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im-not-corrupted · 4 years

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Safi, No (a Witchlands Fanfiction) - Chapter Sixteen

Written with @un-empressed, who wrote both POV’s for this chapter.

Chapter Summary:

Aeduan finally learns about Leopold and Safi setting him and Iseult up. Merik wants to be a better person, and doesn't know how.

Also on Ao3!

Now that their - no, Safi's, for he definitely didn't think about it as something, anything, other than a burden - revenge plot was over, Aeduean doubted he'd hear from the crazy people again. It was almost sad.

But then Leopold called him and the possibility was no longer anything but heavenly.

Aeduan sighed. "Let me guess, someone bumped into Safi and didn't say sorry?"

It was a stupid thing to say. Everyone knew Safi would've started another revenge plan even if the person apologised. He could just hear her voice in his head, talking about how it was "obviously sarcastic" or whatever other shit she thought could excuse wanting to ruin someone's life.

"No. Maybe. Not that I know of. She told you that?" Leopold asked. Aeduan rolled his eyes. It didn't even seem all that unrealistic knowing Safi. He wondered for probably the thousandth time how (and why) Iseult endured her best friend's crazy, borderline obsessive ramblings. It must have been some kind of superpower, or at least an admirable amount of skill.

"What were you going to say, Leopold? And make it quick, I have places to be." Aeduan did not, and even if he did, Leopold wouldn't care.

"Oh, yeah! How was your date with Iseult the other day?"

"What?"

"She refused to give us any details and said some things that were rather hurtful, if you ask me."

Oh, how Aeduan was going to murder Leopold one day. It would be a sweet, sweet revenge for all of the suffering that the idiot put him through.

"I don't know what Iseult said to you - or, well, about you - but I agree. It wasn't a date, you assholes abandoned us in that ice cream shop," Aeduan said. He hoped his lack of amusement carried well through his voice.

"Yeah, so you could have a date! Don't you get it now?"

Aeduan was going to murder both Leopold and Safi when he saw them. A date? Seriously? They were both nightmares, and Aeduan was determined to wake up.

"You're an asshole," Aeduan said instead of goodbye. It seemed more fitting, although every bye said to Leopold was a good bye. The best bye. The most fulfilling bye.

Aeduan didn't know what to do with this new information. Was it an actual date? What did Iseult think about it? Did he even want it to be a date? No. He didn't. Of course he didn't. That was ridiculous. Iseult was just a friend. Barely even a friend, he didn't know anything about her! Well, except her favourite book, but she talked about it a lot. And that she liked strawberry ice cream. And her dog's name. And he knew how she met Safi, but that was really only said because Aeduan was intrigued. Not by Iseult. Never by Iseult. He was just intrigued by their differences, and how they could be such good friends beside them. Aeduan couldn't even make friends with people painfully similar to him.

He was still stuck in a childhood rivalry with one of his neighbours. They were both too stubborn to admit the other had good qualities, and yet before the whole revenge plot thing, she was the closest thing to a friend Aeduan had ever had. It was confusing, but Aeduan didn't like to dwell on it too much. He didn't think about Lizl unless he absolutely had to, and he didn't think about her as anything other than a bother.

She used to be the most annoying, pretentious person Aeduan knew, but that changed as soon as he met Leopold. Not that he was going to tell Lizl that. She would probably try to somehow become even more of a jerk to him, simply because she couldn't stand not being number one, even if it was in annoying a person.

Aeduan had a feeling even Lizl would admit Leopold was annoying, and she usually became best friends with all the people Aeduan found even slightly unlikeable, ruining them and their whole family in his eyes by doing that. Perhaps she thought she was doing them a favour.

Lizl would have told Leopold to fuck off, and Aeduan now wished he had done just that. He hoped Iseult did. Iseult. He should message her. Why didn't she tell him they were being set up, if she knew?

No matter how Aeduan started the message, he kept erasing it. He finally decided to call her. It would be much simpler, right? That way he wouldn't have the time to be nervous. No, not nervous. He wasn't nervous. There was no reason to be. It was just Iseult. They talked before, in an exclusively platonical way.

Iseult picked up right away. "Hey!"

"Leopold told me we were apparently on a date," Aeduan said, skipping the greetings.

"Wait, you didn't know?" Iseult asked. She sounded less like she was making fun of him and more like she was actually shocked, "I mean, not that I thought it was a date, but you should've known that was what they considered it."

It did seem reasonable that Leopold and Safi would overreact like that, but Aeduan found that there was something slightly dishonest in Iseult's voice.

"Yeah, you're right. They're both assholes."

"Calling Safi an asshole is my job. She is one, but no one else is allowed to say it." Aeduan smiled at that, and then he did his best to stop it. To wear a neutral facial expression. He ddidn't even know why he smiled. There was just something about the usually reasonable Iseult being hypocritical from time to time. Or rather there was just something about Iseult. They were friends, and Aeduan...appreciated her. In a completely platonic, friendly, meant to disappoint Safi and Leopold way.

"Am I allowed to call her an idiot? Just this one time?".

Aeduan didn't know why he was asking for permission. He didn't need it. He didn't need Iseult to allow him to do anything. And yet it didn't seem so bad when she laughed.

"This one time."

[x]

Merik was never less glad to find out that he was right. Usually he hated being wrong, and denied it if he was, but this time he wished he was overreacting when he said that there was a plot against him. Kullen and Ryber didn't tell him where they were going at first. Maybe it would've been better if they had.

If they told him, he wouldn't've been sitting in front of Safi, confused and only slightly enraged. She showed him her phone, filled with half assed apologies sent in a group full of people he never met. Well, most of them anyway. Merik would never admit it, but he was kind of hurt to see Vivia's name in the group chat. They were making progress, and yet...Merik really had to fix himself. If so many people thought him self absorbed, it had to be the truth.

He used to believe it just meant it was him against the world, and he wasn't a big fan of letting the majority decide what a person was like, but if Kullen and Ryber agreed too, it had to mean something.

Kullen made Safi give Merik her phone number, which Merik didn't know what to do with. But his thoughts were too much all at once, and he needed to face them. Not alone, though. He couldn't do it alone. And he couldn't do it with Kullen, or any of his friends either. He didn't need someone to comfort him, he needed someone to show him what to fix. And so Merik found himself texting Safiya fon Hasstrel, self proclaimed master of bribery and corruption, whatever that was. Oh my God I really am an asshole. The reply came quickly. Duh.

Not helping. What makes me an asshole?

Merik could imagine her rolling her eyes as she read the message. Idk, I'm not your therapist.

Merik found her answer strangely comforting, mainly because everyone else did pretend to be his therapist. But you owe me since you made a revenge plot against me.

Fucking ask literally anybody else, I think Kullen will kill me if I give you the whole list.

Kullen wouldn't. Would he? He might possibly. Safi did say he stormed into her best friend's house mad as hell. Merik never saw Kullen mad, but it must have been at least slightly terrifying. He was taller than anyone Merik had ever met and that could be scary at times.

If we meet up in person I'll have no evidence.

Merik didn't spend a lot of time talking to Safi during the day she apologised. Kullen later told him how he found out, and how he had to literally convince Safi's friend to tell her to apologise. She probably didn't even want to be there, and she had tried to get out of apologising by insisting that they were both assholes and that this was "a lesson learned" for both of them.

That's why Merik was surprised when she accepted, telling him to meet her at the ice cream place. Okay then.

He told Vivia where he was going. She shot him an apologetic look. They hadn't really talked about the revenge plan, or her involvement in it. Merik didn't want to know why Safi put the special emphasis on it when he noted that Vivia was in the group chat. He didn't want to know.

Was it him being an asshole again? He couldn't tell. That was exactly why he needed to talk with the one person who would bluntly tell him all of it. Sure, he could have asked either Vivia or Stix to do it, but he didn't want to jeopardise the progress he'd made with either of them.

He didn't want to be friends with Safi. He just wanted to understand why she didn't want to be friends with him. Why she made up a whole plot against him.

And it seemed that she loved explaining it to him. As soon as Merik got to the ice cream place, Safi started talking about it being "the place where all her genius plans to spite him were born". Merik didn't appreciate too much, but he knew he needed to hear it.

He didn't want to add onto the ever growing pile of evidence that he was way worse than he thought, but he just had to ask about the jackets bearing the bizarre motto of the group.

Safi was more than glad to explain that bribery and corruption was her method of "gaining allies". Merik snorted at that.

"Don't look at me like that, it worked on Vaness and your sister just fine!"

Merik was wondering how she got Vaness to help her, but what he didn't understand was why Vivia had to be "bribed and corrupted" into it. The revenge plot seemed like something she would get involved in without a second thought.

Did Vivia not hate him as much as he thought? It would stay a mystery, because Merik was going to deny this conversation ever took place.

"Maybe, but they know me and are greatly annoyed by me for whatever reason." Safi rolled her eyes, even despite the small smile on her face. "I mean, if I was just a stranger to them, they would never. Well, maybe Vaness. She likes to make people feel irrelevant."

That made Safi full on laugh. "Our Nessie does need to work on her social skills," she said.

"Nessie? She'll have your head for that."

"Just my head? But my neck might get lonely."

The joke wasn't even that funny, but Merik still laughed at the proud expression on her face. She was truly something else.

As the conversation progressed, she made even more stupid jokes. It was only when Merik got home that he realised how the conversation wasn't about his own faults when it wasn't a set up for a play on words.

She also asked if he wanted to join "the new revenge plan". Merik didn't know why, but he accepted. It was a spur of the moment thing. Dragging his friends into the agreement was, on the other side, a completely conscious decision.

It wasn't why he went to meet up with her at the first place, but Merik couldn't deny that it was nice. They weren't friends, so they could insult each other as much as they wanted to. Merik didn't know that arguments could be playful or anything than just outright frustrating. But whatever it was with him and Safi, it was more pleasant than he'd ever admit, and he suspected that she was the same.

Read the next chapter here: Chapter Seventeen

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hockey-jews · 6 years

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For anyone who wants to learn more about Judaism! Also, kind of a post about how to deal with some Things and Stuff. This is a long post so I’ll put it under a read more for those interested:

This is really for an anonymous message I got that described struggles with things that I think many of us struggle with or have in the past: not being “Jewish enough” in the eyes of other Jews due to your heritage being on the “wrong” side (read; on your father’s side), yet still experiencing antisemitism from goyim. Not learning very much, if anything, about Judaism as a child but wanting to learn more as an adult. Not being comfortable with some traditions or laws of Judaism because you are a) a feminist b) LGBT c) an atheist. Living in a place with few to no Jewish spaces. Not feeling welcome in the Jewish community due to any or all of these things.

Book recs!

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys reading (or can at least tolerate it) I highly recommend these books! They’re all books that I have either read/started reading/or plan on reading. (Please keep in mind that none of these are Jewish texts such as the Torah or the Talmud and that I do understand the importance of such religious texts but am not recommending them because I feel those are obvious sources of information)

A Bride for One Night if you aren’t familiar with the Talmud, it’s a collection of writings and explanations of Jewish laws and traditions and it’s old as balls. The author of this book, Ruth Calderon, takes a bunch of Talmudic stories and makes them into these wonderful beautiful stories that are easier to read than the original ones from the 3rd and 6th centuries. Even if you don’t know anything about the Talmud this book is so fascinating and fun to read.

The G-d Who Hates Lies is literally perfect for you if you have issues with how women are viewed and treated in the most traditional sense of Judaism. It’s a really great criticism by people who are extremely qualified to make those criticisms (both are rabbi’s and I think they both have doctorates in theology, specifically Modern Orthodox Judaism, which makes for a really cool viewpoint). I can’t find anything about the third author of this book, who is a woman, but it’s comforting to know that a woman had a part in this as well. Obviously these people love Judaism, they just want to see it adapt to modernity. Just in general it’s a really thoughtful book that challenges dogma.

Jewish Literacy was recommended by an anon (thank you!) The rest of the title is “The Most Important Things to Know about The Jewish Religion, Its People and Its History” so like. Ya get what ya see here folks. HOWEVER I did see a review that mentions there is some Islamophobia and hostility towards Jews who are antizionist. It does genuinely look informative and I haven’t read it myself so I can’t attune to whether or not that review is accurate, but maybe be cautious if you read this in knowing that the author may not be objective.

Book of Mercy made me openly weep and feel something tender and weird in my heart and like. Okay so it’s not informative so much as it’s a book of poetry by Leonard Cohen (he was Jewish if you didn’t know!) He calls his poems “modern psalms” and honestly this would be a good read even if you aren’t religious at all because his writing is just so gorgeous. But it does have references to Judaism and his identity as a Jew

Understanding Judaism is really a “building blocks” kind of book to me, if that makes sense? It’s really informative but also really basic and is fantastic for people who know very little about Judaism or just want a well presented understanding of the core aspects of the Jewish religion. Even if you aren’t a Jew who’s looking to learn or someone who is considering conversion it’s still a good book if you’re interested in world religions regardless of your faith or lack thereof. (man I’m starting to sound pretentious lmao I just mean like, if you’re an atheist or Catholic or whatever, it’s pretty interesting and also this guy is kinda dorky-funny so it makes for an easier read than some other books about religion)

Shmooze I think this is meant to be more for a group to read an discuss, and like, also maybe meant for a younger audience (I’m talking about teenagers so not really that young, but if you’ve been reading dull infodumps by 90 y/o Jewish rabbis with doctorate degrees this is gonna be a change of pace lmao) I should mention that I’ve only read like two pages of this book because I saw it at Barnes and Noble and just kinda briefly checked it out so I don’t know a ton about it but it stuck in my head and the reviews look positive so

Obvious I don’t think you have to read all of those because I haven’t even read all of those so maybe just check one of them out if it seems like it could be helpful to you.

Judaism here on tumblr dot com:

Okay so like. This is really my personal diced onion so take it however you will but keep in mind that this really only reflects things I’ve come across and how I feel.

Obviously there are a lot of really great blogs about Judaism but I don’t have any specific ones to recommend I’m sorry :O I really really hate ~Discourse~ and like, in-depth arguments about the Holocaust because I get so wrapped up in it and let’s be honest, tumblr is all about the discourse and ignorance. That being said, I like to follow other people who are Jewish and blog about whatever because that usually leads to safer discussions and also is a great way to find really helpful thoughts and discussions by other Jews about topics like being LGBT, being a woman, being an atheist, etc. These are just nice to read and also if you aren’t familiar with certain Yiddish or Hebrew terms that are commonly used it’s a good way to see how and when they’re used in certain contexts.

I’m going to tag anything like this that I post here as “good info” just so me and anyone who wants can find this stuff easier. No they won’t necessarily have anything to do with hockey.

Also please be very careful when you’re reading a post that is presenting certain things as facts, always double check what someone is saying because misinformation is spread so quickly, and it’s almost always unintentional. The things that I find genuinely helpful/safe/fun involve opinions, common feelings and experiences, little personal stories and jokes, cool stuff like that.

I’m Jewish on my father’s side :0

Me too boo. Unfortunately that’s an unending discussion, and one that is often held by matrilineal Jews and doesn’t actually include patrilineal Jews, nor does it consider our thoughts/feelings/experiences. Without sounding like an idiot, it is absolutely buckwild to me that there are people who have been raised Jewish, have never known anything other than Jewish tradition, have been subject to antisemitism, but still aren’t considered Jewish.

And then this is where I see matrilineal Jews who hold this viewpoint bring up Reform Judaism, which is one of the three main branches of Judaism and does recognize patrilineall Jews as Jews. I’ve seen some discrepancy as to whether or not patrilineal Jews had to have been raised Jewish in order to be considered Jewish. This is all well and good for Jews like me whose family practices Reform Judaism, but for patrilineal Jews who wish to practice in an Orthodox or Conservative synagogue, it gets tricky.

Basically, yes this is a huge topic that inspires a lot of disagreement, and that sucks, but here’s what it comes down to. No one else is allowed to make you feel inferior because of your heritage. So many people, even modern Orthodox Jews, recognize that certain aspects of Judaism need to adapt to today’s society. I don’t want to offend anyone here, but I really do feel that most matrilineal Jews who don’t consider us Jewish are extremely hypocritical (for a lot of reasons but mostly like...y’all really follow every aspect of Jewish Law? Like do you really? All of it? Girl do u? Or are you maybe just being elitist). Learning about your heritage, talking about shared experiences, combating antisemitism, these are all things that are fair game for you (especially for the anon who said they were atheist) and going to Shabbat services, praying, participating in holy days. That’s all yours if you want it, bubbeleh.

Can I be an atheist Jew?

Sure you can! I, personally, am not an atheist so I wasn’t comfortable finding specific resources about this because I don’t really know much about it? It’s fine with me if you’re atheist that’s none of my business, I just don’t want to direct you to a bad source. But yes, many Jews are atheist, many are secular, I’m sure there are many here on tumblr. It’s absolutely okay, Judaism is an ethnoreligion, and while you may experience Judaism different than the rest of us, you’re still a Jew and still belong.

Here’s an excerpt from a short lil synopsis of Judaism:

These three connotations of Judaism as a monotheistic system, as a literary tradition, and as a historical culture are sometimes viewed separately. For example, there are Jews who see themselves as culturally Jewish, but who are also non-religious or atheist, often identifying more strongly with Jewish “peoplehood” than with traditional understandings of God and Torah. Even so, all Jews would recognize that these three points of reference have shaped and guided Jewish experience through the ages.

Jewish “peoplehood” that they talk about is like. Culture, customs, food, art, history, etc.

One last little note on this, you’ll hear a lot that Judaism focuses more on actions than on beliefs. This is an excellent article that is pretty short and worth reading that I want to include because I think that even if you don’t believe in G-d or even if you are seriously questioning, the focus on just. Doing good. Actively doing good things and trying to be a good person (I know that’s objective but bear with me) is a such a huge part of Judaism that you can try to incorporate into your life without having to subscribe to any sort of dogma or beliefs that you don’t hold. “Judaism is certainly a faith-based tradition. Belief in G-d is central to our religion. It just isn’t a prerequisite. If you are Jewish, you are so regardless of belief.”

But I’m a feminist....

As you should be. This is probably another personal statement you gon’ wanna take with a grain of salt, but I think Judaism, especially in the last 50 years or so, has made huge strides in this. Especially Reform Judaism, but that kind of goes without saying.

Example, my synagogue was founded as a Conservative synagogue. Our website still says we are. I’m not actually sure tbqh, like I said, my family are Reform Jews, and so are most other families in our congregation I think but this is literally the only synagoge for like hundreds of miles so. Anyways our rabbi is female (Rabbi Shaina!) and she does great work, we all love her. She’s really adament on teaching kids that gender shouldn’t keep you from anything, that Judaism is for all Jews, that it should enhance our lives. She wears a tallis, lays her tefillin, and reads from the Torah.

My point here is that while this isn’t like, the end of misogyny in Judaism as we know it, it’s still a big deal in most religions to have a woman as their religious leader, essentially a position of religious power. For men to accept a woman as a religious leader is not something that is super common in most religions. And we’re like, a tiny congregation over a hundred miles away from anyone else, technically a Conservative synagogue, that’s super loving and accepting of a feminist running our shit... female rabbis are super common and I think it speaks a lot to how we’re progressing as a religion. Reform Judaism is going to be your best bet when it comes to tolerance but knowing that all three of the main branches are progressing, at least with this, is really comforting to me.

However, that’s an extremely one sided view and doesn’t really show the issue as a whole. This super short article (? not sure) is a bit pessimistic in my mind but presents the other side of things and gives a good explanation of the traditional sources of misogyny in Judaism, so this could further your understanding as well.

By no means are we perfect but we’re workin on it. Look into Jewish Feminism though, if you have the time. That article is just a lil intro to the topic.

I’m Q*eer/LGBT and I’m not sure y’all are gonna be cool with that...

Well this one’s a doozy.

I’ll kick this right off by presenting an article that is objective and does not reflect the author’s opinion, just lays out the issues at hand. It also has some links to other good pieces, including one cool story about a transgender man, Rafi Daugherty, embracing his role as a father and details his experience with pregnancy and giving birth. I should mention that I am cisgender so I’m interpreting this article through a different point of view, but it really does make a point of celebrating Rafi and his daughter and sharing their story. It does include a little cultural background context, but this is a positive story that I think deserves to be shared :)

Then there’s this statement from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism that confirms its absolute acceptance and support of LGBT Jews.

On the other side of things, there are still homophobic and intolerant Jews. Conversion camps were not just a Christian thing, there were Jewish conversion camps as well, which is horrific. Idk what to say because I think homophobia and transphobia in Judaism is really similar to what you would find in Christian settings.

I’m bisexual and I feel completely welcomed by other Jews who know this about me, and I certainly don’t feel any less Jewish because of it.

I live in a place where Jewish spaces are rare.

I really hate to disappoint with this one but I don’t have any specific sources or anything like that. Alls I got to say is that’s why the internet is so great? I really don’t feel like that’s helpful at all, but I think for the most part, the Jewish side of tumblr is pretty accepting and welcoming. Obviously that’s not always gonna be true though idkdjaskfl;dj

I spose with this one I wanna encourage anyone who has any good resources for involvement or something like that to reply to this post or drop by my inbox and let me know! Or maybe just your thoughts on some Jewish spaces you’ve encountered?

I hope this was helpful

In conclusion, don’t let anyone make you feel less Jewish. Your sexual identity, gender identity, and even your belief in G-d doesn’t take away from your Jewishness. I’d like to say that since I started delving into Judaism a little more I’ve found a lot of peace. And yeah that sounds cliche and also vague but it’s really a breath of fresh air to learn about my family and know more about this community. Also if you’re comfortable with or willing to try prayer, even if you’re atheist, it can be a good way to decompress sometimes, a really therapeutic kind of way to voice your thoughts and feelings and reflect on them.

There’s so much information and culture to delve into but it’s so so worth it to learn and I’m really happy for you that you’re interested in getting more in touch with your Jewish roots.

If any of these links don’t work and you’d like to see them let me know!

#this took 78 years sorry #ok for anyone to rb #there are TYPOS galore I'm sorry #judaism

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 6 years

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Dom Sherwood Controversy -- Thoughts

So, I got no less than 5 asks and messages about my thoughts on the Dom controversy. I really didn't want to open this can of worms. But here goes.

In regards to Dom Sherwood using the "F" word? I personally don't give two shits or any amount of shits for that matter. Why doesn't this matter to me? Because the only thing I care about is Shadowhunters being a good show. That one day, Shadowhunters could become a show that is on par with a show like Supernatural, for instance. It's not currently but I cling onto that hope in order to justify continuing watching this poorly written show. I really don't care if the cast or crew are decent people. I don't need Dom to be a decent person for that to happen. Is he a shitty person for using that word? Possibly. I don't know the context in which he said the word nor do I actually care enough to do the research. Is he a homophobe? Is he not a homophobe? Did he mean his apology? Did he not mean his apology? Who can tell? Certainly none of us because we don't know him on a personal level although some of the fandom likes to think they do. But either way? It doesn’t matter to me. I don't actively watch interviews with the cast because I want to feel connected to them as people. I don't care if they're good or bad people. I just want them to do their job. All I care about is that they give a good portrayal on the show they're working on. Let's take for instance Kat McNamara. She seems like a lovely person. Truly, in the interviews I've seen her in, she's a complete saint and I'm not ashamed to admit I have a healthy amount of adoration for her as a person. Does that stop me from thinking at times that she may be the wrong fit for Clary? No. I've always thought that and I still do at times. Part of it is the writing but another part of it is that whenever Kat tries to portray Clary as fiery and selfless, she comes off as pretentious, condescending, and rude to me. It doesn't stop me from liking Kat as a person. It's just a flaw I find in her portrayal of Clary. Just like when casting was first announced for this show. There was a whole lot of talk about how amazing it was that there are so many POC casted. I personally didn't care. I didn't even notice until the fandom started pointing it out. I don't see race or ethnicity unless it's actually important to the story being told. And thus far in Shadowhunters, Izzy being portrayed by a Latina hasn't been super important to the story. Just like in the show, Lucifer, I had been watching and adoring the show for two seasons before I came across a post in the fandom talking about how amazing it is that the show is so heavily POC casted. When I saw that post, I was like, "Huh. I guess they are. I hadn't really noticed." It's great to see POC have a higher and more quality representation in media but at the end of the day, all I care about is the story being told and if I like the portrayal.

There's been a lot of speculation about whether Matt and Dom are still friends. Again, it doesn't matter to me. As long as they're professional and this problem doesn't get in the way of their portrayal of Alec and Jace and the parabatai bond, they can be bitter enemies for all I care. Are they friends or not? Have they ever been friends? Doesn't matter to me. Cast mates hating each other is nothing new in media. What does matter if the actors can table it and put forth a good end product.

One of my favorite episodes from the show Supernatural is this episode in Season 6 called The French Mistake. It's basically where Sam and Dean get sent to this parallel universe in which they find out that in this reality their world that they were living in, the world we know as Supernatural, is actually a fictional tv series. Much like it is in our reality. That there is actually a production crew producing their lives. There are a lot of reasons for why I like this episode. First of all, this episode is meta as hell. The French Mistake serves as this outlet for this show and everyone involved to make fun of themselves. But another reason I love this episode is a certain theme they kind of explore a little. All throughout this episode, we have Sam and Dean having to pretend they're Jared and Jensen but they're still behaving with the Winchester brotherly bond we all love about them intact. So on the outside looking in, within the confines of this episode, we have the cast and crew remarking constantly, "What's going on with Jared and Jensen? Why are they talking? Why are they spending off camera time together?" And my favorite iteration of the line, "They're acting weird but at least they're talking now." It's interesting because in the eyes of the fandom, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, and Mark Sheppard are viewed as really good friends. And in this episode, they're not portrayed this way. In this episode, we see Jared and Jensen as these very rich, very shallow people who don't like each other while in real life in the fandom we see them as great friends. Misha is portrayed as the pinnacle douchey actor obsessed with his twitter fan following instead of being the quirky and likable philanthropist the fandom views him as. Mark isn't in this episode but I'm sure if he was, we would've gotten some equally entertaining parody of him. This episode I enjoy because it introduces this idea that who these people are on the show, how they allow the fandom to perceive them, and who they are in real life can be very different things. These people allow us to see bits and pieces of who they are but none of us can really know as we don't have a personal connection with any of them despite how much we may want to. Also, this episode has an amazing scene where Jared and Jensen have to act badly on purpose and it's just wonderful. I have no idea how the crew was even able to get through one take of filming that scene without dying from laughter. Here it is if you've never seen it.

youtube

Do I have to like Dom as a person to be able to watch Shadowhunters? Absolutely not. All I care is that he gives a good portrayal of Jace. As long as he didn't break any laws, it won't blacken my perception of Jace. And while as horrible as it is to use the "F" word, it's not against the law. If you think that it should be, well then we're going to get into some Freedom of Speech territory and I really don't want to get into any of that with any of you. And whereas you can use the argument that it's wrong for an actor affiliated with a show about tolerance and the progression of LGBTQ relationships in society, it doesn't change the fact that you can still be a part of a show that does deal with those issues and not care about those issues yourself. I bet nowhere in Dom's contract does it say he has to believe in the same societal issues that the show is fighting against. All he needs to bring to the table is the ability to act. That's what he's being paid for. I would also like to point out how hypocritical it is to use the statement that's it's wrong for someone involved with a show about intolerance to use a derogatory slur seeing as how the fandom is pretty intolerant themselves of any opinion they don't agree with. This fandom will crucify anyone who doesn't agree with their very narrow-minded opinions about the show. Which, again, is ironic considering what the show is about. The Shadowhunters fandom is truly a very toxic environment which is why I only spend time within this fandom while the show is airing. Unfortunately, the show is not so good that I can warrant spending their hiatus time in the fandom too. Spending that much time in that toxic of an environment, I'm fairly certain I would grow to hate life.

And also, this goes along with the themes in The French Mistake. I have a personal belief that you should never meet your heroes. The French Mistake talks about how you can speculate on who that person is but that doesn't mean you know them or even if you should know them. Everyone should be very wary of putting media figures on pedestals. They're human just like us. Some of us are good people, some of us are bad people, some of us exist somewhere in the middle. Just like these media figures. Some of them good people, some of them are bad people and most of them exist somewhere in the middle. By putting that actor on that pedestal, idolizing them and not embracing the truth that you don't actually know them and that they have flaws, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed. Idolize the show, idolize the characters but be very careful about how you idolize real people. That's what I do. I love the show Supernatural. I love Castiel as a character. I love Misha Collins' portrayal of him. And I think Misha Collins is an amazing person. His efforts with Random Acts and making a difference in the world is wonderful. His quirky and free thinking personality gives me joy when I watch his panels. The fact that talking about his wife and children can move him to tears of joy and love on a stage in front of a thousand people is beautiful. But I also accept that he probably does have flaws that I may not like. He does say things at his panels that I don't entirely agree with but it doesn't change my perception of him as a person because I accept those things as a part of him.

I would like to close this with imparting a little bit of wisdom that I've acquired over my life. The word, "faggot" although a terrible and reprehensible word, is also just that, a word. I have been called too many insults to count throughout my life (whether it be my personal sexual preferences or other personal things about me) and it used to bother me until I realized this simple truth: You are the one who chooses to be offended. At the end of the day, words are just a compilation of letters. We give those insults power over us by choosing to be offended. We stop giving meaning to those words and those words lose their hold over us. Once I stopped seeing words like faggot or haole or whore or bastard as derogatory terms and just saw them as words and shake them off like they're yesterday's trash, I was much happier. Does it give Dom a pass? No, certainly not. Am I willing to forgive him for it if he was one of those actors that I did actively follow and idolize? Probably not. But would I also think he's a terrible person? Probably not because I don't know what was going through his head when he said it. I don't know the guy. I don't know if he said the word because he's a homphobe or not. I can't know because I don't know who he is as a person. I don't pass negative judgement on people I don't know. And I don't really care to pass any kind of judgement, be it good or bad, in Dom's case. As long as he gives a good portrayal of Jace, that's all that matters to me. I just want these actors to do a good job. Just like with Misha Collins, all I really care is that he gives a good portrayal of Castiel/Jimmy/Lucifer, whoever he happens to be portraying at the time. The fact that he seems to be in possession of this very beautiful soul is just something extra but hey, I'll take it. If theses actors are decent people outside of the work place, hey, that's icing on the cake but I don't necessarily need that icing to enjoy that cake.

But anyway, that's my stance on this very controversial topic with Dom. I personally don't care. I kind of rambled there for a bit but I feel like I got my point across. I have a feeling I'm going to lose a lot of followers but hey, that's life. I'm just doing me. You don't like it? You can either deal with it or get out. Or you can send me a mean message or a mean anonymous ask. I know how you trolls work. You're no different than the bullies I had in high school. And much like my bullies in high school, if you try to belittle me in any way, I'll ignore you. So, there's that.

#dominic sherwood #dom sherwood #shadowhunters #anon asks #unpopular opinions #dom Sherwood controversy

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