#and that despite having ‘traditionally feminine’ features

[overandundertarot]

How Can You Enhance Your Beauty?

What can you do to acentuate you features and which style/aesthetic suits you best? Lets take a look!

Please pick a card; (1-4, left to right)

Pile One(Ace of Spades)

Cards; The Empress, The world, King of Cups, Ace of Pentacles.

Pile one you have that supple, vivacious feminine beauty. Think of ancient portrayals of feminine goddesses. The way women were portrayed in renaissance paintings. Fuller figured, softer around the edges. You may be a romantic in terms of kibbe body types. You may have a wide set body and thicker bones. You could be tall, and may appear larger than you actually are. That is to say, because of the rouded nature of your appearence people may expect you to be heavier than you are or weaker/lacking muscle. A good example is Marylin monroe who was actually quite petite and was said to diet often despite her voluptuous appearence. You could have big eyes and a vacant look about you, a natural poise and grace. Despite this overt feminity, you could have androginous features. That is to say, you may have a larger nose than others, a wider jaw, slighty bigger feet, some 'traditionally masculine features' bleed into your appearence. But these just add to your beauty in a subtle way. You have a welcoming, receptive energy at first glance, think of a cancer rising. You may have had issues with people underestimating you or looking down on you because of this initial soft and welcoming appearence. People may have even sexualised you in the past, placing strange expectations on you and im also hearing that some of them outright started telling you about their sexual fantasies involving your body? Pile one, you look best when you look abundant. When you look like you are well taken care of and happy with your life, determined. When you are at a place in your life where you feel fulfilled and balanced, there is a natural glow that comes over you and enhances your beauty. Jewelry also enhances your beauty, specifically jewelry that looks expensive and tasteful. You may look really good in business casual style outfits. When you combine feminine and masculine elements in your look, it really complements your features . You look really good when you give your soft features an 'edge' this can be with makeup, fashion, whatever way you want. It's good to let some of your personality shine through, to communicate that you look soft but have a backbone. You may favour more structured, masculine looks but have had poor experiences with styling these because they may not have fit the way you wanted/imagined them on your body. Find a way to work around that, incorporate things like shoulder pads, strategically loose clothing, boots etc. There're some pictures of jennifer lawrence walking dogs that went semi-viral, her outift in those pictures would suit you well. That kind of quiet luxury fashion look.

Pile Two(Ace of Hearts)

Cards; Queen of cups reversed, 3 of swords reversed, King of swords reversed, The Fool.

Pile 2 you have a melancholy sort of beauty. There is something haunting and sad about you. When people look at you, there is a depth that they can feel. Your emotions, your sadness, you wear them on your face. This is not to say that you are sad all the time, its just that it's easy for people to attach those qualities to you. People wonder what you could be thinking about when they look at you, how your life may be going and who your friends are. Sad girl aesthetic, you may like to wear muted colours, grunge/emo fashion. You could have saturnian features; strong bone structure, deep set eyes/an intense gaze. Prominent eyes. I'm seeing that some of you have undereye circles and forehead lines/crinkles. Freckles as well. Whatever you do, it seems picturesque; perfectly imperfect. If someone were to capture you in the moment, the picture would come out with a raw, dark academia feel. You have a certain vibe that transcends what you wear/look like. You can enhance your beauty by trying something new. A lot of you who chose this pile have a comfort zone that is enforced solely through force of habit. Don't be afraid to try things that pique your interest even if it may seem strange to the people around you. Some of you want to completely change your aesthetic but are worried that you will regret it and have to buy a whole new wardrobe/makeup collection etc afterwards. It seems that a lot of looks, aesthetics appeal to you but you're not sure which to focus on. Some of you used to have a more sexy/mature vibe but feel the need to cover up/dress more conservativly recently. You'd do well to slowly incorporate the new style and grow comfortable in it day to day. For others, you're perfectly fine the way you are but are feeling stagnant. Social media trends hold quite the sway on you and you are worried about how people perceive you because you don't have the newest clothes/jewelry/shoes and dress similarly each day. You may also like to thrift your clothes and have some well loved favourites that you wear constantly. It seems there's really no issue, if you feel the want to change, try it to see if the satisfaction is as great as you would have thought. Otherwise, its not really worth the hassle. It seems that you also need to change your perspective/the content you consume. Content that aligns with your interests and natural inclinations will help you feel more secure in your habits and the way you choose to present yourself. Some of you could be thinking about undegoing surgery and making a more permanent and drastic change to your features. You are being advised to think long and hard as to why you wish to do that, and if you will really be satisfied with the results. Beauty standards change, you may find that your 'flaw' will be the next beauty trend or that you never really hated the a way a certain feature looked after all.

Pile Three(Ace of Diamonds)

Cards; The Magician. Nine of wands reversed, Ace of pentacles, Three of pentacles.

Pile 3, you have the ability to present yourself however you desire. You have a very versatile look and many makeup and fashion styles suit you. Some of you are aware of this and take advantage of the fact. But others aren't and like to stay within a single fashion/makeup style. Either way it looks good on you and you are often complimented for your looks. You are quite creative too, and customise your clothes/hair makeup to fit your personality. Something about your hair stands out. It seems that your personality may come as a surprise to people who perceive only your looks as a first impression. You could also be quite spiritual/witchy and use glamours and charms to exert a specific appeal depending on your goal. You can enhance your beauty by going for an understated look. I'm seeing that you haven't really tried simplistic makeup before, or you don't wear it often. Consulting an external influence could also help you enhance your looks. Such as colour analysis, analysing your features(like the kibbe body types), or even asking a friend what they think you should do. I'm seeing that you are generally happy with where you are in terms of looks/beauty and could just be looking to spice things up/suggestions because you are an open minded and optimistic sort of person. A message for you is also to utilise beauty sevices like spas, make up studios, stylists etc. You are good at styling yourself but other factors in your life may be occupying your time/energy and taking care of yourself may start to feel like a burden. Take the opportunity to treat yourself and relax, you deserve it!

Pile Four(Ace of Flowers)

Cards; 7 of swords, Knight of cups,4 of swords reversed, 3 of swords.

Pile 4 you have a duaity about you. I'm seeing that you dress according to how you feel. You have moments where you don't want to talk to anyone and would rather stay at home. During those moments you wear athleisure, comfortable clothes and put little effort into your appearence. But when you feel more confident and extroverted you put on bold and colourful clothes to match your bright and energetic personality at the time. You could be tall/look tall, and have a preference for baggy silhouttes. Something about your lips is prominent. You could have long limbs and be slender, regardless of your weight/fitness. You are someone who's talkative, or very expressive. You have a lot of opinions, even though you may keep them to yourself. You're quite involved in your own inner world and even when you are not talking to anyone, your face is very expressive in reaction to your thoughts. You may be cheeky as well, and like to have something going on that nobody knows about. Your personality is really shining through here, despite it being a beauty reading lol. That's your appeal, you're a whirlwind and people can't help but notice you. Your looks just add to your character. You can enhace your beauty by increasing your activity level. Becoming fit, going to the gym or participating in an active hobby. It'll suit you well to have something that occupies your mind as well as your body. Also, to try a more somber look in regard to fashion and makeup, like a dark feminine siren type of makeup style/clothing. It seems that there is also something that you have been struggling to accept about yourself, this weighs on you and is cauising visible tiredness/strain. For some of you, it is a body part that you are insecure about, for others its a tendency to overthink and neglect yourself in the process. Learning to accept that part of yourself and developing healthy coping mechanisms to distract you in your times of mental strain will have you feeling and looking more confident.

******

That's it! Thank you for participating in this pick a card reading! If you would like to book a private reading with me, you can do so here. If you're interested in my other PAC's, you can check them out here!

#tarot #overandundertarot #divination #pick a card #pick a pile #intuitive reading #pac #pick a picture #tarot pick a card #pick a card reading #pick a card tarot #pick a photo #pick an image #tarotblr #tarot reading #free tarot #tarot community #free tarot reading #intuitive readings

[menhera-info-archieve]

Styling Menhera more "Masculinely"

Recently I've seen more interest in how to wear menhera and related styles if you typically present more masculine, so I'd like to address that today. This post will sort of be a continuation of this ask, but instead of discussing particular brands we'll focus on how to style your coords to have a more masculine feel to them.

Firstly though, a disclaimer: this post is not a set of rules to be followed, nor a statement on what men/masc people should or shouldn't wear. It's simply a list of ideas that might help if you want to present more traditionally (?) masculine for whatever reason. I think part of the appeal of menhera is nonconformity and NOT trying to fit into what society expects, so please don't misinterpret this post as trying to tell you what to do!

With that out of the way, it's worth noting that the tops you wear will largely be the same. Of course, avoiding tops with a large amount of bows, frills, etc also helps, but other than that I believe that most tops can be styled in a masculine way. So like in any menhera coord you'll have a top wth vent art on it. Often it will be oversized, but a regular fit is also okay.

sources: 1, 2, 3

I would say the biggest difference between feminine menhera styling and masculine menhera styling is the bottoms (and the impact this has on the overall silhouette). Where a feminine silhouette often uses short shorts/skirts/bloomers with OTKs and/or legwarmers, you’ll have an easier time going for a masculine look with longer shorts, joggers, other comfortable straight leg pants, or even jeans.

sources: 1, 2

The silhouette will change a lot depending on what type of bottom you choose. Experiment with whether you prefer an overall baggy look (baggy sweatpants with an oversize top) or a contrasting baggy top with a (comparatively) tighter straight leg bottom.

sources: 1, 2

While it's not necessary, some brands also make menhera print joggers/sweatpants if you feel left out of extra prints via OTKs. The ones pictured below are by SoftNGloomStyle on etsy

source: 1

here are a few more examples of different outfits using the same/similar tops.

sources: 1, 2

source: 1

You'll notice that I've mostly been using yamikawaii (dark color) examples. This is because it's a bit harder to make yumekawaii/pastels feel masculine. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try though!

source: 1

Regardless of how you feel about Ezaki Bisuko, he provides us good examples of pastels in a masculine silhouette (I don't think I've ever seen anyone else do menhera polo shirts before? But this could be replicated with a button up!)

source: 1

The pastels are more subtle on this one, but it still felt worth showing. Despite using a few more "feminine" accessories, this person balanced their outfit with the bottoms and layering for a more genderless feel.

source: 1

Including this one to show something a little different: this features a male seifuku top! Just to remind you not to feel like you can't mix elements.

Finally, the last thing I'll talk about is accessories. Most menhera coords should only have a couple accessories and I would say this goes doubly so if you're trying to present masculinely. Keep accessories few and impactful.

One accessory I feel is overlooked in menhera is hats! If you're avoiding hair accessories and bows, hats are a good way to tie together an outfit as well.

sources: 1, 2

hats should be a fairly accessible option as well because

redbubble semi recently started printing on hats, so many menhera designs can be put on them

they can be diy-ed by purchasing a fitting patch or pin and adding them on

you could go even further by making your own design with fabric marker/embroidery/etc. because of the size, hats are probably an easier project than making a shirt design this way

to briefly touch on other accessories: you can use most of them, but be cautious. Overall most masculine coords I have seen use much more simple types of jewelry on their necklaces/bracelets/chokers/etc such as leather, chord, and metal and don't often feature large or elaborate decorations. Still, feel free to experiment with what works!

#menhera #fashion #op #long post #I hope this makes sense #or at the very least that compiling the images can be helpful to people #menhera.txt

[iamafanofcartoons]

We need to address how media, and media critics, portray female characters poorly. What can be done about it? What are examples of media works that portray complex female characters well? What are writing tips for people trying to write complex female characters? Why do media critics hate on women?

Its just something I noticed.

Male writers drop the ball with female characters all the time. They'll give the men all the good lines but women get weak roles and no sense of humor. When we complain they then make a female character who has too many boyfriends and too much ego and too much power but no resourcefulness, or she's super powerful but still needs a man to save her, and of course they make her complain about everything and fight with everyone who helps her. I could go on and on.

A lot of people are incapable of viewing female characters as anything other than an innocent saint or a portrait of pure evil. Arguably the best characters are morally ambiguous ones who live in the gray area between good and evil, but women are much less often afforded that distinction than their male counterparts.

I'm been having a huge problem connecting to media. The only women around are very young or very old and their main defining feature is usually motherhood. If a woman my age exists who isn't a mom she's usually either obsessed with men or desperate to have a baby (or will be once the right dude comes along).

Fanfiction has great female characters , but you keep running into people who will only write a complex woman who's tied to a male main character.

Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery . POC Female Protagonist. You probably have heard or seen a lot of hatred against.

Korra from The Legend Of Korra. Sequel Series to ATLA. POC Female Protagonist. Despite losing fights and suffering extreme trauma and making mistakes, critics passionately bash the show, calling her a Mary-Sue, and accusing the show of being Protagonist-Centered Morality.

A lot of the time if there is a military high ranking female character or just female leader that is masculine or butch she will be the villain to be defeated by the traditionally feminine or at least more feminine heroine/love interest of the hero. I hate this because it basically implies that a woman can only be good if she’s conventionally attractive or a love interest. It’s saying being butch is bad/evil.

Even movies trying to be feminist, like “Contact” which I had to watch for homework? With Jodie Foster from the 1990s told the brilliant, focused woman scientist to not be so “confrontational” (as two male characters stole credit for her work right after they stole her funding) and to be happy with “small moves.” They continued to pat her on the head and tell her to be quiet through the whole movie. The one time she even spoke to another woman was to ask where she could find a really pretty dress. This was supposed to show growth in her character arc.

If I recall correctly, one of the playable characters in the next release of the grand theft auto series is gonna be a women. People online were flipping out over this saying they are being too "woke", among other things. Its funny to me because there has been 5 gta games with only male protagonists, and now there's 1 female in it and suddenly its a problem. Its like these people think there are only 2 genders in games, male and woke.

Heck, people love basic trope laden protagonists..... until they are women.

People love unreasonably over powered characters that are loved or feared in equal measure by the entire cast..... until its a woman.

Then all of a sudden, she's a Mary-Sue and the show/game/book is "Protagonist-Centered Morality"

Some characters who are torn apart for their initial naïveté like Sansa Stark or Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon) are immediately written off as stupid girl characters. Never mind that one becomes a political powerhouse and the other routinely saves the world. People just write their characters off as too “girly” or “annoying” before they even have the chance to redeem themselves in their stories.

Feels like at it's core, people don't like women trying to build self confidence and play out power fantasies. The only difference with the original Mary Sue was that she was imagining being liked by everyone, which was every woman's dream back then and to a certain extent, now. The power was being well liked, and that made her annoyingly boring because there was no struggle for her. Men think struggle is needed, even in fantasies and dreams, but it isn't.

The term Mary-Sue gained a new popularity by shaming female characters (such as Rey, Galadriel, Captain Marvel,…). I am not saying the term is not used towards male characters as well, but it is more rare, and it is rarely as violent as when it is used to characterize a female character.

More importantly it is used against female characters unevenly compared to male characters, its accepted as a genre trope for a male character to be extremely capable or to acrue experience and ability rapidly throughout the narrative. But when it's a woman suddenly "realism" must apply, a real person doesn't simply gain strength and talent through endless perfectly leveled hardship. In simpler terms, Batman can launch a thug across the room with a single punch and it's awesome, Black Widow, however, is breaking the laws of physics when she does her famous around the neck takedown.

Neither are realistic, arguably any grown man launching another grown man bodily through the air with a casual punch is less realistic than a woman pulling off a skilled takedown, but the unequal application of standards says all that needs to be said about the critic.

Writing a "mary sue" to be male often results in a praised character that people don't really worry about. Like Goku or Kirito. People are fine with it. Enjoy it. And there's massive amounts of rather popular fanfiction taking random male characters in series and sue-ifying them, making them the protagonist over the actual main characters, and slapping in poorly developed romance arcs. It's "mary sue" 101, but hardly anyone talks about them in that light.

Meanwhile a woman shows a level of competence similar to another character in the same series (e.g. Rey to Luke or Anakin) and the accusations are everywhere.

Calling these characters one-dimensional is one of the dog-whistles of the modern [whatever]-gate colony creature.

They know that they'll get savaged if they come out and say they're mad because this character is a woman, so they couch everything in these subjective terms. She's one-dimensional. She's flat. She's badly written. She's a mary sue. I just couldn't relate to her.

You can argue with them, you can point out that, say, in Star Wars, that Rey's ability to handle weapons intentionally established in the early scenes of TFA, that we see the setup for the skills she's going to display later in the movie/series, and that her first win is against a badly wounded Sith apprentice. By contrast, Luke successfully fights his way through a huge space station against professional soldiers, then hops into a starfighter he's never flown before, outflies a bunch of experienced pilots, and pulls off a physically impossible shot to save the day.

But sure. Rey is the one who strains credulity.

You can point all that out, but none of it matters. They're not arguing in good faith. They're just mad that there's a girl, and know better than to say that out loud.

He pulls off the shot because he has a throwaway line about murdering animals the size of a camel for fun in his civilian craft that just so happens to have controls similar to the military superiority fighter because they were manufactured by the same company. Because that doesn't strain credibility. Also guess which parts were filled in later by novel writers who were like, "holy **** that makes no sense at all"

Sailor Moon and Sansa Stark are two female characters that start out as whiney cry-baby girlie girls who evolve into political powerhouses and heroes in their own right. But most people write their characters off immediately, because they’re disgusted by their girlish-ness.

While our media gives male characters a chance to grow, female characters are generally written off unless they either show masculine traits, or are used for fan service. It’s why women in movies and TV are usually a kickass tomboy or a girlfriend character.

So anyway, I guess my point is that there are amazing kickass women characters who are well-written and evolve and grow, but their growth tends to be written off as frivolous and not as cool as their dude counterparts.

Imagine an anime where the woman is the main character and she's strong, smart, and not sexualized ?

How about Guardian of the Spirit (seirei no moribito in Japanese)? The MC is a mercenary woman who fights with a spear. She's a complex character, maybe somewhat emotionally stunted because of growing up on the road. She meets a wonderful, compassionate male healer and I love how they break stereotypical gender roles. There's also a complete badass old lady with magical powers and a temper. One of my favourite characters in any genre.

But I'd like to add SuleMio to the list.

Some people did not like that Gundam had its first female protagonist last year, or that she's engaged to another girl, or that they have a romantic moment where Miorine makes Suletta "promise to be with me forever".

It's my first Gundam show and I was nowhere near the fandom, but even I heard the howls of rage from the otakus over that show while it was airing.

“ I highly recommend reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Strong female main character with a supportive cast of male characters. His Skyward series is also good for this.  Sanderson is great but there are some female fantasy writers that do this even better IMO. NK Jemisin has tons of great female characters. Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series has a majority female cast and I’d say 4 or 5 of them are in the top ten most interesting and complex female characters I’ve read. “

You heard of The Bechdel test: Two women have to talk about something other than a man. There is no time window. It came up in a 1985 comic Dykes To Watch Out For and although it is not a great indicator of more feminist content, it's a wonder much media fails to pass that test.

Have you seen

Arcane? That is a wild crazy masterpiece with awesomely complex awesome characters. It's animated, yeah, so what? But I mean, to say "it's animated" is a heavy  understatement. Have you seen Jinx? Have you seen her portrayal of psychosis and godknows what else was happening in her head? No one in history came even close to that.

Queen's Gambit? Anya Taylor-Joy brought Beth Harmon flawlessly through immense complexity of the character

Mare of Easttown - Kate Winslet there is, I kid you not, the best acting I have ever seen. Her character is going through complex situations and emotions and learning to deal with her human side. Bryan Cranston raised the bar ridiculously high with Walter White, but Kate Winslet pushed it further up, set explosives on it, and walked away like a badass without looking at the explosion. No one is topping that anytime soon.

I'm sure there are more examples. But what I love about these, and a big part of what makes them perfect is that they are their own characters and aren't defined by men around them. Their greatn

I wish female characters were given better in terms of development and characterization. Honestly, I feel like a lot of people hate female characters simply because most male dominated media does such a poor job of writing women, and those characters aren't given the same excuses as poorly written male characters.

Anyway, yeah, sorry for my rant. Having grown up on Anime, Harry Potter, Star Wars, you name it?

I later in life realized what was missing, what is needed, and really needed to hear other people's input on this stuff.

I never understood the need for every main character to be only a cishet white guy. I had already come up with several characters of my own, all of them LGBTQIA+, and half of them women, and several also POC. But my writing and art skills are poor so I can't visualize them properly...

We need more female authors, and we need to promote the ones that are out there more!

(there are plenty of really, really good female authors, in all genres, but often they get less attention, because, well, misogyny)

Edit: If you want an example of how the double-standard towards women and LGBT is applied? Go watch RWBY or Legend of Korra. Both involve a deconstruction of tropes. Both involve women standing up against an authority that demands respect based on being authority, not based on respect. Both shut down the white male savior trope so hard, that men and women who love the patriarchy despise both shows.

But of course, anything that Team RWBY or Korra does is immediately held to a double standard and ripped into for anything that they do NOT because they’re flawed or because of writing decisions. Its because they’re LGBT women that they’re held under a microscope. Or have you noticed that every fixit fanfic for both series involves defending the Patriarchy while supporting toxic masculinity and trying to revive the White Male Savior trope that both shows have tried so hard to bury six feet under?

#witches vs patriarchy #feminism #female protagonist #female character #complex characters #fanfiction #writing women #writing LGBT #yes I am talking about RWBY but also other shows and media #writing #media #arcane #bechdel test #witches vs the patriarchy #rwby #legend of korra #lotk #lok #korra #rwby ruby rose #ruby rose #rwby ruby #writing advice #writing reference #let women be evil #let women enjoy things #just girlboss things

[gendrie]

curretly thinking how much Arya would have loved Arianne or Margaery, they would have really helped her be the person she wanted to be. Arya would have loved them so much and I'm sure if Arya had known them she would have wished they were her sister.

its a fun and interesting thing to consider on a lot of different levels (which i guess is why your ask inspired me to go off on some insane tangent)

margaery has quite a bit in common with arya: avid horseback riders, highly sociable, energetic, close with her brothers. its funny that sansa views one as her ideal sister while continuing to disparage her real sister's ghost as marg takes her on an active, outdoorsy date where they're hunting and riding (not unlike what arya wanted to do in sansa's 1st chapter) generally, arya was restricted from hunting type hobbies.......despite the fact it always been a common activity for highborn women.

which is a major flaw in grrm's early worldbuilding that marg and arianne (among MANY others) emphasize. in agot we get a glimpse into arya's upbringing and the expectation is an extremely narrow feminine ideal. sure, arya is given a lot of freedom to play but her (and sansa's) education is mostly left to an incompetent septa. they're clearly being molded for a mostly ornamental role and that is at odds with the rest of the text. ive complained about this before bc catelyn is not a vain character. she values practicality and duty. she was a teen bride and ran riverrun (+winterfell) from a young age. so why are her daughters being turned into dolls by an outsider? why werent practical skills prioritized?

for relevant context: in agot im fairly certain we get only one (1) adult northern born woman on page: maege mormont who is fierce, outspoken, and wields a weapon. (slightly ot note:) i hate the show as much as the next person but arya being a proficient archer from jump wasnt actually a half bad idea........precedent for that in canon too from rohanne webber to alysanne blackwood to ygritte. the wildlings are another notable example of northern women. so riddle me this: if 99% of the north's female characters break the feminine mold (lyanna, arya, wylla, the mormonts, the wildlings, meera, alys) why are they treated as the exception by the fandom? *syrio voice* i am wondering! (im not actually its bc tumblr dot com values the traditionally feminine ideal)

and i dont buy that its exclusively a north vs. south issue. when we meet the tyrell women we see that marg has been raised by olenna to be shrewd and capable. but catelyn is a deadbeat mother lol. neither arya or sansa think about her giving them guidance, advice, lessons, ect. arya was, apparently, just told to look pretty. catelyn's main memory of sansa is that she has nice hair. like.......ok. grrm is on record saying he regrets not developing the relationship between cat and her daughters, but unlike my next point this is something he never even tried to fix.

theres a real lack of female companions in general to start. now to grrms credit he clearly realized this oversight AND attempted to course correct with success imo. ie: arya's storyline in braavos features a lot of female characters (a trend i expect to only grow stronger in twow). as do most of the others.

arianne and her crew are an even more dramatic southron example. arya is treated like a freak for wanting basic autonomy; then we go to dorne and those girlies do whatever the hell they want for the most part: spears, studies, sex, ect. doran only draws the line at treason bc they were fucking up his own shit. but yeah needless to say arya wouldve flourished.

similarly, i love to think about arya being fostered on bear island or post series some of them joining arya's household. im genuinely desperate to see her interacting with the mormonts. i start shaking when i think about aly en route to braavos.

my point here is that i think the dynamic we're introduced to in winterfell, among the female characters, in agot looks very unusual in hindsight. and the worst part is that arya gets regarded by the fandom as a pariah who's only fate could be exile bc she doesnt meet an oppressive standard set by one annoying septa who made her feel bad about herself.

#ask #i didnt realize i had so many thoughts on this lol #some contradiction is natural btw #but i think a lot of it is just a symptom of first book world building being less developed

[cantstoptheimagines]

Eighteen (JJ Maybank | Outer Banks)

Summary — Your life changes for the better after you go against your family’s idea of an ideal boyfriend.

Warnings and Other Tags (Contains a Small Spoiler for the Plot of This Work) ➳ Fake dating; friends to lovers; cursing; mentions of sugar mama antics; physical affection (kissing, hugging, etc.); John B trying his best; Reader’s parents are jerks (trying to set the Reader up with Rafe); matching tattoos (including mentions of needles); Reader is a kook; my new hyperfixation with this show is still shining through.

Notes ➳ Word Count is 3,315, including lyrics. ➳ Reader uses feminine pronouns (she/her) and gets referred to with traditionally feminine nicknames (“princess”, “pretty girl”, and others).  ➳ This is for everyone who voted for JJ on my recent poll. Don’t worry, “Stolen Love” will be coming very soon for those of you who chose John B! 💗 ➳ This is based on “Eighteen” by Anarbor. That song screams JJ Maybank energy! ➳ This work has a visual edit!

FAQ | Masterlist | Fandoms | Requests | Coming Soon | Schedule 

Eighteen, crazy! Pulled up in your daddy’s car! You wanna move in with me! Guess we're off to a heavy start!

The sound of an approaching car drew JJ’s attention away from his motorbike. The vehicle’s striking red shade made it instantly recognizable. He waved at you with a smile as you stepped out, though it quickly faded at the sour expression on your face.

“What crawled up your ass?” he chuckled.

You rolled your eyes, choosing to ignore his question. You crossed your arms over your chest, and then asked, “Do you think John B would care if I stayed here for a while?” 

JJ’s eyebrows shot up at your question. He glanced at the Château. John B was inside and probably having lunch or taking a midafternoon nap. JJ twirled a wrench he had been holding in his hand as he narrowed his eyes at you. He then placed the wrench back into his tool bag and wiped his hands on a rag.

“Not with an attitude like that.”

You huffed, shoving his shoulder. Despite your bad mood, JJ could make out the remnants of a smile growing on your face. He grinned and began poking at your ribs until it appeared. 

“There you go!” he exclaimed, pinching your cheeks and gently shaking your head from side to side. “Now, tell Papa J what’s wrong.”

“Stop calling yourself that,” you laughed before shoving his hands away.

His grin only widened, “It made you smile though! That’s a win in my book! But seriously, why do you wanna stay at the Château? Get tired of Figure Eight, princess?” 

“More like my parents,” you scoffed. “They tried to push me off onto Rafe Cameron at their stupid business dinner last night—”

“Gross,” interjected JJ.

“I know!” you exclaimed. “Anyway, it’s been non-stop arguing with them since then. Mostly my dad.”

JJ nodded in understanding. He had more issues with his own father than he cared to admit. To you, at least. He didn’t want you to worry too much.

“They want me to date some washed up, rich boy if it means more money in their pockets at the end of day. They’ve been trying to increase their chances of a business deal with Rafe’s dad, Ward,” you continued. “I guess pawning me off to his son was something they thought would get themselves in his good graces.”

“Sounds shitty,” said JJ, once again glancing at the Château. “C’mon, I’ll talk to John B for you. I’m sure he won’t mind. Got any bags in your car?”

Another smile brightened your features. As you nodded, JJ couldn’t help admiring your sudden cheerfulness. He quickly helped collect the few bags you had shoved into the backseat of your car, carrying them into Château as he thought about how to explain your situation to John B.

Should’ve seen this coming from a mile away! I’ll play your game! I know what you want from me! I know what you want from me!

Thankfully, the pogues had a rule about sticking together. Not to mention, John B had always been a good friend to everyone. He had immediately welcomed you into the Château with open arms, even offering you his own bedroom while he took up the couch. You had politely declined, of course, not wanting to overstay your welcome in your new refuge. 

JJ, on the other hand, had been a little more difficult. He refused to let you sleep on the couch, and vice versa, which eventually led to your current situation.

You furrowed your eyebrows, pressing your face into your pillow as quiet snores echoed in your ear. You sent an elbow into JJ’s ribcage. He let out a groan, and muttered, “What?”

“Get off me and stop snoring,” you replied. 

JJ, albeit begrudgingly, complied with your demands. He removed his arms from their position around your torso. The blankets shifted as he rolled over, turning his back to you. 

Within seconds, he was snoring again with the blankets pulled up to his chin and his face squished against his pillow. You rolled your eyes with a smile before trying to rub the sleep from your eyes. 

For the last month or so, ever since you came to live with the boys at the Château, you had been staying in JJ’s room with him. Thankfully, John B hadn’t said anything about how much closer the two of you had become. You probably wouldn’t know how to respond if he did.

Waking up with JJ clinging to you had slowly become a regular occurrence. It was one of the many things that had changed about your friendship since you left Figure Eight. The two of you were much closer, both physically and emotionally.

Your family didn’t know where you were. Either that or they just didn’t want to intentionally come to the Cut, lest their precious reputations be ruined. And, despite their constant ignored messages and phone calls, you had no intention of telling them, especially when they had recently gotten Rafe in on the action.

You could only imagine your father’s face when Rafe told him you had blocked his number. Your parents’ idea of a perfect match, rejected not once, but twice. What a nightmare this must be for them. 

But later that day, as you wandered through the farmers’ market with JJ slowly trailing behind you, poking your sides as you tried to choose some flower seeds. Despite the boys’ hesitations, you were determined to clean up the yard of the Château as a thank-you to John B. 

“Can I at least choose the color?” asked JJ. “ Get forget-me-nots! At least they’re blue! John B and I don’t want the place to look too... frilly.”

You scoffed, “Seriously? Has no one ever given you flowers before?”

“Nope,” he shook his head, “can’t say they have.”

You hummed, giving him a once-over, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What’s that supposed to—?”

He was interrupted by a voice calling your name. Looking up, your eyes met the surprised gaze of your mother, who stared at you as though she were seeing a ghost.

She stood on the other side of the table, a bag over her shoulder and eyes shielded by an extravagant sunhat. Typical.

“Let’s go, J,” you muttered, quickly grabbing his arm, only for your mother to dart around the table and block your path. 

“Please, wait!” she exclaimed. “I—uh—I miss you! And I’ve been worried sick!”

You scoffed, shaking your head at her, “Yeah, right. I’m sure you’ve just been worried about what the country club thinks about your kid running away. Or have you even told them? Wouldn’t wanna ruin your precious reputation, would we?” 

“Your dad wants to make things right,” she whispered, tears welling, though you couldn’t tell if they were true or for a performance. “Just hear him out, please? Come home for dinner tonight. We want you home again.” 

You felt JJ’s arm escape your grasp. His hand slid up your back, gently rubbing the space between your shoulder blades. His clothes brushed against yours when he moved closer. Only then did your mother seem to notice him. 

Her eyes narrowed in his direction and, for a moment, you could see through her façade. Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a strained voice, “Friend of yours?” 

In an instant, you hatched a plan. Whether JJ would go along with it, you weren’t entirely sure. But maybe he’d be surprised enough to fall in line. 

“Boyfriend, actually,” you smiled.

Her reaction satisfied you. Though you had to ignore the way JJ’s attention suddenly snapped to you, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock. Your mother’s reaction was similar, although you could see disgust flaring within her. More than her bewilderment anyway.

Her jaw clenched. Her eyes slowly raked over JJ, whose hand had moved to tightly grasp your shoulder, silently asking the only question that was running through his mind. What the hell are you doing?

Taking advantage of your mother’s silence, you feigned innocence, “You know what? I think I will come over tonight. I’ll even bring JJ along.” 

JJ practically choked on air. His grip on you tightened even more. His fingertips dug into your skin and his hand shook under your mother’s gaze. Her eyes were burning with an internal fury.

After a moment, she took another deep breath, “I will let your father know then. See you tonight.” 

She scurried away. If she had a tail, it would be between her legs. The thought of such a thing made your smile widen. It wasn’t until JJ suddenly grabbed your wrist that your focus was brought back to him.

His blue eyes appeared as though they would pop out of his head at any second. Slowly, his lip curled, “We gotta talk.” 

You know I’m broke, so you pulled out your daddy’s card! I drink, I smoke, you ate it up from the very start!

Ever since the two of you got back to the Château, the house had been filled with nothing but interrupted sentences, conditions, denials, and partial agreements as you tried to come to a compromise with JJ. Though it didn’t take him long to agree to being your fake boyfriend for your parents’ dinner, the two of you were still working out your respective terms and conditions.

Meanwhile, John B sat in silence, slowly eating a bowl of cereal, as his eyes repeatedly shifted between his two best friends. You sat to his right while JJ took up the chair to his left, sitting directly across from one another at the kitchen table. That gave John B a chance to enjoy the show. And he had been doing so for at least an hour and a half, according to his watch.

“I get to touch your butt at least once—”

“You do that anyway, perv—!”

“I do not!” glared JJ, crossing his arms over his chest when you gave him a look of disbelief. “What about a hand in the back pocket?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, kissed your teeth, and then sighed, “Fine! One time.”

JJ pointed at you with a grin, “In front of your dad.”

“Don’t push it,” you said. “But if you get to do that, I get to choose what shirt you’re wearing!” 

“Shit,” he muttered, groaning loudly as he thought it over. “Alright, okay! I get to throw something extra in to really piss ‘em off though. And you have to sugar mama me so I can pay for it! And you can’t know what it is until tonight!”

“Only if you lend me your good surfboard for tomorrow’s swell,” you replied. “Not that shitty one you gave me last time.”

“Deal,” smiled JJ, holding out his hand for you to shake, which you did. “Pass over the credit card, pretty girl.” 

You rolled your eyes at him. He quickly snatched it from your hand after it appeared out of your back pocket, grinning mischievously as he said, “Thank you! See ya tonight!”

As he darted out the door of the Château with your father’s credit card in hand, you turned to John B, and asked, “Should I be worried?”

“Oh!” he scoffed. “More than you’ve ever been!” 

He smirked upon hearing you let out a loud groan. Your forehead then thump!-ed against the kitchen table as you allowed your head to fall forward, thinking about what nefarious plan JJ could possibly have up his sleeve.

So if you wanna piss off your parents, date me to scare them, show them you’re all grown up!

You anxiously paced in front of your parents’ house, searching for any sign of JJ. He was late, which, to be quite honest, you weren’t sure if you were disappointed or impressed by. You could only imagine the smirks on your parents’ faces inside the house, probably expecting you to concede to their ideas about Rafe.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a red and blue dirt bike tore into the front yard. JJ grinned when he came to a stop, looking over his shoulder to see how much damage he had done to the yard. Your mother’s flowers were destroyed and mud had been ripped up and strewn about your father’s freshly cut lawn.

He approached you with a smile, slipping the credit card he had borrowed earlier into your back pocket. He then patted your waist with a wink, “Ready for this, babe?”

You snorted, rolling your eyes at him, “As I can be.”

“Let’s get this show on the road then!” he grinned.

You blinked in surprise when he suddenly began pounding on the front door of the house with his fist. You chuckled when he winked at you again. You couldn’t stop yourself from admiring his appearance.

Per your agreement, you had chosen his shirt. A deep green cut off that you thought brought out his eyes, but knew your parents would hate no matter what. The rest of his outfit was all JJ though. His usual pair of thick workers’ boots, some cargo shorts, and his favorite red and grey hat, which sat backwards on his head.

It wasn’t long before the door was yanked open. In front of you stood your father. His eyes twitched in irritation and he sneered as his gaze trailed over JJ’s appearance. He then turned away without a word, not even bothering to greet either of you.

With wide eyes, JJ looked at you with a sarcastic grin, “We’re off to a great start, aren’t we?”

If blond hair and tattoos are what attract you, baby, then you’re in luck!

“So,” your mother began, “what does JJ do for work?”

For what felt like the millionth time, you raised your eyebrows at her, “Why are you asking me? Talk to him. I’m sure he’ll be glad to tell you.” 

And again, she looked shaken by the very thought of speaking to a pogue. She had yet to address him directly, choosing to ask you about him instead. She obviously preferred to treat him as though he wasn’t in her presence at all.

Meanwhile, your father had done nothing but glare at JJ the entire night, especially when JJ had very obviously groped your behind like the two of you had agreed. Right after JJ had given him a high-five instead of a handshake, all with a wide, arrogant smirk on his face. 

“I mow lawns and stuff sometimes,” said JJ, shoveling some spaghetti into his mouth with a loud slurp, almost making you fall apart with laughter at the sight of your parents’ disgusted expressions. “I’m a busboy too.”

You heard your mother take a deep breath. Her hand gripped her fork so hard you thought the metal might snap in two.

“Any tattoos?” she asked, still speaking to you rather than him. “You know how I feel about—”

“Oh!” interrupted JJ. “I’ve got one, but I’ve been thinking about getting more!”

Even you looked at him in surprise that time. You never knew JJ had a tattoo, especially since he had never mentioned it or shown it off. You watched as he stood up from his chair with a mischievous smile. 

It was a bad decision to take a drink of your water at that moment. You choked on your drink as JJ lifted the bottom of his shirt and slightly tugged down the waistband of his cargo shorts.

There, on his right hip, written black ink and a beautiful font, was your name. It still had the protective, clear wrap on top of it and his skin was slightly red around the edges of the ink, meaning he must have just gotten the tattoo recently.

Your mind flashed back to the moment he’d asked for your credit card, claiming you’d see his surprise during dinner. This must have been what he was talking about.

Your hands flew to cover your mouth as you stared at the tattoo. Sure, JJ had always been a wild card, totally unpredictable, but this was something else entirely. As your father’s chair suddenly scraped loudly against the floor and his stomps echoed behind him as he left the room, your mother’s silverware clattered onto the floor. She looked like she would be sick if JJ continued showing off his new ink any longer.

With a smile and a quiet laugh, JJ glanced at the tattoo before his eyes met yours. They twinkled with an emotion you couldn’t pin down. His blue eyes sent chills down your spine, though they weren’t out of fear. In fact, you were certain that they did so out of excitement instead.

Finally, he decided to speak, “Pretty cool, right?”

And I know it’s just a phase! You’re not in love with me! You wanna piss off your parents, baby! Piss off your parents, that’s alright with me!

Sprawled out on JJ’s sheets, you stared at the ceiling of his room. He had been mindlessly scrolling on his phone next to you since the two of you got back from dinner with your parents, who both agreed you were no longer welcome until you ‘came to your senses’.

“How much was it?”

JJ hummed, furrowing his eyebrows at you. He turned off his phone and rolled onto his side to look at you. When you did the same, you repeated your question, “How much was the tattoo?”

He huffed, “Don’t worry about it.” 

“So you’re never going to tell me?”

“Nope! And you’re not allowed to look at your dad’s bank statement to find out!”

You bit your lip, trying to hide a smile, “He’s gonna be pissed.”

“That was kinda my job,” he whispered, as though you didn’t know that, “and I think I did it pretty well, don’t you?” 

“I suppose so,” you laughed quietly. “Don’t expect too much sugar mama money anymore though. I have a feeling they’ll cut the allowance they add onto my card each month. All I’ll have is my paycheck from the Wreck soon.”

“With that, my money from the club on Figure Eight, and John B’s, we should be okay,” he shrugged, before giving you a mean smirk. “Just means I’ll have to put up with you as a roommate for way longer than I wanted to.”

He laughed when you punched him in the shoulder. He quickly grabbed your wrist and tugged you closer, “Is that any way to treat your boyfriend?”

Now, leaning over top of him, you paused. JJ’s fingers ran back and forth over your wrist, helping you keep your balance with a hand on your waist. He looked up at you, eyes softening as they examined your features. 

“J?”

“Yeah?”

“Before they cut me off,” you muttered, “I wanna give you some flowers tomorrow.”

JJ furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of why you were bringing up your conversation at the farmers’ market. That is, until your free hand gently caressed over his hip, where, just beneath his shirt, your name lay engraved into his skin. And a smile grew on his face at the thought.

And I know it's just a phase! You’re not in love with me! And I know it’s just a phase! You’re not in love with me!

JJ held onto your hand, gently caressing your knuckles with the pad of his thumb as you winced at the feeling of the tattoo needle against your skin.

Your left hip was being decorated with JJ’s name, along with a small bundle of forget-me-nots. He had already gotten an identical copy of the flowers added in the space next to his own tattoo.

He leaned down, pressing a series of kisses against your forehead, “So does this mean we’re actually a couple now?”

“We better be.”

You wanna piss off your parents, baby! Piss off your parents, that’s alright with me!

#2023 #outer banks #outer banks imagine #outer banks imagines #outer banks x reader #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank x reader #e i g h t e e n

[imthebest-ever]

Why I think Leo is the girl ever:

(this is in regards to the Egg Poll going on right now)

1) most Leos have had to take on an almost motherly role to care for her brothers at a young age:

this might not seem like much of a reason, but Leo has had to take on traditionally feminine roles, such as being a caretaker for her siblings, to the extent of being called a mother jokingly multiple times in the 2012 and 2003 series. 

2) she exhibits an array of traditionally feminine traits

this is not to say that men don’t show these traits, but the nurture, sensitivity, sweetness, supportiveness, empathy, etc. that Leo shows throughout most iterations, even when hidden under thick layers of ego and sarcasm, are usually seem as feminine

3) she implies multiple times, mainly in 2k12 and rise, that she wishes to be more feminine

let’s take for example the s2 ROTTMNT episode: Bad Hair Day; in which Leo seems particularly saddened about being excluded from activities seen as feminine (eg: having a spa day). hair in this episode can be seen as an allegory for femininity, here’s a basic rundown of the episode:

Leo sees advertisement of beautiful woman with luscious flowing hair & imagines self in her place > is then excluded from literal gatekept community for lacking certain arbitrary superficial features > goes on to seek artificial enhancenents > attains euphoria and acceptance > develops impostor syndrome > is ostracized & eventually persecuted for nonconformity despite making every effort above and beyond the average person to remold self to the status quo

that’s so fucking trans bro…

also?? in the 2012 series she says she wishes she was a character from her favorite show, which just so happens to be a woman, like, all the time

4) 2012 Leo never had the chance to do anything for herself, much less have a moment of self discovery amidst the literal apocalypse,

now, it would be easier to argue in her favor if there was a singular moment one could point at to just say “TRANS”, however, she never got the chance to explore her identity outside of being a leader.

all throughout the show, she was simply put in that place, without ever having a moment to think about anything that wasn’t their plan for the next mission, or how to save the Earth from an alien invasion, or how to rescue her friends and family from a psychotic Italian guy,

point is: she (and her family) never got the chance to explore anything outside of heroism and their career as ninja. we never got the chance to see how their personalities and identities would develop if they really had the chance to just be teenagers

with all this being said: GO VOTE LEO!!! THE @egg-poll IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, GO GO GO!!!

#tmnt #leonardo sweep #leonardo 2012 #leo tmnt 2012 #leo 2012 #leo tmnt #rise leo #2003 leo #leonardo tmnt #egg poll #trans woman #transgender #trans girl

[caughtonwebcam]

an overanalysis of “Marjorine” and why it means butters is trans

okay obviously take everything I’m about to point out with a huge grain of salt because none of this is canon and probs total bs, but I like having fun with it anyway.

marjorine’s introduction can represent her coming out as trans. butters faking his death is his attempt at starting over, however is unsure about the publicity of it all. His nervousness as presenting as Marjorine after Butters’ death at school can be seen as Marj being afraid of public reception. The things she says too can also be her trying to fit in to be perceived as “more feminine.” However, the other kids don’t really notice or seem to care, not even noticing who she was before (one of the girls asked “who’s butters?”) While she is accepted as trans, that doesn’t make her immune to judgement.

when Marjorine goes to Heidi’s sleepover, she is bullied because of her appearance. despite knowing that she is trans, the other girls have trouble accepting her differences and more masculine features. at one point, Bebe calls Marj flat. Notice her reaction in the screenshot above. She looks down at her chest and appears alarmed. She fears her physical differences, which can be interpreted as gender dysphoria.

While this can be seen as him being afraid of being caught as a boy being snuck in, let’s look at the next scene.

Marj goes and cries in the bathroom. When the girls try to ask what’s wrong, she says that they called her “ugly and flat.” Flat was used earlier and triggered her dysphoria. And ugly is used because she may not have more traditionally feminine features. Also, she says this: “You don’t know how hard it is to be me!”

This shows the girls that they don’t understand the hardships of gender dysphoria and the struggles that come with coming out, making them realize their faults and learn to feel more sympathetic towards her.

Marj then starts to get along with the other girls, finally feeling like one of them and accepted for who she is. She is even given a makeover by the girls.

When the boys come and get her, Butters is fed up and takes off her wig and makeup. He wants to go home and show her parents that he’s “not dead.” Remember how Butters’ fake suicide could represent him trying to separate from his old identity. Going back on that to show that Butters is alive could imply that Butters’ parents are transphobic and he is scared of the consequences/doesn’t want to make them upset.

When Butters returns home, his parents are terrified of who he’s become (although their fear is irrational.) Their grief over the “loss” of their son caused them to deny Marj’s transition from mtf, not even wanting to accept Butters even after he goes back to normal. On top of that, they call him an “it.” Earlier in the episode, Stephen tries to bring Butters back to life, which could represent him trying to persuade him to go back to presenting more masculine, yet to no avail.

Anyway, that’s all I got. Pls lemme know if u found more things in the episode that I missed <3

#south park #south park headcanons #marjorine stotch #butters stotch #south park fanart #transgender #trans headcanon #trans butters #south park analysis #headcanon

[sunnysssol]

Some Suzie headcanons because it's her birthday! 🌟✨️✨

Courageous, intelligent and endlessly determined, Suzie is a kind person despite how cold they initially come across, always willing to help whoever needs it. When helping, she might roll her eyes or sigh at the face of the problem, but "giving up" doesn't quite exist in Suzie's vocabulary— for better or for worse.

Suzie is actually left handed, but they've been trained (read: forced) to become ambidextrous thanks to her tutors growing up. After all, it's not until the late 20th century that the stigma around left-handedness disappeared, and before then it was a widely held belief that left-handedness implies wickedness, or unluckiness.

Suzie's supercomputer brain and overachieving personality work in tandem to create a workaholic whom many Assistants (and by extension, Nations) have never even talked to outside of work-related meetings. They're always doing something, whether it be experimenting or writing and rewriting age-old theories and analyses trying to answer a problem, or out in the world trying to (dis)prove some theory she read about or had for a while, she's always on the go. It's not enough for them to simply learn a skill or understand a concept– they have to do something with it too.

Alongside being enlisted in the army at the time, Suzie had also been hired to work on the Manhattan Project as part of the war effort. Her special position as a Nation Assistant lends itself to a lot of situations, circumstances and sometimes- privileges, that other people of her sex wouldn't be privy to otherwise. The Calutron Girls, that is, the women who worked on the Manhattan Project as operators and technicians crucial to the electromagnetic isotope separation process that would then contribute into the creation of the atomic bomb, were not told of the purpose of the project. It was highly-classified, and only those in higher positions of authority were informed of it.

Her relationship with gender is, as one might guess, a little complicated. Physically, she's very traditionally feminine– from her physical features, to her fashion sense. But personality wise, it's a little different. Yes, her overall high-standards lends Suzie to "typical gf" stereotypes, but the jokes about her wearing the pants in the relationship are not entirely unfounded. Unlike Alfred who feels as though he has to be a leader, Suzie just naturally is, and they've been that way since forever. To keep this post brief, there's always been a lot of challenging gender roles in Suzie's life and she's never been the type to back down from a challenge. They've never really had a label, and it's not like the language existed for it at the time, but for purposes of ease and clarity, Suzie is non-binary.

Suzie is highly skilled in machinery and engineering. Her interest began in the 1730s and flourished in the 1740s, from the introduction of the carding engine, and the numerous innovations in scientific instruments, mathematical theory and watchmaking. She took an interest in steam engines sometime in the 1770s as well, around when the Watt steam engine was first introduced commercially. This interest would continue on into the Industrial Revolution, with Suzie studying and redesigning steam engines for manufacturing, transportation and agricultural processes as a hobby. And in the 1940s, this skill and interest would come in handy when American women began to take on more roles in the workforce, specifically in factories helping with the war effort.

Alfred absolutely blasts Christmas songs in November. It's his most favorite holiday! Well, every holiday is America's favorite holiday, but this one especially! Besides the music, he's already planning activities, what to cook on the day of and what to get everyone on his ever expanding list. Suzie won't blast Christmas songs in November, but they would start decorating immediately after the detritus of Halloween has been cleared up.

"If it doesn't concern me, it's not my problem. I've already got enough on my plate as it is." — Suzie, while a caring person, generally believes in the principle of leaving people and other things alone if she deems that her participation in it is not necessarily important. With everything they do and have done and actually involve(d) themselves in, Suzie has had a mental list of priorities in which they pursue almost religiously. Adjustments do happen, but they're quite few and far in between. First on the list is family and loved ones, of course. Next are things they themselves have committed to either out of their own duties as a Nation Assistant, or just out of her own personal interest and free will.

Besides her work in the States, Suzie had been stationed in Europe for most of WWII, working wherever the higher ups decided they needed her. Administrative/clerical work, supply and logistics, as a radio operator, aerial surveillance, mechanics and maintenance- you name it. But the most significant of all her roles had been in intelligence and cryptography. Having had at least a few centuries of experience in espionage and code-breaking-and-intercepting, Suzie was at least a few leagues ahead of her associates. She's been a civilian since 1945 and hasn't enlisted in the military since, but she worked in gathering intelligence for at least until the early 1980s.

As mentioned earlier, Suzie often works long hours, and even when they're not working, they're probably thinking about it if they're not doing anything else. Highly efficient and focused, she doesn't find herself spaced out very often. But when one sees Suzie staring off into space, she's probably seeing spreadsheets and government seals in her mind's eye. It might be best to give her a tap and talk to her...

And finally, here is the birthday celebrant! She's officially 293 1 year old today!!! 😺🌟✨️

#their bday is august 30 btw !! so today for me #oc: susannah knightley #cc: alfred f jones #sol's writing #hws assistantverse #her cake actually looks good lowkey LOOOLLLL i'd like to think even the little duckies r edible!!! they're made out of chocolate :33 #(alfred voice) call me juli4 ch1ld the way i be cooking! 🤓🤓🤓 #HNSDDSVHJHDFJDSKFDF

[nashiriel]

I have to say both Consanguinity and Victory stand out for me as usually I can't stand reading A/B/O often all feelings seem...removed? Good or Bad and the hyper feminization of any "omega" often just...makes them nothing like the character they are supposed to be?

In Victory were Luke, for all almost every control is taken from him...he fights back (with help).

In Consanguinity sure Addam especially finds Luke very cute, but at least the (saner) members of houses Targaryen and Velaryon still respect that he is a living breathing person. He also still feels like Luke.

This is rambly but anyways, glad I took a chance of those two after reading Carrion. ^_^

I wrote such a long response to this and Tumblr ate it 😑 Thank you so much for such a lovely comment! I’m so happy that you took a chance on both of those fics and found it worth it. You’ll have to forgive the incoming recreated essay:

I have to admit, I’m not massively fond of some common tropes in A/B/O fic gender dynamics - at least, not when they’re played straight. Considering ASOIAF already features pretty strict gender roles with characters who struggle massively against them, there’s definitely a lot to explore when you introduce A/B/O into the mix!

When I was picking prior Targaryen omegas, Alysanne seemed an obvious choice - not just for the sheer number of children, but the fact that she was so focused on gender roles and improving rights, whilst being married/bonded to a guy who very much fell short in that regard. So the idea of her and Jaehaerys being held up as the Targaryen ideal pair as a bonded alpha/omega in that context was quite interesting.

I did think about Vaegon being an omega for the lol factor, but given Jaehaerys’ treatment of his daughters, I didn’t see him letting Vaegon off with a Citadel career if that had been the case.

And then I chose Visenya for the other, because I quite liked the idea of one of the fiercest, deadliest members of House Targaryen being an omega (you can bet Rhaenyra, Visenya fangirl that she is, helped hype Luke up with stories about how badass omegas could be after he presented), and also because that was quite an intriguing dynamic to me - an omega who could only produce the one child, the multiple bride aspects (I don’t think Aegon ever actually bonded with Visenya) and with Rhaenys being the more traditionally feminine one who Aegon preferred as a beta instead.

So for Luke in both fics, I definitely wanted to write him in a similar way to how I’d write in non-A/B/O fics. The fact that Jace is an alpha in Victory and yet is in a similar situation was quite important; he and Luke empathise with and empower each other, and Luke is very much the ringleader of their whole plan there (fun fact: his expression at the end is very much reminiscent of him smirking at Aemond over the roasted pig in canon).

Even with other characters, my rule of thumb is generally that their personalities should not really shift depending on what I’ve assigned them as but rather on the situations they find themselves in. Aegon III, who is obviously quite withdrawn and traumatised in canon, getting ready to dump wine on Aegon II’s head at the start of Victory because of the treatment of his family despite being a beta is probably a good example.

In Consanguinity, the power dynamics between Luke and Addam - Luke is younger and rides a smaller dragon, but he’s future Lord of the Tides and was massively higher on the social totem pole than Addam until a short time ago - and the fact that Addam is so laidback, makes writing them as a pair quite fun! The bit where Luke admits he’s not sorry for taking Aemond’s eye and Addam finding his feralness pretty appealing was in my mind from the start. You can see hints that here as well the Greens are far more traditionalist in their mindset, which is a definite cause of friction between both sides.

As Joffrey demonstrates, the Blacks very much consider Luke to be every much a fighter and future lord in his own right as his brothers, and if someone objects, they’re very happy to introduce them to their dragons. Which is going to be a pretty important factor for certain characters going forward.

#house of the dragon #lucerys velaryon #asks #consanguinity #victory

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Colin Wright

Over the last decade, we have observed a striking shift in the politics of LGBT issues. There has been a move away from broadly supported principles based on equality toward the imposition of radical, pseudoscientific ideologies concerning biological sex. A growing genre of articles in high-profile news outlets, magazines, and scientific journals is signaling the end of a binary and immutable perspective on biological sex. The appeal of these pieces lies in the belief that rejecting the binary concept of sex provides society with a liberating opportunity for self-definition, unfettered by material constraints.

One might consider these debates too arcane to have any real significance. However, the pseudoscientific notion that biological sex is mutable and exists on a non-binary continuum serves as a key justification for allowing males who identify as women to compete in female sports and access female prisons, and for administering treatments such as puberty blockers and “gender-affirming” (i.e., body modifying) hormones and surgeries to adolescents and adults alike to fix a perceived misalignment between their sex and “gender identity.” The implications are serious, as these recommendations make women’s sex-based rights unenforceable and directly impact the healthy bodies and minds of children. It is of utmost importance that such actions are grounded in reliable science, not in fashionable political ideologies.

With Pride month kicking off, we can anticipate a veritable flood of articles heralding the end of the sex binary. Indeed, we didn’t have to wait very long.

On the first day of Pride month, the San Francisco Chronicle featured an article by ecologist Ash Zemenick titled, “Sex and gender are binaries? Sorry, that’s a scientific falsehood.” In the article, Zemenick wasted no time in proclaiming that the notion that “there are only two sexes available for humans to inhabit: male or female” is “false.” This stance stems from his argument that “Biological sex can be defined in many ways. And when it is accurately defined, it’s never binary.” He then goes down a list of candidate traits he claims are used to define sex with the aim of proving that none of them align with a binary view.

To the layperson unfamiliar with the science, Zemenick’s essay might seem like a compelling rebuttal of outdated, prejudiced notions of biology that have overstayed their bigoted welcome into the 21st century. However, this is far from the truth. Whether due to a lack of scientific understanding or a deliberate attempt to mislead, Zemenick's analysis falls short. To avoid being misled, it’s crucial to clarify several things: the difference between sex and gender, what sexes are, and what biologists mean when they refer to sex as “binary.” It’s vital to establish this foundation before demonstrating why Zemenick’s assertions lack credibility.

The distinction between sex and gender must first be disentangled. The term “sex” signifies whether a person is male or female, a categorization rooted in objective reproductive biology. Conversely, “gender” is usually characterized by notions of masculinity and femininity or the social roles, behaviors, and expressions traditionally linked to sex. Despite many activists’ efforts to blur the line between sex and gender, it is critical to maintain their distinctness. This conflation redefines sexual orientation in unscientific ways. Homosexuality, which means same-sex attraction, becomes “attraction to the same or similar genders.” Bisexuality, in turn, is morphed into “attraction to two (or more) genders”, gutting the term of meaning, and leading to asinine claims about bisexuality being uniquely transphobic. Needless to say, this makes advocating for LGBT rights as well as sex education much harder. Few people would seriously contend that human behavior and expression strictly adhere to two forms, but sex is different, which is why Zemenick’s arguments against the binary concept of sex fly in the face of science.

The sexes — male and female — represent two distinct reproductive strategies. Males are characterized as the sex that produces numerous small sex cells, or gametes, known as sperm. Females, conversely, are the sex that yields fewer but larger sex cells, referred to as eggs or ova. Consequently, we distinguish between males and females based on the type of sex cell their primary reproductive anatomy (gonads) can or are expected to produce. This is not unique to humans but is universally applied throughout the animal and plant kingdoms. Since there are only two types of sex cells — sperm and ovum — there exist only two sexes. This binary division between sperm and ovum forms the crux of biologists’ reference to sex as a “binary.”

[ This is what it would look like if biological sex were a spectrum. Source: Zach Elliott ]

In his introductory remarks, however, Zemenick asserts that “Biological sex can be defined in many ways,” none of which is intrinsically superior or more essential than the others. He lists external genitalia, chromosomes, hormones, and ultimately gametes as traits that, upon examination, fail to align with a binary construct.

Focusing on external genitalia, Zemenick highlights intersex conditions, which are developmental conditions that result in mixed or ambiguous appearing reproductive anatomy. He asserts that people with intersex conditions are as prevalent as "people with naturally red hair" (1-2%, according to his cited source) and that their existence discredits the sex binary. This argument, although widespread, is fundamentally flawed and relies on both misapprehension and distorted statistics.

The principal error in Zemenick's intersex argument lies in its gross misinterpretation of the sex binary concept. As explained earlier, the statement “sex is binary” from a biologist’s perspective does not imply that every human throughout history can be unambiguously categorized as male or female. Rather, it refers to the fact that considering the presence of only two types of sex cells (sperm and ova), there can only be two sexes. Sexual ambiguity does not undermine the sex binary because an intersex condition does not lead to anatomy that can or would produce a third type of sex cell.

Moreover, Zemenick’s claim that 1-2% of the population has intersex conditions vastly overstates the reality, exceeding the actual figure by nearly 100 times. This statistic originated from Anne Fausto-Sterling in Sexing The Body: Gender Politics And The Construction Of Sexuality (2000), and was reiterated in an American Journal of Human Biology article titled “How Sexually Dimorphic Are We?” Fausto-Sterling and her colleagues reached their 1-2% estimation by applying an arbitrary and excessively broad definition of “intersex” as “an individual who deviates from the Platonic ideal of physical dimorphism at the chromosomal, genital, gonadal, or hormonal levels.” To convey the absurdity of their strict criteria, females with unusually small clitorises and males with unusually large penises were classified as intersex.

Most critically, the vast majority of the people Fausto-Sterling categorized as intersex exhibited no sexual ambiguity whatsoever. When a clinically relevant definition of intersex is applied, such as when “chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female,” the incidence of intersex conditions dwindles to approximately 0.018%, or about 1 in 5500. Nevertheless, the prevalence of intersex conditions is immaterial to the binary nature of sex. The occurrence of sexual ambiguity, regardless of its frequency, does not constitute a third sex.

Zemenick then addresses sex chromosomes, seeking to debunk the assumption that girls always possess XX and boys always have XY sex chromosomes by highlighting other “varied arrangements” of sex chromosomes such as XYY, XXX, XXY or XO. From this he concludes that “Chromosomal sex is not binary.” The issue here is that no competent biologist would argue that chromosomes define an individual’s sex. Zemenick appears to be very confused about the distinction between how sex is defined versus how it is determined.

In the realm of developmental biology, the term “determined” describes the factors that trigger specific tissues to develop along a certain pathway, resulting in a particular organ or appendage. This is the concept biologists refer to when they discuss “chromosomal sex determination” in humans and other mammals. However, the manner in which an organism's sex is determined substantially differs from how it’s defined. For example, some animals like alligators lack sex chromosomes altogether. Instead, whether a particular egg hatches a male or female alligator is determined by incubation temperature. Critically, even though humans and alligators have drastically different mechanisms for determining sex, the sex of an individual human or alligator is always defined consistently: by the type of gamete he or she can produce or would produce, based on their gonads.

Zemenick’s assertion that varying sex chromosome combinations (known as sex chromosome aneuploidies) disrupt the sex binary reveals a novice understanding of biology at best, despite his self-introduction as “a doctorate-carrying scientist.” In truth, these “varied arrangements” represent chromosomal variation within males and females, not additional unique sexes beyond males and females.

Zemenick next shifts his focus to what he calls “hormonal sex.” He contends that this concept is not binary because males and females each produce both estrogen and testosterone, and that “the levels of estrogen and testosterone in bodies is a distribution.” However, this is putting the cart before the horse. Hormone levels do not define one’s sex; rather, they’re a result of one’s sex. Males have testes and females have ovaries, and these organs predominantly produce testosterone and estrogen, respectively.

Lastly, Zemenick considers gametes, which he calls “the most reductive definition of sex.” He argues that we cannot determine a person’s sex based on gametes because some individuals are sterile and thus do not produce gametes. Others have their gonads removed and consequently cease to produce gametes. Moreover, boys don’t produce sperm until they reach puberty; does this imply they are sexless prior to that point? According to Zemenick, there exist “three states: no gametes, eggs or sperm,” leading him to conclude that “gametic sex is not binary.”

This overlooks the fact that one’s actual ability to produce gametes doesn’t define their sex. A sterile or pre-pubertal male remains male due to the development of male primary reproductive organs, irrespective of their current functionality. Similarly, surgical removal of one’s gonads doesn’t alter a person’s sex, as their reproductive phenotype has already manifested. Most importantly, “no gametes” doesn’t denote a third sex (which would require a third kind of gamete). Therefore, even under Zemenick’s proposed system, there would still be only two sexes.

As I have pointed out several times, an individual’s sex is defined by the type of gamete they can or would produce. This definition is not arbitrary; its validity can be evidenced by the fact that all of Zemenick’s alternate sex definitions — genital, chromosomal, and hormonal — still depend on the primacy of the gametic definition of sex to maintain any sense of coherence.

We know human males typically have penises and females have vaginas because we understand that being male or female is independent of external genitalia. We recognize that females usually have XX chromosomes and males XY because these chromosomal combinations correspond almost invariably with female and male sexes, respectively. We associate high testosterone levels with males and high estrogen levels with females because we comprehend that these hormone levels correlate with an individual’s sex. It would have been literally impossible to associate any of these traits with males and females without first understanding what males and females are, apart from these traits. And what all these traits are caused by or correlate with is the type of gamete — sperm or ova — that an individual’s gonads can or would produce.

One red flag that should alert readers to Zemenick’s unscientific, ideological agenda is that he fails to explain or clarify anything. Instead, his sole aim appears to be to muddle matters and leave his audience perplexed. A competent educator, possessing a mastery of their subject, wouldn’t undermine basic textbook portrayals of concepts only to leave their audience floundering. Instead, they would substitute one model with another that imparts a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of known facts.

It’s easy to differentiate a truth-seeking scientist from a Critical Social Justice activist masquerading as one. A scientist searches for patterns in the natural world to understand it in light of more fundamental truths. In stark contrast, the objective of these activists is simply to sow confusion while asserting that truth is always elusive and relativistic. Considering these different approaches to the natural world, Zemenick’s true modus operandi should be unmistakably clear.

Pseudoscience on the biology of sex has indeed permeated academia, medicine, and society at large, proliferating unchecked due to its perceived alignment with Critical Social Justice ideals. However, let us remember that political trends, while captivating, are transient in nature, whereas truth endures forever despite its unpopularity at times. Human rights must be built on a foundation of truth. Hope lies in speaking that truth as loudly as possible and limiting the collateral impact of reality-distorting ideologies on policy, medicine, and society until evidence and reason make their inevitable comeback.

#Colin Wright #pseudoscience #gender pseudoscience #biological sex #human reproduction #biology #human biology #sex is binary #sex binary #gametes #gender ideology #queer theory #sex denialism #biology denial #reality denial #pride #pride month #religion is a mental illness

[ivysinistra]

I'm not gonna name any names, but I have this one friend who's essentially the perfect trans girl. Voice passes, face passes, pretty much everything. Always posting about how much she loves her life and being trans.

I know I'm such a miserable piece of shit for this, but seeing that is so fucking demoralizing because there's just no conceivable way that I could ever achieve that. I'm fundamentally limited by my body and my genetics and overall it's just fucking impossible to get where she is. I wish I could love myself and my transition as much as she seems to love hers, but that's just a pipe dream ultimately. I have to actively try to be normal around her, which to be honest is almost impossible, so I tend to avoid her as much as I can especially in VCs. She probably doesn't know that and I'm never going to tell her.

I know I'm the asshole here. I should be happy watching someone else succeed like this. I'm not a crab in a bucket and I hate people who are, but goddamn is it frustrating to be in a position like this. I have to work VERY hard to even have a 50% chance of passing, if that, and it seems like people around me do it so much better. And sure, I can ignore the binary, I should be ignoring the binary, my entire life is an act of protest and I've had to acknowledge that I'm hot in more... unconventional ways. That much is true. The binary is bullshit.

Unfortunately, I'm still fundamentally bound by it internally and can't follow my own advice. I would love to just be a cis-passing trans girl but that's impossible with my natural jaw and hairline and voice and height and build and everything. I've spent months and months of wasted life being dysphoric about these things that people tend to actually enjoy in me, despite me feeling disgusting because of them for such a long time. I've wasted years being insecure about things about my appearance I can't control.

And yet it still consumes me to this day. Even though I know without a shadow of a doubt the binary is bullshit, that I should be happy with my transition because every body is beautiful in its own way, that there's no wrong way to be trans, etc. My brain cannot let go of the binary and trying desperately to achieve the impossible. I have to face it eventually. I'm an ugly fuck according to cisheteronormative beauty standards.

I'm not traditionally feminine, like, at all, and I wasn't blessed with any features that can help cover that up. At all. It'd be pointless to pursue it, because failure is guaranteed. I look older than I am, and pretty much every stranger calls me "sir". It makes me feel like it's completely pointless to even continue transitioning.

I've always felt very alienated from the trans girls that I typically see online who put a lot of stock and effort into being as feminine as possible. I've pretty much never entertained the idea because I know it's just going to make me feel worse that I can't convincingly "be a girl" enough to average passers-by. Everyone else seems to have it so easy. Meanwhile, I'm standing over here in the corner with my weird-looking features and weird-looking boobs and weird fashion sense and not fitting any description.

It doesn't seem like anyone's ever going to notice they're not talking to a man when they talk to me. Try as I might, it rarely, if ever happens. I don't feel comfortable using the women's restroom because I don't pass. I'll get yelled at or kicked out or have the police called on me for being a pervert, or something. I managed to do it approximately once at a university when the bathroom was completely empty, and even then I was panicking so hard it took me three times as long to take a piss. There's been so many times I've contemplated dropping out of society entirely just so I don't have to worry about ever being seen again by anyone. Hell, my biggest life goal is to build a house in the middle of a large plot of land so I never have to be looked at by anyone, ever.

I'm still afraid people would just say I'm an asshole and a traitor to queer people for having these feelings. It's why I just try to keep a low profile. My existence feels like it won't ever bring anything to both queer communities and the world at large and I've almost never felt welcome anywhere I've been, digital or physical. I wish I could let go of the fear and just be Me. Ivy, the goth knifemaker. Ivy, the woman. Ivy, the force for good in the world.

Those chances were lost a long time ago, erased by forces I did not create nor did I control or participate in. It's just the status quo, and I'll never break that on my own.

#trans #transfemme #queer theory #rant

[blackberryblossoms]

Katara and Suki

In Avatar, Katara is widely regarded by fans as a feminist icon and prominent role model for female viewers. The creators even admit in the official art book that they think she is the reason half of the show’s viewers are girls (which is ludicrous on its own, because last I checked I as a woman am not excluded from enjoying stories with male characters). But for me, Katara has never been that kind of inspiration. In many ways, I think, this preachiness in her writing may sometimes undermine her very message.

Admittedly, Katara is a mixed bag of a character. Like everyone in Avatar, she has a spectacular growth arc and a realistic balance of flaws and strengths. There are things about her that annoy me, and things I really truly admire about her. Why I’m writing this is because the things I think make up her best features always seem to be the things everyone else dismisses or fails to acknowledge—both in the show and real life—with the exception of Sokka and maybe Toph.

I’ll start with the reasons I don’t think Katara qualifies as the pinnacle of feminism, the reasons in favor, and finally the character I think truly embodies positive feminism. 

First, let’s define—feminism is a word that comes with as much baggage as any. It can simply mean the activist movement began last century that demands women match men in every field and facet of life. In that sense, perhaps, Katara is undeniably feminist. But in the sense that feminism is about placing the same value on women for their femininity as on men for their masculinity, then a different case has to be made. This is because Katara’s feminism is fundamentally defined by her trying to be a man. So many episodes and subplots center around proving that she’s as strong as a man, that she can be loud and assertive. Everything about this kind of strength is extremely surface level, and when poorly done can easily make a character unlikable because it requires the putting down of others in order to lift said character up. Nevertheless, it’s one of the core traits the writers insist on Katara exhibiting.

This is clearest in “The Waterbending Master” episode, which I have a lot of problems with writing-wise largely because it confuses its story with its activist message. In it, Katara successfully defies the old fashioned, patriarchal customs of the northern tribe (which seem to exist for no worldbuilding reason other than to irk her specifically) and wins the victory of ranking alongside the male characters as a combat trainee. She wins essentially not by helping them revalue their women, but simply by slipping into the rank of “man.”

Other examples include “The Painted Lady,” in which her arrogant activism is elevated to Savior Complex (While fighting with Sokka, she yells ”I will never turn my back on people who need me!”) and lauded despite its consequences. And again, “The Southern Raiders” is perhaps her at her lowest, where her self-righteousness takes her to near villain levels. I say “near” because I do admire her self-control in the end, but for most of the episode her anger and determination to plow others over in order to not be regarded as weak is hugely ignoble. And this isn’t a huge part, but in “The Blind Bandit” episode, she cows the earthbending bullies who initially refused to tell Aang about Earth Rumble VI with force and aggression. This last example isn’t a bad thing per se—it’s honestly entertaining. But again, it defines Katara’s strength as purely physical and keeps her character dependent on other people needing to be put in their place.

Katara’s true virtues are much more understated, but they are there. And they are more traditionally regarded as feminine virtues—her resilience, her quiet patience, and her willingness to nurture those around her. One of the best episodes that exemplifies this is when the Gaang is stranded in the desert after losing Appa, and they only survive because she takes them each by the hand and firmly but gently keeps them focused on getting out alive. She exhibits understanding for each of their struggles, not anger and authority. Another episode, one that never fails to bring me close to tears, is the one where she and Toph clash after some risks heists Toph pulls to get money, and Sokka explains to Toph (with Katara overhearing) how much he appreciates and is grateful because of how she stepped up and took the place of her mother, just by doing simple and unglorified things like doing chores and taking care of her family. It’s such a shame to see this quiet, unassertive but rock-solid strength go dismissed in favor of the loud and brash. 

On the contrary, the man-like Katara runs the risk of undermining true equality and value for women by making her embody the stereotype of empty feminism—a loud, angry, self-righteous child who thinks she can fight her way to respect. But again, fighting requires opponents, and someone determined to think this way is bound to make opponents where there are none. So who truly embodies feminism in Avatar?

Suki. In the episode where she’s introduced, she tells Sokka, “I am a warrior, but I’m a girl too.” For Suki, there is no conflict whatsoever between the two. Although at first glance it may seem like there’s no difference between this and the Katara who trained in combat under Mater Pakku, Suki’s role as a combatant is necessarily feminine. It’s clear in the way the whole style of the Kyoshi warriors is shaped by the fact that they’re not men—their weapons, armor, and strategy of avoiding a head-on clash of strength all highlight this. Suki as a person is also much more balanced in her demeanor. She tends to observe before taking action. Her confidence and assurance come from the way she doesn’t feel the need to prove herself to everyone. And she demonstrates a preference to let a person’s own actions work against them rather than to quash her opponents.

For as long as Katara is trying to prove that she’s not weak by being as “man like” as possible, she will never truly be a proper role model for young girls and feminists. Suki, on the other hand, has fully balanced both worlds and shows how girls can be strong without sacrificing the fact that they’re girls.

#atla

[patron-minette]

On Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air; understanding the term ‘prostitute’ in its historical context & exploring the history of the prostitution scam

First off, let me add a little disclaimer here. Yes, I am entirely aware that there is only one singular mention of Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air in Les Misérables, and that mention only includes their names. So, this isn’t really an analysis of these characters as such, but more of a brief note to contextualise the term ‘prostitute’ + explain how it is a word that is arguably a little more complex than first assumed, and detail the history of the “prostitute scam”— which is likely what Hugo is alluding to when listing the names of these women* alongside the other Patron-Minette associates.

As you might be aware, Fauntleroy is one of the listed Patron-Minette affiliates, alias Bouquetière - which translates to Flowergirl, aka prostitute. Likewise, Les-pieds-en-l’air (aka Feet-in-the-air) is another Patron-Minette affiliate, who seems to be a prostitute also from her suggestive name. And, that is all the information we ever get about these characters. They are never mentioned again outside of this list and do not appear anywhere in the novel’s narrative. Which, shouldn’t be that surprising, as Hugo listed off a whole load of other Patron-Minette affiliates who get the same treatment and do not feature in the story outside of being listed once.

But why are these prostitutes listed as Patron-Minette affiliates in the first place anyway, I hear absolutely nobody ask? Well, I obviously don’t have any clear answers but I wanted to break down and speculate about the things that Hugo might have been implying when he frivolously mentioned their names in passing. I am aware that I am delving much deeper into this than necessary, considering these are barely even characters (but rather just the names of two figures mentioned in passing), I think we can get a better understanding of these figures by breaking down what a prostitute was defined as exactly in the eyes of nineteenth-century France, and on a broader sense, collective European society.

*I am going to term Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air using traditionally feminine pronouns throughout this post as I think it is fairly obvious Hugo intended for these characters to be perceived as women, despite not mentioning their gender explicitly. I say this because the historical label of a ‘prostitute’ (which is what Fauntleroy is explicitly labelled as) and the general language of sex work (which is emphasised in Les-pieds-en-l’air’s very name, which translates to ‘feet-in-the-air’) were generally only extended and understood in relation to women in this period.

Understanding the term ‘prostitute’ in its historical context

Prostitutes are evidently understood primarily in relation to sex work. But, in the nineteenth-century, to be a prostitute was also a handy descriptor of social and marriage status. It wasn’t just used to describe women that sold sex, it also described women unmarried women that slept around, and women of a certain social class that looked a certain way.

Some women were still defined as prostitutes even when they had a long-term partner. Perhaps the most famous literary example of this historical phenomenon is Nancy in Oliver Twist, who Dickens repeatedly describes as a prostitute even though we do not see her solicit any sex, or obtain money from any clients; her only partner is Bill Sikes, a man who she clearly loves very much and is devoted to despite his terrible nature. And even then, the relationship between Bill and Nancy bears no similarities to the relationship we would expect between a prostitute and a client, after all, Nancy lives with Bill, and looks after him when he is ill. There is no monetray transcation between the couple. In Nancy’s case therefore, it is more-so her unmarried status, her low social standing, and her general air of promiscuity that classes her as a ‘prostitute’ in Dickens’s eyes, not the fact that she is selling her body explicitly in exchange for money. She is a social ‘other’ in bourgeois society, and, just as men who are social others are identified as general figures of criminality, women who were social others are broadly labelled as prostitutes.

Therefore, we cannot simply assume that Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air would have been sex workers in the way that we might understand in the context of modern society. They could instead have been mistresses, or perhaps even just generally unchaste women. They might be simply classed as prostitutes because of their association with the Patron-Minette, which would make them the wrong sort of women in the eyes of polite society.

Although, I must acknowledge that there might be a difference between Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air, seeing as Les-pieds-en-l’air is a much more provocative name and, at least to me, seems to stand more firmly on the common idea that ‘prostitute = sex worker’. Contrastingly, we get a little more complexity to Fauntleroy’s name, for she is a ‘Flowergirl’. It is Julie Rose, when she translates the text, who explicitly adds the ‘prostitute’ definition onto the character. Hugo does not in the original French text, and instead chooses to keep this allusion vague and implicit. A Flowergirl was a formal occupation, making Fauntleroy a little different from Les-pieds-en-l’air, but there was more certainly a societal perception and dual nature of the occupation when the Flowergirls became women.

This pattern of classifying flower-sellers in terms of respectable and unrespectable sexuality was initiated by Henry Mayhew, who in 1851 marked off the ‘better class of flower-girls’ from those who sought to ‘avail themselves of the sale of flowers in the streets for immoral purposes . . . mixing up a leer with their whine for custom or for charity.’ In subsequent decades overt concern with the link between flower-sellers and prostitution appears to have declined, but illicit sexuality remained a potent undercurrent, occasionally rising close to the surface. [source]

Hugo, writing the bulk of Les Misérables in the 1850s himself, clearly would have been aware of the connection between Flowergirls and sexuality, just as many social observers had known, when he decided upon Fauntleroy’s name. Clearly, in the case of her character, she would have erred on the unrespectable side of sexuality— hence why she is grouped together with the shady rouges of the Patron-Minette.

A Flowergirl might easily sell herself along with her flowers. The indications are clear throughout the late nineteenth-century, and even spread into the twentieth century— and the figure is one seen across art as well, appearing in many other literatures and paintings of the time.

The Flower Girl - Walter Russell [source]

The flower girl sits with her hands on her hips, the traditional pose of the working class woman as often seen across art pieces of the age. Her chemise is open and there are flowers tucked into the front of her skirt, so that people know what they are actually buying when purchasing a flower from her.

•

The ‘prostitute scam’

So, what use would the Patron-Minette have with a couple of prostitutes in their gang?

We know that these characters are labelled as ‘affiliates’ of the group, but it still remains unclear as to whether Hugo is saying that these characters work with the Patron-Minette (aka, are they prostitutes who the Patron-Minette frequent themselves, and perhaps they are more similar to mistresses to particular characters in the gang rather than being outright sex workers?), or if they work for the gang (aka, are they prostitutes who collaborate with the Patron-Minette and sell themselves to other clients, with someone in the Patron-Minette pimping them out?).

It doesn’t seem likely to me that the Patron-Minette were using the services of these women themselves. I say this only because of the existence of Babet’s mistress in the novel, and the fact that in the original draft of Les Misérables, Gueulemer, Claquesous and Babet already had mistresses in the form of their “flower wives”, who were planned to be Dahlia, Zephine and Favourite. This makes me feel less inclined to think that Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air could have been more like informal mistresses than sex workers to the group, as Hugo had already planned mistresses for the group in his mind (even if they never made the final cut). Additionally, since Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air never feature in any scenes in the novel, I am assuming there was no closer connection or sexual relationship between these women to any particular Patron-Minette character.

Yet, the concept that the Patron-Minette might be pimping out these women falls flat too, as in this period “madams” still predominately tended to run groups of prostitutes, or prostitutes worked informally on the streets alone, rather than getting themselves involved with pimps.

But, there is one other thing which sticks out to me as something that these characters could have viably done for the Patron-Minette: rob and steal under the guise of soliciting sex.

This ‘prostitution scam’ was a bit of a phenomena in the mid to late nineteenth-century. The vast majority of cases wherein a woman was convicted of pickpocketing, she had done it under the guise of being a prostitute [source]. Polite society had begun to catch onto this scheme and had been fascinated by it, documenting it in reports and also writing it into novels and other texts. It was a con that involved prostitutes performing larceny and stealing from their customers— with many criminal women choosing to solicit sex in order to attract potential clients, before then robbing them without offering any services.

There are multiple accounts of instances like this documented and easily accessible on the Old Bailey Online (I’m aware this archive focusses on crime in England in this period rather than in France, but its a great, freely available resource that is easily accessible and gives a nice overview of what these scams tend to involve), showing that an important part of the scam was that these women approached their victims without explicitly stating that they were a prostitute, but instead hinting at it - approaching men alone at night and asking them to buy them a gin or a rum. Then, they would steal money from the (often intoxicated) men and take off. The benefit of not explicitly stating that they were prostitutes meant that they could cover themselves if they ever were caught. Some examples that I sourced in the Old Bailey Online trial accounts from the 1820s and 1830s can be accessed here and here. Of course, there were also the general prostitutes who pickpocketed their clients after coercing them into bed, (example here), and the times where prostitutes simply pickpocketed men on the streets as they offered them their services (example here).

Interestingly, a number of these crimes were conducted with the involvement of multiple women, revealing a sense of sisterhood amongst prostitute-pickpockets, and in general, between criminal women. 

Now, this robbery scheme would have had use to the Patron-Minette, and aligned more closely with the criminal activities that Hugo gives us hints of throughout the novel. Effectively, it would allow Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air to lure men right into the Patron-Minette’s clutches. 

Instances such as this did indeed happen in real-life cases of the time too, where we see male figures appear alongside prostitutes, often being called their “husbands”, who helped to ensure that the client was robbed of his money. The benefit of this collaboration, if successful, provided useful for both the female prostitute and the male criminal. For the prostitute, she is granted extra protection, as the presence of the male criminal is naturally more intimidating; and for the male criminal, collaborating with the prostitute was easy, generally low-risk work (I say low risk because there was a whole taboo about bourgeois men reporting these crimes to the police, because it would mean they would have to reveal that they had been in the company of a prostitute publicly).

Of course, Hugo almost certainly did not intend anyone to read this much into Fauntleroy and Les-pieds-en-l’air when he mentioned them in passing in the novel, but I think it’s extremely interesting that their characters would have naturally been constructed under the social perceptions of prostitution at the time, which is indeed very different (in some ways) from how modern society would classify prostitution. And, it is fun to speculate about what criminal acts these women might have been doing whilst acting as affiliates for the Patron-Minette.

#fauntleroy #les-pieds-en-l’air #patron minette #patron-minette #patron minette affiliates #les miserables #les mis #historical context #meta #I'm very sorry I am aware this is very niche but I needed to get this out of my system

[unohanabbygirl]

Greetings! So glad more attention is being paid to FMBH lately. It’s truly been underrated. My question is how you’ve conceptualized how the Targaryens/society assign gender to their children since being intersex is a staple of Valyrian bodies. Is it that if their body IS intersex they are assigned as a man but if not they are women? If all Targaryens born are intersex wouldn’t they take advantage and gender then as men since it’s a patriarchal society? There would be no political advantage of having a daughter over a son and Otto definitely would have taken advantage and married Alicent to Rhaenyra if it meant an easier path to the throne.

Ohhh, I love this question! Allow me to ramble ☺️

Since Targaryens are intersex the concept of sex, sexuality, gender and gender identity are fluid in their culture. They don’t go based off of what’s between someone’s legs or how their bodies look from the outside considering everyone’s is different. Some have breasts while others don’t, some have internal testies, some get periods while others don’t and a few odd ones in between do have a cycle but very sporadically.

Because of this whether or not a child is a boy or girl is meant to traditionally be left up in the air for that person to decide for themselves once they’re older. Until such a time comes kids are meant to be raised nonconforming; parents use they/them pronouns, clothes are unisex, and names aren’t given because they’re masculine or feminine but because the parents think it fits. Names don’t often have a gendered form at all quite frankly. Though we hear the names Aegon, Daemon, or Baelon and think “oh those are male names” Targs don’t. Yes they have more of a masculine tone to them but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a boy name. A name is just a name and in the days of old Valyria there were many girls named “Vaemon” and boys named “Rhaenys”

During the conquest Targs accepted things in Westerossi society such as the faith for one. Since they accepted this new way of life, how they were use to doing things had to be changed if proper integration was ever going to come about. So gone were the days of Targaryens not assigning a gender identity to their child from the beginning and allowing them to find themselves so openly first. At birth parents made a decision together and raised their child as one or the other in the public eye whilst keeping true to tradition and reminding them that it’s okay to feel and or “act” different if that’s what your heart tells you. It’s the reason why Baela is so comfortable being masculine despite Westerossi society being against women in that role. And though we haven’t really introduced her yet Baela sometimes uses male pronouns as well as female. It just depends on her mood.

However, because her features are so much more feminine those outside of their family see her as a woman despite knowing what’s likely between her legs. Same goes for Aemond; he’s intersex but because he presents more masculine in his physical characteristics it’s accepted that he’s a man. If he had more feminine features the same couldn’t be said. So though simply telling outsiders that they’re all men to make inheritance and matters of dealing with blatant misogyny easier, the people of Westeros would outright refuse to accept that “real” man looks like a woman. 

Fun fact, If Rhaenys looked more male or at least androgynous despite identifying as a woman Jaehaerys would’ve likely named her his heir.

Same goes for Rhaenyra. If she wasn’t so feminine presenting Otto would’ve 100% gone for the kill and had her marry Alicent rather than Viserys. Regardless of whether or not she identified as a woman and proudly wore dresses and makeup. If Rhaenyra looked like a man, then that would’ve been enough for Otto.

#asks

[transsexualhamlet]

the debate opens. is sauron woman coded

please be normal im not being serious here

I must state I am insane and transgender but this is a valid and well known lens of critical analysis, and purposefully choosing to examine how a piece's themes can be interpreted to the issues of sex and gender despite them Definitely not originally being intended that way is literally a core function of the teaching and study of literature. HOWEVER this is all just fun and games obviously I'm not trying to do anything but entertain a hypothetical here

As all the Valar and Maiar choose their physical forms and are not inherently gendered, what their actual bodies are shaped like is not super important, though most of them are seen to have pretty consistent gender representations. And it must also be considered that the gender norms of Elves (whose forms the Maiar and Valar are based off of) are not those of the 21st century west or even Men(the species, not the gender). Elves do not have facial hair, tend to have softer and sharper features than humans, they do not cut their hair to short lengths, and delicacy, embroidery, style and length of clothes is more indicative of profession and situation than of gender. I.E., Galadriel and Celeborn in the movies are very similar in clothing and appearance, both wearing long loose robes and having similar facial structure and hair. But social roles and facets of misogyny still play a major part in society in the Silmarillion- though some women who take on masculine roles are praised, those who remain in the feminine are still largely seen as objects.

I see both Melkor and Mairon as more of a Loki type, body wise- whether they have boobs or not that day is pretty irrelevant. But despite that, Melkor most often takes a traditionally masculine role, and Mairon a traditionally feminine. Melkor is always seen as very strong, tall, and muscular, commanding, willful, physically imposing. His movements are bold and overt and blunt. Mairon is a servant and a homemaker, loyal, physically beautiful and desired, always trying to please. His own plans are executed through quiet control of other people through his beauty and submission.

That compounded with his immutable hierarchical role (Mairon having been delegated as a lesser being than the Valar from the start) builds up to the reality that Mairon has both the experience of a cis woman (one who was designated by their physical abilities to a lesser role and is punished for wishing for power outside of that station, as well as discredited for still being feminine) and of a transfeminine person (one who leaves their designated role in the status quo to an inherently transgressive creativity of expression, is punished for daring to question how they were made by god, and is seen as inherently 'tricking' people by the right of being beautiful.)

So, irrelevant of generally having a male body (seen as feminine to Numenorean Men already, because their definition of masculinity is different) Mairon can be seen to take a feminine role in society, mostly of his own choice. In this respect I think it is a large part of why Melkor was depicted as, although evil, a respectable leader, a powerful enemy to be feared, whereas Mairon, especially judged on his own methods after Melkor, was largely written as a jealous "seducer" with little power or will of his own, an often-used archetype, a Lady Macbeth. Did they both definitely suck? Yes! But were they women about it? Absolutely.

Of course, I am intentionally pulling these elements together to create this interpretation, and I am in no way trying to insinuate that it is actually true or to be taken seriously in any sense. It's a thought exercise. Sauron is in no way genuinely oppressed, people hate Sauron because he fucking sucks. But I do not see any harm in messing around with people's genders to explore social issues, nor in the act of enjoying villains as characters and understanding what made them become such. I'm under no delusion that the giant eye was actually a good guy. You would have to be living under a fucking rock not to realize that.

One might say, well, Rowan, representing Literally Sauron Pretty Much The Second Worst Person Ever as a hashtag misunderstood woman is maybe not the best representation. And to that I would say god forbid women do anything

#rowan screams into the void #rowan's hyperfixation essays #mairon #sauron #idk lol this was. this has been a day #please please please take everything i say with a grain of salt i am not being serious

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Engaged!Phan (2) Masterlist

Links Last Checked: December 26th, 2023

part one

A Bit of An Announcement / The Lester Family - truerequitedlove

Summary: “Why are you so worried? They love you, you know that!”

“Says the person who has cleaned more in the past hour than in the entire rest of his life collectively.”

A Piece of You (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: When Dan travels to the English countryside to participate in the BBC's Writer's Retreat, he and Phil do everything that they can to stay connected, despite the miles between them.

This fic is based on the BBC's Writer's Retreat that Dan attended in May 2019.

Achillea Millefolium (ao3) - kneebleed

Summary: Delicate yellow yarrows printed in their skin, preparing themselves to glow in the years to come; falling more every day that pass, this is them about to commit to the eternity and beyond.

Always Look in the Background (ao3) - AvalonBell

Summary: The clues were always there; whether it was the two rings in the background or the save the date cards left on the floor or tables accidentally. Even tweets started to give away that something was up. But to Dan and Phil’s surprise the entire phandom appeared completely oblivious to these clues for nearly an entire year, up until the middle of 2016 when the two men decided it was time they tell their fan base that not only was “phan” real but they were both in fact engaged and getting married by the end of 2016.

A Year in the Life (ao3) - gorgeousnerd

Summary: You know what the next thing would be? Gay wedding!

(A transcript of the amazingphil video A Year in the Life, featuring Daniel Howell.)

By The Way… We’re Engaged (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil are doing a liveshow when Dan forgets to take off his engagement ring.

details (ao3) - Fictropes

Summary: And it was the right time, the right place.

Free. (Ao3) - heyitsnxel

Summary: He knew he was engaged to the prince – Philip, his parents had told him. They had always told him he was part of some prophecy. But, while they seemed to think it would all be worth it in the end, Dan was beginning to have his doubts.

holy ghost (ao3) - sadlybunny

Summary: A reunion between the prince and his fiancé after Phil has been in Germany.

I Don’t Think You Know How Lovely You Are (ao3) - cafephan

Summary: Dan takes some time out to sit and process the fact that he's engaged.

I Will Love You Endlessly (ao3) - starrywrite

Summary: sequel to I Dare You To Love Me. AU! When Phil first met Dan, the young florist turned his life and everything he thought he knew about love upside down, and ever since then Dan has filled his life with love, happiness, and flowers. Now here they are almost five years later, and the two are still as crazy for each other as they’ve been from the start. So it only makes sense that the two of them take the next step in their relationship, and it starts with a ring (and a lot of lilies, of course).

In Sync (ao3) - developerdaniel

Summary: Phil kicked his long legs till his pants were gone for good, somewhere in the room to be found later. He pulled up from the kiss, panting for a moment before trailing kisses down Dan's smooth, hairless torso, stopping every few spots to leave a dark red mark for his eyes only to see tomorrow morning in the aftermath.

~*~*~

aka: daddy!phil and neko!dan go on a romantic night out to celebrate 5 years of being together where then they end up engaged to one another and make passionate love to celebrate their lives together. (shitty summary, ik, but i promise the fic is great !!)

Letters In Bold (ao3) - snsk

Summary: Spoiler alert: It’s on a beach in Lundu that Dan agrees to marry him. Phil slides an odd, beautiful shell through his ring finger and Dan curls his toes into the wet sand, tests the word fiancé wonderingly out on his tongue.

Paper Covered Tables and Undesirable Labels (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Planning a wedding is hard.

Pretty Baby (ao3) - Spring_Haze

Summary: Dan, who previously fought his own, natural, femininity, explores the traditionally feminine to surprise his future husband and learns that there is much to love about these parts of himself.

(TW) Raspberries (ao3) - maruyamapng

Summary: Dan laments over his past with Phil

skin on skin (ao3) - sadlybunny

Summary: It was subtle at first. Dan would grab Phil’s hands and hold them when they started to wander. He’d catch Phil’s lips in his when he tried to press them to Dan’s neck. Phil received the message eventually, and stopped trying to progress things altogether. It was odd. Dan was usually the one in their relationship to initiate sex in the first place. And it was especially odd for them to go so long without sex, or at least something quick. But two weeks was weird.

or... Dan gets a tattoo and is scared to show Phil.

Starstruck (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: Phil attends all of Dan Howell’s concerts. In fact, he makes it a rule to even record every one he goes to. You could say he was in love with Dan Howell and in fact, that wouldn’t be a lie because he’s actually Dan’s fiancé. Too bad Dan’s fans see him as the creepy guy at Dan’s concerts.

What We’ve Been Hiding-Secret Project and More - too-queer-for-you

Summary: A description of a video in which Dan and Phil finally answer long asked questions and reveal the truth.

Your Crowning Glory (ao3) - pasteldanhowells, rainbowchristy

Summary: Dan is 18 years old when the news is suddenly sprung upon him that he is next line to be the next king of Genovia, but things don’t go as smoothly as he thought, between having a suddenly busy schedule, a new lifestyle, an arranged marriage that Dan has no control over, and worst of all, Philip Lester trying to steal his crown.

#phanfictioncatalogue #phanfiction #phanfic #phan #masterlists #establishedrelationship #engaged #engaged masterlist