#but those dismissing nuance don't care about that

[tuiyla]

Random Glee pet peeve: when people think they’re being so smart by criticizing the newbies as 1:1 copies of the OG graduates.

Not defending the way Glee wrote the newbies over here but it’s a lazy, overdone take and shows an utter unwillingness to explore the newbies’ characters. And when your critique refuses to look deeper than that, it’s not any more clever than the writing you’re dismissing.

#at the point when you're purposefully trying to fit a newbie into a neat little OG shaped box #you've lost your argument #anyway glee's writing sucks and the way they handled the newbies sucks #but the one to one argument is so shallow and overdone and ignores the fact #that these are ARCHETYPES that they're redoing #but those dismissing nuance don't care about that #unique is NOT mercedes that's very clearly a bad example #there are similarities yes and racism at play that needs to be called out #but it's like you're refusing to find any joy in the new characters #glee #i'm not a s4 newbie defense squad member but hell maybe i am #like it's just so much like shallow buzzwordy criticism to be like #and then they copied the originals! #and not looking beyond that #marley and rachel serve a similar narrative purpose but they're NOTHING alike personality wise #if anybody says that's because marley has no personality it's on sight #what a tag ramble this ended up being #real ones will read all the way through ❤

[genericpuff]

Do you know "Eggnoid"? It's a rather old webtoon about a girl being put into circumstances on taking care of a robot guy who hatched from an egg (hence the title) the robot guy appears to be a grown man, but he has mental capabilities of a toddler and even acts like one. So, it's like those types of "born sexy yesterday" tropes but the gender reversed. The girl also repeatedly shown crushing over the robot guy and at some point, she called him her boyfriend despite she's supposed to be his caretaker.

I haven't read it, but I can definitely attest that there's a double standard when it comes to gender roles and age gaps / situations of grooming / etc. in literature but especially in webtoons. And by that I mean I've legit seen people hold comics like Lore Olympus accountable for their gross dynamics between a young teenage girl and the much older and richer love interest, but then turn around and say it's "couple goals" for a teenage boy to hook up with a much older woman. At the end of the day there's still a power imbalance due to the age gap and the massive differences in life experiences between the two, gender doesn't really change that.

Big ole' sip of hot tea as a take, but speaking as an AFAB, a lot of women are just as capable of grooming and taking advantage of younger men in the same way as men towards young women, it's just that on the surface people tend to get skittish about addressing that because they don't want to sound like they're going "yeah well actually women though-" and dismissing the notion of toxic masculinity. Which yes, that's a fair thing to worry about, some people do use that as a way to dismiss the arguments made regarding patterns of grooming behavior in men towards young girls (among many other problems in which men and toxic masculinity are held accountable), but like any topic of this nature, it's not always a cut and dry black and white thing. Toxic masculinity and the grooming of teenage girls by adult men is a very real problem! But just like how we can understand the nuance that being a man by default doesn't immediately make you a predator, we should be able to understand the nuance that being a woman doesn't give you a free pass to do the same things we call out men for doing without consequences. It's like the double standard in LO that it's okay for Persephone to do the same things - if not worse - than what Leuce and Minthe and Thetis do, because she's the main character and she's not some scummy "mud-sucking" lower class person, she's rich and a Queen and she's wearing a giant hat so it makes it okay /s

Unfortunately the saying of "I support women's rights and women's wrongs" is being used in a completely tone deaf "literally excusing the main character of her crimes and wrongdoings against others because she happens to be a woman" kind of way, while missing the real point of the saying - supporting women's wrongs doesn't mean you celebrate their abuse towards others, it just means women shouldn't automatically be viewed as irredeemable "crazy bitches" for making mistakes like any other human does, and like any other human, they should be given the opportunity to grow and heal and learn from their wrongs.

When it comes to Persephone specifically, it can't even be chalked up to a "one time mistake" anymore, she's literally been showing patterns of abusive behavior for years now and refusing to take accountability, and now even Rachel is meme'ing on it knowing fully well it's what people are calling Persephone out for in the critical spaces. That's not "supporting women's wrongs", that's enabling the wrongs of a person because they happen to be a woman, and that's not okay. Persephone isn't a "girl boss", she's a bully.

I think the double standard in these age gap romances also speaks to the idolization and fixation on women as being nothing more than conquests for men as well. People who romanticize age gaps between a young woman and an older man think, "Wow, that woman is so mature for her age, enough that an older richer man would choose HER to be his wife! So romantic!" when in reality those who know those dynamics are unhealthy and toxic recognize it as an older man taking advantage of a young woman who's being love-bombed into believing she's "mature for her age" so that she'll sleep with him. Meanwhile, on the other side of it, those who romanticize young men getting with older women tend to come at it from the angle of "well she's so old and washed up, no man could ever love her, her chance for love and a happily ever after is gone now! it's so wonderful of that young man to give that sad and lonely old woman love and attention!" and yet fail to see it from the same perspective of an older person manipulating a young person with zero life experience, because there's still this deeply-rooted ideology that women are "used up" by age 30 and any man who gives her attention beyond that age range is a hero. Completely neglecting the fact that relationships aren't off the table at all for older single people and they don't need to involve robbing the cradle.

I blame the lack of older couple representation in media tbh, so many mainstream romance stories are basically just this:

To pull it out of the perspective of LO and webtoons for a second (sorry, I'm going on a hell of a tangent here), remember how gross it was when it was revealed in Fifty Shades Darker that Christian had been introduced to the concept of BDSM at age 15 through one of his mom's friends (i.e. an older woman!) who Anastasia calls "Mrs. Robinson"? And they had that relationship until he was 21? And they never really did anything about that, it was pretty much just there to explain why Christian was fucked up but he still got married to Anastasia, an innocent woman who he was repeating the cycle of abuse with, and lived happily ever after anyways?

Yeah. That was pretty fucked up.

#we all need to do better to hold ourselves accountable for shitty behavior #there are def societal issues at play that predispose people to have certain opinions or react differently based on concepts like gender #but true feminism means making a better world for women *and* men *and* everyone within and outside of that binary #it's not “rich and powerful women can do whatever they want because they're boss babes and deserve to be mean" #that's literally more along the lines of white feminism which we've definitely talked about here before #and just gender supremacy as a whole which isn't helpful for anyone #always remember to ask yourself: “is it feminism or is it misandry?” #because a lot of legit misandrists try to moonlight as feminists and really just hurt the cause as a whole

[furiousgoldfish]

When abusive parents hurt you, they're not 'doing it for your own good' or 'disciplining you', they're singling you out and making you a target. Because they're not doing it to all other kids, they're not doing it to their guests, friends, coworkers, bosses, neighbours, it doesn't even count if all of those people make one of the same mistakes you do. It's allowed for them. It's okay if anyone else does it. It's okay if other people break things, or refuse to be controlled, or speak up, or demand something, or act selfish, or act childish, or don't cater endlessly, or don't guess their moods, or don't act submissive, it's okay for everyone else! Just not for you!

What exactly is that teaching you?

That you're different. That the brutal and torturous rules exist only for you. That you are the only one who deserves no allowances, no forgiveness, no gentleness, no tolerance, no nuance, no love. And you are the only one! Everyone else can get those things and do what they want, but you will get tortured for it, you'll get tortured even for things you didn't do, because these two people have singled you out and deserved that you're so rotten you deserve worse treatment than any other person alive. And those people are your parents, they made you.

It teaches you injustice, it teaches you to put yourself in a different category than anyone else in the world and to assume you must be so intrinsically different that you won't ever find community, you won't ever find somebody to be on your side or similar to you, because you are the only one who could ever deserve this kind of hatred. It separates you from humanity and makes you feel like you don't belong, like you don't have a home here, it makes you abandoned by everyone because nobody is stating anything different about you. With their silence, dismissal and neglect, everyone is passively agreeing that this is what you deserve. That it doesn't matter to them if you live in pain and despair because you're too different, too otherworldly for them to care about.

No child has deserved to feel like that. Nobody is supposed to be pushed into that pit of despair, injustice and pain, alone, with no visible way out. With nothing they can do to redeem themselves, to find a way to see themselves as human after all that's been done to them. This is not a pit that somebody can easily crawl out of, this is something that can follow you all your life.

All children deserve better than this. Never defend abusive parents when they do this to a child. If you don't want a child to believe themselves to be a monster, don't ignore when this is happening and don't act like it's none of anybody's business. It's all of our business to make sure no kid thinks this lowly of themselves, not even if their parents decide they should. Parents who do this to children should be charged with torture, isolation and psychological devastation of a human being. All children are human. And no child deserves that.

#child abuse #tw torture mention #psychological abuse #emotional abuse #child neglect #abusive parents #toxic parents #traumatic childhood #childhood trauma #injustice #singling out a kid and hurting them #it's easy to single out a kid and put all the blame in the world on their back #but nobody has the right to do something so despicable #no child is at fault for problems of cruel parents

[mimisempai]

I love the angel you chose to be

Summary

Crowley overhears a conversation between Aziraphale and Muriel, and realizes that words spoken millennia ago can linger in the mind for a long time, even if the person who spoke them has forgotten them. It's time for him to help his angel forget them.

Notes

We all love Aziraphale Curly and messy blond hair…

Day 2 : Playing with hair

On Ao3

Rating G -  1452 words

Crowley entered the bookstore, coffee and hot chocolate in hand holding a couple of Eccles cakes wrapped by Nina under his arm, but he saw no one. 

He was about to call out when he heard voices that sounded like they were coming from the back of the bookshop. 

He was on his way there when he heard Muriel's voice as they asked, "Aziraphale, I heard Maggie and Nina talking about something, and I was wondering, is it deliberate that the front of the bookshop is the same shade as Crowley's hair?"

Crowley paused, now curious to hear the angel's answer.

Aziraphale coughed and Crowley would have given anything to see his expression at that moment, but he couldn't without revealing his presence and he was eager to hear the angel's answer.

"Well, at first it was just a coincidence, I thought the old-fashioned red and gold gave the place a distinguished look, and then it's true that over time I also liked the idea that looking at it reminded me of his hair."

Muriel said in a slightly teasing voice, "I've seen you with your hand in Crowley's hair often enough to know that you like his hair, you know."

Crowley stifled a small gasp, thinking that Aziraphale probably had the same blush on his cheeks as he did. That nosy little bee!

"Well... you see this hair, it's kind of special, you know. It's not really red, it's an infinite shade of red. In the evening, his red hair takes on the softest sheen, and in the starlight, the red becomes intense, like the reddest of Burgundy wines, but my favorite shade is in the morning, when the rising sun reflects off it and gives it an incandescent glow."

Okay, no doubt Crowley's cheeks were now as scarlet as his hair.

"I see, I see," Muriel replied, "but how would you describe your own hair?"

Aziraphale immediately replied, "Light blonde. There's nothing special about it."

Muriel asked in a genuinely curious tone, "Do you think Crowley has the same fascination with your hair as you do with his?"

Crowley didn't like the angel's dismissive chuckle at all before replying, "Not at all. You know, I think Crowley even finds my curls funny."

"Oh, how do you know?"

Aziraphale replied, "I have known for thousands of years. Right after we saved Job's children."

Aziraphale turned to the demon and said, "I'm ready to go. 

Crawley looked at him in surprise and asked, "Go where?"

"To Hell."

The demon immediately replied, "I'm not taking you to Hell, Angel."

"Why not?"

"Well, I don't think you'd like it." 

Aziraphale protested, "But you have to. I'm like you now. A demon." 

Crawley began to smile and said in a distinctly mocking tone, "Sorry. You think you're a demon? With your curly little... and your neat white..."

The angel finished his story, "You see, Muriel, I don't think he sees anything fascinating in my curly little... I don't know what he would have called it, but given his sneering expression, it wouldn't have been very flattering."

He heard the angel clap his hands as he continued, "Come on Muriel, let's finish putting away these new books and then we've earned a little break. I think Crowley even went to get us some snacks."

Despite the angel's attempt to sound enthusiastic, Crowley knew him well enough to detect the small nuance of despondency beneath the cheerful tone.

He hadn't meant any harm at the time, of course, but knowing Aziraphale as he did now, knowing the damage Heaven had done to his self-esteem, those words had naturally left a mark on Aziraphale.

His dear angel, always so insecure when it came to himself.

The demon tiptoed back, careful not to be noticed, and silently left the shop before reentering, this time with a bang.

"Aziraphale! Muriel! I'm home! It's break time for those who pretend to work."

The two angels appeared from behind the shelves, and Crowley chuckled as they both snapped at him, offended by his earlier statement.

As he handed out drinks and cakes, Aziraphale stepped up to the window, just under a ray of sunlight that illuminated him, forming a halo around his head.

Crowley smiled softly.

His hair funny?

Nonsense. 

Crowley was going to show him.

********

A little later in the evening, they were both sitting on the sofa, one against the other. Aziraphale was reading aloud and Crowley commented from time to time.

Suddenly, Aziraphale stopped reading and asked him softly, "Crowley, my dear, won't you lie down and put your head in my lap?"

Crowley smiled softly, secretly glad to have the opportunity he had been looking for, then shook his head, "No, Angel, tonight I'd like to change."

Aziaphale turned his head to him and asked, confused, "Change what?" 

Crowley took the book from his hands and placed it beside him, then patted his own lap and said softly, "Tonight, you're the one who's going to lie down and put your head on my lap."

He put his arm around the shoulders of Aziraphale, who still looked a little confused, and pulled him close to lie down.

The angel relented, but Crowley could tell by the look on his face that he didn't quite understand. He could understand, after all, it was the first time they'd reversed positions like this.

When he was sure the Angel was settled, he bent down and planted a light kiss on his temple before whispering in his ear, "Angel, I overheard your conversation with Muriel about my hair and especially yours. I can't let you continue to think that I find your hair ridiculous or funny or whatever silly idea my clumsy words might have put into your head."

The demon straightened, placed his hands on the angel's hair, and stroked it gently.

"When I spoke of your hair that day, it was because it had nothing in common with the hair of someone you'd think belonged in hell. Granted, you wouldn't fit in. But there's nothing ridiculous about those blond curls, Angel."

He buried his fingers a little deeper in the light curls and continued, "If you only knew how many times I've imagined running my hands through this hair. Long before I had the right, like now. I was dying to know if it was as soft as it looked."

The demon buried his fingers a little deeper into the angel's hair, smiling with satisfaction as he felt the angel lean his head into his fingers.

He continued, "You know, your hair is so you. Comfortable, soft, a little messy, but still well cared for. I love it, Angel. And never once have I found it ridiculous. Never once have I found anything about you ridiculous."

He grabbed his chin and turned his head up to look him in the eye before continuing, "It's like your waistcoat, your bow tie, your bookshop, how shall I put it...they have that mix of neat and messy. Your waistcoat is hanging by a thread, but you cherish it more than anything, and it fits you perfectly. Your bow tie, always well done, but often a little crooked.

Your place, let's not talk about the mess it is, but I wouldn't have it any other way because it is you. This is how you have chosen to be. Since the day you gave up your sword out of compassion. That's the angel I love. Not the perfect angel, immaculate, well-groomed, not a wrinkle out of place. Because all this proves to me that you're no longer attached to heaven, but to this world. Because you've chosen it. All this is Aziraphale. Right down to the messy light curls, and I wouldn't have it any other way." 

He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips first to the angel's forehead, then to his lips in a tender and lingering kiss.

Then, as he straightened up, he whispered in his ear, "But still, your waistcoat..."

Aziraphale exclaimed, "Hey, don't you dare, I've had it since..."

He stopped because Crowley had just begun to laugh.

Assuming an air of dignity, he tugged at the flaps of his vest and smoothed them over his waist, saying, "It's a fine vest. I don't see anything wrong with it."

Crowley gently ran a hand through his hair and replied, "Yeah, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this vest. It's perfect in my eyes. As is the Angel who wears it."

He pressed his lips to the angel's again and gave him another kiss that went on and on.

In the eyes of heaven and hell, neither of them was perfect, but that didn't matter because they were perfect for each other.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

#good omens #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #ineffable boyfriends #aziraphale #crowley #good omens fanfiction #aziraphale x crowley #crowley x aziraphale #GOS2Spoilers #flufftober #flufftober 2023

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

If you don't mind I'm going to be horribly demanding and request more delicious thoughts on Kaz and his female coded story. Sorry but I'm eating this all up!!

No sweat Anon! I will say it's a thought I kinda had offhandedly once and left alone for a long time, so I'm having to think way back a bit as I consider it.

As an obvious quick note too, it's sort of a random interpretation I had. It doesn't have any real bearing on canon anymore than my other random thoughts do. It was kind of like, at some point, I noticed that Kaz had a storyline and writing style I've gotten used to seeing but with women.

The jilted ex hellbent on revenge. Someone who is more well known in story for his emotional issues vs how physically imposing or strong he is or isn't. I don't know about everyone else, but when I first think of Kaz, the most memorable thing that comes to mind is his emotions. Being unable to manage ones anger is very 'masculine' a trait, but being beholden to those emotions is a 'feminine' quality.

I'll say too, revenge as a motivator is a common story theme. And its very present in films and the like. This is certainly not a 'female only' thing, and there's SO much nuance that has to be applied. And to be perfectly blunt, I can't fully articulate 100% why I especially have this feeling with him, but at some point in one of my nightly Kaz spirals, I had the thought of "Kaz is written the way I'm used to women being written", and, after mentioning it, I sat on it, never gave it really much expansion, and haven't given myself the chance to really put into words why I feel this way.

It's sort of like..

Kaz gets dismissed a lot. Kaz isn't taken seriously a lot because he lets his emotions get the better of him. (Which is largely his fault, if he could calm down for five seconds and take a breather, he'd be able to put his very honest, very intelligent thoughts into words). But he doesn't give himself that chance. He screams, shouts and acts impulsive instead.

Meaning he gets written off as being 'too hysterical' to take seriously. Which is something we see a lot in female characters. Who often get pushed aside in narratives despite being smart, or having a point, because "She's too hysterical right now don't listen to her."

Kaz is known for being jealous. Manipulative and 100% ruled by emotions and impulses. He makes extreme decisions at the drop of a hat, but places fall apart without him managing the books and the records. He tries to overcompensate, and get taken seriously, but it leaves him getting underestimated and written off. Because for every serious thing he says, for every legitimate point he makes, its either screamed or shouted.

Or, full of biting sarcasm and snide remarks. He's a 'playboy' in Peace Walker. The man with a full hair care routine in a jungle. He's been 'caught' and brought in by a man more powerful and more respected than himself, and while he tries again and again to be on equal footing with him-and fully believes he ought to be, it falls short.

(This isn't excusing Kaz either, his entrance into the MSF is a rabbit hole I've gone down before, because it's very hard to put into black and white territory and victim/abuser territory. It requires deeper thought and more critical thinking).

Anyway.

I think another way to look at it, is that if I imagine Kaz as a woman, his story..really does not change that much to me? It's got all the elements of the supporting/leading lady role. And as a retroactive character (as in, a character that was originally very much a one note they build backwards by making him more meaningful in the prequels) he gained importance in the narrative, but backwards.

(I'm aware this doesn't make much sense, it's so hard for me to articulate this one properly sorry).

To be a tad crueler about it, think of the stereotype 'nagging wife'. Its not hard to imagine Kaz like that. At all. In my head. At the end of the day, it's something I'd probably have to think about more, but it kinda sits in the back of my mind occasionally.

#character posts: kazuhira miller #and hell this might not even have ANY basis in canon I could've just been tripping but its like #i know what i personally am seeing but I don't know fully why that is #this is one of the hardest thoughts ive tried to put into words but i am doing my best #mgs #thoughts posts #nate rambles #kazuhira miller #asks #answered asks

[olderthannetfic]

Prefacing this by saying I'm not white and I'm not from the US—

I read the End OTW Racism posts and the posts from their vocal supporters that they reblogged and I trust precisely none of these people with determining what racism is on an international scale, which they will have to do if they are going to attempt to define what fic is "too racist" to be on Ao3.

I don't trust think these people know how to deal with about non-EN fandom. I don't trust them to know or care about ESL fic writers and readers on Ao3, or how this supposedly clearcut policy will affect them. Do they think that non-US fans know all the nuances of US race politics, or are they just expecting them to learn as a barrier to fandom entry? How do they plan to moderate vent fics about nonwhite colonizers, for example? About political tensions between non-Western nations? Diaspora vs nondiaspora opinions? Slurs in one language that aren't slurs in other languages? How do they plan to deal with cluelessly racist fic because the author has never heard of the stereotypes (and there's a LOT of clueless racism in fandom)? Stereotypes actively embraced by the culture?

Looking at their tumblr where they basically say "it's not our job to tell the OTW what to do with those policies," I'm guessing they don't know how to deal with them either. Or they plan to offload the brunt of THAT decision-making to POC volunteers who live daily through the racist trauma, because that's the hard part and changing their fic titles and pfps is the easy part.

To be blunt, I also do not trust their demands of a diversity consultant when they clearly only have a US-centric view of racism in fandom. There is no way one person can adequately cover the nuances of racism in fandom all over the world. If they hire someone from the US, I know a lot of fans would be wary of the subsequent fallout.

After witnessing violent harrassment and smear campaigns using "antiracism" as the rallying cry to shield their own agenda, I'll admit that trust is low. Some fans will use any vague "social justice" concept to conceal their need to harrass people, and they use it precisely because clueless people with good intentions will assume they know what they're talking about and pile on with them.

And after reading Stitch's essays, I trust no one platforming them or holding them up as the pinnacle of antiracist virtue either, which the official End OTW Racism accounts continue to do, especially on twitter. A 5-second scroll of the account reveals them retweeting a thread of how Stitch is unfairly maligned. Sure. Forgive me if I'm skeptical that the person who directs harrassment mobs at people (and often POC) who disagree with them in the name of "antiracism."

There is also no excuse for the guilt-tripping BS I keep seeing from the supporters saying that "if you don't support this campaign, you must be a racist white," or the guilt-tripping I see in their endotwracism posts, as if the only two options that exist in the whole world are to support their campaign mindlessly or be a violently racist white supremacist. I especially do not trust them when they use this to dismiss nuanced takes from POC just like Stitch, because that's what it looks like from where I'm standing.

--

[cinamun]

One thing that I think I've noticed as this story has progressed, and in general, is that we always expect and or look for reason in men's bad behavior. There is always a reason for them to do bad things, outside of them actively choosing to be a bad person. Someone must have failed them, she must have failed them, she must have failed him, etc.

Elliot tried to kill Hope. He tried to drag her with him into the abyss, and yet he was not viewed as an attempted murderer, but instead as a friend who had gone astray. Someone who needed more support or more attention. At his funeral, people wept over the fact that he couldn't be saved! It is always tragic when someone makes a fatal decision that harms themselves and others around them, but I notice that, especially in the black community, black women's victimization takes a backseat to the pain of black men.

Now we see something similar with Bishop. While it's interesting to ponder the complexities of why he is the way he is, Mercy is being preyed upon! She sets boundaries, and he crosses them, always with an undertone of violence. There is talk about whether he cares or if he can change, and it falls into that same line of thinking. "If I love him more, then he'll do right." "I can fix him" "He just needs..."

Anyway, let me know if I'm way off the mark, but it seems like women tend to take on far too much responsibility for the feelings and actions of men, to the point of forgoing their best interests.

Yes... and

That's society for you, amirite? Always prioritizing the needs of men.

But I'm going to challenge that..... as I do. Spoilers below the cut.

Yes I believe that, in the case of Elliot and Darren, there was absolutely a reason for them to do bad things and some have chosen to dismiss those reasons. Elliot was actively mentally ill, but rather than address mental illness, we chose to throw him away. We literally witnessed this young man's decline and if we can't separate his actions on the pier from his diminished mental state, what does that say about us and how we perceive mental illness?

In fact, when did Hope take a backseat? Once Elliot was collectively thrown away, all eyes centered on Hope's healing and rightfully so! But one thing I'm not gonna do (I feel it would be irresponsible as a Black woman writer) is stifle Hope's healing to uplift the man who hurt her. Hope was wrapped in love by everyone, including her husband (a Black man).

Why didn't we throw Indya away for the nasty shit she did like taking a baseball bat to Darren's nose? Or throw Jerri away for the literal attempted murder of Juan? If I do nothing else, I want us to think about things like this and force questions that we wouldn't ask ourselves otherwise.

I've opened up a space in this current arc to look at a very clearly damaged individual (Bishop) through multiple lenses. I don't think acknowledging Bishop's humanity (pixelness) necessarily means "I can fix him". Like, at all. I think our readers are smarter than that and only recognize nuance. Some of y'all be trippin tho ngl lmfao

Not everyone saw Bertie as preying on a drunk Jackson but she was. The reason no one really flipped it is because Jackson is a man. But he was a man who was not capable, in that kitchen, of making a wise decision; so he made a horrible one.

Men irritate me just like anyone else but one thing this story has tried to do is simply acknowledge the humanity and capacity for growth within all of us.

#good morning y'all #busy day today so #update coming shortly and then I gotta fly #love y'all!! #story stuff

[okadaizoirl]

i think i've gotten to a point where if anyone consistently uses any indicator of AGAB to refer to a whole group of diverse people i just can't follow them anymore. i can't fucking play this game anymore. you fools, trans people are being effected. trans people are being targeted. all of us. we all experience oppression, it takes many forms, but we do. we are meant to HELP each other, to UPLIFT each other, not to recreate what cis people made up to torture themselves--

LEAVE BIOESSENTIALISM BEHIND. 'GENDERED SOCIALIZATION' IS NOT TRUE TO INDIVIDUAL LIVED EXPERIENCES. WE ARE ALL SUFFERING.

we have to help each other. that starts with listening to each other. i owe every step of my gender realization to trans women. if a trans woman is in need of mutual aid, i donate what i can. if a trans woman is facing baseless accusations, i have the critical thinking skills to know she's the one in need of defense and/or comfort. i don't stand for any kind of misogyny. i have listen, i continue to listen to the women i know.

i can count on one finger how many people didn't dismiss me with either "that's how men are" or "this is what you signed up for" when i confided my own struggles in them with my journey. i have only had male privilege with complete strangers and ONLY after months on HRT.

and it crumbles the minute i say "husband", and suddenly my curly hair and friendly demeanor makes those strangers suddenly question themselves: "is this a faggot?". not a man, not a woman, these people have wondered aloud, in front of me, "is it a he or a she?".

or it crumbles the minute my manager-on-duty sees my legal name and starts asking me invasive questions about my medical history. i lose any privilege i had the second i have to show my fucking license-- i can't change my legal name yet, and don't want to change my gender marker until much later.

why don't i want to change that marker? I DON'T WANT TO GAMBLE WITH DEATH, AND TRANS MEN HAVE BEEN REFUSED WOULD-BE-LIFESAVING CARE AND DIED, JUST FOR THAT.

AND I KNOW TRANS WOMEN HAVE TOO. TRANS PEOPLE HAVE THIS STRUGGLE.

trans people all face misogyny. trans people all face transphobia. there is nuanced difference in transmisogyny and transandrophobia, and trans women/transfemmes and trans men/transmascs should have the right to speak on it for themselves. we should have the right to coin a term to call it. we should have the right to theory.

this does not give any of us the right to use those concepts to recreate the worst part of cis society, fucking gender wars.

#alex is alive #block this tag if you need to #sorry to rant i just. ough. i had to unfollow a fucking CAT ACCOUNT over this separatist bullshit #cannot fucking stand this for one second. i thought more trans people per capita meant we'd all be DONE with this #transandrophobia #transandromisia

[trillscienceofficer]

Imagine if Voyager truly cared about what B'Elanna and Seven wanted, like. once in seven years? For all the screentime Seven gets, it's never about what she wants, just what she has to do in order to fit in better, and B'Elanna... well. She truly gets shit from everyone for no reason whatsoever.

One of the main reasons why I would've love for them to interact more is that, for all their mutual annoyance, somehow they aren't as dismissive with each other as others are with them. Seven is a an arrogant little shit but she apologizes to B'Elanna very frequently when B'Elanna expresses her annoyance, more than most other characters generally do with B'Elanna honestly! And Seven seems to notice pretty quickly when B'Elanna is upset too, which always makes me raise my eyebrows because we're constantly told Seven is not very socially smart... she is though, once she starts learning. B'Elanna in turn only tells Seven to cut it out when she crosses a line and is not at all about giving her a lesson in 'humanity' or whatever.

@nebulouscoffee left some tags that made me think last night:

#on rewatch especially!! I noticed how much the script kept telling me these two hated each other #but they so rarely ever really came off that way? #and even when they did it always felt so... idk Scripted

And I totally agree with this. Voyager to me is a fundamentally unselfaware show, especially when it comes to B'Elanna: we're told things about her by other characters, but those never, ever gel very well with how she acts, how she expresses her feelings, how justified she she is in being irritated when others treat her like anything she says or does is unreasonable. On a lesser degree Seven is also treated that way; constantly, constantly told 'this is how you need to act', 'this is what you need to learn', 'this what it means to be human' and punished every time she's not good at it which is inevitable because literally no one else (except B'Elanna! or maybe Harry, although he is exempt from sexist tropes) is held to the same impossible standards. And Seven tries very hard every time! But of course the show is convinced that she needs to be taken down a peg in order to become 'a real woman' (yikes).

The way the show wants to present B'Elanna and Seven together is always 'look how catty they are with each other (wink wink)', and imho it isn't different from what's going on with them taken singularly. We're told they don't like each other, but what is shown to me is... way more nuanced, especially taking into consideration how they both fit (and not fit) within the ship. In a way, the way they relate to one another is the most honest rapport either of them have on Voyager. They don't really want anything from one another, they aren't thinking about fundamentally changing the other so their lives can be easier (again, when B'Elanna gets annoyed with Seven she only reiterates her own boundaries). Granted the show makes awful jokes at their expense sometimes (“Infinite Regress” and the cold open of “Someone to Watch Over Me” come to mind) but show me a character or a relationship on Voyager who is exempt from this kind of deeply uncomfortable and not actually very funny situation.

I truly believe that exploring this relationship more could have given them some much needed space. Space is a concept I always come back to when I think of B'Elanna and Seven, because I think both of them (especially B'Elanna) needed more of it to be themselves on their own terms for once. And I'm not talking necessarily about minutes of screentime—I'm talking about the writing being less sexist and racist, being less enamored with the idea of conformity, caring about them as characters and not as props in the absurd sexist, idiosyncratic fantasies of a 90s production: even beside Seven's horrible biosuit, B'Elanna is so often 'the girlfriend who doesn't understand what the protagonist is going through and will be insulted onscreen', it makes me genuinely mad!

Obviously I'm not exactly wishing Voyager had actually done it, because again, totally unselfaware writing all the time, but thinking about B'Elanna and Seven interacting always leads me to think about how they could both let each other simply be, even if they would still likely annoy the shit out of each other. And I wouldn't ever want to change that, honestly: willful women deserve to be themselves, that's all.

#b7 #anyway. justice for 'difficult' women #possibly to be found with each other #this is my ethos #voy #'difficult' is in quotes because neither b'elanna nor seven are actually difficult to me! #i'm waaay more difficult than either of them honestly

[seviinoxiel]

I have a theory that all the characters in MILGRAM are subversions,or at least a deeper dissection, of popular murderer tropes (not necessarily in media). They are all guilty, but there is more nuance to it than what can be initially seen.

Prisoner 01, Haruka, is the psychopath trope. It's heavily implied he's neurodivergent and has a lot of childish tendencies. His mother's abuse (which looks to be neglect) is highlighted a lot because Haruka's condition isn't the thing that pushed him to kill, it's how that condition was treated by the people around him. He wasn't given the proper care and it's that system which perpetuates the dismissal of mental health that set him off.

Prisoner 02, Yuno, tackles the abortion debate. She knows what she was going into when she entered sex work and she was willing to abort any unwanted byproducts of that work. Although she herself claims that she wasn't innocent and that she is guilty, she was taken advantage of. She was a high school student allowed to engage in compensated dating. Her reasons may have been selfish but the fact that compensated dating is a thing in the first place really detracts from her guilt.

Prisoner 03, Futa, is an online harasser and a cyberbully (for the lack of a better term). He has a strong sense of justice, but he is largely misguided. The online culture surrounding harassment rewards people for call outs and such regardless of if it's uncalled for or not. Futa was always validated by his following and never saw anything wrong with what he was doing, leading witchhunts and doxxing people. He was blinded by his own sense of justice, ego, and the approval of everyone around him.

Prisoner 04, Mu, is a victim of bullying. We are shown that she was friends with her bullies and that she may have had a crush on one of them. They didn't care about her, though, and they simply bullied her (for reasons we don't know) which led her to killing the one she was closest to. However, her behavior and attitude tells us that she herself may have also been a not-so-good person. She was simply unable to do anything because her tormentors was stronger than her. But now, with Haruka, she found someone to dominate. A person can simultaneously be unsavory and a victim of bullying, and neither of those justifies the other.

Prisoner 05, Shidou, the killer doctor. His story is still a bit unclear but it appears to have something to do with him using the lives of his other patients in order to help one person recover. A futile attempt as the person seems to have still died in the end. Rather than tackling any contemporary social issues I think his case, instead, asks us a philosophical question opposite of the organ transplant ethical dilemma. Instead of arguing for utilitarian ethics, his character argues for egoism. The question is, "Are you willing to sacrifice other people to save one life which you cherish?" and if you are then, "Will it all truly be worth it?"

Prisoner 06, Mahiru, is a selfish lover who thinks she's selfless. She views herself to be the only one giving in her relationship, wanting more from it, ignorant to the fact that her partner is unable to keep up with her and is already suffering. She keeps bombarding her partner with her everything and this, most likely, made said partner feel extremely suffocated. There was no malicious intent on her part but she unknowingly brought her relationship to a halt when her partner committed suicide. Her idea of love was severely misguided. It may have been more akin to obsession, but she genuinely believed that it was love and that it was healthy.

Prisoner 07, Kazui, is someone who we admittedly don't know anything concrete about. It seems clear, however, that he feels guilty for the death he caused because he let himself tell a destructive truth, at least to their relationship. He may have fallen out of love or not have been in love with his wife in the first place. He kept imagining and dreaming for her to break-up but she never did. In the end, he acted according to his emotions which somehow led to her death. I personally think he's gay as it would then become a case of someone so deep in the closet they try to deny who they really are which led to grave consequences.

Prisoner 08, Amane, a child brainwashed by a cult. It wasn't through any fault of her own that she committed what she had done. She was raised by, and possibly was even the poster child for, a cult and it completely warped her sense of morality and self. Her cult's beliefs are so ingrained into her that she embodies it wholeheartedly and without any doubt. Her character is a look into cult members and the cult mentality, how it permeates and warps your entire perception of the world, made more poignant by the fact that she's a child. "Does she truly deserve any blame?"

Prisoner 09, Mikoto, subverts the evil alter trope. DID has been a largely misrepresented mental disorder in media and, while Mikoto's character seems like it's following the trope, I get a feeling that there is more to it. The alter is not necessary evil nor does it kill for no reason. They're a protector who only resorted to murder to help Mikoto out of the bad situations he might have found himself in. Alternatively, it may be Mikoto himself who have committed the murders, the alter only being there to clean up the aftermath. Either way, it's all a trauma response and proper care and therapy would have helped the system better.

Prisoner 10, Kotoko, is an extremely violent vigilante. She, much like Futa, has a strong sense of righteousness and a black and white view of justice. She thinks that she's doing the right thing and that she has authority to fight for what she thinks is right. Beating up the other prisoners and sucking up to Es, however, tells us that she might be doing it more as a way to satisfy herself. Her self-worth is tied to a moral obligation to punish the people she sees as wrong. From what we saw in her music video, this may be rooted in a past trauma and overall dissatisfaction with how justice is legally served.

I may have missed some crucial details regarding their characters and I do still have a lot more to say about them but this post is so long already. But, yeah, these are my thoughts on their characters and what they represent, either as commentary or as an exploration of a popular media trope. I hope I worded it properly.

Anyway keep Yuno, Futa, and Kazui innocent please. My girlboss, babygirl, and DILF trinity amen.

#milgram #milgram project #sakurai haruka #kashiki yuno #kajiyama fuuta #kusunoki muu #kirisaki shidou #shiina mahiru #mukuhara kazui #momose amane #kayano mikoto #yuzuriha kotoko

[screamingfromuz]

weird how you reblog posts saying Israel was founded on genocide while also reblogging posts saying the IDF has some measure of honor. like did you see the video of how they shot an Israeli citizen thinking he was Palestinian? Yuval Doron Castleman wa shis name, and the video is not hard to find. the had his hands up in the air, and he was shot multiple times. this happened in the past 24 hours. was there a specific point where the state of Israel became good?

you talk about Jewish people feeling unsafe around anti-Israel talk, but do you ever wonder if people of color feel unsafe around you, and your excusing of ceuel and dehumanizing police forces?

you are very funny to me, you kind of people little anon. So full of yourself yet cannot comprehend complex concepts of grey morality.

I don't fully agree with everything I reblog, I reblog things I believe are important to talk about.

The founding of Israel has several faces that should be acknowledged. It was both a victory to an indigenous land back movement and offered a desperately needed sanctuary for hundred of thousands that would flee, and horrible disaster to another indigenous group. This does not contradict. For peace to exists we must acknowledge the co existence of those narratives. Horrible things were done in 1947-1949, by everyone involved (Britian, Israel, Palestinians, Jordan, Egypt, Syrian, Lebanon), and ignoring or diminishing it is foolish. On the other side, blowing it up is just as stupid and destructive.

using the correct term is important, as using the wrong terms might leads fools such as yourself to misunderstand the problem, and worsen the actual problem by "trying to help".

the IDF takes extreme measures to be careful with civilian life while simultaneously being careless with it. Again, both things are true as the same time.

Me saying that I do not consider the actions in Gaza genocide, does not mean I agree with all of them. as explained in this post (and it various reblogs), the use of the word "Genocide" is done as a way to shut down conversations and vilify Israel. The things that are happening are horrific and I hate it, I mourn every death. But as I refuse to call this a genocide, any criticism I will have will be either dismissed or twisted and used against me. For that reason, I limit my criticism to Israeli circle and the real world.

I saw the video, of course I did. And what do you want me to say? that it is horrific? That I knew that something like this was gonna happen at some point? The soldiers fucked up, they will be trialed for that. This are problems that stem from militarized society that I fight against.

Israel is a state. It is not bad or good in your simplistic moral scale, like any other country on the planet. But Israel is my home, and I would not abandon if even if it is fucked up in here. There have been 9 months of protests before the war, people are still protesting and sighing petitions and working to build a better future here, for all of us. just like the people in Poland and in Hungary, we want a better country. The point is that you don't care, you don't want Israel to exist. You are calling or erasing Israel from the map without understanding the devastating consequences of such action. You don't care about our effort and our criticism unless you can twist if to the support of the eradication of Israel.

what you fail to understand, is how much your "anti-Israel" talk is toxic, destructive and full of antisemitism. Of course we feel unsafe! you are not criticizing Israel, you are calling for it's destruction and to the horrible consequences to the Jewish people that will follow.

I have talked about this, many Jewish and Israeli talked about it, but the amount of hate a vitriol your kind spew, the silencing methods you employ does not leave a place to our criticism. Nuanced opinions of the systems of violence, the militarization of the Israeli society, about the ties between culture and crime, of neglect, those are swept aside as they do not satisfy your "Israel bad" criteria.

Understanding the actions taken and explaining them is not endorsing or supporting said actions. it's called having an understanding.

I understand that this ask is a result of your underdeveloped moral compass, and truly hope you would be able to develop a healthy one little anon.

You don't know me, you see fractions of me through a screen, pieces of opinions I share on this wretched hell hole in hope of a good constructive criticism, in hope that by speaking out people will feel less alone.

for summery anon, life is more complex then your little fanfiction version of it. I hope you grow out of this mindset.

#I swear that so many of you cannot hold complex thoughts even if your life are dependent on that #people are stupid #israel #palestine #antisemitism #faulty moral compass #ask uz

[generalluxun]

I think the reason why Chloe is so controversial in the fandom is that both sides can be toxic. Some Chloe stans are toxic and jerks, but some of the toxic Chloe haters are no better. They act like toxic Chloe stans by shaming, harassing and bullying people who do like her. They also cannot respect opinions as well. These are just my thoughts.

There are several reasons I think.

Clearly there are people who project themselves onto Marinette and then project their own personal bully experiences onto Chloé. Without actual therapy or time+healing on their own, these people will never accept any reasoned argument about Chloé as a character, because to them she isn't a character, she is their personal bully. The transference supplants the actual narrative.

There are definitely toxic behaviors among some of the people who claim to like Chloé too. I do think there's value in breaking down the who and why though.

There are the pot stirrers: These people actually don't care about Chloé per-se they just see a hot take and jump on it, hoping to cause as much trouble as they can. These folks aren't really 'Chloé stans' heck, they probably aren't even ML fans. They're instigators. It's important to recognize one when you see them and simply pitch their noise into the bin 'Chloé did nothing wrong!' is such a silly and clearly wrong take that it can only be from one of these folks.

There are those who are frustrated: I lay the blame for this segment squarely at Thomas Astruc's feet. He makes bold, dismissive, and authoritative statements, escalating all the way to open gaslighting when confronted, or even just lightly questioned in regards to Chloé's character.

'Chloé is not abused' -SIR, please consult someone with even the rudiments of child development education and review what has actually been put on screen. I know whether I am going to believe you, or my lying eyes. Thank you.

His antics and the narrative in general ignoring what has already been put on screen frustrates a LOT of people, and deeply so. Child abuse isn't a light topic, people have *feelings* about it. TA is unreachable and unengagable though, and so a chunk of people turn their frustrations elsewhere. They lash out at other characters, and by proxy their stans, and you get this whole negative feedback loop in the fandom while I presume TA just sits back with a drink in hand, throwing darts at pictures of blond girls, and laughing.

There are those who can't express themselves well: Remember this is a kids show so a large chunk of the fandom is well, unsurprisingly, kids! Kids without the raw learning to necessarily articulate their arguments with nuance. This is how you get a dozen tweets to Ta asking 'When is Chloé going to get some development?' to which he can derisively reply 'She has, you just don't like it!' and durr hurr hurr isn't he so clever.

If the fan had instead put forth clear concise examples of the abuse on screen, how it ties into actual child development practices, how they want this *child* to be shown growing and overcoming these huge hurdles because you know, they're decent human beings, and their confusion as to why a show about superheroes/Magical girls hasn't done that.... well, it would be harder to dismiss.

Take that exchange, and now instead shift it to folks among the fandom themselves. Short, sweeping statements that don't really express what they are feeling effectively. This happens between Adrien/Mari stans when they fight too. Not every 13yr old should be expected to know college level Psyche, but it can lead to miscommunication and then acrimony when they engage without it.

I want to point out this also works for things not involving Chloé at all.

Marinette stans trying to explain why they feel Marinette is so put upon while others argue that she gets everything and *Adrien* is the put upon one, all getting into protracted battles while shouting half-formed ideas and confused impressions from an inconsistent and poorly framed narrative at each other.

Is Marinette a Mary Sue who is handed things in a silver platter? *YES*

Is she ALSO an emotional damage magnet, abused by the narrative relentlessly and blamed for things not her fault? *YES*

These two ideas can both exist at the same time, but a lot of people have a hard time juggling that, so we get arguments and toxicity because this is the internet and too much is never enough of anything.

#ask #fandom #not salt but exploring behaviors #chloé bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng

[limesonspecial]

When I watch non-English film & tv, there's nearly always a moment when something in the translation feels...flat. Like there's some nuanced word in the original language that is being abbreviated to the simplest, most direct equivalent. Not exactly an untranslatable word, but something with a cultural context that you just don't get in translation. The only example that's coming to me is hiraeth, which you can simplify to longing or homesickness, but only by stripping out that very specific Welsh-ness (which, as a USian, I will never fully understand, but I believe Welsh folk when they say this is so).

Anyway, when it happens, when I get that curious flatness, I always wonder what it is I'm missing. What are the implications? What would a native speaker understand here that I'm just not able to grasp, coming at it as I am from a sort of linguistic telephone? It enhances the experience for me, hammers home that there are complexities of the human condition to which I am not - and will never be - a party. A reminder that even though my country likes to think of itself as the default, it really, really isn't (nor should it be). I think those moments are neat, and I hope I never lose them.

All of which is preamble to what I actually want to comment on, which is this: Blue Eye Samurai, despite being a show written by Americans in English (and animated by a French studio, but *dismissive gesture*), gave me this feeling. Granted, Amber Noizumi is biracial, so there's a leg up there, but the care and detail work everyone in production put in is extraordinary. I'm no expert on Japanese history, language, or culture, so I can't really weigh in on how accurate it is, but what I can say is that it felt like a foreign country. Like I was learning new things, and recognizing the bits and bobs I've picked up across the years in their proper contexts.

And there's something about how the various characters use the word great that pings that little "lost in translation" alarm in my brain, even in the absence of translation. It came on slowly, though. When Ringo wants to be great, he really wants to be recognized as having value (dovetails nicely with his "See? Useful." to Mizu). When Taigen wants to be great, he wants to be so accomplished that no one cares that he was a fisherman's son and has climbed up the caste ladder to a loftier position. Both of these are easy for an American audience to grasp (we're big on individual exceptionalism over here).

By the time the characters have all rolled up in Edo, however, the meaning has shifted. When Mizu tells Akemi that Taigen isn't a good man, but he could be great...there's a hint of some other meaning. It isn't about recognition or accomplishment, but something more like virtue. And when Taigen and Akemi meet on the bridge, there's the sense that they're using two different meanings - Taigen no longer cares about being a status-rooted great (or now prioritizes it below happiness); but the greatness that Akemi wants...that's a bird of a different color. Something about how she says that one sentence brings in all the different ways people have meant "great" throughout the season, so that when she uses that same, single-syllable word that people have been applying to a variety of simple desires, it feels...flat. It makes me want to look up what she said in the original Japanese and compare it to the other instances of 'great'...except there is no "original Japanese," just some really tight English writing. Which is cool as hell.

#caesar gets philosophical #thoughts on translation #blue eye samurai

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

I know personally as someone who was in my mid-late teens when I watched su, it really mattered to me to get to see a show that said parent figures aren't just right because they said so, and you DO deserve an apology when they hurt you, but one that also had the nuance to show that while you deserve reconciliation and apologies for being hurt by them, they also act with their own reasons and not usually out of a callous disregard for you. Like yes it obviously doesn't flat apply to full on abusive parents, but to parents who were neglectful without really meaning to be or being unable to do anything about it (like, parents who needed to always be at work or who couldn't be there for you) it's actually very relatable and well calculated. Ngl I think some people just dont know what to do with media they don't directly relate to or immediately understand. I did also see a lot of su criticals who tried to claim the show was about forgiving abusers for this exact reason, but I think you only really get that interpretation out of it if you think all media should be about you specifically

In all honesty, the diamonds really did show three different types of parents who are incredibly toxic and damaging to their children without meaning to hurt them.

Yellow is a workaholic, and holds a very strict no-nonsense attitude. She didn’t make time for Pink or treat her problems as legitimate until it was too late, but she did still very clearly care about her. She didn’t let her emotions show to anyone, least of all to herself because she saw them as an obstacle to what needed to be done.

Blue is her polar opposite, she suffered greatly from a loss and (in this case, correctly) blamed herself for every part of it while never actually processing or overcoming her grief. By not taking care of herself, she lashes out at others and cannot move forward. Before Pink was shattered, Blue was indignant, disdainful, and quick to take out frustrations on Pink when she felt “embarrassed” by her not conforming to their expectations.

White was condescending and more dismissive than the other two. Quick to belittle and intimidate to get her way. She loved Pink, yes, but more in the way one might love a nice coat. She was a perfectionist and projected that need to be right and perfect (literally) on every other gem, the other diamonds most of all as they are implied to be of her own creation. Her ego and inability to accept being wrong (or by extension, those she created doing what she decides is wrong) cause her to force Pink to fall into a role that she was never really suited to. She saw Pink as one of her greatest failures and something she needed to either fix or hide away.

All three of them together formed a very deeply toxic and emotionally abusive relationship towards each other and to Pink most of all. A few people take issue with Steven “forgiving” them as they misconstrue it as a victim forgiving abusers, but at the end of the day Steven is not nor was he ever Pink Diamond. He was mistaken for her and felt some of what she experienced because of that, but he was not a long-term victim the way Pink was, in a lot of ways he was an outsider who had context of the situation and wanted to step in to keep them from hurting anyone else.

More to the point, he doesn’t forgive any of them. He calls them out on their toxic behavior and tries to get the point across to each of them that the way they’ve been living isn’t healthy for anyone, and is actively traumatic not only to them but for everyone they hold power over. The end of the series sees him teaching them how to atone for some of what they’ve done and to help others heal, but he doesn’t stay with them, nor does he invite them to stay on earth despite extending that offer to just about every other gem he encountered. It’s established in the movie that he almost never visits any of them outside of his activism and subtly making sure they aren’t regressing into dangerous people again. In the epilogue series he is shown to be (rightfully) distrustful of Blue and Yellow as well as being openly afraid of White. He helped them feel closure for Pink and repaired the relationship the three of them had, and that was it. Even if he had been in that abusive environment for as long as Pink was, that isn’t an unreasonable response. Some victims of (unintentional!) emotional abuse do find catharsis in confronting their abuser once safely out of that situation and expressing the way that behavior harmed them. Some victims genuinely do want their abusers to become better and healthier people when the abusive traits stem from their own trauma or lack of emotional intelligence. There are other victims in the show who completely sever ties with their abusers and never interact with them again, so this wasn’t trying to push a narrative that victims MUST do that, it was giving people language and strategies to approach these conversations if that is something they want to attempt.

This was another of my famous rambles, but I suppose in conclusion I would say: whether SU crits liked it or not, the final arc of Steven Universe was absolutely helpful to people in toxic home environments. It also served as an allegory for queer children not being accepted by their parents for who they are, and how changing your perspective as a parent and accepting your child is legitimately a healthier option for everyone because to do otherwise just ensures you will lose them in every way that matters.

There’s just a lot of important takeaways from that arc, especially for children. I’m incredibly tired of seeing grown adults whining about it because they chose to take it literally. Well done on missing the point of a show for middle schoolers I suppose, but idk if you really just want to see all villains get killed for their villainy just go watch Breaking Bad or the lion king or something. There are plenty of shows where violence is the answer, there’s not any real point getting furious over one of the few that don’t use that as the ultimate conclusion.

#SU #it’s a show for queer children #the entirety of the Gem Society is meant as an allegory for queer people learning to accept themselves and to show #that society accepting queer people is a good thing for everyone #Steven Universe #Anti SU critical #Rebecca sugar #steven universe future

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/750029125678514176/httpswwwtumblrcomdearweirdme7499257226966302?source=share

I love it when anons write dissertations on taekook blogs just to try and make their relationship seem "normal" and exactly like the other members.

Tae was constantly hanging out with jk in 2023. So it took them 3 years to properly mend their relationship after the soop talk?

So Jk and tae were growing apart and since tae wasn't living with them anymore and jk decided to address Tae's mood and their relationship infront of their fans. Instead of writing that festa message, he would've idk, texted him? Instead of addressing their growing distance infront of multiple cameras capturing every angle, they could've talked privately? It's is what people do IRL isn't it?

"If they intended to make taekook follow a script of “being awkward” like you claim, then why did they basically fill ITS with alot of taekook being soft and affectionate with each other" well according to you there's different kinds of closeness. Physical closeness doesn't mean mental closeness. So why are you even taking a note of them being affectionate and soft? If I have any kind of awkwardness b/w me and my friend, I would not feel as free with them as I normally would. I wouldn't be as affectionate and soft with the friend who I have underlying issues with.

Tae left his own room to go cuddle with jk in its. Not to wake him up, just to sleep with him. Jk sat between Tae's legs, for quite some time bcs there were multiple cuts. The instances you gave comparing this are sometimes done as a joke(re. Jin grabbing tae's crotch) or things done for a purpose (re the water wiping). As for that jk caressing jm's bare skin, I've not seen that clip, but even so, those are seconds of touches, those touches don't last for eternity. That's the difference.

"We have seen Tae kiss or sniff Jin and Jimin on their napes" you've seen tae kiss jimin and jin's napes have you? Bcs as far as I remember he's done that only to jk, twice. Maybe your jk shapeshifted into jm and jin?

"eaten food that has fallen out of each other’s mouths" as far as I remember, only jk has done that, with tae.

"what does Jk consoling a crying tae mean" everyone, including jk, was crying that night. Tae was turning towards joon but jk grabbed his head and put it on his shoulder. He did not console anyone else, jimin did. Jimin went to hobi, tae, jk. He is always hyper focused on tae in stressful/important events. We've seen multiple instances where jk goes completely still when tae starts speaking.

"Jk cares about Tae just the same way he cares about all his members" way to generalize their relationships. Be a little mature about this please. I know people love to say that they love each other equally, but realistically that's not possible. There are members who are closer to one than the other.

STOP WITH THE DIFFERENT CULTURES NARRATIVE ALREADY. God I am tired of jikookers and solos bringing up the different culture thing to try and cancel everything that has no other explanation. They live in sk, not saturn. There might be some cultural nuances that might play a part in some narratives but completely dismissing everything...that's just idiotic.

Tae said he wanted to be closer to members in seasons greetings. But he said he had gone on a trip with jk, in '21. Before the wooga trip that you so happily mentioned. You sound like one of those jikookers who used to try and make tae look like the odd one out bcs of wooga. But he is hanging out with jk and wooga together. His friends supported only jk's solo. Wooshik only followed jk and tae. Idc how many times you all try to spin the "they are all equally close" narrative, tae is closest to jk in BTS. No other member hangs out with Tae's friends. You picked up fringes to prove that tae hung out with every member in chap 2 when even jikookers(atleast the sensible ones)know that tae and jk were attached throughout chap 2. Taekookers have a literal calendar to prove that 😂. Solo era, when they weren't obligated to meet everyday, they chose to hangout with each other. Eg, the day tae came back to sk, he was already making plans to go to jk's to eat makguksu(which btw they can't stop talking about), and he flew for that Celine event the day after that.

Tae has said multiple times that he used to share his troubles with jk, that they used to cry together. This is during the time when he had moved out. But according to you tae moving out was one of the reasons they grew apart. Yoongi texted just those two, they were together even when they received his text, no other member knew about it. During the worst year of their lives, they chose each other. How immature are you to believe that two people who have always been so close, who've always been there for each other, who share such a deep bond, will grow apart bcs one of them stopped being fun?? Are you kidding me?!!

So, to answer your question, yes, we do listen to taekook. They are the only ones we listen to. Maybe you should start doing the same. Instead of trying to find receipts that somehow make tae the aloof member, try to focus on your ship, if you have one( I think you do, the one that starts with j and ends with 13 😉)

Hi anon!

To be fair, I don’t think that anon is a jkkr, they usually insert Jm somewhere, which this anon hasn’t done. And I understand that if you don’t pay extra attention to Tae and Jk.. you just believe what is given to you. You take what you think you know of Sk culture and think.. yeah, skinship is just a physical act, it doesn’t speak to their connection.. all of BTS are close. But there are just such big differences between the extent of that skinship and the context around those moments between Tae and Jk and them and other members. When you don’t care to look at the context and the specifics of those moments though.. yeah sure it might all look the same and it fits in whatever you’ve been told to think.

All of BTS are close. Their food and drink sharing is troubling to me 😂🙈. Most of them love an occasional hug, some of them have occasional very little physical boundaries. All of that is a sign of closeness. But Tae and Jk go the extra mile.

If Tae and Jk just had minor awkwardness in their friendship this wouldn’t have been a point of focus in ITS, if Tae and Jk had medium to mayor awkwardness between them we would’ve seen that in the way they interacted physically.

#taekook #fandom shenanigans #its talk

[de4thparty]

Bitch bffr you're such a hypocrite. Why are you so obsessed with making Keiji a villain you're literally a Midori apologist. "Grown man burdens teenage girl with the lives of several strangers including himself even after the traumatic death of her best friend" Where??? Just say you hate him there's no need to make shit up.

1) First of all do fandoms actually still use the term apologist when referring to fictional characters or have you just woken up after falling into a coma in 2020 I haven’t seen that in a long time but I might be out of touch. Second of all you are either making things up to get mad about or grossly misinterpreting one of my posts because when have I ever unsarcastically defended Midori for any of the actual bad things he's done. I do think he’s mischaracterized but not in the sense that I think he did nothing wrong I've never said that. Midori is a frustrating character to discuss in this fandom because of people who dismiss or belittle any interpretation in which he is not a one-dimensional abuser. I think the fact that a lot of yttd fans think it would be a better writing decision for Midori to be a total freak outlier in the cult that grooms children into violence rather than a nuanced character just like everyone else is weird and speaks to a tendency to pick and choose which characters deserve complexity based on how likable they are. He’s a bad person but like he obviously wasn’t born with his own ideology I don't think it's a stretch to assume Asunaro had something to do with the way he turned out

2) I literally am not obsessed with that. Majority of my posts on here are stupid sprite memes or unsolicited Midori thoughts so I’m not sure where you got that from. I made a single post about Keiji and Sara’s dynamic back in December in which I never once called him a villain all I said was I find it odd that people ignore the fact he’s a grown man placing burdens on a grieving teenage girl for the sake of interpreting their relationship as father-daughterly. It doesn’t even matter if he didn’t intend any harm or if his care for her eventually becomes genuine if you can’t even acknowledge there was harm done in the first place. (Also what do you mean “where” ? I gave 2 examples in that post which I’m assuming you must have read since you quoted it.) What makes Keiji an uncompelling character to me is that he gets away with a lot of things other characters are condemned for, both within the story and in the fandom, and even when his actions are condemned by the narrative the fandom still finds a way to excuse them. For example Keiji killing Megumi is portrayed as a bad thing in the game you’re not supposed to see it and be like “yeah she was such a bitch Keiji did nothing wrong” yet a worrying amount of yttd fans seem to unironically believe this. It’s not that I believe Keiji is an irredeemable monster or that Midori is a better person than him but there are clearly some biases in the way they’re portrayed in fanon. They’re both watered down just in opposite ways. I do dislike Keiji his vibe is horrendous and he’s blonde but those are my own personal feelings I’m not going to tell you you’re wrong for liking him

#sorry if im coming off as hostile here i dont mean it like that. but ohmmymgod #anyway crazy that you brought up my keiji post that’s so old I think my url was still hoemididnothingwrong back then #yttd #kimi ga shine #midori yttd #sou hiyori #keiji shinogi