#SO YEAH they're pretty protective of it

[byanyan]

What tarot card are you?

the star

ㅤthere is something wonderful stirring in the depths of your being. something within you– something latent– is sleeping there, in the cradle of your mind. creativity comes naturally to you, just as breathing or blinking. you have the capability to extend yourself through art. but are you afraid of it? creating something– terribly afraid that it will never be as good as you hope? it will never be made unless you use your own hands. NUMBER: 17 UPRIGHT: hope, faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality REVERSED: lack of faith, despair, self-trust, disconnection

tagged by:ㅤ@mirrordread ♡♡♡

#━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ dash meme. #yes. YES. there's a reason they don't share their art often #or very openly #and it's that fear of being told that it isn't good #their whole life they've had the things they're not good at - school-related things mostly - thrown in their face #like. never given a chance to forget it. #everything they're good at is the sort of thing that doesn't get praise and instead is looked down upon - fighting stealing etc. #art is the one exception. it's the one talent they have (in their mind) that others might approve of #but they're afraid to share it bc what if it's not as good as they think? what if they're bad at it like they are everything else? #if someone were to tell them their art is bad it might actually break them ngl #SO YEAH they're pretty protective of it #they don't even put their all into their art classes bc they're afraid of the critique that might result #i need to stop these tags are too long but i'm on a roll here

[cerise-on-top]

Hii you know how you wrote about reader getting hurt because of their job please could you write that with graves or nikolai x

Hey! Sure I can!

Graves’ and Nikolai’s S/O Gets Hurt Because of Their job

Graves: On the outside he may seem calm and collected, but on the inside he’d be seething with rage. However, he won’t show you how angry he actually is, keeping it all to himself instead. He needs to be the big, strong man in your relationship, so he needs to keep his cool in front of you, no matter what. I don’t think he’d be too surprised you’d have gotten hurt, though. While he may have hoped it would never happen, that was just wishful thinking. You’ll either be on Shadow Company’s medbay or in the best hospital he can find nearby. Either way, you’ll be well taken care of. If you’re at Shadow Company, then he’ll station some of his most competent and trusted people to take care of you for the time being. You will be protected by them, and you will get whatever it is you may need from them as well. Or anything you may want, really. No cost is too high for Graves while you’re in recovery. While he may try to make time for you as well, he really does, he will also have someone track down whoever hurt you. This person will then be abducted to Shadow Company for a rough time. Graves himself would take care of them, and he can be pretty effective when he wants to be. However, if you’ve recovered by then, and are among the more vengeful people, then you’re more than welcome to do as you please with the bastard yourself, Graves has no qualms about that. In fact, he’d welcome you doing what you need to do. An eye for an eye. I think he’d become a bit more protective of you afterwards. If you’re okay with it, then he’ll leave you in the hands of some of his Shadows since he can’t always be there for you. If it was up to him, he’d combine you with his work and have you just live on base with him so he could always keep an eye on you, but you likely wouldn’t agree to that. It may seem a bit overbearing, but he will reach out to you more often and does expect you to respond within a few hours, or else he’ll get worried and send someone to check up on you, even if you’re alright.

Nikolai: While Graves may be furious, Nikolai is entirely calm about all of this. Yes, you got hurt, but seeing him panic would likely only worsen the state you’re in. He is well aware of the fact that you will pull through, he made sure of that himself. However, he won’t do anything drastic until you’ve recovered completely. That way your perpetrator has enough time to kill themself before he has to take action. Naturally, you mean the world to him, so any violence against you will not be excused. Nikolai runs a PMC, so he knows what he’s doing, he knows how to deal with violence. Violence for violence is the rule of the beasts and Nikolai’s cruelty is akin to that of a starved animal. However, that can wait until you’re alright again. He’ll visit you every day, even stay at the hospital, and bring you gifts, tell you stories and keep you company otherwise. But he won’t mention the plans he has for the sorry fuck who hurt you, those are for him to know and for you to never find out. Once you’re home again, going about your day, he will seek out the bastard himself and drag him to some place in Siberia. As mentioned before, Nikolai can be cruel when he wants to be, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he let that person run aimlessly around Siberia for a few days, hunted down by him and his people, only to capture and torture them later. Death is a kind of mercy that is not for them, though, so he’ll keep them alive for the time being. They almost took you from him, there’s nothing they could ever do to make up for that. They’ll be a new chewing toy for Chimera until they die for one reason or another. Nikolai won’t get too overprotective, but he will be keeping a closer eye on you. He won’t station one of his people in front of your home when he’s away, but he will try to make more time for you. Calls become more frequent and he will try to find some excuses to spend more time with you, even if it’s just by video chatting with you when you have the time. He won’t freak out, but he won’t forget about that incident either.

#cod #cod x reader #phillip graves #phillip graves x reader #cod nikolai #cod nikolai x reader #I was thinking about wanting a request for Graves again not too long ago so this came at an ideal time #they're both very powerful people who are also war criminals and not afraid of breaking every law in existence #so yeah they'll have their fun with whoever hurt you #thinking about an angry Nikolai scares me so bad actually. he'd be so calm and quiet and that's just the most terrifying thing to me #if you're in an especially bad condition then I think Graves would become more strict with his Shadows #he knows he shouldn't be like that at work but he can't help it since he's just that worried about you #he's usually a fun and caring boss but he'd become very different when you get hurt #of course he'll go back to normal once everything is alright again but you being hurt would hit the Shadows pretty hard as well #I like to think he does talk about you to his Shadows so they definitely know who you are #and just by hearing about you most of them would like you as well. especially because Graves loves you this much and they like him a lot #so I think a lot of Shadows would also grow protective over you and I think that's so very sweet #I always liked to think that the people at Shadow Company were very close with each other #especially because Graves is a good boss and makes sure the work climate there is ideal. despite the war crimes #Graves is actually a pretty fly guy in my eyes. he's just cocky but he does worry a lot about his Shadows and you deep down #he loves his Shadows and he loves you too

[orcelito]

i've seen ppl talking about Meryl & how little we know about her family, but the geo-plant arc of trigun chapters 10-12 gives us some really useful pieces of info, i think

first, we see her thinking of herself as Cold Blooded, just like the dude that wanted Badwick to kill his own parents

[ID: Meryl stands with her gun drawn and a troubled expression on her face as she thinks to herself, "Exactly as you described him... the cold-blooded type..." In the next panel, she closes her eyes and wonders, "Am I really... any different?" End ID]

at the start of this arc, Milly wrote one of her massive letters to her family, while Meryl mentioned not knowing what she would write to hers. then we see Milly get PISSED at Badwick after she learns he threatened his parents at gunpoint, which leads to this page:

[ID: Meryl, held back by Milly, tells her, "Milly... I envy you... My father would have wanted me to get justifiably angry at a person who points a gun at his parents. That is an important thing." She flashes back to the moment in the chapter before where Milly is attempting to punch the son, Badwick. Milly calls in concern, "Ma'am?" Meryl continues, "But I... I just stood there and took it all in without even budging. I am such a cold person. I chose this path of blood and tears without thinking about the rest of my life. All I can see is what is right in front of me." The page shows the face of the father, dressed in basic battle gear, who is watching silently. Now in tears, Meryl laments, "Why could I not see... that when I closed myself off to him, something was wrong? I..." In the last panel, Milly stares down at Meryl in surprise as Meryl slaps her own cheeks and exclaims, "No... Nevermind!" End ID]

this entire situation is obviously striking something in Meryl's heart. some kind of insecurity she has about her distant relationship with her own parents. she shakes herself out of it, determined to not fall into a funk, and then jumps into defense of the land.

after the battle's over & the father's fallen to his ass, we see these pages:

[ID: In the first page, the father, off screen, tells Meryl and Milly, "There are no words to express how thankful I am for your help." Meryl replies with a smile, "Ah. There's no need." The father goes on to tell her, "Ms. Meryl... I know it was rude of me, but I overheard your conversation earlier. Having raised that rebellious son, I don't know if I have the right thing to say, but... All people are different, but the bonds between parents and children are inseparable. It is a great burden, but also the most precious thing in the world..." In the second page, the father concludes, "... Choose your own path, and walk it with confidence. All of life... is connected. You must live your own life, and your parents will love through you." As he speaks, we see Meryl listening to him with a surprised expression. End ID]

this entire arc feels like a metaphor for Meryl's own situation. after these pages, we see Badwick turning in the deed, then finding out that his parents were entrusting the property to him after all. he's the problem son, someone who separated himself from his parents due to his disagreements with them (likely stemming from his dead younger brother). yet at the end of the day, his parents still love him and entrusted their life's work to him.

Meryl sees all this go down, hears these words, and it touches something in her heart. so we see her go from talking about writing to her family like this in chapter 10:

[ID: A single panel of Meryl with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. She tells Milly, "That would be the normal thing to do... especially when I've been away from home for so long. But I don't know what to write beyond 'it's dry'..." End ID]

to this bit at the end of chapter 12:

[ID: Meryl approaches a mailbox with luggage in hand. She slips a letter inside, then sighs with a smile. Milly yells, "Maa'aam! What are you doing?! We're already late!" To which Meryl replies, "Ok! Ok! Ok! I'm coming!" End ID]

the experience was enough for her to accept that she might not be the closest with her parents (or just father? considering she only ever mentions a father in this all), but it's still worth reaching out even if she doesn't have much to say.

this arc is the most we see about Meryl's backstory in the manga, but I think we can draw a few things from it. we have a definite mention of a father, but no others. no mention of siblings or any other family members. she's distant from her father, too busy following her heart & goals, but she doesn't have a bad relationship with him. just Distant. she feels disconnected from him, even Cold, for her focus on her work & the practicalities in front of her. but even with that disconnect, she still cares enough about him to feel guilty when she realizes she's been doing this.

and then considering later, when we see the flashback of a man giving her the gun... i'd assumed that was possibly a senior at her work (probably tristamp giving me that perception, from Roberto), but keeping all the rest of this in mind... it really could have been her father.

i went looking to try to find that part. did not find that one exactly, but i DID find this one from trimax chapter 34:

[ID: A nearly bald man with a kind face and what appear to be shooting ear muffs around his neck tells Meryl, "Consider guns delicate. Women, most of all, should make use of them. One shot will level the playing field between you and a big, strong man." End ID]

if this is indeed her father, it would explain why she knows how to shoot like she does. perhaps her father taught her as she was growing up out of the wish to help her protect herself. maybe they weren't incredibly close, but he still clearly cared about her & wanted what was best for her and her safety. the kind of father that's content to let her do whatever her heart wishes, since her happiness is his happiness.

and then chapter 12 ends with this page:

[ID: A black framed page with a single panel at the center. The panel shows Meryl from behind, running with her luggage in hand. The text boxes to the sides state, "All of life is connected by a river... And the beginning of the river... is now." End ID]

she continues on her own path, not looking back, but she is still connected to the ones in her heart... including her father.

(Manga panels referenced from @trigun-manga-overhaul !)

#speculation nation #trigun #meryl stryfe #fanny's trigun analysis #fanny reads trigun #oh god this got longer than i was planning on it being #also writing IDs is a little hard lol. tried my best tho #but YEAH we really know so little about meryl and her home life. but this really does give us some great context for it #im picking at fucking crumbs here lmfao but they're still pretty solid crumbs #this. is probably what i'm gonna be running under for my own ideas of meryl's backstory #single child raised by a single father. a gunman who taught her how to shoot so she could protect herself #a slightly distant relationship. but not a negative one. #someone she still loves and knows will be there for her should she ever decide to return #someone who wouldnt ever even dream of trying to stifle her. he wants her to follow her dreams. #it's... actually kinda really sweet lol. #meryl #<- for my own tagging purposes lol #long post/

[sysig]

The most fun you can have, barring the pain and torture (Patreon)

#Doodles #SCII #Helix #ZEX #Teisel #Max Vyer #Zack Fair #Vlad Masters #Weird fun fact??? The last time I posted Vlad was also in the same set as ZEX so uh????? Lol #I could not have possibly planned that so please just enjoy the serendipity - I certainly am lol #Anyway <3 Mostly leftover doodles for now! There's still more especially planned/in my notes but we're at a lull #And it's time for some silliness! :D Love silliness! #Starting with a very cute tiny ZEX ??ing at slippers - he really didn't wear footwear much - or at least it wasn't mentioned so lol #Max has barefoot energy too it's fine lol #And ZEX only wears shoes in his VUX form sometimes! Surely it's just as unnecessary for humans! Hehe #After I doodled him holding a pencil like half-properly I realized oh yeah - he wouldn't do that unless directed would he haha #Much more natural to curl - or at least as close as possible with fingers - around his writing implement :D #I do wonder what he'd think of human calligraphy brushes hmm - more natural? Less? He'd certainly enjoy watching but when doesn't he <3 #Oh I loved him sitting and enjoying the rain ♥ Reminded me of Gaster :D Though this came well-first hehe <3 #Just a very pleasant detail - amphibious lad loving precipitation hehe #Another simple one of hanging out with Teisel ugh he kicked his legs in the absence of his tail he's so cute weh ;;♥ #Hey Max is actually here for a change!! I want to give him more attention he deserves it - especially with everyone being so mean to him :') #He just wants friends! He's barely here be nice to him while he is! At least Peter was nice to him haha #You only think he's creepy because you think he's fake and ZEX is real - they're both real don't be mean #Max's clinginess is so sad here haha :') Protect him pls <3 #I love ZEX's asides with Vlad lol ♪ Man I really haven't drawn him in ages too long! #Okay but the image of ZEX in a nurse costume? Amazing he'd rock it - Max even moreso since he'd understand the context <3 #Get this man in a skirt and heels stat he'll look So pretty ♫

[alicent-archive]

Viserys, Otto, Lyonel, and Daemon had the situationship of all time let me tell you.

#You have Daemon's 'if I was a girl I could've wedded and bedded my older brother' fixation on Viserys. #You have Lyonel trying to guide and protect Viserys in every situation because he's the good dog and the loyal dog or something. #Otto hates Daemon but with his long blonde hair and pretty cheekbones wow ok time to pray for absolution. #Visery's is like *blushes* yeah Otto is so loyal to me and I know it's because I'm the king or something but he's so LOYAL- #Otto and Lyonel know they're Visery's dogs but Otto is a German Shepard and Lyonel is a Labrador do with that what you will. #Daemon hates Otto but something kinky is definitely going on in his mind when Otto gets all riled up. #Daemon is Visery's brother but they have the energy of exes and may be a bit too devoted to each other if you know what I mean. #this is a shitpost but! idk the small council all sucked each other's dick (literally and narratively) at one point so hey #text #hotd #my own #house of the dragon #otto hightower #viserys i targaryen #daemon targaryen #lyonel strong

[worstloki]

i actually love the idea that if Thor was raised with Loki then he grew up learning more and uses the charismatic himbo vibe as a front and if Thor was raised without Loki it's not a persona and he actually is just a charismatic himbo now

#normal Thor is a thot but he's also pretty battle smart and has intuition etc. while Party Thor is just a thot #Party Thor didn't bother with good fighting he didn't need to be book smart or a good heir bc there was only 1 option lmao #didn't wind up with any protectiveness or slight enough maturity not to follow every single impulse without thought and alone #which is just. HILARIOUS. #imagine MCU Thor and Loki wind up in that universe and they're like oh sweet it's a normal world then since Thor's acting normal #but no he's not normal Thor he's not acting at all that's just Thor now #Thor is cringing and devastated #Thor like 1. THIS is what I look like from the outside? D: and 2. ohnorns there's nothing behind it. it's not a coping mechanism. norns no #Loki like ''yeah he's a little forthcoming but look at the bright side Thor! this version of you is CLEARLY more fun.'' #*gestures to Party Thor drinking out of like a full jotun sized mug and he starts coughing and choking and it spilled everywhere* #''and also an idiot!'' #Thor like this ISN'T funny. #he's got his arms crossed and is all pouty about it #they find out about Jotun Loki and Loki has stars in his eyes like NO WAY I'M SO COOL AND FUN TOO :0 #and Thor is there face crumpling further because it feels like this universe hates him specifically #XD #like what so Loki gets to keep his magic and be way taller and fun and Thor is chasing after him in this universe???? unfair :[ #Thor vows never going to downplay with Loki again and Loki is there sincerely like Thor I know you're not like that don't worry about it

[coloursofaparadox]

hnnnnnnnnnnnmmnn its overshare on the internet o clock

#my shitty ex has sent me a text asking to meet up and talk #and in a predictable move the text itself doesnt actually apologize or acknowledge that she did anything fucked up #it instead says 'we both did some pretty messed up stuff' which. uh. yeah. cool. thanks. #thats like prefacing an apology with 'first of all i still blame you but i guess i couuuldve had something to do with it' #and like. sheesh. my first instinct is to politely say absolutely not jesus christ how do you have the gall to ask me that #i could go my entire life without interacting with you ever again and i would be nothing but better off for it #but. i have not sent that yet. and it has been a while. because i really miss the friend group she....not stole exactly but #because i do not want to be in the same space as her i just. dont get to be around them much any more. #and fuck. i miss my dog so so much. i love lucas too but sarah was the first dog i raised from a baby #and she was just one of those animals that are just. like you love them all but some are different in a way where they're a part of you. #and sarah was mine and she took her from me and ive just barely gotten over it #i dont know if being able to see her again would make it worse or better. #but instinct is telling me to tell her that no theres no chance of us being friends. i need to protect myself and value my own wellbeing. #and that its not that i hate her because i dont but i do intensely dislike the ugly person i realized shes become #and i refuse to continue to let myself be hurt by that without speaking up. #but i still!!! havent!!! said no!!!!! #if i could manage it. and get through a talk with her. and be very clear that im here to attempty just...neutrality and a lack of hostility #and that friendship is not on the table. prep myself on my boundaries and rules for what i will not put up with #and accept that if she does something shitty in response to me keeping myself safe then i have to be prepared to call it off immediately #then. i would see my friends again a lot more often than just one on one every couple months because every group thing involves her #fuck. i dont know. i really really dont want to talk to her ever again but god fucking dammit. #im prepared to move on and rebuild my life and invest in other relationships. i am. ive done it before and slowly built from the ground up. #i can do it again. but it fucking sucks when its most of my irl friends all at once. #idk. idk. i miss my dog so much it hurts but it would be much worse to see her now after how my ex treats her when im not there to stop it #its just something i cant let myself think about or ill just spiral and i cant do that. theres nothing i can do about it. i cant stop it. #fuck.

[simptasia]

can anybody explain the human tendency to lookit dangerous or at least troubling animals and find them utterly adorable?

#...or the god tendency to make those animals adorable huh #im glad bears arent scary looking because they're very large #...actually technically elephants are monstrous looking but humans are still pretty chill about them. at least recently #maybe because they're slow. i think if elephants were fast we'd be upset #anyways legit the reason dogs exist is because ancient humans looked at wolves (VERY DANGEROUS) and were like #''FWUFFY!!!! you want some of my spare meat???'' #and they were like ''hell yeah i'd love some spare meat. oho i see you have some hands there. for pet pets. i'll protect ur baby now'' #and viola! love. humans are so strange and special

[david-watts]

got in trouble for telling the bloke on the architecture programme on the television to shut up and tbh it was worth it because I am sick to death of mainlanders going ‘ooughg the power,,,, of the landscape,,,,’ like fuck off

#you’re not even showing the best area of that particular area yet alone actually powerful landscapes #you won't do that because it's near a half-abandoned shack town without paved roads and sometimes there's whale carcasses #like there was when I went there #it's either the landscape or the wombats there's hardly ever any acknowledgement people live here #part of me does suspect they don't wanna acknowledge the massive issues here like the health crisis or the housing crisis #or that this place has a people history #which I think people don't want to acknowledge because of the black war and the resulting genocide #like yeah a good chunk of here is wilderness and it should be protected and celebrated but also there is so much. #I hesitate to say fetishism because that feels extreme. but it feels like that. #with all the mainlander or even international seachangers driving up the prices of everything because they're a lucrative market #and I understand that. since the manufacturing industry collapsed here and the poms stopped buying our apples #you gotta do what you gotta do. #but like. the air of exclusivity some people want is annoying at best #and shit like 'the power of the landscape' is fuelling that #I mean hell if we get acknowledged as being bigger sheepshaggers than the kiwis that's a start #idk. I'm just so annoyed because I'm terrified of needing to go to the hospital because there's a chance I mightn't get care #meanwhile the only references to here are how pretty the landscapes are. and when there's finally a discussion about failing hospital #systems we're never mentioned despite how bad the problem is here. y'know?

[thewanderingbleu]

random memory from infodumping about sea slugs:

I'm 97.5% sure Pandora has blue sea dragons, except they're super small as babys but really fucking big as the grow up. Like if you didn't know what they were and kinda visited it like an octopus, every time you saw it you'd go "looks like its finally fully grown!" and then 10 years later there's an absolute behemoth underneath you like hey buddy been a minute and you're trying not to freak out

#unhinged memory if I'm being completely honest #but i like it #very nice 10/10 #can't remember if they're poisonous though #I think the babies might have a high concentration of poison so they have a higher chance of survival #but the amount of poison in their body never changes because they won't need it as they grow older and bigger and more capable #yknow what I mean? #but uh yeah very cool #easily deep sea creatures at full maturity #but as babies? little. itty bitty. tiny little waves on the coast keep pushing them onto the sand cause they weigh less than a feather #precious must protect #and you should because then you get a Big Boy friend which is pretty cool #I'm talking tulkun size *or bigger* #(not me pretty much autowriting the lore of these creatures in the tags LMAO) #avatarmoviekin #na'vi kin #kin #kin memories #na'vikin #avatarthewayofwaterkin

[kyaruun]

i will make pandora hearts fanart no matter how long it takes

fully determined to draw the babygirl

#kuu.txt #if a character has dark fluffy hair and they're surrounded by trauma #bc they keep fighting to protect their loved ones but things they don't have control over go Wrong #and they have a self imposed sense of duty where they need to serve someone that's special for them #that's. that's where i go absolutely insane and can't really shake them off my head #i am indeed thinking of two (2) characters but the second one is so obscure.... #anyways yeah ph. i need to draw the babygirl. the children i Need to Protect #and some of the toxic pretty boys because i have a brand to keep 💅

[hmds]

being autistic is kind of really funny. i can tell you all the nitty gritty of misunderstood animals, the history of certain events and holidays that are celebrated, and take up extremely difficult and precision based hobbies but if i'm in a loud or disorganized environment my brain turns off

#▿ #i'm planning on taking up bug raising and pinning :-))) #i want to start by raising a tarantula or orchid mantis since they're pretty easy but i also plan on raising goliath beetles and atlas moths #i have to start gardening as well but i know i'm gonna have difficulties with remembering what needs how much water when #plus pests!! i hate to use insecticides but i don't want my plants to be eaten #i know there are certain plants you can grow to keep pests away but then you a plant for that plant and then it snowballs #also recently i had to explain the history of stonewall to my younger sheltered friend #because she was saying things like 'it's too hot during pride' i don't see why cops shouldn't be there' stuff like that #she gets it now tho #some context for the cop part; i was reading an article where a pride event said police officers could go to pride but not in uniform #and they were upset over it because blah blah blah whatever #and she didn't understand why because she thought police had to be there to 'protect' the event goer's #so i explained the first 'pride event' being a 3 day long riot between the community and cops #and she was like 'ohhh yeah fucks cops' #anyway sorry. i'm rambling. except i'm not sorry + your mom

[monsterblogging]

"I know JK Rowing is a terrible person but her books are so good-"

You sure about that?

I mean, just for a start, have you taken a good look at her fantasy creatures lately? A whole bunch of them are straight-up based on malicious and dehumanizing stereotypes about actual people.

Remember the werewolves? And being a werewolf was made into a kind of metaphor for having AIDS?

And you know how AIDS was first associated with gay men? And how conservatives back in the day were claiming gay men were preying on children in order to convert them to gayness?

Remember how Fenrir Greyback preyed on children in particular? Yeah, she put that subtext in there. She was an adult in the 90's. She knew damn well what she was doing.

Remember the house elves? Remember how most of them loved to serve and needed to have a home and a master or else they just wouldn't know what to do with themselves?

Did you know that's literally what slavers in the American South said about the Black people they kept enslaved? Go look up the happy slave myth.

Do I even need to get into the goblins and the antisemitic tropes they're based on? No, folkloric goblins were not gold-hoarding bankers waiting for their chance to stab humanity in the back.

"But the characters are so good!"

Are you kidding me?

Most of her characters are pretty one-dimensional, including Harry. Her idea of making a morally complicated character is giving a tragic past to a bully. Numerous characters are little more than stereotypes. (Looking at Fleur right now.) Literally anybody, including you, can easily make dozens of characters just as good, if not better. (It doesn't exactly take a lot of character designing skill to go, "hey, actually, having a sad backstory doesn't make it okay to bully children" or "hey, maybe I should not base a character on the first stereotype that pops into my head.")

"But the rest of the worldbuilding!"

Sorry, but her worldbuilding is just as basic as her characters. Magical castles and secret passages are stock tropes. Magical people who keep their true nature secret from humanity is the premise of pretty much every White Wolf TTRPG. Most of her fantasy creatures are just common European fairy tale and folklore creatures with shitty stereotypes projected onto them.

I'm not saying "basic worldbuilding bad." I'm saying, you could do just as good, if not better, with minimal effort.

Also there's her magical bioessentialism, where only Harry's abusive blood relatives could provide him with supernatural protection from Voldemort. Rowling thus effectively declared that non-biological family isn't quite real family, and that abusive biofamily can give you some essential thing that a loving, supportive family that isn't related to you just can't.

The Hogwarts houses are one of the most insidious elements of her worldbuilding. The idea of being sorted gives you a little dopamine hit because wow now you have a li'l niche where you belong!

But the actual function of the houses and sorting system and the House Cup is teaching children to see each other as rivals, and ensure that the most toxic views of the upper class get passed on to every new batch of kids sorted into Slytherin.

Hogwarts effectively prepares children for a dystopia where magic serves to distract its citizens from how nightmarishly awful it is. Economic inequality is so bad that people like Arthur and Molly Weasley can barely afford to put their kids through school, casual sadism is just an accepted norm in everyday society, and non-humans are second class citizens. Rowling sorta acts like she thinks this is a bad thing with certain lines she gave to Dumbledore, but in the end, her special boy protagonist becomes an auror; IE, a defender of the status quo. So.

If you've never seen it, Lily Simpson's video goes into even more detail on how the worldbuilding of Harry Potter is actually incredibly fucked up, and how it betrays small-minded attitudes on Rowling's part. There's no separating the art from this artist, because Rowling's rotten values pour out of nearly every page.

Yes, there are many things in Harry Potter that evoke feelings and inspire people, but there's absolutely nothing in it that this series has a monopoly on. You can find those same experiences in much, much better media.

#harry potter #jk rowling #Youtube

[sheeshiki]

fun fact: my wol is ace and just like me, was a bit uncomfortable with thancred's brief interactions with her in ARR. during HW, their bond & respect for each other grew bc of shared trauma and scars and all i can think of is this meme

#i think it's just pretty neat that they mirror each other in a lot of ways even though they're direct opposites in other ways #both are/were scoundrels doing Illegal stuff to get by #both are incredibly loyal to their loved ones #both carry immense guilt for Not Being Good enough protecting others #so yeah..... #c: adreyan marlowe #| sundown | #musings; #hcs;

[arolou]

lmao this is gonna be the dumbest post ever BUT i'm back on my fast and furious bullshit for whatever reason so i've been diving back into writing f&f fic. they make a big deal in the movies that the town brian and rome grew up in is really shitty and dangerous and no one wants to keep living there (and according to google it's one of the most unsafe cities in the country, especially for it's size), so obvs i really lean into that when i write about it, but then today i was like hmmm out of curiosity i should see how it compares to my hometown, maybe it'll help me get the vibes right. and lo and behold, my town is only a negligible amount behind that one on all the crime rankings lmao. they're both more dangerous than over 90% of the country. so every time i was writing and was like am i not going hard enough? am i going too hard? are these offensive presumptions? it all just happened to be a case of real recognizing real. shitty recognizing shitty. don't-leave-your-house-after-dark recognizing don't-leave-your-house-after-dark. amazing.

#live ficcing #i can't really explain why this blew my mind so much kajhfkh i think it's bc that city was a Big Fucking Deal for character backstories #and then i had the realization that yeah. my hometown is probs a big fucking deal for /my/ backstory too lmao #in the exact same way #and i think it was just realizing that even media that does pretty well dealing with Real Shit is still so hollywood-ified #bc they're like 'ohhh my god they're from THAT place!' but then us real ppl who are from those kinda places are just. chilling. #like yeah it sucks sometimes and it def ain't safe but it's not as huge a deal as fucking rich ppl from CA act like it is #idk if any of that is coherent #sorry lmao #also idk why i felt like i couldn't namedrop the f&f city....like i needed to protect its privacy or something shdfkjsd #ramble ramble rambleeee

[medicinemane]

All I'm saying is any rule, any law, any social convention, anything where there's some kind of reprisal for transgressing against it... just make damn sure you're careful with it lest it be used against you

Every freedom you give up in the name of making a better world, really double check it's worth it and narrowly defined

I mean some freedoms are worth giving up, for instance I don't have the freedom to kill people who annoy me, and I shouldn't have that freedom. I lose very little while gaining a great deal both personally and for society as a whole, and there are a lot of places like this where it's 100% worth it to ban something outright

Similarly, there absolutely are reasons to socially shun people, like you don't have to put up with every last thing just to be nice. Influencers who do stuff like harass people to drum up attention or record and post every second of their kid's lives, I don't think we should be engaging with people like that unless it's to keep an eye on them, I think they do a ton of harm

All I'm saying though, is shit like the Patriot Act drummed up support because it was going to protect people, keep people safe... and look what actually happened, look how it's used. It's state surveillance against the people it claimed to protect and that's about it

I'm not gonna tell you which things are wrong to shit on people for, or which policies you should oppose. I don't want you to just mimic what I believe, even if I thought anyone was gonna

I just want you to look at stuff, and think about it, and really decide if that thing you want gone is harmful in a concrete enough way that if you do something to try to remove it, it will only remove that instead of spilling over in to stuff you didn't want it to

I just want you to check in your head if anything you're cracking down on either legally or through social pressure might lead you to losing something you care about down the road if bad actors skew how to interpret things

I'm not saying that's how it's gonna go, I'm just saying think first

#you know what I'll always respect? #when cloudflare basically just removed their ddos protections from... think it was stormfront or a similarly hateful website #and here's the part I respect #the owner came out and basically said 'yeah; I woke up and was basically like fuck those assholes; I'm done with this' #'because we basically had people asking us to just step aside; so i knew they'd get hit with a ddos if we cancelled our contract' #'and I don't regret it at all; because they're awful people and I hate them' #'but I also have to say it's pretty worrisome that I could singlehandedly make a decision like that' #it went something like that anyway; and I respect the fact that he realized the gravity of his actions #like I mean I agree with him; agree with what he did; fuck those assholes #but he had awareness about the whole thing; he realized that there was danger that the unpopular voice wouldn't always be unpopular #because it was saying something hateful and vile like in these cases #sometimes the unpopular voice might be saying something true; and just; and important; that people just didn't like or want to hear #and that... it's very hard to work out how to tell the difference in terms of a systematic framework #and that also like... well; our gut will tell us which things are good and bad; which things should be protected and which shouldn't #except... that's fucking stupid; we all get it wrong; and most of us are ruled by what makes us uncomfortable more than morality #like be blunt; that's a pretty damn true statement if you think about it #and even if it's not; there have been absolutely abhorrent ideas in the past that were held as sacrosanct pillars of society #like was it wrong to say 'slavery is horrible and should be banned' just because some people found that an unpopular opinion? #obviously not; like blatantly those people were wrong #but you have to acknowledge; you really really have to acknowledge that you're capable of being one of those people #that you're capable of believing wrong; bad; hurtful things even though you're trying to be a good person #that you could be on the pro slavery side of things in a modern situation where we just haven't moved far enough along #for it to become more or less universally recognized that yeah... you're just being a backwards asshole about things #we can all be tricked; we can all fall for vile lines of thinking if they appeal to us in the right ways; me included #the important thing is to constantly try your best to reevaluate why you believe what you believe and provide evidence #I don't know... just don't be passive and assume you're right #check that what you're saying and doing isn't causing undue harm #it's tough... we all think we're freethinking smarties who've come to the right conclusion #so if I tell you to make sure you're right; you're gonna say 'yeah of course I am'; and you know? so am I #but just like... try to be a little introspective; and try to interrogate what you believe and why