#yeah. I think my point about nuance stands most

[david-watts]

I feel kinda bad about those comments I made on that one post because I was being a bit of a dick, and it was because I was tired and misunderstanding exactly why people get so mad about ‘tiktok punks’ (please just call them posers. that word already exists and means what you mean) but like. I do stand by the fact that I don’t care if people end up buying from ethically awful places since it’s not easy or affordable to avoid, and quite frankly I understand if someone’s a bit lazy about it. but that one person accusing me of thinking ‘slavery is punk’ genuinely made me realise those posts about reading comprehension on this site being godawful aren’t hyperbole

[creatingblackcharacters]

"Let's Have a Talk, First"- Stereotypes, pt 1

Come sit down. You and I, before we get into any of the things I'm sure you're impatient to know: we need to have a come to Jesus talk, first.

There are some things that I've been asked and seen that strengthens my belief that we need to have a reframing of the conversation on stereotypes in media away from something as simple as "how do I find the checklist of stereotypes to avoid". Because race- and therefore racial stereotypes- is a complex construct! Stands to reason then, that seeing, understanding, and avoiding it won't be that simple! I'm going to give you a couple pointers to (hopefully) help you rethink your approach to this topic, and therefore how to apply it when you're writing Black characters- and even when thinking about Black people!

Point #1: DEVELOP THE CHARACTER!! WRITE!!

Excuse my crude language, but let me be blunt: Black people- and therefore Black characters- will get angry at things, and occasionally make bad choices in the heat of the moment. Some of us like to fuck real nasty, some might be dominant in the bedroom, they may even be incredibly experienced! Others of us succumb to circumstance and make poor decisions that lead to crime.

None of those things inherently makes any of us angry Black women and threatening Black men, Jezebels and BBC Mandingos, and gangsters and thugs!

Black people are PEOPLE! Write us as such!

If all Black characters ever did was go outside, say "hi neighbor!" and walk back in the house, we'd be as boring as racist fans often accuse.

I say this because I feel I've seen advice that I feel makes people think writing a Black character that… Emotes negatively, or gets hurt by life and circumstance, or really enjoys hard sex, or really any scenario where they might "look bad" is the issue. I can tell many people think "well if I write that, then it's a stereotype" and to avoid the difficulty, they'll probably end up writing a flat Black character or not writing them at all. Or- and I've seen this too- they'll overcompensate in the other direction, which reveals that they 'wrote a different sort of Black person!' and it comes off just as awkwardly because it means you think that the Black people that do these things are 'bad'. And I hate that, because we're capable of depth, nuance, good, evil, adventure, world domination, all of it!

My point is, if you write your character like the human being they are, while taking care to recognize that you as the writer are not buying into stereotypes with your OWN messaging, you're fine. We have emotions, we have motivations and goals, we make decisions, and we make mistakes, just like anybody else. Write that! Develop your character!

POINT #2: YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE READERS!!

Okay. You can write the GREATEST Black character ever, full of depth, love, nuance, emotional range, all those things…. And people are still going to be racist about them. Sorry. There is absolutely nothing you can do to control a reader coming from that place of bias you sought to avoid. If it's not there, TRUST AND BELIEVE, it'll be projected onto them.

That passionate young Black woman who told the MC to get her head out of her ass? Yeah she's an angry Black bitch now, and bully to the sweet white MC. Maybe a lesbian mommy figure if they like her enough to "redeem" her. That Black gay male lead that treats his partner like he worships the ground he walks on? Yeah he's an abusive thug that needs to die now because he disagreed One Time with his white partner. That Black trans woman who happened to be competing against the white MC, in a story where the white MC makes comparable choices? Ohhhh they're gonna be VILE about that poor woman.

It really hurts- most especially as a Black fan and writer- knowing that you have something amazing to offer (as a person and creative) and people are gonna spit on that and call it "preference". That they can project themselves onto white characters no matter what, but if you project your experiences onto black characters, it's "pandering", "self insert", "woke", "annoying", "boring", and other foul things we've all gotten comments of.

But expect that it's gonna happen when you write a Black character, again, especially if you're a Black writer. If you're not Black, it won't hurt as personally, but it will probably come as a shock when you put so much effort in to create a lovely character and people are just ass about them. Unfortunately, that is the climate of fandom we currently exist in.

My favorite example is of Louis De Pointe Du Lac from AMC's Interview With The Vampire. Louis is actually one of the best depictions of the existential horror that is being Black in a racist White world I have ever seen written by mostly nonblack people. It was timeless; I related to every single source of racist pain he experienced.

People were HORRIFIC about Louis.

It didn't matter that he was well written and what he symbolized; many white viewers did NOT LIKE this man. There's a level of empathy and understanding that Black characters in particular don't receive in comparison to white counterparts, and that's due to many of those stereotypes and systemic biases I'm going to talk about.

My point is, recognize that while yes, you as the author have a duty to write a character thoughtfully as you can, it's not going to stop the response of the ignorant. Writing seeking to get everyone to understand what you were trying to do… Sisyphean effort. It's better to focus on knowing that YOU wrote something good, that YOU did not write the stereotype that those people are determined to see.

POINT #3: WHY is something a stereotype?

While there are lists of stereotypes against Black people in media and life that can be found, I would appreciate if people stopped approaching it as just a list of things you can check off to avoid. You can know what the stereotypes are, sure, but if you don't understand WHY they're a problem and how they play into perception of us, you'll either end up writing a flat character trying to avoid that list, or you're going to write other things related to that stereotype because "oh its not item #1"... and it'll still be racist.

For example: if you wrote a "sassy Black woman" that does a z formation neck rotation just because a store manager asked her something… that's probably stereotype. If you thought of a character that needed to be "loudmouthed", "sassy", and "strong" and a dark-skinned black woman was automatically what fit the profile in your mind, ding ding ding! THAT'S where you need to catch your racist biases.

But a dark-skinned Black woman character cursing out a store manager because she's had a really bad, stressful day and their attitude towards her pushed her over the edge may be in the wrong, but she's not an "angry Black woman". She's a Black woman that's angry! And if you wrote the day she had to be as bad as would drive anyone to overstimulation and anxiety, the blow up will make sense! The development and writing behind her led to this logical point (which connects to point #1!)

I'm not going to provide a truly exhaustive list of Black stereotypes in media because that would ACTUALLY be worth a college credited class and I do this for free lmao. But I am going to provide some classic examples that can get y'all started on your own research.

POINT #4: WATCH BLACK NARRATIVES!

As always, I'm gonna push supporting Black creators, because that's the best way to see the range of what you'd like. You want to see Black villains? We got those! Black heroes? Black antiheroes? Assholes, lovers, comedians, depressed, criminals, kings, and more? They exist! You can get inspired by watching those movies and reading those books, see how WE depict us!

I've seen mixed reviews on it, BUT- I personally really enjoyed Swarm, because it was one of the first times I'd ever seen that "unhinged obsessed murderous Black fan girl" concept. Tumblr usually loves that shit lmao. Even the "bites you bites you bites you [thing I love]" thing was there. And she liked girls, too. Just saying. I thought it was a fun idea that I'd love to see more of. Y'all gotta give us a chance to be in these roles, to tell these tales. We can do it too, and you'd enjoy it if you tried to understand it!

POINT#5: You are NOT Black!

This is obvious lmao, but if you're not Black, there's no need to pretend. There's no need to think "oh well I have to get a 100% perfect depiction of the Black person's mind". That's… That's gonna look cringe, at its best. You don't have to do that in order to avoid stereotypes. You're not going to be able to catch every nuance because it's not your lived experience, nor is it the societally enforced culture. Just… Do what you can, and if you feel like it's coming off hokey… Maybe consider if you want to continue this way lol. If you know of any Black beta readers or sensitivity reviewers, that'd be a good time to check in!

For example, if your Black character is talking about "what's good my homie" and there's absolutely no reason for him to be speaking that way other than to indicate that he's Black… 😬 I can't stop you but… Are you sure?

An egregious example of a TERRIBLE way to write a Black character is the "What If: Miles Morales/Thor" comic. I want to emphasize the lack of good Black character design involved in some of these PROFESSIONAL art spaces, because that MARVEL comic PASSED QA!! That comic went past NUMEROUS sets of eyes and was APPROVED!! IT GOT RELEASED!! NO ONE STOPPED IT!!

I'm sorry, it was just so racist-ly bad that it was hilarious. Like you couldn't make that shit up.

Anyway, unfortunately that's how some of y'all sound trying to write AAVE. I promise that we speak the Queen's English too lmao. If you're worried you won't get it right, just use the standard form of English. It's fine! Personally, I'd much rather you do that than try to 'decode AAVE' if you don't know how to use it.

My point is, if you're actively "forcing" yourself to "think Black"… maybe you need to stand down and reconsider your approach lmao. This is why understanding the stereotypes and social environment behind them will help you write better, because you can incorporate that Blackness- without having to verbally "emphasize how Black this is"- into their character, motivations, and actions.

Conclusion

We need to reconsider how we approach the concepts of stereotypes when writing our Black characters. The goal is not to cross off a checklist of things to avoid per se, but to understand WHY we have to develop our Black characters well enough to avoid incorporating them into our writing. Give your Black characters substance- we're human beings! We have motivations and fears and desires! We're not perfect, but we're not inherently flawed because of our race. That's what makes the difference!

And as always, and really in particular for this topic, it's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!

[mauesartetc]

Redesigning Helluva Beelzebub

Hoo boy, roll up the sleeves for this one.

The Original

In my review of Helluva Boss 108, I mentioned that Beelzebub's character design put me in mind of how some DeviantArt kid's fursona might look. And... Yeah I stand by that statement. The most likely reason I can figure Viv Medrano wanted her to be dog-like was to make a reference to her Die Young music video, which featured an anthro wolf singing a Kesha song (for context, Kesha herself voiced Beelzebub and co-wrote a song for this episode).

But for those who are unaware, Beelzebub's traditional depiction looks nothing like this.

Really the only visual similarities the Helluva version shares with the Infernal Dictionary version are the insect wings, six limbs, and the crown thingy over the head. (At least I think that's a crown-? Kinda hard to tell on both counts.)

Bee's eyes get somewhat more insectoid later in the episode, but that feels like a cop-out. Wow, her eyes and colors changed. Totally a bug demon, right?

They had the same problem in Hazbin Hotel with Katie Killjoy, who's allegedly supposed to be a praying mantis but barely resembles one, even after her transformation.

I understand the desire for fresh takes on old figures, and taking creative liberties so the new interpretation doesn't feel generic. But the changes should at least make sense. By now it's pretty clear Viv couldn't care less about representing Ars Goetia demons faithfully, as demonstrated with Paimon, Andrealphus, and now Beelzebub. You could slap completely different names on these characters and it wouldn't change a thing. I posted this meme a while back but it's never been more relevant:

On top of that, what reason could there possibly be for the design to be this damn complex? Why did she need so many markings on her face? Why did she need so many layers of hair? Why did she need flowing goo for her hair, tail, and body, each requiring dedicated effects animation?

When it comes to a hand-drawn production, less is more. Any superfluous details on a character just make unnecessary work for the animators.

Anyway, here's what Viv has to say about it.

Alright, I'll admit: The lava lamp bit is a little clever. Basically it works as a regular stomach does, but on demonic steroids. But it wouldn't look so much like Viv's making this up as she goes if we'd seen Bee's stomach performing its intended function in the episode. Let her chow down on a giant piece of food (maybe that cotton candy she's been handing out-?) and swallow it, and let Loona (and the audience) see it dissolving in her transparent belly. As a general rule, if it's not shown or explained in the work itself, it's not canon. Like I've said before, Viv: Elaborate on the nuances in the story you're telling, not on social media.

Also, "Her ears are designed after beehives"? Wh...Wha? Ma'am have you ever seen a beehive.

(Hell, even if you told me the ears were inspired by the generic cartoon beehive we're all familiar with, I wouldn't have guessed. There's a difference between being subtle and being vague.)

I can kinda see it in the overall shape, but that's a very specific design inspiration that wasn't clear at all in the design itself. Same with the "animal trainer" thing: I never would have picked up on that if Viv hadn't pointed it out. If a character design doesn't visually convey all the necessary information, it's not a successful design. Show, don't tell. There's a communication breakdown between what Viv's telling us and what Bee's design shows us.

(It's possible she actually meant "Her ears are designed after honeycombs", but even then, each compartment has a specific pentagonal shape that's not coming across at all here.)

I also find it interesting that Bee and Loona have almost the exact same body type. Of course Viv's pretty infamous for samebody syndrome, but it's actually unnerving how similar these two are.

Might this be a reference to Vortex's "type"? Is this foreshadowing a relationship with Loona? Am I overthinking this? Yeah, probably. Viv's demonstrated a clear preference for tall, skinny body types over the years, so it's safer to assume that's the explanation. It's all aesthetics. It ain't that deep. Occam's Razor and all that.

Finally, Bee how the hell does your shirt work.

The Concept

So at this point it seems most logical to lean into the "bee" thing for the redesign, and scrap all the canine elements. As for the blobby hair and tail... yeeeah let's nix those too. We're going for a streamlined version that's easier to animate. And because I ignored the ringmaster look for my redesign of Asmodeus, it only makes sense to do the same for Bee's animal trainer vibe (what little there is) for the sake of consistency. I know this version of Hell has a circus theme with its highest-ranking demons, but there's never been an in-universe explanation for why that is.

Let's look at actual bees, then. A quick peek at Google has informed me that certain insect species have smaller, "simple" eyes (also known as ocelli), in addition to their compound eyes. In bees, this manifests as a triangular grouping of three beady eyes on top of the head.

In her Helluva Boss episode, Bee's full demon form has three eyes, which could be a reference to this triangular arrangement, plus her regular form has two spots on her forehead in addition to the third eye. So it's possible Viv actually did research for something. Pleasantly surprised on that front.

Next, the body. I've noticed that some folks find Bee's skinny body type refreshing, as the sin of gluttony is too often personified with fatness. And that's fair. That's valid. But consider this:

Imagine any Vivziepop character saying that about a chubby person. Imagine the series sending the message that fat people can be sexy too, and that they have worth outside of their appearance, enough for at least one character to consider them girlfriend material. That they're valued and appreciated regardless of this culture's beauty standards (which we know nothing about since the worldbuilding is as thin and flimsy as tissue paper, but whatever). Imagine if this show finally had a fat female character who wasn't relegated to the background. Don't know about y'all, but that would be refreshing to me. And when you take into account all the fat-shaming of a character who isn't even fat, portraying a fat character as attractive would be a nice change of pace for this show.

Now let's talk about clothing. In the episode, Bee's clothes show off a lot of her body, with a cutout crop top and short shorts. We can take a similar approach for the redesign (something that still shows off her chest, belly, and limbs, in keeping with the extroverted "party girl" persona), but that perhaps includes more queenly elements.

The Redesign

Because this is a redesign, many elements were already in place, but I still had to figure out how this character would look as a bee. Here's where the preliminary sketches came in. Lots of trial and error in this process.

Wrestling with this character's face got a lot easier once I realized I could mold it into a pentagonal shape akin to a honeycomb compartment. It took a few tries, but at last, I had a final sketch.

All that was left to do was test out some color combinations.

I tried a few different approaches, but in the end, this is the version I felt worked best.

I used many of the colors from the original, but pushed the orange much harder since orange is the symbolic color of gluttony as a sin. And overall it gives Bee a nice honey-ish look rather than the generic black and yellow we already see on so many bees in cartoons. I thought the colored outlines on her clothing would add a soft, feminine touch, as well.

And just for kicks, here's a quick sketch of her giant form, inspired by the Infernal Dictionary drawing of Beelzebub.

Conclusion

The canon version of this character exists in the form she does for no reason than to stroke her creator's ego. "Hey guys, remember when I animated that Kesha fan video? Remember how cool that was? Wanna see me foist this unnecessarily-complex character design on other animators while I take a victory lap?" I wouldn't mind so much if Viv animated any of this herself, but she didn't. I could almost excuse this if she had no animation experience and didn't know how much work it requires, but she does. The self-aggrandizing entitlement is just off the charts. But a nonsensical design is leagues better than a stolen one, so... brownie points for that, I guess.

[cosmerelists]

Renarin Gets Advice About Being A Main Character

"Renarin gets help" list requested by anon. :)

[Stormlight Spoilers, including a WOB about Stormlight 6-10 in the Intro Paragraph!]

According to a WoB, Renarin won't be a main character until the back half of Stormlight (source). So, in preparation for his presumed ascension to Main Character Status (which I'm sure he knows about through his future sight), Renarin is going to get advice from the characters around him about how to be the best main character he can be.

...It made sense in my head, okay? Let's do this!

1. Shallan

Shallan: I think complexity is key. Renarin: In what sense? Shallan: You've got "weird guy" nailed down--really solidified that back when you were crouching in the corner saying ominous things during the onset of the Everstorm--but of course, you can't JUST be the weird guy. Shallan: You need, like, a tortured past and various schemes and a deeply faceted and nuanced characterization--just keep the readers guessing! Renarin: I don't know how you define "tortured," but my dad did kill my mom. And I am canonically the one piece that even the Diagram cannot account for. Shallan: Yes, yes. That's good stuff. Now you just need to put those tortured flashbacks and maverick energy on the page! Shallan: Honestly, I cannot wait to hear what's going on in that head of yours. Renarin: ...thank you?

2. Kaladin

Kaladin: Cool entrances. Cool one-liners. Kaladin: Remember when you followed me, Shallan, and Dalinar up like the entirety of Urithiru just so that you could step from the shadows at a dramatic moment and announce yourself as a Knight Radiant? Renarin: I, uh, do remember that, yes. Renarin: It was a really long walk. Renarin: I can't believe none of you spotted me that whole way. Kaladin: Readers don't need to know the details.

3. Dalinar

Dalinar: Your journey is your own. Dalinar: You don't have to be the strongest fighter or the most charismatic leader to be a main character. Dalinar: You can do it in your own way. Renarin: All right but I might want to do some of the fighting though. Renarin: You've seen me rush heedlessly into the fray multiple times now. Dalinar: I'm just saying you don't have to. Renarin: ... Renarin: Now I kind of want to do it more.

4. Eshonai

Eshonai: You might expect me to say "don't die." Eshonai: But I actually got a lot of character building post-death. Eshonai: ... Eshonai: I think it's still better not to die, though. Renarin: Yeah.

5. Lirin

Lirin: Do you care if fans like you? Renarin: [considering] Renarin: I would not say it's my highest priority, but I think I'd rather be liked if possible. Lirin: Sure, sure. Lirin: Then just don't be mean to Kaladin. Lirin: Trust me when I say that is the one thing you cannot do if you want to still have fans. Renarin: I'll...keep that in mind, I guess.

6. Jasnah

Jasnah: Being a main character simply involves having a lot of plot, yes? Jasnah: You are a Knight Radiant. Insert yourself into the most important matters of the day. Jasnah: Your accomplishments will drive the narrative, and then you will be the narrative. Renarin: You make it sound very...simple. Jasnah: But not easy. Jasnah: But that is all right--I know you can handle it.

7. Moash

Moash: Good main characters are a dime a dozen, frankly. Moash: Have you thought about going evil? Really makes a guy stand out from the crowd. Moash: You can even thin out the competition by killing other main characters. Moash: Ups your evil quotient and makes you even more of a main character. Moash: It's just math. Renarin: ... Renarn: Why did I ask you again?

8. Navani

Navani: Just don't let anyone stop you. Navani: Oh, people want to leave me off-screen in Kholinar? Too bad. I'm coming to the Shattered plains. Navani: Oh, one of the view point characters is trying to avoid me? Too bad. I'm dating him. Navani: Oh, I'm too human to be the second Bondsmith? Too bad--I'm all you got. Renarin: I'm not sure--that sounds awfully forceful. Navani: Let me put it in your terms. Navani: "Oh, people think my condition means I can't fight? I'm going to jump into a 4v1 duel while holding a sword that psychically damages me, just to help my brother." Renarin: ... Renarin: Thanks, Aunt Navani. Navani: Any time.

9. Adolin

Adolin: Advice about being a main character, huh? Adolin: Well! I know that readers like three things: romance, cool swords, and epic fights. Renarin: ...Aren't those things that YOU like? Adolin: Yes, exactly! Readers are just like me! Adolin: And that's why I know you'll be a good main chacter. Adolin: You got potential romance with another fan-favorite character and you have a living Shardblade (which is inherently cool). Just get a couple of on-page fights and you're good to go!

10. Wit

Wit: Readers just want originality. Renarin: All right. Renarin: Do you have any advice about how to achieve that? Wit: [puts a hand on Renarin's shoulder] Wit: Trust me, my friend: you can just do what comes naturally.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Birthday Event: Francis Drake

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Expect grammatical errors and inaccuracies.

Drake: "Give this lovely lady the item we discussed."

Woman: "Understood."

After a brief exchange, the woman brought a large package into the room.

As she unpacked it, I saw一

Mitsuki: "A dress!?"

Drake: "Ooohh, just as I imagined."

Woman: "Honestly, for a first-time customer, you made some pretty unreasonable demands with that short deadline."

Despite her complaints to Drake, she held the beautiful pale blue dress up to my body and smiled with satisfaction.

(It's beautiful, but I still don't understand what's going on!)

She suddenly put makeup on me and styled my hair.

Just as she was about to help me into the dress...

Drake: "I'll take care of the rest here. I'm getting jealous already."

The woman, stopped by his words, shrugged and politely exited the room.

Mitsuki: "Drake, what's going on?"

Drake: "Hmm? Even if it's a woman, I don't want anyone seeing you naked."

Drake: "Besides, I left marks all over your body last night. I figured you'd be embarrassed if she saw them."

(Yeah, that would be embarrassing, but that's not the point!)

Mitsuki: "I'm not talking about being naked! I'm talking about the dress!"

Drake: "Yeah, that. It's a present from me, of course."

Drake: "Aren't you happy, my little fawn?"

There's no way I'm not happy.

(But I was supposed to figure out what he wanted. Is it really okay for me to receive a gift?)

(Or maybe? Wait, does this mean?)

The suspicion I had been holding onto for a while flashed through my mind.

Drake: "Well, anyway, just try it on. I'll help you change."

Mitsuki: "N-No, it's fine! I can do it myself. Can you wait in the next room?"

Drake: "Too bad."

After watching him leave, I started unbuttoning my blouse to change.

As I did, I couldn't help but reflect on the situation.

(Last year, he said what he wanted most was me.)

My cheeks flushed with warmth.

Embarrassed, I began to put on the dress's special undergarments but suddenly stopped.

Mitsuki: "Um, Drake. Actually, could I ask for your help?"

Drake: "Hmm? What's up?"

Mitsuki: "Could you tighten the corset strings for me?"

Drake: "Alright."

He stood behind me and pulled the strings.

As my waist was snugly cinched, I let out a soft sigh.

Drake: "Too tight?"

Mitsuki: "No, it's fine. I couldn't manage it on my own, so you really helped me."

(Still, standing here in just my underwear in this brightly lit room is a little embarrassing.)

As I was thinking that, his hand gently grazed my waist.

Mitsuki: "Drake?"

Drake: "I always think this, but your waist is really slim."

He pulled me gently from behind, pressing his stomach against my back.

Drake: "Did you notice? I left a mark here, too."

Mitsuki: "Ah."

His fingers slid along my exposed nape, and as I shivered slightly, he chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction.

Drake: "Haha, so cute."

Mitsuki: "S-Stop, I won't be able to wear the dress now."

Drake: "Sorry, sorry. You can cover the mark with a necklace, so don't worry."

Though his teasing stopped, my heart refused to settle down.

But when I put on the dress and the matching accessories and stood in front of the mirror, my heart started racing for a different reason.

(Wow.)

Drake: "I had imagined it, but yeah. You're even more beautiful than I could have imagined, Mitsuki."

The pale blue dress fluttered with every movement, reminding me of Cinderella from the movies.

Standing next to him, the cool colors of his cape perfectly complemented my dress.

(It's like this dress was made to match Drake's.)

I was so happy he had ordered such a special dress just for me.

Drake: "You probably have plenty of beautiful dresses already, but I just wanted to gift you one myself. Do you like it?"

Mitsuki: "Of course. There's no other dress as wonderful as this! Thank you, Drake."

Drake: "Great! That's the smile I wanted to see."

He put on his hat and extended his hand to me.

Drake: "Since we went through the trouble of dressing up, we might as well show it off."

Drake: "Shall we, Princess?"

We left the room and went to a dazzling hall within the same building.

The elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies were dancing to the music and chatting.

Mitsuki: "A social party?"

Drake: "Yeah. Wait, what's with that surprised look?"

Drake: "Is it unlike me to give you a dress and invite you to a soirée?"

Mitsuki: "Yeah, it's a bit unexpected. I thought these places weren't your thing."

Still, he seemed pretty used to the place, probably because of his past service with the Queen.

Drake: "Well, I admit it's not really my style."

Drake: "But when provoked, I couldn't back down."

(Provoked?)

Drake: "I wanted to do this for you, even if it’s not my usual thing."

He laughed, leaving me puzzled about the whole story.

Just then,

Comte: "Good evening to both of you."

Mitsuki: "Comte! You're here, and Napoleon too!"

Drake: "Hey, don't startle us like that. You really didn't have to announce yourself."

Mitsuki: "Did you arrange for us to be invited to this party?"

Comte: "Yeah. There's a bit of a backstory to it."

As Comte and Napoleon looked at me, they exchanged glances and deepened their smiles.

Napoleon: "That dress was chosen by Drake, right? It looks pretty good."

(Wait, how does he know Drake chose this dress?)

When I tilted my head in confusion, Napoleon said something even more surprising.

Napoleon: "Drake, did you get what you wanted?"

Mitsuki: "Wait, what!? Napoleon, do you know what Drake wanted? And maybe Comte, too?"

Comte: "Yeah. We came to see if he would successfully get that tonight."

Mitsuki: "That?"

Drake: "Ah, ah, ah! Stop, stop. That's enough."

Drake cut into the conversation, pulling me firmly by the hand.

Drake: "Before you ask any more questions, let's dance, little fawn."

Mitsuki: "Wait, Drake!"

Drake: "I'm not satisfied yet."

Drake: "I'm going to take the best gift from you."

And with that, we stepped out onto the dance floor.

Part 1 ╎ Part 2 ╎ Premium ╎ Epilogue

[fritoley]

The Dragon Prince Thoughts 6x08 - We All Fall Down

Previous Episode // Masterlist // Next Episode

Join the Taglist

Spoilers under the cut

Omgg i’m so scared—

AHH

And it starts

Omg sol regem banging into the towers and stuff too this is wild

OH NO THEY’RE TRAPPED

Shit—

OH SHIT

SOREN NO—

Plsbeokayplsbeokayplsbeokayplsbeokay—

HE’S ALIVE WHOO

Omg babeee ur bleeding—

Now he’s really gonna have a scar like corvus

“Get everyone out”

See he learned from the pyrrah incident in s2 he’s prioritizing the people now that he’s not in the whole “xadia is evil” mindset

Hey wait where’s he going—

“Take good care of Hat.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

SOREN—honey—wHaT aRe YoU dOiNg—

WHAT

AARAVOS IS CONTROLLING PHAROS—

Is this cuz the dark magic infection thingy

Omg viren’s been in there for a long time lmao—

“You have your other way! Dark magic!”

Notice how soren said “your other way” as if he still doesn’t condone it, but he knows it’s the only way to save everyone

Dark magic is so nuanced in situations like these like yeah it’s last resort but if you’re someone who hates it with a passion and then you end up needing it what are you supposed to do

Do you give up your ideals for the greater good or stand your ground and risk disaster

That’s why i love this show so much there’s no clear bad guy

“Take my heart.”

SOREN N O

S T O P

NO

I mean what else is he supposed to do yeah but STILL—

N O O O O O O o o O omg pls—

No not soren

Omg i’m so scared not soren PLEASE—

I’m actually gonna cry if he dies please no—

OH MY GOSH IS VIREN USING HIS OWN HEART—

GAHHH I CAN’T TAKE IT

Just as i forgave him too—

GAHH NO it’s the way he’s ACTIVELY DYING while doing the spell to the point he can barely say the incantation 😭😭😭😭😭😭

“I am a… servant.”

This scene pretty much speaks for itself idrk what to say

This shit is sad like fuck—

“My dad! I need to find my dad!”

CLAUDIA NO

Oooomg she’s gonna lose it if she finds him

Full azula mode

“What happened to your beloved mate who disappeared?”

Is he says he ate her imma pop off—

Who even is aithne solaire? Was she mentionedin something?

“In your fury, you buried her.. Alive.”

WHAT THE FUCK—

Like actually???

Not the way aaravos just dies laughing after dropping the darkest most depressing truth bomb ever—

OMG HE ATE PHAROS

“Choke on your own pride.”

HOW THE FUCK IS HE CHOKING ON A TINY LITTLE ELF

Oh my gosh—

This is just brutal

i'm terrified of choking too so it's that much worse

AND HE CATCHES ON FIRE—

“I don’t think you should see him like this.”

Ugh i love terry for being so considerate after everything she’s done

Like yes save the last of her sanity while she still has it

This episode is hard to watch—

The voice acting is impeccable tho like give claudia’s va a raise

OH SHIT SHE FOUND THE PEARL—

Lujanne giving no fucks about the crown is the funniest thing

But wtf is she talking about the diamond don’t tell me it’s fake—

“Her dad just died. Can’t she just take a moment to grieve?”

FINALLY Terry’s talking sense like shit aaravos at least give her a minute—

I KNEW IT

I FUCKIN KNEW IT

VIREN’S STAFF HAS A QUASAR DIAMOND

I literally said it like 2-3 episodes ago too

WAIT THAT MEANS—

“I can only save two of them.”

Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me—

Alright y’all it’s a wrap. Katolis is gone, viren is dead, aaravos is getting out, it’s a whole ass shit show. Ooooooomg i’m scaredddddd. Especially when callum finds out the real pearl was in katolis all along, i guarantee you he’s gonna spiral like he did in kosmo’s vision. This episode was really hard to watch, I was surprised, but in a good way. One more episode to go, then season sevennnnnnnnn whoooo

Time to cry :D

[system-architect]

ok here's my collected JW thoughts in general. obviously this is spoilers

OK.................................... so i think anet is Back. its not quite "we are SO back" levels but it COULD be "we are SO back" levels depending on what they do in the next installment

they did good, though, and i think the most obvious jump in quality is actually in the maps themselves. they feel so much better than soto maps just to run around in and explore. theres a LOT more detail and they actually feel pretty intriguing and immersive with a lot of fun easter eggs and surprises!

the story didnt always hit for me but it was still overall Better than soto. the first instance alone grabbed me more than all of soto had tbh. the bears don't personally interest me but the mursaat do, and we're getting somewhere with all the bloodstone and titan stuff

i DO enjoy the angle of the commander starting to go kind of lie-lie man acting in personal interests. isgarren is a bitch but we can also be rude to waiting sorrow for no reason oops sorry nice again haha oh man how'd this bear teleport here that's craaazy.. there were points at which i actively lost track of who we had lied to about what and when, and while the confusion grated me a bit it was also funny in a way? like yeah if i was the commander i'd lose track of this shit too right

the commander doesn't have much of a personality technically, beyond "person who does good(TM) things", and what we make of our canon commander's personality is mostly just our own notions and conceptions and interpretations being placed on them, BUT that said it felt like the story did take the commander in some interesting directions for me.

i felt like i got the sense that the commander really is sort of a "free agent" now, which is fun. when you've already killed all the dragons and your life's purpose is TECHNICALLLLYYY over but you're still around and you're still many things to many people, what do you do with your life? this, apparently.

i like us being kind of a mirror of isgarren in the sense that the comm is an ultra powerful guy, with a lot of worldly+scholarly experience at this point, who a lot of other very powerful figures respect and Need, but that not everyone necessarily Likes. yeah this is our free-range deployable killing machine politician who's kind of strange interpersonally.

my favorite instance in the whole story was the one with the bloodstone ghosts btw. i thought they did a really good job imbuing each with a fair amount of personality and showcasing a wide array of perspectives on what happened in gavril-- a thing which i was prepared to not be particularly interested in tbh, and yet...

ALSO, the voice actor for the gavril citizen ghost was SUPER good! i'm pretty sure they were a new VA but i'd really love to hear more voicework from them. in general i felt a lot of the VA work in this xpac banged-- it feels like they got a decent amount of new/fresh talent?? it's been nice, i hadn't realized how stale the world was starting to feel only hearing the same 3-5 voices constantly (no shade towards the longer-standing VAs who DO do a good job, i just wished for more variety)

REALLY liking the amount of unique voice lines and racial dialogue also

features wise its also been pretty good! i like the repeat renown heart thing plus the return of the hearts. as a revenant with a condi set i cant say ive got any issues with the spears LOL. and warclaw is super fun once you get the hang of it-- i like that it has a learning curve and some nuance like most older mounts do, as opposed to skyscale's fairly 'flat' mobility. have NOT really tried out decorating my homestead yet and ive heard mixed opinions on it, so we'll see how i feel there!

[helyiios]

Talking your ear off

(benji/ethan)

“I’m not a damsel in distress,” Benji notes, not really smiling. He standing in the middle of a barren room, hands on his hips. His lips are coated in fresh blood, not his, though, and his knuckles are busted and so is his left brow. He’s definitely going to have a black eye, and some bruises near the ribs.

Well.

He stares at the man at his feet, lying dead and in a pool of his own blood. To say it didn’t feel good to go a little wild would be a lie—he was never one to feel guilty about taking a life. Which, okay, when you put it like that, it does sound a little weird. It’s not like he doesn’t care. It’s more nuanced. He doesn’t, hasn’t, ever, considered random people’s lives much more important than those of his friends.

Now, he’ll save the world, and he’ll be happy to do so. But if, let’s say, he has to kill a dozen of people to help Ethan, well. You know. He’ll probably do it.

The nightmares would follow, and he would never quite feel at ease with the blood on his hands, that was for sure, but he didn’t have his friend’s moral compass. Despite being an awkward and bubbly technician, he was also a little more jaded than people gave him credit for. Which was part of the whole clumsy IT-guy persona, sure, and for a while it had worked. But his time in Team Hunt had taught him to let go of some of these aspects. He was a little freer.

Back to the point. The man had lunged at him and they’d fought for a good five minutes, and Benji’s brain had switched to the hurt, kill, incapacitate, hurt side of it, because that how he’d survived so far. And, he means, it’s not like he’d had complaints, so…

There are steps behind him, and turns slowly, resting a hand on his ribs, watching Ethan barge in the room, eyes wild and gun in hand. When he spots him standing, breathing, and relatively unharmed, he visibly relaxes.

“All good there ?” he asks, scanning the room to check for more traps—there were none, Benji had already double checked, walking up to him slowly. “Are you hurt ?”

“Well, my eye’s a little fucked up,” Benji supplies, “and he got my ribs good. But apart from that, I’d say I did a good job here,” he smiles, catching the surprised stare the other had sent him.

“What’s up with the—huh,” Ethan gestures at his mouth, “did you bite your tongue ?”

“What ? Oh.”

Benji shakes his head, pointing at the man and then at a bit of flesh resting slightly further away from his body.

“Bit his ear off.”

“You bit his ear o—what the hell, Benji ?”

“What ? I didn’t have anything on me, and teeth enamel is notoriously really strong. It didn’t take me very long, but he was really loud, and it was quite bloody,” he grimaces, rubbing his lips to try and get blood off, “kind of gross, if you ask me.”

“…but you’re…okay ?” Ethan asks again, patting his arms, “it’s not your blood, right ?”

“As good as new, darling,” Benji grins, visibly beaming. “Did you manage to retrieve the info needed ?”

“Huh ? Oh, yeah, yeah,” his lover mutters, still inspecting him closely, narrowing his eyes at the busted eyebrow. “We’ll get you checked in the van. Brandt and Jane are back, too.”

“Oh ! Isn’t that lovely,” the other cheers, taking a step forward, stepping over the dead body without a care in the world, “this is one of our most efficient mission by far.”

“Well, we are the best of the best,” Ethan offers with a laugh. “God I kind of want to…” he pauses, staring at his lover, gaze dropping to his mouth, “yeah.”

“Ethan, love, I too would rejoice in Frenching you madly against this wall, but to be quite honest, I don’t think it’s exactly hygienic.”

“It’s hot, though.”

“What is ?”

He hesitates, ears red. Benji would find it endearing if he wasn’t so high on adrenaline and if he wasn’t starting to feel hard in his pants.

“That you bit his ear off,” Ethan finally says, still staring at him. “I didn’t think you’d…do…that.”

Benji’s eyes widen, and before he can stop himself he’s laughing loudly, head tipped back, a hand laid flat on his stomach. This only seems to make Ethan more and more flustered, raising a hand to scratch the back of his neck in shame.

“Oh, my God,” the younger of the two men says, “is it like that time when I stabbed that woman to death and you watched ?”

“You were really agressive with it. It was a little intimidating.”

“Just say that you like it when I lose my shit,” Benji snorts, playfully punching the other man’s arm, “I can’t believe it. What’s next, you’ll get off on me breaking someone’s knuckles ?”

Ethan shrugs.

“Possibly. Have you ? Ever ?”

“Have I ever what ?”

“Broken someone’s knuckles.”

Benji hums, looking up as if deep in thought.

“I crushed some guy’s hand, once ? But in my defence, I was trying to make sure he wouldn’t be able to use his gun. Bit of a, huh, desperate mesure, if I’m honest here.”

“I like it when you get a little wild,” Ethan growls, cornering him against the wall despite it all, hands roaming on the other’s body, settling on his hips. “I don’t think you realise how good of a look it is on you.”

“What, the blood ?”

“Yes. Well, as long as it’s not yours, at least.”

“You’re a weirdo,” Benji smiles, almost licking his bloodied lips before remembering their state and stopping himself. “A weirdo who gets off on his boyfriend killing bad guys.”

“What can I say,” Ethan shrugs, holding him tighter, “I like the manic spark in your eyes.”

“We really need to get back to the van.”

“Can’t I at least get a little kiss before ?”

“Do you want to, like, catch every STD possible ?”

“Benji…”

Benji just laughs, kissing his cheek wetly, smearing it with blood.

“Hold that thought, darling. I’ll make it up to you once I’m all clean.”

Ethan pouts but lets him go anyway, opting to hold his hand instead.

“Promise ?”

“Yeah,” his lover grins wickedly, squeezing his hand appreciatively. “Promise.”

[thetarttfuldickhead]

Top 5 Background AFC Richmond Players

+ some random and unfounded assumptions about them. Listed for no other reason than that I wanted to.

5. Tom O’Brien

Tom, your kink is not my kink, but you’re unembarrassed about being a freak and I respect that. Also, seems you took being replaced by Zoreaux/Van Damme/Zorro as goalkeeper in your stride. Nothing about you make sense to me, and I dig that. 

4. Robbie Roberts.

All right, this is shallow as fuck (then again, they’re background characters, not like I have a whole lot of deep stuff to go on), but I just think he looks really hot at the City game in 3x11.

Look at his face! This man wants it. This man is ready. This man can pull off bright pink in a way Jamie would kill for (if he had the brains to understand that he doesn’t wear it as well as Robbie does). Good thing our favourite Tartt is substituted after scoring that goal, because my boy Robbie deserves to play more. (Yes, I could have edited the pic to leave Jamie out. I stand by my choices.)

Also, look at him tapping Jamie’s shoulder as he runs past to take his place! Never noticed before, LOVE it. (Jamie, it seems, does not love it, but he’s a cranky baby who hurt his ankle, so we must forgive him.)

3. Declan Cockburn

Questionable opinions regarding leaked nudes aside, this man is a gentle giant to me. He’s not very bright, perhaps (but this is Richmond AFC, a team of himbos, so who is), and doesn’t always catch the nuances but is happy enough to go along with most of whatever. A quietly caring friend. Good in a brawl. Hums while he cooks. Looks nifty sporting an earring. Probably has a wife and several small children.

(I resent the accusation that my favourite players are mostly players who are nice to Jamie. Even though that accusation is one hundred percent true.)

2. Jeff Goodman

Listen. Listen. Jeff is probably a bit of an asshole (man’s just got that look, you know; also see my next point), BUT just like me he is genuinely fond of Jamie even when Jamie is a prick, so yeah. We’re two peas in a pod, Jeff and I. The lack of Jeff in fic is criminal (and I count myself amongst the guilty ones: we need to step it the hell up, fam). What is this silly Jamie fanboy up to in his spare time? Does his girlfriend get tired of him talking about his fucking colleague all the time? Is he bitter about Jamie hanging out so much with Sam and Dani these days? Does he have a favourite colour? A dish he likes to cook? What’s going on in that head of yours, Jeff? Inquiring minds want to know.

1. Sasha Kukoč

My darling. My baby. My man of the glorious, glorious hair and interesting looks! Yeah, I don’t know. Just. He’s so dainty and seems really cool and level-headed in a way that goes way beyond his years and. I am inexplicably very, very fond of Sasha, all right? Whenever I see him chilling in the background my heart does a little dance. Best background Richmond AFC player because of reasons unknown. I have spoken.

Damn right, he’s prettier than you. He could teach you, but he’d have to charge.

[illuminatedquill]

Sabine Wren (A Quick Study)

Know Thyself to Break Cycles

I was heavily debating whether to make this post because there is always a chance that I’m Talking Out Of My Ass and Looking Too Much Into It but, hey, that’s the fun of it, right?

Speculation and analysis. For this post, it’s about - who would have thought? - Sabine Wren, everyone’s favorite Mandalorian Jedi.

Specifically, there’s a scene in Ahsoka episode 6 that I keep coming back to that I’ll be talking about in this post.

If you somehow haven’t watched Ahsoka yet, then be warned - SPOILERS under the cut.

Here’s the scene:

[gif supplied by @sersi]

Here's why this scene intrigues me so much.

First - Natasha Liu Bordizzo is hella pretty, guys.

(. . . Yes, this is important info.)

Second - notice how Sabine is responding to Thrawn here. It’s not a direct stare. Up until this point in the conversation she's Not Impressed with Thrawn's grand return.

She’s looking at him from an angle; specifically she is tilting her head at him.

That’s significant. Why? Because:

Tilting can similarly indicate curiosity, uncertainty or query, particularly if the head is pushed forward, as if the person was trying to look at the subject in a different way in the hope of seeing something new. The greater the tilt, the greater the uncertainty or the greater the intent to send this signal.

It’s clear that Sabine, despite her bravado, is feeling uncertain about various things regarding her situation.

1. She just doomed their home galaxy to find Ezra.

2. She left Ahsoka for dead.

3. She possibly left Hera (and Jacen!) for dead.

4. She doesn’t even know if Ezra is still alive.

So, yeah. She’s standing on shaky ground and she knows it.

But these matters are the obvious issues. And we all know that there are deeper emotions are at play here for Sabine.

Because this whole conversation has Thrawn - one of the Empire’s, if not the most, brilliant strategists - admit that he is completely confounded about Sabine’s motivations.

Thrawn. Confused. With. Sabine.

Let’s look at it again:

This is Thrawn.

The concept of loyalty is not unknown to him. He understands that; he literally has an entire army and certain parts of the Imperial Remnant that are loyal to him, waiting and preparing for his return!

He studies the culture of a species; their art, their music, their history to understand them - and to exploit weaknesses that are revealed through that same study.

He’s not a stranger to the Ghost crew, either! He’s even seen Sabine’s art. He knows her - or so he thought.

And, yet, he does not understand why Sabine made such a risky gamble. It goes beyond loyalty.

And I think that puzzles Sabine, too. Because my belief is she thinks she knows why she's gone so far to find Ezra.

But if Thrawn is confused about why're you doing something, then wouldn't you start to question your own motives, too?

Hence, the head tilt. Sabine, seeking to understand why he's so confused about her motivations - and, maybe, realizing that he's not the only one who is confused.

Third and last point:

Kudos to Natasha's fantastic acting here. There's a level of nuance to her expression at the end that I am obsessed with.

It's a blink or miss it moment but pay close attention: right at the end, after she says, "You wouldn't understand."

Sabine goes from steely-eyed determination to . . . something that looks a lot like surprise. And a hint of realization.

It's like what she said or how she said it just surprised her. It's just the slightest lifting of the eyebrows and widening of the eyes but . . . that's how it looks to me.

Sabine, as stated earlier in the episode, is not one for self-reflection. But here, in this confrontation with her old foe, she ,maybe, partially, realizes something about herself here.

What could it be? Personal interpretation: that her reasons for finding Ezra are not so cut-and-dried as she once thought. That there are deeper forces in motion, driving her forward.

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom. - Socrates

I've talked about this before that Sabine not understanding herself - and not being in tune with her feelings - is a huge reason for her actions in the show. And because she lacks this self-awareness, her judgment going forward will remain clouded.

(Which is, you know, not good for a Jedi.)

I know I'm treading close to dangerous waters here . . . but I'm coming from the perspective of someone who watched Rebels and saw Sabine and Ezra as wholly platonic. Deeply, truly, best of friends.

And now, after having watched Ahsoka, I don't see that as being the case anymore. At least for Sabine. It's different now.

There is something more going on here. It's been talked about and analyzed before in this fandom by smarter people, but there's quite a number of scenes that dance around the subject of Sabine's feelings towards Ezra.

It's never addressed head-on but acknowledged, indirectly, by four other notable characters -

Ahsoka

Baylon Skoll

Thrawn

Shin Hati

Ahsoka comes the closest, telling Sabine she knows how much Ezra means to her - but also warning her to put her 'personal feelings' for him aside to service a greater good.

Baylon Skoll says Sabine's 'focus' on Ezra blinds her. And, you know, tempting her with, "Do it. For Ezra." at the end of Episode 4.

Thrawn - well, we discussed him already. "Gambled the fate of your galaxy on that belief," what a line. It goes so hard, I love it so much.

And, interestingly enough, Shin Hati also indirectly acknowledges it with the casual observation: "the one she so desperately seeks".

(Hera also clocks Sabine from the get-go, knowing precisely how to hook her in to working with Ahsoka again. "She'll do it for Ezra.")

It's the rancor in the room! They're talking around it, but never directly addressing it!

These dialogues they have about Sabine and her feelings for Ezra - it's so similar to how someone tries to describe the shape of something but it's obscured or hidden, you know?

You get a detail here and there - bits and pieces of a larger, more coherent picture, but never the whole thing.

That's what it feels like to me, in terms of the dialogue; like they can't quite grasp what she's feeling/what's driving her, but catch just enough to make a close estimation.

(I can't tell if any of this is intentional and it's driving me nuts. What are you playing at, Filoni.)

Sabine does get past her fear of losing Ezra with her decision to stay on Peridea with Ahsoka, though. However, much as that is a pleasing 'full circle' moment for her character arc in this season, there's still greater tragedy on the horizon -

Because Ezra still doesn't know what she did to find him. It's one thing to lose someone physically, as in death, but to lose them in the sense of a relationship: a foundation of trust, respect, and love is uniquely devastating.

That's one of my main issues with the ending for Ahsoka. Sabine's arc rings a little hollow because she didn't open up to Ezra like she should have. That was the real test, I think, and she failed.

It's going to be a never-ending cycle if she doesn't come to understand herself and her feelings.

One of Ahsoka's main themes is actually breaking cycles, it seems. Baylon wants to break the cycle of never-ending wars plaguing the galaxy.

Ahsoka wants to break the cycle of darkness inherent in her Jedi lineage; she stops Sabine's training precisely because of this fear that her pupil will turn to the dark side.

And Sabine wants to stop the cycle of loss that's been all too prevalent in her own life.

Baylon thinks he's found the 'start' of his cycle which has something to do with the Mortis gods.

Ahsoka came to terms with Anakin's legacy and is coming around to mend the relationship between herself and Sabine . . . but Thrawn's pointed observations in the finale and her reaction to them still show that's something she will continue to struggle with.

Also, judging by the expression from hearing this conversation, Sabine doesn't know about Anakin or how his legacy has cast this large, looming shadow over their master-apprentice relationship. So Ahsoka has still yet to properly break that cycle if she does not open up to Sabine about why she stopped her training.

(Or how Ahsoka is afraid of Sabine's potential should she fall to the dark.)

As for Sabine . . . she never told Ezra the truth. About any of it. And the loss she truly fears may yet come to pass as a result.

Breaking cycles is all about knowing thyself.

For Sabine, that means coming to terms with how she really feels about Ezra. Being honest with him about everything . . . and willing to let him go, if that's what it comes to.

I don't know how you repair a relationship after committing such a terrible act.

I've literally written several fanfics regarding the consequences and potential angst of how Ezra and Sabine could fix things.

(And I'm still writing them now, I promise! Right after finishing this. And getting some sleep.)

It's Sabine and Ezra. She loves him. Doesn't matter how you interpret it, that's a fact.

And he loves her. Maybe even enough where he can "love her more than anything she could do wrong", which I'm paraphrasing from Andor.

(It's such a great line. Up there with my favorite from Doctor Who: "Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?")

Star Wars is all about that, right? About how it's never too late to make amends; that love can turn back the darkness and drive out hate. It's one of the reasons why we love this franchise so much.

It shows that we can always forgive and love each other and fight for each other, no matter how far off the path we have wandered.

They'll find their way back to each other. Not because of the Force; because it's those two.

[wanderingcritter]

Hello! I have some questions for you, if you don't mind.

What does transspecies mean to you?

How did you discover you were transspecies?

How do you feel about the myth that transspecies makes fun of transgender people?

How do you feel about the idea that transspecies should not be used or people who are transspecies should stay hidden because it can be used against the transgender community

(A controversial one) Why did rad-q takeover the transspecies term, how does that effect the alterhuman community, and how do you feel about it?

Hi thank you sm for asking hehe :3 I love getting to talk about this stuff (and knowing that others are interested in hearing about it lol)

Long ass post below the cut

1. To me, transspecies is the rawest, most direct way for me to express my nonhumanity. It cuts through a lot of the vagueness and nuance of some other nonhuman labels (not that there's anything wrong with that ofc) and gets straight to the point: Im not entirely human and want to be acknowledged as such by my peers and society at large. It emphasizes my desire to move through life as nonhuman, and that there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I also like that it challenges the narrative of human superiority and the idea that species identity is purely biology based. For me personally, it also ties into my experience with being transgender, as I often see my gender as being partially nonhuman. Many things that are gender affirming are also species affirming and vice versa. But obviously you don't have to be transgender to be transspecies, one of my irl packmates and close friend is cisgender transspecies and she's awesome <3

2. It wasn't so much a "discovery" for me. My transspecies identity is very closely tied to my therianthropy, the species I identify as and see myself transitioning into are also all kintypes. So after I realized I was a therianthrope, it was kind of just a slow realization that it was also a label that fit my experiences well. Like most alterhumans I had heard the word used as a weapon against transgender people and alterhumans, so I had a very negative perception of it for a long time. I think the first time I ever heard it referred to in a not-outright-negative sense was in PDTherians "Trans-species?!" youtube video (which I do not recommend as a source of education at all it's a very flawed video that's riddled with misinformation) a few years back, and from there I slowly started to open up to the idea and yeah. The rest is history pretty much lol

3. To some degree I actually can empathize with the stance because I used to be in the same camp, and I know from experience that for a lot of folks it's just well intentioned but misplaced passion of trans liberation. But at the same time it's still a harmful belief and one I grew out of because I matured and learned more about the communities I was part of. Anytime you cast judgement onto a group of people with a harmless identity/belief/interest for the sole purpose of "they're too weird", that harms everyone, not just that group. In this case, hatred against transspecies folks implies that there is a right and a wrong way to be queer/trans, which is harmful not only to nonhumans but to all queer individuals.

4. I think it's bullshit lmao. Shying away from it and outcasting the people who use it does absolutely nothing but divide us further and make us an easier target for discrimination. Categorizing it as a community taboo just turns it into ammunition for transphobes and anti-alterhumans alike. Turning against each other and fighting over stupid shit like labels is exactly what oppressors want, a house divided against itself cannot stand. It also just doesn't make sense, species identity is socially constructed, similar to gender, so why should people be forbidden from using a word to describe that experience just because it's misunderstood?

5. I honestly have no idea why radqueers do anything at all lmaoooo. But if I had to guess, I think it's because on some level, they know that nobody with any semblance of social education or moral compass is ever going to be on board with their beliefs, so instead of trying to fight a losing battle they just barge their way into other small, marginalized, and outcasted groups (alterhuman, altage, paraphiles, etc.) and try to claim them as "part of them". It's a lot easier to tell a group of people "Hey you guys are actually just like us so you need to support our ideology because otherwise you're just fighting against yourself" than it is to try to convince them from scratch that you're not a horrible person.

As for how it's impacted the alterhuman community, Im not entirely sure but luckily I think its effects have been fairly minimal thus far. The alterhuman community is significantly bigger and older than the rq community, I've only ever run into rqs on Tumblr and even here Ive met transspecies folks who had never heard of radqueers before. I think its biggest impacts have been on the transspecies niche specifically, since they often try to lump it in with transid's like "transrace" and "transharmful", which leads to the assumption from outsiders that they're inherently connected and that all transspecies folks agree with those stances as well. But I think as transspecies and alterhumanity as a whole slowly becomes less stigmatized and more widely understood over time, that belief will also fade and die off.

Sorry for the massive text wall lmao, I hope that wasn't too much info. But again thank you sm for asking ^^ I think it's super important that folks out there are interested in learning more about this stuff and that alterhumans are able to communicate their experiences to one another <3

[detectiveneve]

I think there’s a definite problem though with the amount of art and fics being HEAVILY Astarion with cis women. That reeks of his queerness being erased. There should be a healthy balance of Astarion with different partners, but the “default” in the fandom is always him with a woman. As a gay man it’s very frustrating.

Okay so. in however much any of this matters. 1. Shoving this under a cut for people who are tired of seeing the discourse (I am too, I tend to scroll really really fast past it.) 2. I know the fandom discourse machine looooves super firm and snarky opinion jabs summed up in 169 words or less but I am literally incapable of not elaborating so. sorry YOU asked. since it’s also probably relevant, Im coming at this with the Mega Dyke with the fuck around and find out perspective irt my life experiences and queerness. I don’t generally care about niche queer internet discourse and I don’t generally care about fandom discourse, so you can tell how bored I am at work rn that I’m deep diving into this. tldr yeah you’re not wrong I agree that astarion’s queerness is erased in certain spaces but that has nothing to do with being attracted to women. my funny hot take is once again that astarion is a he/him evil femme to me so. let’s MOVE.

I received the second one within the first few minutes of the first, and I’m goingggg to proceed on good faith and with the idea that I think we’re all in agreement for the most part, because I think we are. But I’m going to address the most obvious thing that. I don’t really…. think is necessarily the point in this. first of all, I empathize that it suuuucks to not see as many works made for your main pairing of choice (there’s generally a deficit for literally everyone BUT astarion to boot too.) however ultimately fanworks are exactly that: fanworks, and they’re made For Free and posted by a Fan Author who has done this As A Hobby, “a problem nobody is addressing” in this context is……. you are one google doc and keyboard away from writing what you want to see in the world. or, I don’t know. encourage + comment + follow up on fic authors that write what you enjoy. fic is not paid content and the fic authors in bg3 are writing for themselves and what they put out, that they wrote for FREE, is up to them. I once again empathize with not seeing as much of a specific thing as you would like, and I definitely empathize with seeing a popularization of specific characterization that makes you want to scream, cry, throw up, etc. which brings me to what I can actually comment on and critique here. (general note: if you proceed to misread me on the basis of “people can do what they want!!” I assure you. you can do whatever you want forever. I do not care. I am not mad. I am minding my business 90% of the time. do I like domstarion? no. but it is NOT my concern nor my judgement.)

“That reeks of his queerness being erased. There should be a healthy balance of Astarion with different partners, but the “default” in the fandom is always him with a woman.” <- so! now that we have “it’s all for free man idk what you want me to say here” out of the way. we CAN critique something real in this that I do agree with. the sort of…. honestly kind of fascinating (derogatory) trends of what I’ll call Straightifying astarion for lack of a better word.

this brings me to the point I kind of offhandedly made in the previous post, about how there IS nuance to be said on astarion’s queerness getting erased. I do actually agree with you that in some spheres of the bg3 fandom, his queerness has been heavily sanitized and he’s become something of a placeholder for Sexy Vampire Boyfriend romance tropes. he’s mostly there to be a stand-in for a sexy dom vampire man; MANY of his complex character traits that have literally Nothing to do with romance have been basically entirely removed to serve a specific idealized idea of him that suit the scene. it’s frustrating! I find it frustrating. I also agree that within this specific Brand of Mischaracterized Astarion, he’s been so……….. reduced down to this that his more overt queerness is basically entirely removed. however, the issue is not that he’s with a woman in this? the issue is that the writer is not incorporating a sort of.. overarching queer lens, for lack of a better term, to the characterization they’ve got going on. you can write whatever you want forever, but it’s not written in a vacuum, I agree.

Since these are all popular straight romance tropes, he falls directly into the pit of Sexy Man (straight) very quickly, and his attraction toward others (let alone, good god, his complex relationship to sex, sexuality, desire? good fucking luck finding something thoughtful in there about that) tends to fall by the wayside as a result. It is what you would expect but it’s not without room for critique in what I think we’re aligned on; which is seeing astarion’s queerness erased is maddeninggg. And it is EXTREMELY frustrating to see if you’re someone like me, or possibly yourself, who’s into 1. really analyzing characterization and 2. really into exploring queer dynamics in writing + lit + media many different formats. THIS—the sanitization, the removal of astarion’s queerness—this is what is irksome as a queer reader.

however. the issue I’m seeing is that ^^^^^ this brand of mischaracterization is 1. being conflated with simply that he’s with women, and 2. the frustration of having less content (understandable) is turning into a very WEIRD dialogue in which the extreme of “well actually he wouldn’t even want to fuck women!!” is the stance to take (very weird) (kind of misogynistic) (kind of also reeks of continuing to talk about women as sex objects that astarion would not or would want to fuck) (astarion himself doesn’t even want to fuck for about 90% of his romance so maybe we should talk about that too) — rather than that it would be nice if his queerness would be addressed more openly and with more nuance and clarity than it currently is in That Particular Sphere Of Astarion Characterization. and, of course, the idea that it would be nice if he was portrayed with other kinds of partners! which I agree with and equally appreciate.

but there is no default. literally, there’s no default. what you’re seeing is what people are making of their own tavs, and maybe you would like to see more of another kind, but it doesn’t hold up as an actual fandom critique. what holds up is when we dive into how people write him; how do they write his personality, what traits are being exaggerated and what traits are being ignored; IS his queerness remembered within the text at all? and beyond that, how is that queerness treated when it is written? because I’ve seen the other extreme in which it’s The Homophobic Gay Stereotypes That Maybe We All Agreed At One Point Were Equally Offensive To Exaggerate To The Point Of Horror. half the discussion I see AROUND his queerness amounts to “omg he’s such a slutty flamboyant little fag” but in a quirky haha internet way. very “fruity is a nice alternative to saying queer!” “calling a gay guy fruity in the real world will get you punched out.” vibes in here sometimes and it is EQUALLY weird.

anyways. Astarion’s a multifaceted character which means the first thing everyone did was pick one or two traits to exaggerate and cling to and these color the entire reading of his character rather than taking in the whole. i agree that means his queerness got put to the wayside in some formats of him, and that’s deeply unfortunate + very frustrating. but fanfic is free, so I’m not with you that there’s a Problem That Needs Addressing so much as that’s what people are creating, and you should add to what you want to see in the world.

I’m not going to go on a tangent about how “oh let m/f be a thing!!” because I ALSO agree literally no one needs to be told “m/f is okay to do ❤️” we live in the real world here. and it’s really mindboggling how in some iterations he’s been turned into Straightstarion rather than his CANON QUEERNESS being applicable in every format of every relationship dynamic he could ever possibly be in. However. However. the answer to that is not? acting like the baseline attraction to women is the problem. if the way you’re talking about attraction to women feels rooted in upset about not relating to it and feeling like you’re forced to either relate to it or simply not engage, I do Get It, but at the risk of opening up an entirely different can of worms that needs an entirely different essay to address, gay men are not immune to misogyny and if the language used while talking about women is also objectifying or belittling women to some extent or acting as though attraction to women makes his queerness lesser. newsflash. that is still misogyny (and biphobia). it is not about defending straightness here, it’s entirely that reducing women down to sex objects even in the conversations about not seeing women sexually is alive and well (and repulsive), and that’s what I mean when I say I can hear the “lol I don’t fuck WOMEN that’s DISGUSTING” behind some of the other side of the conversation here. also this is an entirely separate essay but queerness will almost never exist in an easily consumable binary and trying to type him by his character traits is also. kind of weird. just as a thing.

[camp-counselor-david]

I was wondering what bugged me about the season 4 Cameron Campbell redemption arc, and I think it finally clicked for me. (And yeah it's 95% David related)

Tw for talks of abuse under the read more.

(Spoiler warning for s3 & 4!)

My relationship (from a character standpoint) with Mr. Campbell is very iffy. He's meant for comedic relief, as is his treatment of David within the series.

Side note- I know that the wolf in "The Forest" being a metaphor for Campbell's abuse of David isn't technically canon even if it's pretty widely accepted by now, so I'll be excluding that part in my analysis.

Mr. Campbell goes through a lot of changes within the series. He starts out as sort of a criminal mastermind type. Self-serving, a blatant scammer, and someone who is seen abusing David in particular many times in the show, physically and verbally. That's not even mentioning the scene in "Jasper Dies in the End," where he attempts to murder a young David for witnessing Jasper's near-death experience. Despite this, David looks up to him and idolizes who he is as a person.

Up until when things peak in season 3, where it's revealed to David that he's not only a terrible person, but he has attempted to frame him for the camp being a scam. Season 3 handles Campbell the best in my opinion, up until the ending of "Camp Corp" where it's decided that Cameron Campbell is more of an idiot than a mastermind, so his new punishment is staying at the camp under David's watch.

Season 4 is where it takes a turn for the worse. As per usual, David is on board with the idea of redeeming Mr. Campbell and places faith in him changing for the better. This didn't bug me until the episode with the escape room where the series begins to explore a different side of Campbell. There, it's revealed that despite how awful as a person he was, he secretly has some type of heart! He still had feelings for the woman he ghosted for 17 years to the point of never once seeing another person in all of that time. Not only does that feel impossible to believe, but given how he acts when he's coming back from the club in "Keep the Change," it feels a lot more like a retcon to me. You're telling me that someone as greedy as him would make such a responsible choice when it comes to any of his personal relationships? In 17 years? While regularly being under the influence of alcohol and other drugs throughout that time period?

It felt like a quick "See? Mr. Campbell isn't actually that bad of a person!" To which I feel is not the right angle to take with his character, at least not so quickly. I understand that characters can have nuance. They can have good traits and still be bad people, but these traits have to line up with what makes sense for the character, and from my perspective, it didn't.

They then change the approach with Campbell and start making him a lot more reasonable of a person in the way he talks. "Time Crapsules" ending with an admittedly nice message from him about change using the camp itself as a metaphor for his own character growth, which becomes apparent in the last prominent Campbell episode, "St. Campbell's Day."

This is the episode that urks me the most. Since the very beginning, David has had full faith in Mr. Campbell. He spent time making excuses for him and going out of his way to prove that change is really possible. But (spoilers, sorry!!) then this episode features the very first time that David stands up against Mr. Campbell. He sees the fake holiday that he's making for presumably self-serving reasons and decides that Campbell is showing his old patterns again-- because why else would he make up a holiday revolving around making money?

David ruins the holiday by stealing the holiday supplies and reporting him to the presses as a con artist. Then, the show reveals that David was overreacting, and this was really pushed by the campers rather than Campbell himself. They wanted to raise funds for the camp to get new things like the outhouse, and David feels bad. Afterward, there's a happy moment where David apologetically fixes everything with the help of Gwen and QM, which is admittedly very sweet, and Mr. Campbell forgives David for jumping the gun and assuming the worst.

While I don't hate this, it just rubs me the wrong way that the one time David stands up against Campbell, he's punished by the narrative. He apologizes to Mr. Campbell, a thing that Campbell never properly does for David, the one who actually deserves it.

This episode could have been a good opportunity for there to be some reflection on how David, who vouched ceaselessly for his redemption, might have some mixed feelings on his abuser. Exploring this side of things more would have made this a better episode and overall a better arc for me rather than "Silly David!! You've ruined the one good thing he tried to do!".

The concept of David wanting to be happy about the changes but finding that part of him guiltily thinks that Campbell doesn't deserve it is something I really wish they explored a lot more.

The tl;dr of this is that the Mr. Campbell redemption arc isn't a bad angle to shoot for! Some of it was handled decently, but the loose ends that we'll likely never see wrapped up leave a sour taste in my mouth. A few kind moments don't make up for around 14 years of abuse, and that's not even mentioning the death of Jasper as a consequence of Campbell's actions.

I love this show a lot, and this is by no means hateful towards it, I just feel a little put off by how they handle the Campbell-David stuff.

[rise-my-angel]

I’m such a big Targ fan but I can not stand most Targ fans because they don’t get it. The valyrians are interesting and cool because they are fucked up. I love the Targaryens because I am a horror and sci-fi fan. Like yeah dragons are cool too but they wouldn’t be nearly as cool if everything surrounding them weren’t horrifying and twisted. I love Dany because she is a flawed and complex character and it is so easy to draw lines through her narrative to understand why she is the way she is and what led her to make different mistakes and how she got to her self delusions. But most Dany fans will call me a Dany hater for being like hey let’s analyze why Dany has never second guessed her decision to kill Mirri even though every other act of violence she’s been directly or indirectly responsible for (ie the crucifixions or Viserys’s death) has weighed on her conscience to some extent despite the fact that Mirri was a slave who was punished for rising up against her master, Drogo. The cognitive dissonance is so interesting and ripe for analysis but I have been accused of only pretending to be a Dany fan for recognizing this. A lot of actual Dany haters churn out way more meaningful Dany metas because most Dany fans are just oh she’s an unambiguous good hero who will be queen and I think that’s so boring

(note I got off my couch in the middle of writing a new chapter to go to my main computer to answer this that's how much you caught my attention)

The thing is, I totally get what you mean. Theres a Targaryean I am sort of like this for in a way. The character himself has been soured by such a deluded and hostile fan base about what is allowed to be said or thought about him, but if it weren't for the way most targ stans are, I would be 1000% more into Rhaegar as a character.

It would never change I think he's a bad person who did monstrous things for questionable if not quite selfish means who I would never support, but I also love Euron Greyjoy who is 100% an irredeemable monster. Rhaegar's entire existence is fasnicating. From the Ghost of High Hart being the reason his parents were married, to his life defining birth right in the middle of the fiery tragedy of Summerhall which effected his life. How such a terrible place was the only place he was every described as being happy in, likely because his existence is tied with great tragedy. How that likely deeply influenced him into buying into the Ghost of High Harts words of the prince that was promised being born from his father and mothers blood line which led to his delusions which ended up negatively impacting every person in his life leading to their deaths including his own. He should be a fascinating character study for me, but the way targ stans talk about him has ruined any chance of discussion because any nuance I could provide is going to be taken as pro Rhaegar talking points.

Same with Valyria in general. The Valyrian people were delusional and terrifying and the world is better off without them, but I love exploring why. I don't hate Targaryeans to hate them, I hate them because they are interesting to hate. They are facsinating because of what makes them horrible. And liking them as characters isn't at all wrong.

Its the lack of willingness to engage with their favourite charatcers greatest flaws and realistic motivations. It's a disconnect. They will push back against every single argument that Dany is a horrible, selfish tyrant possible, and then cite her atrocities as why I'm wrong and it's like..they have bought so much into the propoganda that they have created a false image of this character they supposedly love. Why love a version of a character that you need to bend over backwards to justify is the real version against the facts of the actual story?

They are desperate to look as if their favourite characters make them morally righteous. When liking a morally honourable character does not say anything about you other then what particular character you enjoy more then another. I am not claiming to be better then Rhaegar stans because I love Ned Stark, but they will slander Ned Stark as much as they can to justify why they prefer Rhaegar instead of just admitting they have a preference.

I get accused of being a Sansa hater, because I am both very against jonsa (ship and shippers) and I am very critical of her post season 4 character. But in the books and the first 4 seasons, shes not my favourite but I love her. But because I go against the popular ship and I am critical of her various actions over the course of the different versions of her character, I am seen as a hater. Its the same with Dany and many Targaryeans.

Its either toe the public opinion, or keep them out of your mouth which is insane for a fandom of a story literally built upon the varying complexities of a characters grey areas.

They want asoiaf/got to be way more black and white then it ever has been. Which is such a poor way of interacting with a story you are passionate about.

Dany can be a tyrant and an interesting character. She can be a cruel and selfishly bloodthristy woman and your favourite character. But these stans are allergic to those ideas not being mutually exclusive.

I dont hate targ stans because they are targ stans, I hate targ stans because they will attack any dissenting opinons that do not fall into their perfect protagonist hero image they've conjured up.

But they got nothing on me. I love Euron Greyjoy. The most disgusting monster in the whole series who I also would rather slingshot him into the sun then let him walk around alive in the world. I will never defend his bad choices, and never condemn someone for calling him an immoral monster. His lack of humanity is what makes his choices so interesting.

These targ stans though, could not possibly be strong enough to be the same for even a minute for their favourite Targaryean.

[ericdeggans]

When your job is explaining race and media, what happens when you find a situation you don't want to explain?

That moment came for me this week, as memes were rocketing around social media connected to the brawl in Montgomery, Ala., where a crowd of mostly-Black bystanders ran to help a Black ferry co-captain who was being assaulted by a group of white men.

Video filmed by a group of mostly-Black bystanders on a nearby boat captured it all: The co-captain throwing his hat in the air, once a white man pushed him harshly; an older Black man whaling on people with a folding chair, including a white woman who was just sitting on the ground by then; a young Black man on a boat close by who jumped into the water and swam with amazing speed to the scene, jumping up to throw hands.

And, in moments, Black Twitter jumped to life (I know he’s renamed it X, but we ain’t recognizing that, and the term refers to people being Black across social media anyway. Harrumph).

There was the quiz asking which folding chair are you? There was the graphic pointing out that an early version of the folding chair was invented by a Black man (seems to be true). The photoshopped picture showing glowing rings around Black folks rushing into the fight, mimicking the climax of Avengers Endgame, where superheroes rushed in to save the day. Images dubbing the young swimmer Black Aquaman, Aquamayne and Blaquaman.

And two of my personal faves: A photoshopped image of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue holding a folding chair. And a version of the brawl video remade as the opening to classic Black sitcom Good Times, with acerbic credits noting the show was “created by Consequences and Repercussions.”

I was blown away by how quickly Black folks across social media were converting horror over a narrowly averted, racialized beat down into funny memes celebrating the reflex of Black folks to stand up for one another, especially when we’re faced with danger from white people.

But when I posted the photo of MLK’s status with the folding chair on my social media feeds, I just added one word: Wow.

I wanted the image to speak for itself. And I wanted people who had questions about what it meant to jump into social media and find out for themselves. I felt the image and its implied humor – that the nation’s most revered civil rights leader might be hoisting a folding chair to defend Black folks in the modern age – was most powerful when not explained.

Unfortunately, some people on my social media platforms insisted on an explanation. One was pretty persistent about it. And I realized I just didn’t want to explain the image, for some reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Yeah, it’s sometimes tiring to always be asked to explain your cultural nuances to the world. But that’s the gig I signed up for, many years ago. And yes, the joking was hiding a fear that today’s climate has left racists emboldened enough to attack a Black man in broad daylight for doing his job. So explaining only resurfaces those darker feelings in ways I wasn’t quite ready to process.

Still, something else was also at play. I always say social media is often like a giant dinner party, where people forget they are sometimes listening in on conversations between other people. In this case, being asked to explain the folding chair memes felt like having someone barge into an ongoing conversation to ask for an explanation. This was a moment where Black folks could be hilariously Black online and we could all share that moment together, laughing and consoling each other in one viral, social media moment.

Sometimes, in situations like that, understanding comes best by sitting back, listening widely and learning. Even for me.

I don’t know if this reaction is fair – especially given how much I’ve encouraged discussion about race over the years. But its all I have left, in a world where I increasingly feel like a frog in pot of steadily heating water, wondering when the heat will begin to burn me, my loved ones, my family, my friends and my people.

[dirtytransmasc]

I think it's so silly when TB fans are trying to slander the greens, but then immediately go with the "don't bring Daemon into this" line. like if you need to ignore such a prominent character (if not the most prominent after Rhaenyra, who he is integral to her storyline and character) to make you point that the TB is better then TG, then maybe, and think about this for a moment, your argument has little standing... wow, shocker.

"oh but the greens did this this and this" they say, ignoring any and all nuance or context for those events, "the blacks never did anything like that" they say, ignoring the fact that everything they did was almost always worse and/or had no backing or reason (that justifies it to any extent), "and don't even try to 'but daemon' me, I don't wanna hear it." I've seen this argument made more times that I can count, and it never ceases to drive me mental.

also, the wishing for the downfall of an entire family, celebrating their terrible deaths and horrific trauma's all because of aegon. like yeah, the botched show version of him deserves some of the best he's in, he is a rapist no matter how much it doesn't make sense and how much it discredits his whole character. but they take it as justification to just dance on the graves of the whole family, which is like... so fucked in so many ways. one man does not damn a whole house.

like listening to (most) TB fans is just like jamming my ear full of glass. they have no logic, no media literacy, hinge their whole arguments on udder bullshit, (attempt) bully those who disagree into submission (the amount of TB fans I've had because me for being stupid and many other words I do not wish to say, because I had a different opinion then them is insane), and all the while they can't even attempt to sound logical. like they're always missing the point, always simplifying characters cause apparently having complex, layered, morally grey characters is the devil. than TG fans are "the problem with this fandom" like??? hello??? your the one defending Daemon for being... Daemon, the one defending the cold blooded maiming and murder of people all cause they stated a fact, defending robbing girls of their claim to their houses thrones. not the Greens, we may defend our characters, but we don't pretend like it never happened or that it was 'cool' and 'bad ass'.