you are.

Most of the women eho were hurt in Israel on oct 7 are not ready to talk yet about what they been through.

It doesnt mean it didn't happen. And ignoring their claimes is not right.

Rape is wrong even if you are white. Even if your attacker has had a hard life.

I am scared that if I die , people here on tumblr would cheer my death, without even knowing me.

I am afraid that if I will be raped people will say I deserve it.

I promise you I am a human being with a heart. I don't like the Israeli goverment i took part in protests. But I don't deserve the hate threats comments i get for sharing my opnion.

I never even met palestinans, I never even been in their territory.

But It could have been me, who got raped and abducted to Gaza just for being Israeli. It could have been me at the Nova festival.

This is not propaganda, this is my life.

Please forgive any typo errors, english is my second languge.

You don't have to reapond. I just hope you read it.

I am sick and tired of people say I deserve it without even knowing me.

Thanks <3

Happy holidays .

If you actually are 23 years old, then you clearly grew up under a rock; children a decade younger than you know that just because there are rules doesn't mean people, specially men, in positions of authority will follow them

Actually, maybe you are an Israeli student, would explain why you are so disconnected from reality; like those people who think making fun of people being murdered on TikTok is a socially acceptable thing to do

Of course the most likely option is that you are hasbara, the IDF does have a whole propaganda arm, and I still remember the 4IL thing

[thatblondeperson]

Hello. Longtime Tim and Steph fan who discovered your blog and I really enjoy your meta takes/askes on them. Concerning your recent ask I was curious as to why you think it was poorly written that Tim felt he couldn't explore himself with Steph and you are not a fan of how Meghan framed things as "Tim not being fully himself". I hope this isn't coming across as a complaint against Tim's current direction or anything given questions you have recieved come across as such.

I want to preface this, for anyone reading, that REMINDER! Tim at the very least has all his pre Ew52 memories. Please keep this in mind as Meghan seems to not have these memories.

My first issue is that it's a lack of attention to canon. The whole reason Tim started crushing on Steph was because she was someone that he felt like he could finally be himself with. He loved Ari, but he had to hide Robin from her, and that was a major block for him with her. It caused Ari to stray from him and even court other guys while they were dating.

With Steph, he couldn't be Tim per say, but to Tim, Robin was an extremely important extension of himself. When he was Robin with Steph, he was being fully himself, and he loved being with her for that reason.

Identity reveal being stolen by Bruce aside, at least after that we got to see the part of their relationship that I love, where we get to see them build this very lovely trust with one another. Tim and Steph share things with one another throughout their relationship that they don't share with others. They are both exploited by Bruce in ways that only they can understand, Tim may be the only person that Stephanie has openly shared her SA story with, they have a lot of pain they've processed together. They weren't always great with communication as they both have their own internal conflicts going on, but when they did open up, they were 100% with one another, and there was a very beautiful strength they both shared.

Let's not even get into Eternal and Rebirth. That's @incoherentbabblings jurisdiction but there is so much more evidence to both of their "I can be fully myself with you" dependence on one another.

This thing where Tim doesn't feel like he can be his full self with Steph either feels like a dismissal of canon, or that we are just rewriting the TimAri breakup which we very well could be doing. We're hitting the same points basically. And to say it's a dismissal of canon isn't crazy far off considering that Meghan says Steph was never trained by Batman which TIM AT LEAST IS VERY AWARE ISN'T TRUE. At least she mentions that Steph was trained by Canary and Cass but like...come on. Even Tim trained her. A LOT of people trained Steph and Bruce was a fairly important one in that mix.

The second reason this frustrates me is just the classic trope of "a guy can't be bisexual of he's in a relationship with a girl" bullshit that a lot of bi guys face. And of course women face this too. The biphobis of needing to be in a same sex relationship for people to recognize you as bi or even care that you're bi. It's the way the story is always told, and it gets exhausting after a while. Bi people typically aren't validated unless they've actually "tried" both, or are currently with a same sex partner. Will I always wonder what could have been if Tim came out as bi and still stayed in a relationship with Steph? Sure. Because it wouldn't have made his coming out any less valid, but I don't think media tends to share this sentiment.

I have answered asks about how trust is hard even with someone you've always loved and trusted, because peeling back another layer of yourself could change everything. I've mentioned how Tim probably felt that this was the right path for him, and it's clear that he is happy with Bernard and that this ch is good for him. I 100% believe that I'd he came out to Steph while still in a relationship with her, knowing her character, that she would be very accepting and they would have carried on just fine. (because also obvi she's bi too. bi4bi TimSteph when, DC?)

But I have to keep putting my view of the story through Tim's eyes and remember that love and trust and all that gooey stuff looks different to those experiencing it, and Tim's vision of his past and future relationships aren't going to be as clear as my vision of them.

I'm not thrilled that it's all taken this route, but I do understand it and I'm happy enough with it.