#the pyramid schemes not men loving men

[formerdino]

My Café should be

A house of coffee

But you have made it

A den of thieves

Get out! Get out!

[ika-archieves]

me? forgetting to post the valentines art in valentines? very likely

left guy is mine, right guy is @prizmbot‘s

[cadburycreampie]

There’s only one type of MLM pyramid scheme that i can partially sign off on and that’s the sex toy party ladies. Gotta love some 40+ year old woman named Annette or Joan telling you that this clit sucking vibrator will revolutionize your outlook on life

[17020]

DON'T LEAVE ME, GIRL.

Because brainrot can take people places. This is men from KAIJU NO. 8, BLUE LOCK & WIND BREAKER as Henry Danger memes. These are complete crack headcannons and I'm sorry in advance. Do it 4 the plot!

STARRING . . . Soshiro Hoshina, Gen Narumi (KN8), Yoichi Isagi, Reo Mikage (BLLK), Yamato Endo, Hajime Umemiya (WINBRE). gn reader!

SOSHIRO HOSHINA

The fact of the matter is, Soshiro Hoshina had you MONITORED ever since he realized he had romantic feelings for you. With the excuse of receiving daily reports from platoon leaders about their officers, he only paid any mind to any reports about you.

And he was so obvious about it, that some platoon leaders caught on to what he was doing. Nakanoshima genuinely enjoyed it, as seeing the vice-captain with wide eyes trying to conceal any emotion when you're mentioned was a one-of-a-kind experience.

"Oh, by the way! Officer Ln got hit on by one of my men yesterday."

Nakanoshima tried her best to hold in her laughter while Hoshina choked on his food in the middle of the cafeteria. She could see how his face contorted with disgust, as he anxiously began to play with his food.

"And what does that have to do with the reports?" he sneered. She gave him a knowing look, to which he sighed. He was utterly hopeless, wasn't he? A complete idiot in love. So much of an idiot, that even his subordinates caught wind of what was happening.

"...so, what'd they do about it?"

"They turned him down" she shrugged, "Well, at least that's what I saw. If you want the whole thing, you'd probably have to ask Okonogi. She was there way longer than me."

Hoshina's next stop was the operations room.

"Okonogi, dear, do you happen to have any camera footage of the hallway leading to the cafeteria from yesterday at about 5pm—"

The salute that followed sent a shiver down his spine, as he turned to his side to see you, comfortably sitting in Okonogi's seat.

"Vice-captain Hoshina? Sir, Miss Okonogi is currently on break, and she left me here to help her run through some reports" you smiled sheepishly, "If this is about yesterday, sir, just know that nothing happened with the officer that approached me. I completely apologize."

When you bowed in apology, Hoshina simply grinned as he raised his hand to pat your head. "Ya know I care about my officers, sweetheart, so I jus' wanted to make sure ya weren't being harassed."

"Did—did you just call me sweetheart, sir?"

"That's 30 pushups for ya, Ln."

GEN NARUMI

Being in the First Division was already hard enough with all of the highly skilled officers around you, but having captain Gen Narumi follow you around like a lost puppy? Yeah, you unlocked a new level of hell.

The fact that you had a higher-up on your trail didn't bother you, it was the fact that Narumi himself was insufferable, and if the rumors that other officers came to spill to you were true...

Gen Narumi was head over heels for you, and he took every opportunity he had to show off in front of you.

As much as you hated to admit it, Narumi truly was something else. His ability to slay kaiju was unlike any you had ever seen before, and it was nothing short of admirable. Off the field, though, Narumi was like some annoying influencer trying to sell you their latest product from some pyramid scheme.

His product? Himself.

Whenever he wasn't boasting about himself or trying to show you his social media fame, he was constantly in your messages trying to strike up a conversation. Today was no different, as he slid into your messages asking if you knew about his latest video game records.

NARUMI 17:04 and that's how i ended up winning you should've been there, i was incredible

YOU 17:10 wow yeah that's a shame

NARUMI 17:10 something wrong? you're cold today

YOU 17:20 sorry it's been a hard day today, i'm feeling pretty down

NARUMI 17:21 i know what could cheer you up [1 Attachment]

You could not believe your eyes.

In your phone was a picture of Gen Narumi, holding his phone like a facebook parent, duck lips and all, winking.

You didn't hold it in, laughing hysterically at your screen. Tears were forming from how hard you were laughing, and the messages you received made you drop to your knees.

NARUMI 17:25 i'm outside your office btw WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING???

YOICHI ISAGI

When Isagi accidentally revealed to Kurona and Hiori about his growing crush on you, he settled on keeping your name hidden in public conversations. A part of him thought that, yes, it might be childish, but code names could save his ass from the prying eyes of Blue Lock TV and the press.

He knew you were watching at home, as he constantly texted you about what you saw on your television throughout the week. He’s grateful that there are no cameras in the stratum’s bedrooms, as he mostly spends his time kicking his feet like a schoolgirl whenever he’s chatting with you.

While having lunch with his teammates, the topic of relationships had surged, as there were some which wondered if their teammates had someone waiting for them back home.

“So, Isagi, did you confess to Yn already?”

“Confess! Confess!”

“Huh.”

Isagi’s eye twitched as his teammates slowly stood up from their seats. They looked at each other nervously, and in response, Isagi sighed.

"The code name was apple" he sneered, "if this ends up on Blue Lock TV, you're fucking dead."

Hiori and Kurona were grateful that social media did not rave about Isagi's love life, thus thinking they were safe from any tormenting. Isagi was relieved that his teammates' slip up was kept under wraps, as he wasn't ready to express his feelings just yet.

Luckily for him, Blue Lock TV released a special episode filled with drama and gossip from all teams, and much to his dismay, "APPLE" started trending on Twitter, along with his name, and the phrase "WHO IS YN".

REO MIKAGE

Reo Mikage knew that your job as Bastard Munchen's social media manager meant that he wouldn't see you as much, with him seeing you on award shows, events, or football matches that you both attended as guests.

Every day, he would text you a new reason for you to switch teams and join Manshine City instead. He offered to fly you out, help you with paperworks and your CV—Mikage had everything covered.

Except for your approval.

It was hard to leave a team you grew to be fond of, after almost two years of working there, you learned to love everyone as you would with your own family. After hearing Mikage's pleas day after day, you finally gave him the go ahead to submit your job application.

Which just so happened to fall on the day in which Manshine played against Bastard.

It was a complex match, with your team winning 3-2 against Mikage's. After celebrating with some nice dinner on a rooftop, Isagi had invited you to go around Manchester for some shopping, as he wanted to buy a present for his mother.

Reo Mikage's phone had blown up in a way he had never witnessed before. From his friends, social media, hell—even Nagi was spamming him with messages, sending him a link to an article.

"Yoichi Isagi spotted with mystery person in Cartier for a shopping day! What we know about them so far..."

Reo Mikage had to be forcibly removed from his phone and social media, with his teammates having to hold him back from causing a scene.

Because why on God's beautiful Earth were you shopping with Isagi instead of him?

When he received his phone back, he saw a text from you, explaining how Isagi asked for your help to buy jewelry for his mother's upcoming birthday. He felt himself melt at the thought of your kindness, as according to him, you were doing charity work. Nothing against Isagi's mother, though.

He smiled as he exited your chat and typed out a name, starting a new conversation.

REO 23:11 Listen here you Mr. "I take Yn shopping in Manchester" I swear if I ever see you near them in public again you better pray that you stay in Bastard because do you know who I am I am the heir of Mikage Corp and the amount of power I have would put you to shame because WHO do you think you are first stealing Nagi from me and now Yn you seriously have to have a death wish for that you stupid good for nothing Be grateful that they're leaving your poor little team and joining Manshine soon, so they'll never see you again you punk

YAMATO ENDO

"—and then he told me that if I went to the beach with the girls and that one guy, he'd break up with me on the spot. Can you believe him? We had to pick up trash at the beach for a school project and he said that"

"I can't believe it!" Endo gasped, his hand on your shoulder, "If that were me, I would've never said that. That's a shitty move on his part."

"Annnnd then he had my socials on his phone, and he read the notifications that I received. He got mad because a friend told me they loved me."

Okay, that one he could agree with.

The joy of having Yamato Endo listening to your horrible experiences with your ex was that, at face value, Endo was agreeing with everything you said. Internally, though, he thought different.

The more he heard, the more intrigued he was about your ex. Because Endo Yamato found himself relating to him, and was on the verge of asking you for his number.

"Damn, he was oversteppin' boundaries" he sighed. Snooping every once in a while ain't bad, though, is what he thought. 'Cause what if they're cheating or something, or covering for someone?

He shook his head as he discarded the thought, as neither of those situations could ever apply to you. You went on and on, describing the various ways in which your ex had either pissed you off or straight up did you dirty.

At the end of your rant, Endo slyly pulled out his phone and opened the search tab of his social media.

"Damn Yn that's crazy! Anyway, what was his name again?"

HAJIME UMEMIYA

You knew Hajime Umemiya was too trusting and naive, but you let it slide. When you and him were cuddling on your couch, mindlessly scrolling through his social media, something was off.

His page was filled with Instagram models.

And sure, you wouldn't have any trouble with it, but the fact that there were half naked people clogging your boyfriend's feed, you felt a bit iffy. When asking him about it, he simply laughed.

"Oh, the kids at the orphanage took my phone a while back! Didn't know they followed all these people, though" he smiled.

Well the kids at the orphanage have very good taste, you thought.

When the next week rolled by and Umemiya found himself in a brawl outside of Pothos, you stood in the sidelines next to Kotoha. "Did he do anything about the models?" she asked. When you shook your head in response, she smirked.

"Give me your phone, Yn."

She opened the camera app and pointed it towards the brawl, motioning for you to slide a bit to your left so that you would be in the frame.

"Now say cheese!"

"Hey—what's going on?" Umemiya questioned, before having a punch thrown at his face. Kotoha chuckled in return, her fingers intertwining with yours.

"Don't you see? Yn's modeling. If you need anyone to save you, ask Sommer Ray! We're out of here."

taglist (open, yippee!): @stunie @kaiser1ns @nyxypoo @karasuglazer @littleplantfreak @maruflix @heartkaji

[the-twst-cast-needs-therapy]

Unhinged headcannon time! Please do not take them seriously:

-Lilia drinks polish Tesco value beer (in moderation)

-Lilia has gaming headphones with cat ears on them

-Silver snacked on melatonin gummies accidentally once too many times

-Azul tried to make a Cryptomarket pyramid scheme (it failed)

-Azuls most amazing discovery on land was the stock market and labour law violations

-Jade and Floyd love feasting on shipwrecked humans. They filmed a muckbang once.

- Cater livestreamed and documented many of the fucked up moments at NRC, including the schools invasion by STYX

-idia uses his gamer rage to cook ramen (he has also been used as a fireplace to roast marshmallows)

-Ortho probably has an attachment for a HUGE Lazer ray gun somewhere and I want him to use it

-The shrouds will NOT go bald if they enter water, they will cause it to cook/heavily steam tho, so they can't really go in the pool (I mean...Ortho probably can't go regardless)

-Jack :) (There's nothing wrong with him, I just wanted to mention him, because he is very polite)

-Kalim spends obscene amounts of money on gacha games and in game currencies (Jamil and Ruggie are astounded by this and told him to stop multiple times)

-Jamils ponytail functions as a tactical weapon if he spins it fast enough

-Ruggie is the Twst equivalent of an American

-Rook has unfortunately decided to keep his haircut indefinitely

-Rook takes pictures of his hunts like men do with fish

-Epel used to bite people

-Ace is convinced Naruto running makes him faster

-Deuce held a funeral for the eggs he dropped at the beginning of the game. He also does this every time he steps on a bug

-Sebek has a Malleus shrine in his locker, he's super secretive and is oblivious that everyone knows about it.

-Rollo prays regularly and asks god to smite people who mildly annoyed him today (his prayers have not been heard as of yet)

[intothedysphoria]

Steve: shit I keep getting the hashtag MLM spamming my Twitter feed- what does it stand for again?

Dustin: multi level marketing? Steve did you sign up for a pyramid scheme???

Murray: marxism Leninism Maoism- I see you comrade

Billy: babe it’s because you made me watch all of heartstopper last night then posted about it incessantly. It’s men loving men.

Steve:………………yeah it’s Billy’s one

[wizard-on-whales]

Modern AU! for rdr2 characters

These are my headcannons for each character and what I think they would do in modern times.

Characters included: Arthur, Micah, Dutch, John, Abigail, Mary-Beth, Karen, Tilly, Sadie, Strauss, Charles, Susan, Bill, Lenny, Hosea, Sean, Molly, Javier, Swanson

_______________________________

Arthur Morgan: 

He works a blue-collar job. He would most likely be a ranch hand, but for some reason, I can also imagine him being a plumber or welder. In his free time, he does art and sells prints on Etsy. He is still an old-fashioned gentleman (In a good way), and all of the ladies he meets swoon for him, but he is a himbo and doesn't realize they are practically in love with him. They will give him the most obvious hints, but he will think the women are just being nice. 

Micah Bell:

He's the creepy uncle that you avoid at every family gathering. He hasn't had a job in like 15 years, and no one knows how he can still pay his bills. And he also always smells like lingering alcohol and cigarettes. He will lean too close to his nieces and say extremely concerning things everyone would choose to ignore. Im also getting the vibes that he went to prison for several years, but no one knows what for.

Dutch Van Der Linde:

He sells people scams or owns a pyramid scheme business. Similar to Scentsy products, he somehow convinces all of these people to buy his products to sell to other people, telling them they will get rich by selling these products, but, in reality, he's screwing them over and making most of the money himself. 

John Marston: 

If we are talking about early Red Dead 2 Marston, he still lives in his parent's basement and plays video games on his PC all day. He also watches Andrew Tate and would try to boss Abigail around and tell her he's an alpha male. (She'd slap him and tell him to get over himself) Late rdr2 and rdr1, he's grown out of that mindset and has become a working family man. Potentially also a welder, like I said for Arthur. But any high-paying physical job works.  

I feel like Abigail, Mary-Beth, Karen, and Tilly would all have a mom group they host every week to discuss their child's newest achievements. Their husbands think that is all they do at the meetings, but they also have in-depth conversations about women's suffrage and how the world caters to men. They think of ways to better the world and bring more women together to discuss these topics and bring light to issues regarding women. The girls would run a pretty popular Facebook group where they let other women express their opinions on those topics. (Arthur is a part of the Facebook group and likes every post he sees and comments shit like, “You're doing great, ladies! Keep up the good work! 😁🥰👍”) 

Sadie would probably occasionally attend these meetings (Although I dont see her having children, she would go for the cheap wine and to hang with her friends). Sadie would also go for the in-depth conversations and bring new thoughts to the table because she is a CEO or manager for a very successful company. She would share her experiences of what it's like to be on top of the men who work for her but still be looked down upon by them simply because of her gender. She would also probably share tips on that Facebook page on how to create a successful business without having to attend years of college and give tips for all stay-at-home moms who want to be more than just moms and wives. (She would also be the cool rich aunt)

Leopold Strauss: 

He would do the same thing. He gives loans to people who he knows won't be able to pay back the money, and then when the bill comes, he'd ruin their lives and probably end up breaking up families/ relationships and send people to jail for not paying back the money in time. 

Charles Smith:

I can see him being a park ranger or working in any conservation field. Potentially even a firefighter who deals with all of the forest fires that happen in places along the West Coast. He’d also be one to do something similar to what he did in the game, but he would work with the local native tribes against companies to try to win back their lands before it gets plowed over for an Amazon factory or something. 

Susan Grimshaw:

I can see her being the mean substitute teacher who yells at everyone to get to work, and then when someone does something slightly wrong, she would yell at the whole class and be like, “In all of my years of teaching, I have never seen a class behave this badly.” Either that or she would work at the front desk of the business Sadie runs. Miss Grimshaw would NOT play with anyone who would try to be rude towards her. 

Bill Williamson: 

Ehem…a police officer. I feel like this one is self-explanatory. But he would mostly sit in his car and do nothing his entire shift. Occasionally pulling someone over for speeding. If they are a white dude, he'd would let them off with just a warning. Poor Lenny would probably get the ticket. 

Lenny Summers: 

I feel like he would be the one to graduate high school early and go to college as soon as possible. I dont know exactly what he would choose for his degree, but I feel like it would be something involving politics. Maybe that wouldn't be his major, but he would take a government class. Or Potentially going into journaling. 

Hosea Matthews:

He's the retired grandpa who used to work in a factory where he made a surprising amount of money and was able to retire early. He spends most of his days walking up at 5 in the morning to watch the sunrise and read the morning paper. And he’ll spend every opportunity he gets to take his kids or grandkids fishing. And if you stay at his house overnight or for the weekend, he gives you a bowl of ice cream every night before bed and recounts every story he could think of that happened from the last time you saw him. (Some of them are surprisingly concerning, but he is one of those badass grandpas)

Sean Macguire:

Similar to John, Sean would spend most of his time gaming on his PC and arguing with children on COD or Fortnite. But he also works at a local bar as the bartender and won't hesitate to argue with the drunk assholes and would slap a bitch if needed. But he also embarrasses himself by flirting with women who will give him dirty looks or tell him that they are gay. (I feel like Karen would also work late-night shifts at the bar with him, but shes also taking online college classes because she wants to be a social worker) 

Molly O’Shea:

Instagram and TikTok influencer 100%, and lots of brands like to sponsor her and send her free stuff (Mostly because of Dutch’s business.) and she posts videos of her and Dutch, and everyone in the comments freaks out about how he is grooming her because of their age difference but she denies it all and says that they are actually in love.  But then she would post a video to that one sound, “My god this reminds me of when we were young.” And Molly be like 8, and Dutch be in his mid-to-late 20s. 

Javier Escuella: 

He’d be a musician. He would have started out in a shitty garage band with Sean and John or something, but then he’d realize he actually wants to be a serious musician while the other guys were just messing around. So he’d leave and make solo music that blows up, and he ends up going on tour, and making a lot of money and becoming hugely successful. 

Reverend Swanson:

The preacher you always see in the corner of the bar Sean works at. And if you went up to him and started talking to him, he’d tell you the most profound things. He would tell you about his life when he was younger and what happened that made him lose hope, but he would motivate you to never give up. He’d be that person you meet by chance for a few seconds that you would never forget. Hosea probably invites him to go fishing with him from time to time. But instead of fishing, Swanson stares at the water ripples in silence. Hosea would let him sit in silence and let Swanson enjoy the company and the time to think while being sober. 

----------------------------

[hadesoftheladies]

Victim Blaming

Hoping I can keep this brief, but I have a habit of being thorough to a fault, lmao. Anyway, yesterday I had an unpleasant conversation with a radblr user who's online presence I have largely enjoyed at least, up until this point. She was frustrated with one of my posts, one where i joked about certain experiences i had with choice feminists.

She is referencing this post of mine in particular as an example of my victim blaming: (15) nearly all women who date men do so as a form of ritualized masochism: the lifeblood of female gendered socialization – @hadesoftheladies on Tumblr

I was, of course, upset at this, but I got curious as to whether or not the words I used in this post could qualify as victim blaming. I had this disquiet in me, which I usually have when a concept in my head is ambiguous and I'm struggling to define it. I want to draw a line somewhere because clarity is my one true love. So I did a little research on the general term.

First off, victim blaming is a term used in sexual assault/violence cases. That subject is the soil from which this notion of victim blaming grew into what we know it as today. FUNDAMENTALLY, victim blaming is when a victim of sexual violence is held responsible (either partially or entirely) for what happened to them. (Please keep that in mind.)

According to this article, victim blaming stems from several places:

-a desire to distance oneself from the possibility of being victimized

-a lack of empathy

-fundamental attribution error (FOA) which is the refusal to analyze external factors in favour of putting all the responsibility of the abuse on the victim

Also important to note, is that the end result of victim blaming usually results in the victim feeling ashamed or guilty for what happened to them.

Moving on, in the post this user provided as an example of me victim blaming, there's a note somewhere down there where another user called "eldopism" mentions a Lundy Bancroft quote about how victims need far more support than judgement, and how I shouldn't be making myself out to be a victim for something a man did to someone else.

maslows-pyramid-scheme also informed me that there were certain radblr users that had discussed this trend of me victim blaming straight women, so I think this serious accusation warrants a very fair and thorough response and I will use the above information on victim blaming to criticize this specific post i made about women who date men.

#1. Have I Blamed Straight Women for The Evil Men Have Done To Them?

In the above excerpt, I am drawing up a profile of a woman who is informed and not currently in a domestic hostage situation. The examples I provide are all of women I know who are unmarried and dating. One example I use is of a woman who was almost raped.

I talk about these women as active agents or "adults." They are capable of making decisions, perceiving threats, and are aware of the situations they've been in. I explicitly state that I feel anger at them, which DOES NOT MEAN I am ONLY angry at them. It is only that this anger at them is the focus of the post.

Now at a glance, anyone would say, "Yeah, this is victim blaming. You are clearly angry at a woman for almost getting raped." And I think in this case, I am partly to blame for not providing more context to that specific story.

At the point of writing this very emotional rant, the woman who was almost raped had gone BACK to flirt and talk with the very same man. When she told me what had happened, I was angry at him and horrified, but when I heard she'd gone back, that was when my anger extended to her. Both before and after the encounter, I and other mutual women in this circle, had discouraged her from fraternizing with him. This man was not attractive, neither did we find him particularly charming. They were not long-term friends and did not have any prior connections. He was a stranger that had no stake in her life. She had told us that leading up to that moment, she had not communicated what she'd wanted. Honestly, even now, I'm not too sure what was going through her head during all this and the sequence of events aren't adding up in my mind.

What I DO know is that he attempted to penetrate her without her consent and she froze as a fear response. Knowing that she found this potentially traumatizing, I wondered why on earth she went back to flirt with him days later and then continuously went on to put herself in escalating vulnerable positions with other strangers.

So, victim blaming is when I would blame this woman for being nearly raped, but that's not what I'm doing. I'm angry at this woman for disregarding this traumatizing experience. Consistently, even in the other stories, my anger is about women's decisions to re-expose themselves to predators POST victimization. Not about the victimization itself. I am not asking "what did you do to provoke him" but "why are you doing this again after what he did?"

I hope you can see the difference in both questions.

#2. Why Does She Do That?

The central theme of this post is the latter question: why the fuck are you going back? And please note, these are explicitly NOT domestic violence cases. These aren't women who live with these men or who's economic livelihoods depend on these men. These are important distinctions.

Of course, being well acquainted with theory, I know that none of our decisions are made in a vacuum. In many of my posts and also in this particular post, I acknowledge these external factors, which is why I called this cycle of "ritualized masochism" part of gendered socialization. I am explicitly acknowledging that this is a systemic issue that affects an individual's psychology, hence, interpersonal relationships. Literally in the first sentence. So I have not committed an FOA.

In this post, I also highlight the difference between me and women who make this issue out to be solely a matter of the moral failing or lack of resilience from these kinds of women. An inevitability that is better to just wash one's hands of. I DO NOT think flippantly abandoning these women to their self-destructive behaviour or acting smug about it is the right response.

#3. People That Love People Will Grieve

This post is PRIMARILY an expression of personal grief. When our loved ones are suffering or are hurt or are lost, we will, of course, feel personally affected. It is HEALTHY and IMPERATIVE that people who are supporting women or anyone, really, through difficult times or chaotic phases feel their feelings and air out their frustrations. Care-taking on any scale can and will get tiring because we are FINITE. We do not have unlimited energy to offer eternal support. That's the reality.

This anger and pain we feel is not coming from a lack of empathy but from the overwhelming presence of it. I feel for you so strongly, that every time you hurt yourself, I also feel it. When he hurts you, I am angry because I feel that hurt. When you hurt yourself, I fam angry because I feel that hurt. Because there is a part of me that is suffering as well, I get angry at the cause of that pain.

Apathy could never.

I wanted to provide an outlet to myself and other women who felt like me who had or were going through this grieving process and had frustrations as a result of having empathy while partaking in a seemingly never-ending cycle of torment.

#4. The Rescuer Isn't Coming

Which brings me to this next point.

Now I've made several responses in this thread already, but I really wanted to highlight that maslow's original criticism is that I was conflating an innate desire for a romantic relationship with men with femininity, and I was calling both ritualized masochism (which they are).

But this response really cements the absurdity of this situation for me; that is, the absurdity of choice feminism.

What really gets me about this particular response is how perfectly it poses the very same question that the post she cited says is impossible to answer: what can I do to make her life safer?

The post she cited is one that is lamenting the utter helplessness of being this support that never really improves anything because, at the end of the day, grown women will do whatever the fuck they want.

How can I make her safer when she rejects safety? How can the onus possibly be on me when I have zero power in this situation? I cannot criticize her decisions, I cannot herd all the men and shoot them into Jupiter, I can't stop her from going to club and picking these men up, I can't force her to date or believe me when I tell her that such a man is not good.

So what the fuck else is there to do but warn her? And knowing that my warnings are clearly falling on deaf ears, what the fuck else is there to do but watch or leave?

Do you not see the double bind. I am "protecting her" the only way I can: advising her to stay away.

Ultimately, it seems, maslow is upset that my solution to this whole problem is to tell straight women to forego this pursuit of a loving relationship with a man. She sees it as fundamentally self-centered, divorced from the interests and complexities of heterosexual dating and the rich inner lives of straight women.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no alternative. Radfems, of all people, know there is not. We know men do not rape because they lack education in consent. We know they rape because they want to. We know men do not abuse women because of any romanticized narrative of a tortured, guilty soul, but because it makes them feel good about themselves. Because they want to. We know men re-enforce patriarchy and misogyny, not because they "don't know" women are people but because it benefits them in some way. So WE KNOW that on a micro and macro scale, there is little we can do to appeal to men's humanity (or whatever's left rotting in its place).

So if men won't suddenly transform their hearts and rescue women, and if feminists and separatists can't get rid of men or force women to do anything, then who is left to protect these vulnerable women?

No one but their fucking selves. That's the truth. That's the point. Women are not to blame for what men do to us, but it is our responsibility to look out for ourselves because NO ONE ELSE WILL DO IT. No man is going to rescue us and no woman is going to resist the effects of socialization for us. Resistance and rebellion have to start from within and all I can do is inspire it however I can and seek freedom for myself.

The vision of separatism in feminism is one of women empowered to protect themselves, an acknowledgement of the fact that women only gain rights when we demand them ourselves. No man is going to change because we ask him to. At least, if he did, he'd be the rare exception. Which, you know, good for him. I can't be angry at a man for being genuinely good. It's always a win.

But separatism is a political strategy. "Let women try find a good man" is not. If most men are predatory toward women, then saying "find a good man among them" is shit advice. If it were a strategy, it would be a really shitty one because it CANNOT SCALE. Your political strategy should prioritize the majority of women who WILL NOT be able to find a good man that doesn't take advantage of them, otherwise, it's just elitism. Your personal hope in finding a good man is not a viable political/feminist strategy.

And if it isn't, then why are you demanding feminists take it as such?

#5. Love, Like Beauty, Is Pain

The comparison of femininity and dating men as ritualistic masochism was coming from the culture of women that romanticizes pain in love and beauty, insisting that these things are innate and inescapable, making them out to be virtues. It is glorified masochism and romanticized self-harm. The way we hurt our feet with heels, seek increasingly extreme ways to "correct" our natural physical characteristics and the way we put up with men. "Putting up with men" has been something we've been groomed to do by both our mothers, peers and men at nearly every stage.

This has become so familiar to us, that breaking free from this cycle is scarier than the anticipation of pain. This is also frequently a pointed source of my frustration in this post and other posts similar to it. This is why both femininity and sexual relationships with men are part of the same question and demand proper attention.

I am far from the first feminist to point this out, so I don't know why I'm being made out to be some sort of abuse-enabler for pointing basic feminist analysis like this out. It is this grooming that enables abuse, not advocating against it.

#6. Summary

-I committed no FOA.

-I have contextualized the suffering of these women and analyzed external factors.

-I have empathized explicitly with their pain.

Conclusion: I did not victim blame anyone and anti-separatist users continue to decontextualize my quotes in several other areas where context has not been adequately provided (and which I take responsibility for). I have not called women who date or marry men anti-feminist, but I have called that decision anti-feminist/non-radical. You can be a feminist and have non-feminist interests or pursuits. That doesn't mean you're entitled to validation from feminists because we are women. Feminism is a political party, not women's club. And choice feminists keep insisting it’s the latter.

Furthermore, I don't mind people questioning my integrity, but I do sincerely ask that they bring receipts. :)

[hellcheer-heaven]

After my latest s4 rewatch, I told some of the highlights to a friend who hasn't watch ST (and wasn't planning to; the genre isn't their cup of tea). When I reached the part about the aftermath of Chrissy's death, I said that I found particularly funny and infuriating that Jason accused Eddie of being a cult leader when he himself acted like one, rallying up his crownies and eventually getting the town on his 'hunt the freak' scheme. Then they said "oh, like Gaston?". Not saying BatB Hellcheer au (bc I personally don't like the Disney version and Beast's backstory is too further away from Eddie's) but there were def too many parallels between Jason and Gaston in canon, there would've been more than a few between Chrissy and Belle has she lived, and the most glaring one would've been their relationship once appearances were cast aside and Jason showed his true colors. What do you think?

I can definitely see what your friend and you meant by the parallels between ST/Hellcheer and BatB! I pretty much saw it after my first re-watch of season 4. I’ll try my best to explain using the disney version here while I give my two cents, and I’ll divide the sections with pictures too.

Town Hero

Jason and Gaston are quite similar, given that they're seen as the town hero that many people adore. Their looks, skills, charm, and being at the top of the pyramid allows for a large portion of the town to trust them wholeheartedly. They're seen as "perfect,” , thus they "can do no wrong" in the eyes of their peers. When they deem the Beast and Eddie as threats to their way of life, many people blindly follow whatever they say because Jason and Gaston are seen as a beacon of safety and hope. These "perfect" men found the answer to what's been plaguing the town of terrible things, so who better to follow than the self appointed leader who promises to get rid of the "threat" in order to make things right again.

“It’s Time to Follow Me!”

In terms of having a partner, Gaston’s interest in Belle is more for social status and as a means to boost his already inflated ego. He’s obnoxious and boastful, seeing Belle as another trophy to display in his already amazing life. He’s mean, but not bloodthirsty.

It's only later on his villainous intentions are revealed when he sees that the Beast is indeed real. When he hears how Belle speaks so positively about something so monstrous looking, that threatens Gaston's only chance of taking her for himself. His anger/jealously fuels him to use his power over the people to get them to do whatever he wants. This time Gaston is out for blood, cementing his change into a metaphorical beast.

As for Jason, a part me does believe that he did love Chrissy very much. He fell into despair the moment he heard about her death, so I don’t blame him for experiencing such raw feelings of loss and anger. He couldn’t bear the fact that the love of his life is gone. He wanted answers, he wanted justice to be served in the most twisted manner possible, and he was willing to do anything to avenge Chrissy’s death.

That of course doesn’t justify his decisions to beat up Eddie's friends, make a speech to get people on his side, and threaten to shoot Lucas and Max. I don’t know how religious Hawkins is, but I can imagine that many were not too keen on anything having to do with D&D and metal music even before the mysterious murders started happening.

Jason found his “answer” by pinning Eddie as a “satanic cult leader” for both Chrissy’s and Patrick’s horrible demise. He already has his preconceived ideas about Eddie, but Jason was past the point of reasoning and fanned the flames of hysteria. Cementing his metaphorical transformation from man to beast just like Gaston. In fact this short passage from "The Mob Song" sums up the dangerous side of mob mentality.

We don't like What we don't understand In fact it scares us And this monster is mysterious at least

Bring your guns Bring your knives Save your children and your wives We'll save our village and our lives We'll kill the Beast!

Something There

Now let’s look at the couple. While Eddie and Chrissy were given just a little bit of screen time together, you can absolutely see the chemistry between them during the bench scene (honestly all that scene was missing was a musical number). It felt like the beginning of what could have been a wonderful story between them. Sadly we'll never know if they could have just been friends or friends to lovers. But that's the beauty of fanfiction, people can create a world of what could have been. I'll share some headcanons (combo of ones that I’ve read and my own) regarding what might have happened if Chrissy and Eddie were allowed to live for the rest of the season.

They're both lonely, which surprises the other because they both seem so happy whenever they cross paths.

They learn to look past their already established preconceived notions about each other based on their social circles. i.e. Cheerleaders are mean girls, metalheads are vicious.

They both need to wear a socially acceptable mask in order to fit in with everyone around them.

Chrissy had a secret crush on Eddie growing up and still does. She's been told to steer clear of him because he's "dangerous," but that somehow still makes him attractive. So when she sees that he's actually a huge goofball, that doesn't diminish her feelings towards him.

Eddie is a hopeless romantic. He may have "cynical eyes," but he believes in things like "love at first sight" and "love conquers all." This of course blinds him to the reality that sometimes relationships aren't as cookie cutter like in a fairy tale.

They would share bits and pieces of what it was like for them growing up, which again surprises the other. Yet this helps to strengthen their relationship.

The two of them learn to see that there's more to each other than what's on the outside, which if it was done well would have made for a beautiful story.

Anyway I hope I was able to answer your question as best as I could.

[radioactivewisdom]

Mutual exploitation between men and women is nobody’s business but their own. Heterosexuality’s only purpose is to further propagate this shit world through indoctrinating the children produced from these unions. Even the most brain dead trad wife knows that her vows were nothing more than a promise of lifetime prostitution. Exchanging sex for resources and allowing men to propagate via woman’s wombs is all marriage has ever been about. Hetero men and women can never shut up about how much they hate each other, but will never leave each other alone because papas penis pistol needs a holster, and mommy needs a place to stay.

The real exploitation takes place for those of us who see through the bullshit. Especially sovereign women, who are constantly recruited by XX dummies who expect us to be the clean up crew for their relationship messes. Children are sacred but are doomed the minute they can interpret language in the families they’re born into. I won’t be a part of any “village” that expects me to partake in the upbringing of future porn addicts and dick for brain Barbie fetishist. Ah yes, the perfect union, sex pest and bang maid. Of course it’s exploitative, that’s the entire point. Heterosexuality will never be equal, nor is it supposed to be, because it’s naturally degrading.

Is Mother Nature a misogynist? Only to those who don’t really listen. The keys have always been placed in women’s hands, they just enjoy driving recklessly. Semen intercepts brainwaves and causes XX on XX aggression. The only genuine unions that can potentially take place are between two likeminded women. Only then does real love reign. Lucky are those who find it.

The heteros can keep hitting each other over the head with accusations and creating movements to “solve” their problems. Right wing or Radfem, the resentment is never enough to actually make them leave. Men and women have a compulsive need to try and dominate one another. Men have been more successful because of their ability to accurately assess physical reality (their only strength) while women remain delusional. I only feel bad for the future generations they doom via their pyramid scheme of reproduction.

[shoyostar]

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL PROFILES.

SPOTLIGHT: KUROO TETSUROU HATE CLUB.

internationally regional profiles.

vacation bible school m.list. // hq. masterlist.

MISC. — (y/n) has known kuroo since childhood and kenma since middle school, but met bokuto and akaashi in uni.

SPOTLIGHTING: (Y/N)

second year systems biology student. has a philosophy of never chasing after men and instead letting them come to her. never fucks unless there’s something in it for her. has a part time job at a cafe on campus. she shares an apartment with kenma that neighbours bokuto and akaashi’s. got into utokyo on a scholarship and is really serious about her studies despite her lax attitude. has a lot of acquaintances on campus who she hangs out with sometimes but not people who she considers ‘friends’. doesn’t like getting into relationships (the emotional stuff makes her feel icky) and is pretty closed off to people except close friends.

SPOTLIGHTING: KENMA KOZUME

second year programming student. has an “alter-ego” (as he likes to call it) of being the increasingly famous faceless streamer kodzuken. a lot of rumours float around campus that he and y/n are dating (it lowkey repulses them, but it’s fun to fool people). has a horrible sleep schedule and always looks like he needs an energy drink. goes to class like once a week but is still passing with ease. took programming because of video games but is considering becoming a professional streamer or indie developer instead of going into an industry job. writes absolutely scathing, career ending game reviews on steam in his free time.

SPOTLIGHTING: KEIJI AKAASHI

second year comparative literature and japanese literature student who actually needs an energy drink. rues the day he decided to be ambitious and do a double major. chronically stressed and bokuto never shuts up about it. is around 580k yen in debt so he takes his academics extremely seriously. sometimes called a prude because he gets snarky when sex is brought up. has lost around three pairs of glasses and still doesn’t know where any of them are. has a little side groupchat with kenma and y/n where they hold study sessions and do late night snack runs together. plays solitaire with kenma at two am and their games get a little too heated for what should be considered normal.

SPOTLIGHTING: KOUTAROU BOKUTO

third year sports science major who really shouldn’t be in university to begin with. considered going pro after highschool but thought the transition would be easier if he played in uni instead of making the huge jump immediately. doesn’t really know what he’s doing in his classes so it’s a miracle he’s still in the program and is banking on his future pro career so he can slack off on his studies. works out with kuroo who keeps trying to lure him into a pyramid scheme. on the utokyo volleyball team and still gets lost around campus despite being in his third year. a loveable guy all around who has absolutely zero enemies. what he lacks in academics he makes up for in emotional wisdom.

SPOTLIGHTING: TETSUROU KUROO

third year marketing major who debates if he should’ve just taken chemistry instead because it was easier. the only one of the group who lives off campus and commutes to school (he’s always simultaneously out of the loop and in it all at once because of this). is really well known because he loves networking and is the most socially active by choice. keeps trying to get kenma into stock trading (it’s working to some degree). works out regularly with bokuto. does really sketchy shit for connections and is probably in some kind of ponzi scheme. doesn’t really stress over school because he passes with minimal studying and likes to gloat about it to akaashi who wants to strangle him at times.

reblogs are appreciated .ᐟ ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

© property of shoyostar / thomae 2023. all rights reserved.

[sleepsonclouds]

Clouds tropespots: The Spirealm, E11

Episode 11 (reality)

This far, I've numbered the doors according to how many door worlds we've seen in the series. However, that doesn't follow everyone's personal "door count", because the level of the door matters as well. Sometimes it's possible to skip or re-do levels. (The drum sisters door actually counts as Lin Qiushi's 5th door.) Door world logic, what can you do?

For now, we get a break from doors and many discussions in which nothing and no one is straight.

Keeping watch over injured partner: Qiushi wakes up after getting a concussion in the drum door. Nanzhu is sitting on his bed, watching him very, very closely - you can see from his eyes when Qiushi wakes up. He seems to sense this earlier than Qiushi himself. How long has Nanzhu been watching over him, exactly?

Concern over partner's health: Now Nanzhu treats Qiushi as the Sickly Victorian Heroine, being all "health is most important" and "I'll postpone all my plans for you, none of that matters". Where is the cold-hearted boss of Obsidian? Nanzhu's "Your injury was unexpected" just sounds like he's been worried sick. And he doesn't forget to tell Qiushi to rest well and pat his thigh… on top of the covers, so it doesn't count. Right.

The Parent Discussion: Nanzhu brings up Qiushi's parents - how's he going to explain… everything? Qiushi (looking down, distracting himself with the cat): "No need. We're not that close." He says it so casually that something's definitely off. At least Nanzhu doesn't have to meet the relatives. (Would that be a disaster or a success? Would crossdressing help or hinder? I'm getting distracted by Ruan Baijie. Send help.)

Meeting the best friend: Wu Qi insists on visiting Obsidian to see Qiushi isn't involved in anything shady. Cough. Everyone does their best to act super shady… until Nanzhu shows up. Wu Qi's FACE! He's the best! Nanzhu's all business, cold and collected. He wipes his hands after greeting Wu Qi, but that doesn't stop Wu Qi's beaming. After all, he just met the hot boss who introduced himself as Qiushi's friend and promised to take good care of him! +100 approval. Wu Qi, you have a type.

Everyone thinks we're together: Wu Qi's suspicions - or convictions - shift. "I believe you aren't doing a pyramid scheme here", says he, sounding very much like "I know you're doing the boss instead". The unbelievably handsome boss, he doesn't forget to add. Wu Qi is such a delight! He gets plenty of lines to guide the viewer to NSWF conclusions (re: bondage discussion). Nice tactic.

Everyone expects jealousy: Everyone acts like Nanzhu and Qiushi are together. So when Nanzhu starts to spend a lot of time taking a newbie through the doors, people keep checking in on Qiushi. Even Cheng Qianli asks whether he's jealous or upset! And he refuses to believe Qiushi's not bothered! (Generally a good principle: do not believe Qiushi who is "fine".) But even better - Nanzhu feels the need to reassure Qiushi! "Hang in there", he says, promising it won't take long. Everyone's so considerate of Qiushi's feelings, I'm touched.

Boop: Nanzhu also feels the need to touch. I simply must record every instance of Nanzhu poking Qiushi's forehead, because how cute is that? He does it so fondly, too.

Noodles of love (variant): Qiushi regularly cooks for everyone at Obsidian (besides Nanzhu, specifically). Glad to see he's taking care of the family.

Crossdressing comedy of errors: Li Dongyan calls Nanzhu to curse him, because Nanzhu drove away the spy Dongyan sent to find Baijie. (Who's really at fault here?) It's all too easy for Nanzhu to invoke Baijie's presence - suddenly Li Dongyan is at his best behaviour, professing his love. Nanzhu: "Baijie doesn't like men who talk too much. Bye." It's fascinating to hear him talk about himself/herself in the third person like this. Actually, it's a very nice way to let Nanzhu make statements about what he likes in men! Well done, clever little adaptation.

Crossdressing (serious): Qiushi's amused, which suddenly makes Nanzhu serious: "So what? Isn't Baijie good?" (I spy a hint of "am I not good enough" here.) Qiushi admits easily that Baijie's good… only to trigger the drama sprite! "Who is better, Baijie or me?" asks Nanzhu, gravely. He might as well ask do you prefer men or women. Qiushi, at his oblivious best, gets it right: "But you are the same person." Nanzhu is always equally awesome! Also, Linlin's statement kind of implies that Baijie's preferences = Nanzhu's preferences.

Approval from the family: Chen Fei, totally not deflecting questions: "Ruan-ge is lucky to meet a newcomer like you." Chen Fei's seal of approval! I really like Chen Fei. A couple of lingering shots also suggest that he might have more of an interest in Nanzhu than he lets on.

Jealousy (real): Qiushi and Nanzhu meet Zaozao in the real world. She's awfully friendly, calls Qiushi cute and even tries to hire him as her assistant! This is Not On. When she gets to asking about Qiushi's hobbies, Nanzhu's expression grows more and more sinister. "No need to ask so many questions," he cuts her off. It's "unnecessary" for her to know Linlin any better.

Plot item of significance: The bracelets! Nanzhu, again in a gift-giving mood, gives Qiushi a bracelet that enables them to enter the same door, wherever they are. It's only practical, like all his surely-not-romantic gifts.

Crossdressing comedy of errors (cont.): Nanzhu informs Li Dongyan that "Baijie adores competent men". I'm sure that's true. Let's see how long it takes for Linlin to show his competence again… Nanzhu has also, apparently, called Li Dongyan as Baijie and cursed the hell out of him. Unfortunately, that's his kink. "What an attractive tyrant", comments Qiushi, making me nearly choke on my tea.

Discussing being single: "No wonder Li Dongyan is still single", says Nanzhu, pissed off. Cheng Qianli observes that Nanzhu's single, too… At which point everyone scatters, leaving him alone with Qiushi. Nanzhu might have Some Kind of Feeling about this. "Is it funny?" he asks, sounding like he finds it remarkably unfunny. Qiushi, bless him, actually thinks about it and tries to make him feel better: Nanzhu's not unable to get a girlfriend, he just doesn't want one (hint hint). Surprising insight from Linlin! Perhaps the fact that Nanzhu has been hitting on him since episode one has enlighted him a bit.

Stop being tragic, get a boyfriend: Nanzhu isn't done: "Are you single because you choose so?" Qiushi looks like he's trying to solve a math problem. "Can't think of an answer?" guesses Nanzhu. Qiushi, again, blames work and all non-girlfriend-shaped things. Nanzhu's managed to turn this discussion around completely. "You're in your twenties, but you haven't had a girlfriend", he says. It's tragic! But not to worry. If Qiushi can't find a grilfriend, he can always find something else. Qiushi: "Like a cat?" What is this show, what is this discussion? Nanzhu's smoldering look and the subsequent eyeroll are perfection. "And to think why you're single", says he like a man who finds himself inferior to felines.

They're preparing for the next door, which is apparently about mental fortitude. Mine is zero when it comes to anything resembling Japanese horror. Perhaps third time's the charm and I'll actually manage to watch all of it. Next up is episode -> 12.

[waterlogged-detective]

What would mlms look like in the neath? They *have* to have them right?

Mlm like the pyramid scheme not like men loving men. We know the Neath’ got plenty of those.

I’m talking tupperware parties, scentsy huns, the works

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (23-29 Jun 2024)

what a fucking week, lads (gn)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 "How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub" (P. Djèlí Clark) - 2024 Locus Award winning short story - 'fuck around and find out' with 19thC colonialism!

🥰 there's a trick with a knife (i'm learning to do) (mellyflori) - 65K, Kaysanova modern AU - really good enemies-to-lovers that digs in to why they clash at first and the very organic way that turns around. tbh this could easily be original fic [positive] as except for J/N it's all OCs, and J/N's characterizations are not OOC but are also perfectly standalone

🥰 Outgrow the shoes of expectations (destinationtoast) - 62K, solid canon-divergent Keeley/Roy/Jamie fic [structured more as K/R opening the relationship up to J but ends in such a way that a true polycule is not unreasonable]

💖💖 +222K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Aspirations (neapeaikea) - 9-1-1: Buck/Tommy, 11K - very cute, fun teacher AU

Three Weddings and a Funeral (materialism, sparklyslug) - Stranger Things: Steddie, 35K - 2nd entry in the lovely Let us Dwell in Fair Ithilien and There Make a Garden series - four vingettes of Steve and Eddie before and after their second chance

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Thousandaires - s1, e3

Game Changer - s4, e9-10

Make Some Noise - s3, e1

Hank Green: Pissing Out Cancer

Doctor Who - s1 (series 14), e8

D20: Never Stop Blowing Up - "Be Kind, Rewind" (s22, e1)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Yoshi Thicc" (s17, e1)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐99% Invisible - The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur

Consider This - Fifteen years after his death, Michael Jackson's legacy remains complicated

⭐ What Next: TBD - Is Your Phone Tracking Your Driving?

Re: Dracula - June 24: Dreadful Thing of Night

Re: Dracula - June 25: Dead or Asleep

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - In The Heart Of NYC, A Refuge For Birds

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Grizzly Adams: America’s Mythic Mountain Man

WikiHole - Girl Dinner (with Greta Titelman, Sam Taggart and Zach Noe Towers

Dinner’s on Me - Margaret Cho

99% Invisible - Backfired: The Vaping Wars

It's Been a Minute - Can't stop the (classical) music

⭐ Vibe Check - She Ain't No Diva

Dinner’s on Me - Joel Kim Booster

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Roop Kund

Ologies - Puffinology (PUFFINS) with Jill Taylor

Wild Card - Lena Waithe's religion is 'The Wizard of Oz'

Wild Card - Lena Waithe's relationship goals + Taylor Tomlinson's childhood idol (Wild Card+)

⭐ Throughline - Pop Music's First Black Stars

Short Wave - Move Over Norse Mythology, There's A New Loki In Town — A Dinosaur

It's Been a Minute - Girl, that remix, so healing; plus, gay vampires

What Next: TBD - Why Extreme Weather Keeps Surprising You

Dear Prudence - My In-Laws Disrespected My Daughter, So I Kicked Them Out. Help!

Endless Thread - This is Not a Pyramid Scheme

⭐ Strong Songs - "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen

If Books Could Kill - Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

Re: Dracula - June 29: Tonight is Mine

Hit Parade - The Bridge: Center of the “World”

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Beach Boys Radio • Chill

Shout-Out Party Hits

Chicago Radio • Upbeat

Charli XCX

Fleetwood Mac

[abeautifulblog]

thoughts on the Barbie movie

Finally got around to seeing the Barbie movie -- I think some of its messaging could have been clearer, but on the whole it was a lot of fun, and one of the most visually-innovative things I've seen onscreen in ages. So much stuff these days bills itself as "deconstruction," when more often than not it's just a mean-spirited mockery of something the writers don't actually understand. The Barbie movie is deconstruction done right, by people who are deeply in the know about the material (which in this case equals the entire Barbie mythos/ideology), and love it anyway, warts and all. Good deconstruction is both a critique and a love letter.

The theme that the movie understands and communicates most clearly is about the impossible, contradictory directives that are constantly put on women -- "you need to be assertive, but you mustn't be a bitch", etc -- and how unfair it is that half the population isn't given the same respect and the same chance at success. Barbieland flips the script so that the Kens are the empty-headed ornaments while Barbies run the world (which I suspect is what made a lot of men so viscerally uncomfortable with the movie), but that's also eventually recognized to be just as unfair as the Real World where patriarchy reigns.

What's a lot muddier is the messaging around how exactly men participate in the patriarchal oppression of women, and how the patriarchy harms them too. Because patriarchy is a pyramid scheme -- and not all men are on the top of that pyramid, nor can they all be. It convinces men to strive for an unattainable ideal of masculinity (not unlike the unattainable ideal that Barbie represents for femininity, actually!) and then penalizes those who fall short for not being "man enough," and paints it as a personal failing, not one that's baked into the system.

A lot of the gags around Ken Discovers Toxic Masculinity legitimately had me in stitches, because oh my god, too true, but then it didn't really offer any conclusions about it. Granted, this is the Barbie Movie not the Ken Movie, and he already gets more of a character arc than female love interests usually do, so I'm not going to rend my garments all "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MENNNNS??"..... but if you're not going to follow through on toxic masculinity, then maybe better to leave that particular can of worms unopened. There's more than enough for feminism to talk about without it.

Personally, I would have preferred if Ken weren't an antagonist -- if he'd just been the supportive himbo boyfriend who cheerfully follows Barbie on her journey of self-discovery, and backs her every play, and has never had a mean thought in his empty head, which is kind of what the promo materials led me to expect -- but that would have been an entirely different plot. (Possibly one in which Ken encounters the real world and finds that the men there think he should tone down his self-expression (for coming off as too GAY) and be less of a simp for his girlfriend, and he's like, Wow that sounds terrible actually, no thank you!)

In any case, I don't envy the women who are now having uncomfortable conversations with their husbands and boyfriends who got mad about the movie and went on the offensive. Because this is not a movie that softshoes its message to coddle to men's fee-fees -- its male characters are largely mocked and/or marginalized, and I imagine that a lot of men who saw it, and who haven't ever examined their privilege, came out of it feeling personally attacked, and reflexively wanted to attack it in turn and reject everything it's saying.

To which I'm like… y'all need to sit with your feelings for a minute. Remember that one movie taking the piss out of men does not actually make a single dent in the power and privilege that men enjoy in the real world. And then think about the fact that media BY men (which is most of it) routinely treats women the same way -- frivolous and sidelined, ornaments and sex objects. And the fact that we consider that the normal way of things -- that women are expected to watch themselves being portrayed like that and enjoy it.

(A line that I think should have gotten more weight is at the end when Barbie says, "I want to be the one doing the making, not the thing being made," because it's such a clear, straightforward articulation of the subject vs. object distinction.)

Storytelling-wise (to put on my nerd-for-narrative hat), the third act of the movie runs into difficulty with the fact that this is not about human characters, but about anthropomorphized archetypes of femininity and masculinity -- and how do you write a narratively satisfying "ending" for things that don't actually end? And how do you do that within the context of not just a doll world, but the Barbie world, with a gender-unequal status quo that isn't actually going to change either? With the conflicts they set up, I'm not sure there was a wholly satisfactory way to end it.

But anyway, none of that detracted from my enjoyment of the movie -- it's fun, heartfelt, thought-provoking, a continuous source of pleasure and novelty for the eyeballs, and consistently hilarious. Definitely worth the watch.

(And if you want some feminist-themed media that does do a complex exploration of how the patriarchy fucks men over too, even the men who think they're winning at it, I recommend Agent Carter, it is so so good. (The first season, anyway. 😑) There are five notable male characters in it, and the only one having a good time is the one who's declined to buy into society's narrow idea of what constitutes acceptable masculinity.)

[awkward-potato-504]

"i love mlm's"

"why are you fetishizing gay people?" (men loving men)

no bro i'm talking about multi level marketing. Join my pyramid scheme