#when ness also is mentioned to be in society but i have No idea if or how theyre gonna address the society situation in msq

[toestalucia]

"I'm fine", except the words sound hollow beneath the weak attempt of a smile and gaze that had lost its excitement. Knowing too much, each ripple of time laying in wait for them to reach out and grasp it, to engrave itself in their memory until the end of time (how ironic, they still had nightmares about their death—now another would join). It scares them; the knowledge, the lost branch, the day they couldn't remember their dear crewmate. It scares them, for when all was reclaimed and they left Oarlyegrande in continued search of their father, would they lose it all? Up until now they had made each decision with what they knew, and now that information looked so, so insignificant. The knowledge of the worlds they could barely handle, if they lost it after having a taste for it, would they feel empty? Ah, no wonder Orologia's simulations threatened to rip the seams, Gran could understand now, the overwhelming sensation of knowing every choice made.

"We'll be fine", there's conviction in their words, for in their hand they still grasp the note they didn't need anymore: there's another helmsman.

[desire-mona]

forgive me for leftist-posting abt the gay movie, but the dead poets society is soooo leftist-adjacent in my mind. "mona wtf does that mean" im not entirely sure! something about rebelling against a school with such strict rules and reliance on tradition just to read poetry in the woods seems very.. path to leftism to me. i feel like i can explain better with the original dead poets so ill do that.

warning: this isnt even speculation at this point, its me making shit up about the og poets for the sake of projection + i think it would be interesting + og poets being taught ww2 propaganda is smthn im always thinking abt. if u dont agree, thats more than fine, u have literally no obligation to esp considering this barely makes sense. also this isnt meant to be informative at all so if i get shit wrong then lmk, im neither a historian nor an expert in leftism.

to specify off the bat, ive always hced keating as an avid and involved leftist, although probably not publicly. is there any merit to this? absolutely not, it's entirely just me projecting, so take this with a heaping spoonful of salt.

so, around the time the original dead poets society was formed, we were in the sorta beginning of WW2 (if we assume the dps was founded in 1941, definitely couldve been later. u should read @pencileraser1's post about keating.), and if ur familiar with US history, propaganda surrounding the war was RAMPANT, most commonly in the form of "we want u to join the military!!!!1!!!!" ive mentioned this in a previous post from however long ago that pro-military propaganda was so rampant that they often taught it in schools, no doubt especially so in private schools. now this could ultimately mean nothing in relation to the og poets, they so easily could have eaten it up and thought nothing of it, they did essentially just do homework in the woods. but in my joe biden's america ass brain thats not how it goes, just cuz. to me its sort of a pipeline of start to rebel by forming the dps > slowly realise after talking that the things theyre teaching u in terms of "rahhhh military!!!" is kinda fucked up > growing distrust of us military in general > something something US wasting money on weapons and war and shit > something something anti capitalism.

is this a stretch? absolutely, but it makes sense to me so thats what matters. also the leftist-ness?? exists on different spectrums in my mind, ranging from being against US military propaganda being taught in class to straight-up socialism (keating socialist...) so definitely dont take this as the dps being some sort of mini socialist party, in my mind its just a group of boys who happen to agree abt some aspects of society (hah). i also dont think this translated to any permanent ideals for a majority of the og boys, especially since anti-capitalism didn't exactly mix well with the cold war, the red scare, and all variants of etc after WW2 ended. except for keating, keating stays a socialist, CPUSA and eventual SDS keating (if he chose to stay in the US) are real to me.

now, would this translate to the reprisal of the dead poets (the movie ones)? i doooont think so? originally i was gonna say this only applies in my mind when the US is at war, but the US is kinda always at war, sooooooo. lets just say it applies when the US being at war is sort of a main concern to the general population (ex both world wars, vietnam, war on terror if welton was still around, etc). as to why this sorta hc only applies concerning militarism? i have absolutely no idea, probably something to do with my views on the military sorta long term leading me to my political opinions. but also! the effects that the red scare and mccarthyism definitely were still prevalent in 1959 despite soooooorta dying down around 1957. no doubt the US population's fear of anti-capitalism = ur a russian spy was still there. was that sorta thing taught in schools at that point? not sure, this is also a fictional school so it doesn't really matter and im going on a tangent. i suppose if the dps reprise continued for more than ~3 months then they could've gone down a similar path under the right circumstances? but i doubt it. although leftist neil is quite special to me. neil for SAG! neil for unionisation!

i like applying this logic to other periods, like the 60s for example (i knowwww keating was gone by then, lets just pretend, make it an au i guess) i can definitely see the poets (or some at least) delving into the hippie movement on the down-low, although its easy to call into question whether hippies were an actual group of activists or just a sort of cultural movement. again - i dont know much about the history of hippies so i dont have much to add, lets go with a general "anti vietnam war" ideology to keep things simple. sorta similar to the og poets in terms of war bad > socialism pipelines, and the SDS was formed roughly around this time? peak was in 1968-69, but thats kinda all i got. if anyone enjoys this idea and knows a lot abt that point in leftist history then definitely feel free to add anything on if u want.

in conclusion: mona hates war and the military and projects it onto the poets because they wanted to and also they had a conversation with tristan about propaganda in relation to dps. this is a bunch of random sorta points just strewn together so my apologies for how messy this is.

bonus: FANTASTIC point by @lookingglasswolf

[morfitties]

TW for this post, talking about suicide in Dead Poets Society

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For anyone else who has read books like “All The Bright Places”, “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower”, “The Virgin Suicides” or “If We Were Villaind”, then you probably know the theme/debate of who suffered more from the suicide, the victim of it, or the people left behind and I kinda want to explore that in Dead Poets Society.

Neil is clearly out leading man, you’ve gotta love him, he’s one of those characters that everyone wishes to know in real life, full of passion and promise and humour. Neil connects with the audience by feeling real, by making mistakes and getting into trouble and having very real problems. The movie focuses on him and the other poets for around 1hour 30min.

I remember the first time I watched it, when Neil shot himself I thought that would be the curtain call, THE END, no more story to tell- so I was shocked and mildly comforted by the fact that there was another 30min of everyone’s lives after the fact. I think this fact is what springs to mind the debate I’ve seen a lot before of “who suffered more” but I’ve never seen the argument happen over a piece of media that has real substance and meat on its bones to lend to the debate.

I’ll explore all of my previous examples to show my point:

“All The Bright Places” - the first sort of “fandom” I’ve seen think about this. The book follows Violet and Finch, both suicidal, one lives, one dies. This story, unlike Dead Poets Society, essentially ends after the death of Finch. There is maybe five minutes of reading dedicated to Violet’s reaction to the funeral, but not much else.

“The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” - This example will be slightly different from the others. Charlie’s previous best friend did kill himself, but it’s neither the focus nor mentioned very much in the novel. The book does follow Charlie’s suicidal ideation, loneliness, and sexual assault, and a large part of what we see in the novel is the people around Charlie reacting to Charlie’s pain. This book had the best debate on the matter (I think anyways) but Charlie is very much alive, he is able to heal.

“The Virgin Suicides” - Honestly, not a good example because do the times it was written in and it’s attitude towards mental health (or rather, the characters attitudes) but it felt necessary to mention. The book shows very little sympathy for the girls milking themselves, it’s always stated very monotonously what they do to themselves and how it ends with a big emphasis on the parents and neighbours etc left behind. Given the time and attitudes, however, it’s seen as a sort of curse, so the idea isn’t exactly explored well.

“If We Were Villains” - Most of the book is spent in flashback, with the end revealing that to Oliver that James committed suicide, it’s basically a very large nostalgia trip with a fun little ribbon of heartbreak at the end that doesn’t get the chance to be truly explored.

You may notice here that most of the suicides, or metaphors for death of oneself, happen at the end of the novels, it isn’t a main focus and is usually followed by THE END.

DPS has no problem exploring consequences and actively mentions consequences throughout the novel and movie, of how A will lead to B.

I don’t really know where I land with DPS and the “who suffered more?” debate. It’s hard to measure pain or sadness, they all suffer for what happens to Neil, they all grieve it, too. DPS has the most substance to talk about, but it feels almost inappropriate too. Yes, Neil was the one lose his life, his future, his love and his passion, his story was cut short (I FUCKING HATE MR PERRY) so, of course, I’m compelled to say Neil suffered most, because frankly, he did. But there’s also the aspect of “those who were left behind”, it seems Todd and Charlie feel almost a bit of betrayal towards losing Neil, and the others become subdued and lost with grief, you can feel that there is no warmth anymore. There’s also Mr Keating, who sobs over the society verse book, who probably feels some responsibility even though it was Neil who mislead him.

Everyone’s lives are changed, main by Mr Fucking Wise Guy Perry.

It can be considered an inappropriate debate to have, but it’s also morbidly interesting. Neil’s life ends, but the others are changed forever, and since you can’t measure suffering by a true meter, it’s hard to say who hurt more, not that it’s something that should be debated with vigour anyways.

I know I probably left a lot of important relationship stuff out. Would love to hear other thoughts on this, also this is just my opinion! Completely fine to disagree:)

[newhetaliafan]

👀

Ok so I've had an Angels and Devils AU for Gerame in my head for a while. It's a lot, so I'll put it under the cut.

In this AU angels and devils are enemies. They hate each other and constantly fight. A risky angel and daring devil fall in love and have a child. Frightened that they'll be found out, they abandon the baby and break up. The baby looks like an angel with a halo and wings, but he has fire power which is something only devils have. (devils can have fire and shadow powers while angels can have healing and water powers in this AU)

A young devil named Gilbert comes across the baby and is at first scared because it's an angel. But then he "confronts" the baby and figures out he has fire power. Gilbert is intrigued and decides to become the baby's awesome big brother. Gilbert raises Ludwig along with another devil named Arthur, and they teach him how to control his power. They hide him away from the other devils but try planning a way to explain the situation and not get shunned.

But those plans quickly get left in the dust when a new leader takes over with an extreme hatred for angels, even worse than before. Leader, he's more of a dictator. So Gilbert and Arthur help Ludwig escape their devil society or something not exactly sure what lol. But anyways Ludwig escapes and eventually finds himself among angels. He's really excited to see others like him, but he's also incredibly shy, a mix of nurture and nature. He struggles to find a place there until he meets Alfred.

Alfred is a pretty popular angel. He plays Skyball and is really good at it. (it's a made up angel sport lol) Alfred, he gets attention from everyone except his father Francis. Francis isn't exactly neglectful, but for some reason he's always busy working or worrying over Alfred's twin, Matthew. Matt is a quieter angel without any powers. Even though he got no powers Alfred envies him since he gets their father's attention and can get along with everyone. Alfred may be popular, but that doesn't mean he can get along with everyone.

When Alfred meets Ludwig he finds him interesting. Ludwig isn't like everyone else. He's blunt, awkward, shy and weirdly clueless about angels. Ludwig claims to come from far far away which Alfred unsuccessfully questions. Still Alfred enjoys Ludwig's attention, so he doesn't think too hard about it. The two start hanging out more and start finding themselves falling in love. Ludwig has a moment of almost telling Alfred the truth, but before he can, devils are evil comes up, that trope lol.

Continuing with tropes, devils later find the angels and attack them which leads to a reunion between Gilbert and Ludwig. Alfred sees and hurts Gilbert thinking he was going to hurt Ludwig. Ludwig gets mad and Alfred gets confused, and Ludwig finally explains. Alfred is angry and betrayed, so he leaves. Ludwig is heartbroken but pushes away his feelings in favor of helping Gilbert.

Then later there's of course an apology and forgive ness scene. So Alfred and Ludwig get back on good terms and realize angels and devils don't have to fight. So they make plans to stop the fighting and create peace. They gather people up like Arthur, Francis, Matthew and other characters in this AU I haven't mentioned. Then it's revealed that Matthew has fire power meaning he's part devil. That leads to Arthur coming out as trans, bisexual and as Francis's lover. Alfred and Matthew are Francis and Arthur's sons.

Then things somehow get resolved, I haven't really thought about that yet, but everyone is happy and accepting.

This AU is filled with tropes and cheesiness, but I still love thinking about it. I really do want to write it, but I honestly don't think I ever will. It's really confusing, long and things are always changing in it, so I think it'll just be something that lives in my head. If anyone wants to write it or take any ideas, feel welcome to. I'd just like credit and to be tagged :D

[lionsdenbooks]

on algernon blackwood and his influence on cosmic horror

Algernon Blackwood was an English writer who became known for his works of "weird fiction" around the turn of the 20th century. Although he can't hold a candle to the likes of Poe etc. in posthumous fame, he was extremely influential in the development of the horror genre and especially cosmic horror, and in fact, Lovecraft and his literary circle have explicitly cited him as an inspiration.

Actually, Blackwood serves as a sort of who's who of deviant religion (deviant, a word which here means "it's Northern Europe, dumbass; anything that isn't explicitly and devoutly Christian") in the early 20th century. He was raised in a household of what S.T. Joshi has described as "oppressive religiosity," and the rest of his life was colored by a reaction against that. He was greatly influenced by Buddhist texts; he ran with the Society for Psychical Research; he formally joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1900 (and, judging by the name, sacrificed some children there too); and of course he joined the Theosophical Society—though I don't believe he had the opportunity to meet Miss Blavatsky herself before her passing in 1891. He always seemed to be searching for some deeper, more significant spiritual understanding. This reflects in his work, which constantly plays with spiritual ideas like reincarnation, other planes, and spiritual truths (sometimes even that Man Was Not Meant to Know).

J.R.R. Tolkien once mentioned that he got the name "Crack of Doom" from one of Blackwood's unnamed stories. If so (it may also be that it comes from Macbeth), it would be fitting, because both share the same deep contrition over industrialization and reverence of Nature. It is impossible to read a Blackwood story without noticing his awe of the power and mystery of the natural world, and in his two most prominent tales, The Willows and The Wendigo—which both feature protagonists supernaturally besieged in the wilderness—it sits front and center. Listen to this excerpt from Wendigo:

Deep silence fell about the little camp, planted there so audaciously in the jaws of the wilderness. The lake gleamed like a sheet of black glass beneath the stars. The cold air pricked. In the draughts of night that poured their silent tide from the depths of the forest, with messages from distant ridges and from lakes just beginning to freeze, there lay already the faint, bleak odours of coming winter.

Not only is Blackwood investing Nature with fearsome power ("the jaws of the wilderness"), he gives it a certain sentience with "messages." Consider the way the Danube is described in Willows:

From its tiny bubbling entry into the world among the pinewood gardens of Donaueschingen [a German town in the Black Forest], until this moment when it began to play the great river-game of losing itself among the deserted swamps, unobserved, unrestrained, it had seemed to us like following the growth of some living creature. Sleepy at first, but later developing violent desires as it became conscious of its deep soul, it rolled, like some huge fluid being, through all the countries we had passed, holding our little craft on its mighty shoulders, playing roughly with us sometimes, yet always friendly and well-meaning, till at length we had come inevitably to regard it as a Great Personage.

Blackwood uses this technique constantly. In that except, his characters explicitly personify the river; it is said to have "violent desires," "conscious[ness]," and a "deep soul." Nature is ancient, it is powerful, it has a sort of intelligence, and it is what lurks behind the oh-so-thin veil of civilization in which we cloak ourselves.* The man consistently hits it out of the park with his Nature-settings, making his stories set there feel more weighty and immersive, and luckily, he seems to play to his strengths.

Another common theme of Blackwood's is disturbed mental states, especially brought on by the powers of Nature or of one of his spiritual bugaboos. In the fantastic Insanity of Mr. Jones, the eponymous Jones believes himself to be exacting vengeance on behalf of his previous reincarnation; The Man Who Found Out features someone briefly driven mad by Ancient Truths Man Was Not Meant to Know; and if you had told me Hozier's lyrics "Oh but she loves / like sleep to the freezing" were part of an adaptation of the tale The Glamour of the Snow, I would probably believe you. Listen to how everyman Hibbert is described in this latter one:

Now this battle for his soul must have issue. And he knew that the spell of Nature was greater for him than all other spells in the world combined—greater than love, revelry, or pleasure, greater even than study. He had always been afraid to let himself go. His pagan soul dreaded her terrific powers of witchery even while he worshipped.

In this quote, not just a part of Nature is personified; as a concept, it is characterized as a sort of powerful temptress, tugging at the primal heartstrings of Man. Though both he and the witless Arthur Vezin of Ancient Sorceries end up escaping from their respective Nature-witches, it is clear that for Blackwood, the concept of Nature is bound up in paganism, esoteric spiritual truth, and vast, intelligent danger that can drive a man mad. In this way, I consider him one of the stronger weird fiction writers of the twentieth century; grounding his horrors in Nature plays on all of our preconceived feelings about it to deliver more impact than spinning them out of whole cloth. What's scarier than a strange man in the willows? The willows that have eaten him, of course.

Not to say old Algae doesn't have his share of issues. The spiritualist movements with which he was involved, especially the Theosophical society, were famously racist; the Theosophists in particular put Aryans at the top of their esoteric racial classification scheme. As far as his work is concerned, the fact that he, a white man, is best-known for a story called Wendigo in which the only Native character has zero lines and is offhandedly described as "a member of a dying race" is a critique that makes itself, but it is also a critique of the culture around him for granting him this appropriative success. And even as far as his actual technique is concerned, there is a certain predictability to it that can be exhausting to read. In the middle of Ancient Sorceries, when the fiftieth member of the French village was coyly described as "catlike," I finally lost it and scrawled in the margins, "MAYBE THEY'RE SECRETLY CATS ALGAE IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?? WILL YOU STOP HINTING IF I SAY IT??"

Still, though. After reading a modest selection of his short fiction, and grappling with his shortcomings, I remain disappointed that it is Lovecraft whom history has decided to remember as the king of the Weird Tale. (Need I remind you what he named his cat? The bar is in hell.) Blackwood has at least as much claim to the throne, if not more, and in my opinion, he is simply a better writer. I find his word choice to be more evocative and his settings more vivid—and if I'm being honest, I'm just plain tired of Lovecraft at this point. If you like how he writes, but you want to branch out, I salute you, and Blackwood is a great place to start.

* Sometimes I wonder to what extent this tense, adversarial relationship with Nature is the product of empire. We make monsters of what our society marginalizes and exploits, so in a way, it is only natural that for a beneficiary of the largest colonial project the world has ever known, the Earth itself is out for revenge.

[solitaireships]

❇️➿💬 <33 [wanderers-wife]

Both of these s/i focused ones are gonna be focused on Piera mainly because she's the only one I have fully developed lol

❇️: Reminds you of your S/I

The Postmodern Jukebox cover of I Knew You Were Trouble for Piera. It fits her bcs it's a song about knowing someone is dangerous, and hey, she has a spider sense. Plus, it's a cover meant to sound like a Motown song which fits her vibe as someone from a world perpetually in the 50s aesthetic wise but with modern sensibilities

➿: You imagine mutual pining to

The cover of Tearin’ Up My Heart from Zoey’s is one of my favs. Especially with the three vocalists, imo it works really well for a mutual pining situation (and potential love triangle pining one lol)

💬: Is close to your story (if you have a backstory/canon for your relationship!)

This one was tricky, but I wanna say another Postmodern Jukebox cover for Piera- Mr. Blue Sky. This is more 20s styled, but imo it still fits her vibe with stuff like I mentioned earlier in this ask. The idea of it being a sunny day after a period of dreary-ness also fits with her imo, with that representing how she’s been through a lot of tough things but remains optimistic- and is now having some good things happening to her with Miguel. Also the “hey you with the pretty face / welcome to the human race” lyric makes me think of what it was like for her when she joined the spider society, with it opening up a whole new world for her (literally and metaphorically)

[freezingclimber]

It’s ok to dislike something but...

After years of going through different media, finding thinks I like and dislike about them, I’ve come to realize that disliking something is fine, even if it’s well-liked but understanding why so many people like something you dislike helps you get a better appreciation for that piece of media overall. LIke, I find Naruto hard to sit through because, despite it not being as long as One Piece, I don’t like the pacing of the show. BUT, I understand that there are a lot of plot-lines that are really well done. Naruto himself is an incredibly compelling character for how he tries to do things outside of the book (since being inside the book doesn’t help him), which is why his NINJA WAY is brought up so much. Plus some people just like how cool ninjutsu is. I may not be a fan of Star Vs for the will-they, won’t-they stuff, but there are so many moments that I flat-out love, from the show covering prejudice and differing race/class structures in Mewdipendence day or when Marco confesses how he looks up to the image of Jackie rather than just her. And don’t get me STARTED on the Spider with a Top Hat episode. A lot of people dislike MHA because it takes what could have been an interesting idea of a quirkless superhero and goes back on it one episode in. But Midoriya still suffers from his quirkless-ness, not being able to reach anywhere near his fullest potential without injuring himself. Not to mention, the show has a lot more to say than just quirkless-ness by talking about the ins-and-outs of hero society and how vilains are made, what a future society with better quirks can do, how those with different quirks get treated for those quirks, so on and so forth. A lot of people also dislike games like Danganronpa and Kingdom Hearts for multiple reasons but the fight between Hope and Despair, Light and Darkness, the sacrifice of characters like (person who was murdered in game 1 case 4 and the murderer in game V3 case 1), the determination of characters like (person who was murdered in game 1 case 2 and game 2 case 4), the struggles of being a nobody, the deep connections between characters like Sora and Riku and Roxas and Axel, they mean a lot to people. All these things aside though, it helps dig you out of the mindset of thinking things are “objectively bad” because you don’t like them, or it keeps you out of the mindset of finding technical/minor problems with something and trying to justify your dislike. Thinking like that can lead to a toxic spiral of an inflated ego or a sense of having your tastes being tied to critical opinion. idk just some thoughts.

[gay-snom]

contextualizing lwj’s coming to terms with his feelings subplot!

i wanna talk about the role of confucianism in this subplot because i think it’s something some western fans might not pick up on. basically, the sociopolitical climate of confucianism in his character arc, and a little bit about his interaction with the public image theme.

disclaimer: i’m not chinese but i do have a double minor in chinese and asian studies and have written a few papers on confucianism.

we’re gonna be talking about the novel bc i feel its a little more in-depth and nuanced than lwj’s ��what is black, what is white” monologue in cql. namely the tension and misunderstanding in wwx’s first life and how lwj got his scars. i feel like it’s pretty well accepted that wwx made lwj reconsider his world view, so i’m just gonna expand on it. also i want to point out it's pretty unspoken in most of the text, but lwj is also affected by/used to explore the public image themes, as his image the is ideal confucian scholar.

confucianism is centered around the ideas of how to behave “good” in sociopolitical contexts. basically it boils down to a belief system on how society should be run. if everyone follows confucian beliefs, you will have an ideal society. the main text is the Analects, which you can read here. it’s been around for a few thousand years (like around 200 BCE ish), had a huge revival in the tang dynasty (618-907 CE). it was put on imperial exams, the emperor’s cabinet had confucian scholars, etc. this is just to say confucian values are important to historic society, especially upper-class scholars, which seems to be a role cultivators commonly fill in xianxia. here are some basic tenants:

being a gentleman/scholar/superior man (君子 jūn zǐ) : partly being learned in the arts, literature, music, poetry, etc., mostly behaving righteously and dutifully.

filial piety: usually described as obedience. it's not simply obeying everything elders tell you, it includes doing it with reverence and thankfulness for their sacrifices for you.

leading by example: if leaders/the government is righteous, the people will follow. lwj has his flock of juniors that are all strong cultivators and the lan sect is just generally known for being moral and good.

rites/rituals: a focus on politeness and holding proper ceremonies, sacrifices, and funerals

speech: there’s some great meta about the register he speaks in here, i just want to touch on think carefully before you speak, only speak sincerely, etc.

tldr; lwj is THE perfect gentleman (even his title contains the character suffix 君 -jūn, like lxc. which, while this character is not uncommon for cultivator titles, it wasn’t chosen carelessly either. also not to be confused with 尊 -zūn). seriously, look at almost all of book 10 and you'll see don't do/consume in excess, don't talk during meals, sit only when your mat is straight, etc.

okay, so Why is understanding his feelings for wwx so troublesome?

1.2 "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stirring up confusion... Filial piety and fraternal submission! - are they not the root of all benevolent actions?"

in other words, people who are filial will never create political tension. so like, morally, wwx should be considered horrible person! he’s not only snubbed the jiang sect. he was a head disciple who undoubtedly had younger students looking up to him. and then he goes and stirs up some huge political issues! he is now a bad role model for the people below him and disrespected the people above him. lwj has an entire image to uphold, he has poured his entire life into following these rules and beliefs, and then wwx comes along. would continuing to be in wwx's life taint lwj? there are some contradicting teachings in regards to interacting with wwx:

15.4: "Do not take counsel with those who follow a different Way"

15.28: "When the multitude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone whom the multitude love."

15.36 "When it comes to being Good, defer to no one, not even your teacher."

this is part of the reason lwj had so much trouble accepting his feelings. he didn’t know how to handle this situation, making him appear distant during/directly after sunshot. if he judges wwx's intentions to be pure, it's then not wrong to be friendly with him. but wwx still is morally wrong by society's standards. now, lwj has to not only figure out his feelings, but also reconcile this with how he still thinks wwx is Not a bad person, despite everything. what if he does get "tainted" by wwx? will it hurt the reputation of his sect? that would be un-filial, right? he spent his whole life memorizing rules that are probably extremely similar to sections in the Analects, and now these mixed messages (coupled with the relatable gay panic) are overwhelming.

onto the next! there’s something unspoken in the scene where wwx discovers why lwj has the whip scars. as other posts have mentioned, lwj taking wwx back to the burial mounds and nursing him is high treason. however, this action is also extremely un-filial. also his entire image is built around being a perfect gentleman, if this were to get out to the public he would lose absolutely everything. he would be just as irreparable as wwx.

“I was worried if those from another sect found you first, WangJi would be considered your accomplice. The best scenario was his name being forever tainted, and the worst was his life being taken away right then. Thus, along with Uncle, we chose thirty three seniors who had always thought highly of WangJi... ”

there’s no way lwj didn’t know what would happen if he did this. obviously as lxc says, if this got out, he would lose basically his entire face. and even though lxc didn’t mention this, it would definitely lose a lot of face for the lan sect as well since lwj is so prominent. the decision about what elders to bring is also notable.

“...As if he knew all along he would be discovered by us, he said that there was nothing to explain, that this was it. Growing up, he had never talked back to Uncle, not even once. But for you, not only did WangJi talk back to him, he even met with his sword the cultivators from the Gusu Lan sect...”

so yeah, he obviously knew they would come for him and what the consequences would be. and he still talked back! that’s already not a good look for the lan sect. but attacking them? totally unforgivable! lwj gives up how he was raised and the importance of filial piety, what he has held on to until this major plot event. since it's basically the biggest "fuck you" to his uncle and his clan, this was not a decision he made lightly. lwj shows them he cares more about wwx and His Own ideas of right and wrong than the sect’s or society’s.

Wei WuXian dug his hands into his hair, “...I-I didn’t know... I really...”

when was the last time wwx was at a loss for words? wwx spends a few paragraphs after this lamenting how he hurt lwj, but he's not unaware of the gravity of what lwj did. it's an underlying assumption from being raised in the culture. i would argue his first instinct is "oh god he gave up what for me?" since those lamenting paragraphs are after lxc finishes speaking.

"But he said... that he could not say with certainty whether what you did was right or wrong..."

this is something thrown around a lot in the Analects, that not even confucius can say for sure what is right or wrong. what better way to show lwj is still a perfect confucian than have him paraphrase confucius himself?

“...WangJi was a model for the disciples when he was young, and a prominent cultivator when he grew up. In his whole life he had been honest and righteous and immaculate--you were the only mistake he made!”

here’s the confirmation that the world and even his family thinks of him as a perfect gentleman, the top tier of society, and it was all thrown away for wwx. this is just so heavy. the mistake thing? thats not only because lwj is fraternizing with an enemy. lxc and the rest of the sect who knew are terrified this will forever corrupt lwj personally, not just publicly. lwj was so devoted to believing this was the right thing to do he offered up everything he had. the gravity of this decision is insane. it’s very obvious that he loves wwx, it’s just that he struggles a lot internally to accept everything that is happening.

as for helping wwx leave after the massacre, is this gentleman-ly of lwj? was it actually in-line with his image? is it more honorable to save someone who is dying, at the cost of your own health, than to look away? isn't looking away a form of resentment? i wasn't able to find a specific passage about bystander-ness, but personally i think it qualifies as "bad intentions." there is also this passage for what it's worth, originally it was about government suppression:

12.19: "...What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?" Confucius replied, "...why should you use killing at all?..."

lwj is always more actions than words, and he was not fucking around. his core beliefs really haven't changed, and remain very strong throughout his life. he is still righteous enough to accept his punishment, graceful enough to search for wwx's body since there was no one else to do the funeral rites (10.22/10.15), caring enough to take in a-yuan, upright enough to still spend his years going where the chaos is.

just with this one action, the audience knows he has come to terms with realizing that authority isn't always just, and neither is the public opinion/opinion of other gentlemen. he has reconciled. this is him standing for what he believes is right. this is his devotion. this is his own choice. just. poetic cinema...

anyway that's it for my first meta post! i would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, opinions, discussions, other meta ideas, whatever! thank u for reading! <3

[the-modern-typewriter]

2020 in books

Yo, guys. It’s that time again. 

You’d think not be able to go anywhere would have made this my best reading year yet, but somehow it has been the worst for me personally in quite some time. However. I do have some gems to recommend.

Top 5 books of 2020 are:

1) Girl, Serpent Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust

A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse...

I adore this author, and even before reading this book had already decided I would devour anything she did. If you like fairytales, magic, monsters, queerness and complex and interesting antagonists and protagonists as much as I do than I would recommend her with all my heart.

2) Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power. Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

Enemies to lovers done well? Yes please. I do not do ‘love at first sight’, because perhaps due to my ace-ness I have to be really convinced by a dynamic to root for it. This had that. I absolutely adored the main relationships in this, the characters were great and I love the world building! Also, magical books? Sold.

(Also have I mentioned the characters? The main three wrecked me. Mysterious demonic servant take my soul.)

3) I would leave me if I could - Halsey

In this debut collection, Halsey bares her soul. Bringing the same artistry found in her lyrics, Halsey’s poems delve into the highs and lows of doomed relationships, family ties, sexuality, and mental illness. More hand grenades than confessions, these autobiographical poems explore and dismantle conventional notions of what it means to be a feminist in search of power.

This has been my favourite poetry collection in quite some time. Halsey has such a way with words, and the themes and way she explored ideas in this book was beautiful. I will definitely be reading more of her poetry. My life is nothing like hers, but she is a powerful mood.

4) Wayward Children series - Seanan McGuire

Seanan McGuire's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Wayward Children series is the story of Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children, a boarding school for kids who come home from portal fantasy worlds and can't adjust to their new, ordinary lives.

So, I love the premise, and I adore all of the characters and McGuire’s unique and interesting way of writing...but it is also really bizarre. It is very character based so sometimes it feels like what would normally be the main point of a fantasy book (going to a magical world! defeating the villain!) is completely skipped in exchange for how characters react to these things. And it completely works. These are short novellas, and they have got me through this year.

5) Loveless - Alice Oseman

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever. Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along? 

Something about this book got to me, so I have to recommend it., because it is important. Possibly more important than I know how to express. I’m not normally a big fan of YA/Coming of Age stories anymore, because for the most part I feel a bit old for them now, and slice of life is not my genre preference.

 But despite all of that...this novel...I have never read a cheesy, coming of age story for people like me before. And this book pinpointed a lot of things for me and my experiences that I don’t think I had put my finger on before about the experience of growing up in a world obsessed with sex and romance when you have a complicated relationship with both of those things due to an integral part of your identity that you can’t change.  So. It may not be my favourite book this year in terms of plot, or characters, but it was a) fun b) well written in its genre and c) probably the one that will stay with me forever and have changed my life or some such. Have at.

[darthkvznblogs]

So, thoughts on the newest Owl House and/or Amphibia episodes? I mean, we know they’re good, so let’s go beyond that. XD

So demanding, geez :P

Owl House:

I thought the animation was inordinately good for an episode that's honestly mostly character development with very little plot - not that Owl House ever really slouches in that department, but there's still a noticeable difference between your Understanding Willows and your Agony of a Witch's.

I won't say I called it because I think many people did, but I did nod along as Luz's dad was revealed to have passed away when she was young - it just felt like the most likely option, given the absence of negative comments, Camila's general "single mom-ness", and a picture featuring him being overtly in display in the kitchen. I have a bunch of headcanons about him, so it's a bit of a relief to have to option to put them into the Kryptonverse with minimal canonicity issues haha.

It was a little painful, seeing Luz commit such a rookie relationship mistake, but it is of course in character. There's enough character analysis posts out there, so I don't think I need to add my two cents on her desperate need to put other people's wellbeing ahead of hers, of not being a burden on others as much as possible - I'm just glad she chose honesty in the end, and that Amity was so understanding. I haven't seen anyone mention this, but I also thought this episode provided a wonderful middle ground between Alador's first and second appearances - he's still rather absent and airheaded, but he's also got a bit of a strict and even cruel streak to him, even if I do think, at his core, that he loves his children.

As for Amphibia, I think I wasn't particularly surprised by Mother Olm's prophecy or the idea that Sasha and Marcy are meant to have their own Calamity powers as well - they wouldn't have made such a big deal of them being drained into the stones or Anne keeping a portion if that weren't the case. I fully expect all three of them to have cool Super Saiyan hair by the finale hahaha

Not a lot else to say; I think the crew really outdid themselves with the city of Proteus and the Olms are a great addition to Amphibia's society, I'm so happy we get Sasha and Grime pretty much full time now, and I'm eagerly anticipating being emotionally destroyed (and hopefully rebuilt) by the rapidly incoming finale hahaha @the-literary-lord

[potteresque-ire]

Concerning the incredibly far and deep reach of CCP’s propaganda, the narratives the government can spin and call the truth; does ‘the common normal populace’ actually know what’s really going on?

Hello everyone!!! Happy Chinese New Year!!

I’m grouping these asks because if I hear them correctly, they’re all related to this question: how much do people in China know about the atrocities committed by their government, and why don’t they do something about it?

It’s a difficult question, isn’t it? A potentially upsetting one too, just to think about. My answers are more opinion-based, more personal this time. Since there’re no polls about what people know, they have to be based a little more on my own impression, which has more chances of error. Please bear with me and proceed with caution ...

As with people in most countries, what people know is hugely dependent on individuals. Specifically, re: politics, I can think of at least three reasons why people don’t have the facts

1) they have limited access to information 2) they’re being lied to about what they know 3) they’re not interested in current affairs.

1), of course, is what most people think about when it comes to China. You’re right, Anon(s), that VPN use is indeed rampant in the country and is essentially an open secret; there’re no official numbers but surveys have estimated the number of users can be up to 100 million, most of them being youngsters. They use it to do exactly what most of us would imagine: gain access to things they don’t have otherwise. Instagram has been (sporadically?) blocked since 2014 September and so while users may have set up their accounts while being overseas, it’s indeed, (very) possible, that they’ve set up and maintained their account under VPN use.

Wait, you may ask, so you mean the Great Firewall of China doesn’t exist?

That’s exactly the official stance. Not because of private VPN use, but because individuals/companies can apply for a license via their telecommunications company to visit all internet sites. Hence, the government’s claim that the Great Firewall doesn’t exist—you’ll be let through as long as you ask (and we’ll watch your every step)! There are also no explicit laws prohibiting the use of private VPNs; only a handful of arrests associated with private VPN use have been made and only since 2019, and the punishment is considered light—no imprisonment, just fines. It is, in contrast, against the law to *provide* private VPN services, and while companies have been shut down, the crackdown has still been incredibly sluggish by Chinese government’s standards, especially when the Xi regime has made its intention of banning VPN known and directives have been issued for that in 2017.

Why has VPN continued to enjoy this “grey existence”? Because without VPN, a lot of foreign businesses would leave—some, for example, require the most efficient online tools developed outside China to track the foreign markets, and talents have rejected job offers in the country when they realised they couldn’t get on their favourite social media. The science and tech sectors also rely heavily on VPN—programmers relying on Google to search stackoverflow, for example, to find known solutions to bugs. 

VPNs have also served political purposes—Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-critical communities all over the world are all painfully aware of the Chinese government’s practice of hiring its own collection of internet commentators (”50 Cent Party”), and at times, mobilising their youths (gamers, fan circles) to scale the Firewall and astroturf, throw insults at the “CCP enemies” and bomb message boards with pro-CCP messages.

Also, a significant fraction of VPN companies, both in China and overseas, have been reported to have Chinese ownership, by companies with government connections. These VPN services provide a false sense of security for those who do not enjoy having big brother peeking behind their backs while acting as surveillance tools that extend beyond the country.

(Please be careful about free VPNs).

The next question: If until now, users of private VPNs only rarely get into trouble, what’s holding them from scaling the Great Firewall and learning the facts?

It is this: the law isn’t about “climbing the wall”, but what one does outside the wall.

Article 6 of the 2016 edition of Cybersecurity law states the following: 

第六条　国家倡导诚实守信、健康文明的网络行为，推动传播社会主义核心价值观，采取措施提高全社会的网络安全意识和水平，形成全社会共同参与促进网络安全的良好环境

Article 6: The State advocates sincere, honest, healthy and civilized network conduct; promoting dissemination of the core socialist values, adopting measures to raise the entire society's awareness and level of network security, and forming a good environment for the entire society to jointly participate in advancing network security.

What this article implies is this ~ legally, Chinese citizens are bound to the Chinese government’s rules of good internet conduct, regardless of whether they use VPN to get on the internet. As with many Chinese laws, however, the vagueness in wording invites more questions than answers. Is it getting on Twitter, a banned website, “sincere, honest, healthy and civilized network conduct”? Obviously, it’s illegal to interact with other users about the Xinjiang’s internment camps, but what if one only goes there to talk about their favourite stars, because on Weibo supertopic they can’t even mention the stars’ name, can’t ahkgkhagjkfaskjgdf about their favourite fics? What if one goes there to discuss a M- or E-rated fic? Where is the line drawn and given its vagueness, will that line move tomorrow? How?

Most people, therefore, have opted to simply stay away from VPN. After all, China offers its own version of many of the fun websites out there (Weibo-Twitter; Instagram-Oasis; Tiktok-Douyin; Youtube-Bilibili). For those who do use VPN, they tend to stick to websites that are unlikely to cause issues (such as Instagram; Instagram became an issue when Hong Kongers started to upload information about the protests on there).

Now, let’s proceed to 2): People don’t know the facts because they’re being lied to about what they know.

There’s a difference between having access to facts and knowing that they’re facts. This is among the most painful lessons, perhaps, for those who followed the politics of the United States in the last few years (please forgive me for the US-centric-ness of the following few paragraphs!). Even with equal access to identical information, people can vary a LOT in their understanding of what are facts and what are lies.

This illustrates the power of propaganda—and propaganda in the US isn’t even centralised. Some media outlets and individuals (political leaders and analysts) have more say on what should be viewed as the truth, but parties without significant power—small foreign and domestic interests, fringe political organisations, conspiracy theorists, regular folks—have also made critical contributions to the “fake news” phenomenon in the US. There haven’t been apparent coordinations between these parties;  little concerted effort has been made to create one coherent story out of the many tales told.

In China, the propaganda effort is centralised, coordinated, free of distractions from competing story lines. The One Story the government decides on is repeated, over and over again, on newspapers, in shows, in textbooks, on signs on the streets, on social media. To put it another way, when it comes to political discourse, the country is designed to be an echo chamber with 1.4 billion people. Over time, the One Stories inevitably become firmly held beliefs—so firmly held that even if the people are exposed to facts, they no longer believe in them.

This is especially true when the source of the facts are countries with strong traditions of freedoms of speech and press, where the facts are often laid out with a critical eye to the administration and with vastly different opinions attached to them. While we view the latter as evidences that the values we embrace are alive and well—a critical eye to the administration means the Fourth Estate is doing its job, and the different opinions means freedom of speech gets to live another day—people who haven’t been exposed to these values tend to interpret these things as signs of weakness of the government. They may think the Chinese government is better than its counterparts elsewhere because no one is penning scathing criticisms against it. They may think the Chinese government is stronger because it unifies the opinions of their people—the failure of which, they’ve been taught, would lead to social chaos and economic free-fall.

The Chinese population has also been “immunised” against the truths that may be exposed about their government by a propaganda talking point used since Chairman Mao’s days—that the “Imperialist” western world, particularly the United States, is always scheming its downfall. The phrase often used is 美帝亡我之心不死 (”The heart (intention) of Imperialist US to bring us down will never die”). Unfavourable truths exposed must therefore be part of the “bring down China” scheme. This decades-old demonisation of the political apparatus of the US and Europe also prepares the people to accept what most would see as outrageous conspiracy theories: for example, in March 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the US Army intentionally planted COVID in Wuhan during the 2019 Military World games. “Foreign interference” becomes a frequent and convenient scapegoat for policy decisions gone wrong, sometimes to a (somewhat) hilarious effect ~ for example, a Taiwanese journalist calculated the cost required for the CIA to fund the 2019 Hong Kong Protests, as the Chinese government had claimed—and it turned out that the CIA was too poor to do it. 

(Many of us in the US would probably laugh at the idea that our government is capable of secretly paying 2 million foreign-language speaking strangers to show up together in one march.) (It can’t even get the COVID relief payments to its own people right over a period of months.)

(Fun trivia for turtles! As 美帝=“Imperialist US” is the synonym of a feared, imaginary super-villain—super organised, super efficient, super everywhere and super impossible to take down—c-BJYX, the indestructible No. 1 CP fandom in China, has been nicknamed “美帝 cp” by those not so enamoured with it.)

Finally, there’s the psychological factor. Once a set of beliefs becomes personal truths, listening to alternatives can be very upsetting (for those in the US: imagine the blue voting block made to listen to Fox News). Hence, even when people gain access to the facts later—for example, when they study/work abroad, even emigrate—they often don’t take advantage of the access. Instead, they remain logged in in the Chinese social media sites where they’re comfortable with not only the politics but also the language and the friendships they’ve built, and continue to immerse themselves in an environment heavy with CCP propaganda. They remain defenders of the Chinese government; some have even gone out and harass people who disagree with it, in the name of freedom of speech that their country of origin never offered to them.

Censorship, of course, is an important component of building a One Story echo chamber, and I should add a note about it: censorship in China comes in vastly different strengths. The restrictions on LGBT+ issues, for example, are fairly lax, relatively speaking—“homosexuality” remains a term one can find on their internet and a topic the administration continues to address, and while BL dramas are censored, their adapted versions, along with highly publicised discussions of their original material, have so far been tolerated. The strictest form of Chinese censorship would’ve allowed neither: any mention of the 1989 June 4th Tiananmen Square massacre , for example, is immediately removed, including any hints that the event may have happened. When the former leader of the Chinese government, Jiang Zemin (江澤民), was rumoured to have passed away, the censorship apparatus went so far as to remove all mentions of Jiang, which also happened to mean “large rivers”. Chinese netizens therefore joked that major rivers had ceased to exist in China that day, as one couldn’t find any information about them online.

(LGBT+ activists have therefore remained optimistic about the future of their campaign, despite the current state of affairs. To put it simply: the Chinese government has bigger fish to fry. Sexual minorities haven’t had major clashes with the administration, haven’t embarrassed the Chinese government with their demand for rights as the ethnic minorities—the Uyghurs, the Tibetans, the Mongolians etc did. Political dissidents, including the millions in Hong Kong, are also (far) ahead in the ranking of fish size.)

For most issues, the censorship effort sits somewhere in the middle and is often inconsistent over time. The people, therefore, often have knowledge that an event has happened — even when the event is considered, beyond the Great Firewall, damaging to the reputation of the Chinese government. However, critical information is often missing in their knowledge, or is heavily distorted. For example, overseas Chinese citizens have insisted that the motivation of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests was economic, echoing the longstanding CCP propaganda that Hong Kongers have been jealous of China’s prosperity (reality: China’s GDP per capita was $10,268 USD in 2019, and Hong Kong’s, $48,713—more than 4 times higher). They missed out a critical fact: while the fast economic growth of China has created some unease—Hong Kongers have always known the Chinese government has only tolerated them and their freedoms for their ability to generate wealth—what has truly ignited Hong Kong’s anger is the Chinese government’s violation of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and the terms it had agreed upon to get back the then British crown colony. Hong Kong hasn’t been demanding autonomy and freedoms because it’s a troublemaker, but because these things were promised to the city as conditions of the 1997 handover. As residents of the world’s third largest financial centre, Hong Kongers are diligent drafters and executioners of contracts (which international treaties are) and above all, faithful believers of them. For an asker (the Chinese government) to claim a contract as “historical”  because it has received the goods (Hong Kong) and no longer feels a need to pay (allow Hong Kong 50 years of freedoms and autonomy) is offensive to the principle, the very heart and soul of the city. 

(Gg’s former boss was a Hong Konger, and his experience working for him was a rather accurate reflection of Hong Kong’s view on business. What made an impression to Gg—that the posters should be without rips and misprints, even if these imperfections were not the fault of the design company—is a no-brainer to the Hong Konger in me reading the interview. Delivering high quality goods and services isn’t an act of kindness but rather, of professionalism and respect for the contract.)

(This interview is a highly recommended read, for those who’ve missed it!)

(One more example of “conveniently missed critical information”: remember GG’s show on Chongqing? Did you know the underground bombing shelters were not built by the Communist government, but the Nationalist government that was still ruling China during WWII?)

Anyway, where was I?

Right. We’re getting to 3): People are not getting the facts on the political situation in China because they’re not interested in current affairs.

Some—well, many— people are not interested in politics.

Some of you may be thinking: well, I’m not interested either. I follow politics because it’s important.

Why is it important? Because political engagement means you can do something about the many ills of the society, speak for those who cannot, force the government to change by voting, by voicing your opinion, by going to marches and protests etc.

What if you follow politics and still can’t do most of these things? What if, if you do choose to do these things, the price you pay may be astronomical? Will you still follow politics or devote your time, your energy to something else, something you’ve got more control over, something that won’t be as saddening, frustrating because it’s something you can actually change?

3) is therefore intricately related to why people often don’t do anything, even if they manage to find out about the facts.

There’re no national elections in China. Marches and protests are practically banned because while the Chinese Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly (as it does freedom of speech and press; Article 35), it also explicitly states that "Citizens of the People’s Republic of China, in exercising their freedoms and rights, may not infringe upon the interests of the State, of society or of the collective, or upon the lawful freedoms and rights of other citizens.” (Article 51) — ie. the freedoms and rights only go as far as if they do not stand in the government’s way. Social media and all communications platforms are under constant surveillance, and so only opinions tolerated by the government is allowed... 

And so, the fact, social ill that has broken your heart—you can’t tell for sure if it isn’t talked about because the government has censored it, how many people know about it and more importantly, how many among the people who know about it will agree with your take. If you break your silence and voice your concerns, how many people will have your back, even if you also conceive them as victims of the social ill? If the social ill is the lack of rights of a minority group, for example, will they appreciate your speaking out, or will your “rocking-the-boat” make things even worse for them? A heavily watched net means communications with the oppressed/vulnerable social groups are often filled with obstacles, if not outright impossible. You don’t know how these groups feel; you don’t even know how many affected individuals are there. You watch the and news and shows and they all talk about how wonderfully things are going; how everyone seems so hopeful and positive and happy with their lives—are you the only person feeling that way? Are you wrong? If you speak out then, will you be yelling into the void, or worse, yelling at the police who “invites” you for a chat in the police station? To speak for those who do not have a voice to speak, are you ready, willing to take the risk of also becoming one who no longer has a voice to speak? Is your family ready? 

To put it another way: the opportunity cost of “doing something” about the political situation can be astronomically high in China, compared to the opportunity cost of us doing something similar in our own country. 

If I want to support the LGBT+ population in my part of the US, for example, I can do so effectively with minimal investment and most importantly, with minimal risk. By pasting a rainbow flag on this Tumblr post, for example, I’ve already signalled to those who need support on this issue that I’m ready to give mine. And this “signal” of mine will join the hundreds and thousands on the site, collectively telling the activists doing the “on the ground” fighting that they’re not alone; that they have my vote of support. I pose no danger to myself in doing so; no one will accuse me of, arrest me for infringing upon the interests of the State and the Collective. The rainbow flag, a display of my stance, will not turn into a blurred blob the next time I look at it, transform overnight from a symbol of solidarity to a warning sign to those who may wish to join the cause. There’s no danger for me, even, to carry an actual, huge rainbow flag to Pride, perform my activism in person. I don’t have to worry about my phone already giving away my identity as a protester to the government, especially in post-COVID times. I don’t need to watch out for plain clothes pretending to be my allies. I don’t have to look at the many surveillance cameras present and wonder if I’ll get blacklisted as a troublemaker.

Am I still being tracked and taken pictures of? Possibly. But for this cause, at least, I’m not afraid that these information will be used to arrest me. If I were arrested, I know there'll be lawyers and activists who would come to my aid. LOUDLY. ANGRILY.

I’m not afraid. Period. I’m having fun. And I doubt I can say the same if I try to carry a rainbow flag to Tiananmen square and march there.

This vast difference in the opportunity cost of taking political action is the reason why I’ve refrained from demanding those who live under authoritarian dictatorships to stand up for their neighbours who’ve been oppressed / bullied by their governments. I’ve refrained from criticising them for looking away, minding their own business. Do I wish they’ve take action? Of course I do. Am I aware that their lack of action is potentially more harmful because of the frequent atrocities happening around them? Yes. But I also understand that going on a fight is far more frightening when one doesn’t even have a sense of how many will join their side of the fight; I understand that fighting for what one deserves—freedoms, rights, justice—should never equal martyrdom, and just because a regime has elected to put equal signs between the two doesn’t mean those equal signs should ever be there. I remind myself that, to ask the people in any authoritarian dictatorship to stand up for a political cause is to ask them to make sacrifices that we, as people in relatively free societies, do not need to make when standing up for the same cause. In a country where a father demanding the truth about the milk product poisoning of his own son got jail time for “eliciting social disorder”, to stand up for even a single issue, no matter how small that issue is, requires courage that I’m not sure I have.

I can’t ask anyone to do anything I may not be able to do myself.

And this is why I, too, have chosen to support these people, even if many of them are single-issue activists, even when many support the Chinese government on other issues that matter. For example, the late Dr Li Wenliang, one of the eight COVID whistleblowers in China who passed away from the disease, was an opponent of the Hong Kong Protest, but I still (greatly) appreciate, respect him for what he did. As long as they’re not actively helping the government to cause (more) harm to others, as long as their cooperation with their government falls within what is demanded of them as citizens, they have my support. Why? Because most people who speak out in China cannot afford to stand up for more than one cause before it becomes dangerous for them. Because even if it’s only a tiny vulnerable social group, one small minority that makes a tiny step towards more rights, more freedoms, more justice, it’s still a victory in a country where rights, freedoms and justice are luxury items for those with neither political nor economic power. Because those who’re not part of the ruling class cannot afford to cherry pick their allies, cannot afford to in-fight when the ruling class already holds absolute power. Because I still believe in pay-it-forward, that most people who’ve benefited from someone standing up for them, even for one small incident, one minor cause, is more likely to stand up for someone else.

This is, admittedly, not always an easy choice to make—not for me, at least. I do get frustrated, can’t help but think at times that those who subscribe to and spread propaganda are, to a certain extent, corroborators of the atrocities committed by their government. (So, to those who���ve felt this frustration, you’re not alone!). And the Hong Konger in me has every reason to be furious with everything about China right now—all I could think of, when I listened to Gg singing 異鄉人 Foreigner the other night, are all the Hong Kongers fleeing the city now, as refugees, because of their political beliefs.

But for now, I’m hanging on. I’ve been able to tell myself that given the country’s political reality, given its tradition of collectivism (which tends to view confrontational dissent with scorn), the paths to freedoms, to equal rights and acceptance, will not be the same as what I’ve seen, what I’ve wished for. They’ll likely be slow; They’ll likely be long and winding, taking three steps forward and two steps back; they’d likely be unexpected in places, offer us surprises —

And since it’s Chinese New Year / Valentines and I’m feeling brave (irresponsible?), I’d venture a little bit of speculation and say this ~ yes, I’ve wondered if one of these many paths may be trodden, intentionally or not, by two beautiful male idols and their millions of turtles. Is it wishful, fantastical thinking? I’d be the first to admit the answer is yes. But the BJYX scheme has been so well executed as of now, so effective that I can’t help but wonder if it’s leading towards some sort of a goal, whether devised by the humans involved or by the gods/Fates who, as c-turtles have said so romantically, have been writing an original BL story with our favourite boys. The goal may be personal —simply two people being able to act more like themselves again under the spotlight—or a bit more ambitious…

… Because the sneakers + ice-cream post did catch my attention (will probably have to devote a post on that?). Another small incident that has caught my attention, unrelated to Gg and Dd but can significantly change the path they may be trodding, is this — in June 2020, People’s Daily, the state controlled newspaper, boasted its country’s increasing friendliness towards the LGBT+ communities on Twitter . While the tweet was met with skepticism and soon removed, the message it sent is this: the Chinese government may have figured out the the Western world (in particular, the younger generations) view LGBT+ rights as a measure of progressiveness. While I’m still leaning towards the government maintaining a tight grip on LGBT+ rights within its borders, with the strengthening call to boycott 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics because of the country’s poor human rights record, I can see a glimmer of possibility that the same government may do the unexpected and cater to the queer community for the sake of propaganda.  As I mentioned, the queer community hasn’t caused much headache for the Chinese government, and so it’s far more likely to be chosen as the “benefactors” of such a “we’re a human rights champion too!” propaganda campaign than, say, ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Promoting dissemination of core socialist values has always sat high on the CCP’s agenda list, and its target audience has always included foreign, non-Chinese populations; this effort is known as 大外宣—“The Great External Propaganda”. And who better to cast as leads of an international propaganda campaign on LGBT+ rights than two of its own stars who’ve already demonstrated loyalty to the government, who’ve already garnered international fame from a TV series widely viewed as queer, and who may actually be queer?

(And if—if!!!— this ever happens, may I ask everyone to please consider doing the following? Please do not feel a need to express gratitude. Please do not act as though it’s a gift. Celebrate as you would celebrate anyone in a free country exercising their birthright to live, to love the way they want — no less than that, no more than that.)

(For those who’ve asked ~ as international fans, not allowing the CCP to modify our expectations of how a government should behave may be one of the most effective ways to protect Gg and Dd.)

(I call this learning from the best: get the goods we want (more rights for the people in China), refuse to pay the cost (subscribe to CCP’s propaganda), and RUN! ❤️💛💚)

[siriusmydeer]

Oh and Hello to you today you fine and brilliantly skilled author who I have came to love and adore, you see I know I’d already recently requested something from you but I had a taste of your absolutely amazingly fine talent and just had to come back for more

Ya see, this person here (hem hem, me) would like to ask if she could request something dealing with Young Remus Lupin Remmy Boi being a sweet older brother during the summer to his adoptive sister who is almost his age and very gay and him letting her hang out with him and the Mauraders because her friends were douchbags and skippy skip to Remus letting her rant about it while they sit in his bed, her head in his lap while she’s curled up in a ball and he’s half-heartedly reading while talking to her about her douche-bag friends before he cuddles his sis to his chest and lets her sleep in his bed that night

Anywho, sorry for annoyin you again but I’ve had a shit day and wanted to relax with one of my fav authors and a cuppa tea

baby i was so excited to write this, my internal message to homophobes lies within this one shot. y/n’s vent gave me very “gia ranting her her friends about being bi and it should be nobodies business”

my little sister

brother!remus lupin x fem!reader, girlfriend!marlene mckinnon x fem!reader

warnings: homophobia, mentions of slurs, mentions of conversion camp, angst? but not rly, fluffy remus, WOLFSTAR💋, swearing, jokingly mentions of murder, big brother energy from remus, um mentions of penises and masterbating😭, lowkey ravenclaw slander (ONLY MALES I PROMISE) and y/n being a baddie

word count: 1.3k

you were.... happy. yes, not in a sarcastic way. you had finally found a girl that didn’t just want to be your friend, or hate crime you. you found a girl that you wanted to kiss, a girl you wanted to love and girl that reciprocated that love. but unfortunately for you, your love choices had consequences and everyone else thought it was there business, commenting on it.

“𝗼𝗶, 𝗹𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗻! 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝘁?”

“𝗰’𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗻, 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝘁?”

“𝗶 𝗯𝗲𝘁 𝘆/𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗶 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹.”

“𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? 𝗶 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶’𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.”

so to society, you weren’t normal. the worst part was you weren’t always the one hearing it, the girls in your dorm heard it, your brother heard about it and his best friends also happen to hear about it. that also never happened to stop them from shooting a hex or 20 in someone’s direction but, nonetheless, you “weren’t normal.”

you were sitting in the library studying next to your gorgeous girlfriend, marlene mckinnon. oh did something as innocent as studying get flipped into so much more, both of you working on mcgonagalls transfiguration homework. all fine and well until the 7th year ravenclaws decided to crawl up your butt and die.

“i see you two haven’t been sent away yet.”

“aw well if it isn’t the two girls who think they’re in love.”

“the two fa-“

one of the boys didn’t even get to finish his sentence before your wand was pinned against his neck, and suddenly he was speechless.

“‘m gonna say this as delicately as possible to spare your shit feelings but, before you finish your very derogatory sentence i would love for you to reconsider your words.” you started, “i personally think it’s hilarious that you gits are so bothered by whomst m’intimate with.”

“for being known as the smart house, you 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 are so bloody stupid. i could rip out my own brain and give it to you and it still wouldn’t be enough for you to learn how to mind your damn business.” you said firmly, “your 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗸 has sunken into the air, so me and my girlfriend are going to get going.”

you took your wand away from his neck before the 3 boys scrambled to the other side of the library, in fear. you gathered both you, and marlene’s things before slinging your bags over your shoulder and walking out of the library. before you could turn the corner, her other arm gripped your arm putting you both to a halt.

you turned towards her beet red face, and eyes shining in adoration. “dude, i think that was the hottest thing you have ever done.” she said before pulling you into a lip lock outside of the library. would you have been very nervous in any other situation?absolutely. i mean you were kissing a female, in public, at school, in 1975. but in this moment you couldn’t care less about anything or anyone, just the beautiful girl that you were besotted with kissing you right now.

“good.” you giggled as you pulled away before pulling her arm in the direction of one of the hidden corridors.

the next time you found yourself diminished over your sexuality, you went to people who you genuinely felt safe and comfortable with. you burst through the marauders dorm, forgetting to knock but quickly covering your eyes.

“i really hope none of you are masterbating right now, because i’m sure as not in the mood to see a penis.”

“c’mon mini-moony, you’re literally never in the mood to see a penis.” sirius replied, you uncovered your eyes and saw sirius walk over to remus’ bed and put his head on remus’ shoulder, and a light blush covered both of there faces. james on the other hand was on the floor writing lily, one of the only other people who supported you, another love letter.

“ok so let me start, sirius and remus please splash some cold water on your face. james, get off your arse and actually be a normal person and try and have a normal conversation with lily because i assure you she doesn’t even read those letters. and the grand finale, if i get called 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 one more damn time necks will be broken and body parts and fluids will scatter on the floor.” you huffed, and sat at end of remus’ bed nonchalantly.

at the part of your mini-monologue where you mentioned being called a slur, james and sirius happened to jump from where they were, surrounding you with questions. “who called you that?!” “i need names, now, mini-moony.” meanwhile remus aggressively grabbed his wand and made a bee-line to the door. “OI! BROTHER OF MINE.” remus stopped at the sound of your voice and turned around, his grip on the wand leaving his knuckles a shade of white. “sit. now.” he scoffed before sitting on the bed staring straight at you.

you debated for a moment, before looking at remus. “lucius malfoy and his toerag puppy dog, evan rosier.” you shrugged before all of them made a run at the door, messily grabbing their wands stomping down the stairs leading to the common room.

as fifth year came to an end, summer eventually came to a start. as you were unpacking your trunk and putting your clothes in there rightful spots in your dresser before you heard a knock at the door. “come in!”

remus opened the door, leaning against the frame. “hey, you okay?” he knew it was a stupid question to ask, but ever since you came into his family he felt a sense of protectiveness over you. he would always look at you like a little girl who needed her laces double knotted because she would trip on them, and how she needed to climb on furniture to grab something and especially when his little sister wasn’t his little sister anymore and became and illegal animagus for him.

“having your picture with nice little names on them, i’m brilliant.” you said sarcastically before sitting on your bed and remus following your lead. he leaned his back against the headboard as you threw your head on his lap, curling yourself to make yourself as tiny as possible. “i mean why the hell does anyone care anyways? it’s not like i’m intervening in there lives, i’m not killing anyone? it works the exact same except it’s a girl and not a boy. i just don’t understand why everyone thinks they should have an opinion on something that isn’t there business to start with.” you vented as he rubbed your back, while reading. “i mean, i understand.” you looked at him with a raised brow, “sirius?” he sheepishly looked up from his book and nodded before looking down at his book again and blushing.

“please, i could spot that from a mile away. i mean you aren’t exactly subtle, at the mere touch you both look like you got out of a sauna.” you said, matter of fact like and pointing your finger in the air sassily, “at least lily and james don’t care.” he mumbled trying to make you and him feel better. “everyone shouldn’t care, but then again everyone else in this universe is also a pest.” you sighed, as he continued reading but not before speaking.

“people are stupid.”

“you’re right, people are stupid.”

“but you know what makes us feel better?”

“what?”

“chocolate.”

“wow remus, it’s almost like i had no idea.”

“well i’m always right, so suck it up and take it.” he said shoving a chocolate bar in your face.

“i mean you could always have a sleepover with me where we eat chocolate and laugh at bad movies?” he said before looking down at you.

“remus, first yes, second how the hell does sirius put up with your ‘know-it-all-ness’?” you looked at him smirking, clearly he didn’t like that and he closed his book smacking it against your head.

“𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝘂𝘀!”

[funkymbtifiction]

Some questions!!!

1) I just listened to a fascinating audio snippet on a woman whose mission is to eradicate small talk in the hope of TRULY bringing people together. As an ESFJ, I like this approach a lot because true social unity and connection goes beyond "hey, how are you" (although I don't think small talk should be totally gone! it's important to being in society) and it is making me wonder if I'm really an ENFP. I am a social-dominant type, so I would never actually try this approach, but I secretly think it's super cool. If people thought it was weird I wouldn't tell them I like it or use it, but here is the description. I was wondering how you'd type this person & her ideas, if you would like to listen! It's short, but I think she uses Fe and Ni and is a social 7 or social 9. Here is the audio clip: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/741/the-weight-of-words/act-three-7

She's a sexual type -- let's forget the social conventions and get right to what doesn't bore me. I'm not sure what her type is, beyon that.

I'm going to sieze on the most interesting thing you just said (no small talk) and ask -- what exactly about this technique that is being shared makes you "wonder if I am really an ENFP?" You just threw that in there and left it hanging without an explanation.

I like the idea of focusing on the most interesting part of the conversation, and may do that, but I think I'll leave the invasive questions that could make someone uncomfortable at home. ;)

2) Can someone who's a 9w1 love intellectual debate/controversy and be a major peacemaker and be super calming and able to detach? An INFJ I know shows every sign of being a sp/so 9w1 core/953 except for this one quality of theirs. I can't see them having 8 as a wing, they're too peaceful.

9s do not mind controversy or debate, provided the discussion does not fall into personal insults and/or aggression from the person they are discussing something with -- as long as something is respectful and they feel safe in their environment or with that other person, they enjoy banter and discussion. Sp9s are also the most direct 9s.

3) Is Helen from Bridesmaids a really unhealthy ESFJ 3w2?

Yes. I haven't seen it, but I know enough about her to say... yes. She's the stereotypical 'perfect' woman on the outside, while being quite catty and shallow on the inside.

As a dominant Fe-user with a likely 3 fix, I am better at appearance than intimacy sometimes but I would never want to upstage people like she does.

Your Fe is healthy; hers is not. :)

This video about her character & how she lacks meaningful/not-for-show-and-status relationships reminds me of how I've felt when I've disintegrated into 3? I am starting to think I might even be a 3 because of these struggles, even though I am not truly like her. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDqZ_0ncxMk If it's too long for you, can I ask instead: can Fe-doms struggle with emotional intimacy ever in favor of putting up the perfect image for others?

If you really want me to deep dive into your personality, you need to provide examples of what you mean / your thought process, rather than just mention that you relate. Why do you feel like a core 3? What evidence do you have for being a core 3? Is your 3-ness more prolific than your (assumed) 6-ness? What about 3 do you relate to?

EFJs are so busy thinking about other people's needs and wants, and putting aside their own (often) to cater to them (unless they are 8s), that they find it hard to be themselves with others, for fear of being rejected. They are typically very up front about their feelings and in addressing them in the present moment, however, since they feel a desperate need to talk them through with their loved ones, so they are somewhat straightforward in their emotional expressions. A core 3 EFJ would feel a great deal more ambivalence and angst centered around exposing themselves to a lover in terms of emotional intimacy, since they are playing whatever role they are given (wife, mother, corporate lawyer) and wrap up their identity in it, and fear that without it, they aren't "enough" to hold someone's love.

4) How can I convince my Fi-dom acquaintances and relatives that I am not "unhappily living for other people" even when I am being myself, and that I just think total 100 percent authenticity isn't AS important as other things? I even see my ENTP & INFP parents feeling sad that I'm not my true self as much as I could be because they love my true self, but they also can't understand my cognitive processes! We're very close but it's almost like dominant Fe/being a 3 core or fixer is alien to them. They are very socially aware and appropriate but have 4 fixes and hate fakeness. How can I explain being a 3 (or 6? i have no clue) and ESFJ to them in a way that they will understand?

Just be honest. Tell them you are not "unhappy" by living for other people; it's what MAKES you happy. Their happiness is akin to your happiness. Send them to my blog and let them read the EFJ stuff, so they can understand you better. They just want to make sure that YOU are happy, it's not necessarily a judgment on you -- and if you can assure them that this is what gives you happiness, they won't fret about it as much anymore. "Fakery" is different from consideration, appropriateness, and politeness, three things our society needs.

5) Am I a 3 or a 6 based on what I've just said? This is so difficult to figure out -- my tertiary Ne is killing me!

You didn't give me enough information for me to say, sorry. :)

Start by searching 'attachment stance' and 'assertive stance' here on Funky tumblr, and read about the difference. 6s are dependent stance numbers -- they want what is best for everyone. 3s are assertive stance numbers -- they go after what they want, hard and with determination. 6s are more considerate than 3s, but 3s are more self-confident than 6s. 6s do not want to draw negative attention to themselves (I won! Does this mean you hate me now?), 3s want that attention since it shows their competency (I won, this proves to everyone how valuable I am!).

[kyidyl]

Hey trans followers I have a question...if you could help me out I'd appreciate it.

I have an important trans character in an OU of mine. Would it be hurtful to possible trans readers if she chooses to undergo a sort of magical transition? The context of this is that she lives in a world that is a dystopia for her species specifically and there are very few of them left. She has never even met someone who is the same species as her until they show up looking for her. She transitioned a few years before they found her, and when talking to them later on the other character tells her that a long time ago when there were lots of them they used to just eschew gendering at all for children until the child reached an age where they could choose for themselves (she's a teenager; iirc she's 15 or 16.), at which point everyone underwent the ritual and chose for themselves. This is very much NOT having the magic find their "true" gender. I didn't want to remove the self determination. And it is absolutely presented as a choice for her comfort, not a choice that changes the way other characters see her. The question I have is this sort of magical gender confirmation "surgery" hurtful to trans readers or would it be a good thing? I waffle bc I'm not trans so I have no idea. I just want what's best for her and what would make her and trans readers most comfortable. I can ditch the entire idea and just leave her as someone who transitioned in the typical way (hair, clothes, name, pronouns, etc.). I also don't want her to lose her trans-ness. I like her the way she is. She's a trans woman. I don't want her to be like "ok well magic ceremony and now I'm cis". That seems like erasure to me...but if it was a choice would trans people take it? I just have no idea what's best here.

Now, you can stop reading here and just answer the question if you'd like, but as some further background...I've been writing this world since 2005. I literally didn't even know trans people existed when I started the story. And as I've learned over time I've changed a lot of the world and changed things that were offensive bc I didn't know any better. So the species she's part of is biologically magical. It's literally what keeps them alive. And their society is structured around 4 main roles: the time keeper, the leader, and the enforcer, and the adversary. Time keeper is one person who can time travel. The leader is, well, what it sounds like. The enforcer is the person who is the most powerful magic user. The adversary is as powerful as the enforcer, but acts in ways that are contrary to what is best for their society. The last two keep each other in check usually. With the exception of the enforcer, these 4 roles are always filled by women. Even the enforcer is a woman 95% of the time. The character in question is that generation's leader - the Queen. Her fulfilling that role is NOT dependant on whether she chooses to undergo the ceremony. She is Queen. Period, full stop. She is a woman. Period, full stop. I just wanted a transwoman in my story who was important. I wanted it to be obvious that although these roles are assigned to women, it doesn't matter if they're cis or trans. Women are women. There's no tragic death in store for her, and the plan is to have her grow into her role and become a good leader of her people in a time of difficulty. Her transness is not where the conflict in her story comes from, it's just an aspect of her character. She's a character that happens to be trans, not a Trans Character (TM). I almost didn't want to mention it bc the people around her don't treat her differently, but like...representation isn't representation if you don't know it's there.

Anyway, feedback from transpeople would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[shatouto]

Hello!!! I just read the first chapter of The Cygnets at Sundown and I have to say that I really really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading what you have planned for the rest of your fic!!

I really really like the fact that you’re subverting the typical a/b/o dynamics by having a more dominant omega!obi-wan and a more submissive alpha!anakin and I’m really interested by how this dynamic will develop between them romantically and sexually!

I absolutely adore the fact that you’ve chosen to make this a mando/jedi relationship as well in addition to subverting the typical alpha/omega dynamic. I love the idea of anakin, being a mandalorian, who knows that he should find honor in fighting and killing but doesn’t and can barely do it and who doesn’t even like the scent of his own Alpha-ness. (Though I don’t doubt anakin can be v scary when his loved ones are threatened). Then to contrast this with jedi!obi-wan, being part of the jedi who are known as peacekeepers, and being an omega (who is probably stereotyped as being soft and loving), and even being a crèche-master with six younglings. And while I don’t doubt that obi-wan is very loving and soothing (probs esp eventually to anakin), it’s very intriguing to ponder about just how good obi-wan is at sparring hand-to-hand or with his lightsaber, and just how far he’s willing to go to protect his loved ones. I know we haven’t even seen obi-wan yet but still I’m just so enraptured by the way you’ve laid the groundwork for this multi-faceted dynamic between them already. (Also I’m sorry but I just love watching obi-wan fight, cause he’s so good at it but he doesn’t like violence and that’s just a very interesting dichotomy to me and I’m just so impressed whenever he fights with someone that I like seeing ppl in fics be impressed to lol.)

That’s not even to mention the way that anakin is probs force-sensitive, and how that’s going to be another thing that obi-wan helps him discover and accept about himself. Also the way that I’m very excited to see how obi-wan integrates himself into this mandalorian society, if he’ll ever have to “prove himself” via combat or something and proceeding to do so (sorry I just love seeing characters defy expectations), if we’ll see any other jedi characters (sorry I just love the jedi), and just watching obikin fall in love and raise their six younglings together. Also, by the ASOIAF reference in the tags, I wonder how bloody things might get.

All in all, absolutely wonderful work and I’m so intrigued to see where this fic is gonna go <33

oh my dear lord thank you SO MUCH i can’t even tell you how many times i’ve come back to reread this ask, you’re so sweet

seriously i’m very happy that you liked the beginning (even tho obi-wan isn’t even there yet)!! it’s always fun to play around with dynamics haha- and this fic started with a Very Specific Purpose but then i came up with the setting and suddenly there’s a whole slew of worldbuilding springing up, and who am i to reject the muse? haha anyway don’t be sorry AT ALL, i also love watching obi-wan fight and, without spoiling, i can promise you you’ll see it like a few times :333

and lololol per the ASOIAF reference i was more talking about the pseudo-medieval feel of the prose xD don’t worry about it, this is really just a little jedi/mando love story. looking at the outline i can honestly tell you this will be one of the most fluffy things i’ve ever written, it’s rly so jam-packed with romance clichés <333

for anybody who’s interested, here’s The Cygnets at Sundown :3

[keanureevesasjonsnow]

I am not saying George dislikes fat women, I am saying that he is giving these "physical flaws" to women we as readers are supposed to dislike (and eventhough the series are set in the Middle Ages we are reading them in a time where being fit/thin makes part of our society's idea of beauty).

It's an awful pattern, Rhaenyra spiralls down and gets fat, Lysa spiralls down and gets fat, Cersei spiralls down and gets fat. Cersei's chapters are full of dark comedy and the weight gain is part of it. In fact a lot of readers love it because it is "so funny".

PS: I'm sorry if this comes off as a rant, I really don't mean it like that, but I don't think George's writing is without problems (on various aspects, not just his female characters).

don’t worry you’re coming off fine, if we knew each other and this was an opinion of yours it’d be whatever, but since it’s the internet and everything an ultimatum this is just one of the angles i can’t get behind lol. With Lysa I think you have a valid argument that grrm could have given her physical flaws to play up her unlikablensss, but i dont think that kind of reading applies to Cersei and Rhaenyra. There’s too much going on with them, and i think it’s reductive to their actual characters to call their weight gain just a physical cue that they’re evil.

As I mentioned in the tags of one of the other asks Cersei’s weight gain is to an extent a physical manifestation of her character flaws and tragedy. Her father neglected mentoring her and as a result when she finally gets the power she craves, all she has to go of is Robert Baratheon, who started off well enough but when he got into power, due to his short sighted-ness, spirals into drinking a whoring and letting the realm be lead by other men. She’s a mess just like he was, bc of failures of society and her own character. I think the context matters way more then just ‘evil woman gets fat’. Yes it can come off as dark comedy but just the weight gain is not the point. Alcholism isn’t really something to laugh at either but it’s all bundled in there.

And for Rhaenyra it’s a bit more complicated but I think the same thing stands. We’re getting her story from a sexist 3rd person view. Has Rhaenyra really spiraled out and gained weight as a result of her new evilness (like the in universe dude writing kinda pitched) or is she just an older woman who’s had multiple kids and got embroiled in a morally ambiguous conflict where people will latch on to anything to try and make the sides more clear cut. If anything I feel like Rhaenyra is a meta look at the point you’re trying to make. The maester author (or whoever it was again it’s been a minute since I read fire and blood) is trying to que against Rhaenyra with her weight gain while not mentioning anything about Alicent (who i personally find a ‘less likable woman’ then Rhaenyra who also spirals, despite not being told she’s evil by way of weight gain). That’s part of the complexity, the reader is supposed to view it with a critical eye. To take it out would again detract from the story.