#of older women... I don't want their value to be seen as only if they are sexy enough

[lacevalentines]

working off that last reblog, i've been doing a lot of thinking around people's perceptions of women but older women specifically and i've realized I don't tend to see a lot of art of women of varying ages. a lot of the beautiful pieces I tend to see online of women or even femmes tend to be of characters who would mostly pass as very youthful and it kind of makes me want to create more art that brings out the beauty of features associated with aging in the same kinds of art styles I tend to admire

there's this one artist I follow who draws a lot of art of femmes of all different kinds of body types and backgrounds, often with stretch marks and body hair being visible and I can't stress enough how gorgeous these pieces are (artists name is karlovycross if want to check out their work!). it inspires me to want to do something similar but with features showcasing women and femmes who have wrinkles and laughing lines and gray hair and age spots 🥺 these things are beautiful too and I think seeing it depicted in a humanizing way can help destigmatize these things, even if just a little bit

[yourheart-inmyhands]

invades ur inbox again............ ur post abt the baby not being the yans inspired me, what if reader was pregnant but it was their baby ? :3

listen, i don't want kids, but there are some fictional men out there that give me baby fever like never before </3

Warning: this post contains yandere-themes, delusional behaviors, obsessive behaviors, mentions of reader being pregnant and giving birth, and other potential topics. Please read at your own risk!

Yandere!Pantalone would be thrilled but also a bit hesitant to have a kid. His position as a Harbinger makes him a high value target and thus you by association. He does his best, buying out all the best doctors he can find across Teyvat to watch over your pregnancy and ensure there are no complications. Anything you need or crave or ask for, he’ll have for you.

Pantalone sighed in relief as he entered the room, you had been quite restless these past few days, feet swelling to the point you couldn’t walk, but you had finally settled enough to lay down for a nap. The stress of pregnancy was tough on anyone and he did his best to help soothe the pains, help fulfill every craving, and reassure every worry. Everything he could do to help make things a little easier on you he wasted no time in completing. When it came for check ups and any other medical care, he made sure the best of the best were always readily available for you. He wanted to ensure nothing happened to you or your child, as not only was that the heir to his fortune, but a part of him growing in you. This child would tie you to him forever.

Yandere!Diluc while keeping calm on the outside would be absolutely freaking out on the inside. He doesn’t know how to be a father, he couldn’t even be a good brother! He’ll spend his free time reading up on first time parenting books, paying closer attention to the mothers who pass by with their kids as he tries to pick up on some subtle parenting tricks.

Diluc sighed as he absentmindedly wiped at the same glass he had been cleaning for the past twenty minutes. Just outside the tavern, right in view were a mother and her child. The child was throwing and fit in the middle of the walkway and the mother was trying to calm him. The noise wasn’t a problem, the walls of the tavern were pretty thick, it was just the thought that Diluc would be in that position one day soon. His own child pitching a fit over some small, ridiculous thing while he flounders about, desperately trying to find any solution to the incessant crying. Thinking back to his beloved, who was currently at home under strict bed rest orders, and he longed to see them. To lay beside them in bed, retelling all the bizarre things he’d seen out the window of the tavern today, discussing what kinds of parents they wanted to be and how they would handle it.

Yandere!Zhongli is thrilled, inside and out, to be a father. While he’s lived for many years and has been a role model to many, he’s never had a proper child of his own. He of course maintains a calm and level head, but you’ll see him visiting the shops in town more often, chatting with the older women about his soon-to-be child and asking advice.

Zhongli smiled at the older woman as he picked a few flower arrangements for you, being stuck inside the house all day could be so drab, he hoped to brighten your day up even if just a little. It was no secret around town anymore that the handsome gentleman was a father-in-waiting, and with everything he talked about with the lovely women who helped their husbands run stalls for many years, it was clear he had a good grasp on what to do. Zhongli was more than just an esteemed gentleman with stunning looks, he was an intelligent and strong partner, the perfect type to raise a child with. His darling boss Hu Tao even offered to give him reduced shifts for a few months when it got close to birth and after so that he could be there to help with the first few months.

[outlanderskin]

The Thing About Rationality and Logic

Someone who was stopping shipping once told me that she was doing it because she was a very realistic and rational person and her life was based on logic. So I asked her if by that she meant that people like me live in fantasy or are irrational. So, I patiently explained that what made me a shipper was exactly logic, more than imagination or fantasy. Because the logical explanation for many events in S&C's trajectory would be that they are together, but they don't want the outside world to know that they are.

I'll cite some examples: when you have a best friend and someone in that person's family dies, what logically do you do? You see, we're talking about best friends, very close people who publicly say how much they value each other and are close. The logical thing would be for you to show solidarity, post condolences and behave publicly in a discreet manner, in solidarity with the loss of that person you love so much, especially because you (by logic) probably have known the deceased relative. The logic would be stay by your best friend's side, support the family. But what we saw in that sad august days, (showed ostensibly for us to believe) was something that no logical answer about "best friends/siblings" could explain. The only way to explain the narrative created in those days would be that they are two people with a cordial, but superficial, relationship and I believe that from what has been stated by the two all these years, not even the Antis deep down believe that they are not close. . Again I ask: what is the need to hide that you were supporting your best friend in an extremely painful moment in anyone's life? Many people (famous or not) do this publicly, because after all it is not a crime, it is the expected logical behavior. So... Why hide it? We know what really happened because this a logical thing, but the others believe firmly he was not there for her.

Let's move on to another point: the man of the year award (or something like that); How can you logically explain that you chose your mother, your best friend and your co-worker to thank, as the most important women in your life? You who apparently had many "girlfriends", who still gets along well with your discreet ex-girlfriend who lives on another continent, who has others close female friends, but didn't mention any of them along with your co-worker. I've seen several men receiving tributes and the Acknowledgments always include the mother, another older woman of reference and the wives, girlfriends, fiancées. The only time I saw a co-worker mentioned (and that was after his mother, grandmother and wife), was when the achievement was due to his work at the company, so it was logical to mention the department secretary. What would then be the logical explanation for that speech?

Something that also defies logic: if I have a best friend and that person is in a relationship, I will obviously include that person's boyfriend/girlfriend on my list of people with whom I am always cordial. I'm not going to publicly act like the person doesn't exist in my best friend's life. We have a wonderful example of how CD & LL treat each other's boyfriends/girlfriends and they don't hide it. This is how it is when we think logically.

Another little point where logic calls us: your male best friend might talk about a female artist with admiration...you don't need to tell him "behave", after all he's not your husband. The most you can do in the case of friendship is admire her or say you don't like her, never act like you're jealous.

Maybe it's just me, but I never went on my best friend's social media to complain because everyone in the photo was wearing a suit and he wasn't. I also never apologized or justified why he didn't wear a tie. I do this normally with my husband. Because it's logical for wives to do this.

These are just small points, where thinking logically justifies what we believe. So anyone who thinks that we are not rational, live outside of reality or do not have logical reasoning is mistaken, or has not yet stopped to think logically.🙃🙃

[rise-my-angel]

hi! i wanted to get your opinion because i admire the way you write these characters and you're so knowledgeable of the lore.

do you think robert actually loved lyanna or do you think she was just something he felt he was owed? like a prize that was taken away from him by someone else rather than her being her own person.

keep in mind i've only ever seen the show but his behaviour always struck me as obsessive rather than a man truly mourning "the love of his life."

i also don't see lyanna liking robert as 1) he was much older than her right? and 2) arya was a lot like her right? so she was a free spirit and wanted to learn and fight and not be a lady and robert doesn't strike me as someone ok with that in a wife. 3) robert's always been a whore so even if he did "love" lyanna he wouldn't be faithful regardless.

i know ned loved robert but he too saw the type of person robert was (and became after the war) and i don't see ned being truly comfortable with him being with his sister.

anyway i just have a lot of feelings about lyanna even tho i don't know much about her (i've just started the first book!) and i feel for her because girls are never allowed to just be girls. men always ruin everything with their wars and their egos and it's always the women who suffer, especially in game of thrones.

i think often of what it would be like if she lived and how horrid her future would be because of men in her life especially if she still gave birth to jon. she didn't deserve to die but maybe death was a kinder fate.

So interestingly enough, Robert in the show actually provides a lot more interesting perspective on this. Robert in the books is a lot more blatantly dislikable and unsympathetic, but the show provides us a new version of Robert that is actually as tragic as he is pathetic.

The simple fact of the matter is Robert didn't really know her. Robert liked the idea of Lyanna, but because she was gone so early before he could know her, he doesn't actually have a memory of her that is solid and concrete. He only has the memory of the idea of her, and he can only mourn that. So as the years go on, by the time we meet him, he has really nothing left but those scraps of a girl he hardly knew.

It's more explained in the books, but Lyanna did not like Robert. She didn't like he got around so much he had bastards yet was betrothed to her, she didn't like the fact that she knew he would be unfaithful, and clearly did not wish to marry him. Now Ned did try and tell her otherwise because partially yes Robert is his friend, but also because Ned knows he has no control over that marriage and would rather try to make his sister feel better and say maybe it will get better then just tell her what a miserable life shes in store for. Ned wanted to give her hope rather then give her literally nothing.

But Robert in the show is much more interesting, because he in the show, knows exactly what he's turned into. Robert in the show is smart, we see in the way he senses war coming, the way he understands what would happen should the Dothraki invade and in reterospective he was right about getting rid of the Targaryean threat early on before they slaughtered the people of Westeros. We struggle to see he's right though because both what we know about Jon and how that influences Neds responce to all this, and also his passion for his own hatred is off putting, but he's right, he's smart and he knows he is washed up from his own hand.

But Robert too, knows hes pathetic. He knows he has given himself no life to value now, so all he has is the past to cling onto. It's why he cannot give up Lyannas memory. She died before he had the chance to know her as a person and thus his memory of her loss is shrouded in the falsehoods he painted about her.

There's this scene he has with Cersei discussing her, and it's why I think Robert both does and doesn't love Lyanna, it's also one of the most emotionally honest scenes in season 1 from Robert of all people:

"You want to know the horrible truth? I can't even remember what she looked like. All I know is she was the one thing I ever wanted. Someone took her away from me, and Seven Kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind."

Robert is trapped at Lyannas loss. He has never moved on, and he still mourns her as if right in that fresh memory. But he also knows he has so little of Lyanna that he barley has her image in his head, all he has is the memory of loss. It's pathetic and he knows he's pathetic because he laments with shame to Cersei just after this that he never could've loved her in Lyannas place.

He loves the memory of Lyanna rather then her, but Robert in the show is more sympathetic about it. Him saying Seven Kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind is such a good line. He's saying being King did not fufill that loss and thus nothing at this point ever will. He's admitting being King was not a solution to trauma but he knows no other way anymore.

Now would she have been happy with Robert? No. I don't think Lyanna wanted to marry at all, or at least at that age she held no interest in marriage. She was wild and fun and passionate about her people, her brothers, her friends. She wanted to be a girl who still had time to live her passions and maybe pursue something more to her duties as a highborn girl later in life.

Now, some people think Ned would never have stepped in on Lyannas behalf with Robert, but no. Ned hid Lyannas son from Robert, which considering who the father was, that act by Ned could've been considered treason for Jons whole life. Ned does not value Roberts friendship or his loyalty to Robert over Lyanna. And some people equating how Ned handles Cersei to how he'd handle Lyanna is wrong.

Ned KNOWS Cersei is the enemy. Ned KNOWS Cersei would rather see him dead then what she's built up dismantled. Ned feels for her abuse at Roberts hands but will not step in because Cersei has given him no reason to be loyal to her more then his oldest friend.

But Ned cared more about Lyanna then Cersei and more about Lyanna then Robert.

Some people think Ned wouldn't have intervened if Lyanna suffered with Robert but thats not true. Ned hid the biggest secret Robert would've killed for, from him even beyond Roberts death. If Ned wouldn't have stepped in for Lyanna against Robert, he wouldn't have taken Lyannas son in as his own and hidden him from Robert his whole life.

Ned also DOES push back against him. Talks him out of stupid ideas, tells him off, quits being Hand of the King (which too is actually about Neds own fear about Robert learning the truth of Lyanna and Jon, its actually not about Dany at all). Ned clearly does not put Robert ahead of his family until he is given no choice but to stay and serve him. Robert all but orders him to stay in Kings Landing, which even then, Neds plan is to still send his children home even when he couldn't go with them.

I can't say for sure if Robert would've treated Lyanna the way he did Cersei, but I don't think it would be like that. He'd still be unfaithful and hostile, but he hates Cersei partially because he was forced to marry a woman soon after losing Lyanna. He resents Cersei for not being her.

If he married Lyanna I don't think he'd mistreat her the way he blatantly does Cersei but no, it wouldn't have been a happy marriage. But I don't think the degree of abuse and marital rape would have occurred the way people think it would've.

Robert and Ned both do not value Cersei's life the way they both valued Lyannas, and thus the way she'd be treated or protected would be vastly different then how both of them separately handled Cersei.

Robert in the show is more tragic then he is hateable. He didn't know Lyanna and cannot move past the trauma of how she left this world. But in the show, he knows that and he knows he's pathetic for it. Now, what would've happened if Lyanna still gave birth to Jon but lived?

Thats a harder thing to hide. I think Ned still would've done the same thing, still lie and claim Jon as his own son, but would've done everything he could to ensure Lyanna does not marry Robert so she could stay in Winterfell with her son.

The question comes down to, would Robert treat Lyanna and Jon the way he tried to do with Dany when learning she was pregnant. And I don't think I can say conclusively one way or another. Clearly Ned is terrified that the answer is yes, and thats why he quits and desperatly tries to leave the captiol with his daughters. He's terrified of this reaction not for Danys sake but because hes realizing that Roberts love for Lyanna STILL would not protect Jon. He tries to leave the captiol because hes terrified that his best friend would murder Jon if he learned the truth even now, and is living in a trauma asking himself if he'd have killed Lyanna too.

But how Robert would handle Lyanna if she lived, objectively, I do not know.

Robert would try to kill Jon, but would he really harm Lyanna? It's impossible to say. But Lyanna should've lived no matter what. Rhaegar kidnapping her and she survived childbirth, or if that scenario never happened, I fully believe Ned and his brothers would've stepped in if Lyanna was mistreated by Robert. Brandon literally rode to Kings Landing to confront Rhaegar to resuce his sister, had he lived, at the least, Brandon absolutely would've stepped in on Lyannas behalf since he has no emotional attachment to Robert. And I fail to see why Ned would put his friend over the sister he literally risked everything for.

The Starks protect each other. If Ned wasn't willing to side against Robert on his sisters behalf, he never would've hidden Jon from Robert in the first place. He protected Jon because it was his final way of protecting Lyanna.

In the books, I think theres more of an argument to say Robert would've mistreated her, but in the show? I cannot say yes or no, Robert Baratheon in the show is a completely different version of this character.

And I think show Robert is a lot more sympathetic then haters of book Robert will give him credit for. Which I can say, because I, a fan of show Robert actually fucking hate Robert in the books. Get away from Cersei you abuser, I know she's crazy and evil but hiss hiss bite bite.

But really that one line I quoted earlier tells me that he has always had a soft spot for Lyanna, and he knows that being King didn't actually help him move on. In his own way he loves Lyanna, but the way he loves her is just different then the people who are Lyannas actual blood. The same is true for Robert, Ned, and even without realizing so directly, Jon too.

Seven Kingdoms couldn't fill the hole she left behind.

[vay99]

Chishiya x reader

Between clubs and hearts

Manga/Live action: Alice in Borderland

Side note:

!!!This is a game I completely made up!!!

I've read the Manga and watched the life action, I'll go with the life action for this one shot

Spoiler alert for those who haven't seen/read the 10th heart game yet

/Club 8? What's this? Yesterday it said spade 4 I think. What does this mean?/ as a thousand questions ring through your head you look around to see if there'd be anyone you could ask and looks trustworthy. You see two woman in their mid 40's, who seem pretty anxious, a few guys in smokings, three high schoolers and two that looks as if they were just coming from the pool.

Looking at the table you see phones and a metal chain, the card says to put the chain around your waist. Once it clicked it adjusts to your size, so you can escape from it.

"What the hell."

-Game start-

-Club 8-

Chains were coming out of holes in the wall, with every player having one attached to the one around their waist.

-You're all connected by these chains. To free yourself you need to find the right key out of the box in the middle. But beware, you can only move forward if someone else walks backwards. Work together to free everyone. After one minute the walls will start closing in, you have 8 minutes until the walls reach the middle. Games start in 30 seconds-

"What?"

"No way!"

"We just have to work together, this is an easy game!"

"Easy?" the guy besides you muses. "This could be a heart game as well."

"You seem to know these games quite well." you figure, he and his companion are the only ones that seem calm.

"New to this world?"

"I've had one game so far."

"Mhm, interesting." he nods, removing the hood of his jacket.

"I'm y/n." you introduce yourself, he seems like the only person in this room who seems totally unbothered, being on his side probably gives you the highest rate of survival. Yet he just stares at you, as if he's trying to figure your value.

"I'm Kuina by the way." the girl next to him takes over, she's probably the liveliest person you've seen since you've arrived.

"Nice to meet you." you nod, not sure if you should keep questioning the people around you instead of the game. That seems to be starting now.

The second the game starts the chaos begins, everyone is running towards the middle, the two older women pushed one another back to get further. Not one of them moved more than a step.

"So it began." the guy comments, as if he were a bystander.

"Not trying to disturb your commentary, but we'll all die if we don't do something."

"I agree with her, Chishiya you usually have a plan." Kuina pushes her friend to say something.

"Us three can't do anything. Judging from this room everyone would need to get as close as two meters in front of the wall for one person to be able to reach the middle. Who would trust a stranger like that?" Chishiya concludes, leaving Kuina and you to exchange panicked glances.

"Thanks for the analysis Einstein, but we need a freaking solution." you call him out which once earns a chuckle from the man.

"Okay, I'll trust you." one of the high school girls says, walking backwards, the second she steps back she gets pulled against the wall by those who pull the hardest. Right as she hits the wall hot nails come out, killing her instantly.

"Nooo!"

"I want home!!"

"I don't want to die!"

Hell breaks loose.

"Bloody perfect, now there's hot spikes! This got worse way too quick." you notice, leaning more into your chain as well so you don't loose your grip.

"No one will cooperate now." Kuina says. "Chishiya do something!"

"We have to wait till some more people slip." he casually answers as if he weren't talking about peoples life's.

"I won't accept this. I've seen people push one another into death already." you say as you take tiny steps backwards.

"Are you insane, you'll die a useless death." Chishiya calls out, turning towards you.

"We're gonna die either way, and I'd rather die trying to work together than being selfish like the rest."

Chishiya just looks at you for a while till he turns towards the middle again, chuckling. "You're interesting, I like that."

Another five people die as they got pushed by their neighbors and lost hold, only six people left. According to Chishiyas calculations one person should be able to reach the middle by now, if only one person would've moved during that time.

Chishiya keeps a close eye on one player, who looks extremely stressed. "Kuina, on my sign you run as fast as you can towards the middle."

Earning a unsure Glace from her he continues observing. Until it happens. The guy looses tension, leaning forward, hands on his knees.

"Now!" Chishiya immediately runs back as Kuina sprints forward, pulling the poor guy against the wall and reaching the keys.

"Yes! They have numbers!" she looks around but doesn't see a number.

"Y/n is number 10, you're number 9 Kuina." he says, that guy really did observe everything. The numbers were randomly given as the game started, showing up at the back of your lock. Kuina picks the right keys and throws them to each one of you.

As soon as you've freed yourself you run to Chishiya to figure his number.

"5!" you catch the key and get him free just in time, burning your right elbow during the process.

"We gotta go! The walls are nearly too close!" Kuna warns, throwing the keys randomly to the people. "Sorry."

"We can't just-" you were about to protest But Chishiya grabs your wrist and pulls you out of this hell behind him.

All you hear after that were the painful voices of those who were torn to death.

-Congratulations-

-Game clear-

"We let them die." you breath, sinking to the ground.

"Y/n, I'm not a fan of this either, but we had no choice." Kuina sits down next to you, able to relate to your emotions.

"We all just want to survive, isn't it human to betray others so we can live?" Chishiya asks, knowing that you won't respond. You know the answer, even though you hate it.

"Why don't you come with us?"

That question was the last thing you remembered of that night. The next day you wake up in a hotel room, Kuina sleeping on the bed next to you.

"Where the hell am I?"

"The beach." Chishiya greets you, leaning against the door frame. "You still have eleven days on your visa, so they won't send you to a game tonight."

"I can continue to sleep you mean? Gladly." you fall back into the white sheets.

The following four days Chishiya would guide you around and for the one game you had to participate in he made sure that he'd be there as well.

But during the 10th of heart game you've lost each other. And since he kept you close the entire time he knew that the military section wouldn't hesitate to shoot you. It wasn't a secret that they hated Chishiya and everything related to him. At least Niragi.

"How did I loose them so quickly?" you run around, after the three of you were in the camera room Kuina left to see what Ann was doing and Chishiya wanted to blow up Niragi. Like legit.

You were following him but a huge crowd and witch hunters seperated you.

"Hey witch come here! Don't make us kill you here, then we have to to carry you!" some guy yells as he shoots in your direction.

"Fuck off!" you run towards the smoke, against all your instincts.

Crawling over the ground to escape the smoke you try to find a way out. A window. Being on the tenth floor you knew that you won't survive such a jump, but you had no choice, the fire caught up to quickly so you had to try to jump from one balcony to another until you're on the first floor.

"Kuina!" you run towards your friend who's currently helping out Ann. "Have you seen Chishiya?"

"No, but he doesn't die that easy." she reassures you.

Arisu and Ann explained how to win this game, but Niragi just had to show up and blow everything up didn't he? Aguni threw himself at him and they got lost in the flames. And usually you would've been relieved if there wasn't this tiny problem. Your leg was shot. Your calf. And it was bleeding like hell.

"Y/n!" Kuina and Usagi immediately run to you, adding pressure to the wound. "Stay with us!"

"Make it stop!" you grunt through your teeth, trying to endure the pain. It only hurt more once Usagi put her jacket around your leg as a compress bandage.

As the others burn the witch you walk outside, being supported by Usagi, watching the Beach burn. No sight of Chishiya.

"I'll look for him." you say, trying to take a step but your leg had different plans. You're met with the ground. "Damn it."

"I'll look for him." Kuina says, not waiting for your response and just taking off.

The crowd gets smaller, all the members of beach head off to different directions, leaving Arisu, Usagi, Tatta and you.

"Kuina shouldn't have gone back." Usagi voices her concern, watching the building collapse.

"I told her the same."

"Chishiya!" you can't believe your eyes, he's alive and unharmed, you struggle to get back on your feet to walk towards him. "You're alright, I was worri-" you stop midsentence, surprised by the hug you find yourself in.

"I'm so glad you're alive." he mutters against your shoulder, arms wrapped tight around your back.

"Me too."

"What happened to your leg?" he inspects your leg after loosing the hug, seeing blood all over your foot. "Let me have a look."

"Chishiya?"

"I'm a doctor." he answers calmly, taking a look at your wound. "A bullet, it went right through, it hit an artery."

"It was Niragi."

"He's still alive?" he asked surprised. "But I burned him."

"He should be dead now." you watch Chishiya tighten the bandage more.

"Let's get some medical supplies so I can fix your leg." he says as he sweeps you up into his arms.

"Chishiya being sweet? Now I've really seen it all." Kuina shakes her head in disbelieve, following behind you by a bit to give you at least a bit privacy to talk.

[genericpuff]

I don't want to derail what you said about LO being creepy because if it's for adults then it's a story about adults who think it's fine to pursue teenagers. Because that's true! Only that there's a deeper level to my eyes. If these older women are self inserting into Persephone, then there's this really weird thing going on where they assume the only way it's acceptable for them to be valued sexually, without that value being tainted in any way, is when they're young. It's as though the story is a fantasy where you get to be both as valuable as you will ever be and also "corrupted" in a sexual way that's acceptable and fine because you're not the one doing it. I dunno. It seems awfully convenient to me Persephone hardly ever acts in the same sexual way Hades does towards her. The whole thing scares me personally not out of the assumption these women will seek out teenagers to date, but because they'd endorse such a manipulative relationship if they saw it. Weirdly enough, not completely unlike what Hera does to Persephone.

Yepp, I didn't touch on it much in that post but it's what I mean when I say the venn diagram between teenage girls and 40 year old women is a circle. And that's not to be a dick to either age range, it's hard to be a teenager and it's hard to get older. But you can tell LO is being written for women who miss being young by a woman who misses being young. And it's a shame it has nothing positive to say about ageing on the other side. Like, there are definitely stories out there that touch on these subjects in a very sweet way, reminding people that they shouldn't be ashamed to get older! It comes with hardships, yes, but it also comes with the joy of gaining experience and passing knowledge on to the younger generations.

Unfortunately, LO seems to paint this picture that you're only valuable and attainable so long as you can pull off being 'eternally 19'. Despite Persephone now being 30, her appearance flip flops between being a mature adult and a teenage girl.

And frankly... not to pull up things from 20 years ago as 'proof' of anything, but Rachel herself has said some not so great things about her own age that implies if she could legally make Persephone younger, she would have. I mean, that implication is already there by her making Persephone 19, as young as she could make her without it being illegal to ship her with Hades, who is also someone who falls into that implied category of "the only reason he dates 19 year olds is because he can't date anyone younger". But it's especially apparent here:

Like, it seems to be that Rachel doesn't see the issue with Persephone being 19, because in her mind being 19 is old. Obviously that isn't necessarily what exactly is going on here, esp because that post was from well over a decade ago so I'm not gonna hold her to the exact same mindset and standards she was at back then, but it's especially telling when she's now in her mid 30's and is still writing and drawing Persephone as if she's a young teenager, not even a "pushing 20" teenager, but a 14-15 year old teenager. Like, yeah, that indication of her behavior and mindset is ancient history now, but that behavior and mindset was clearly still prevalent when she started LO and even still now 5 years later.

And that comparison to Hera is spot-on. Especially now that we've seen her try to rationalize what happened to her when she was Persephone's age with Kronos, she seems to feel like she deserves to be the queen alongside a rich leader because she "suffered more" for it (completely disregarding everything Demeter has been through as well, missing the point entirely that they're both victims). She also outright says Persephone is "lucky" that she gets to be eternally 19.

So yeah, you're not far off the mark there, tbh. It really does feel like Persephone is the demographic made up of teenagers, being projected onto by adults like Hera.

[beardedmrbean]

Hi, do you know any Jewish gen x and millennials? Because I just, wondering how their dealing with the left handling of the Palestine-Israel conflict. Because I would go “Is this the hatred my elders was warning me about?”

How can one cope, after dealing with the generational trauma of a event that created the term genocide only for people that supposedly said “never again” to go and speak the same way the Nazis spoke about your people.

I forget how to pronounce this one, it'll sum up the response you'd get from most of the community though I think.

______________

Gen-X and older millennials in my observation have been bracing for this for a while now, I don't have any Jewish friends I regularly chat with at the moment most are way too busy but I try to keep an eye on as many people as I can and let them know I'm available if they need something, anything I can do at all.

One of the ones I see the most was already a cynical bastard who loves a fight so he's looking to have a good time shitting on people for being ignorant. ___________

Posted this yesterday, probably going to be a fairly common sentiment that folks are getting, but it's been building for a while even if others that don't pay attention haven't seen it.

Remember the dyke march?

But hey at least the exclude the people that will brutally kill you for being gay right?

Same happened at the women's march too, they had to get rid of most of the leadership because they had too much in common with nazis.

oh and

One marcher defended the flags in a post on the Chicago Dyke March Facebook page. “The flags that ‘triggered’ people were NOT a flag of the modern state of Israel, they are PRIDE flags adorned with the star of David. The star of David is, first and foremost, a Jewish symbol, long before the modern state of Israel was even a thought. It’s been a symbol of the Jewish people for centuries, and those marching put it on their flags to represent their intersectionality as LGTBQ+ JEWS. They were not using the dyke march to show support of Israel. They were not making a political statement regarding it. They were simply displaying who they are and that their religious faith is part of their identity. Removing those flags, and the people who marched with it, shows a deep level of ignorance, and yes, it also shows antisemitism masquerading as liberal values,” the post said.

Then as if that wasn't bad enough (you can only be a good gay if you're willing to hide the fact that you're Jewish I guess)

We've also got the current betrayal, or mask off moment at least.

_______________________

This all isn't just to try and change anyone's minds about Israel or palestine mind you, since all of this is pretty well known it's not likely to do that anyhow, so no real point in trying anymore.

But like I've said many have had a chance to brace for this, to some extent, given the lead up to it and the whole thing with the last little warlett a couple years back.

This all ends the Jewish community is not likely to put up with folks wanting them to go back to being Schrödinger's POC, to be used as a cudgel when someone puts a horn in a video game, I think the phrase "The Jews are Tired" will be replaced with 'The Jews Are Done With Your Shit' or something like that.

Gonna take a bit for some of the younger ones to shake off the feelings of betrayal from communities that claimed to be accepting of them, and then added conditions that nobody else had. ______________________

I know I have a bunch of Jewish followers here, I would love to get a personal perspective from you if you have something you'd like to add.

Regardless of all the hatemail and threats I've gotten over the years I will continue to keep my inbox available for anonymous asks if you want to go that way too.

Sorry this took so long, deleted and redid it several times, still not totally happy with it but oh well at this point. lol

[viviennelamb]

Can you tell us more about how engaging in degeneracy (in thought or action) affects one's appearance, particularly in how one ages? Sorry if this is something you've gone over in your book, I haven't had the chance to purchase it yet. "Hitting the wall," and attraction politics in general is a common thing I used to see discussed in feminist spaces. They complain about how men don't want women to age and say men are the ones who only look good in their 20s. My thought when people talk about others "hitting the wall" is that it isn't simply getting older that makes someone look bad, but their habits are starting to show in their face because youth is so forgiving of self destructive behavior. That grace period wears off and all the alcohol, drugs, sex, anxiety and stress start to become evident. On social media I see women posting pictures of themselves saying "this is what a normal 30/40/50 year old woman looks like" and they look terrible. I occasionally see older women who look vibrant but most look dried out and dead inside. I even know people my age who look like that already. My generation is very obsessed with skincare, and to a certain degree I enjoy it as well. It feels good to take care of my skin but I try to keep it as simple and possible. It seems like people think having the perfect 10-step skincare routine is going to erase everything they're putting their body through.

I don't have much about the state of the body in OTE as it is about how to identify and remove egotism from your life, but the next book is filled with this topic.

With accelerated aging, the usual wrinkles in the face, dry skin, sensitivity to the sun are a given. Most males lose their hair at an early age, and women as well. This doesn't include people who were born with finer textures of hair, I'm talking about people with thick hair, losing the majority of it by the time they turn 30. But aging within the body is what matters even more: joint pain, poor immune system, tooth decay and loss, loss of the senses, nerve damage, "early on-set" dementia, etc.

I've seen 18-year-olds look like a mediocre 50 (the one I'm referring to in particular talked about sex almost non-stop and was into BSDM). It's also quite shocking how old "old" people look in general, there's always been something off with the amount of unrecognizable change we see in a relatively short period of time. Sorry, but 50 years is not a long time, but it is if you're putting your body through a daily hell—rampant abuse of the mind and body is the culprit. This is the primary reason why capitalism will not die, it's because people need to work to buy products that don't work to make themselves feel clean without actually being clean. Skin care, organic eating, cleanses, detoxes emerge from the desire to clean oneself from of self-abuse. The best detox is to stop putting stuff into and on the body and let the body heal on its own. The body is self-sustaining until it's taught that it isn't.

Whenever somebody is really sexual online, and then they post a picture, they look just as repulsive as the words they spew. I haven't seen an exception to this yet. It's incredible that they think they're attractive, but sexophiles have a different standard among themselves. They have to hold on to their youth because they won't have it for long. I've seen the absolute most hideous and repulsive people considered attractive because they've been vocal about their sexcapades.

The “standards” discussion is fake, lustful people fuck anything they can get their hands on. Men and women are having an ego brawl when it comes to the beauty/aging discussion, truth is they're equally yoked. Once they're together in person, it's a fundamentally different story, which is why they say “This doesn't happen IRL.” Filth attracts filth regardless of the pseudo-values and artificial types postured.

Being attractive is a thing when it comes to particular features because that doesn't matter. It's really more a test of time. There's a discernible difference between people who abuse themselves and who don't. It's incredibly obvious when you become more discriminating. It's not just an energy, either, but something that can be observed. People who have sex morph into monstrous aliens—the more sex they have, the more grotesque. The eyes really are the window to the soul.

A woman hits the wall when she knows the truth about men, it doesn't necessarily correlate with age. Men want to see that you're not defiled. When men see that you're still pure, they have an urge to destroy you and then get a younger chick to do the same thing. The older a woman is, the more likely she is to be sexually damaged, and they don't want that. They want to do the damaging themselves.

Chastity, meditation and loving God has reversed all the “mysterious” problems I experienced previously, and it hasn't been close to a year yet. Never thought I'd say having a period is enjoyable, but it is now.

[alwida10]

have you seen the new loki spoilers? I don't know if you want to be spoiled (let me know and I'll link you) but according to them they're doubling down on everything we disliked in season 1. More Sylvie, more Larry pining, more romance. Sighs

I don’t think I have seen the spoilers, but I would love a link! It’s very considerate of you asking for consent before sending the link. Thank you.

I’m including a cut since I’ll mention some older spoilers for season 2 underneath.

That said, after I finally made myself watch the trailer I got exactly the same feeling. For me it looked very much like this season is focused on Sylvie’s character arc, which by itself isn’t a bad thing. (I just wished they would leave Loki out of it, so I could skip it without second thought.) Despite me not being interested in Sylvie, from a story-telling perspective I agree that she deserves more screen time to get a fulfilling character arc. I just dislike the message that anyone, be it women or men, would need a relationship to become better or whole. Amatonormativity is fucked up, especially for a character so many othered people identify with because he doesn’t adhere to the traditional Christian values. Values that teach you aren’t successful if you don’t have a job, a house a wife and children. Loki should be chaotic. Hell, Sylvie should be chaotic. Arguing they both need anyone to be complete is a disservice for all those who struggle to keep a deeper relationship for whatever reasons. That doesn’t make one lesser.

I think one of the earliest spoilers I heard were about an older version of Sylvie who allegedly led the TVA, implying she went dark side. This trope is often used to give a younger hero (or in this case variant) the chance to “do better”. In the trailer, Loki and Sylvie cast this massive green wave of magic while holding hands. This is most likely about them being strong together and incapable alone. (subtitle, isn’t it?) so, yeah, I expect this season to hammer down the message that their relationship is the only thing that could save the multiverse, while the lack of it would make them both die or become irredeemable villains with a sledgehammer.

Sadly, I can both see and understand all that and still am unable to let go of my Loki-obsession for good. Perhaps I should write a fan letter to Dante, proposing this concept for another circle of hell. Given the fact the divine comedy is basically a self-insert fanfic where he imagines meeting all the people who admires I think it should meet the premises. 😩

Ok, this got long for a simple “yes please”. 🙈 sorry!! So, yes please! Give me all the discouraging spoilers! Kill my hope! I beg you!! 😭

[nomorerww]

Blocked by another awesome feminist but I just wanted to chime in with some of my experiences here because they felt relevant despite the fact that they didn't happen because I was older than 30 at the time. I think men love targeting any woman who seems vulnerable, and I've noticed that they will treat two women they don't know very differently depending on how sexy they think you are, i.e. I've seen scantily clad women avoid getting hate from men because they're sharing sexy pictures of themselves online. Being young is obviously preferred. So I think at least on women's part, there's this tendency to want to not only gain value in men's eyes but get that positive attention by self-objectifying and whatever other concessions you can make. When you stop getting attention from men because you're no longer young and interested in titillating men, you become an afterthought. This is so heinous and the fact that middle-aged women have so much life experience and knowledge and wisdom and this leads them to be activists like in the gender critical movement is part of what makes society hate them in a way. I think powerful women are women who have amassed a lifetime's worth of resources and wealth and will have the capability to fight oppression effectively and not just wimpily do s*** like self-objectify and expect that to help them avoid being treated bad for being women.

I've experienced s*** like this with male bullies. Especially the ones that have no qualms about targeting women.

[joannastratfordphotos]

Take Care Of Your Heart

"That one solid place we both yearned to be. Both 17 lost in thought, and immersed in our dreams. Reading and reflecting crossed legged and serene.

This is a place I visited

for the serenity in the healing

we both would need.

In a single glimpse of time, A photo capturing a moment of surprise. Within the waterfront of paradise, sunshine, and sailboats coincide.

Two thoughtful, young women living it up and only high on life. Being hopeful. Being peaceful. Being Free. Being alive. Our observations of the world: The pureness,

The lightheadedness, The beauty, The love. The compassion of heart

and understanding

of what exists above.

The yearning of being

noticed, the joy

of seeing and being seen. Like two dreamy teenagers caught up in day visions and aspirations of life

and amazing destinations to be. This is the image I carry of us in a wallet of my mind. And open it back up whenever I need to rewind or remind.

The world is so big,

too big to allow small

things get in the way,

overshadowing the

things we need to say.

Remember,

when an image is distorted of who we are as people or who we are meant to be. Many that try to break us down

are not seeing us

purposely.

Don’t reflect through

that lens of

disapproval

or the judgements

combined.

Don't allow

the procrastination

I will make changes:

“Someday

when I have more time."

Remember these words:

"Kümmere

dich um dein Herz

und beherrsche deinen

Verstand."

<<<

Meaning in German:

"Take care of your heart and rule your mind."

Remember who you were,

before the world told you

who you should be. You

were much happier then.

Life is too short. Focus

on what matters.

Dana Hills California

A beautiful young girl, at 17 Nicole Brown, sat reading with many goals, ambitions, and dreams any beautiful and smart teenager could ever have. She wanted to be a photographer, an interior decorator, a mother, a traveler. She dreamed of being wealthy, being successful, being noticed, understood, appreciated, valued, respected, and deeply loved as every person would want no matter what background they have. She cared truly for her family, close friends, and her children.

Nicole had her whole life ahead of her, and more dreams to be made into realties. Seemingly pensive and certain times introverted, there was a side that reminded me of myself. And we also both experienced the trauma of domestic violence, emotional abuse and the long journey it took to heal. Which is why I share a lot about it and about her here.

This photo of Nicole at 17 is one of my favorites as she is sitting in front of a beautiful waterfront landscape in Dana Point/Dana Hills California the town she grew up in months before she met a man, she thought would be her forever soulmate, years later ending tragically.

But I always wondered what Nicole was dreaming or thinking about in her picture.

Here is me also at 17 with a candid photo my grandmother took of me reading in the backyard many years ago. And as an adult I was surprised at how similar this photo was of Nicole's. This was not done purposely. Nor did I see Nicole's photo in comparison until I was much older living on my own.

But honestly, I truly love how lighthearted, pure, and peaceful this picture and Nicole's both embodied in its simplicity.

Buried in books and living in my imagination, I was constantly scribbling stories and dreaming of faraway places. My inquisitive mind and persistent curiosity led me further than I ever thought possible. I was a little girl with big dreams, in a world where nothing seemed impossible, where life was bliss.

During my storms, I had the ability to rise, but I needed to step out of the shadows, learn to set better boundaries for myself, begin my healing journey, and cut ties from toxic people who did not see value in me or did not encourage me to be my best self. I need to see my worth in those that truly valued me.

Looking at this picture the older I'd become, I would stop myself and ask this important question: “What do I really want in life?”

It was a revelation hard to explain in words, an incredible energy and force that helped me wake up. In this tiny moment I found the strength to take life into my own hands and start living the life I deserved.

So, I sat down and wrote everything I had ever wanted in life. I wrote all of my dreams, goals, and plans that I was going to reach with the procrastination, “Someday when I have more time." Not always realizing that time is now, and life is short.

I changed my perspective and finally listened to my heart. I did what was good for me. I stopped making excuses. I decluttered my mind. My soul. My whole life.

Furthermore, while in the middle of writing and editing this poem today, I recieved this mysterious message in German which remarkably became the ending stanza. This wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for this message I received earlier today.

"Kümmere dich um dein Herz und beherrsche deinen Verstand."

<<<

Meaning:

"Take care of your heart and rule your mind."

<<<

Nicole also spoke fluent German and would recite a certain prayer with her grandparents and eventually with her children in German.

I thought that was interesting, and maybe it was meant as a sign for me today.

Either way I hope you enjoyed this poem. I am glad I finally had the inspiration to write it.

Photo Credit: Peaceful Reading By The Plain Observer.

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi cas! i love your blog sm, not only your blog but you as a person so much.

i hope i am not bothering you by asking this but i seriously don't know who else to ask.

so there's this girl at my school, my classmate. like we are not besties to say but she is a really good friend, sometimes when my bestfriend and her bestfriend don't show up to class we sit together and sometimes all four of us sit together. we have short convos like talking about our interests, animes, her drawing passion and all. so to say we are might not be super close but we are good friends.

today she told me that she likes me and came out to me - i am really happy for her mustering the courage to let it out, she told me how no one other than her older sister knows, not even her best friend.

on the instant she told me this, she panicked, to say. she was like "i am so sorry if it spooked you" "i just had to say it" "you can defo reject me..i didn't want to burden you" "my god why am i saying this...pls i hope our friendship doesn't change" she didn't let me say a word, she was getting so anxious. and without listening to me she left.

and now i don't know what to do, i feel really horrible ik how hard it must have been for her in first place, to come out to me, the only other person. she let her be vulnerable and confided in me.

but i am straight. no no i am not homophobic at all (i am literally in this fandom, forget about fandom i am proudly a lgbt)

but i never felt any attraction to females.

uh..man i don't want to make her sad. i can't and i don't want this to be complicated bw us. i don't want her to be heartbroken. i don't want her to regret coming out to me.

what should i do?

should i date her? (i have never been grossed out with w/w relationship but before this i never saw myself in one) i don't want her to be heartbroken..how can i ever tell her i'm straight.

i don't know... can a straight person like me date her? i really want a advice. if you say i should, i promise i won't be breaking her heart..i have always for me seen me in a single relation with someone and giving them all the love but i never saw a fem as my s/o cause im staright.

will i catch feelings overtime? will i be able to love her?

pls..guide me what should i do.

[ i hope what i meant to say was understandable. english isn't my first lang so forgive me for any mistakes ]

Hi love! <3

So it seems like you're pretty adamant that you're not attracted to girls. If you're sure about that, then:

Please, please, do not date this girl if you don't like her. That's not fair to her OR you! You can't just....find feelings that don't exist. And it's not fair to bring her hopes up.

(Now, that isn't to say that maybe you never considered dating women, and not you're considering it, and it sounds cool. But if it does NOT sound cool. If you are straight? Don't do it.)

You need to be honest with her. Sit her down and give her the respect she deserves. Tell her, "I really value our friendship, and I am so honored that you trusted me enough to come out to me. I want you to know that I don't just you at ALL for being LGBTQIA+. But I'm not, and I don't want to pretend to be, because it would just be hurtful, in the end. I think you're really cool, but I'm just not attracted to girls."

Trust me, being truthful will be much better in the long run. Sure, she'll be disappointed. But your sexuality isn't personal, and if you are kind and honest and accepting with her? That's still a much better coming-out story than a lot of people. Trust me.

And after? Try not to make it awkward. Don't treat her differently. But don't force something that isn't there. It'll just end up in someone getting hurt.

Hope that helps!

<3

[matan4il]

Would I have viewed the finale differently if I didn't know it could have been the last? It still would have sucked and I would have been bummed. Outside of the Buddie of it I don't know why they couldn't let one of them stay single. Especially the pandering way they did it.

As someone who chooses not to be in a relationship, I wish they would have normalized it. I was a bit of an oopsie to older parents and the very youngest to many siblings. As a result, I have taken care of them and a lot of nieces and nephews. But I love it!! It allowed me to go to school longer and get my dream job. I get to vacation when I want. Everyone knows I will be the one to take the kids on their first trip abroad. I love my life. It's a blend of selflessness and selfishness, and there have been people like me forever. I have always seen shades of that in Eddie and Buck. I don't see the need to force either to be in a relationship or even make them seem lonely. Either way, I still wouldn't have liked it because it was done poorly, I especially didn't understand the "why Marisol." It was lazy writing and unfulfilled at best.

Also, one other small thing. I do identify with them a bit also because it's like the butterfly effect. Maybe they would be completely different people if Eddie hadn't knocked up Shannon and Bucks' parents' cared. Maybe I would be different if I was first born instead of last? And that's OK to think, but also ok to still love the life you have now..

Hi Nonnie! Thank you for the ask and sorry it's taken me a bit to reply, I wish real life wasn't as intense... but I hope you're doing good! *hug*

I agree with you so much, not wanting to be in a r/s at any cost should be normalized. I'm SO happy for you, to hear that you have a good life and that you're enjoying it to the fullest!

I believe that having a family (a romantic partner, kids) has a different meaning to each person. I'm the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, so what family is to me was very much shaped by what they taught me. To my grandparents, the family that they built was the ultimate victory over the hatred that tried to exterminate all of us Jews. Passing along their identity, their heritage, their values, as well as the memory of those relatives who had been murdered in the Holocaust, it was all a part of this triumph. That's on top of the significance of continuity through family in Judaism in general.

So I come from a very specific background, and even I recognize that what family means to me isn't a universal thing. Which is why it's very annoying to see that TV and movies often treat the subject as if there is only one way to be happy, and that is to find a romantic partner. Many times, it's tied to having kids as well, but almost always it's about settling with a life partner. And I think it's a harmful message, this idea of "one size fits all." More than that, I believe in certain cases it's so pervasive that some people try to stick it out in bad r/s, even abusive ones, due to the idea that it's better than to be alone. When it clearly is not!

That's why Eddie breaking up with Ana simply over the fact that he wasn't happy was so important, realizing that if his happiness was elsewhere, it's okay to walk away, that was so important. Like I said in this ask reply, they can still turn the storyline with Marisol (and for that matter, Natalia) into something poignant about Eddie (and Buck's) journey. What upsets me is the thought they might have actually wanted to leave it there, in that place where Buddie seem to be dating women just for the sake of dating once more.

Hope you have a great day! As always, my ask tag. xoxox

[hologramcowboy]

I want to discuss the subject of heart when it comes to piggybacking off of nostalgia/a previously existing fan base for a revival or whatever

Disclaimer: this ask will touch on a lot of stuff and will be rambley but I will try and package it nicely.

So a while ago JA mentioned him and D were going to do a podcast for the show and the question that those of us in the right frame of mind had was "why?". Say what you will but the OTH podcast is doing well for itself and it has fans eating it up. It's pure nostalgia bait but the stans love it and this is because its hosted by the 3 female leads, whose characters a lot of people grew up with and looked up to. They were an essential part when analyzing the heart of the show (there are other stuff but I won't make this longer than it need to be). The heart of spn, for a lot of fans was the bond between the brothers. As codependent as they were its part of why people latched onto the show, this dysfunctional family dynamic, that being said it makes zero sense to pursue a project like that w/o JP. D is completely irrelevant to the show. Especially when you consider she has never really seen it,by JA's admission. Which leads me to my next question , why is she even a part of this production when her heart isn't in it. This just exposes it for the shameless cash grab that it is.

This show lacks heart, and it's a shame that JA seems to be latching onto it like this when it's just going to act as dead weight. Nostalgia and revivals have more of an impact when some significant time has passed because it allows a proper retrospective of the media, the actors come in with fresh eyes, in a way and this may increase production value, if heart is in it. It can be constructed to pull in older fans but also new fans(like I've only seen maybe two episodes of Gilmore Girls but I've consumed so many deep dive retrospective video essays made by fans, older and newer, of the show) similarly I loved Gossip Girl and have also consumed video essays on it(I know a video essay isn't the same but I'm hoping it helped illustrate my point)

Sidebar : if TW had been made as pure camp, maybe had JP involved in production, cut D out it could have worked.

All this to say it's important for the people inv, especially those in charge to understand WHY people enjoyed the piece of media before touching it. Otherwise it feels vapid, and like a waste of time.

This was written with so much clarity and honesty. Thank you! ♥️

Jensen should have done market research around his brand, Danneel's and possible pilot options and only after doing that he should have created one. It's key to understand your target audience and what those people deeply resonate with when it comes to the show you plan on creating a spin off off of.

Danneel has no place being involved in the SPN legacy, Jensen replaced the lead of the show, Jared, with a bimbo. How did he even think that was going to go over well? I guarantee you that his reputation took a huge hit based on that choice. He proved he's the kind of "producer" puts money into women he is sleeping with rather than making smart business choices. I think Jensen saw Jared and Gen so involved and tried, yet again, to achieve what Jared was achieving. It's a pattern with him, he only got married and had children after seeing Jared do so. The difference is Gen never claims to be anything she is not, she is humble, professional and she never overshadows Jared or tries to make things about her, she earned her role on SPN through her audition and she honors the SPN brand. Even her involvement with Walker was due to casting dynamics and it was so beautifully done you never got a sense she was being shoved down your throat or that she was misrepresenting the brand of the show in any way.

As for your sidebar: Absolutely. The only people who should have produced a spin off of revival were Jensen and Jared.

I think you explained everything beautifully, people don't resonate with the show because it is as vapid as the people producing it. The bond between Sam and Dean was Supernatural and this prequel won't ever come close to the depth of that love and what it inspired in people.

[bijoumikhawal]

Distinct but connected- comparing and contrasting Hebitians and Cardassians

One of my goals when writing Hebitians and Cardassians is I wanted them to be cultures with a long, not necessarily violent history prior to colonization under the Cardassian Union, with some level of exchange/relatedness, but also distinct, because I feel it's a dynamic people don't acknowledge as much.

Starting from their environment, Cardassians started as a polytheistic* pastoral community on the southwest of the equatorial contenient on Cardassia Prime, mostly in the desert directly south of the Valley of the Hebitians and the mountains further south of that. Over time, most Cardassians settled in the mountains and subsequently diverged, culturally, from those who retained pastoral life. Pastoral and settled Cardassians maintained necessary trade and kin relations long after, and pastoralism is still common in animal based Cardassian agriculture. The class system that brought the idea of the service class developed after mountain settlement, and the pastoral community is essentially outside of it (a status marked by their family seals having a circle border, instead of the polygonal borders used to designate class). The legal and social status of pastoral Cardassians is complex; other forms of iternancy are restricted, and in some ways the relationship between settled and pastoral Cardassians has degraded. Kin relationships aren't maintained, and the broader social perception often treats pastoralists as a museum exhibit. Additionally, pastoral communities, though they're outside the Cardassian class system, run the spectrum of wealth and severe poverty.

Hebitians, contrastingly, are majority a settled agricultural population** and began that way. It's currently thought Hebitian culture started in the northwest of the Equatorial contenient, either in the Valley of the Hebitians, the delta north of it, or in the Makhå (/ˈmaχɑ/) floodplain to its east. Archeological evidence is limited due to the Cardassian Union being happy to sell artifacts but not to allow drawn out digs from outside academics, and the Occupation signaling a shift where the Union refuses to recognize Hebitians still exist. Exceptions to this are the Thav and Åv, who live in the rather dry Helta Highlands, and a subsect of the Qåmtsu, who lived along the river and Ikhå /ɵχɑ/ delta in house boats. The Thav traditionally were largely fishermen and hunters; their primary contact as an fairly isolated population was the pearl trade. The Åv typically formed middlemen in that trade and engaged in mining and pastoralism.

Hebitians and Cardassians use writing systems derived from the same older writing system, which was originally suited for carving into wood, bone, or stone. The Cardassian version diverged first with the poetic script (which is written with a brush and has a lot of thickness variation), which the computer version seen in the show is based on as a pixel friendly format. A simpler merchant script is also used in school, diaries, and so on, and has little variation in line thickness. The Hebitians have a primary script that's traditionally written with a reed pen, and an older script that's largely fallen out of use that has both logograms and alphabetic elements.

Hebitian and Cardassian gender norms both associate women with metal (in dress and in industry) and being cool headed, while men tend to be seen as emotional/aggressive. Hebitians viewed this work not as "What is suited for women" so much as "men are unsuitable for this", whereas the former sentiment has more weight in Cardassian culture, though the latter also applies, making it so Cardassian women often work in STEM, history, and other jobs with a high importance on being "unbiased". For Hebitians, this has led to a level of favoritism towards women in leadership positions, though not a matriarchy (except for perhaps in the Thav culture).

Both place a high value on large families. However, adoption only has a stigma in Hebitian culture insofar as post-Union social influences, and even then, a citizen of the Union with a Hebitian background is more likely to adopt children. The taboo on adoption for Cardassians is philosophical and religious in nature and stems from how the soul and sin are conceptualized as being related to knowledge. Neither has a nuclear family structure as the norm, but Cardassians solidify family through blood ties more than Hebitians, whose families traditionally are more "unstructured" and built on informal association and blood (the difference being reflected in language as well, with Kardasi having a more specific family vocabulary). These differences in family building and importance of children have led to an "inside/outside" work distinction for female and male Cardassians, respectively. Both also recognize those as who help infants with thermoregulation as part of that infants kin, even if they aren't blood relations.

Both Hebitians and Cardassians have long standing xenophobic cultural tendencies. For Hebitians this reflects their history as a once very powerful family of cultures that controlled around a third of the equatorial contenient and which were known as hard opponents in war, the cultural shift during a long semi-voluntary peacetime and focus on internal politics, and conquest by the Cardassian Union. All three of these eras have had fluctuating cultural attitudes towards outsiders, and different strains of logic behind distrust and fear. For Cardassians today, the xenophobic tendency is tied to the militaristic elements of Cardassian nationalism, especially in their wars with the Klingon Empire and the Federation, and soills over to even affect old trading partners (such as the Ferengi; the word the Federation uses for them comes from Kardasi). The cultural supremacist ideology also has a strong impact. However, it does not come from unfamiliarity in either case. Even when many Hebitian states were isolationist, there were other cultures within them. And in the Cardassian Union (setting aside that Cardassians-as-a-species have many cultures), many planets in the Union had prior occupants that were absorbed into it; the Bajoran system was hardly an anomaly. Even those that were unoccupied possess non-Cardassian residents; people of other species have immigrated to the Union, have loved those from the Union***, and etc.

* Not much is known about older Cardassian religion, not even when mythic figures fell out of worship in favor of deification of the state current in Cardassian civil religion. It's assumed the belief in fate and interest in astrology comes from there, as well as the customs around burial and ancestral veneration. Hebitians make reference to Cardassian religious practices, but these are limited. For example, Hebitians do not use the proper names of Cardassian gods in historical documents- depending on who you ask, this is either because Orallists do not like using the names of foreign gods, or that it was Cardassian custom for others not to use their gods proper names as a matter of respect. Either way, this led to Hebitian documents largely using epithets (such as "lady of mount such and such") to refer to Cardassian gods. It's known the head of the pantheon was a married pair of gods, and that mountains were often deified.

** settled and agricultural does not always mean fields or monocultures. Many Hebitians practice what's called "integrated agriculture", sometimes to the exclusion of fields use such as in the Makhå (/ˈmaχɑ/) floodplain. Integrated agriculture ranges from the creation of environments similar to food forests to the planting and growing of crops integrated into city or even building infrastructure- the latter is where the name derives from.

*** culturally based marriage restrictions in the Union are defined by free and subjugated peoples. Prior to Kardasianization, a Hebitian and a Cardassian being enjoined would be impossible within the Union because Hebitians were classified as a subjugated people, as were Bajorans during the Occupation. A Vulcan and a Cardassian however, would have few legal issues as they are both classified as free people.

[essayofthoughts]

(Same anon again) Why do you think Percy is so besotted by Vex? Do you think it has anything to do with his possible aforementioned ugly duckling syndrome and the fact(?) that no one like that paid him much attention before? Another random thought, do you think if he’d met her as a grumpy teen (with her being older still) he would’ve fallen for her or crushed on her the same way? I kinda headcanon Percy having a thing for slightly older women who’ve been the kissed by the sun lol.

I mean the thing is... I don't think he's besotted with Vex at first. This is gonna take a few left turns to get back on the right track, so:

Percy was raised in an upper class household - nobles, ruling nobles at that - and while I certainly get the impression he wasn't one to socialise, more focussed on study (at least going on what he said about Julius and Vesper handling matters of court while he studied) from what we see on stream he is very aware of social power dynamics. He knows how to wield that power, and he knows who to be on the right side of.

He also knows the rules of upper-class socialising. When there aren't rules, then he struggles - loose, casual socialising is not something he's easy with, which is part of why Scanlan's rapidfire quips and jokes often stall him a little: he doesn't know how to respond.

Consequently, when he first meets Vox Machina, I think he's aware of the social power Vex wields in their group as treasurer and because when she gives an opinion she's listened to and after everything he's been through, wants to be on the right side of her - hence his giving her his money.

I don't think he's smitten or besotted at this point - I think he's scared. He doesn't know these people, they're strangers who rescued him from a cell for reasons he's not entirely sure of and quite a few of them are unpredictable - Grog is big and at times aggressive, Tiberius is effusive, Vax can veer between friendly and moody, Scanlan is crass. Keyleth is nice, but a bit nervous and awkward, and Pike is lovely but holy - but Vex is someone he straightforwardly understands.

Something you may notice over the course of the campaign, is that when it comes to company, Percy tends to be more easy and more willing to talk when he's in the company of the women. I suspect he feels more secure with them - he can predict them better than he can the men, and growing up with at times precarious formal social situations and then exacerbated by Ripley and the Briarwoods probably means he prefers that stability to the uncertainty of the men.

So... for a long time I think he liked Vex for being steady and largely predictable, the only other adult in the group, as Taliesin once put it, someone he feels safe with and someone with social power - if he stays on her good side, he's safe within the group.

And then... I think he takes offence at how she's treated in the Value of Valour by that elven shopkeep. That's when he first starts making arrows for her, because he has seen the kind of person she is, that she's clever and good at haggling and keeps them safe and in funds, and Percy is a man who values manners and honour: I think he took offence on her behalf at how she was treated and well, he can't change the shopkeep's behaviour but he can make up the lack of those arrows she was trying to buy by making some for her himself.

So he does. And, surprise of all surprises, she's delighted. She kisses him on the cheek. She uses the arrow and is further delighted. And... well he doesn't dare to expect further signs of approval but he likes to see her happy and, as I said, he knows the value of being on Vex's good side, so... he makes her some more arrows.

And then the Briarwoods happen and he's a bit distracted for a stretch. He's not even sure he's going to live, so he's not really thinking about social dynamics so much- he has other priorities.

But. During the Briarwood Arc, Vex supports him. Doesn't doubt him. Shoves him up against a wall and demands to know how he's doing, but she's the one who yells at him to fight Orthax back.

There's a conversation he has with Vax, before they descend into the Marrowglade Loch, where Percy says he's reordered some of his priorities. That what he's doing, now his home is freed and he's still alive, is recognising what makes him happy and moving towards it.

It's worth noting here that Taliesin has said that Percy didn't realise he was in love with Vex until Syngorn. But I do firmly think that Percy at this point recognised that Vex's was company he enjoyed and that he enjoyed seeing Vex happy.

And then they went down into the Loch and the tomb buried beneath it and we all know how that worked out.

The point I'm making with this rather roundabout approach is that the things that all prompt Percy to fall in love with Vex are the things he has always liked about her. The fact she is consistent, that he understands her, that she keeps them safe and in funds, that she is expressive but rarely in such a way as he's uncomfortable (Percy expresses discomfort at hugs a few times, Vex usually keeps to a hand or a kiss to the cheek). He likes her and respects her and from that he likes to see her happy - do you not like to see your friends and loved ones happy? And the best relationships are those that are founded in friendship.

And so, when Syngorn is bearing down on them, and Percy goes to confess his error regarding Garmelie to her and she turns to him to ask Do I look like I come from money?

This person he trusts, this friend he loves, this woman he respects with his whole heart at this point because she has shown herself to be strong and unafraid even as he was bent on vengeance, who's kept them safe through thick and thin - he knows she is worthy of all that respect and trust and love - how can he respond other than he does? How can some part of his brain not go oh. That's what all this is.

All these things about her that he loves - they are all the things that were there already. They were all reasons he already liked her.

And then, she is vulnerable with him, trusts him with that and how can he not be touched that Vex, as closed off as he can be at times, is trusting him? Is sharing this with him, even if sideways - that she trusts him too, respects his opinion, if she's asking him.

Percy respects her capability from the start, and that respect means that Vex likes him, knows she can trust him - and that allows the vulnerability, that they can trust and respect each other. Because, for all their hurts, they each trust that the other will not hurt them if they show these bleeding wounds to them, and they respect them enough to not lie to them.

That's where it comes from, in the end.

As for your other question, I think we can safely say that Percy's type is dark-haired, smart, and able to step on him. For more, well, that I'll write when I get to my No Briarwoods (Yet) AU.