#jokes on you I am racist against everyone equally

[bunchacrunchcake]

Dave Chapelle wrote the best trans joke I've ever heard. I say this as a trans author. He says for a trans woman (which I am,) no matter how much I augment my genitalia, it will never be a real vagina, even though it might look and feel just like the real thing. Then he says "Impossible pussy!" and slaps his knees. The camera cuts to a woman in the front row visibly upset and crying.

It's the perfect joke, its long, detailed, has cliff hangers, an edgy set up, and a really creative punch line that delivers social commentary both on trans vaginas and fake meat. It's masterful.

Chapelle says his one trans fan likes his jokes, so it's okay.

He says all oppression is not the same. He says he had to chew out a white women for letting her oppression take precedent over his as a black man in America.

The Black Panthers created the rainbow coalition specifically to guard against these divide and conquer tactics. The rainbow coalition spread to many countries, many races, creeds, religions, and genders. They aremed themselves because they knew the fight would be real, and dangerous. Black power, the Black Panther movement was about global unity and a drastic change in global power structures. Through COINTEL PRO and other efforts, the US Government played a large part in the assassination of leaders, downfall, and ultimate evisceration of the Black Panther Party which are now known as the Crips and Bloods.

They say you stop maturing the year you get famous. Chapelle I'm assuming stopped in his 20s because he seems, as a black person, to have missed the core message of BLM which is that our struggles are united and that if we don't shout BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER from the rooftops and FREE PALESTINE during religious services, we are complicit in the racist system that Chappelle himself spent an entire hour on Inside the Actors Studio complaining about.

Black trans women are murdered at a higher rate than almost any part of the US population. Trans and queer people all across the globe are systematically murdered. Being trans and queer is illegal and punishable by death or prison in many countries. Women, white and non-white, are often preyed upon and trafficked for sex globally as well.

BLM is a critical part of global history as it allows us to unentangle the deep roots of the prison industrial complex as well as things like redlining, and white capitalism so that we can start the very, very long and arduous process of in some way equalizing the playing field for a group of people that had horrific things done to them for centuries at the hands of powerful leaders.

It is built into BLM that liberation for black people is liberation for all. Not that it comes at the cost of everyone's freedom. It is a revitalization of the Black Panther Party.

Dave did 3 specials about trans people. James Acaster says "Edgy comedians, no one tells them what they can and can't say. They walk on stage, do 10 solid minutes, slagging off transgender people. Straight out the gate, making fun of transgender people. If people get upset about it, they say "Bad luck! That's my job! I'm a stand up comedian! I like to challenge people! If you don't like being challenged! Don't come to my shows! What's the matter guys? Too challenging for ya?!" He rants and repeats that for a little while. And then he says "Oh yeah, you know who's been long overdue a challenge? The trans community. They've had their guard down for too long if you ask me. They'll be checking their privileged on the way home now thanks to you, you brave little cis boy. I used to say the name of that comedian and it made things really awkward. 2019, people still happy to laugh at trans people, not as comfortable laughing at, I've learned, Ricky Gervais."

Dave Chappelle, found his one trans fan (not even friend), and wasn't given, but TOOK our equivalent of the n-word pass from her.

N-word passes are not real. It's a joke you play on dumb white people. Basically you give a white kid "the pass" to see if they're dumb enough to say the n-word in front of other black people. Then you get to sit back and laugh as the entire room goes ballistic on them. "OH MY GOD REBECCA WALKED INTO CHEMISTRY AND SAID WHATS UP MY N****S TO THE WHOLE CLASS!"

One random person does not speak for the whole planet.

I have also heard many well crafted racist black, asian, and latino jokes. I do not tell them. Not because they're not funny. But because they are based off of stereotypes that don't actually represent the vastly diverse group of people in those communities. They also are usually an oppressive person's opinion of someone who is opressed. It is the literal definition of bullying.

Retelling prejudiced jokes actively causes harm to those people. It supports the propaganda surrounding those communities that let police justify extrajudicial murder, and it keeps the people thinking that when a cop shoots a black man for going for his wallet, it was because he was scary, not because the cop was racist.

That's why I don't tell racist jokes, even if they are "really good."

Also, stand up comedy can literally be about ANYTHING. Pete Davidson did a whole bit about deciding whether to fuck his mom. It wasn't funny. But here's the thing, it could have been.

He could have said "Well... I already stuck my head through it."

For every one lifetime trans fan Dave keeps, he loses thousands. We are shouting at you from the rooftops that you are harmful to our community and you are furthering racism, because you are assigning hierarchy to oppression and deciding who is and isn't allowed to be oppressed. Rich, white men are at the top of that power structure.

I laughed out loud when I heard that joke. And then I slowly realized that I couldn't ethically stomach watching Chapelle any more. I didn't even know I was trans then, but just as a human being I couldn't do it. People that lean into hate I just don't let into my circle anymore. Yes even masters of their craft.

[jorisjurgen]

Mao Maud: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24, 26, 28, 37, 38, 42, 46 im so fucking sorry im so so so so

I'm also going to take my other (non-krosmoz, they're all from a different fandom) ocs for these asks because unlike Mao Maud I had actually thought about them in-depth before this point because I'm a blabbermouth.

Also if you don't stop apologizing I will attack you violently with a deadly weapon (in my imagination due to the fact I am not in america and in real life it would be bad.)

What motivates your character?

Mao Maud: the desire to escape her old life, despair.

Ko'Kalavari: thirst for knowledge, and later, desire to help people.

Mathias: his friends and fear, and later, desire to help people.

Estaera: the desire to survive, thirst for treasure, despair.

2. How does the public view them? (Doesn't have to be anything major, it could be classmates, friends, strangers in the park, etc.)

Mao Maud: The public doesn't notice her.

Ko'Kalavari: People are very racist to her.

Mathias: Outsider. He doesn't belong.

Estaera: Gaudy peacock of a person.

4. Does your character care about their reputation and/or how others perceive them?

Mao Maud: She will die if people don't like her, but she'd like people not to think about her at ALL.

Ko'Kalavari: She'd rather study temporal cross-timeline shadow magic and lichification of the undead... Wait, what do you mean people fear that?

Mathias: He NEEDS to be perceived as good, and sadly, it means that everyone sees him as a sucker-up on the political ladder. Though them not taking him seriously doesn't end well for the nobles — sucker-up or not, he is ambitious.

Estaera: Cares about reputation, good and bad, equally. Their dream is to be a celebrity everyone knows has committed atrocities and can't prove anything against <3

6. What, if anything, sticks out about their appearance?

Mao Maud: She just looks like any old ecaflip, eh. She likes red a lot, so that probably sticks out.

Ko'Kalavari: She has fully black fur. It's pretty rare.

Mathias: Orange eyes. Very tall. Light teal skin.

Estaera: Redhead. Green eyes.

7. Is your character good with kids?

Mao Maud: No. She is afraid of them.

Ko'Kalavari: Yes. She LOVES kids. But she shouldn't be let near them due to the necromancy and vampirism. She wouldn't hurt them, I just think she's a bad influence + most people fear magic.

Mathias: He's wonderful with them. Like Kalavari. But unlike her, he also doesn't have unsavoury and dangerous interests, which is even better.

Estaera: They think they are, but they aren't. They wouldn't scream at a child, but they would get exasperated and leave, or unironically make fun of/argue with a kid.

9. What emotion does your character feel most frequently?

Mao Maud: Shame, deep-deep shame, for her entire self. "Sorry for my me" kinda character.

Ko'Kalavari: She is in awe of the beauty of the world. Also fear. She gets herself into a lot of trouble with forces even she can hardly comprehend.

Mathias: He tries not to feel emotions. But when he does it's probably shame, or tiredness. Life is a burden on him.

Estaera: Despair internally, and a small shade of whimsy from how little they care about life anymore. Life is a joke, and they are a clown.

11. What events in their past helped shape and influence them into who they are today?

Mao Maud: Having other kids throw fireballs at her, and her dad's death. She can barely remember him. She wishes she could.

Ko'Kalavari: Her kind and loving parents who instilled her with a love for travel and passed away peacefully of old age. Also being forced to eat human flesh once, while already travell—-

Mathias: Being beaten by his mom, and eventually beating her to death when he was 20, and running from the law ever since.

Estaera: Being beaten by their mom, developing alcoholism, and running away from home, falling into a life of crime.

12. What are some of your character's pet peeves?

Mao Maud: Joris, Kerubim, and Atcham keep vital information about the house and their relationship from her because they Forgor or "Didn't Think It Was Important" or "Didn't Think It Would Come Up"

Ko'Kalavari: People don't trust her just because she is a cannibal necromancer vampire witch who studies interdimensional time-travel magic that is reported to make its users "disappear from existence".

Mathias: People asking about his past.

Estaera: They have some specific ass alcohol and cheese opinions.

15. What habits does your character have?

Mao Maud: Fiddling with her clothes and hair because she's constantly nervous.

Ko'Kalavari: She dog-ears her ancient manuscripts. Remarkably casual about the most insane things.

Mathias: Smoking and hurting himself. He's scared of accidentally becoming addicted to something that muddles his mind (he's Seen The Horrors), but he has long accepted that life is simply unbearable if he doesn't do that.

Estaera: They're The Horrors that made sure Mathias DOESN'T have substance abuse issues besides smoking.

16. What is your character's relationship with their family?

Mao Maud: She feels like a disappointment to her mother. Her mom grew up on Rok Island, after Ogrest's Chaos, completely cut off from the outside world — while she grew up somewhere in Amakna, constantly travelling between Rok Island and her home, because her mom wanted her to be a huppermage. She wishes she was born a huppermage immediately, instead of being born an Ecaflip, and she isn't good at huppermagic at all.

Her mom has accepted it — she isn't a bad woman! She just loves her culture and wanted to raise Maud within it. There's no huppermage supremacy sentiment there. She loved her cat husband a lot too, and tried to get Maud into ecaflip stuff too (very cornily, and sadly, she is BAD at it, she doesn't get ecaflip beliefs at alllll.). But childhood bullying and projection (and the protectiveness her mom has due to the bullying) have Maud convinced that this is a deep-seated flaw within her.

Ko'Kalavari: Wishes her parents could have lived forever. I think seeing them age made her afraid of mortality. I think she was really close to them, and hasn't had success in establishing other close relationships since then. So she had to leave, and search for something more. It's one of the reasons she never wants to die too.

Mathias: Killed his mom who liked him more than Estaera and so, beat him less. Hates her, but wishes he had not done that. Misses Estaera a lot. Wears the earrings he gifted to them that they left at home, together with all of their other belongings, while running away.

Estaera: Ran away from home. Feels like they failed their mom, and if they worked harder she might have liked them more than their adopted "brother." Misses said adopted brother. Wishes they could meet again. Is weirdly not mad about Mathias killing their mom.

17. Overall, is there anything special or peculiar about your character compared to others in your story?

Mao Maud: Not really. She is an average girl. I think she's gifted in Ecaflip magic — on the clairvoyance side of things, when she really puts in the effort, but there's thousands of people just as gifted at that as her. Like literally one of her three employers.

Ko'Kalavari: She's the chosen one and it might be poisoning her brain with ideations of domination and power (literally on a cosmic level). Sadly.

Mathias: He's the chosen one, or fakes his way into being one, which is the same thing. Sadly.

Estaera: They're the chosen one, and also a partial soul-shard of a dark evil god of chaos. Sadly.

19. Summarize your character's goals in one sentence.

Mao Maud: Become normal.

Ko'Kalavari: Stop end of the world + become powerful.

Mathias: Stop the end of the world + end slavery via becoming a warlord on Vvanderfell.

Estaera: Don't let the only people who gave them a chance die.

23. If your character is at a loud, people-filled party, how would they act?

Mao Maud: She starts to cry. Nobody knows why. Not even her.

Ko'Kalavari: She's in her prettiest dress and she is so ready to be beautiful and pretty. Ends up leaving early due to boredom but liked the beginning.

Mathias: Soaking in the vibes. Listening on to conversations.

Estaera: Actively taking experimental party drugs.

24. From childhood to their current age, how has your character changed?

Mao Maud: Got more and more embarassed. I think it would help her, to know, that there are people out there far more embarassing, and yet happy. Like, at least three of them, all men, all in their 600s.

Ko'Kalavari: Got more and more scared of death. But... while she is ready to do anything for knowledge, and to save her own life, there is a sort of maturity obtained when she realizes, just how sick it makes her feel to take the lives of others for her selfish goals. She has to find a balance between the horrible things she is ready to do, and the horrible things she cannot do.

Mathias: Felt more and more responsibility. For Estaera's fate. For his mother's death. For his own life. For the lives of his lovers. For the House, for The Guild, for The Country, for The Continent, for The World. In the end it was too much, and he gave up. He will not be responsible anymore, after he fakes his death and leaves everyone.

Estaera: Got worse and harsher, if we're talking about childhood->canon events. Became a different being, if we're talking about post-canon->ko'kalavari's era.

26. What are the top three most distinguishable personality traits of your character?

Mao Maud: Clown the Jester. Weirdly endearing. Scared.

Ko'Kalavari: Fun-loving. Amoral. Scholarly.

Mathias: Ashamed. Secretive. Dead inside.

Estaera: Bojack Kinnie. Party animal. Desperate.

28. What emotion is the most unfamiliar to your character and how do they deal with it?

Mao Maud: Confidence. She doesn't even notice it, when she gets confident — and she keeps being confident as long as she doesn't acknowledge it.

Ko'Kalavari: Empathy. She doesn't really understand other people, at least not until after maturing. But truly connecting with, and understanding other people, is one of the wonders of the world to her. It's special.

Mathias: Pride. It's so rare for him to feel pride, and he feels a bit shameful, when he does. But... he tries to savor it.

Estaera: Happiness. They can't deal with it. It makes them choke up.

37. What does your character want to change about themselves?

Mao Maud: She wants to be a normal well-socialized member of society who has skills that aren't related to "doing huppermagic badly" and fumbling through her words.

Ko'Kalavari: She wants more power and knowledge. Always more. To protect herself and be respected and never die.

Mathias: He would like to be able to change things, but he doesn't really have hope. So, he'd like to have more hope in life. He really wants to have hope.

Estaera: Nothing. Everything. Yes. No. Honestly — they know they're awful, but they're under the impression that they cannot change. In some ways, they're right — they have no home, they're a criminal, they're addicted to multiple different substances. They have no way out of the life they fell into. But taking out their frustration on others has always been their choice.

38. Someone your character dislikes goes up to them and confesses. How does your character react? (Doesn't have to be a rejection.)

Mao Maud: She accepts and then ghosts them, moving to a different city.

Ko'Kalavari: Blushes and fumbles through a refusal.

Mathias: Politely declines. Very graceful and kind throughout the interaction.

Estaera: Humiliates them publically, says they'd rather fuck a cactus, and tells them "kys".

42. What is one thing that your character dislikes about themselves? ("Nothing" is also a valid answer.)

Mao Maud: Actually weirdly not a lot. She hates how talentless and spineless she is, but these aren't innate qualities of her character. She's hoping that working at a real job will fix her.

Ko'Kalavari: Her own actions. She is afraid of half the things she does. Why can't she stop digging through ancient dark magic tomes and summoning demons? The world may never know. But really — she hates how powerless she is. Like an insect. She wants to be powerful, deadly.

Mathias: He's a coward. It shows in many ways — he doesn't like being honest with people, and he doesn't take action when injustices happen. When he attains power — he is forced to play the long game, painfully aware that, technically speaking, he has the power to help so many people.

Estaera: Everything. They disgust themselves completely.

46. Does your character specialize or have remarkable talent in anything? If so, what is it?

Mao Maud: You see..., one of her main talents is inspiring 3 men in particular to pity her.

Ok I'm joking — I think she has some talent for fortune-telling and predicting the future, more than Kerubim (he's so lucky that he can predict what will happen, and Ecaflip has canonically given him future visions). She's not the first nor the last Ecaflip to have prophetic visions, but it's not a normal thing. I think being a maid for the fam, and connecting with her Ecaflip heritage for the first time that way, lets her actually work on this gift.

Ko'Kalavari: She is a walking, talking, cat-shaped, magical nuke. Also, she is good at healing and surviving. Very interested in how human bodies work and how to fix them up (both so they DON'T die and AFTER they die...). She is very young for someone who has a ko' scholar honorific.

Mathias: Politics. Also, while for Ko'Kalavari magic is a natural gift, learning it came hard for him — so he knows a lot about theories, maths, geometry, and biology of it. It made him a gifted enchanter first and foremost — when he can't rely on his strength, he can rely on the way he enchanted his items.

Estaera: They have a magic disability, so they can't use it too much — but it does mean they don't get hurt as easily. They like to use their small pool of power to do illusion magic and employ psychological warfare and human engineering in combat. They are very manipulative, even outside combat. Also, very skilled at ruining lives. Even their own.

[purpleandstarlight]

@hateweasel

-Me: Okay but this one has the mood swings too bc what do you mean that up until last chapter we had beef with some terrorists, many people died, and the Big Ben exploded, and now Alois (who wasn't paying attention to anything but his boyfriend's looks during roll call in College) just randomly said to Ciel "You're hot" while in class, heard by everyone in there who only knows Ciel as their professor?

My friend, who was also uncomfortable with the student-professor situation: ...Can we just go back to the terrorists?

-Me: Gotta be honest tho if I was in this situation where I called my professor hot in from of the whole class I don't give a shit that my professor was actually my partner years before they became my professor I'm gonna drop off college SO FAST that shit is E M B A R A S S I N G

-Me: So, that boomer guy in the council is pinning it all on Cielois because they're demons, and he genuinely just said "Ciel and his concubine" referring to Alois and I'm??? Sorry?? Who the fuck do you think you are?? Only Alois and the rest of the 7 are allowed to call Alois that bc they're friends and they're joking.

-Me: The boomer guy said racist things against Supernaturals and then Integra did defend Cielois and Oliver's dad but she did still say racist things about Supernaturals as well imo.

-Me: I was curious when Alois started college like "Why has he not gotten any friends in school yet?" then he talked to a girl and I was like "There we go!" But no she was then exposed as a serial killer by him and she's now in prison so nvm that. Also there's this dude but he's more like an annoying comedy gag? [Starts describing his misogynistic behaviour to my friend] Anyways, if anyone finds out about Cielois in school (and someone WILL, at some point, I'm sure of that) it's probably gonna be this guy.

-You know how Ciel, during a date with Alois, kept anxiously looking at something not specified in his pocket? I thought it was time for the proposal, but it turns out at the end it was his date plans ideas lol Once I told my friend that, she said "Preview of the paper in his pocket: -Check that the car doesn't have any bombs installed"

-The whole Gaehenna (i don't remember how it's spelled, sorry...) foundation arc was great but then when they were making this whole party thing and were happy you went "It was almost disturbing, just how smoothly things were going. It felt as though something bad about to happen was just around the corner." AND YOU CAN'T DROP THAT ON ME IN MY WHOLESOME PEOPLE-IN-NEED-GET-HELP-FROM-SOMEONE-WHO-UNDERSTANDS-THEM ARC!!!

-Dan was really acting like an asshole when he wasn't even interested in her and he kept her pending only for her to understand the signs and move on with Lawrence and then suddently he's annoyed with it. Like oh, so you can but she can't?!

Although (and this is not me connecting the two things, just saying that Dan and Ana really weren't meant to be a thing from the very start in an equal way) Ana didn't seem interested in Dan AT ALL during their whole relationship at school. They never went on a date, or kissed (not that kissing makes a relationship, I am just making a list), she didn't even invite Dan to her movie premiere. She should have been more honest with him and told him straight up that she really wasn't interested.

[thealmightyemprex]

Halloweenathon: The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo

It aint the spooky season without talkin about everyones favorite mystery solving dog ,and why not talk about the series where he first encountered real ghost and teamed up with Vincent Price

This 1985 series follows Scooby Doo (Don Messick) Shaggy (Case Kassem ),Daphne (Heather North ),and Scoobys nephew Scrappy (Also Don Messick ) as due to the manipulations of two ineffectual ghosts who wish to gain respect , Weerd (Arte Johnson ) and Bogel (Howard Morris) , Scooby and Shaggy have let loose 13 evil ghosts who seek to use the Chest of demons to rule the world ,and with the help of a con artist named Flim Flam (Susan Blu ) and a powerful mystic named Vincent Van Ghoul (Vincent Price),the gang must capture the malevolent ghosts

So my relationship with the Scooby Doo franchise is....Odd .For years I have said I am not a fan ,but realized I kind of am one .Specifically I am I find the Scooby Doo formula kind of a slog ,of the villain just being some greedy captalist dressed up as a monster(Cept for Pup Named Scooby Doo that show rocks ) .....What I love is when the monsters are real ,hell when I was a kid it was a huge deal to see Scooby Doo on Zombie Island where the villains are legit life force eating cat monsters...But older Scooby fan s will know that this was not first time he faced real monsters :There were the movies Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School and Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf(Which I like but I know people dont ) .....And of course The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo

Now while I grew up on reruns of various Scooby shows like the original Scooby Doo Where Are You,The New Scooby Doo Movies ,A Pup Named Scooby Doo and so on......This is one I never saw in reruns,and honestly I only heard about it cause one of my favorite horror actors Vincent Price was a main character ,so for Spooky month I decided to watch all 13 episodes

Now .....THis show might be the weirdest Scooby show I have ever seen .The show was developed by Tom Ruegger ,who would go on to do Animaniacs,Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid and you can kind of see some of his sensibilities in this show,in that it runs on rule of funny ,and there are a lot absurd and fourth wall jokes(The weirdest one involving a woman complaining about fire being used in a kids cartoon in a scene involving a dragon,which then becomes Scrappy calling her racist against Dragons ....This is an actual scene ) ..You also get aesthetic things like to modern fans this show to watch.....Cause Fred and Velma arent in it ,of the main group its just Daphne , Shaggy and Scooby.Also since its the 80's they have their 80's redesigns (I refer to this era as the Red shirt Shaggy era )

As for character depictions Shaggy is pretty much himself,scared of monsters and loving food ,and Casey Kasem is great as always .I think this might be my favorite use of Daphne who is kind of the voice of reason and sort of leader . SCrappy makes his fnal appearence in a Scooby show and I am just gonna say it....I .DONT.HATE .SCRAPPY.I think he has his fun moments and I think this might be the best use of him ,as he really works as a double act with the equally overconfident Flim Flam

Scooby Doo is himself....But this might just be the most interesting depiction of Scooby ,because his fear of ghosts is depicted in a few episodes like crippling PTSD ,like facing real ghosts is taking a toll on poor Scooby .Also....WE MEET SCOOBYS PARENTS !!! I dunno that just blew my mind

Now lets talk about the new characters we meet a kid con artist named Flim Flam ....I think I hate Flim Flam .Not entirely hat,mind you ,he has some funny moments ,Susan Blus vocal performance is good and again I love his double act with Scrappy ....But he is so smug and cocky you just want him to shut up sometimes.Add to that he was a network addition and the writers hated him,and I dont blame them

We also have recurring villains in Weerd and Bogel who basically latch on to which of the 13 Ghosts is the big bad of the episode,and are the comical villains in juxtaposition to the often more serious 13 Ghosts. Not much to say ,they are fine though comedians Arte Johnson and Howard Morris deliver great vocal performances

The best part of the series however is Vincent Van Ghoul,a powerful sorcerer who guides the team .Part of why he works is he is played by the legendary Vincent Price.Much like Flim Flam the inclusion of a big name celeb was a network but which one was up to the creative team,The choice of Vincent Price I think was a brillaint one .Personally I like to describe Vincent Price as a master of Cozy horror,he's spooky but there is sense of fun and comfort to him and the honestly the same goes for Scooby Doo even at its creepiest .He is also just a genuinely good voice actor with a wonderful sense of humor so he is a perfect fit for the show .Now the show could have coasted on being a saturday morning cartoon starring Vincent Price (The character is even designed to look like Price ) but truthly Van Ghoul is a fun character on his own.Van Ghoul is both the wise expostion guy ,but he is also the team dad who will just hang out with the gang .He also has his faults that make him more endearing ,he gets grumpy and one of my favorite moments he's revealed to be an obnoxious house guest .He's truly a funny character and he adds a bit of spice to the show

The shows humor is mixed ,sometimes it is really funny,mostly when they just go off the rails or show off the comedic timing of both Casey Kasem and Vincent Price ......Other times,especially when its Flim Flam it can be annoying .Animation is ....Well its both a Hannah Barbera cartoon AND it was made in the 80's so its not great though there are some good designs

Now my top 5 episodes are

5.Its a Wonderful Scoob-Scooby quits the gang and is shown what the world will be like if villain of the week Time Slime won .Its one where Scooby truly is a hero have to have it

4.The Ghouliest Show on Earth -A circus themed adventure with my favorite the 13 Ghosts ,Professor Phantazmo played by the amazing Alan Oppenheimer

3.Scooby in Kwakyland -The gang are trapped in a newspaper comic ,theres is some great art direction and I adore the side plot about Vincent being a house guest

2.A Spooky Little Ghoul Like You -Vincent is placed under a love spell by the seductress Nekara who plans on draining his power .Good plot and just fun

1.Thats Monstertainment -The gang is sucked into a old Frankenstein movie and must play the parts till they can find a way out.What can I say I love old monster movies and this to me was the funniest episode

Overall its not a perfect show ,but if you like Vincent Price,Scooby Doo and bonkers cartoons I reccomend it

@ariel-seagull-wings @amalthea9 @metropolitan-mutant-of-ark @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @angelixgutz @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1

[homicidal-rage]

Racism goes *both* ways.

I hate being told that my feelings towards racism aren't 'valid', because I'm white. Because white-skinned people were the ones who were racist.

I'm supposed to take being called "white as a ghost", "pale as milk", and be excluded from my friends who aren't the same skin colour as me, because it's "okay" since I'm white. Because white people are the 'racist ones', so surely its fine to say crude comments about their skin because they understand.

When my friends back away from me because I'm too 'Australian', or when I get criticized for the way I talk because it's too "white". It's supposed to be a joke- I know, but some jokes just aren't funny when you're the subject.

This may just sound ironic. I may be called stupid, or ignorant. I know I'm supposed to just 'take it', or maybe some people think I'm talking about nothing, or overreacting, or being stupid because it doesn't happen. Then why am I so upset?

Racism goes both ways. Racism, at its core, is prejudice, antagonism or discrimination against someone because of their race or ethnicity. How is this any different? I know for a fact that there is a whole history of racism, and yes, white people were extremely racist against those with darker skin. In no way am I saying that is good. That is not my message. What I am saying is that racism goes both ways, and two wrongs do not make a right.

Any time this happens, I feel like I can't talk about it because I'm white, and people of white skin aren't a minority. If a majority speaks up, then they're pushing the minorities down and that isn't what I want to do. The multiple times I have spoken up about the fact that I feel awful because I'm left out, because I'm white, everyone around me just dismisses the thought because it can't be true.

When someone is racist against me because I'm white, its supposed to be a joke. How the fuck is that a joke?

I'm not connected in any way to those who racially vilified darker skin people, and I don't think I have ever done that to anybody. I don’t wish it upon anybody because it's such an awful feeling to be antagonised because of something you can't control. I can't control that I'm white!

I speak for people in a similar position for me. I do not speak for people who are racist, as it is unacceptable.

Do you think I'm supposed to take being told that I'm a "convict" or a "coloniser" just because I'm white? I've been called a "coloniser" way more times than it should happen. I remember back when I just started high school, I was walking down the hall, when a year eleven kid stopped me to call me "paler than milk", and that I "don't deserve to be here because [I'm] white." I cried after that, because why should any kid have to deal with that?

I know my experiences with racism are a lot less significant than other people's but it's still the small things that hurt.

It's a basic human right to not be racially discriminated. Though there are many people, specifically kids in our year, who take it that all white people are the cause of racism, therefore they need to be punished with what they 'gave out'.

We need to root for equality the right way. This means that nobody deserves to be pointed at and made fun of for their skin colour, or they shouldn't be compared to the people of their history. Nobody deserves to be antagonised because of their skin, or be stereotyped based on their ethnicity. It's just wrong, and I hate how it isn't common knowledge that racism goes all ways. I am speaking for people in a similar position like myself, but this applies to anybody of any race subjected to the same thing. I'm sorry if any of you guys experience racist things you don't deserve. It isn't okay and I wish more people felt the same.

[lightsoutf1]

I’m getting more and more upset at the continued and bitter hate that I see towards Max. Every new female fan it seems hates him from what I can see

He used slurs he shouldn’t have but he admitted AND said that they were not correct. People forget that Max is on record as saying his own Dad called him the R word multiple times. Called Max a stupid pig. The words Max used were words that were used against him growing up and he hasn’t yet broken out of that cycle. That’s what happened. Everyone is acting like he intentionally used them towards someone who would be affected by them. He never did that. He said them in his car after a high speed crash with no one around him and only his race engineer on the radio. That’s what happened. The actual person he spoke them about (Lance) has said that Max talked to him about what happened afterwords and it’s all good now yet fans have this agenda of hate that they still want to persue. 

People say it’s easy to apologise but he did something better than that, he said it was not correct to use the words that he did. Saying sorry is easy. People say sorry to get out of stuff they mean all the time. Do something intentional, say sorry, let off scott free. Do something unintentional, say that is was not correct and you will do better and you have the whole of the F1 fandom calling you a racist and a dick because you never said the word sorry...

I am sick of it.

In 6 years, no one, I mean not a sole thought Max was racist because we saw how he interacted with every nationality and person that he met. Have you ever seen him treat a person differently just because of who they are? Never. 

In fact you saw him being completely kind and generous to a person, who just happened to also be a person of colour in the background of a SKY Italia report. Max did not know he was being filmed when he did that. He treats everyone equally, no matter who they are. It was pretty much the epitome of #weraceasone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUKFrw8l2zE

He gets on well with Lewis and Lewis gets on well with him, has said on multiple occasions and years ago at that, that Lewis would be a driver that he would like to go on a night out with. He respects him and has DEFENDED him multiple times from the hateful media and the FIA yet Hamilton fans here and on twitter are the FIRST to say he is racist. Based on what evidence?? What has Max said and done about Lewis that makes you think like that? Because Max has been nothing but respectful and genuine with him. If you watch them together in press conferences they are always laughing and joking. Max called out the car as being dominant but is that a lie? No, thats just being truthful. He said that Mercedes needed Lewis because he was the 7 time champion, the one that would make the right decisions at the right times. Did he kneel? No Did he say he supported Lewis and his actions? Yes 

Go watch his videos and see the person he is and then come on here or on social media and see the complete disconnect that is happening.

Max is funny, he loves his family, he loves his friends, he loves to race, he gets on really well with the other drivers, he hates lying, he says what on his mind. Can also be a bit of a dick sometimes when he gets angry? Yes but I’d rather that then someone who is not honest and manipulates you. 

So ya, that’s my rant.

You can make up your own minds. 

[damn-behzinga]

not sure if you'll see this or if you're still in the fandom but i was wondering what your take was on harry's 'dodgy pronouns' joke in the new survive the internet vid? like personally it kinda hurt but idk if i'm being too sensitive.

Hello everyone, long time no see lol!

First of all, I have left the fandom due to the fact I felt uncomfortable by a lot of things. I think the comedy that the sidemen bring out is funny as fuck, I have cried with laughter many times. However, I started realising that the comedy was at the expense of others which made me very uncomfortable. For example, the continuous transphobia for example that joke or the constant use of slurs thrown around

I.E, JJ used the T slur, apologised when he found it was a slur and then used it again. That made me, as a non-binary person, very uncomfortable. You have every right to be hurt by a comment made about pronouns, especially if they are important to you.

I do understand that their humour is very British and their fandom are mainly teenage boys who are stuck in the classic 'man' concept. They will laugh at transphobia and racist comments but then complain that it's not against those people because they've got a mate who is trans or a poc. I've had fans of the sidemen send me death threats because I defended a transgender individual and respected their pronouns. In what world is that okay? And the sidemen don't help, they hardly ever acknowledge issues within their fandom as well as society.

I will stress that I understand that they aren't required to however, as a very popular influencer with 10 million people watching them, they have an impact, whether they like it or not. And they should use that for good. Out of all of them, I think Tobi uses his platform for good the most. And by that, I think he promotes the right causes for example BLM, Stop Asian Hate, and Women Rights. One tweet is not going to be enough to push for a cause. They could easily spread that information for days on end. I know they can because they have done it over football.

Additionally, I hate the treatment of POC (which is anyone who isn’t white but if there is a better term please let me know). I am white so I don’t know how far I am allowed to comment on this situation, please let me know if any of this is pushing boundaries. 

England is a very ‘casually racist’ place, in which slurs are thrown around as a laugh, saying that if people want equality then everyone should use those slurs. A lot of sidemen fans have had that mentality, calling both JJ and Tobi slurs, as well as Vik. Even though they’ve expressed that it’s not okay. This has not changed over the five years I’ve known of the Sidemen (I only became a fan of them a year or two ago roughly). Look back at any video with the three of them where they look at comments and they probably get called a slur. It is vile.

Alongside this, I really dislike how often Ethan and Harry mock accents. Ethan has done it as a joke of his 3% Nigerian DNA and Harry has done it over many videos. I can’t rewatch one of these videos without having to pause or stop the video. It makes me so uncomfortable. 

In summary, I left the Sidemen fandom because I lost interest and saw how often they used others as the butt of the joke. Many members of the fandom make me uncomfortable and I got one too many death threats to enjoy the content anymore.

I may pop up to answer and questions or change this if someone explains that information is incorrect and whatnot but this is my last official post for now. If you do want to follow what I write for other fandoms, my AO3 is whereyoustand. Thank you guys for all the support you gave me, you guys helped me so much :’) My posts will be left up so everyone can still read them, I put a lot of work into them all so I hope you guys still enjoy them to! I appreciate you all :D

[ablednt]

yeah and we also need to talk more about the edgy "jokes" to overt bigotry pipeline esp in cluster b spaces. i feel like alot of it is kinda waved away bc ppl will go "that's just how i am and i cant help it. if you disagree youre ableist." like they conflate ableism with being held accountable and non cluster b ppl that dont know better just eat it up. and those same ppl will be the ones who talk about how they had a bullying phase but they grew up. like sorry but you dont just get to usse other other kids for your growth. like its such a white mindset to objectify others like that. and kids of color and intellectually disabled kids are already subjected to enough w/o being treated like. idk almost like pets and then being told, "its just a joke" we didnt hurt you that bad, get over it etc. like no i will always be angry about that shit. and you cant hide behind symptoms either not only bc life doesn't work like that but also. the ppl they did that shit too had the same symptoms they did. they can't be like " you just don't get it you don't understand my struggle" bc we dealt with the same shit and didnt use it to abuse our peers.

Yeah that makes total sense! Also not as extreme (though it's connected imo) I noticed a lot of cluster Bs (and not always white but I'd say it's majority white) tend to fall pretty heavily into exclusionism and harassing other mentally ill people + systems and such because of that "I'm reclaiming being evil(tm) by being an asshole to everyone" phase and yeah the like. complete dismissal of their "bullying phases" as if that wasn't also intense bigotry that they need to unpack lmao. Like I feel like a lot of them go like "oh well I'm different now" and then turn around and are like "ok but I can be racist and also ableist as hell against anyone I want as long as I have a justification for it such as they're inconveniencing me <3"

And then there's the equally bad flipside that's like. The goddamn obnoxious thing white NDs do (that I very much did in the past and absolutely have to take accountability for cause it's cringe as all fuck of me/srs) where they're all like "i'm so Nice being too nice and empathetic and sweet and kind is my whole personality haha" and then when they're racist and someone points it out they're like hhow could u :((( my rsd is going off!!!! :(((((( im always so nice to everyone how dare you. And it's like please shut the fuck up if you were genuinely a kind person you wouldn't have to reassure everyone and yourself every other minute and you'd be actually listening when people are uncomfortable around you.

I guess either way it's just that white people are raised thinking that we deserve to be coddled and that the privilege we have is somehow something we earned or something we're owed when it's so very much not lmfao

And yeah!!! Like it's actually so goddamn infuriating that we're always like "well you don't know what it's like!!!!!!" as if POC aren't often neurodivergent and also like they don't go through things that we will never have any semblance of a clue about just because of the way that racism and ableism intersect. Like just? the audacity that a lot of white nds have to act like mental illness and neurodivergency is a white people thing or like it somehow cancels out their privilege and like it's not entirely our responsibility to make sure that mentally ill and neurodivergent people of color aren't being silenced/talked over in our spaces. ESPECIALLY when so much of the rights we have now we owe entirely to y'all like it's really ungrateful and cringy.

Like the state of the wider nd community and especially the cluster b community is honestly just fucking embarassing and I think a lot of that is due to racism and that's not really surprising since so many forms of bigotry are directly tied to it in the first place. Like it's just a lot and I can't even imagine what it must feel like to have to bear the brunt of that.

All that said I hope that you're able to take care of yourself/g and that you have the support that you need you deserve so much better than you've gotten from us that's for sure/srs

[lochsides]

Yellow Metal - cathartic Review

Here’s something I did not expect to be reviewing this week but when Zayn drops a 24 minute rap track, you fall in line. I had to listen to it a couple times through before I could even begin to make sense of my thoughts because my brain sort of malfunctioned. I have never been prouder to be a Zayn fan. He’s such a nuanced songwriter and there is so much to unpack here.

I think this is the most unfiltered version of Zayn that we have ever been exposed to (and possibly will ever be). I am grateful that he said his piece in this because it needed to be said. As a brown woman, I felt so seen by this and I cannot explain what that means to me. Thank you Z, for your unvarnished truth in addressing racism and various forms of discrimination.

I’m doing a short lyrical analysis below the cut, but the TLDR is that this is a fantastic piece of art that deserves to be heard.

I wish he had released this as an EP because that would be easier to review than a single 24 minute song, structurally speaking. So instead, I have picked out some key lyrics, going from top to bottom, that really spoke to me and decided to study the song that way. His lyricism is hard-hitting in this track. It is beyond anything he has ever released before.

“The planet bleeds, the damaged trees. It’s never leaving until we ascend so fuck the fence.” — I have not seen this lyric being talked about in the fandom, because the lyrics that follow this steal the show, rightly so, but I wanted to give this line a moment because it’s important too. To me, this lyric speaks to where Zayn is at with his relationship with the physical world. He’s out on the farm (about which he even goes to say “tell you what I like, farm life and the tractor”) and I believe he’s happy in his space and he feels connected to nature (also see River Road). So it is a poignant and slightly jaded, but valid perspective that he shares on climate change. It’s never leaving until we ascend. The damage human beings have done to the planet won’t be undone until there are no humans left to do damage. It’s a single sentence that says so much about the depth of the climate crisis. I’m doing my PhD on urban air quality so this is something I care really deeply about and I resonated with.

“And until they stop killing colour, it’s fuck the feds.” — Yeah, agreed Zayn. The systemic racism that he calls out here is echoed throughout the song, in equal parts anger and boldness. I love that he isn’t glossing over it with metaphors, which he could easily do and it would be beautiful in a totally different way, but this makes it harder for racists to overlook. There is so much power in calling it like it is.

“Never lose me to fentanyl, scared when I take a Benadryl, keeping it green in general.” — It frustrates me to no end to see Zayn painted as this drug-addicted lazy musician that doesn’t care about his work, because we know how untrue that is. This narrative is tired and simply boring too, and I won’t get into the racist connotations of it when you consider it against his white colleagues who smoke as much as him but that isn’t one of their defining traits in the media.

“I’m racking up excuses while I’m slacking off on work … it was hard work that got me heard” — I love the juxtaposition in this verse. The public/media perception on his career is that Zayn doesn’t put in effort or that he doesn’t want it. This obviously stems from his leaving the band. It goes back to what I was saying before about narrative, when in reality, as Zayn has said on various occasions, he fights to make his own choices. And that doesn’t have to look the way everyone else expects it to (“I beg you, don’t include me. I might write it on my shirt”), he has his own struggles that have helped forge his path, but it is his path that he paved, himself. He works hard to be heard. He has to. It reminds me of something my parents used to tell me when I was younger about being immigrants: you have to work 10 times harder for the same opportunities just because of the colour of your skin or your name on the cv. It’s a harsh truth to grow up with but it was my reality, as it is for most POC.

“This life doesn’t give you no armour, a lot of myself can harm you. I swear on what’s good, that I’m here ‘til they take me. I pray that I’m wrinkled, at least over 80…” — There is something about the simplicity of these lyrics are the messaging that I love. He isn’t trying too hard to sound poetic but he still manages it perfectly.

“All I've been achieving, clocking miles in this region, moving like a legion. Promise that I made to myself, an allegiance. Do you still believe I’m a fool for ever leaving? Staring at the ceiling, can never put a cap on achieving. I’m just here for the rap, then I’m leaving. // I’ve had about enough of being my own enemy. It’s time I grew up, a long way from 17. Always went against the grain, struggles in my life. Got some things to say when I stand up on the mike.” — This is the only 1D-related lyric I’ll make reference to because this song is about so much more than that. That said though, we cannot overlook Zayn’s experiences in the band because that is part of his story. The tongue-in-cheek of “I’m just here for the rap, then I’m leaving” is hilarious to me. The line about not wanting to be his own enemy anymore and growing up from 17 reminds me of that quote Taylor (Swift) mentioned in Miss Americana about celebrities getting stuck at the age they got famous. I think this verse is similar to that. None of them ever wanted to be in the band and I don’t care what anyone says, Zayn leaving and proving success outside the band gave the rest of them the courage to follow their own solo careers. Sure there was drama surrounding the split but he did it for himself, to tell his stories the way he is now. Whatever else you have to say about him, you cannot deny his authenticity.

“I ain’t dropping this for fame, I need this time, like therapy, it’s just to keep me sane.” — I think this line tells us 2 things, the first being that this song was not leaked. Z knew what he was doing and his twitter likes tell us as much. He didn’t release it for any sort of attention, otherwise it would be widely available on streaming platforms and for purchase. Which leads to my second point, he released this song to get everything he talks about on the track off his chest. Its referenced in other lyrics too, like “now you see where I come from, the world don’t.” This was for whoever cared to listen, not the world. It’s inaccessible for a reason. I love that he threw those lyrics in. It makes the song feel more like a private conversation or listening to a friend rant. It creates a different form of intimacy between himself and his fans.

“Lessons that I’ve learned, I’ve tried teaching to myself. What I’ve learnt from certain people is that they’re better than myself. So I surround myself with real ones, and you feel the plastic melt.” — This one is for anyone that buys into conspiracy theories surrounding Zayn’s personal life. He surrounds himself with real people, real friendships, real connections. I have never bought into the bullshit that he has zero autonomy over his personal life. I love the use of plastic melting as a metaphor for ridding his life of fakeness.

“Feeling trapped. This industry is a cage.” — Zayn is obviously not the first person to say it. Many artists talk about how suffocating the industry is ( which he further comments on in the sung portion: “I don’t wanna be, I don’t wanna be, a part of this, no, I don’t wanna be, I don’t wanna be, a part of this”). Fame is such a wild and unnatural concept and the exploitation and politics of the music industry only feed further into it. The industry being a cage makes me think of zoos and how celebrities are animals on display, when they should be free in the wild. I also really like the musical interlude following this part.

“Nobody’s speaking the truth, I’m offended by the State. Look at the state of the news, I’ve decided the argument, reciting my views.” — Zayn toes the line between keeping to himself and speaking out on important issues, sometimes not very well. I am his biggest cheerleader, but I’m not up his ass. There have been many occasions where he could’ve done better. But I cannot fault him for being offended by the State because same, Z, same. I love that he took this song as an opportunity to real speak out, no punches pulled.

“See I’ve been facing the racists from back when I were a kiddie. Born up in 93’. Living in Bradford City, they kicked me out of the school. Said they had a problem with me hitting the kids that would call me p***, still sit in the classroom, chilling. I’m angry now that I’m older cause I see they treat us different. Got me thinking I’m the problem ‘cause they never dealt with these issues.” — See what I meant about no punches pulled. He said that! He said it like that too. There is so much in this verse that I relate to, it hits a little too deep. I grew up as a brown in predominantly white communities where the colour of my skin was the reason I was outcasted. We know when that’s happening, clear as day. The lyric “got me thinking that I’m the problem cause they never dealt with these issues” says it all. I have many racial traumas that I’m dealing with as an adult because the adults around me when I was a child didn’t deal with racism in the classroom. They do treat us different!

“20 years later, I’m still in the same boat. Tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat. Came to tell you what I stand for. Man I think you’re shit, a joke. How can I be civil when they got me by the throat? // Pushing my feelings down, you ain’t got it like them. ‘Boy your skin is so light.’ Ok motherfucker, take my name up on a flight. Try to convince immigration that your bloodline’s half white.” — Zayn talking his shit is my new favourite art form. How can I be civil when they got me by the throat? Something that I will always be enraged by is that POC are expected to de-escalate situations of racism. We have to push our feelings down, as Zayn says in the verse, because the institution is against us. All of the institutions are against us. The fact that he takes it a step farther to say that his name makes him a target for racism, even though he is half-white just nails his point home. Also, can we please quit the whole ‘Zayn is white-passing’ bullshit. He alludes to it again later in the song (“asian in my face, but still my race you can’t define”). Its not a compliment to erase someone identity in favour of white-washing them.

“My name ain’t on the list unless they label it ethnic.” — Oh, the amount of times we have heard that age old (v. racist) saying ‘{celebrity of colour} is the new [insert white celebrity here]’ as if POC aren’t allowed to succeed in their own right. It is wild to me that Zayn has to deal with this given his level of success.

“Start to understand why they think that I’m threatening. I move in certain ways, couldn’t slow me with ketamine.” — There is a subtle nod to racism (and Islamaphobia) in this line, because of course the brown man is a threat, but I like the way Z turns it around. I also like the rhyme scheme.

“Raised on the benefit for whose benefit? They’ll never learn shit, man, if the shoe fits.” — Okay I might be reaching here, but this is just my interpretation. We all know the benefit system in the UK sucks. Being raised on benefit implies a lack of money growing up, but the benefits aren’t really all that beneficial to the families that rely upon them.

“Dealing with the hurt, they should know cause they don’t deserve it, it hit deep cause I hit the nerve.” — Well, okay then, just call me out. It’s fine. I seriously feel like he’s talking to me directly with this line. I imagine a lot of us do. Its one of those lyrics that are a bit too honest but that why we love them.

“Cathartic, I’m an artist. Trying to put my heart in” // “Freedom fighter, Yellow Metal is my name.” — So do we have an alternate persona for Zayn now? Alright, I’m down. I think these two lines are tied together, because both are mentioned in the song title. (I think of the song as cathartic, by Yellow Metal, aka Zayn, or Yellow Metal as the name of the EP if this was officially released). The lyrics that accompany both title lyrics, along with the subject matter of the song as a whole, suggest that his heart is in standing up against injustices. I said it earlier, this is the most unvarnished version of Z that we have ever been exposed to. Almost like the complete picture to the puzzle pieces we’ve been putting together over the years.

“They’re tryna kill us with disease.” — Why did this line scream out ‘COVID-19 outbreaks in developing countries’ to me? Again, I might be reaching, but there is a disparity between how COVID is treated amongst minorities, along with many other diseases, and not to mention rich, primarily white countries hoarding vaccine supplies while places like India (and my beautiful Bangladesh and I’m sure Pakistan too) suffer needlessly.

“Started something sick and on my mind is what’s next. Just became a dad so now I’m taking all the cheques. Better know I’m staying and paying like it’s debt. Imma get it done, if it’s taking all my breath, sweat, and down I ain’t messing around ’til I’m the best.” — I think this lyric shows off Zayn’s sentimental side more than it does his ambitious side, because we know he’s in this for the long haul. Others may doubt that but his fans never have. But hearing him talk openly about being a father on a song is something else. It’s like Khai added this whole other layer of meaning and purpose to his life and it’s beautiful to watch. I’ve been here since the X-Factor auditions guys!! It makes me so emotional to witness him like this.

“Aint many of me around, p***, I’m just different. Certain stages to this level aint here because fame is to the devil, fuck a label, imma do this from the ghetto.” — God, we’ve been waiting for a fuck the label moment in this house, haven’t we? I won’t get into my theories on his label or his team, but none of us deny the fact that they should be doing more for him than they are. He has the potential to be the biggest thing with the right team and promo because he has a built-in fan base that would go the mile for him. Obviously, there’s also his aversion to promo to contend with and that’s his decision. Even without it, he could shatter every ceiling. Another thing I want to mention about this verse is the nod to the complete lack of South Asian representation in contemporary Western media.

“Don’t know what’s worse: the way that you live your life or the way that you write a verse.” — I’m just putting this in here because it made giggle. Also going to take this space to say how much I love his energy in this song. He knows he’s the shit, as he should!

“Can’t be louder … so free Gaza on my banner.” // “They’re hating on Palestine ways.” — I love that Zayn has always supported this movement, years ago, before being ‘woke’ was a thing. But now, he has a daughter that has Palestinian heritage and I’m sure that makes this hit that much deeper for him, personally. The apartheid in Palestine is heart-wrenching. It’s so strange to me to watch it happen, because I never thought I would witness something like this happening in 2021, yet here we are.

“Like vipers, I see the sly ones, the snake that’s called Biden, none of them abiding what they might put in writing. We should be used to it by now, say whatever for the vote and then just choose another route. Say they’d never kill another unless that brother’s skin is brown. I’m just telling you the facts, if you can’t take it, the truth naked, to bare bones and my thoughts lately, spitting politics.” — This verse is straight up savage and I am living for it! I find it hilarious that he called Biden a snake. This verse addresses the truth about politics, that even electing a left-wing leader doesn’t fix the system.

“I’m Tony Stark, still embarking on a dream” // “Gone green like Bruce Banner” // “He taught me like Ra’s Al Ghul. Felt like living in Gotham, the people were rotten.” — And to tie it all off, I wanted to take a goofy moment to mention all the superhero lyrics Z added in this song, really showing his personality because I’m such a nerd when it comes to this stuff and it makes me wish that we were friends so I could annoy him to death about it.

[floof-ghostie]

Yo go off on your rant! Speak the truth

Okay Anon, I’ll do it for you!

So first, let me start this off by saying that Horikoshi definitely did not mean to make Midoriya black/blasian coded. He made Miruko, Rock Lock, and arguably Ashido, (two of whom are canonically black/dark skinned, all of whom and are written with a few negative stereotypes about black/dark skinned people, but for the sake of time, I will not be mentioning them in this post) black coded, but not Midoriya.

That being said, there are several points in Midoriya’s entire characterisation and development that definitely is relatable to black audiences.

Let’s start of with the glaringly obvious: Curly hair.

The second picture is only shown in a flashback, and it is played for laughs, but afro texture/curly hair is common in black/black-mixed people. I know Hori plays “Afro-Deku” for laughs (not really okay btw) but still. His hair is often described as “messy” which is how black hair is often described (also not okay, do not call a black person’s hair “messy”). Also, freckles are definitely somewhat common-ish in black/black-mixed people.

(I will also mention that some black bnha fans have an joke about his shoe style, saying that he’s definitely black, but that is neither here nor there)

Now that we have the joking aspect out of the way, let’s talk about how Midoriya grew up: 

He grew up with an absentee father, which is a common (and negative) stereotype for black men, and also something that some black bnha fans like to joke about. Keep in mind that this is a joke amongst the BLACK bnha fans, I don’t want to see any non blacks joking about that.

(Sidenote: Black man marrying a non-black/light skinned woman? Also a common trope)

He was bullied horribly, and unfairly by Bakugo and the rest of his classmates due to his quirk status, which could be seen as an allegory for race/privilege/class. Basically over something that he couldn’t control. His teachers did absolutely nothing, and didn’t even seem to care. Sound familiar to how black/people of colour are treated in the real world by those with more privilege?

(Now I know this kind of comparison is flawed, since All Might gave him his quirk, so that kind of has negative implications in what I am trying to say, but my point still stands)

Now that Midoriya has his quirk, he’s working twice as hard to be seen as equal to his peers. Another reason that a lot of black people/minorities can relate to him, and why they hc him as black/blasian. He’s up against people who have had more privilege, and for longer than him. He’s fighting to catch up as best he can. 

Midoriya’s skill/power is not acknowledged by everyone, as shown with Bakugo, and how he still sees himself as superior to Midoriya. A lot of black (and POC in general) work hard when it comes to things manual labour, content creation (music, art, dance, fashion, literature), white collar jobs, etc, but aren’t as widely acknowledged as their non black/non-POC counterparts. 

(Keep in mind, that I am not saying that Bakugo is racist. I don’t like him, but I would never say that about him when in canon he is not racist. I am merely using pointing out that quirk status can be seen as an allegory for race and class, so this is merely an observation as to how higher class/non black people view POC and their achievements.)

Whew, this was long. But yeah, this is basically my reasons as to why I feel that Izuku Midoriya is heavily black/blasian coded, albeit unintentionally.

@izukukuzi and @miss-lee-lee-fan , I know that you both hc Midoriya as Afro-Asian, so I hope you guys give this a read!

[randomnameless]

There was a “joke” post that circulated about lords siding with a certain person (the result is... no one picks her path), and I didn’t want to reblog it with serious thoughts - and I was like, the second any Lord hears about certain ideas regarding another race, they’d bail out immediately.

While fantastic racism is still racism, the main issue depicted in the game (but hidden or not picked upon because framing is a thing) is coexistence.

... Right ?

Each time Edel harps about “creatures” it is because she thinks they are controlling Fodlan, or are just living here with humans :

“You are a child of the goddess. You must not be allowed power over the people”

“Should the one leading the people of the world be someone with humanity or a creature that can merely masquerade as a human at will?”

A redditer once put it in simple terms, but it feels like the “Separate but Equals” doctrine, with all its implications - creatures should not have power over humans, but humans are allowed to have power over them.

Creatures are not allowed to live near human settlments and are allowed to “retire” from the world, but banned from interacting with it.

So while I do not think CF!Edel is going to destroy Macuil, who is living in Sreng (unless she uses him as a pretense, she will send troops to free her Sreng allies from his evil yoke and forget to pull them back when the bird’s dead?), CF!Edel still has the ominous

“You could have had a peaceful life... Why did you have to come to Garreg Mach?”

when pitted against... Flayn.

If Flayn never came to Garreg Mach, she would have been allowed to live a peaceful life, but far from... humans? Humanity? Civilisation?

But this? This is what we are supposed to think!

Bar the, um, ludicrousness of thinking Flayn rules over humans, especially since the person thinking this is the leader of the country who gave the biggest middle finger to the Church, there is the Indech paralogue.

No matter how many twists or paperwork involved, the fact is the BE knows Edel will terminate Indech. Euphemisms like “It will be troublesome” cannot shake the feeling that since day 1, Edelgard, who said she wishes to obliterate Children of the Goddess because they are controlling the world, obliterates many things to get control of various countries, but not Children of the Goddess.

Dimitri and Claude must disappear for Fodlan to be united, thus to gain control over the world, but Rhea? Why is she on the hit-list, especially after having been driven away from Garreg Mach and not having any power over “the people” anymore?

Again, CF is very revealing about her views on Children of the Goddess, even if the lolcalisation team tried to smooth the angles :

In the localised version, against Rhea, during their final fight, she says :

So it's true. You don't value human life at all. Isn't that right, Immaculate One? 

But in the original, jp, version, she says this instead :

やはり、貴方が大事なのは人ではないのね。 “白きもの”……女神の眷属よ !

After the “Immaculate One”, Edel pauses and adds... Child/ren of the Goddess.

So it isn’t Rhea, the IO, who doesn’t “value human life at all”, nope. It’s something inherent to all “children of the goddess” (or other reading, Edel thinks CoG is an insult, which... doesn’t help her case.at.all.).

From a doylist POV, I can see why this only comes late in the game, and was hidden, in CF at least, because Billy has to be misguided, starting with “I hate children of the goddess because they abuse power”.

Then it becomes “I hate children of the Goddess because they have power over humans”.

The ultimate CF golden nugget, is “I hate children of the Goddess because they do not value human life”. Indech’s paralogue (meaning you recruited someone else from the usual BE member, hinting at a second PT?) heavily suggests “I hate children of the Goddess, even if they don’t have power over humans”.

So, both to fit with the theme Billy’s lied to in CF and because finding justifications to hide why you hate a different race/species is what is commonly done to hide your most hideous opinions, Edel couldn’t have started CF saying, overtly, “I hate Children of the Goddess, they’re not like us, look they don’t value human lives!” - Watsonian wise... if the game didn’t have big issues with framing, it would sound weird because, hm, Flayn was a member of their House and apparently managed to get along with several people, you do not bother to get along with people you don’t care about and/or value.

But in a way, isn’t it, just the same thing?

By hiding behind “I don’t mind them, just hidden from my eyes and without influence over the world”, it doesn’t remove the main issue, coexistence with Nabateans is impossible.

Let it be their physical or spiritual presence, their existence is outright rejected - as I pointed out in an earlier post, wanting to get rid of “crests” effectively means, wanting to get rid of Nabateans.

“They” are not like “us”. They do not value our lives (or being called a “Child of the Goddess” is an insult).

This is where the most beautiful redshit takes grow, from the “it isn’t racist to call them beast because they technically are “beasts”” - I am sure if I call you an evolved paramecia, even if it might be technically true, you will not feel honored - to the emmy worthy takes “Nabateans are responsibles for what happened to them, it’s their fault because they flaunted their superpowers”.

As an evil person said :

Everyone has something that is unacceptable within them. I certainly do, and I'd wager you do as well.

I wonder which is best, Professor... To cut away that which is unacceptable, or to find a way to accept it anyway...

Post CF, Nabateans are effectively cut away, since their existence was unacceptable. Let it be physically or condamned to a life in hiding.

For someone who cannot accept Nabateans, the most suitable ending is to remove her love interest’s nabatean blood, Billy can reject their blood, their life support and even their tacky hair!

i forgot the point i wanted to make  In the FE series, coexistence is always sought after, let it be between two different species, or two different nations, or even two different people and their visions. In FE16? No one gives a frick about this issue, even when it is the leitmotiv of the primary force in the game (save for the aforementionned evil person).

We can even say this game, with its hard-on for unification, gives a negative answer - there is no need to accept the unacceptable or to try to get along or to coexist with others, if others are part of you.

CF at least had the balls to drop the mic and go full “you should cut away the things you cannot accept”, while it can be foggy at first, it hits hard when the “things you cannot accept” are... a group of people.

Tl; Dr : When usual lords pick the “find a way to accept and get along with everyone”, Edel fully embraces the “cut away and destroy it”, even if this mindset leads to finishing Nemesis’s party and removing Nabateans from Fodlan. The game doesn’t challenge it though, and it’s a pity.

[sapphicconservative]

My family believes that you cannot be racist towards white people, that they cannot be badly affected by slurs, and that whites have white privilege. I am really scared about speaking up against these beliefs and the BLM movement because I am worried that my family will call me a traitor and my friends will cut ties with me. I know you have lost some friends due to different political beliefs. What do I do?

"My family believes that you cannot be racist to white people,"

So, I assume racism based on personal actions as a whole doesn't exist? Otherwise... I hate to say it, but you have a family of hypocrites. While it wouldn't be any better, the consistency that racism on a personal level doesn't exist at all and only on a systemic level would have been a bit more tolerable.

"they cannot be badly affected by slurs,"

Well, they are half wrong, but still horrible. White people, on average, are more likely to laugh off slurs and mockery racial images. I'm not sure why this is exactly, though. I remember my mom crying from laughing so hard when she realized another implication for "cracker barrel."

But, this isn't to say you should still go around and call white people slurs. Have a jest and joke around, so long as you're not afraid to take what you dish out. Offensive humor is only good if both parties can equally take jabs at each other.

"and that whites have white privilege."

I'm sure my mom had white privilege when the black teachers and faculty staff turned a blind eye as the black students repeatedly sexually assaulted her. I'm sure my dad had white privilege when the school threatened to expel him because he threatened one of the teens. Or, what about in recent years, how most of my mom's family have fallen to poverty and drugs because, while the people around them (the minorities) get federal aid but they, my family, was denied help again and again and again because they were white and had "generational wealth."

We don't have a race privilege issue. We have a class privilege issue. Some white people are just as poor as some minorities, and some minorities are just as rich as some white people. We need to stop pitting us against each other based on race.

"What do I do?"

If you still want to be friends with these people, then I recommend you keep your opinions private and find a group of friends who you can discuss these opinions with. It's okay to not announce your opinions to your friends and family. It's become the norm to announce your politic and social opinions, and simultaneously expect everyone to agree with you. This isn't good. Unfortunately, many people can't handle differing opinions.

In some places I know without a doubt if I spoke my mind freely, I'd lose friends I've had for years, I play off being apolitical and just stressed from these chats. It works, mainly because these friends of mine are also in places we cannot be political in.

You can also set a boundary and state that further discussion on politics or BLM (can generalize as hate crimes as a whole) makes you feel stressed out and sad and would like to avoid them around you for the time being. Whenever they try again, just remind them of what you told them on your boundaries until they understand.

[jxpper]

I may be white, but I see you. I hear you. I am here for you. I stand with you.

To the racist pieces of trash out there, I have something to say to you.

People all around the nation are gearing up right now. Videos are being spread on how to properly use protective clothing for protests to avoid identification and prevent as much harm as possible. Masks dipped in coca-cola to avoid as much gas inhalation as possible. Skin sealing goggles. Dark or black clothing to cover tattoos, piercings, and other identifying marks. Ways to identify who in a crowd may be an undercover agent. In the last three days, I’ve seen about eight different ways to make tear gas neutralizer for those who will be and have been injured. I’ve seen photos of protesters being shot with rubber bullets and detained in such large quantities that they’re using buses. I’ve seen lawyers offer up pro-bono work to those who are arrested during protest. I’ve seen instructions being spread on how to throw deployed gas grenades back at officers. The President himself has officially ordered for the National Guard to shoot citizens. Cities are on fire right now. National Guard, FBI, and Secret Service has already become involved.

So I have to ask. 

Is this a joke to you?

This is what happens when a war begins. A war that will be won.

When peaceful protesting such as kneeling began, everyone threw a fit. You know why? Because the protests weren’t being taken seriously. Now, you’re questioning why federal and police buildings are being torched? It’s because you don’t listen. It’s because when civil liberties are demanded, you pretend it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t affect you, you privileged pieces of shit. Until you wake up and realize that black lives matter, this will not go away. Maybe it shouldn’t go away. If that’s what’s going to teach you not to take equality as a joke, then maybe it should continue. It doesn’t help that Agent Orange in the Oval Office is sending out threats on the internet to the citizens of the country that he is supposed to be running. This is very quickly turning into what could potentially become Martial law.  

And you wanna sit around asking why this is happening? It's your own fault.

Every time you shouted back “all lives matter” or “blue lives matter” you were pouring gasoline onto the fire. Every time you discredited peaceful protesting against racism and police brutality, you started to incite this. This is on you. Until you comprehend that black people are being murdered by police for simply existing, you are a part of the problem.

And you can stand here and yell ‘not all cops!’ but cops don’t say ‘not all black people!’

If four days of rioting and protesting is infuriating you, imagine how hard it has been for black people since like the dawn of fucking time.

Police in Brooklyn are chasing after people with batons and beating them even after they are no longer a threat. 

Minneapolis officers are vandalizing buildings to make the protesters look more dangerous, which is their way of trying to justify the use of rubber bullets and tear gas.

Seven people were shot at the protest of Breonna Taylor’s death. 

Seattle PD is currently body slamming protesters into concrete and continuing to beat them.

This is an honest to goodness war, and it's a hard pill to swallow but this was not a war that was started by the protesters in the streets. It was started by the privileged. But you know what? Because of protesting and riots, America exists. Did you skip over learning about the Boston Tea Party in school? Protests and riots are what helped create the right for black people to vote, for women to vote, for women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. It’s a dirty way to fight, but the fight is won.

I hate the idea of looting as much as the next person but if looting angers you more than an innocent black man being choked out on the ground while screaming for help, then you are focusing on the wrong thing.

We like to believe that violence doesn’t solve anything. But it isn’t true. It’s an ugly truth, but a truth nonetheless.

This is a war that will be won, whether you like it or not. So you have two choices. 

1. You can continue to be ignorant and hateful, refuse to accept the fact that white people are not a superior race and then fall into the oncoming storm for people like that. 

 Or

2. You can get up off your high horse, sign petitions, donate to the funds, make the calls, write the letters, and be the change that the world needs right now.

If you want the violent protesting to end, then we all have to end the brutality first.  But this will not end if you are on the wrong side of history. 

To the people who are doing what they have to do right now, I STAND WITH YOU! I HEAR YOU, I BELIEVE IN YOU, I HAVE FAITH IN YOU, I SUPPORT YOU, I CARE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR SAFETY. YOU WILL WIN THIS WAR! 

✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 HOW  YOU  CAN  HELP  ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻

TEXT ‘JUSTICE’ TO 668366 AND ‘FLOYD’ TO 55156

Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund 

Justice for George Floyd Petition

Justice For Floyd Petition 2

Justice for George Floyd Petition 3

Other places to donate

Contact Minneapolis District Attorney, Mike Freeman, to demand justice for George Floyd   1. [612] - 348 - 5550   2. citizeninfo@hennepin.us   3. hennepinattorney.org/about/contact

Call Jacob Frey, and tell his office “I want justice for the murder of George Floyd. I demand the prosecution of the four officers involved. This is a racist hate crime and an abuse of power”    [612] - 673 - 2100

IF YOU NEED AN AMERICAN ZIP CODE FOR THE PETITIONS: 90015 - Los Angeles 10001 - New York City 75001 - Dallas

[normal-thoughts-official]

ok idk if u like harry potter (either way fuck jkr) but have u thought about sh characters and hp houses? for magnus i’m torn between hufflepuff and ravenclaw, alec hufflepuff ?? maybe?? and idk for anyone else

its a weird thing because i've always hated hp, even when i was a kid, but i'm kinda interested in discussing the whole houses thing? possibly because the choice between traits is so fucking random and absurd like idk it makes for funny character analysis. so in short let's go

but also, i'll warn u that my takes on this are usually considered kinda spicy. mostly because other ppl r wrong and interpret the characters terribly i go by the canon that the house ur sorted into represents what you value the most, not necessarily what you are (which is why hermione is gryffindor and not ravenclaw for example, and if i'm not mistaken so's neville? idk idc her worldbuilding is bad) so yeah

magnus is definitely hufflepuff for me, no argument about that. like yes he is very smart but i don't think that he values knowledge/intelligence above all else. wisdom maybe, but even then, magnus' character core is and has always been kindness and loyalty. he values kindness and mutual support and community and equality. it's indisputable that he's hufflepuff for me, not only in values but in personality and actions

i like slytherin alec, first because it fits his character arc. like big racist family who loves fascism and is very traditional sounds like slytherin, and at a very young age he'd be their golden boy tbh [EDIT: ive already gotten anon hate over this so please read these posts before freaking out over this part please and thank you] so like, makes sense. but even later alec i think fits slytherin, although in a different way. family above all else, tradition, and ambition? sounds like him. he's a political shark, he's very traditional, and he's loyal as fuck to his family. i'm not against hufflepuff alec per se but i wouldnt say, even by the end of the series, that alec values kindness/community/equality above all else, tbh

raphael is hufflepuff. again, loyalty, community, kindness. i could maybe kiiiiiindaaaaa see why ppl think he fits slytherin aesthetics with his power suits and shit but also raphael is the least ambitious person in like, this entire show lmao his happy ending is literally to become a priest (like i hate the whole mundane thing but u cant argue that that's an ambitious man lol). throughout the show his whole motivation was always protecting his people and his family, and he was shown to be kind and caring even to shadowhunters. and yes okay there was the heidi plotline but like a- it made no fucking sense anyway (both for his character and just plot-wise, like, she wasn't a daylighter, why would he be after her and not simon, what the fuck) so i simply ignore it, and b- even then it doesn't define him or his values. if ppl can see hufflepuff alec when he handed meliorn over to be tortured for basically no reason and was never shown to be particularly caring beyond the people closest to him, i can say hufflepuff raphael when he continuously extended his hand to people who literally betrayed, used and tortured him

maia is hufflepuff and look i know that this sounds like "all my faves are hufflepuffs" but really tho. endlessly loyal to her pack, wants to build a family, her whole thing was always about making the downworld better and making sure her family was okay, i don't see how community and equality aren't defining values for her. "oh muh muh muh she was willing to kill ppl" there was a war going on buddy. it doesn't mean that maia isn't kind and caring. also, again, she is fierce on her ideals, which happen to be family, equality, and community (both as in the pack and the downworld as a whole, see how hard she tried to mend vamp/wolf relationships). she's a hufflepuff

meliorn is a hard one. i think gryffindor or slytherin? tbh i don't think any of the houses really super fits them because again jk's worldbuilding makes no sense like the four personality traits are kind, smart, brave, and racist there are no other ones you sjw snowflake. and okay i know that i just called slytherin the racist house but that was a joke and i can see slytherin meliorn because loyalty and tradition. not really ambitious but not not ambitious either. tbh i could make points for meliorn in all houses, i think wisdom is definitely something they seek and care about, as is bravery (they're literally a knight), as is community, as is tradition. but also i could see them being like "hey sorting hat put me in slytherin i'm a 'mudblood' they're gonna be super pissed". and going there just to be defiant. but no actually i changed my mind completely, they're ravenclaw. i think wisdom and temperance are what they seek the most, because they want to be a good leader/asset for their people. which kinda circles back to hufflepuff but still.... wisdom. i think it suits them

simon is another hard one for opposite reasons like i don't think he truly fits any of the houses? like meliorn fits them all simon fits none. i know ppl always go with hufflepuff simon cuz they think hufflepuff is the dork house and simon is an anxious bean but fuck that noise, hufflepuff isn't the dork house, it's the house for those who believe in mutual aid and support and equality and that's literally canon, hufflepuff existed because it was the only hogwarts founder who believed that everyone had equal right to education. hufflepuff is a fierce house of sjws and people who want to change the world for the better and YES i am aware that for someone who thinks harry potter sucks i sure have strong opinions about it. but that's the thing like there are so many interesting places jk rowling could've gone and instead she chose to write the most superficial shit ever. anyway my point is that hufflepuff is not the dork house so i'm not gonna sort simon there just because he's a dork. but anyway i wouldnt say that he particularly values any of the house's traits. maybe ravenclaw for creativity? or gryffindor because clary is there and he's like "please sorting hat do me a solid" lol

which okay i guess leads me to clary. definitely gryffindor. bravery with a side of recklessness is definitely her thing. she is fierce and she is proud of it. no argument about that

j@ce is also gryffindor in the most annoying obnoxious way. he's just like man i sure like violence watch me prove how macho i am and the sorting hat is like oh no it's one of those gryffindors

izzy.... i can see gryffindor cuz again bravery and just again fits her character arc as she would go there specifically as a fuck you to the lightwood's traditional slytherin shit. but really tho, ravenclaw. she values knowledge, she is hungry for it, she wants to see the world and learn and invent and create you know?? so like yeah ravenclaw

cat.... either ravenclaw or hufflepuff? she just cares about people as a whole but also about wisdom and knowledge so could go either way imo

ragnor... man i really have no idea for ragnor. again aesthetic fits slytherin but is he actually proud, ambitious, cunning? i don't think so. fucking ravenclaw maybe? just like "yes i value knowledge very much now put me in the nerd house where people will leave me alone" lol. ok tho ravenclaw it is

madzie... gryffindor? idk she seems like she would want to have adventure. it's so hard to do this for sh minor characters when their personality was basically based on the shape of the writer's poop that day tbh

camille is slytherin because duh and if we really wanna do a h*gwarts au for some reason, it adds some angsty juices as magnus once again falls in love with a slytherin and doesn't know how to open up and trust (once he meets alec, i mean)

luke is ravenclaw methinks. i guess could have been slytherin because character arc as shadowhunter but like... he's just a wise and caring figure. i could see hufflepuff but i think his thing is less equality/community and more family, but post-sh luke doesn't exactly fit "proud, ambitious, cunning" either. so yeah methinks ravenclaw. same for alaric i guess

who else exists lmao. i feel like i'm forgetting somebody but idk who so i guess i'll reblog or edit if i think of someone elsIT WAS DOT okay so i think either hufflepuff or ravenclaw. kinda hard because her whole personality was "cares about clary" so idk but like loyalty and care seem like character traits that suit her? also she was knee deep in trauma and still cared about helping magnus so... yeah hufflepuff

[butwhatifidothis]

Oh but if we take fallen heroes as literal good guys gone evil, then would that mean Ashnard was a decent man that fell into his ideals. The only good thing from the Mad King, is that he values strength regardless, AKA equal evil opportunity, meaning not racist. If he met Edelgard, he call her out over her Byleth obsession. He was willing to kill everyone in his final battle, including people he respected, so he was not going to compromise.

Ahhh, see, this is where I feel the concept of the “Fallen” banner gets kinda...wonky. You have characters who, at the form they come to Heroes in, have legitimately fallen (Dimitri, Berkut, arguably Lyon), who have failed to overcome their worst traits and act in less-than-heroic/villainous ways directly because of this failing on their part, specifically (Dimitri and Berkut is rage and vengeance, Lyon is jealousy, Dimitri - in this case, not 3H - doesn’t recover and lashes out in violence, Berkut straight up kills anyone in his path, Lyon loses his heart to the Demon King) mixed in with people who haven’t fallen due to any character flaw per se but aren’t fully in control either and in fact are still in any form of control because of their strength in character not having them fall completely (Ike, the Corrins, who are certainly more violent and dangerous yes, but can’t be said to have lost all ounce of control) mixed in with people deadass possessed with zero control over their actions whatsoever (Celica, Delthea, Mareeta, Julia, the Robins, all of whom are legitimately controlled by outside forces forcing them/their bodies to act against what they would otherwise do) mixed in with people who are possessed or “fallen” due to circumstances they willing chose to do to themselves whether for selfish gains (Edelgard, Ashnard, Berkut, arguably Lyon) or selfless ones (Celica, arguably Lyon) all swept under the same “fallen” rug 

You have this hodgepodge of characters with vastly different personalities and/or circumstances that ultimately lead to them acting in non-heroic ways, so to slap any one label on the banner will always lead to misconceptions about the characters. Edelgard, Ashnard, Lyon, and Berkut all “fall” despite being the villains of their games and despite actively choosing the “fallen” fate they are given, so they just aren’t the same as the rest of these fallen units who all “fall” explicitly due to outside circumstances that they had no say in. Ike and the Corrins have lost a great semblance of control but are still in enough control to isolate themselves and warn others to stay away from them, so they aren’t the same as those who no joke, completely seriously, have absolutely no semblance of control over themselves in any way. 

Like, don’t get me wrong, I love me my darker interpretations of heroes and I don’t even really mind the additions of villains like Edelgard and Ashnard, but I’m just saying that in the convenience of labeling the banner as they did FEH has allowed for takes such as “Dimitri is the villain of Edelgard’s route,” “Edelgard is a hero and AM is where she falls” that very badly misinterpret the characters due to them appearing in a banner labeled a certain way. 

But! Sorry for ranting, the new fallen banner just has me a tad tilted with the responses to it, and this ask kinda just set off a landmine lmao, in regards to Ashnard I view him as the Edelgard if Edelgard were allowed to be a straight up no holds bar villain. He holds many similar beliefs to her, and you could even argue that in some regards he upholds his beliefs more tightly than Edelgard does (he allows Branded to not only fight in his army but hold high ranking positions at that, as seen with Petrine. Does anyone think Edelgard would allow Flayn to join her, even if she had left Seteth and Rhea to try and join her?). Honestly I low-key hope that Edelgard’s FB will be with him and/or Arivs, as I’m dying to know how FEH views how they would interact.

[all-things-lgbtqia]

JK Rowling continues to spout TERF ideology, continues to say she’s not a TERF.

JK Rowling, best known as author of the world-renowned Harry Potter series and the decider of who is and isn’t gay, took to Twitter within the past 24 hours to make what I can only assume was supposed to be a joke in response to a Tweet about efforts to help create a more equal world “those who menstruate” in a post Covid-19 world, saying that “I’m sure there used to be a word for those people.”

When called out for her erasure of trans men, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming people - all people who can be assigned female at birth but do not identify as women - Rowling went on the defensive, criticizing the idea that “sex isn’t real”.

Here’s the thing, Rowling: sex is real. Trans people know this. That’s kind of what makes most of us trans. Their biological sex, which is a real and tangible thing, does not match the identity they see for themselves, which is also real although it can be a lot harder for us outsiders to see. This is why many trans people opt for modified clothing (such as binders and gaffs), hormones and surgeries to make the exterior body match the internal sense of gender. Granted, many trans people will not do this, and they are not obligated to do so, but the vast majority of us will opt for such measures, not just to make ourselves more comfortable in our skins, but also so people like you don’t keep misgendering us and then pretend to be the victim when we call you out on it (which you’re doing right now). Absolutely no one is arguing that biological sex isn’t real.

She then goes on to say that saying women like her, “who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades”, hate trans people “because they think sex is real and has lived consequences - is a nonsense”.

Like I said Rowling, sex is real and absolutely no one is saying otherwise. You’re the one who keeps saying it. You said it during the Maya Forstater debacle and you’re saying it now. “Woman” is not a term that refers to someone who is biologically female. An overwhelming amount of the time it does, but not always. “Female” and “female-bodied” are somewhat controversial terms when it comes to afab transgender people, but they always refer to someone who is biologically female. “Afab” is an acronym for “assigned female at birth”, which can even refer to cis women. So as you can see, there are better terms to refer to someone with female reproductive organs than “women”. And believe it or not, a lot of those “lived consequences” are often the same for a lot of afab people. Not everyone has the privilege to transition at 6-years-old, before the horrors of the real world affect most of us. Many afab trans men (I would like to quickly acknowledge that some trans men may be biologically intersex), non-binary and gender-nonconforming people will have lived as females or a somewhat “female experience” up until they come out of the closet and begin their transition, if they do so at all. Pre-transition afab people are still subjected to the same amount of sexism, misogyny, sexual harassment and general dangers that come with being a woman because even though they are not women, society sees them as women. And yes, these people will even menstruate, because they have a female reproductive system (although it is worth noting that some people born with these parts may not menstruate at all, because biology is weird and sometimes things don’t function the way they’re supposed to). And on top of all that, trans women will also face the same hazards during and after the main stages of their transitions. In fact, statistically speaking, transgender women are even more likely to experience male violence than cis women, so let’s not pretend they aren’t involved in this whole conversation at all.

And just a quick sidebar, like I said, some people with female reproductive parts don’t menstruate because their body just never kicks that system into gear. If a cis woman never menstruates because she’s one of those people, is she no longer a woman, J?

I would also like to take the time to comment on how she pretends trans people don’t exist when she wants the spotlight and only references them when she gets called out for it. This is a lot like the, “I can’t be racist, I have black friends” “argument”. We’re not tools that you can use and then put back in the closet when you’re done (only we can decide if it’s time to go back in the closet, and I would rather not do that again, thank you very much). We’re not accessories you can flaunt to show how accepting you are. We exist even when you’re not making exclusionary remarks and pretending that the issue at hand is exclusive to cis females only.

She goes on to claim she would support trans people if we are discriminated against. I don’t have a Twitter account so I can see only very limited Tweets online, but so far I haven’t seen her comment on the proposed UK bathroom bill that would force trans people to use the bathrooms that correspond with the sex marker on their birth certificates. If she has commented, let me know and I will update this section of this post appropriately.

She tries to justify herself by saying she is well-read in scientific journals and transgender experiences, so she knows the distinction between sex and gender. But if this was the case, she wouldn’t still be using “woman” to refer strictly to cis women, and she certainly wouldn’t be using it to describe all  people who menstruate.

She says, “Never assume that because someone thinks differently, they have no knowledge.” And she would make a good point, if saying that only women menstruate and implying that if you menstruate you are a woman, plain and simple, wasn’t TERF rhetoric. Listen, you can know all about a subject as complicated and relatively new as gender identity, but knowledge and acceptance are two different things. Just because you major in Africana Studies and can name just about every major figure in black history doesn’t make you less racist when you clutch your purse tighter when you see a black man jogging down the street. Having a degree in Women’s Studies doesn’t make you any less sexist when you tell a woman to make you a sandwich because you disagree with her opinion. And reading scientific papers about transgender people and what it all means doesn’t make you less transphobic when you make sweeping claims that only women menstruate, and that transgender people don’t understand the struggles of being a woman.

In what is her most damning move so far, Rowling then Tweets out, “‘Feminazi’, ‘TERF’, ‘bitch’, ‘witch’. Times change. Woman-hate is eternal.” One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong...

I get it, there are plenty of terms and phrases used with the intent of shutting up women you don’t agree with. TERF is not one of those terms. TERF is in the same category as racist, misogynist, neo-nazi, etc. NOT the same category as women-silencing words like ‘bitch’ or ‘feminazi’. A TERF is a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, someone who discredits the existence and experiences of transgender people (primarily trans women) because they feel like it (the transgender experience) doesn’t belong in discussions of women’s rights, or even that it threatens their identity as women. Sounds kinda familiar, doesn’t it? Calling someone a TERF is not a silencing behavior, and you’d figure a feminist would understand this. Calling someone a TERF is calling them out for behavior, while also letting the transgender community know that this is not a safe person to be around. If anything it’s a warning label. 

And look, don’t take this all to mean I hate women. I don’t. I only hate it when we pretend that an issue such as menstruation is exclusive to cis women. It isn’t. Women’s issues typically aren’t restricted to cis women. Trans women will experience violence and hate, usually at a disproportionately high rate when compared to their cisgender sisters. Trans men will often experience discrimination pre-transition, and maybe even post-transition from people who still see them as women. Not only that, but trans men typically experience the issues that come along with being biologically female (again, those that are afab). Most transgender men will menstruate and experience all the absolutely wonderful symptoms that come along with it. Some transgender men even get pregnant and have babies. No one is arguing that women have it easy. Transgender people - regardless of if they’re trans women, trans men, non-binary, agender, gender fluid, or gender-nonconforming - don’t want to erase women’s experiences throughout the years. We just want to live our lives in peace like everybody else. I just wish Rowling would stop pretending otherwise.

Is JK Rowling a terrible person? I don’t think I can go that far. She has made some serious contributions towards the acceptance of LGB (although notably not T) themes in children’s media, supports the Black Lives Matter movements, and even showcases fan art from very young fans on her Twitter. Although, she did share an article talking about the lesbian experience with discrimination and erasure, which is very important (hell, I admittedly don’t come across a lot of lesbian content on my Tumblr feed so I don’t get a chance to reblog a whole lot of it), but it also says that “ask my pronouns” is decidedly anti-lesbian, and paints the entire LGBTQIA+ community (referred to as “LGBTQ” with the quotes) as greedy, money-hungry, well-supported, and even predatory against children. Is this just a subject I’m not all that knowledgeable in? Perhaps, but I have a really hard time taking your arguments seriously LGBTQIA+ community is decidedly predatory against children, but I digress. I will say, however, that I am just disappointed. I’m disappointed someone who has been all about standing up to bullies and fighting against oppression has been using her platform to side with bullies and take part in said oppression. I’m disappointed she lumps “TERF” in with “Feminazi” and other terms designed to discredit women with opinions. And above all, I’m disappointed that she claims to offer us support when her actions support just the opposite. But, after all we’ve seen over the years, I can’t say I’m surprised.