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jbuffyangel · 26 days

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Hi this may be an odd question but reading your blog (and other Olicity blogs) it strikes me that while you provide insightful in depth analysis of the show at large you proudly admit that Oliver and Felicity’s relationship is paramount to your overall enjoyment and investment in the show. I personally possess a lot of internal shame stemming from my primary focus on the ship and will feel the need to justify my interest in the other aspects of the show (which I do love but I also love Olicity). I struggle with this with not just Arrow but any tv show where the romantic relationship isn’t intended to be the main premise of a show. I know I am allowing myself to be impacted by the views of comic book (and mostly male) fans and I can acknowledge that many of their views on Olicity fans and the show at large when it comes to the ship are at least somewhat if not primarily misogynistic. Despite knowing it comes from a sexist place which loves to shame women for enjoying romance and reduce our enjoyment to a surface level guilty pleasure unaware of the ways a romantic relationship can add major depth and development to a story as is the case with Arrow (although even if it didn’t add that it would still be valid to like the romance aspects), I still internalize those sexist sentiments and feel ashamed and like I cannot fully enjoy those things are I have to add caveats of my enjoyment. I was just wondering if you ever struggled with this or if you have always felt confident in proudly proclaiming your interest and investment in ships or if it was something that evolved over time. I’m sorry if this is a weird question I just witnessed your confidence in the validity of your passion and I wish I could have that conviction and not feel the shame that misogynistic society has given me in regards to shipping and enjoying romance. It’s definitely much harder in a fandom like Arrow where antis will openly voice their disdain for shippers and make extremely disparaging remarks and assumptions about Olicity shippers but I have felt this way in other fandoms too even when non shippers aren’t this aggressive or sexist.

Hello Nonnie!!!! I am so happy you reached out :) Apologies for the delay. I haven't checked my inbox for about a week. You write so beautifully!

To be honest, I've always marched to the beat of my own drum. I was a sick kid and had difficulty making friends because of it. I was teased in school a lot because of my health issues. Elementary school was not fun. I liked my mom and I liked being home. (These things really haven't changed). The Lord blessed me with a great imagination and a love for stories. I would just play by myself because the world I invented was so much cooler than reality.

It did give me a very strong independent streak, which my parents encouraged. The world had been very cruel to them as well. I was highly encouraged to stand up for myself, tell people where to stick it, and not care what other people think.

I was much healthier in high school and made a bunch of friends. But even my friends, who I know love me to this day, thought it was weird how obsessed I was with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My family thought I joined a cult lol. I just like what I like. It never mattered to me if anyone else liked it.

I find it absolutely insane that anyone looks down on love stories. Love stories have been around for as long as there's been human beings on this planet. Every culture has love stories. Why? Love is central to being human. Love is what MAKES us human. We are here on this planet to be loved and to love in return. It's the whole damn point. And I'm not speaking just about romance. We build our lives around all kinds of different relationships. It is not exclusive to romantic love.

But let's address romantic stories, since that seems to be the genre asshats have a problem with. The question is why? Probably because it's popular with women and God forbid we'd be supportive of women and things they like. The horror. I think you absolutely nailed it here:

Despite knowing it comes from a sexist place which loves to shame women for enjoying romance and reduce our enjoyment to a surface level guilty pleasure...

But sometimes I think there are more personal reasons people have such vile reactions to it. Maybe they don't have romantic love in their own life. Maybe they've been hurt by partners. Maybe they've been rejected and are lonely. Maybe romance stories are a painful reminder of what they don't have. I'm not sure. What I do know is that hurt people hurt people. So, more often than not, what I feel is not shame, but pity.

We're clearly on the right track since every television show, movie, book and comic book has some romantic element to it. Romance sells. So, feel confident because you are in the majority.

I don't give the comic book crowd too much thought. My attitude when it came to Arrow was there's plenty of room for everyone to love what they love, hate what they hate, and go about their merry way. Don't like my blog? Cool. There's the door. Plenty of fish in the sea friends. Seek out other bloggers. Start your own blog! The internet is a vast place. Go with God.

But there is an element of ownership within that community that makes them think they can dictate who can watch a show/movie, what we can like or dislike, who can portray the characters on screen, what stories should be told and how they should be told. It's not just romance. Comic book fans are LOUD about basically everything.

To a certain extent, I get it. You love a character and their stories for a long time. It's very exciting when those stories which only existed on paper are going to be brought to life onscreen. Comic books are a refuge for many people, no different than books or movies. So, it can be very upsetting when you don't feel the tv show or movie has met your expectations. I've been bummed out on more than one occasion with books being made into a movie or television show. We've all been there.

But that doesn't mean they get to be the bouncers at the door. They don't get to gatekeep. They don't get to be racists assholes when an actor or actress doesn't look exactly like the character on the page. They are entitled to their opinion, and their opinion only, but it does not give them a free pass to be hateful towards others who may disagree.

I don't want to single out comic book fans out - this is a general internet problem. People just become assholes behind a keyboard. They say things they would never have the guts to say in person. And clearly this is not ALL comic book fans. I have met many wonderful comic book fans who are welcoming and kind. They love Olicity just as much as I do. Even if they didn't, they respect differing opinions. They are just good human beings overall.

In the beginning of my blog, I debated with antis a lot because I thought we were all just having fun. But when the death threats started because I like Olicity and believed Arrow was going to kill off Laurel Lance, then I reached a point where maybe I was dealing with people who were a few paper plates short of a picnic, if ya know what I'm mean. It's a TELEVISION SHOW. These characters are NOT REAL. But there's no reasoning with crazy.

Do you know who are huge comic book fans? Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. We're talking HARD CORE. And who created Olicity? Greg and Marc. Don't even get me started on the hate they receive.

I know there were entire Reddit threads devoted to trashing me and my blog. Did I read it? No. Did I engage with those people? No. When Stephen Amell's Facebook became a cesspool of terrible antis going after Olicity fans - I left. Did I read the messages in my inbox that were nasty? Nope. DELETED. Did I read the Lauriver tag on tumblr? Nope. We were North and South. The Red Sox and the Yankees. We were never going to agree, so you stay on your side and I'll stay on mine. And when some in the Olicity fandom turned on me because I was still enjoying the show in later seasons, I unfollowed and blocked if necessary. It really boils down to this - can you disagree with someone and remain a polite and kind person? Many folks do not have this skill.

The key to mental health on the internet is control your environment. Do not engage with people who are mean. It's really that simple. Because no matter how "strong" you are mentally, over time, nasty and demeaning comments have a way of sinking in and taking root inside your mind. It's completely understandable that your feelings get hurt because that's the intention! They are trying to hurt you. They are trying to shame you. So don't give them the opportunity.

Does that mean there will be some websites, blogs, social media sites that you don't go to anymore? Yes. Does that mean there will be some fans you don't engage with? Yes. But you know what? The internet is a vast place and there are plenty of people out there who share your opinions. Who love what you love and want nothing more than to chat with you about it until 4 am in the morning. Those are your people. That's your community.

And just for the record, romance loving shippers can be terrible too. I've seen awful behavior from our side of the fence so we're certainly not exempt from the behavior we receive from antis. And loving romance is no guarantee people will be nice either. My shipper flag was forged in the fiery pits of shipper hell - The Vampire Diaries fandom. Nasty doesn't even come close to what I experienced in the great Stelena vs. Delena wars. Arrow is child's play in comparison.

Here's the thing. Arrow is about one man's evolution to a superhero. He could not become that superhero without the love of one woman. LOVE is central to Oliver Queen's development and if you don't understand that part of the story then you really don't understand Arrow.

I think you'll find when it comes to Arrow that it's not romance antis have a problem with. It's who Oliver's romantic partner is. If it was Laurel Lance they would've been happier than clams. But Arrow deviated from "comic book canon" and developed an organic character with an actress Stephen Amell actually had chemistry with. And they CANNOT get over it. But thems the breaks.

I think my perspective on humanity has not really evolved past age six in kindergarten. If you make fun of me or are cruel then you're not a nice person and I will have nothing to do with you going forward. I've approached life like this and overall I have come out the other side a healthier person because of it. The beauty of the internet is there's always another playground to find friends.

I've always been a shipper since I was a little kid. I could never understand why Bobby & Pam couldn't work it out on Dallas. Loved every single husband Erica Kane had on All My Children. (My mother let me watch some wildly inappropriate tv as a kid). I was really torn between Prince Lotor and Keith for Princess Allura on Voltron. I really didn't understand why He-Man and She-Ra couldn't date. I was obsessed with Jerrica and Rio on Jem. And on and on it goes.

In the immortal words of our Queen, Taylor Swift, "The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb or stupid for being excited about something.” She's bang on. Always trust in TSwizzle. I'm a 42 year old woman with a full life who wears her shipper flag proudly. Love what you love my friend. Screw the haters.

And feel free to message me whenever you want to talk shipping. This is a shipper safe zone and always will be. You have absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed of.

#arrow #arrow fandom #olicity #olicity fandom #personal #arrow meta #olicity meta

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farnoush-farsiar1bdddd11 · 2 years

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Farnoush Farsiar - Why are women so scarce in finance?

Women are breaking through barriers and becoming great leaders in many industries. However, there are very few women in finance. Sadly still, it may not change so soon. Deloitte insight estimates that 31% of the financial industry employees will be female by 2030. This begs the question what is the reason there aren't more women in the finance industry? There are a variety of theories. We wanted to learn more from an experienced expert. Farnoush Farnoush is a highly skilled financial professional who is passionate about women's empowerment is our interview subject. Are there any women in finance? In the U.S., women make up 57% of the workforce, but they have only 24 percent of the financial positions. This is expected to rise to 28% within the next ten year, from 24% by 2021. But, they're significantly below the national average. Farnoush Farsiar Diversity is not just an issue for women. Farnoush Farsiar is of the opinion that it's an issue that impacts the economy. Farsiar noted that teams that have diverse leadership styles have better results than teams who have less perspectives. "So it's important that women are represented in these occupations. This is also essential for the nation." There are a variety of reasons women aren't able to be included in the financial sector. One theory is that the financial sector is too male-dominated, competitive and difficult for women to join. Another theory suggests that females are not urged by their families to pursue finance careers. Farsiar believes that women's socialization in their early years is the root of the issue. "Women are taught at a young age to be caretakers , rather than risk-takers. "We're taught not to make chances, but instead to play it safe. This isn't a good idea for an investment career. It's more than just being socialized to look after the children. Women also learn to be kind to people. Farsiar affirms that women are taught to be polite, minimize conflict and maintain their differences in check. "But in the field of finance, you must be able to be a voice for your thoughts. You need to be able advocate for your own ideas." Farsiar asks where are the females who work in finance? Women are disproportionately underrepresented in finance at the top levels. According to a research study from 2016-17 conducted by Pew. Women have 11.5% of financial firm board seats. This could have real-world consequences for women in finance. They are more likely than their male colleagues will be promoted and are more likely to leave the profession. Farnoush Farsiar The good news is that the proportion of women working in senior positions is steadily increasing. Farnoush Farsiar believes the reason for this rise is because of the #womenshould movement which has raised awareness of the problem of diversity. Farsiar states that she's "convinced that the #MeToo movement has also had an impact. Women are now more vocal and insisting on changes. Women who pursue finance face obstacles There are numerous barriers preventing women from getting into finance. The lack of role models for women is one of the greatest barriers to women entering finance. It is lonely for women in finance to be the only woman in their field. Farnoush Farsiar Farsiar said that being the sole woman in a room is extremely intimidating. "You think you need to be flawless every time and that you aren't allowed to make mistakes." Another barrier is the old men's club mentality that is still prevalent in the majority of financial companies. This refers to the idea that men are the ones who promote men while women are left out. "There's lots of truth to that," Farsiar admits. "I have witnessed it firsthand. Farnoush Farsiar Men will encourage their male counterparts regardless of whether they are better equipped. This"old boys' club" mentality can result in harassment and discrimination. Male colleagues in finance often make sexist remarks towards women, and also make inappropriate advances to. "It's definitely an issue," Farnoush Farsiar exclaims. "Women working in finance are typically treated as objects, and it's extremely difficult to make it in the financial world when you're being treated like that." The other issue is the difficulty in finding flexible work arrangements. Women are more likely to take on family responsibilities like caring for parents who are elderly and children. They need flexible work arrangements to manage their home and work schedules. "Finance is a very challenging sector. It can be challenging to meet these demands even when you are also juggling other obligations. Women often find themselves forced to choose between family and work. These challenges make it extremely difficult to become a senior financial professional and enter the industry. There are many initiatives being taken to remedy this. Farnoush Farsiar Thinks There's a Bright Future for Women in Finance There's every reason to be hopeful about the future of women in finance. Many initiatives have been launched to boost their numbers and make it to the top of the financial industry. Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative(We-Fi) is one of these initiatives. It's a collaboration between World Bank Group and 14 countries. We-Fi offers financial assistance and financing to women-owned companies in emerging countries. Farsiar stated, "This program is a fantastic one since it provides women access and the resources to establish and grow their businesses." "It will also assist them in building networks and network to other women who have succeeded." A different initiative is the Women in Finance Charter, that was launched by the U.K. government launched in 2016. The Women in Finance Charter promotes gender diversity. Farsiar says the Women in Finance Charter "is a great leap in the right direction." It encourages financial institutions and other businesses to consider gender diversity. Women are more likely to be promoted and are more likely to hold senior financial positions because of initiatives like We-Fi. This is good news, for both women as well as the financial sector. Farnoush Farsiar

#Farnoush Farsiar

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innocentimouto · 2 years

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Hakoda's words

I...didn’t realize people actually thought this, but you guys do know that Hakoda telling Sokka he needed to protect his sister is the same way many of our parents tell the older sibling to watch out for their youngsters?

Like it was just to not make Sokka, who was trying to force his way to join them, feel bad or hurt or believe he was useless.

Hakoda didn’t actually want Sokka to fight anyone. At least not at that age.

He just needed his family to be safe, so either he could wait for more invasions or go and help put an end to the war. Sokka lost his mother and now he was losing his father, so naturally Hakoda would encourage him to hold fast to Katara and comfort him that this was a very important and big responsibility. Sokka could barely carry his pack. How would he fight off a ship of soldiers?

Yes, none of the women were armed when Zuko showed up, but I personally hold that to atla’s weak treatment of their women. None of them were even given a line except Gran Gran. It’s also fairly unrealistic that all the women would choose to not fight while a child did.

People talk about how Sokka had no choice but to believe women were less since he was the only one fighting or the oldest male around. That’s ignoring that he would have been too young to hunt for the whole village when Hakoda left, ignoring Katara’s comment about her doing all the chores, ignoring that the women would naturally have actual roles to contribute to living in their village, so really Sokka was just like any sexist kid in our world who knows women raise kids, work, accomplish things, but still think they’re not equal to men.

(At the most, I can see Hakoda allowing Sokka to join at 15, but he would never want Sokka to fight off an entire ship of soldiers by himself. Hakoda just did the best he could for the situation and hoped the Fire Nation lost interest in the SWT.)

So no, Sokka wasn’t meant to be the sole protector of the village. I can see him in all his 15 years of life believing that and overlooking the women as a result, but his father’s words aren’t a justification for him to do it. He’s still responsible for that mindset and he learns the lesson in the series.

#Atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #Sokka #Hakoda

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justanisabelakinnie · 2 years

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Lol this fandom is a fucking echo chamber.

I love how when you call out the fandom’s sexism with how they let Camilo and Bruno completely overshadow the female characters in the movie, everybody jumps on you and attacks you for daring to say what is true: that fandom regularly lets male characters get more focus and attention than female characters. Even when the female characters are more important than the male ones.

I’m seeing people say that Bruno and Camilo “need more love” and that they’re hated on for liking these characters. Where the fuck?

And of course, instead of having critical thinking skills and wondering why in particular they’re drawn to these characters when a lot of the reasons people relate to Bruno could also apply to Mirabel and Camilo doesn’t even DO anything, they just pull out the “omg we just like them because they’re relatable and cute that’s all!” “why aren’t we allowed to like characters?” “we’re not sexist for liking them we don’t like them because they’re male!” or calling me a misandrist. Someone even tried to lie that Luisa is the most popular character in the movie, I needed that laugh today.

Also, people saying I hate Camilo. Ah, yes, because if you don’t like that a male character gets too much attention and that he is overrated compared to female characters, you must hate him, right?! You know what that sounds like? “If you call out misogyny and male privilege, then you must hate men!” Exact. Same. Energy.

But it sure does feel welcoming to be part of a fandom that is so tunnel-visioned and one-track minded that they’ll chase you away and tell you to SHUT THE FUCK UP and call you ableist slurs for even daring to say something as controversial as “hey, maybe we should give the female characters more attention than the male ones, they’re the ones whom the movie is about, after all?” No. They’ll join together and railroad you until you shut up. Even though men are preferred to women in virtually every fandom, female characters are generally hated for doing even the slightest thing wrong and not kissing up to male characters, and demonized and hated and shoved aside because they get in the way of a fanon m/m ship because they’re romantically paired with a male character.

Sure is...nice.

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softbiker · 4 years

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Agent 14 Oneshot

Warnings: maybe a couple bad words

Word count: 2.6k

A/N: While this is a continuation of the Steve x Agent 14 series, this particular installment has...almost no Steve lol. Just wanted to warn people before I get in trouble for that. It does, however, feature Agents 41 and 28 (from series written by @nacho-bucky and @kentuckybarnes )! Also, I plan on expanding and posting the full “menu” of custom drinks that 14 makes for her friends, so stay tuned for that! As always, enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

She squeals when the ad pops up as she’s scrolling through Instagram.

There it is, in all its glory, right between yet another engagement photo and a “no filter” celebrity selfie.

The S’mores Frappucino.

A towering frozen swirl of sweet vanilla and creamy milk chocolate, topped with the most mouth-watering promise of all: marshmallow whipped cream. And all of it dusted with a generous sprinkle of crushed graham cracker pieces. It’s enough to make 41 want to lick her phone screen.

With a flailing little backwards somersault, she rolls herself off the couch and bounds down the hallway towards Clint’s room, tie-dye socks slipping on the freshly polished floors.

“Guess what season it is?” She flings the door open with one hand, brandishing her phone in the other, her grin nearly splitting her face as she bounces up on her toes, eager to see his reaction - only to pull up short, a soft frown dragging her lips back down. The room is empty.

“Tweets?” 41 glances around the room, taking stock of the discarded socks and inside-out jeans littering the floor, a pair of her own boots flung to one corner, a plush sea turtle smiling at her from the bed. There’s a Sharing Size bag of peanut M&M’s on the nightstand, next to an open can of Red Bull, leaving a ring on the cover of last month’s Men’s Health which he’d permanently borrowed from Sam. She looks up at the ceiling - typically he leaves a vent open as a point of entry if he’s been…exploring up there. But no dice. Their vent remains screwed in place.

Shoving her phone in the front pocket of her hoodie, she backtracks towards the kitchen, rounding the corner from the hallway and sliding into the room Risky Business-style. A blazing mid-morning sun floods the room with light through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bouncing off of the metalwork backsplash and casting sparkles across the empty table. Hands on her hips, she huffs to herself, wondering where he’s run off to, before the clinking of glass bottles catches her attention.

Sticking up from the open door of the fridge is a vaguely familiar yoga-panted ass, waving in the air as its owner rummages through the shelves and drawers, muttering under her breath.

“Nat?” The red curls bounce in her ponytail as she stands at the sound of 41’s voice.

“Oh, hey, kid,” Nat smiles, propping a hand on her hip. If she’s at all bothered by the fact that her friend and coworker just got an eyeful of her backside, she hides it all with a poker face she probably mastered in super spy kindergarten. “What are you up to?”

“Just looking for Clint.” 41 pouts. She shifts her weight to one leg, scratching at her ankle with the toe of one sock. “You haven’t seen him have you?”

Natasha’s eyebrows flicker up as she closes the refrigerator with her hip.

“Oh - he didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“The boys are all out for the day,” she sighs, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Some kind of belated bachelor party for Tony - even though he’s been married for a year, he said he missed out on the experience; so he kidnapped all of our male counterparts for the day.” Nat shrugs one shoulder, smirking. “Frankly the concept seems outdated - and sexist. But when has Tony ever listened to me?”

Nat notices the way her shoulders fall, the way her hands roll up inside the sleeves of her hoodie. Poor thing. And she’d come in here looking so excited, too; now her frown settles too deeply at the corners of her lips, eyes cast somewhere on the floor. Abandoning her search for a snack, Nat slides onto a bar stool at the island, propping her chin in one hand.

“You have any plans for today?” she prompts. She’ll deny it till her dying day, but the formerly made-of-marble assassin feels…soft at her core now. No, not her abs - her backflips are as tight as ever; but somewhere behind her ribs, deeper than her muscles, there’s a marshmallowy give to her now - the press of fingers could leave a dent on her.

And that’s why, God help her, she couldn’t stand the sight of 41’s frown. Couldn’t endure the downcast disappointment in her gaze. Couldn’t walk away from her halfhearted, sighing shrug.

“Not really,” 41 mumbles, licking her bottom lip. “I was just gonna see if Clint wanted to go get Starbucks with me. They’ve got the S’mores drink now.”

Pulling her phone from where it’s tucked into the waistband of her yoga pants, Nat quickly swipes through her messages and pulls up a group chat named ‘No Boys Allowed’.

I’m so gonna regret this, she thinks, but she types up her proposal anyway and taps send. Time to assemble.

***********

The bell over the door dings cheerfully, and 14 fights her inner groan long enough to yell over her shoulder, “Welcome to Starbucks!” She doesn’t turn from the drink in her hands, too afraid of spilling the milk (again) and having to remake this caramel macchiato. Gaze intent on the cup in her hands, she drizzles the sides with caramel, watching the sticky sweet goop glide down the walls of the cup. Satisfied that this should meet the customer’s request for “extra, extra caramel”, she reaches for her milk jug, glancing up from the machine where her espresso shots are queueing.

41 waves ecstatically when she meets her gaze over the espresso machine, a suspiciously casual Nat smirking over her shoulder. Wanda is following close behind them, hands shoved in the pockets of a denim jacket, despite the summer heat. Maria is already standing in front of the register, eyeing the menu, with 28 next to her, a pair of dark sunglasses pushed up on top of her head.

14 blinks.

With quick, nimble fingers, she finishes the drink in front of her and sets it up on the mobile order stand, awaiting the customer. Chase, the barista who should be covering front, is nowhere to be seen; but she doesn’t have any other drinks waiting, so she strides up to the register, tilting a curious brow at her friends.

“Ladies,” 14 smiles, tilting her head to one side. “This is…a nice surprise? A kidnapping? A mission?”

“Relax,” Maria says, punctuated with a good-natured eye roll. “We’re just here for the coffee.”

“Oh, sure,” 14 crosses her arms, leaning a hip against the front counter. “You guys are a little short-staffed, aren’t you? Where’s all the testosterone?”

“Looking for a certain star-spangled specimen?” Nat pipes up. Their group has clustered around the register in a close semicircle. “Boys’ day out. Some kind of adventure that will probably land Tony in the doghouse…but then again, he’s partying with a couple centenarians, so how bad could it be?”

“You’d be surprised,” 28 mutters with a quirk of her eyebrows.

In front of a group of super spies, superheroes, and super intelligent women, 14 fights to put on the best poker face she’s ever had in her life. At the mention of Steve - as well as the news he wouldn’t be joining them - Nat watches her closely; the only sign of her disappointment is the way she purses her lips, eyes flicking towards the door as though she might prove them wrong. And then it’s gone, her eyes turning back to her friends, a beaming, nose-scrunching smile fixed on her face.

“That sounds awful,” she giggles. “But very on-brand for Tony.”

A chorus of assent from the ladies, rolling their eyes and scoffing at the endless supply of evidence they have to that fact.

“Alright so…what can I get you?” 14 prompts. As much as she’d like to stand here, chatting with her friends, she’s still on the clock for another hour and a half - and there’s work to be done. Maybe it stings, chafes her heart a little, that this little outing doesn’t quite include her; that she’ll make their drinks and then they’ll leave, and then more drinks for more people for the rest of her shift. But these customers are more pleasant than most, and it’s not as though she won’t see them later, so she shoves down her insecurity and taps at the screen of the register, opening her till.

“Well we were thinking…” Wanda starts, glancing at Natasha. The two share an amused smirk that 14 doesn’t like at all. “…that maybe you could surprise us?”

“Except me!” 41 raises her hand, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. “I haven’t had a S’mores yet this year, I need one! Please?”

Stunned, 14 looks around the group, cocking one eyebrow.

“So…one S’mores, and then - you all want to be surprised?” What a request - she didn’t trust anyone to make a drink for her…that could really backfire.

“Well, you know us,” Nat shrugged. “You know what we like, what we hate, what we won’t drink…”

“Besides, it never hurts to try something new,” Maria smirks.

Teeth sinking into her bottom lip, a slow smile spreads across 14’s face.

“Alright, ladies, say no more-”

It takes her little more than a minute to line up her plan, squinting at each of her friends in concentration, a Sharpie poised to mark each cup, labeled with a name in her characteristic block-print scrawl. They crane their necks over the tops of the machines, trying to see behind the bar and guess what she’s whipping up back there. Ingredients flit through her hands, shaken into one cup, then exchanged for something else for the next. Syrups, cinnamon, juices, toppings. They try and fail to keep it all straight from one cup to the next, but she’s too fast, hands reaching between two drinks at once.

Finally, with a last look over her shoulder, goofily sticking her tongue from the corner of her mouth, she piles 41’s coveted marshmallow whip on top of her drink and sprinkles the graham cracker topping with a generous hand. 41 barely contains her squeal as she grabs 28’s elbow and points at it.

“That one’s mine! Doesn’t it look amazing?”

One by one, she lines up the drinks at the end of the bar, turning the cups so each name is properly shown.

“Alright, so what am I in for?” Maria cautiously waves her drink under her nose, letting the steam waft up from the small opening in the lid. Hers is a hot drink, its contents concealed in a thick paper cup proudly bearing the same green logo as its cardboard sleeve.

“I thought you wanted to be surprised?” 14 smirks, sliding 41’s frappucino across the bar into her glitter-nailed hands. 28 grabs hers as well, a refreshingly cold…something - she plunges in a straw and swirls the ice as she examines the pale pink color of the drink.

“Well, bottoms up girls,” Nat shrugs, inspecting the layer of foam on top of her drink before raising it to her lips. Wanda taps her cup with 41’s before tipping hers up as well. Standing behind the bar, a rag in her hands, 14 gnaws on her lip as she watches them sip her creations. She shifts her feet as she waits for the verdict.

“Wow.” Wanda’s brows shoot up, tongue flicking over her lip. “This is really good.”

“Yeah,” Maria agrees, going in for her second taste.

“Don’t know why you sound surprised,” 41 says around her straw and a mouthful of whipped cream. “Everything she makes is delicious.”

“Oh, thanks,” 14 brushes off the compliments with a one-shouldered shrug. “If you like it I’ll give you the recipe, so you can order it again?”

Various noises of agreement, all enthusiastic, all from full mouths. She smiles, grabs a blank receipt paper from the register and a pen from the pocket of her apron.

“Okay, so yours Wanda is a double dirty chai with cinnamon…”

***********

Folding her apron over one arm, 14 releases her hair from its butterfly clip and reaches for her backpack. She keeps a spare change of clothes folded neatly in the bottom, in case she has to run errands after work and can’t go out covered in coffee and syrup. The bathroom is empty and she ducks inside, slipping into a pair of cutoff shorts and and a tie-dye t-shirt; her faithful sneakers can make it through work and life, thankfully, so she wiggles her feet back into them, not bothering to untie the laces.

It’s been a long day. And a glance at her watch tells her it’s only…1:09 p.m.

Backpack on one shoulder, sunglasses perched on her head, she makes her way back out of the café, pausing at the end of the bar to get her drink.

“Here, girl.” Jade, the barista who made her drink, smiles as she hands her a straw. “You look like you need this.”

“I feel like I need this.” 14 smiles back as she jams her straw into the cup and takes the first sip. Iced blonde americano, 2 pumps toffee nut, a splash of sweet cream. She makes a small noise of pleasure - hits the spot every time.

“See you tomorrow!” she waves to her coworkers as she backs out the door, dropping her sunglasses down to her face as she steps into the unrelenting summer sun. Not two steps out the door, turning to the street, and she nearly bumps into-

“Nat?”

“Hey, long time no see.” Nat wiggles her fingers in a mocking little wave. The rest of their posse is clustered around a couple of bistro tables haphazardly shoved together outside the café.

“What…you guys are still here?” 14 cocks her head to the side. It’s been over an hour and a half at least, their drinks are sitting empty on the tables in front of them. She had assumed they’d be long gone.

“Well, duh,” 41 grins. “We’re going to lunch! And then - oh, we should get pedicures!”

“Oh, can we go to that new Thai place?” Wanda asks, leaning her elbows on the table. “It’s only a couple blocks down from here.”

“God, the things I would do for some egg rolls right about now-” Maria agrees, patting her stomach.

They start to stand from their tables, the metal chairs scraping loudly against concrete, and 28 gathers the empty cups to throw away in the trash cans next to the door. The group shuffles and chatters, eager at the prospect of lunch; purses and wallets are snatched up, phones tucked back into pockets. Wanda leads the way as they march off in pursuit of pad thai and egg rolls, the rest of the group falling in behind her on the sidewalk. Even in the early afternoon heat, they link arms and laugh and stand too close together, sharing giggles and gossip.

Nat lightly bumps 14 with her shoulder, her green eyes gone pale and glittering in the sun.

“You didn’t really think we’d eat and run on you?” she smirks. “Come on, I’m starving.”

14 ducks her head and grins.

“Just one second-” she says, sliding her phone from her back pocket. She snaps a picture of her drink, then smiles at Nat. “Okay, now we’re good.”

Nat rolls her eyes.

“Wow, that was so basic-”

“Shut up.”

A few minutes later, sitting in a blessedly air-conditioned Thai restaurant, she captions the photo ‘new drink for you to try next time - I highly recommend it’ and hits send.

Somewhere across town, shoved cheek by jowl with his buddies in the back of a stretch limo, the interior vibrating with music and lit with flashing LEDs, a super soldier smiles at his phone.

#agent 14 #steve rogers x agent 14 #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fic

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weareyour4 · 3 years

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Ancient Views on Sexuality and Gender - Rami

Greco-Roman society has influenced modern Western society in many ways, from language to culture, but one link that doesn’t get discussed much outside of those studying Classics is the ancient world’s views on issues around gender and sexuality. Many people assume that these ancient societies had solely antiquated beliefs, but they were actually more accepting of different identities outside of the “normal” (read: normalised but often forced unnecessarily) cisgender heterosexual sphere than some members of society are today. In honour of Pride month, I’ll explore some examples of LGBT+ identities from the ancient world.

While some modern groups believe that gay men are effeminate, ancient societies instead believed that since women were weaker than men and only necessary for birthing heirs (sadly their society was still incredibly sexist), it was more ‘manly’ for men to form close bonds with each other, both friendly and romantic. There are also some (often sexist) modern groups which use the Spartans or Romans as symbols of heterosexual masculinity. However, many people don't realise that these societies were actually very open to and even encouraging of non-heterosexual relationships.

For example, Spartan boys solely lived and socialised with other men from joining the army aged seven until their early twenties when they were expected to marry, so their new wives would shave their heads to appear more 'male' and help their new husbands transition into sleeping with women instead of men. In some Greek armies, men who were lovers were positioned next to each other on the frontlines because the generals believed that soldiers were more likely to hold the line and defend their comrades when their lovers were fighting next to them. There was also an unusual practice in the Roman army, where new recruits had to perform fellatio on as many soldiers as possible before sunrise to prove their endurance and manliness.

Lesbians were also widely accepted, because it was believed that if women slept with different men, they could get pregnant with an illegitimate child which would disgrace them, but if they had lesbian relationships there was no risk of pregnancy. This meant that married women were sometimes allowed to have lesbian lovers to “get rid of” any excess desire that might lead to them cheating with a man. Literature about lesbian love by authors like Sappho was also immensely popular and has remained so in the modern day. There is also a lot of written evidence of people with non-binary gender identities. There is an account in Philostratus’ Lives of the Sophists I of a man named Favorinus, who had both male and female features. This suggests that Favorinus was intersex, though the Greeks would have used the term ‘hermaphrodite’. This term came from the myth of Hermaphroditus, a boy who became androgynous after merging with a female nymph.

The Roman writer Lucian's Dialogues of Courtesans 5 describes a rich woman named Megilla who goes by Megillus (the male form of the name) in private and identifies as a man, wearing a wig in public but regularly shaving her head like men did. Though historians aren’t sure if these were accounts of real individuals or simply fiction created by the authors, the existence of these stories prove that both the Greeks and the Romans were aware of differing gender identities outside of the binary. They did not always respect these identities, since cisgender men were still believed to be the most powerful, but they allowed these people to peacefully coexist in society until Christianity was introduced as the new central religion.

The beliefs and practices of Christianity led to the criminalisation of non-heterosexual identities as well as the punishment of other groups, such as anyone who continued to follow the Romans’ original pagan religion. This is what led to modern societies becoming less tolerant of LGBT+ identities, since Western society inherited some beliefs from the ancient world as well as its culture. However, the fact that ancient societies were more accepting in some cases shows that we could continue to learn from them by realising that all sexualities and genders have their own benefits and don’t negatively affect anyone, so there is no reason to persecute anyone for their identity. Thankfully, people are once again becoming more open-minded, and LGBT+ people are gaining more chances to feel and express their pride.

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midnight-aether · 3 years

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Why Vox by Christina Dalcher is not a good novel: Review & Analysis

The premise of this novel is incredibly interesting, don’t get me wrong: Vox (2018) is about a dystopian future, in which US American women are only allowed to speak 100 words per day and must wear a bracelet that shocks them if they go over that limit. Women also aren’t allowed to write, read or use sign language. The main character is a genius linguist called Jean who hates every man in her life, including her husband Patrick and her own sons.

The first sentence already tells us three things about this novel: (1) it’s told from a first-person perspective, which means the reader will be aware of the protagonist’s every thought, (2) the oppressive regime in the novel goes by the name of Pure Movement, so it’s probably going to have something to do with religion, and (3) the action takes place in the span of a week, which I feel like it’s a huge spoiler for the fact that I won’t care for any of the characters at the end of the book, since there’s only so much character development that can happen in that time.

If anyone told me I could bring down the President, and the Pure Movement, and that incompetent little shit Morgan LeBron in a week’s time, I wouldn’t believe them.

There will be spoilers from this point on.

The Setting and the Protagonist

The main character in Vox, Dr. Jean McClellan, is a specialist researcher in the field of aphasia, that is, according to Wikipedia, “an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions”. At some point in the novel we are made aware that a colleague of Jean’s, with her help, has discovered a cure for aphasia, even though they are both linguists and neither a chemist nor a medical researcher. However, she was unable to publish this discovery, due to the conveniently timed sexist apocalypse that stripped her of all her academic titles, as the reader is often reminded.

Jean is married to her husband Patrick and has four children with him: three boys and a girl. Jean evidently resents every man in her family, especially Patrick and their 17-year-old son, Steven. Apparently they’ve all been very quickly indoctrinated to believe women shouldn’t be allowed to speak, so they treat Jean and Sonia, the daughter, accordingly.

There is a whole subplot about Steven, but it’s so plain and uninteresting that there isn’t much to say about it. Basically, he is all for the Pure Movement and their ideals of purity for women, but then still sleeps with his high school girlfriend and proceeds to tattle on her. When she is taken away to a camp, he realizes his mistake a leaves to save her. At some point he is captured by the Movement and ridiculed on TV. Jean doesn’t really care that he’s gone, but is pleasantly surprised when he reappears at the end safe and sound.

At this point, the Pure Movement has only been in power for less than a year and a half. This movement is very overtly described as a Christian uprising that originated within the bible belt and had spread to the entirety of the USA. The followers of the Movement also adopt overly conservative views on gender roles, marriage and sex, leaving very little doubt about the roots of the oppressive regime in Vox.

The Plot

The main intrigue in Vox begins when the brother of the US president starts suffering from aphasia after a “skiing accident” and the government comes to Jean for help, despite her being a woman in a society that literally won’t let women speak. Why do they come to her instead of going to any other male scientist? Because apparently Jean is the best linguist in the whole country... even though, as far as the government (and the reader) knows, she’s only been researching aphasia for a couple of years and hasn’t found a cure yet. Well, the author herself has a doctorate in linguistics (not in the field of aphasia), which brings me to my first problem with this novel: the blatant and, quite frankly conceited, self-insert.

You may have noticed that I wrote “skiing accident” in quotation marks on the last paragraph. That’s because it’s hinted a couple of times throughout the novel that the president’s brother was actually injured on purpose by the government, but this turns out to be false. Later it seems like he was never even injured in the first place, but this is never clearly resolved, as the character himself never appears “onscreen”; however, it’s not a cliffhanger that perpetually haunts the reader.

Back to the story: Jean agrees to help because, by taking the job, she and her daughter get to remove the shock bracelets for the duration of the research. The government then proceeds to give Jean one week (remember the novel’s first sentence) to produce a cure that, to the best of their knowledge, hasn’t even been found yet. If that sounds like a stretch, they even let her work with her old research team of three people, which is supposed to fully convince the reader that a week is a completely plausible time frame to discover, produce, test and approve a cure for an illness.

The Side Characters

This team is composed of Jean, her former colleagues Lin and Lorenzo, and their supervisor Morgan, who you might remember from the novel’s opening sentence. Morgan is apparently an idiot linguist who is very unfit for his position, which is supposed to show how twisted the society in Vox is, as they put the dumb people in charge just because they’re men, and silence the smart women. What it actually does is show that this version of the USA apparently only has a handful of linguists and no other skilled scientists.

This is the novel’s description of Lin:

Lin Kwan is a small woman. I often told Patrick she could fit in one of my pant legs – and I’m only five and a half feet and 120 soaking wet, thanks to the stress diet I’ve been on for the past several months. Everything about her is small: her voice, her almond eyes, the sleek bob that barely reaches below her ears. Lin’s breasts and ass make me look like a Peter Paul Rubens model. But her brain – her brain is a leviathan of gray matter. It would have to be; MIT doesn’t hand out dual PhDs for nothing.

Here we learn that Lin is small, not conventionally attractive (read: small boobs and ass), and finally that she is incredibly intelligent. For some reason, Jean finds it important to describe Lin’s curves, as well as her own, before mentioning Lin’s intelligence. No, this novel was not written by Michael Bay. Also, for representation’s sake, Lin is Asian and a lesbian, yet every other major character in this novel is a white straight person.

Well, there is another lesbian in this story, actually. Jean’s old college roommate, Jackie Juarez, who Jean hasn’t seen since before the machocalypse. We get to know Jackie through flashbacks: the novel tries to portray her as this loud, over-the-top feminist who often tries to make Jean join the rallies and protests against the growing Pure Movement. Alas, Jean chooses to focus on school instead of going to protests and forever regrets this, thinking that if only she had fought, she might have changed history.

I don’t know how to feel about this novel’s depiction of Jackie. She is made out to be a stereotypical feminist lesbian, who actively protests against the uprising of the Pure Movement, and yet whose efforts are in vain. Here is an excerpt that characterizes how Jean sees Jackie, and therefore how the reader is supposed to see her:

“You have to vote, Jean,” [Jackie] said, throwing down the stack of campaign leaflets she’d been running around campus with while I was prepping for what I knew would be a monster of an oral exam. “You have to.”

“The only things I have to do are pay taxes and die,” I said, not holding back the sneer in my voice. That semester was the beginning of the end for Jackie an me. I’d started dating Patrick and preferred our nightly discussions about cognitive processes to Jackie’s rants about whatever new thing she had found to protest.

Here you can see that Jean clearly dismisses Jackie and “whatever new thing she had found to protest”, and instead muses about what an intellectual she is. I understand that this is a flashback, and it’s supposed to show that Jean was wrong not to care about protesting the Pure Movement, but this is told from present Jean’s perspective, so it’s clear she still rolls her eyes at Jackie’s activism in general. It feels like Vox is trying to say that actively expressing your ideas and concerns is useless, since Jean eventually overthrows the government with science and not through activism – and it even takes her no longer than a week to do it, as we learn at the beginning of this novel. There is a lot to unpack here, but I still wouldn’t recommend thinking too hard about the ideas in this book.

Jackie only becomes relevant to the plot towards the end. At some point she is held hostage by the government, so that Jean is forced to finish her work. Why the government chose to kidnap Jean’s old college roommate who she hasn’t seen or spoken about in years instead of, say, her daughter, we will never know. In the end, Jackie is only there so that Jean can save her and “redeem” herself for not having been there for Jackie in the past.

Lorenzo, the last member of the team, is Jean’s love affair since way before the Pure Movement effectively took over. The novel likes to remind the reader that Jean is with the Italian hunk Lorenzo because she despises her husband Patrick, so that makes cheating okay. Eventually we learn that Jean is pregnant with Lorenzo’s child, so he offers to let her escape with him to Italy as his wife. Yet Jean can’t allow herself to leave without her daughter Sonia – she’s fine with never seeing any of her sons again, though. She considers this for a while as she works on the cure for aphasia.

The Ending

At some point during the week, Lin disappears (we later learn she was imprisoned due to big gay activity). Jean and Lorenzo announce that they’ve discovered the cure and even test the serum on a random neighbour of Jean’s who happens to have aphasia as well. Also, Jean’s mother had an aneurysm earlier that week and also started suffering from aphasia. The government is pleased with the results and take the serum away.

Later, Morgan, the supervisor, takes Jean and Lorenzo to a strange lab underground to have them further develop the cure. There they walk through a hallway full of chimpanzees in cages, and there is a bizarre scene in which Jean gets too close to a cage and is attacked by a chimpanzee. There is no purpose to this scene other than to shock the reader, honestly. Here, the novel briefly, yet disrespectfully brings up a very real woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009 and managed to survive (Wikipedia link, no pictures), by having Jean think something along the lines of “oh no, I don’t want to end up like her!” during the attack.

Jean is fine, obviously. We’re over 200 pages in and nearing the end of the novel when the first interesting development happens in the form of a plot twist: the government has been using their cure in order to create an anti-serum that gives people aphasia. Their plan is to create a more effective means to silence women, of course, since they wouldn’t be able to comprehend or formulate language any more. When Jean discovers this, she wants to quit, but is forced to stay when they reveal they’ve been keeping Jackie, Lin and Lin’s girlfriend hostage in the same building for this very occasion. And maybe also Steven back at that camp, but we don’t even care about him at this point.

The climax of the story arrives, and everything happens so quickly the reader doesn’t have time to digest it. I had to reread what actually happened at the end, because I couldn’t remeber it anymore. I’ll try to recreate the pacing of the ending in the following paragraph, so you can understand what I mean:

Jean and Lorenzo save the lesbians (who are the only likeable characters, so that made me happy), Morgan dies, I think, and they escape with the anti-serum. Patrick appears and decides to help, so they send him to the White House with an anti-serum bomb that suceeds, giving the president and all evil politicians aphasia. Patrick is killed during this, freeing Jean from their marriage and allowing her to escape with Lorenzo and all of her children, whom she suddenly stopped resenting. The Pure Movement collapses and all is well, thanks to... well, thanks to Patrick and Lorenzo.

Conclusion

Vox is a mess of a novel. The characters are unlikeable, the plot is badly paced and the ending is too sudden. I really didn’t care about what happened to any character at any point, which is incredibly disappointing. Additionally, there are many things wrong with the political message in Vox, namely the idea that all religious people are inherently evil and that men generally wish to control and silence women. The premise was good, the writing was fine, but the performance was terrible, unfortunately. Vox feels like it was rushed to come out in time for the dystopian fiction craze of 2017-18 caused by the release of The Handmaid’s Tale TV series. Hopefully we’ll see better work from the author in the future.

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hamliet · 5 years

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MXTX Ladies Week: MDZS

I did Scum Villain’s awesome female cast last night, and now it is time for my favorite of MXTX’s novels, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.

In MDZS, my main critique is that, while all of the female characters do get fantastic arcs, the vast majority of them die (though, granted, their deaths aren’t usually done just for the male characters’ sadness, but often do make sense for their own arcs. So that’s. Something. Still grumbly about it though). “The woman dies” is a similar trope to “bury your gays” and it’s... tiring. That said, I did find all the characters’ arcs incredibly well done. No one is fanservice; they are all complex and human.

I want to talk about the characters whom I haven’t talked about as much before, so that means less on SiSi and MianMian, as well as less on Madame Lan. See here for my meta on SiSi and MianMian, as well as here for my meta on Madame Lan. Throughout all of their arcs, there’s a common thread about calling out sexism. MianMian calls it out directly:

The person replied, “You’re...calling white black no matter how irrational it is. Ha, women will always be women.”

MianMian fumed, “Irrational? Calling white black? I’m just being considerate it as it stands. What does it have to do with the fact that I’m a woman? You can’t be rational with me so you’re attacking me with other things?”...

Holding in her tears, she shouted a moment later, “Fine! Your voices are louder! Fine! You’re the rational ones!”

She clenched her teeth and took off the crested robe she wore with force, slamming it onto the table with a loud bang. Even the sect leaders in the front rows, who weren’t paying attention to this side, turned around to see what happened. The ones beside her were indeed surprised. What she did meant that she was ‘leaving the sect’?

Soon, some began to agree, “Women will always be women. They quit just after you say a few harsh words. She’ll definitely come back on her own, a couple of days later.”

“There’s no doubt. After all, she finally managed to turn from the daughter of a servant to a disciple, haha…”

MianMian is looked down upon by the social hierarchy for being a woman and for being the daughter of a servant. Her lack of power against a sexist world is eventually countered by the fact that she’s one of the women who survive the novel, with a husband who follows her in night-hunting. As I said in my past meta, she steps outside a corrupt society.

Mistreated Wives Mistreating Children: Madame Jin and Madame Yu

Madame Yu is probably one of the most complex characters in the entire novel, which says a lot since she’s a minor character. But she and Madame Jin are said to be best friends who arrange the marriage of their children, and the two women are also foils.

Both of them are mistreated by their husbands in a sense. Madame Jin has to deal with Jin GuangShan sleeping around and impregnating numerous other women, while Yu ZiYuan has to deal with the fact that Jiang FengMian clearly was in love with CanSe SanRen, not with her, and brought back CangSe SanRen’s child after Wei WuXian was orphaned. To be completely fair, Madame Yu’s dislike of and lack of respect for her husband is completely valid over this. However, what isn’t valid is her taking it out on all three of the kids at Lotus Pier. She abuses Wei WuXian and mentally abuses Jiang Cheng as well, and isn’t exactly awesome towards Jiang YanLi either. She constantly reminds Jiang Cheng that he can’t live up to Wei WuXian (projecting her own bitterness at not being enough to be loved like CangSe SanRen in her husband’s eyes), whom she despises for whom his mother was, and thereby exacerbates Jiang Cheng’s already deep insecurity issues (granted Jiang FengMian is responsible for this as well). But, she ultimately dies to save both Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian, refusing to cut off his hand when she knows he is innocent. It doesn’t erase how she treated them while they lived, but it does add a level of complexity and tragedy: she knew Wei WuXian was powerless in these circumstances, as she had always felt, and she saves the kids before dying to defend Lotus Pier--with her husband, whom, it’s implied, did care about her but sucked at showing it. Almost like that’s a Jiang family trait.

Madame Jin is no better towards Jin GuangYao when he shows up. She did not object towards a child being kicked down the stairs on the basis of something he could not help, and Lan XiChen notes that she has him beaten regularly after he is accepted in the Jinlintai. Yes, she told off her husband for his arrogance, but she was trapped in her marriage with him and projected her pain onto someone who was not responsible for it (regardless of what Jin GuangYao did, she was abusing him).

The point of both women isn’t that they’re horrible or that one is redeemed; it’s once again calling out the double standards and corrupt power structures at play. Jin GuangYao and Madame Jin are actually foils in that both abuse the power they have to target children who can’t help who their parents are (A-Song), because neither of them are able to truly demand justice from the person who is actually responsible: Jin GuangShan.

The Bad Girls: Meng Shi, CangSe SanRen, and Madame Lan

Or the women whom no one cared about enough to hear their stories. Madame Lan was a murderer and a parallel to Jin GuangYao and Wei WuXian as a result; the only way to save her life was to marry Lan WangJi and XiChen’s father. She’s noted to have been playful and fun, but she was only allowed to see her sons once a month, and she was confined her entire life, which is basically symbolic of how the cultivational society treats people: it traps them and isolates them.

CangSe SanRen is not described in much detail besides that, like Xiao XingChen, she left BaoShan SanRen to join cultivational society. Yet she still continued to flout its rules--cutting off Lan QiRen’s beard and marrying a servant instead of marrying a sect leader and gaining power. Rumors about her--that she had an affair with Jiang FengMian despite no evidence--and that she flouted society are then projected onto her son (symbolic of society’s unwillingness to change its corruption and power system)...

...which is just like how Meng Shi’s having been a prostitute is projected onto Jin GuangYao. People won’t even accept tea from him, believing his skin dirty on the basis of whom his mother was. However, everything we know about Meng Shi suggests she cared deeply for her son and chose to have him despite knowing what it would do to her popularity as a prostitute. Even when the other prostitutes comment about how she was a fool who kept hoping he would return, she still cared for her son and he repaid her by carving her face into the GuanYin temple’s idol. Jin GuangYao also expressly says that his father “wouldn’t buy [her] freedom,” implying that she did not have much of a choice about her lifestyle. Good job, society. Not.

The Mean Girl: JiaoJiao

Okay, she’s kind of loathsome in personalty, petty and cruel and having an affair with an even crueler prince. Yet in a story that comments so much on privilege, it’s hard not to see her as a victim of circumstance as well; however, her proximity with the (then) pinnacle of corruption in Wen Chao and Wen RouHan means that she too misuses her power once she has it. She hurts innocents in Lotus Pier, she tries to kill MianMian just for being pretty, etc.

However, keep in mind that JiaoJiao’s prettiness is said to be what attracted Wen Chao to her, and it’s said that her family then received favors, such as the creating of their own sect. Her name is also noted by translators to be comparatively unsophisticated, implying that she likely came from a family that wasn’t exactly high up in society. None of this excuses her, but what exactly makes her fear of someone else being prettier than her and thus losing all the power she has (which she knew would happen eventually), and potentially her family suffering for it as well, all that much different than Jiang Cheng’s bitterness towards people more powerful in cultivation than him? Jiang Cheng had ShiJie and Wei WuXian and others to show him love and help him not become as cruel of a person (until she dies and then he does, indeed, torture people), but we know nothing about whether JiaoJiao had that.

Desperate people cling to what they have. JiaoJiao, Wei WuXian, Jin GuangYao, and Jiang Cheng all show us this. It doesn’t excuse them, but neither does it mean they’re demons.

Integrity and the Limits of Sacrifice: Wen Qing and Jiang YanLi

Jiang YanLi and Wen Qing are in many ways the opposite of JiaoJiao: both are brave, kind women, and wonderful older sisters, even if Jiang YanLi is unassuming and Wen Qing bold. Both are inhibited by their power, though: Jiang YanLi’s talents are not cultivational in nature, and Wen Qing may be talented and brilliant as a doctor, but she is limited by her role all the same:

Lan XiChen responded a moment later, “I have heard of Wen Qing’s name a few of times. I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign’s crimes.”

Nie MingJue, “But she’s never stopped them either.”

Lan XiChen, “Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHan’s most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?”

Nie MingJue spoke coldly, “If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it’s the same as indifference. She shouldn’t have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out.”

The thing is: she did try to stop some of them, helping Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian, but Jiang Cheng doesn’t speak up for her. Sigh.

Both of them are also foils in how they both ultimately sacrifice their lives to save Wei WuXian... and it turns out that their sacrifice doesn’t protect Wei WuXian. Wen Qing tells Wei WuXian the story’s catchphrase “thank you, and I’m sorry” before turning herself in for execution with her brother, but all this winds up in is the BurialMounds being seiged anyways, all her relatives except Wen Yuan being killed, and Wei WuXian still dying. Wen Ning, too, is not killed but is made a weapon. Jiang YanLi, despite Wei WuXian having led to the death of her husband, pushes him out of the way of a soldier looking to kill him, and gets killed instead. But this only results in Jiang Cheng becoming enraged and helping kill Wei WuXian, and Jin Ling being left an orphan.

However, because MDZS has a pretty nuanced view on sacrifice, it’s neither pointless nor to be admired. Wei WuXian is both Wen Qing and Jiang YanLi’s foil in this: he, too, is self-sacrificial to a fault. The novel pretty clearly implies that self-sacrifice can be a form of self-harm, as it is for all three of them. Yet, all three of them have a defining trait of deep love that ultimately enables them to have legacies that continue: Wen Yuan, Jin Ling, even Wen Ning survive, and Wei WuXian is given a second chance at life. It’s not that their sacrifices were ultimately selfish and didn’t matter or shouldn’t have happened; it’s that, without an unjust society, they should not have had to happen. Wen Qing should not have been condemned on the basis of her name. Jiang YanLi should not have been killed because Wei WuXian should never have been seiged. And Wei WuXian should never have had to feel like he had to prove his worth (keep in mind Yu ZiYuan’s last words to him are literally that he should protect Jiang Cheng with his life).

The Victims: Qin Su, Mo XuanYu’s Mother, and Madame Qin

In this house we stan Qin Su.

Talk about a woman who goes after what she wants. She is said to have pursued Jin GuangYao after he saved her during the Sunshot Campaign, rather than the other way around.

However, during the sunshot campaign, Qin Su had been saved by Jin GuangYao. She fell in love with him and never gave up, insisting that she wanted to be his wife. In the end, they finally drew the period on such a romantic story. Jin GuangYao didn’t let her down either. Even though he held the important position of Chief Cultivator, his behavior was drastically different from his father’s. He never took in any concubines, much less had a relationship with any other woman. This was indeed something that many wives of sect leaders envied.

And yet, again, because of circumstances beyond her control and because of the abuse of power, she can’t have happiness. Jin GuangShan raped her mother (seriously, he’s the very symbol of power abuse in relation to sexism in this novel), who is too ashamed to tell her husband that his best friend assaulted her. We can’t fault Madame Qin for staying silent, and with Qin Su already pregnant, it’s difficult not to empathize with Jin GuangYao for feeling trapped and marrying her anyways--though it is his fault for not telling her, and for killing their son, as Qin Su basically states that the dividing line for her is because Jin GuangYao killed A-Song, not because of their blood relation.

After a moment of silence, Jin GuangYao answered, “I know that you won’t believe me, no matter what I say, but it was sincere, back then.”

Qin Su sobbed, “… You’re still speaking such blandishments!”

Jin GuangYao, “I’m speaking the truth. I’ve always remembered that you have never said anything about my background or my mother. I’m grateful for you until the end of my life, and I want to respect you, cherish you, love you. But, you have to know that even if A-Song hadn’t been killed, he had to die. He could only die. If we let him grow up, you and I…”

With the mention of her son, Qin Su couldn’t bear it any longer. With a raise of her hand, she slapped him on the face, “Then who’s the one that did all this?! Just what can’t you do for this position?!”

In some ways Qin Su and Madame Qin could be seen as a potential foil for Madame Jin and Madame Yu, in that they both loved children who were forced upon them, who would have been scorned in the world’s eyes, and defend their wellbeing and life.

Mo XuanYu’s mother was sixteen when Jin GuangShan found her, and she was noted to herself be the illegitimate daughter of a servant--but her father was not scorned for this, yet she was scorned for having a son outside of wedlock.

the elder one was the daughter of his principal wife, looking for a husband to marry into the family, while the younger one was the daughter of a servant. The Mo family originally wanted to hastily give her to someone, but an adventure awaited her. When she was sixteen, the leader of a well-known cultivation family was passing by the area, and fell in love with her at first sight.

...In the beginning, the people of Mo Village regarded the topic with contempt, but because the Sect Leader* often helped out, the Mo family received plenty of advantages. And so, the direction of the discussions changed, and the Mo family took pride in the matter, while everyone else also envied the opportunity.

She was respected only for the value she could bring a poor village. And then when Mo XuanYu was cast out of the Jin Sect, it’s noted that:

After he went back home dejectedly, he was bombarded with ridicule. The situation seemed like it was beyond redemption, and the second-lady of Mo was not able to withstand the blow, shortly choking to death because of the trauma.

Considering Mo XuanYu’s makeup is of a hanged ghost and the mention of how she died, it’s pretty likely that she hung herself.

Mo XuanYu’s mother, just like Qin Su, commits suicide in the end to avoid a cruel society that would not respond to plights that were in no way their fault with anything but cruelty. Jin GuangYao notes that Qin Su would be the “laughingstock of the world” and soon after she grabs a dagger in which her soul would be trapped forever--a dagger originally owned by again The Symbol of Abuse of Power in Wen RouHan--and kills herself in a chamber of secrets (literally, a secret treasure vault, because she could not survive these secrets coming to light not keeping them silent). Just like Madame Qin, neither of them have anywhere to turn to for justice or for compassion. In the cultivational world, they are already disadvantaged for being women, and their tragic ends show again how disgusting the society in MDZS is.

Hope and Bravery: A-Qing

Of course it’s not the righteous cultivator and it’s not the strongest in cultivation who is the hero who finally gets justice in Yi City. It’s the beggar girl who pretends to be blind, the thief, with no cultivation. A-Qing’s ghost may be blind and mute, but she sees and speaks more than any of them. Her empathy enables the heroes to figure out what happened in Yi City, and she is mourned and lauded for her bravery for it.

She has little power in the world, so she lies to get the money she can. But what she does have is love and loyalty that foils Lan WangJi’s (though I don’t believe in any way that it’s remotely implied this love for Xiao XingChen is romantic!) Even after Xiao XingChen’s death, even after her own physical dismemberment and death, she continues to look for justice for him, and this eventually pays off.

Further Hope: MianMian

I addressed this a bit in my meta with her, but MianMian’s happy ending comes outside of society, and includes her marrying a man who respects her autonomy and wishes:

Luo QingYang gazed at her husband, smiling, “My husband isn’t of the cultivating world. He used to be a merchant. But, he’s willing to go night-hunting with me…”

It was both rare and admirable that an ordinary person, and a man at that, would be willing to give up his originally stable life and dare travel the world with his wife, unafraid of danger and wander. Wei WuXian couldn’t help feeling respect for him.

And MianMian still has a keen observation: that society in the world hasn’t changed (which Wei WuXian will also note in the last chapter when they find a new scapegoat villain in Jin GuangYao):

Luo Qing Yang sighed, “Oh, these people…” She seemed as if she remembered something, shaking her head, “They’re the same everywhere.”

But as long as there are people willing to be empathetic, to believe in justice and be brave, who can combine these--like A-Qing, Lan WangJi, Wei WuXian, and more--there is hope for healing, even if it takes thirteen years.

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antiqua-lugar · 4 years

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my “fuck you” to mulan2020

(Btw I obviously did not pay to see this shit, support hongkong protesters and boycott disney) (Also I call qi/chi “magical powers” because this is what this movie thinks it is)

Note: I know this movie is important to people of all gender and gender expression, this is my take as a cis gnc woman/a cis woman who is not feminine and relates to Mulan in that way. I can see how trans readings of both movies might wildily different from mine and I look forward to them. TERF DON’T INTERACT I REALLY DON’T WANT YOUR BULLSHIT TAKE ON WOMANHOOD Anyway, my “fuck you” to mulan2020 is how it’s all about gender essentialism and that’s why we get the stupidest power girl moment eva and actually this movie tries to be so GIRLPOWAH that it’s actually super sexist.

Wait, what?

To explain this I will deconstruct the Stupidest GIRLPOWAH Ever, i.e. when Mulan decides to Stop Living a Lie TM and come out to the whole army, with flowing hair and a pretty dress. There are Three Things that make this moment The Worst:

1) Rebel Girl TM vs Normal Girl (Which Could Be You!)

In mulan2020 #GIRLBOSS the whole plot centers around her gender (in a very stupid way). Mulan has the best MAGIC POWERS but unfortunately she’s a woman so she has to shut up and get marry or embrace her MAGIC POWERS and be seen as a Witch and shunned way.To explain this, they introduced a super cool female character... except she’s actually a witch with magic powers while Mulan is just good at kicking things. Why? Why aren’t all the men with MAGIC POWERS also turning into birds and donning kick ass make up? We just don’t know.The fact that she’s a woman is so important that it givers her womanangst for the whole movie because OMG SHE’S LYING. The Witch only shows up to tell her to come out (so they can be lesbians together? Idk honestly). Mulan2020 is about how Women Can’t But Mulan Can (Because She Has MAGIC POWERS).

In Mulan, the whole plot centers around how she decided to take a risk for her family and she’s working her ass off to suceed also for herself AND how she has to hide gender identity because women aren’t allowed in teh army. She is not a Rebel Girl TM tragically shunned, she’s a normal girl (LIKE YOU!) who is trying to do what her society and her family thinks she should do, except she can’t. The point of the movie is not that girls can kick things but that girls don’t need to perform womanhood according to society standard, and that’s okay because this standards are bullshit anyway and it’s better to be true to yourself not just for you, but for the world. The world is missing out by not having the real you (and your country could be invaded!)

2) Men As Tropes

The writing of the Mulan2020 is not that great so maybe that’s why, but all the men in this movie are just tropes.Dad, Army Dad, Hot Guy, Emperor, Friend #1, Friend #2. Friend#3. This would be bad in any movie but especially inan adaptation of Mulan. When she joins the army, she finds not only herself but also The Other and realises that they are not that Other after all. Mulan and her friends go through the same struggles, get strong together (Mulan is just better at it) and A Girl Worth Fighting For goes hand in hand with Honour to Us All : gender expectations affect everyone even if in different ways,shape the way they define hemselves and men and women, by not interacting much, have weird ideas about each other. It’s somewhat bizarre to see the Matchmaker ask Mulan to recite virtues while also seeing Yao claiming that women will fall for his muscles and Po only caring about heir cooking abilities. It’s not perfect by any means, but it asks questions and humanizes the characters. Even Shang is not a perfect - he struggles and makes do like everyone else despite his physical prowess and kickass abilities.

The men in Mulan2002 are not written as people but as men in contrast to a woman, so they are allowed zero nuances. Hot Guy is Mulan’ love interest, so all their interactions are marked as such and no conversation is allowed unless it has some ridicous moment in it. Friend #1, Friend #2 and Friend #3 are Male Friends so they talk once about women and then she promises she will protect them all Because She’s Super Special. That’s it. They are also not allowed to have the crossdressing bit because Disney thinks China won’t like it, so even that tiny bit of “Mulan’s friends say fuck gender roles” is lost and they fight offscreen in a hole.

The men in Mulan2020 don’t stand as people, they stend for Men TM who need to be taught a lesson about how Women Can Also Kick Ass - except that Mulan can kick ass because she’s a SUPER SPECIAL WOMAN while her sister just got matched to a guy who is not afraid of spiders, woooo! Go Feminism! So gender is real, men and women are that different, unless they have magical powers.

3) Being a Woman Wrong

The Big GIRLPOWAH move in this movie is Mulan riding into battle with long hair flowing in the wind after fashioning herself a dress. She does so by throwing off her armour. While in battle. Because a bird witch told her that she needs to ACCEPT HER GENDER, GODDAMIT so Mulan runs off to tell the army that she’s a woman.

And women have pretty hair flowing in the wind, wear dresses and make impratical clothes choices just to look good. Aren’t you being too harsh?

When Mulan comes back to the army, she just begs them to listen while Hot Guy is the one to say “You believed Ping, why don’t you believe Mulan?” because Women Beg and Men Point Out Uncomfortable Truths.

Also Mulan gets a new sword where everything she did is branded as “Family Devotion” because women’s acts need to be contextualised as being done for The Right Feminine Reason.

Also IF YOU TELL MULAN TO ACT AS A WOMAN AND THE FIRST THING SHE DOES IS PUT ON A PRETTY DRESS, WHY DO YOU EXPECT ME TO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS YOUR WHOLE IDEA OF WOMANHOOD.

Fuck you, Mulan2020

for the“but femininity and female power” crowd: Disney movies where feminity is power has been done since Cinderella, Mulan2020 is just sexist

#woke but too woke #disney trying feminism for money #god i hate this movie #mulan2002 #mulan2020 critical #also support hong kong protesters #don't support disney #fake feminism #freeda feminism #pop feminism

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larena · 4 years

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Azure Moon and Women

I've been thinking a lot about how much the Azure Moon (Blue Lions) path of Fire Emblem Three Houses really failed to grab me, and why that might have been. There are, I think a number of reasons: I didn't connect emotionally to Dimitri, I don't like the Kingdom as a body of governance, and I played it after Crimson Flowers (Black Eagles) as my first playthrough which made it very hard to distance myself from my sympathies for Edelgard and her cause.

But I think a lot of my inability to connect to the plot of Azure Moon is actually that I don't think it does women very well.

We start with the fact that there are only three women in the house by default compared to the other houses' four, I played Female Byleth so that's four women total in the core cast. Obviously Flayn joins later as she always does, you can optionally recruit Manuela, Shamir, and Catherine, and any other female students you want. But their role in the narrative is limited.

Then, all the characters exclusive to Blue Lions: Dedue, Gilbert, and obviously Dimitri, are men. As well, the sole major supporting NPC, Rodrigue, is also a man.

So the gender ratio is already off. This will always be a mark against something for me, but it can be mitigated somewhat if female characters are given a lot to do and have deep characterization. And while the latter is true, I think, for every character in Three Houses, the former... Kinda isn't for the female character of the Blue Lions.

Obviously all of them are playable, so they do by the strictest definition *do* a lot, at least if the player allows them to. But within the core narrative... None of them truly contribute much.

Mercedes has an entire arc with the Death Knight, her brother, but it relies on completing a Paralogue that you have to recruit another man to unlock. That entire part of her character can optionally be completely unresolved. Annette has her relationship with Gilbert which is well-written and important to a greater metanarrative, but is also optional as it is mostly contained to their support chain. Ingrid, one of Dimitri's closest friends, doesn't do anything to help with his mental state besides be part of the peanut gallery, and occasionally express concerns to Byleth. None of them move the core plot of the route forward.

Granted, all of this is the way that it is because these characters can die, and so the story must not hinge on their involvement. The same is true of most of the male characters besides Gilbert. But then, they should have done more to make sure that there was a female presence in the narrative regardless of character death. Nothing mandated Gilbert or Rodrigue or even Dimitri be men.

The one case of a woman in the core cast who cannot be removed from the story is Byleth, if female. This is also not ideal because she can be a man. And her role becomes even more frustrating if she *is* female.

Much of Azure Moon revolves around Dimitri's breakdown and fragile mental state due to his trauma and feeling of betrayal from Edelgard. Most of the characters around Dimitri... Don't do anything to help him, really. Most of the rest of the Blue Lions can't do much because they may all be dead, Gilbert and Rodrigue don't do much because they are frustratingly loyal to Dimitri as the heir to the throne, and don't deign to go against any of his decisions, and Dedue *may* help somewhat, if he lives, but in a scene that is optional and is not reflected on very much in the succeeding narrative.

So we're left with Byleth, who is a largely silent protagonist, but does have personality and does take actions without player input. And if Byleth is a female character her actions regarding Dimitri become a problematic trope.

Byleth in Azure Moon cares deeply for Dimitri, regardless of player input. She wants to help him and is always there to be his emotional support. Which becomes frustrating when she is a woman who is, essentially, allowing a man to consistently verbally abuse her, in addition to a consistent threat of physical violence from him. She is a woman who exists almost entirely to be a sounding board for a violent man to work through his issues. Because that's really all a man needs, ultimately, a good woman to just be there for him.

The player is never given the opportunity, as Byleth, to push back against anything Dimitri says or does. The only options ever presented are understanding or silence. Even when Dimitri is telling Byleth that he will use her and her friends as instruments of war with no care for their wellbeing, Byleth *must* care about his.

Granted, all of this is exactly the same regardless of Byleth's gender, but if Byleth is a man, then it isn't better that the only roles this route can envision for women are side characters

Or villains. Azure Moon is the route that features Edelgard the most in her role as villain. In addition, it also features two other female villains in Cornelia and Fleche.

Cornelia is... Two-dimensional and shitty. She's a sexy woman who manipulates people and uses her position to only benefit herself. A deeply problematic trope that I don't think I need to discuss more?

Fleche meanwhile... Is a young girl, who (fairly) wants revenge against Dimitri for her brother's murder (so already her motivations revolve entirely around men) and when she finally makes her move to claim that revenge, it isn't tragic, the narrative does not care that she fails, it only cares that in her failure she killed Rodrigue instead.

Fleche's entire role in the story may as well have been fulfilled by a nameless enemy soldier, she is never mentioned again, even in the following scene where Dimitri starts to recover from his violent fugue, the focus is entirely on Rodrigue's death. Byleth strikes Fleche down without any input from the player. The player character of this game *kills a child* for wanting to avenge her brother, to protect a man who's killed ten times as many as she possibly could have. And it's brushed past.

Then there's Edelgard... I think Azure Moon actually does a good job of presenting Edelgards ideaology and motivations fairly and evenly when she is given opportunity to speak to them. But I don't think that's intentional. Based on Dimitri's response to her, dismissing her as "forcing her ideals on the commonfolk" (when he himself does and will *also* do that as king). The fact that her ultimate fate is turning into a mindless monster and being killed. The fact that the last shot of the game is Dimitri turning to look at her body and Byleth placing a hand on his shoulder as if to say she isn't worth it (or, admittedly perhaps to say that he needs to move forward, but i think both can be true). The route ultimately presents Edelgard as an extremist. An extremist with motivations that are understandable, but still an extremist.

So the only roles for women in this narrative, to sum up, are villains, peanut gallery, or motivation for the male lead. Meanwhile men, almost solely, drive the plot forward and have the most input on what the ultimate fate of Fodlan is. It's extremely frustrating and to be clear I don't post this to say that people who find something valuable in Azure Moon are wrong, or sexist, but just... To put it out there. Maybe there are people like me who dislike AM and aren't sure why, and maybe this can bring some possible reasons to light. And i think it is always a good thing to be critical, especially of things we love.

Oh also Sylvain is there a lot and he's extremely gross about women in every possible way.

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #three houses #three houses spoilers #azure moon #blue lion #fire emblem critical #three houses critical #fe16 #fe3h spoilers #azure moon spoilers

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rosekin · 4 years

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FIRE EMBLEM REVIEWS

Fire Emblem 1, or “The Marth Game”: My advice to everyone everywhere is to never play an RPG thats released on the NES. 0/10

FE2, Gaiden: I really wish this one wasn’t an NES RPG because it’s honestly really promising. Here’s hoping it gets a remake one day haha 2/10

FE3, Mystery of the Emblem, or “Marth 2″: NES RPG 0/10

FE4, Genealogy of the Holy War: Ah, a SNES RPG! Those are often good. Too bad this one has atrocious map design, boring characters, poorly balanced gameplay, inherent genetic superiority built into its royal units, and incest. c’est la vie, 0/10

FE5, Thracia 776: It’s not a BAD game exactly, but it is a game that was designed with the kind of “difficulty” that exists purely to sell strategy guides. 3/10

FE6, Binding Blade: Entering into the GBA Era, we have a game that is incredibly dull and has a lot of poor design decisions reminiscent of FE4. It gets points for including Roy from Super Smash Bros Melee, however. Bold choice, Intelligent Systems. 2/10

FE7, Blazing Blade: The prequel to Binding Blade, Blazing Blade is better than Binding Blade in every regard except instead of Roy, Binding Blade has 3 main protagonists and the only good one is the one with the least screentime. Lyn is a cool and interesting character, but Eliwood is too milquetoast and Hector is a dick. 6/10

FE8, Sacred Stones: It has good maps, good characters, an actual postgame, and introduces a feature that makes it far more replayable than previous games, Class Trees. No longer does every Mage become a Sage, for they could also become a Mage Knight. For certain base classes, this opens up a range of up to 4 possible options for their final class! Some people might complain that Sacred Stones is too easy, but I’ll take a game easy enough that I can use whatever party I want over something like Genealogy where units who aren’t mounted are absolutely worthless any day. No, the only complaint I have about Sacred Stones is the unfortunate misogyny in the writing surrounding Eirika. I highly recommend that if you play the game, you use the Restoration Queen fan hack(it also adds gay marriage which is cool.) 9/10, 10/10 with Restoration Queen

FE9, Path of Radiance: Ike game, baby. This is the Fire Emblem I’d recommend the most for sure. The first game in the series that’s not largely from the perspective of nobility who are in charge of armies, The central players to this plot is a small mercenary company. It’s a very refreshing change of pace. The only problem I have with it is in regards to the Fantasy Racism aspect. I’m the kind of person who would rather have, like, Racism With Furries in a game like this than Actual Racism being portrayed, and PoR honestly handles it rather well, but it always grinds my gears when they’re like “oh yeah mixed people are the most oppressed because the humans and the furries both shun them” like god thats not how it works. Aside from that, wonderful game. 9.5/10

FE10, Radiant Dawn: Ike 2, this time with co-protagonist Micaiah, the first female lord to not be a naive, softhearted damsel, who hails from the “evil” country from the last game. It’s hard to talk about without spoilers, but Radiant Dawn is very pro-proletariat. Also the “Ike gay” subtext becomes closer to being just regular text, and new character Heather is definitively a lesbian. This is, very unfortunately, the best Fire Emblem will ever do for gay rights. 10/10

FE11, Shadow Dragon: A remake of FE1 that doesn’t manage to throw off its shackles of being based off of an NES RPG, which limits its gameplay and story. 3/10

FE12, New Mystery of the Emblem: A remake of FE3 that is arguably worse than its original in some ways, and started the trend of having player avatar characters that ruin the plot by being overly significant. 0/10

FE13, Awakening: Very boring. Makes a lot of gameplay changes that absolutely trivialize the gameplay aspect, as if the bland map design didn’t do that enough already. Had to introduce difficulty modes that made all of the enemies insanely strong with busted skills because that’s the only way this game could be remotely challenging. The characters are bland, the plot is borderline nonsensical, and Robin ruins it all as well.This game also introduces new series mainstays such as homophobia, pedophilia, and rampant oversexualization of women. 0/10

FE14, Fates(Birthright, Conquest, and Revelations): A game so nice you buy it thrice! Fates manages to take a lot of things from Awakenings gameplay and improve them enough that they’d be worth maybe a 3.5/10, if it wasn’t for the fact that Fates continues, and actually increases, the homophobia, pedophilia, and rampant oversexualization of women, as well as adding our fourth horseman of the anime apocalypse, our long lost friend Incest who hasn’t been seen since Genealogy. It’s okay, though, because you just grew up thinking you were siblings, you’re not actually related(except for Azura, who is your actual cousin so that excuse wouldn’t even work). On the bright side, Corrin is actually the avatar character who fits reasonably in the plot so far, if only because the plot of Fates is so laughably bad even compared to Awakening. I could rant about so many things about this terrible terrible game, but it’s already taking up too much of my review post as it is. 0/10.

FE15, Shadows of Valentia: Finally, a remake of FE2, I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with it. It’s got really cool kinda choppy animation in the CGI cutscenes I like that. Wow, they managed to capture the innovative gameplay of the original while updating it to be far less frustrating... And they managed to update the already surprisingly interesting plot by... adding unnecessary characters and making it way more classist and sexist. Great. 3.5/10

FE16, Three Houses: The gameplay, quite honestly? Worse than Fates. The story... I like the characters, and it’s not really as problematic as Fates(hardly any incest to speak of, the sexualization of women isn’t quite as bad, the homophobia is less “depicting gay people in gross ways” and more “the only options for dudes are a base gametwink, a free DLC twink, and a paid DLC twink”). Really the biggest stumbling block is they took the pitfall of doing Actual Racism instead of Fantasy Racism, and then they really fucked up by portraying it far worse than Path of Radiance did Furry Racism. In Path of Radiance, the racist people who join you consist of Soren, who has a Distrusting Furries pass on account of being mixed(I already complained about this) and Jill, who is from Daein(the Bad People country) and has had her brain poisoned by propaganda. Ike doesn’t coddle her on this, however, and tells her to shape up or get the boot. In Three Houses, characters are allowed to be racist with no repercussions. Pretty much any and all character growth connected to Stopping Being Racist is carried out through completely optional support conversations. This? Sucks! It sucks! uhhh 3.5/10 as well

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ellaintrigue · 4 years

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Man, y’all are freaks, and I ain’t talking about choke a bitch while rubbing the clit, there are some bitter ass dudes out there. First off, I’m on all the dating sites but have stopped looking and made a “seeking friends” OkCupid profile where the app allows the option. I did this back in May.

I’m bored, stuck at home, at work, on a computer allll day long, and honestly? The honest truth? I just want lots of new people to talk to, nothing sexual, and maybe I’ll find some lasting connections. I’ve talked to random people for years and met all kinds, including my two internet friends of 14 years and 3. They are both male but do not come at me sexually. No one views anyone as “unattractive” and no one lusts after anyone, it’s all good conversation about life, social issues, and venting about difficult times.

So, I’m on a dating site, that I have been on since I was 17, trying to make friends. If you look into how to meet friends you can GO OUT, which is not an option with my job and the pandemic, or you can join MeetUp or FB groups... which there are none worth a shit that I can find. There are very few social sites and at 30 it’s hard to meet anyone anywhere. But I do okay on OkCupid.

After my unfortunate interactions with my cousin and my last failed friendship with a woman I got tired of all the talk of babies, bashing c-sections (um, who cares what another woman does with her body?), and being competitive. Women get the reputation as catty because we are extremely competitive, we just don’t normally have fist fights. And women without kids just seem to automatically get judged. My best friend who is a busy mom has never come at me like “YOU NEED TO GET PREGNANNNNNNNNT” and she’s the best kind of mother. Confident, doing her, and not judging other women.

My male online friend of 3 years who has a kid never talks about gross parenting stuff or forces any of that shit on me either. But onward to my point here: the concept that men and women can’t be friends. It can be hard sometimes. I had a male boss I totally loved, not in a romantic or sexual sense. Big dude, not unattractive but was my boss and friend, never flirted, and there was never a spark. We would just talk every night when things were slow at work as I would with my other coworker Lorraine who I also loved to death. Then one day I was standing at the counter, and he walked by me in the 5 foot gap behind our registers and BOOM, hand on the ass. And I was like “OMG my boss just grabbed my ass.” Not hard, but I felt his hand, on my fucking ass, with his fingers, grabbing my butt cheek. I thought hard about what to do and figured to do nothing, unless he did it again. Then all hell would break lose. But it seemed like he was testing the waters (that weren’t there) and he never tried again, quitting his management soon afterward.

Things like that make me leery about having male friends in person and if I end up in a relationship I don’t want that kind of drama anyway. I only need two men in real life: my dad and whoever I end up with, if that happens.

That said, I’ve worked with the public for years and had male acquaintances and coworkers I’ve gotten along with and trusted. I do prefer female bosses but I have had lesbian coworkers feel me up... it’s all just a combination of different things but here is the big picture: women are not “sluts” and men are not all thirsty rapists. So when you have a guy like the one in the 2nd line of screenshots here, that is all his own thinking. He feels entitled to women and doesn’t respect them but when he says all of the things that he does, he is actually being sexist and degrading towards men. It’s funny when incels shoot themselves in the foot, and they almost ALWAYS go by that “nice guy” label. And he’s one of many men that has spoken to me like that. They need to cultivate their self esteem, evaluate their behavior, and get counseling before they become abusers, if they aren’t already. My other favorite messages I get are guys that come at me like “oh you just want friends? I hear you, men are so shitty!” Um, no. Never said that, never implied that. I’ve been through hell with men and I have scars but I will never say all men are the same. I’ll bash the bad ones but you can’t cliche any race or gender, etc.

After I changed my profile on OkCupid not only did I get hit up by “nice guys” but I’ve gotten a flood of people whose family and friends have died off like me, and also disabled people that don’t get out much, also like me. And there’s people that just work all the time and want new friends or to vent about life. And that is what I need and what i want.

So can we all just stop hating one another, have great conversations, and not worry about sex?

#Screenshots #Crazy #Incel #Rant

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namjuicyy · 5 years

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The Contract - Chapter One

Masterlist | Requests are open.

Genre: Angst, fluff, smut.

Genre of this part: Angst.

Word Count: 2.6k.

Summary: Your life is turned upside down when a contract is pushed your way. But what happens if you sign it?

Warnings: BTS arguments, mentions of other groups in a sexual setting, multiple sexual partners suggestions.

Taehyung plonked himself down on the makeup chair, a sigh escaping his lips as he did so. He was tense, frustrated, and completely exhausted. There were heavy bags under his eyes from all the training, physical exertion and the lack of sleep that made him look a good ten years older than what he actually was. And he wasn't the only one looking that way. All six of his brothers were the same. And, as a result, each one was irritable and prone to snapping at their members with no warning. It was like the seven of them were walking on eggshells, constantly tiptoeing around one another in fear of starting an argument. They'd been doing this for five years. And whilst they enjoyed it, they were tired. Physically and emotionally.

They were tired of the early mornings and the late nights. They were tired of the plagiarism accusations and hate. They were tired of their privacy being invaded, by the press, the fans and even themselves. Their six-bedroomed apartment (that was originally four) was so small and pokey, with thin walls, there was just no privacy at all. Jungkook couldn't count the amount of times he'd walked in on one of his hyungs doing something, either in the bathroom or on their bed. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd had to shove his headphones in his ears to drown out the sounds of sex coming from bedrooms across the apartment. Well, that's a lie. He could. But that was only because his hyungs getting laid happened so infrequently he couldn't exactly complain about the noise. Not when it was something they obviously needed.

That was one of the few things that they loathed about their job. Worldwide, there was this assumption from the general public that with fame came thousands of young women willing to throw themselves cunt-first at their favourite celebrities and that they'd be having sex all the time. The Rolling Stones managed it. They were constantly involved in some kind of sex scandal, Namjoon was pretty sure of it.

But Bangtan Sonyeondan didn't get that side of fame. They got the busy schedules and the untrustworthy women who would be more than willing to sell just how big the member's dicks were to the first magazine who would buy her story. The boys couldn't trust anyone, and, as a result of this, couldn't do what normal twenty-year-old men usually do which was getting balls deep in the first consenting woman they could find. Hoseok couldn't remember the last time he felt a woman. The warmth and wetness that he heard so often in porn. Instead, like his members, he was forced to lube up his hand (or his Fleshlight if he was lucky enough to be at home at home) and go to town listening to two people fucking, wishing it was him.

The lack of intimacy made them frustrated in more ways than one. Sexually, of course, but also generally. It had gotten to the point where, the morning before a performance, Jimin and Jungkook had broken out into a huge argument over something so small and trivial, no one could remember just what it was about. The hyungs could just hear bickering coming from two of the maknaes, and the words becoming more and more venomous as the argument was allowed to continue. Yoongi rolled his eyes, locked his phone, and stood up, removing himself from the chair and heading into the corridor.

"Right!" His voice was loud and dominating, and echoed around the hallway. Despite the volume, he still hadn't raised his voice. Not really. Despite the steely tone his voice carried, he was still as calm and serene as ever. The power of his voice rang with, was enough to silence the arguing brothers, and force their attention onto him. "I don't give a fuck what this is about," Yoongi continued sternly, "I don't give a fuck who started it and I certainly don't give a fuck as to why you're still continuing. What I give a fuck about is the fact that there are thousands of Armys outside that door, waiting for us to put on the performance of a lifetime. And so help me God, if either of you let them down I will strangle the pair of you. Do you understand me?" Jungkook and Jimin didn't answer verbally, they just nodded. They daren't mess with Yoongi when he put on his 'dad voice' and threw his weight around.

Yoongi stepped back, no longer blocking the entrance to the makeup room and pointed to the door. "Now, get in there and get yourself sorted. ___'s been in there for ages waiting for your sorry asses and it's not fair on her to have to work overtime when you two can't help but butt heads. Go on."

You were stood at Jungkook's station, joining the rest of the room in silence as you listened to what the argument was about. Jungkook's regular artist was out for the day. She couldn't leave her bed apparently. Which is why you chose to step in on her behalf. Jungkook sat next to Taehyung, throwing himself down onto the chair just as his hyung did. He was clearly so done with everything, you weren't entirely sure what to say. Instead, you did what you knew would make him feel better by leaning down over him, and dangling your arms over his shoulders, resting them on his chest, hugging him from behind. Jungkook always loved it when he was in a bad mood and someone hugged him. And he loved it even more when it was you doing it.

"What was that all about?" You asked gently as you began working on his face. Not that he needed it. He was so infuriatingly beautiful without makeup, it made him ethereal when he wore it.

Jungkook sighed, frustration ever present in his voice. "Hyung taking things too far again. Not being able to take a joke."

"What was the joke?"

"Some crack about how his voice sounded like he was on helium."

You rolled your eyes and tutted. "Before a show, JK. That wasn't very smart was it? You know how he feels about his voice. Even at the best of times he's insecure about it."

"I just wanted to lighten the mood, ___-ah. I promise I didn't mean to offend him."

"I know, honey. But there's a time and a place but this is certainly not it."

"But he didn't just tell me to shut up like he usually does. He went really off the rails." Jungkook's expression changed from annoyance to worry. "He's never done that before. He started screaming at me. Calling me impertinent and disrespectful. I just wanted to make him laugh."

You could see his eyes beginning to water. "Okay. Alright. Here's what we'll do: we'll stop talking about it, and you won't cry and ruin everything I've already done so far, okay?"

Jungkook chuckled a little and nodded.

The concert went well, thankfully, and everyone put their differences aside to perform properly. But when the curtain fell, so to speak, and they were sure they were away from the fans, tensions began to rise again.

The car ride back to the hotel was silent but tense. No one dared say anything just in case the hatred for one another would spread. Jin sat there, looking out the window, watching the nightlife roll by and wondered how it had come to this. How they could have gone from being on the top of the world to almost hitting rock bottom. He'd been thinking it for a while, as had Namjoon. Maybe they should give it a rest, and move onto separate projects. Maybe.

They all sat in the only suite of the booking, and made sure Jimin and Jungkook could see each other as they discussed the events that had unfolded not five hours ago. Sejin, one of their managers, decided it was his job to join the discussion on behalf of the company, and as a friend, given that the argument was so large, it tore a hole in their teamwork. The boys confessed their feelings, confessed how tired they were, and how lonely they felt, and that they just didn't know what to do.

Things were resolved within two hours, a record for the boys. Usually arguments would last a week and would need a whole weekend of calm discussions to put the fire out. Maybe it was because of how fast Jimin and Jungkook were willing to apologise to one another. No one knew. But what they did know was that they were all physically and emotionally drained and were ready for their beds.

Sejin thought for a moment. His mind was ticking like a clock as he processed everything he'd heard and everything he knew after spending many years working alongside the band, and in the music industry. His voice raised as he spoke. "I think I might have a solution."

Jin, "A solution?"

Namjoon, "To what?"

Sejin, "Your problems. Well, some of them anyway." He was tentative with his words, carefully treading on untouched ground, not fully knowing how the boys were going to take his proposition. "There's this... arrangement I've heard of.."

Yoongi, "Nothing illegal, I hope."

Sejin shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. But, of course, it's still a very hush-hush topic. If fans aren't happy about idols dating, they most definitely won't be happy about this.

"You'll be surprised at the amount of bands who actually do this. It sounds worse than it actually is, and even female bands do it too. What they'll do, is they'll find someone within their company, someone they can trust and are attracted to, and will contract her to be intimate with them."

"So they turn a staff member into a prostitute?" Yoongi's question came out more like a statement, one he was disgusted in.

"No. Because the intimacy some band members have with her isn't sexual in the slightest. Sometimes it's making out on the sofa when they need it, or being cuddled to sleep. They move her into their apartment with them, and basically call on her when they need her... for whatever. Kihyun apparently gets MONSTA X's Affectionate to cook for him. Not because it's a sexist thing, but because, to him, it's such a sweet gesture. It's one extra thing for him to not have to worry about. Plus, apparently, she's amazing in the kitchen.

"I know that right now you guys are void of a good fuck," Sejin continued, "and maybe your lady could start out as being just that for you, when she consents to it. But over time, all you might require from her is a hug, or even a movie night. I know what you guys are like."

"Isn't that a bit weird though?" Namjoon asked. "We'd be sharing one woman?"

Taehyung chimed in. "Are you worried about jealousy?"

"That and the fact that she'd literally be our whore... even if she's not having sex with us. I don't know. If we had a partner each it wouldn't be as weird."

"Well, we can't afford a woman for each of you." Sejin countered. "It's one or nothing."

Jin laughed. "Bullshit you can't afford it. The company turns trillions over each quarter."

"I wasn't talking about financially. We can't afford to essentially lose seven women from the company. Because even though they'd still be working for Big Hit, you're essentially her boss. She'd be at your beckon call. Plus it will also teach you little shits some self-control." Everyone laughed. "You don't have to agree to it right away. Think on it, discuss it and let me know."

Namjoon hesitated, then spoke. "You say other bands have them. Who? I want to know what their relationships are like with their... whatevers."

"I'll email a list to you as soon as I get back to my room." Sejin offered.

Jungkook, "What? Do you managers have a group chat or something where you talk about who the band members are fucking?"

Sejin stood and turned to walk away. "Yes. We do." He joked.

"Sejinnie-hyung has sent me the email of bands." Namjoon announced as the members lounged on the sofas.

"Who's on there?" Yoongi asked.

Namjoon tittered. "Pretty much everyone we know. GOT7, EXO, VIXX, MONSTA X, SHINEE. The list seems endless. I guess we really didn't know just how common this was."

Jungkook, "You guys aren't seriously considering this, are you?"

Hoseok, "If it's going to make sure everyone here stops being so pissy all the time then yeah, I'm all for it."

Namjoon, "Well, there's certainly no harm in asking around is there? We'll do some research, come back with what we find and then make an educated, unanimous decision."

The boys did just that. At first, they couldn't believe that they were even entertaining the idea. It seemed so morally wrong to pluck one of their staff members out of all of them, move her in with them and fuck her until she couldn't walk. Who would they even choose anyway? How would it work? Their apartment was hardly big enough for them, let alone an additional person. Where would she sleep? Would she get her own space? Would they find anyone who would even consider entertaining this idea either?

They were told that some of their friends had these women. So Namjoon asked around. He called some of their colleagues who were experienced with this kind of thing and did the research for the band, returning to them with his findings. And, ultimately, there were more positives than negatives. Jackson, one of Namjoon's closest friends, explained GOT7's relationship with their lady. They call her their girlfriend, because that's essentially what she is. She's polyamorous, and is in love with all of the members, just as they are with her. Jackson admitted that it was odd, at first, given that they were all dating the same woman. But, in a strange way it just made them that bit closer. She's the calming outsider who knows them back to front and inside and out, who stops arguments before they begin and takes their stress away. And, they do the same for her. They love her, as she does them. She even refused to renew the contract because she wanted to stay with them. Of course, JYP made her sign a new one to cover their backs, but that's the only reason why they have a contract in place.

The more they heard about it, the more they warmed to the idea. And so, within a week they'd pulled Sejin to one side and told them they wanted to go ahead with it. Sejin was pleased. "Excellent! So," he pulled out his phone and looked at the boys expectantly, "tell me a few qualities you want her to have, and what you each want out of the relationship."

"A relationship." Namjoon told Sejin. "We want what GOT7 has. We want her to be a good friend of ours -"

Taehyung, "Warm."

Jin, "Kind."

Jimin, "Gentle."

Jungkook, "Sweet."

Hoseok, "Kinky." Everyone stared at Hoseok. "What? You were all thinking about it!"

Yoongi shook his head, but he didn't disagree. "We want someone who thinks of others. Who will do the little things that other people think doesn't matter. Someone open-minded who will let us take care of her as she will of us."

Namjoon, "She also has to be single. We don't want to break up a love that's already there."

Sejin stopped typing and locked his phone, a smile forming on his face. "I know exactly who you want."

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briangroth27 · 5 years

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Ready or Not Review

I really liked Ready or Not! It’s a very entertaining horror adventure with a healthy dose of comedy and a great lead in Samara Weaving. The supporting cast is on point too and everyone involved more than capably delivers a really fun thrill ride!

Full Spoilers...

Weaving's Grace is hoping to find a family once she marries her fiancé, Alex (Mark O’Brien), but everything goes wrong when his family tradition of playing a game each wedding night leaves her running for her life. Weaving imbues Grace with a winning way that makes her easy to root for, which is very important since we don't learn much about her interests or aspirations outside the family here. Her interactions with and reactions to the members of the Le Domas clan (along with her struggle to survive) give us a good grasp of who she is as a person (and that's just as if not more important as her biography), but I would've liked to know what she wanted out of life beyond a family and a solid home. Given no one in the movie really gets those details, however, it doesn't feel like she was slighted or underwritten. Her drive to have a family after living through foster homes was strong enough to give her a relatable goal and to fuel the tragedy that what she wants demands her death. The movie sends her through the ringer and Weaving absolutely sold Grace's growing confidence and grit in the face of so many would-be killers. She wasn't ever helpless or short of the ability to defend herself, but carving out an independent life apart from what she wanted was handled really well as the metaphorical component to her literal struggle to survive. I really liked that her most deliberate murder was the one that also eliminated any chance of a happy marriage to Alex, since she kills his mom Becky (Andie MacDowell), whom he loved her more than his new wife.

The script and direction did a great job of balancing Alex’s wish that he was different from his family with the dawning truths that he really did believe as they did and that he would choose them over Grace. The very act of putting her in a situation that could lead to her death without telling her—even if the Hide & Seek card hadn't been drawn in 30 years—was a huge red flag and I'm glad they followed through to the conclusion of that plot point. The romantic music swelling when he told Grace he'd proposed to her because she'd leave him otherwise didn't convince me that he was a good guy (he would have explained why they couldn’t get married or just let her go rather than risk her life if he really loved her), so I was happy the movie used the romantic music as a trick instead of a true emotional beat. There were other small hints at his turn along the way, so his was a nicely-constructed and acted arc too.

Alex’s brother Daniel (Adam Brody) was initially drawn as sleazy and unlikable, so I wasn’t expecting either of the moments where he helps Grace escape. I definitely didn’t think he’d turn out to be the best of his clan, particularly given his role in the last Hide & Seek game they played. However, I fully bought his turn after Brody and the movie showed the toll his choice back then had taken on him and how exhausted with everything about his family he was. Most of the Le Domas family were pretty affable on the surface (accounting for niceties at a wedding), and the actors and writers crafted a nice blend of reasons for them to stick with the family as well as some very entertaining comic relief within the group. Like Grace, we don’t hear a lot about their goals or dreams, but through the writing and performances it was easy to see who these people were from their actions and interactions alone. I did believe that they were truly hoping the Hide & Seek card wasn’t pulled and not just because they knew they’d all be terrible at hunting a person. That obviously doesn’t excuse any of their actions—they still put Grace in that position and immediately went through with trying to kill her to save themselves and the family business—but I liked that the movie took the step of giving them a bit of humanity before carrying out their ritual. That actually made them scarier, since people who do evil, selfish things are still people and pretending that only inhuman monsters are murderers (or racists, sexists, white supremacists, etc.) is dangerous.

There are some solid foils set up for Grace amongst the women of the Le Domas family. Becky is who Grace might want to be: the outsider welcomed into the family so that she can build a large one of her own and in doing so, find a stable home. They have the closest bond, come from similar lower class backgrounds, and the movie makes note of them both being smokers, providing another small connection between them (even if Grace lies about it to impress Becky). The ironically-named Charity (Elyse Levesque) is the cliché reflection of Grace (and possibly how we’d expect a wealthy family to see someone joining them from the lower classes): she’s literally there for the money and security that being part of this family provides. Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) is Grace without her grit (and what Grace hopes the family doesn’t see her as): a screw-up in over her head who has no idea what she’s doing, but who’s desperate to impress the family. Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni), on the other hand, is who Grace could be if she were all grit and devotion to the family. Looking at them this way had me wondering if the men in the Le Domas clan are foils for Alex as well. Daniel is set up as the red herring evil brother and their trajectories are opposites: Alex left but never really “left” the family while Daniel stayed, but that only allowed him to stew in how terrible they all are. Fitch (Kristian Bruun) does bring up cutting and running once, but ultimately he’s fully willing to go along with the ritual and between Alex fleeing the family and Daniel drinking himself into snark, before Alex’s turn Fitch is kind of the best son Tony (Henry Czerny) has (even if he’s a son-in-law, ensuring he’ll never be treated like blood). Tony’s devoted to the ritual and will absolutely kill to protect his family, though he wishes he didn’t have to. He’s what Alex probably would have become had Grace pulled a different card. Emilie and Fitch’s sons Georgie (Liam MacDonald) and Gabe (Ethan Tavares) also mirror Daniel and Alex, with one of them being hidden for most of the movie and the other taking part in the family’s ritual “because everyone else was doing it.”

Since I saw the first trailer, I was hoping Mr. Le Bael would be a real demon, so I absolutely loved that he actually was mystically sustaining this family’s fortune in exchange for this ritual! Just before that reveal, when it seemed nothing would happen to the family for not killing Grace before dawn, the family’s awkward “well shoot…what do we do now?” moment was played perfectly, so that was a bit of the best of both worlds. I thought Grace was going to have to fight off the whole family at once somehow, since they’d still have to kill her to get away with it. However, the parade of exploding devil worshipers that followed instead was a fitting end to these terrible people: they’re all brought down by the thing they thought would make their dreams come true (which is a nice parallel to Grace’s biggest dream turning into a nightmare). I thought Mr. Le Bael might offer Grace a deal of her own for surviving the night, but I’m glad he just gave her a nod of approval instead.

The violence throughout the film expertly walks the same cartoony/serious line that the tone of the whole movie does. That’s very hard to do while still keeping the stakes high, but this movie completely and consistently pulls it off. There’s a lot of gore (though not too gross-out graphic IMO) that’s used well to comedic effect, until Grace starts getting injured and it takes a turn to decidedly not comedic; then they play the seriousness and pain of those injuries just as effectively. While the accidental deaths are comical, I wish they weren’t solely reserved for women (Hanneke Talbot, Celine Tsai, and Daniela Barbosa, who play the Le Dormas maids), though I suppose that’s the comment on these villains: this rich family didn’t care about their value beyond bemoaning how well they’d served them.

Criticisms of the upper class like that are effectively deployed throughout the film, from joining/maintaining a ridiculously wealthy family being the only way several characters think they can have a good/secure life, to the only non-white people associated with the family being among their hired and quickly-forgotten help, to their fortune being built on games rather than socially-helpful endeavors (not that diversions aren’t important) as if they’ve never had to take anything but this ritual seriously (not to mention the literal deal with the devil alleviating any hard work they might’ve had to do to make said fortune), to the flimsy “this is just how I was raised” excuse Alex and Georgie give. Given that the butler Stevens (John Ralston), Tony, and Helene are the most effective/vicious hunters, there’s also a vibe that the old white people are the ones fighting hardest to maintain their traditions (sometimes even if they know they don’t make sense anymore) and way of life by using the younger generation as expendable pawns and targets. Even when outside authority figures are trying to be helpful, they’re ultimately playing into the Le Domas family’s interests instead of the common person’s, like when Grace explains that she’s being hunted and the family car’s security agent Justin (Nat Faxon) turns the car off (since it’s been reported stolen) while offering half-meant hopes (and prayers?) that she makes it out alive.

The score is fun (and the Hide & Seek song is very creepy!), while the production design of the Le Domas mansion and the movie in general feels perfectly fitting for this kind of story (as others online have pointed out). The pacing is excellent, giving us enough time to get to know Grace and her new family in the first act before everything goes crazy, which also gives her a glimpse of the life she wants before ripping it away and lets them play some relatable “dealing with the in-laws” gags. Once the game begins, the comedy and thrills don’t stop until the end!

Ready or Not continues the steady build of solid horror movies heading into the Halloween season this year! I can’t wait to pick it up on Blu-ray. It’s definitely a blast and it’s more than worth a trip to the theater to see it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#ready or not

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tae-kun · 5 years

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HEY BLACK TUMBLR, Y’ALL WANNA PLAY SOME GAMES TOGETHER!?

So on ps4 they just released this game called Onrush that’s free for PS+ and the game is pretty Dope. I figured it would be the perfect game to get a bunch of us black gamers together and start to play some stuff together and make it a dope, fun and peaceful environment. It’s already hard enough to play online games without dealing with racism, but i find it even harder to find black gamers that don’t just play 2k or call of duty.

So this game is basically a 6v6 objective based racing game with powers, destruction, customization and alot of speed.

I already like racing games but most are usually the typical NASCAR simulator type ish where its the same loop with exotic cars.

This game is very easy to get into with some skill involved and it also has this Dope underground style and feel to it. From the Underground Hip Hop and Punk songs to the unique cosmetics for the cars and characters.

YOU WANT DOPE CAR CLASSES!?

well you got 8 to choose from to fit your playstyle (each class has about 3-4 car shells, which is basically what the shape of the car looks like)

Each with 64 custom styles for em

YOU WANT UNIQUE CHARACTERS TO PICK FROM!?

well you get 12 to choose

With some unique cosmetic changes for each

I was actually surprised about all the dark skin characters they had to choose from, out of 12 there are like 4 or 5, which sadly by video game standards is way above average these days.

But besides all that there are 4 game modes to choose from, All of them fun, fast paced and unique.

i’ve only been playing for about a day now and i can already imagine having some dope 6v6 with some of you guys on here. It’s competitive enough to make you want to win but not to the point that it makes you want to curse somebody out (not to me atleast)

I really want to make a game night or weekend out of this with the black gamers on here. It’ll be a great way for us to meet and have fun. Like i really want to have like a fun Boys vs Girls night, especially since the black girl gamers don’t get the attention or respect i believe they deserve in the gaming community. Like these women will destroy you in some games and make you wonder how the lie that “girls aren’t good at games” even started lol

But this Isn’t an excuse for people to try to hook up or be a place that allows any homophobic, sexist, harassing, bullying or disrespectful comments or actions at all. This is a space for All Black Men and Women to feel comfortable and accepted no matter your lifestyle.

A lil smack talk and joking is fine, hell i’ll definitely have something to say if you let me win enough, and most games are competitive by design like this one.

BUT by no means will I allow anyone to feel judged, bullied or uncomfortable because somebody said something uncalled for, because of a loss or because someone may not be as good as others or any reason what so ever.

Im doing this because most groups aren’t as accepting as they put on and i just want to have some fun with my people without anyone feeling ostracized because of how they look or their skills.

Whether winning or losing i want this to be a fun, playful and respectful group of gamers so hopefully we can encourage others todo the same while creating a space made for it. So at some point we can play other games together and have some genuinely great people to party up with, without any bs attached.

I wanted to start this either sometime tonight and Sunday or next weekend, Just so that this post can circulate enough and give people time to get comfortable with the game.Plus i gotta make the rules and get some moderators to keep everything in check.

But if your down: just reblog this with your PSN name or message me directly so i can add you guys to this list, and even if you don’t want to play still reblog it. You never know if one of your followers would want to join this

I’ll be inboxing everoyone once everything is settled and ready to begin 😬👍🏾👍🏾

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