#or that 'motherly' stereotype

[meatriarch]

ok but also vaguely re: the other post but also just in general like. i think it'd be super funny if like. mr jones taught ginny how to shoot ( at least enough to be somewhat familiar enough with handling them etc. ) but like just imagine mama ginny finally Having Enough and pulling a shotgun out of the backseat of her minivan,

[janeromeroshow]

it makes me sad sometimes that jane seems to always be reduced to only the "mommy" survivor by people in the fandom, or a mentor figure to the others, and part of me worries that it has to do with her body type ( since as we all know, larger women are often relegated to "motherly" roles ), and while nobody in the rpc specifically has made me feel this way and you're all amazing for the most part i want to say this about my portrayal;

jane is a deeply complex, but also deeply broken woman. even prior to being taken by the fog she was suffering with stress that caused her to act erratically and with hostility, even when she seemed to be at her peak. yes, she wanted to be a role model to those around her, but at the state she's in emotionally upon her arrival to the fog, she's probably not a good one.

she's empathetic, kind, and diplomatic, yes! she's also willing to bodily attack a killer from out of a locker. she's used to fighting for the things she deserves, whether it's with carefully chosen words or a more literal manner. one of the biggest emotions she was feeling when she was taken was anger that she'd supposedly been lied to her whole fucking life, only to be treated like an idiot for it in front of millions of people.

[unsettlingconclusions]

My brother in Christ I just wrote a fic and posted in the exact day the show it derives from was cancelled?

Lmaaaao.

Not that the extreme American military propaganda is much appreciated, at least the show had good representation (in a lot of ways) and I’ll forever miss Ernie my neurodivergent not stereotyped precious guy.

[iisoldmysoulxx]

lark: I'M NOT A MOTHER HEN! also lark: *sees his friend shivering from the cold* do you need my jacket? a coffee? a hug maybe? gloves and scarf too 'cause i don't want you catching a cold.

[writingwithcolor]

I’m afraid my character has stereotypical traits. How do I avoid making them a caricature?

Is your character composed of several stereotypical traits, or is it just the one? Are they allowed to act and think in ways that are not confined to stereotypes? The more three-dimensional your character is, the less they are defined by the stereotypes.

One strategy that works in some cases is the “offset” character. This refers to weakening character A’s stereotype by including a character B of the same identity who isn’t stereotypical in that way. Say you have a selfless, “motherly” Black woman who looks after the cast. In addition to developing her own arc and her own desires, try adding a Black woman character with 0 maternal instinct who goes full steam ahead with her goals.

Trace your logic as to why you decided to give certain traits to a character of a certain identity. Our aptly named #trace your logic tag contains examples where we prompt the asker to interrogate their intentions behind certain ideas. Try to ask yourself the same questions.

Further reading:

Tropes and Stereotypes

Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception

---

This Q&A is an excerpt from our General FAQ for Newcomers, which can be found in our new Masterpost of rules and FAQs. For more advice on writing with diversity, start there!

-Writing With Color

[brie-annwyl]

Batfam watching the Barbie movie (angst edition)

Stephanie and Cass was the one who wanted to watch it with the family, all the guys thought it was supposed to be a funny movie until Steph got emotional at some parts and Cass comforted her.

Jason personally resonated with Allan bc Allan is the only character who doesn’t fit into the box of “Barbie” or “Ken” and it brought back feelings of being less than everyone else or not feeling real because he died.

Damian thought the movie was stupid until the mother speech happened. He had to leave the room and take a breather afterwards.

Tim goes rigid at Barbie crying because she wasn’t perfect, everyone noticed.

Duke and Dick cry at every motherly scene shown because it reminded them of their own.

Dick is visibly shaken up by the scene where someone smacks Barbie’s ass.

Bruce cries when the daughter starts growing up because that’s what happened with his kids and he still doesn’t have the best relationship with some of them(Jason)

Bruce cries at “what was I made for” because there’s always been a part of him that questions if the work would’ve been better off with him dying instead of his parents. Whilst looking round the couch, surrounded by his children (including Steph) he realizes he was made to be their dad.

“I’m not stereotypical Barbie pretty” is Stephanie’s new Roman Empire.

“Do you guys ever think about dying?” Has a whole different meaning for Jason, and yes. He does.

“I want to be a part of the people that make meaning, not the thing that is made.” Tim is silently crying whilst Dick is getting him tissues.

[creatingblackcharacters]

How to spot a Stereotype: An Example

Okay, so I talked about this in my Lesson 6 Stereotypes series, but I feel like people haven't quite... Understood what I meant. So I'm doing a mini lesson/application. First, I'd really appreciate it if you take the time to read the links in my posts, because that will provide you the historical and social context necessary. If you lack it, you will never be fully able to understand this. Remember, all I do here is provide the beginning steps. You have to be willing to do the rest!

One thing I constantly emphasize is that it's not the description of a character that (always) reveals an existing stereotype, but the writing! And again, until you grasp why anti-Black stereotypes are what they are, you will continue to be frustrated with how to avoid incorporating them, both in your writing and in your mindset. I'm going to use one stereotype as an example.

The Mammy Stereotype

"[Black woman character] is very fond, doting, and protective. She's like the team mom of the group."

On the surface, people who are worried about this stereotype will worry, because Black readers have long rolled their eyes and said we're tired of seeing this as one of the Only Options for Black women characters. And we are. Here's the disconnect: the attributes are not what we're tired of, but how they were utilized in the writing- often by non-Black writers!

Mammy: put simply, the caricature of the Mammy is the Black nursemaid that would take care of the Master's white children and the Mistress, prioritizing them above the well-being of herself, her own children, and her own community. She is fat and homely (so as not to attract the Master from the Mistress), unthreatening, sweet and subservient.

In other words, the only value she held was to serve white people's needs (and quench their guilt).

While the image of the Mammy herself is a strong imagery that has faded from its specific origin, I would say the modern day fan archetypes that ring of the Mammy stereotype are the Black woman character that "holds the Braincell", the "begrudgingly fond mother of the group", the canon love interest now relegated to the "mommy/mean lesbian" whose feelings are erased altogether, her new role to help the two white characters get together without acknowledgment of her own potential. She has no real story of her own, or as mentioned, has her own story stolen because "it doesn't look good with her in it" (which is its own bag of worms).

Now, people often give these characters motherly (or what society deems motherly) traits: caring, sweet, protective, loving, self sacrificial. Because they want to defensively show that "they're a great person! Nothing bad! I still think they're good! I'm not racist!"

But upon learning of the stereotype, there appears this insecurity- "oh, my Black woman character has these traits, is she playing into this stereotype?" When you get to this question, what you really need to be asking yourself is:

What makes the Mammy a Mammy?

They are a tool, a utility to white people with more power.

They lack autonomy. How they feel is irrelevant, if it does not serve the white person.

Nonthreatening so as to feel "harmless" to white people who bask in her "selfless" care.

They are not allowed to show frustration or upset at their lot or at life; it is seen as a negative attribute because if they are not caring, they have no use (and may now even be considered a threat).

They will also disagree with anyone else, even to the detriment of themselves, to the benefit of the white person. This is considered "selfless", rather than sacrifice (consider that "real" Mammies were originally slaves. They probably hated every single day with the people they "cared" for, but God forbid they speak on it. To white people, they were supposedly so happy and grateful! Smile and nod!)

Notice, out of the things I listed, "strong", "protective", "intelligent", and "caring" weren't there! Because those aren't bad attributes for a Black character to have! Why would we ever suggest that?? Why would I be mad that a Black woman was any of those wonderful things to her peers? That's not the issue. The issue is that they are often used in service of usually white characters and their stories. They're a tool of the writer to coddle their white characters, versus a character that has their own inner workings and existence.

Knowing what you know now; things that would make your strong, protective, and caring Black woman character fit the Mammy stereotype can include:

If she is pushed to the side with no autonomy or inner life of her own, as the narrative centers the white characters and their needs.

If she is never shown to have any reason for acting outside of to the benefit of the white characters around her. That's the only time her presence counts.

If her disagreeing with, getting upset with, or refusing (or really, just not being "motherly") the white characters is deemed trashy by the narrative (whereas anyone else receives nuance or reason for their behavior).

If the white characters in the story treat her poorly, and it is treated as a good thing that she "stays calm" without any sort of reflection on her feelings.

You can come up with any sort of setting, plot scenario, and description of your Black woman character. But at the end of the day, what's going to make it the stereotype is how the narrative treats her, which you will only find out by writing it, and then reviewing your own work!

You're going to have to approach any stereotype this way. It's part of the *intent* thing I keep pushing 😅 if you don't intend to write a stereotype, you're going to have to actively understand what it is, which will help you actively avoid it.

[anniflamma]

There are other ways of persuasion...

At last, Circe is here! 💜

I just made her… a hot chick… I don't know… Purple! Mom! Big sister…???

The thing with Circe is that she is kind of the walking stereotype (that some ancient Greek dudes thought of): hot + smart + boobs = EVIL. It is a fun archetype to create but at the same time sooooo.... boring? But alas, I decided to follow that route.

Like I said before, I did want her to appear more as a motherly figure. And if I'm going to do any of Circe's songs, then I want the nymphs to make cameos. And I like the idea that the nymphs aren't sexy baes. That they are literally young girls. I don't really have any solid designs of the nymphs, but I probably will have them made of plants or something similar.

Also, I did add a cute "easter egg". Her bracelet that has two leaves on it. I imagined that it was made by the nymphs as a present.

[hadesisqueer]

I'm not saying people must ship Kataang or anything, everyone here is free to ship whatever people want, but at the same time, some of the criticism I see of the ship is insane.

One of the softer ones (because today I saw some crazy stuff) is that they're sibling coded. Like, I watched ATLA several times, I kind of just rewatched ATLA, and yet I still don't get how exactly they're sibling coded? Aang pretty much had a crush on Katara from the moment he met her, and Katara at first saw him as a friend —she never said she saw him as 'her little brother', by the way, you guys need to learn the differences between sibling dynamics and friend dynamics—. That starts changing at the end of The Fortune Teller when she begins seeing Aang from another perspective, though. By the beginning of Book 2 it's pretty clear she has already started to develop a crush on him. If you think it's very 'sisterly' of her to blush while asking Aang 'we're in the Cave of the Two Lovers, so what if, you know-- what if we kissed 😳👉🏻👈🏻', then get upset when Aang said he wouldn't kiss her and then after they did kiss and were already out she blushes and gets nervous again-- or when she gets jealous in The Headband when he dances with another girl and then blushes again while dancing with him-- you're tuning into the wrong show, go watch Game of Thrones or something, because this is not it.

You can argue that Katara was 'like an older sister' or 'motherly' to Aang over the fact that she was often very caring towards him, but honestly, that's not it, either; otherwise, you could say that Katara sees Zuko as her brother because she likes teasing him. Do I think Katara and Zuko are sibling-coded? Not really. But if you say that Katara was sisterly or motherly to Aang because she's caring towards him, you can also say Katara sees Zuko as her brother because she often teased him the exact same way she teased Sokka, her older brother. (I do not think Katara sees Zuko as her brother, btw; just clearing this up. And I may not ship him and Katara but if that's your ship, you do you, I am not getting into a ship war here).

Katara in general is a very caring person, to the point that yeah, it comes off as 'motherly' sometimes. She was like that not just to Aang but towards Toph and Sokka as well. That doesn't mean she really sees any of them as her 'children' as well, guys, nor do any of them actually see them as their mother (well, Sokka kind of did, but that's another thing). And she's very protective of Aang, yeah. Try to switch Kataang's gender for a second; Katara as the boy and Aang as the girl. Switch it up and you have a girl with a cute crush on a slightly older boy who at first sees her as a friend but after a while starts reciprocating. If you saw that boy act more caring and protective of that girl, you wouldn't assume he sees her as a daughter, you'd just assume he is extremely protective because his feelings are strong. I once saw someone saying 'Katara acts like a Booktok boyfriend' and honestly? Kind of, yeah. A lot of Kataang is them being kind of a reverse of the stereotypical 'kind but stronger, older boy gets with sweet, younger girl' stuff we see in a lot of media. Both of them are very caring and supportive and constantly reassure each other, not just Katara to Aang, (and Aang is also very protective of Katara as well, we see it many times, most of all in The Avatar State), but Katara is the older one, and usually the most protective as well, the one who fought off Zuko at the North Pole to protect Aang, the one who almost lost it when she saw him literally die and fought off the Dai Li, Zuko and Azula to get him and get out at The Crossroads of Destiny, the one who grabs Zuko when he joins them and literally tells him 'hurt Aang and I will kill you'.

Yeah, I don't think Kataang is sibling-coded at all. That person is right, Katara is just Aang's 'Booktok boyfriend'.

[anachronistic-falsehood]

Vash and Femininity: Trigun Stampede and its Themes of Bodily Autonomy, Exploitation, and Vague Gender Fuckery

alright sit the fuck down. we're gonna talk about THEMES

I was on Twitter- terrible idea usually, but a couple people I follow made some tweets that got me thinking about Trigun's overall themes, and here we are. So let's talk about some themes in Tristamp! And I'll take a couple looks at Trimax as well, just for fun :3

Let's look at how the showrunners utilize gender roles and exploitation of feminine characters to show how unhealthy Knives' obsession with his ideal of Vash is, and how horrific his exploitation of Vash and the Plants is.

Vash, from the beginning of Tristamp, is someone who cares about people's choices. When people kill others in front of him, he reiterates that whether someone lives or dies is not another person's choice to make. This is something he learned from Rem (a prominent female figure in his life). He refuses to kill people because that is not his choice to make. To kill someone is the ultimate removal of their bodily autonomy. They can no longer make any choices at all; they're dead.

Vash is also someone who has almost no choice in what path his life takes. He's constantly dragged around by outside forces, namely situations that are caused by Knives (which we'll get into later). Vash doesn't make things happen, things happen to Vash. The majority of events that occur are not his fault. He's pushed and pulled in a thousand different directions. His entire life is completely out of his control.

This can be seen as early on in his life as the Fall, something he had no control over and had no idea he even had a part in. Even later, in the ship with Luida and Brad, after he's been rescued from the desert, he's kept in handcuffs right up until he's shown to be of use to them and the Plant on their ship. After that, he could theoretically say "no, I don't want to go to other ships and heal their plants," but he doesn't. He's Vash. He's helpful and nurturing at his core, and these people have done so much for him just by letting him stay, so he'll do whatever they ask, no question.

This carries over into his adulthood. At Jeneora Rock, he goes to look at their Plant at one simple request, doesn't protest when he's dragged into a duel-- he doesn't take initiative unless someone's life is immediately at stake. He lets people tell him what to do and lets himself get dragged around by the wrist. He doesn't even pretend to have control over his life like Trimax Vash does, which I mean. Fair. Why pretend to have a grip on your existence when it's impossible to do anything without a gun pointed at your head?

Vash is a very passive character. He's nurturing, kind, gentle- he's a guy that fits a lot of very typical feminine character stereotypes. If you wrote this same story but made him a woman, I wouldn't bat an eye (but I would definitely be looking at it a lot more critically, what with the amount of stereotypically nurturing/motherly female characters in media already.)

This contrasts directly with Knives. He makes a decision and carries through no matter what stands in his way. He takes initiative. If Vash is a passive character, Knives is an active character. Wherever he goes, he leaves a lasting imprint. He makes shit happen! If outside forces make things happen to him, he'll go out of his way to make sure that particular force doesn't affect him again.

These two tweets I saw are what got me thinking about this originally. I just feel like here's a good place to put them as a segue into talking about episode 11.

Episode 11 is where a lot of this feminine imagery really just. Explodes in your face. IT'S RIGHT THERE. You can't dance around it if you try. And it kind of reaches a peak when the connection reaches 100%, the gate opens, and. well. THIS happens to the Plants.

Plants, in both Trimax and Tristamp, are almost always typically feminine-looking. Knives and Vash are the only two who are male or even masculine at all. Knives, as the most masculine out of all of them, is the one trying to take charge, and mould the world as he sees fit, to a degree that is detrimental to both him and everyone else. And Vash-- passive, feminine, kind and nurturing, whose Angel Arm in the manga always sprouts decidedly feminine-looking Plant parts-- is the one being exploited for Knives' plans. It's no mistake that they made the giant plant formation at the end of ep 11 look like a giant woman that almost resembles Rem.

Vash wants people to make their own choices and keep their autonomy when it comes to their bodies and lives. Knives is the exact opposite. He wants all Plants to become independent and he uses Vash to achieve that goal, without asking what Vash wants or even knowing what the Plants themselves would prefer. He exploits Vash for the soul purpose of trying to make these Plants have Independent Plant babies. He's completely incapable of seeing that his choices are not for the greater good! He thinks he's saving them, but none of his actions are for the good of anyone but himself. He’s just violating them for his own gain.

They're really leaning into gender roles for these guys, but in a way that screams "HEY, LOOK AT THIS! ISN'T IT FUCKED UP? LOOK AT HOW FUCKED UP THAT IS. LOOK AT THIS, AND BE UNCOMFORTABLE, AND KNOW THAT IT IS FUCKED UP."

Because it is! It's so extremely fucked up. They're using this imagery and these roles, something that makes most of us intrinsically uncomfortable, to drive home how unhealthy Knives relationship with his ideal of Vash is. That's the point. We're supposed to be uncomfortable with this.

Now of course there's some nuance to it. Like, you could see Knives as somewhat of a feminine and/or queer-coded figure as well, ESPECIALLY if you look at some of his panels in the manga, which could in turn lead to themes about infighting and control within marginalized communities, but that might be something for another post. :3

And there's definitely different ways you could take this! Vash, with all this feminine imagery, could be either transfem or transmasc coded, depending on what way you'd rather see it, which could lead into themes of how people outside the norm constantly face a lack of bodily autonomy and are exploited for purposes outside their boundaries. We could also look at Wolfwood and his lack of choice over joining the Eye of Michael and becoming the Punisher, and how masculine men (particularly men of colour) are often forced into violent roles against their will. If we look at Trimax, the exact same could be said for Livio/Razlo and people with disorders such as DID/OSDD.

There are many different ways you could spin these themes, some of which I don't feel personally qualified to discuss. If anyone who is qualified to talk about Wolfwood or Livio/Razlo or even other characters related to these themes, then god PLEASE add onto this post or make a post and tag me or something. I would love to read it!

Anyway, in conclusion: Vash is a feminine figure constantly taken advantage of and exploited and and he's so incredibly trans/nonbinary-coded that it drives me insane. Thank you

[brights-place]

The Boondocks with an Mother figure! Reader

Pairings: Riley X Reader, Huey X Reader (All Platonic)

Warnings: Fluff, Cursing,

A/N: Man I grew up with the Boondocks! love the show so much it was so funny and still is funny to see! Anyways imma do an motherly figure! - Okay LISTEN! LISTENNN! these boys have no parents they live with their fucking grandpa so you being an motherly figure to them is... Wild! - You were their neighbor so you wanted to greet them with your S/O but he/she/they/it was too busy at work so you went to greet them by yourself - You made some Sweets and came by smiling at them as Grandpa freeman opened the door to show you smiling at him who greete d you as you exchanegd conversation and handed him the container filled of baked goods before noticing an young boy by the age of 9 with cornrows raise an eyebrow judging you while an 10 year old beside him with an afro eyed you - You waved to them before waving goodbye to grandpa freeman "I'll invite you for dinner sweet pea" grandpa freeman said smiling as you smiled nodding "My partner and I will gladly come along!" you soon left after that - You have tried to befriend the two young boys but failed... - NGL I see Grandpa freeman see you as an daughter and cares for you - Wouldn't threaten you with an belt at all but maybe would whoop the two boys asses aka Huey and Riley most of the time when your around he doesn't hesitate at all unless you are used as a human shield - First of all, they didn’t trust you but then you started offering to babysit them when they were unsupervised. The two boys were more reluctant to accept your pressence, although they were polite with you... well Huey was RIley on the other hand would swear at you - You always took good care of them, you watched them closely and made sure they ate proeprly and didn’t get hurt... - When grandpa freeman says anything sexual around the two you gave the male an disgusted look just like the two boys and go try to cover their ears the best you could - When needed too you Cover the two's eyes whenever something bad would effect them which confuses the two since they were used to this type of shit but Huey didn't try to peak while Riley was squirming saying he wanted to see what the hell was going on - Riley is a highly impressionable third grader. He embraces the stereotypical "gangsta" lifestyle, doing his best to promote the urban culture in the contrasting suburb of Woodcrest since he was HEAVILY Influenced by the mass media via rap music and television, he frequently uses poor grammar, and tends to defend his idols even when his imitations go against common sense and righteousness... BUT DAMN WHEN HE SAW YOU WHOOP SOMEONE IS ASS WITH YOU IN HEELS? HE WAS GAWKING! - Huey is a highly intelligent 10-year-old boy, who rarely smiles or laughs, and recognizes and detests the absurdities (both obvious and perceived) of the society in which he lives. His cynicism often touches upon subjects such as politics, religion, the media, businesses and corporations, African-American culture, and American society as a whole. Tending to be obstinate in both manner and speech which makes you freak out on how an 10 year old knows ALOT! - Huey has shown like ALOT OF DEPTH! of understanding that would seem to surpass his young age, such as knowing roughly what is going to happen in the future based on the actions and personalities of the people involved... Which makes you concerned asking him if he or riley had even gotten a proper childhood... - Riley when he is close to getting his ass whooped would run towards you screaming and hide behind your legs as you stare in utter confusion when he jumps into your arms or hides behind your legs as Grandpa freeman stop and stare at you "Put the boy down Sweet pea I gotta beat this boys ass!" You stared at Grandpa Freeman before staring at riley before running away with the child in your arms screaming as Huey just stared at the chaos unfolding - After awhile you would cpome visit and would try to offer to braid rileys hair which he doesn't allow at first...

- When he does get comfy though and needs his cornrows to be fixed or get a new design he would go to you sit down between your legs on the couch while picking up his controller which makes you laugh - You and Huey discuss lots of things together and compliment and praise the young boy fro his work which he is thankful for - You are seen like a motherly figure to them after 7 Months of meeting you due to your sweet personality - For Riley and Hueyy felt so nice to have someone caring for them other then grandpa freeman. After all they didn't grow up with a good relationship with their parents or didn't have any? you didn't know - You are shocked by the boys is skills... like THEY KNOW SELF DEFENSE! in an shocking way and have done things no child would have done but this was Woodcrest... - Huey and Riley would come up to you if they ever finish a test and show you their scores huey always getting 100 and Riley getting... lets not talk about riley is scores - They both enjoy how you pat their heads when they do something right - Whenever they try to cuss infront of you, they always get an glare from you "Boy if you even try that Imma get your grandad to whoop you" You stated with an smile that held an menacing aura - You panic sometimes when you come to visit and see the boys attack eachother with weapons and they both stop quickly when you shout their names and scold them - If you ahve siblings though and their is a party at your place due to your partner hosting it they would be amazed how you are a whole different person cussing out your siblings - The other woodcrest neighbourghs wood also be shocked to see you close to whooping your younger/older sibling(s) asses with your purse cause they ate the last piece of your favourite food - You definetly will have to step in between Riley and Huey sometimes to stop them from killing one another which always freaks you out - You were staying over and helping Grandpa freeman with his upcoming date but you brought some sweets and got some of them eating one before lifting one up and walking towards you and Huey who were sitting on teh couch talking about one of Hueys recent experiments "Yo ma! what the fuck is this-" Riley froze when he realized what he said as Huey froze aswell turning to Riley with an raised brow as you stared at Riley - Riley spoke "Yall N**** ain't heard shit!" Riley said quickly but was to late when you rushed over hugging riley "AWWWW! RILEYYYY!" Huey glared at Riley who was getting your attention as Riley scoffed hugging you back - Riley and Huey wouldn't call you Ma, or Mother in public only in private cause they didn't want to seem like 'Pussies' by rileys words but to Huey he just doesn't want you to know he see's you as a mother figure - For huey the first time he call you Ma/mother was when you praised him for succeding in one of his experiments he worked REALLY hard on - he was in the garage and his eyes widened when he saw he succeed on making the bomb he had spent so long on... So when you come by he perks up slightly which is unusual and grabbing your hand taking you to the garage and telling you about his... 'Experiment' that def isn't a bomb and how long it took "Thats amazing Huey! your such a Genuis! you are an intelligent young boy I'm very proud of you" you stated with an sweet smile patting his head while his afro cause you didn't know where to pat as he stares up at you and looks away smiling slightly which wasn't shown well "Thanks Ma" Riley was walking past to grab his basketball before having his jaw drop so fast when hearing those quiet words from Hueys lips - Huey denies he ever said it but would say it to you in private. - He enjoys that he doesn't have to always be the responsible one in the family even if you live next door - They call you mom/momma/mum/mama/ma/mother - Believe it or not Huey respects you more than anyone in this world, I mean- have you seen yourself when you protected them of a group of assholes

- It’s still strange for you to know why some people hated the two boys Riley he has definitely called you “mom/mama” ) sometimes... and YES, Huey is still mocking him for that, when he does, surprisingly Riley does not get violent, he just scowls in shame and shouts “Well, SHE IS our mom! right?”  he just looks at you with the most confused and adorable expression ever made and you just can’t say no to him. - The two boys are very thankful for you like REALLY THANKFUL! even if they don't show it alot - Grandpa freeman is very greatful for having you around so he didn't have to always look after those assholes

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[frankingsteinery]

for some reason people seem to think that mary somehow stumbled into writing a commentary on marriage/incest accidentally, and that the themes of frankenstein are all about her trauma due to her experiences as a victim of the patriarchy, as a woman and a mother surrounded by men - as if she wasnt the child of radical liberals who publicly renounced marriage, as if she herself as well as percy shelley had similar politics on marriage, as if she would not go on to write a novel where the central theme is explicitly that of father/daughter incest years later…

the most obvious and frequent critique of victor i see is of his attempt to create life - the creature - without female presence. it’s taught in schools, wrote about by academics, talked about in fandom spaces - mary shelley was a feminist who wrote about feminism by making victor a misogynist. he’s misogynistic because he invented a method of procreation without involving women purely out of male entitlement and masculine arrogance and superiority, and shelley demonstrates the consequences of subverting women in the creation process/and by extension the patriarchy because this method fails terribly - his son in a monster, and victor is punished for his arrogance via the murder of his entire family; thus there is no place for procreation without the presence of women, right?

while this interpretation – though far from my favorite – is not without merit, i see it thrown around as The interpretation, which i feel does a great disservice to the other themes surrounding victor, the creature, the relationship between mother and child, parenthood, marriage, etc.

this argument also, ironically, tends to undermine the agency and power of frankenstein’s female characters, because it often relies on interpreting them as being solely passive, demure archetypes to establish their distinction from the 3 male narrators, who in contrast are performing violent and/or reprehensible actions while all the woman stay home (i.e., shelley paradoxically critiques the patriarchy by making all her female characters the reductive stereotypes that were enforced during her time period, so the flaws of our male narrators arise due to this social inequality).

in doing so it completely strips elizabeth (and caroline and justine to a lesser extent) of the power of the actions that she DID take — standing up in front of a corrupt court, speaking against the injustice of the system and attempting to fight against its verdict, lamenting the state of female social status that prevented her from visiting victor at ingolstadt, subverting traditional gender roles by offering victor an out to their arranged marriage as opposed to the other way around, taking part in determining ernest’s career and education in direct opposition to alphonse, etc. it also comes off as a very “i could fix him,” vibe, that is, it suggests if women were given equal social standing to men then elizabeth would have been able to rein victor in so to speak and prevent the events of the book from happening. which is a demeaning expectation/obligation in of itself and only reinforces the reductive passive, motherly archetypes that these same people are speaking against

it is also not very well supported: most of the argument rests on ignoring female character’s actual characterization and focusing one specific quote, often taken out of context (“a new species would bless me as its creator and source…no father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as i should deserve theirs”) which “proves��� victor’s sense of male superiority, and on victors treatment/perception of elizabeth, primarily from a line of thinking he had at five years old, where he objectified her by thinking of her (or rather — being told so by caroline) as a gift to him. again, the morality of victor’s character is being determined by thoughts he had at five years old.

obviously this is not at all to say i think their relationship was a healthy one - i dont think victor and elizabeth’s marriage was ever intended to be perceived as good, but more importantly, writing their relationship this way was a deliberate critique of marriage culture.

[lilithess]

moon signs as i’ve met them

🌔 taurus - high brand, high value. likes expensive/quality materials. might be loners and unlucky in love. if undeveloped can be very lazy and sensitive to criticism. catty and competitive. status and money seem to be of great deal to them or an important theme in their lives whether they’re rich or poor.

🌗 gemini - a scientist. bored. dissasociates mid conversation. talks over you. honesty comes from naivety, not necessarily good intentions. highly rational. elite humor. loves the tea. craves something interesting and weird. too fast for their own good.

🌕 cancer - best listeners. hardcore lovers. hides emotions under their crab skin. can be vengeful and have a victim complex. family issues, mostly with mother. notices every change in your tone and knows your secrets. unlucky in love. naive as hell.

🌒 sagittarius - can go either way, really dark or completely the opposite. versatile. able to talk about anything. thinks highly of themselves and might have machiavellian approach to life. not high on being empathetic to others. they might not excel in their family’s expectations. has their own way. can be really lucky or really unlucky.

🌗 aquarius - alternative kids. black sheep of your class but not in a loser way, in a cool way. edgy. trendsetters. weirdos. controversial. will disagree just to spite you. keeps it cool. secretly wants the spotlight but for all the wrong reasons.

🌑 scorpio - they seem like they’ve been through something. alluring. sneaky. notices everything. can go ice cold. keeps emotions behind closed doors. you don’t really know what’s going on over there, like any other water moon. can be petty. witchy people. feelings go a long way until they die.

🌒 capricorn - feet on the ground. controlling and in control. petty. competitive. elite humor. poker face. invented repressed rage. goes through it alone and hard. seeks salvation through work and status. takes their sweet time with anything and everything.

🌓 libra - calm. collected. soothing, but not necessarily comforting or optimistic. openly talks about anything. in control of their emotions. private and secretive. normal. good for giving advice to people. rather unbiased and relaxed on the surface.

🌕 pisces - can believe in anything and everything. possible family issues. a wanderer. a mystery. far away. you never know.

🌑 aries - speaks their truth. bad girl/boy vibe. good for advice just like libra, if you can handle their version of it. simple people. can get violent when angry. emotions come and go. very magnetic and attractive, bursting with energy. can be heartbreakers, but without any grand agenda.

🌙 virgo - motherly. aggressively worries about you. likes to give gifts even if you don’t want or need them. needs to be of service. doesn’t like the spotlight. very reserved and in control. they are listening even if you think they’re not. traditional. secretly kinky. seeks status in work.

🌖 leo - similar to aquarius, but without the black sheep stereotype. might have been spoiled for better or worse. clingy to their home / mother. sticks to their beliefs. ego can be off the roof.

[veronicawildest]

VEDIC ASTRO NOTES #2

by veronicawildewest

(disclaimer: if you get it, you get it. If you don't, go fv' k yourselves)

🖍️ 1st lord connected to 6th house (Vedic astrology) - The characteristics you dislike the most in your enemy, the same behavior you have, but you don't notice it in yourself. Me VS myself is the theme of these natives. (I can attest to this; I have this placement personally. I just realized it and am working on myself)

🖍️What I often see in Vedic astrology texts is that Venus Ketu is disinterested in love, which I find ridiculous. Venus Ketu natives are some of the most intense people I know when it comes to love, obsessive to the point that they have a hard time letting go. Maybe it's because Venus aspects Rahu even though Venus is conjunct Ketu. Ketu will not work without Rahu (and vice versa).

🖍️When transit Saturn aspects one of your luminaries, there are two possibilities I can think of:

Saturn will make you feel the consequences of every decision you make.

You will also experience situations where you need to use dedication/hard work wherever Saturn transits in your natal chart.

🖍️I can't understand the stereotypical "tropical Virgos are hardworking." No, they're not, especially Purva Phalguni Nakshatra.

🖍️However, some stereotypes I understand are why "tropical Scorpios are dark, mysterious, and possessive." They are Sidereal Libra. That's the characteristic of Venus. Fixation on the other half? Venus. Specifically on the Nakshatras, Vishakha Nakshatra.

🖍️The stereotypes that I understand are:

"Why (tropical) Geminis are so charming?" The nakshatras Mrigashira and Rohini are connected to obsession. They have many stalkers (or some of them stalk, but either way, they have many more stalkers).

"Why (tropical) Cancers are known to be manipulative?" Because of the sidereal Gemini. Mercury rules manipulation. It's the Magician for a reason. The motherly aspect and crybaby behavior are because of the teardrop symbolism of the Ardra and the Aditi deity of the nakshatra Punarvasu.

🖍️While discovering and learning about Vedic astrology, I appreciate Western astrology more, not because I hate Vedic (I love both of them). It's just that some stereotypes have been made about tropical/Western astrology, which I listed above. They're not biased (well, it depends on the person, but the system itself isn't) because they explain and intertwine things that I find really interesting and beautiful.

🖍️Additional note to the observation that I made about the Rahu-Ketu axis and trends. The quarantine started when Gemini/Sagittarius and Taurus/Scorpio were in the nodes. It really makes sense to me why TikTok grew in popularity over that time because of Gemini (attention span thing). The Taurus/Scorpio thing represents the finances of countries that are affected when it comes to it (the obvious one is transformation because Scorpio is here). Also, Joe Biden was elected as the President of the U.S.A.

When Rahu is in Aries/Ketu in Libra transits:

Queen Elizabeth died. (sidereal Aries sun)

SZA dropped an album. One of her songs is "Kill Bill," very influenced by Bharani nakshatra (credits to Claire).

🖍️I know they have a placement of Aries and Libra, but these are the topics that are the talk of the town and memorable when you start remembering the year.

🖍️Vedic Twitter is weird. Sometimes, on the other hand, some of their observations really make sense. The weird thing that I found is the romanticization of Moon-Mars synastry. I have this with someone (I am the Moon person). I really hated it. They made me trigger anger in me. Not lust, but pure rage that I don't really like expressing.

🖍️The petty ones that I know are moon nakshatra natives (Rohini, Hasta, Shravana). I just don't agree that (I found someone tweeted about it) Moon nakshatra women are "girl's girl," "support nice women." Eh no, not that they hate other women but no. They just don't, and that's ok. They don't hate women, but they don't support it either if that makes sense (if you get it, you get it)

Additional note to this: Ironically, Hasta is the maiden archetype of nuns (that Claire Nakti mentions in her video), but they're the horniest ones I know too.

🖍️I love that Tropical Sagittariuses are known to be happy, free, and wild (looking directly at Miley Cyrus because she has a sidereal Scorpio stellium). It makes much more sense when Mars is at home in Scorpio. These natives are blunt too. The "darkness" that makes Scorpio a Scorpio is the transformation and hardships they've gone through. Different from Libra though.

🖍️9th house/12th house/Jupiter aren't appreciated as much by me. They're literally about beliefs. Your subconscious/unconscious self. Connection to manifestation for me. That's why they oppose the mercurial signs (magician) and mutable signs. They speak (3rd house)/act (6th house) on what they fear (12th house) or believe (9th house).

It's applicable for all people, you literally don't need a strong Jupiter/Jupiter Rashi to manifest easily.

[squgs]

The general assumption around Criston and Alicent's relationship is that it's some toxic, unhealthy thing that they both settle for because they have no one else to turn to. This is an interesting reading of them, but based on the few scenes of them together that we have they seem to be the healthiest partnership in the show.

Of all the partnerships between men and women, Criston and Alicent's is the only one with a genuine balance of power. In every other pairing the man is in control and does not allow their woman to make decisions for the pair or for herself. We see Corlys ignore Rhaenys's input and wish's about betrothing Laenor and Rhaenyra and about disinheriting Baela and we can assume from her discomfort that she rose similar ignored objections about pushing Viserys to marry Laena. We see Viserys abuse both his wives and ignore their wishes for bodily autonomy. We see Daemon murder one wife, ignore the wishes of another and then belittle and assault his third wife until she complies with his wishes.

In sharp contrast to those dynamics, Alicent is clearly the one in charge in her relationship with Criston. However Alicent is not overbearing and controlling with Criston. On driftmark he is able to tell her no. He decides what he is willing to do for her and seemingly does not fear any retaliation for his decisions. The exact reasoning behind Criston's decision not to try to take Luke's eye are up for interpretation, but we don't really see any other partnership on the show where the subservient party's refusal is respected.

The only maybe comparable relationship is Rhaenyra's relationship with Laenor and Harwin. We see so little of the three of them that its hard to draw conclusions, but Rhaenyra does seem to be in charge. However she's clearly frustrated with Laenor's failures as a husband and is unable to get him to perform his duties. It's fairly clear that the planned partnership they had in episode 5 has failed, to the point that Rhaenyra gets rid of him in episode 7. Alicent and Criston's partnership on the other hand seems to be going strong after over 15 years.

There are a variety of ways that people say that the Alicent Criston dynamic is toxic. The most common is the view that Criston holds Alicent on a pedestal and doesn't actually know or see the real her only an idolized view of the Madonna in contrast to Rhaenyra the whore. I don't think that reading fits with what we see of their interactions. Criston is unflinchingly at Alicent's side in her ugliest moments. Alicent is willing to rant about Rhaenyra's bastards to him, showing her neuroticism and anxiety and anger. She shows no fear of being judged for what she says and I think we're meant to assume such venting sessions are a common occurrence for them. Alicent's behavior in that scene does not in anyway resemble an idolized divine image of the mother and yet Criston is not at all surprised or resentful or disturbed, in fact he's comfortable enough with Alicent being like that that he gets similarly petty (and misogynistic). Again on driftmark Criston sees Alicent at her lowest, most human and angry. While he is unwilling or unable to take Luke's eye he rushes to her side the moment she goes to attack Rhaenyra. Again this is Alicent at her least stereotypically motherly, least divine, most violent and angry and we don't see Criston be bothered by her not fitting into the image of her that he's created. The idea of Alicent needing to play the role of divine mother to maintain support is very interesting, but it doesn't really fit with her behavior around Criston. Playing that part is extremely difficult, it's literally an impossible standard that women are held to, and it takes constant effort. If Alicent was doing that with Criston we would see that effort and her fear at the moments when her facade slips, but instead we see Alicent trusting Criston with her most vulnerable and human moments.

Another way people say Alicent and Criston are toxic is to say that Alicent is afraid of Criston and only keeping him around because she can weaponize his hatred of Rhaenyra and point it at her enemies. Their is certainly some truth to Criston having a violent streak that he struggles to control. However in episode 9 it is very clear that Alicent doesn't need to fear him or manipulate him, and that his loyalty to her has nothing to do with hating Rhaenyra. Criston shows his loyalty two notable times in the episode. The first is after he kills Beesbury (which to be clear was bad. Murder is wrong), when Westerling and Criston are facing off. Alicent tells him to lower his sword and he does so. When one of the only comparably skilled swordsmen in the world has his blade at Criston's throat and Alicent tells him to lower his sword he does so without question. He unflinchingly trusts Alicent's judgement with his life. There is every possibility that Westerling will just kill him there, but he doesn't hesitate or complain or do anything but obey his queen, trusting her attempt to deescalate the situation. The second time is when Alicent asks Criston to find Aegon for her. Criston was at the council meeting, and since he's not an idiot he understands that the stakes of the search for Aegon is Rhaenyra's life. He is actively choosing to do something that he knows will save Rhaenyra's life because Alicent asks him to. That completely destroys the idea that his loyalty and relationship to Alicent has anything to do with hating Rhaenyra. In fact if he was motivated by hatred of Rhaenyra he would be the obvious choice to lead the assassination trip to dragonstone. Otto would obviously know that, but he still thought he had a better chance asking Westerling who has been protecting Rhaenyra since she was a child than he did asking Criston.

(Side note: the whole idea of Otto asking a knight who is loyal to Rhaenyra to do an assassin's job is absolutely ridiculous. Given that Otto is competent at his job and has known this would be happening he should absolutely have actual assassins lined up to do what they're best at. However I'm ignoring that for this analysis to view the episode as written.)

A final way that people say Alicent and Criston is toxic is that they enable each other with the delusion that they are good people because they follow the rules of society. While I do think that they enable each other in some ways. It's not that they let each other pretend that they're good people, they let each other be good people, by being good to each other. Alicent protects someone she barely knows, in a way that is actively detrimental to her political goals, simply because Criston does not deserve to be scandalized, have his family's name ruined and then be tortured to death. Criston serves an honorable queen, being a father to her children and respecting her when seemingly no one else does. The lie that they enable isn't that they're good, it's that being good means anything. They can convince each other that 'in the end honor and decency will prevail' even when they are each others only evidence of that fact.

Now with all that said, I'm not arguing that Alicent and Criston's relationship should only be viewed as wholesome and healthy and lovely (though it can be). They are both traumatized as fuck and are products of their terrible society that they can't escape, and may not even understand well enough to want to escape. There is so much stuff to dig into without resorting to a simplistic terrible version of their relationship, especially when thinking about them attempting to have a romantic or sexual relationship.

So yeah people should view alicole as more than just terrible Alicent's punishment for not defeating the patriarchy and being liberated like Rhaenyra.

[noemilivv]

Hi Hi Hiii!!

I just came across your blog for the first time and OMG YOUR CONTENT IS SO SILLY I LOVE IT AHENEGSNWVDBEGDEE (the aesthetic is <33)

That 300 thingy was so cute,too bad i missed it 😭😭

Anyways,

May I ask for some platonic! Alastor,Rosie,Zestial,Carmilla,Vox,Adam and Husk (don't be afraid to shorten the list if it's too many 😭 I usually give a lot so you can write those you have more inspiration for) with a child!reader that is stereotypically childish and just very energetic and happy? Like,they love bright colors,plushies,running around,climb on stuff,always are happy but overall is a very nice and polite kid and will behave if kept occupied? Maybe one day the kid isn't all happy like always and the character worried? (Idk you do you,I just want a silly little chaotic kid!reader 😭😭)

I love platonic stuff so yeah :3

Anyways,I hope you can and enjoy writing this!!

I hope you have a really nice day! Don't forget to drink water and have rest!!

Stay proud!

-Nina <3

AWEEE TYSM !! i’m glad you enjoy my content (as well the aesthetic of my blog hehe), dw tho!! i’ll def have more events similar to my 300 celly in the future ~

as of now, i do not write for zestial or carmilla, but other than that i can do the rest ! enjoy !

Adam, Alastor, Husk, and Rosie + Chaotic!Child!Reader

Adam

He literally loves you to pieces bro, it makes him consider kids later on in his afterlife

Wrestling is constant with the the two of you, he’ll let ya beat him up for fun, he’ll swing ya around, anything ya want!!

Although, if you start swearing at a young age, now it’s thinks to him!

If he sees that the chaotic and fun kid he knows just isn’t feeling it today, he’ll plop down next to ya, try to make you laugh or smile, but if he gets no response? Crushed bro.

He’ll just be like “What’s wrong little bro?” with a 🥺 look on his :’)

Alastor

Alastor wasn’t much of a kid person, well.. until he met you.

You were fun to be around - energetic, but also still polite, as well as entertaining

He would have you do some tasks, giving him less work, and it kept you occupied

Although one day, his charming little kiddo wasn’t their normal happy self.

Al would bend to your level, a soft smile on his face, “Young one, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

Husk

To be honest, kids weren’t really Husk’s thing, teenagers? Sure. But young children, eh…

Well, until he met you, you were polite, but still had a lot of energy and were fun to be around — but also knew when to shush.

He would especially love it when you would say the most out of pocket shit, and just not know, cause you’re just a kid!

But when he sees his little stinker without their usual smile, he’s concerned.

When you come to the bar with your little soft frown, Husk will lean over the counter to face you, whispering a small ‘Keep pushing tiger, ya got this.’

Rosie

Rosie adores children of all ages, she’s a very motherly person, so it’s safe to say when you first stumbled into her emporium, clueless, she was more than delighted to help you!!

Once she got to know you, she was in awe about how a child could be more perfect, you were so grown yet so innocent, it was cute, really.

So when she sees you stumble back to her parlor, looking like you had just cried, her heart broke for you.

She’ll take your hand, and lead you off to your usual talking spot, giving you a cup a tea, “C’mon now, sweetie, what’s got ya in a funk? What can I do?”