#tw sexulization

[crooked-wasteland]

An SA Survivor's Reading of Stolitz

I don't believe that creators should be confined to telling one type of story. The beauty of fiction is to explore worlds, emotions and scenarios that are by definition unreal. It gives a safe space to interact with extremes that we would never necessarily wish to experience in our real lives with the ultimate safeword of no longer engaging with the material.

That being said, as creators, there is an ethical awareness that must be maintained in order to tell stories of things like trauma and abuse. Being alone in a cabin in the woods with a killer, that scenario is not a pervasive subculture in our society. Whereas cases of child abuse, sexual and domestic abuse are not only real, but common. And the complexities of psychological damage that perseveres long after the traumatic events are necessary aspects to telling these stories.

If you are not consciously aware and attentive to the lasting impact these events have, you run up against the horrific possibility of retraumatizing an individual unprepared for the callous invalidation of their experience.

No one should ever be shamed for engaging with media that depicts trauma they themselves may have experienced. For many, engaging in the fiction of it is a way of processing and validating their experience. Frankly saying, if you wish to write about trauma at all, you should be writing for that audience in specific. Otherwise you are simply exploiting the horrors that real people live through and struggle with every day for some cheap drama at the risk of triggering someone whose story you are inadvertently telling.

And much like most therapy speak, the term Triggered has become appropriated and misused to the point of losing all meaning in the lexicon. According to the University of North Carolina, "A trigger is a stimulus that elicits a reaction. In the context of mental illness, "trigger" is often used to mean something that brings on or worsens symptoms. This often happens to people with a history of trauma or who are recovering from mental illness, self-harm, addiction, and/or eating disorders."

The university breaks down the types of triggers as well and gives examples as to what those subcategories mean. I highly recommend that even if you are not the sort to follow up on references, I do recommend going over the article. It offers coping suggestions as well for those who are at risk of becoming triggered and helps refocus the sense of control back to the individual.

With that said, this is where I came across the inspiration for this essay. I completely removed all information for this user because the last thing someone needs when expressing how the misappropriation of abuse triggers them is how it is their fault for being triggered. These are the original tweets this response was in reference to.

As such, I feel the empathetic need to write this essay as a sympathetic reading to this person and others who have experienced SA who find that Stolitz resonates in an undesirable and even harmful way. I think this person deserves to feel seen.

To make the argument that the relationship between Stolas and Blitz isn't fundamentally abusive requires an author-intent reading of the series. It necessitates massive leaps to fill in gaping plot holes that never clarify the story Medrano is intending to tell. This is plainly just a reading of the series as is with all the context that has been physically, actually, shown in the series and that alone.

Throughout the series, Blitz is depicted as emotionally volatile and unpredictable with low self-esteem and crippling loneliness. He is constantly hounding his employees through sexual harassment from a sense of envy over their loving relationship, and infantalizes his twenty-two year old adopted daughter through an abusive dynamic where she ranges from rude to outrightly cruel while he consistently sacrifices any personal boundaries and self-respect.

The relationship between Loona and Blitz in specific feels like a masochistic self-hatred on Blitz's part where he allows himself to be used and abused by a parasitic family member to feel wanted, showing a pure desperation to be desired by someone in any way. Loona is verbally and physically abusive to her adopted father, using terms of endearment like "Dad" as a tactic to control Blitz's behavior, rewarding him when he does something for her benefit and taking it away when she deems him embarrassing or unwanted.

Blitz's tie to Stolas in the main story comes when he is called in a vulnerable time. Hiding from Martha who is hunting him down, he explicitly tells Stolas that now is not a good time to call. Stolas, who has a visual of Blitz's situation, ignores all of it. He is unconcerned about the danger Blitz is in, instead viewing Blitz solely as a sexual object as he offers the trade of the book for sex.

Stolas is more keenly aware of Blitz's situation than even Blitz is aware of. He not only is told that the current moment is not a good time, and Blitz's tense tone portrays a sense of anxiety, but he can physically see Blitz. It exists entirely within reason that he chose this specific moment to call while he knew Blitz was in a difficult position, using the tension to leverage a quick response that would get Stolas his way without needing to intimidate Blitz himself. Using the threat of a third party to pressure compliance from Blitz.

Come Loo Loo Land, the interactions between Blitz and Stolas are simply outright hostile. Blitz actively does not want to have a sexual encounter with Stolas and is even so untrusting of the Goetia that he is repeatedly asserting the boundary that he is not at all interested in sex, which Stolas explicitly mocks by being openly sexually suggestive to him. Everything Stolas has to say to Blitz is steeped in objectified sexuality as Blitz asserts his person, dehumanizing him to the point that Blitz is first and foremost an object of gratification. Even to the point of neglecting and humiliating his daughter, Stolas uses the excuse of spending time with her as a means of leering on Blitz.

In this episode we see Blitz has a history of being overlooked and unappreciated. His act in Loo Loo Land went nowhere and we see the first hints of his failed performance career. Over the course of the series, this hint towards a crippling lack of self esteem masked by an extroverted exterior is reinforced.

In Harvest Moon, Blitz is genuinely flustered when given recognition by Striker. He is quick to devalue his relationship with Stolas because there genuinely isn't a relationship at this point.

After having gone missing for two episodes, Stolas returns, being slightly less sexual and slightly more affectionate. It is a sudden recharacterization, but it is only for this scene. The rest of the episode once again shows how Stolas values Blitz physically in a sexualized manner and claims Blitz through the use of a pet name he repeatedly requests not to be called. In the opening scene, Blitz vocalizes that he "doesn't mind" their arrangement for the book, which could be taken at face value in regards to the first season. He does have the option to reject the agreement at any time and return the book in the context of this episode. It's why, despite still being an abuse of power dynamics overall, the relationship itself doesn't tip over into abuse. Blitz has the same amount of autonomy as Stolas at this time, before the context of season two, he has just as much power to end the agreement.

With the addition of The Circus, this retroactively is a situation of placating one's abuser. Blitz assuring Stolas that he doesn't mind the sex would be a way of asserting Stolas' complete control over the relationship and that Blitz isn't necessarily threatening the status quo by his question.

They don't actually know anything about each other, they aren't friends and don't spend time together outside of their forced meetings. Blitz doesn't know anything about Stolas and questioning the need Stolas has for his book could very well be read as a means of interrogating the agreement as a whole and figuring out why this was the arrangement.

(The argument that Blitz had any opportunity to negotiate things comes from an audience bias. It is probably the dumbest thing I have ever seen put into writing. Blitz doesn't know that he has any leverage in the relationship at all. He doesn't actually know Stolas has any feelings for him. That's kind of the whole point of the hot and cold romance slant that Medrano is trying to replicate.)

This is because the book is not the reason the relationship exists.

Blitz does not instigate sexual conduct, Stolas does by leading Blitz into a private room and locking them both inside with the impression Blitz would have sex with him. Blitz has no choice in the location or the isolation. He was caught trying to illegally break into the home for the explicit purpose of stealing the book. He was caught and is effectively at Stolas' mercy in every sense of the word. Not only is he still alive due to Stolas' whimsy, but if he tries to escape now after being shown this grace he could risk having the guards hunt him down and the second time will most likely not be so kind.

He literally does not know Stolas. They met for a day as a playdate and Blitz spent the whole time manipulating Stolas into facilitating his own robbery. There is no trust between them, there isn't even a relationship. While the doe-eyed pink vignette animated around Blitz shows that Stolas has an attraction to him, Blitz is entirely in the dark about this. Stolas' behavior is merely unpredictable and precarious from his position and limited knowledge.

(Just a side note, the argument that because someone decides to do something must mean they are not afraid is just asinine. Generally speaking, most people who commit crimes are in a state of fight or flight, it is more akin to gambling your actual life. Its a rewards and risks assessment, not a case of being sociopathically unafraid.)

It isn't until Stolas dramatically announces his desire for sex that Blitz realizes he has something that can be used to distract the Prince while he steals the book. And that's the issue with the argument that Blitz is the one willingly escalating the situation: it's not sincere. Throughout the entire sequence, Blitz isn't once sincerely interested in Stolas. He leans into the pretense to gain control of the situation, of which, might I remind you, he has had zero control over up to this point. Not only is he not interested in Stolas, but this is a bid for control from the position of helplessness. This way he is not relying on Stolas' unpredictable behavior, he is reclaiming power in the dynamic by playing into Stolas' desire.

("But Stolas says nevermind and Blitz keeps going!!"

Yeah, because he needs to maintain control of the situation. This is what power dynamics actually look like; there is a two-way push and pull. The only way he has any power is through the lens of sexuality. He needs to keep Stolas interested in him to keep his position. But throughout the scene, he is explicitly depicted as being put off by Stolas. In fact the entire reason he ties Stolas up is because he was becoming too into the act. He is shown to not be sensually performing bondage, he is trying to remove a problem.

And side-side note, I know I said I wouldn't lean into Medrano's intention or explicit dictation on how she demands her show be interpreted, but she was the one who said that The Circus and Loo Loo Land are connected in the timeline and Blitz's hostility in Loo Loo Land reads far more like a man who feels used and taken advantage of. So even the argument that Blitz was an enthusiastic participant is disproven by Medrano's own metacommentary and character interactions.)

And ultimately, it all boils down to that last moment scene. Between willingly having sex with Stolas when he is tied up or the book, Blitz makes for the door to leave. He doesn’t willingly engage in sex with Stolas. Either you can read the scene as a form of pity sex, which in the context of Medrano’s timeline and Loo Loo Land, shows Blitz was not enamored with the encounter or you have to read this as being manipulatively pressured into it. There is no way to argue Blitz has any leverage in the situation and no grounds to argue that it was mutually enjoyed.

That doesn’t even start to cover the fact that all the way to Ozzie’s, Blitz is repulsed by Stolas. When calling, he openly shows that this is something he would rather not be doing. He doesn’t have feelings for Stolas and despite just using the man who is using him, just having to deal with Stolas is distressing for him.

This is not an equal or fair relationship dynamic. It is not a mutual relationship. This is a relationship of self-preservation and coercion. And the fact is, it could have worked with very small changes to The Circus. Having the dynamic be actually mutual would have been a great start, but just properly addressing the actual dynamic and having Stolas take ownership of what he's done, and validating the fact that coercion is sexual abuse. Because out of all the sweeping changes, retcons and inconsistencies, the one aspect that has persevered throughout the show is just how trapped Blitz feels.

In Truth Seekers, Blitz’s hallucination is contradictory in its attempt to be visceral, and that is not inherently a problem. Trying to be abstract, it is normal for people to experience contradictory emotions over something. It makes sense in that way, but it needs reinforcement in the expanded narrative to tell it's story. As such I am just going to give my reading on the sequence based on my narrative and state it as fact.

The clown costume shows that Blitz sees himself as a joke, feeding into his low self-worth that no matter what he does, he is always the clown being laughed at. The murky wasteland is a reflection of his life. Devoid of anything bright or good, it is populated by dead trees and the ground is a quicksand like sludge, showing how he devours the good and extinguishes it in his own life. He kills his own happiness. Moxxie exists as a critical voice Blitz hears, telling him how stupid and awful he is to everyone around him. Blitz rejects his own self-criticism, reaffirming his self destructive victim mentality that appears when faced with the consequences of his own actions.

It's when the characters of Fizzarolli, Verosika and Striker appear that Blitz gives his regrets, insecurities and resentments voice, poorly impersonating the voices of those who saw the real him. Striker mocking Blitz’s need for companionship, how he lies to himself constantly and presents himself as independent and assured when really he sees himself as needy and pathetic.

Fizzarolli adds to it, pointing out Blitz’s failures to make it on his own, however this portion of the series should probably be considered non-canon as the newest episodes established that Fizzarolli and Blitz have not had any contact with each other since the accident. The more important line Fizzarolli says “You're going to die alone”, have been written out of the show. There would have been no time or place for Fizz to have ever spoken this to Blitz.

Then there is Verosika, who brings up Blitz’s self destructive tendencies, showing Blitz’s own abusive behaviors towards characters like Moxxie. It also suggests an explanation to why Blitz tolerates Loona, because her constant rejection of him contradicts his reactionary need to push others away, as well as feeds his self-flagillation.

It is when he endeavors to flee the reflections of the worst parts of himself that he runs into Stolas. Perched atop a pristine staircase of gold, being fanned by two silhouettes of Blitz. This shows the power imbalance in every way. Blitz doesn't even walk up the stairs, but crawls. Himself just a faceless accessory to Stolas’ desires, but everything he has intrinsically tied to the power Stolas' exerts over him. This is shown explicitly by the chains around his hands and neck, Stolas' reeling him in as he bears a grimace of reluctance. It is the most explicit representation of being trapped between two bad decisions. Either he is just the joke, the failure, the asshole, the stupid piece of shit, or he is the pet, the object, the toy. Stolas mentioning Blitz being "afraid to love" is less a suggestion that Blitz has any feelings for Stolas, but instead his psyche convincing himself that the relationship is not so exploitive. That he is not being dehumanized and abused, but on some messed up level he is being wanted and desired, which is better than the wastes below.

Maybe one could say that Blitz is being elevated out of his situation for how the feathers removed the costume and sludge, essentially wiping him clean of his worst self, providing a sense of safety. But he only has this opportunity because of Stolas, and it isn't free as shown by the feathers also becoming the chains binding him. Because at the end of the day, Stolas isn't the prize at the end of the climb to self actualization, the stairs belonged to him in the first place. To escape the horror-filled wasteland below, Blitz has to play by the rules of the owner of the stairs.

And ultimately, that isn't a story that is off-limits.

The Stolas apologist argument is why the depiction of this dynamic is triggering and harmful, not the fact that it exists in the media. Just owning the scenario and having Stolas acknowledge that he has sexually abused Blitz would have gone a long way. Instead, Medrano and the fandom have insistently represented this victim-blaming interpretation where Blitz is responsible for his own abuse. And that will never be okay. This goes all the way back to my "Not All Victims are Survivors" post. Blitz is the victim in this and his bad behaviour and own abusive actions directly correspond to the fact that he is a victim with a victim mindset. He actively lives in the middle of his abuse and has formed maladaptive strategies through manipulation, harassment, verbal abuse, and self harm. These do not remove his victim status. There is no such thing as a "Perfect Victim". And he should not have to be any sort of way in order to have that experience validated. And the issue that is at the heart of this show is that the narrative and the fanbase require a victim to be framed as delicate and hapless to circumstance with a soft and gentle personality to be a victim. To come out of abuse aggressive and harsh with sharp edges is framed as being less valid. But this outcome is normal and it's a difficult battle to work on oneself to feel safe again. It's absolutely a story worth telling.

But you first have to be interested in telling a story.

[888-stargirl]

[d0llyxtears]

Why why why do i this to myself??

I sit there in loneliness and desperation for a connection and validation that is so all consuming

That I show my body off for attention and some sort of connection to someone….. I hate it so much but I’m so lonely ….

I feel like the only way I’ll ever be loved is if someone is using me for there own pleasure … like sexual acts is all I’m made for …. Like no one could ever love me if not for my body

People talk about sex like it’s this deep connection that happens between people… and i feel so disconnected from everyone else around me …. Sometimes I disconnect from myself… like what I’m doing isn’t happening to me it’s just happening to my body…. The words they’re saying isn’t about me just my body because that’s all I am …. A body for people to use and look at , to touch and grope.

I feel so disgusting afterwards….. and I isolate myself from them … because i can’t stand what I did ….. I don’t even like it …. But I do it anyways because…. I’m so lonely and sometimes they compliment me and give me validation…… but they can’t possibly like me right??

I’m disgusting and gross….. why can’t I just say no , why am I such a people pleaser?? But I’m afraid if I set boundaries the little bit of love that I get will go away….. that they suddenly won’t like me anymore because they won’t be able to use me anymore….. I’ll be useless to them , there won’t be a reason for them to love me anymore…..

I’ll be unloveable….. my parents have always said that guys have needs and that if I don’t do that then I’ll be bad and won’t be a good partner to them …… I know in the back of my head that it’s isn’t true…. That all guys are different and that sex or sexual acts aren’t a need at all ……… but it’s so hard to unlearn because of my trauma…… and because of how my parents excused my abuser’s behavior and actions towards me because… “ boys will be boys “ and “ and boys just think like that “ ………. And because of how people talk about sex with some one … that it’s being that it’s being as close to someone as possible, that it’s the embodiment of love , that it’s a magical thing.. that it’s what makes us human.

I feel sexual attraction but only a little bit or once in awhile….. I hate that I feel it … it scares me when it happens…. It makes me feel awful and ashamed of myself……… i just wish i didn’t feel it at all .

I think there might be something really wrong with me ………

No matter what I do I always feel so alone and disconnected from people…. Like there’s this wall between me and everyone else…. Like I just can’t get close to anyone anymore…….

Why can’t I stop ???

[chaos-in-one]

I hate feeling like a walking stereotype because I'm an aroallo & hypersexual

[sims-half-crazy]

Moving in together had its perks...

[ace7librarian]

I was at a con today and me and some friends were making sexual jokes, as you do. They joked it's easy to tell if someone is a bottom, and I agreed and said that even though I'm aroace, someone still called me a bottom once. When I said that I thought it had context, I swear. But now I remember what actually happened. It was two years ago, at a teen event thing. A girl I've never seen before walked towards me. "Are you a bottom? You look like a bottom". And then she left and I still don't know who that girl was or what about my existence made her say that. Obviously she was right, but still, what the hell?

[antis-hell]

Darkstache vs Danti ship dynamics cus I can

Darkstache: they love each other but don't fully understand why💗 they help each other heal🥰 forever, and ever🥺

Danti: yeah that lil shit manwhored/bullied his way into Darks house idk what to tell ya🤨

[honeybunniboohoo]

Sometimes life is redesigning your old creepypasta ocs

[lost-ash-es]

(trigger warning: sex)

come with me...take my hand

i love you so i pin you down to the hard wooden floor. you say it's too rough so i pick you up and hold your hand as we go into the bedroom. i take your wrists and pin them above you if you let me, which you do. you are mine to control in these brief moments. your trust is given to me to keep for a couple of hours. i will treat it with dignity. i will make you feel safe. but for these few hours you will be mine. your arms are pinned above you with my one hand and with my other hand i slowly choke you, making sure you can breathe while also making sure you feel my hand around your neck, holding it tight. you are mine and these next few hours will be our eternal bliss.

[rolling-in-guano]

31DOD Day 29

TW: Discussion of sexual assault

If there was going to be a Nightwing black label book, I would want it to explore Dick's history with sexual harassment and violence. There has been a lot of mishandling and uncomfortable portrayals of this in Dick Grayson's stories so it would be nice to see the topic get some real attention.

I don't think comics have to shy away from such serious topics. It is something that happens in real life and writing is all about shining a flashlight on these sorts of things. Telling a well written story about trauma can be so important for people who have experienced that trauma and those who haven't. In the past, comics have handled drugs, alcohol, and STDs in ways that was understandable even for a younger audience. I loved that Mia Dearden talked about having HIV in a realistic way. DC has shied away from this type of content which is such a shame. Comics were some of the first media that embraced people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Admittedly, a lot of that representation hasn't been the best. Anyway, a black label book would be a great place to explore what is considered a more adult topic. Just because it is black label doesn't mean it has to be unnecessarily dark and gritty.

If I were to try and list all the times Grayson has been violated, it would take me all day. But between Catalina Flores, Liu, Mirage, and a spate of uncomfortable comments and touches coming from a laundry list of others, there is a lot to work with. It would be nice to see it worked with in a way that isn't played off as a joke!

Similarly, Dick Grayson has dealt with a lot of brainwashing and manipulation from a variety of sources: Church of Blood, Spyral, the Joker, Court of Owls, and so on. This is another very intimate violation of his autonomy. There is just so much about his character that feels like it has been shoved under the bed.

I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this, but it has been a long time since I've seen a modern comic deliver a truly poignant message.

[raynwithouttheboe]

Guys, my friend just told me about a situation happening on TikTok. There's a TikToker called Drew Parker who does cosplays with his very small daughter Nova. These videos have garnered the attention of creeps who make accounts and videos talking about how they are "attracted" to Nova. She has only recently started walking. She's literally a fucking baby. If any of you have TikTok, please report these accounts and videos. We need to get these people banned. The only accounts I know about are called "novaparkerjuicygyatt" and "imma grape nova", but there could be more. Please mass report these accounts. They do not deserve a platform. And if you see this post, reblog it!! Spread this like wildfire because we need to give TikTok a reason to take the videos down and get rid of the accounts

[strawberry-lemonade-kisses]

Multi-part Fic

Hello! It's Kai. I've been writing since I was 13 and have been sitting on a project that means a lot to me. It's not something that's easy to read so I have hesitated to post it. I have a habit of abandoning fics but I figured since I've been working on this for so long, hemming and hawing about posting it or scrapping it, I figured this would be my personal challenge.

In honor of the love I have received and the friends I've made while I grew to my milestone of 400 followers, I figured I'd do something different. I am posting my first multi-part fic. I don't have a timeline as it will be very long and I may cross-post it once it's finished but I will start out with what I have and work from there. I cannot promise consistent updates as I have a lot going on health-wise and other personal matters to take care of but I will try my best. There will be regular posts of short fics and drabbles so I don't burn myself out but I will work hard to finish this. It is a goal! I will be telling more under the cut to avoid making this post way too long.

So this is an x reader fic as are the rest of my fics but it's not romance, more tragedy, and story-based. The whole story is dark themes. It's the hashira (minus muichiro) in a teen ward of a mental health facility. The story surrounds their personal griefs and tragedies and working through them. IT will probably be around 8 parts? maybe less?

When I say dark themes I mean dark themes. This will be triggering it will be uncomfortable and I'm begging, if you can't read these things do not read the story. All of the tags will be as follows.

!!Trigger warning!!

Suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, self-mutilation, rape, murder, addiction, abuse, child abuse, assault, sexual-assault, talk of hurting others, talk of pregnancy, depression, and eating disorders.

This story will contain detailed tellings of most of these tags they will go in-depth on them. I cannot stress enough to not read it if you cannot handle it or if it may trigger you. It will not be easy.

I will tag all of the chapters appropriately and try my best to stay on top of it. Please do not be afraid to call me out if I miss anything though.

Again thank you all for your support of strawberry-lemonade-kisses I will try my best to continue to provide good ass content for ya'll

[sims-half-crazy]

"You look so damn good wearing my shirt like that," Gordon purred as he pulled his wife closer. They were coming up on almost 4 years of marriage now, and Gordon marveled at his turn of luck. Lena moaned in enjoyment at the movement of his hands and mouth.

"Are you still going to like this shirt when it's covering my giant belly?" Gordon looked up at her and pulled her closer.

"Are you really?," he whispered. She dropped her head closer to his and nodded.

[pandorasboxoftreasures]

It has to be said as much as it hurts...Sorry in advance. MAJOR TW!

Earlier I was going to make a meme with innuendo of Ritch when I got a response to an earlier post I made about the nastiest of Neteyam simps while also writing my fanfic with oc Recoms and a horrible realisation shot to the forefront of my skull like a 9mm hollow point that made me immediately stop making the meme. Not sure if it’ll ever see the light of day or if I’ll even keep it on my PC anymore after this. Technically, it’s not explicit. But with what I’ve been thinking about and will explain here, it creeps me out at the moment to even look at it.

I despise those sexualising the kids, a lot. But there's still a stomach-churning thing I've realised upon further reflection especially after so many times watching The Way Of Water (think it’s been about 9 now I’ll need to do a recount)...

The Recoms are babies.

Just because they were grown for 20 years longer than usual, doesn’t make them any less babies. They woke up in adult bodies but having an adult body doesn’t make you an adult. Neither do adult memories make them adults because the implanted memories don’t make the person.

If they didn’t have those implants or they malfunctioned, what would they be? Unable to speak or walk or sit up or control waste functions even though they would have the muscle strength to because they're still newborn babies in adult bodies.

Would they still be hot then because they’ll still have those bodies?

Despite having an aesthetic, emotional, sensual and romantic attraction to Recom Quaritch myself, this is probably the main reason why I've been knocked physically ill sometimes by the extreme levels of thirst directed his way for the past few months as well as to all of the Recoms.

It's a 13 going on 30, Jack or Big situation. And people just can not shut up about their filthy, filthy fantasies everywhere I look.

And subconsciously in my brain I've been getting alarm bells going off because my stupid yet frustratingly insightful skull-blancmange can't help but notice and check philosophical, logical and moral inconsistencies like this.

But now it's not subconscious. It's conscious. It's melting my head. I can't keep quiet about it.

Are we honestly that much better than the ageing-up self-shippers? 

Yes, but still not clean of the same dirt, either. We're looking at technical toddlers here even if they don’t look or sound it. 

There's little hints peppered throughout the movie even that they're scared little kids sent out to fight and die when they're nowhere near ready to mentally under all that blue muscle and marine bravado, no matter how many adult experienced memories they upload into them. It definitely didn’t save most of their lives, for sure.

But nobody's thinking about all that. They just wanna see some blue meat and ponder angles and stripe patterns and I’m hunched over a bucket.

“Looks like an adult so is OK” is an excuse I regularly see online for those posting explicit content of canonically underaged characters that may or may not have been aged up. Including the Na’vi kids.

If we’re gonna point out the hypocrisy of that mentality, we have to accept in some way we are also victim to it. Albeit in another form.

God damn am I glad to be watching a modern sci-fi property that actually has mind-bending philosophical stuff going on again, though. Even if it’s hidden under many, many layers of subtext so as not to alienate a general audience, but I sure as hell ain’t glad that this is the property that broke my streak of never being romantically interested in fictional characters because now look what’s happened.

[that-bi-fan]

there's probably a shitton more of these out there, but these are what I had saved to make this post.

this is fucking disgusting. the headlines are sexualizing both of these young women. they know what they're doing. men will click on the article solely because they think they'll see sexy images of an actress and get their rocks off.

and the worst part? it works. thousands of people will click on the article just to objectify them. Millie's only just turned 18. a couple of months ago, that headline most likely wouldn't have existed. the fact that it's the same distributor making those headlines isn't a coincidence.

[groovytimes]

I am so angry. I have been sexualised since I was 10 years old by gross men, strangers, and even family members. I was also sexually harassed for a good six months by someone who my parents paid money to teach me guitar when I was 16 that left me unknowingly traumatised for years. My self-esteem was something that was shattered long before I even knew what it was, and I have put in the work to like and accept myself for what I look like. I remember not posting pictures of myself on tumblr from day one because I hate how I look in pictures, and now I feel like I should go back to that. It’s like I’m not allowed to have agency on myself because of how annoying and disgusting it makes people react to me. Even pulling faces and trying to look stupid doesn’t help. I don’t know, but I am tired of all this.