#fictional bigotry

[tough-girl9]

Five Moments of Feeling

Summary:   Five moments in which Data experiences emotion and becomes just a little bit more human. A "if Data hadn't gotten the emotion chip" AU.  

Part 1: Humor

Part 2: Contentment

Part 3: Pride

Part 5: Saudade

Also posted on AO3 and FFN

Five Moments of Feeling Part 4: Offense

The fourth moment was in the Observation Lounge.

Commander William Riker leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard absently as he listened to Dr. Jalen Hendricks talk about the extinction crisis happening on Myrsilan II. The Myrsilanians, with whom first contact had been made only a few years prior, were begging the Federation for assistance in saving several rare species of animals that were declining, one of which was considered sacred in the planet's primary religion. From what Will had gathered so far from Dr. Hendricks' nasal monologue, initial studies had determined that the tidal changes responsible for endangering the indigenous wildlife was due to a slight shift in the orbit of one of Myrsilan II's moons. At this point, the Enterprise had been called in to see if they could assist in the growing crisis.

Will glanced out the Observation Lounge window where he could see the green curve of the planet, which they were currently orbiting. He could also see the hull of the USS Burnell, the science ship that had been studying Myrsilan II for the last three weeks and which was currently in synchronous orbit alongside the Enterprise. He suppressed a yawn as Dr. Hendricks droned on about the details of the habitat shifts. The man was clearly an expert, but he also seemed to overly enjoy the sound of his own voice and Will was chomping at the bit to put together an away team and do what he personally did best: take a look at the problem and find solutions with a more hands-on approach.

On the opposite side of the observation table, Data did not seem to be suffering the same boredom. The android was listening intently to Dr. Hendricks' review of the latest scans of both the planet's surface and the moon's orbit. As both the Enterprise's primary science officer and exobiology expert, Data had been assigned by Captain Picard to head the team assisting the Burnell and Dr. Hendricks.

Dr. Hendricks paused briefly, and Data took the opportunity to make an inquiry that Will could tell he'd been waiting politely for the last ten minutes to ask. "Doctor, as of yet I have not heard any mention of establishing artificial exofauna sanctuaries to sustain the endangered species while we work on possible solutions. Is this not a standard initial procedure?"

Dr. Hendricks shot Data a glance that Will would almost have called irritated. "Yes, of course my science team have begun analysis for possible sanctuaries, but I don't think that's the primary issue at the moment."

"With all due respect, I am afraid that I disagree with that assessment," Data responded, ever his calm, polite self. "If my understanding of the data already collected from the planet is correct, two species are already reaching a critical state. It does us very little good to solve the problem if the species in question have already gone extinct in the meantime." He folded his hands gingerly on the tabletop. "I would like to see the analysis for the sanctuaries that your scientists have already initialized."

"Of course," Dr. Hendricks said dismissively. He turned his gaze back to Will. "Now, as I was saying, we are already seeing significant shifts in the river habitat due to dramatic tidal pattern alterations…"

Will glanced at Data, who returned his gaze briefly, his expression almost sad. Will frowned, feeling a protective surge towards his fellow officer and friend. It had been clear when Will introduced Dr. Hendricks to Data that the human scientist had been less than pleased to find himself partnered with an android for the project, but Will had hoped that the doctor would warm up to Data when he saw Data's expertise on the subject combined with his gentle, easygoing, and knowledgeable personality. However, since the briefing had begun over an hour ago, Dr. Hendricks had barely given Data a glance, directing all his information instead towards Will, despite the fact that Data was in command here and Will was simply there as a liaison. That fact alone had been irking Will, but watching the doctor casually dismiss and demean Data was a step too far.

Will opened his mouth to interrupt Dr. Hendricks' continued droning and to put him straight about Data's role in this mission, when a slight movement of Data's head caught his eye. He looked over at Data, who met his gaze and gave him a slight repeated head shake. Will was about to argue, simmering at the thought of letting the doctor's slight go without comment, but there was a quiet confidence in Data's eyes that caught Will's attention and caused him to sit back.

"Dr. Hendricks," Data said, interrupting the doctor's monologue.

Dr. Hendricks continued to talk as if he had not heard.

"Dr. Hendricks." This time, there was a firmness to Data's voice that Will was not used to hearing from his friend. "Dr. Hendricks, I do not appreciate being ignored."

The scientist finally stopped talking and looked at Data, but there was no friendliness in his expression. "Yes?" he said curtly, as if talking to an annoying ensign rather than a superior ranking officer.

Data's expression did not change, but his unblinking stare did not hold its usual softness. "Dr. Hendricks, I commend the thorough hard work that you and the science team of the Burnell have accomplished thus far, and I will make sure to mention it in my official report to Starfleet. Nor is it my intention to commandeer your project, but rather to work alongside you and your team to find a viable solution. However, I must make it clear that my primary objective is saving the endangered species on Myrsilan II and I will do what I feel is necessary to accomplish that objective. That includes officially requesting a new science team if I feel that I am unable to accomplish my mission with your team."

Dr. Hendricks' brow creased and he squinted at Data, his face even less friendly than before. "No offense meant, Sir, but if you truly care about the species and this assignment, then I suggest you allow us to continue our work with minimal interference. I realize that Starfleet felt it was necessary to assign an official leader to the project and I am deeply grateful for the resources the Enterprise is able to provide, but I believe all of us here are aware that you are a figure head more than anything else."

One of Data's pale eyebrows rose sharply at that. "No Doctor, I do not believe we are 'all aware'. My understanding of my orders were, and still are, that I am to be an active part of all the research and project management."

Dr. Hendricks scoffed. It wasn't a word Will would have often used, but at the moment there was no other word for it. Scorn radiated off the human scientist. "I didn't think it needed to be spelled out."

Data showed no sign of backing down. "Apparently it does."

Dr. Hendricks looked at Will, clearly searching for support, but Will folded his arms, his own face stony, making it clear that the doctor wouldn't find an ally in him. Dr. Hendricks huffed and turned back to Data, his annoyance rising yet another notch. "This time could be spent analyzing our data for solutions, but since you insist. This mission is about saving life – unique, endangered life that is very important to the people we are assisting. No offense, but surely you can't fail to see the irony in Starfleet assigning this mission to the oversight of an android: a being that cannot and will not ever be able to fully understand the concept of life and its value."

There was no softness in Data's face, and Will was personally glad not to be at the receiving end of that hard, golden stare. Data was silent for a moment, then he spoke in a slow, even voice. "Twice now, Dr. Hendricks, you have claimed that you meant 'no offense" by your statements, and yet neither your tone of voice nor your words themselves would suggest that this is, in fact, true. It would seem quite clear that you do mean offense."

Data paused, glancing down momentarily in a gesture that Will recognized as self-reflection. A moment later, those golden eyes flickered back up, full of resolve. "However, ultimately your intentions do not matter. I…I am offended." He paused again, and something flashed through his eyes. "Yes, I am offended," he repeated, even more firmly than before.

Will leaned back in his chair, a slow smile growing on his face as he watched the scene unfolding before him.

Data sat up even straighter, radiating an air of authority that Will had never seen from his android friend before, and Dr. Hendricks had the good sense to look slightly uncomfortable. "You make the assertation that because I am an android that I cannot understand nor value life," Data continued. "Firstly, it seems to be your belief that only a living being can value life, which I believe in itself is incorrect, and that I cannot value life because you are under the assumption that I myself am not alive. However Doctor, I know you are aware that I am a fully sentient and alive, if admittedly artificial, being. The ship's records clearly show that you were sent my Startfleet files once I was assigned to this mission, as is standard procedure, and those files clearly state that I am both sentient and alive. The only two options to explain your continued beliefs to the contrary are that you either failed to review my files, thereby violating standard procedure, or you have chosen to disregard my legal status, which is also a violation of Starfleet policy. Either are sufficient grounds for me to report you to Starfleet and request a more suitable replacement."

At this point, Dr. Hendricks looked like he would rather be exploring a Class Y planet than sitting in this room. Will watched him squirm with satisfied amusement.

Data was not finished though. "You asserted just now that I cannot fully understand the concept of life. In this, you are correct. However, I must ask in return: do you fully understand the concept of life? Do any of the scientists working aboard the Burnell fully understand the concept of life? Does anyone in the Federation? I would hazard the guess that this particular concept is one that no one fully understands.

"However, I believe that I am in a unique position of understanding life. It is my guess that you have never had to closely examine or consider your own status as a living being or your own sentience. I however have wrestled with both these concepts in regards to myself since shortly after my creation and activation. I have never 'taken it for granted' as you might say, and questions of life, sentience, and existence have formed a statistically significant portion of my internal inquiries and personal studies. A French philosopher in the seventeenth century once posited that 'I think therefore I am.' Although I believe this to be a simplistic understanding of one's existence, if we are to humor the thought for a moment, I am quite positive that I have contemplated my existence and purpose in the universe far more than you have yours. One might say then, by Descartes' standards, that I am in a way more alive than you."

Data pursed his lips, his expression growing almost contemplative, though his gaze towards Dr. Hendricks did not soften. "Finally, you have accused me of not valuing the life of the endangered species that we are working to save, or at least not to the same extent as a human would. It is perhaps this accusation which offends me the most. My creator endowed me with an ethical program, which prioritizes the preservation of life. This alone would be enough to engender my desire to save these animals. However, my desire goes beyond the priorities imposed upon me by my programming.

"I believe I am uniquely equipped to empathize with these endangered animals. I am the only surviving Soong-type android in existence, and every moment I am aware that if unfortunate circumstances led to my destruction, my species, if you will, would be lost…extinct. I hope to one day either initiate myself, or to assist others, in propagating my species, but as of right now, I am the only representative of the most endangered race in the entire Federation. I comprehend what the universe would lose in the event of my demise, the uniqueness that would be lost. I am equally aware of the uniqueness and distinct value that every other species brings to the universe, and that it would be an equal tragedy to lose even one. I am strongly motivated to save these animals and to preserve the unique value that each one possesses."

Data sat back in his chair, his face finally softening just slightly. "Dr. Hendricks, I am willing to offer you the benefit of the doubt that you have spoken merely out of ignorance rather than malice. I am not going to report you to Starfleet. I wish to give you the chance to reform your opinions of me, and I am also aware that you are an expert who has spent weeks already researching this specific issue. I do not wish to lightly dismiss you and your knowledge from this mission. Most importantly, I do not wish to cause any delay in the mission that might jeopardize the species we are seeking to save."

His lips tightened. "However, I expect to be treated and addressed as the leader of this mission and as a Starfleet officer with more than sufficient credentials for this project. If this proves to be a difficult requirement for you and if I deem it necessary for the benefit of Myrsilan II, I will re-evaluate this decision."

He tented his fingers. "Commander Riker and I will put together an away team from the Enterprise to speak to the Myrsilanian authorities and evaluate the situation ourselves, and we will inform you when we are ready to beam down to the planet. Please send the sanctuary analyses to Science Lab Two for me to evaluate presently. You are dismissed, Doctor."

Will watched the chastened scientist scurry out of the room and did not attempt to hide his proud smile. Data looked at him and Will gave his friend a pleased nod, which Data returned demurely before rising and following Dr. Hendricks out of the room. Will nodded again to himself.

It was good to know that Data's days of allowing himself to be walked over were done.

#star trek #star trek tng #star trek the next generation #star trek fanfiction #my writing #no emotion chip au #data star trek #lt commander data #data soong #will riker #commander riker #riker star trek #OC character #fictional bigotry #technobabble #emotions

[hiimcanadia]

There's a lot of posts out there reminding people that they don't have to respond to every stupid post they see but I feel like it's worth saying that you also don't have to finish reading the post once you've realized it's stupid. Easily one of my favorite things about the internet is the ability to get like two sentences into a post and go "actually I think you're wrong" and then just stop reading.

#'stupid post' in this context is being used to refer to everything from blatant bigotry to fandom opinions you mildly disagree with btw #like I've stopped even bothering to read stuff written by transphobes/ exclusionists/ etc bc it doesn't add anything of value to my life #but also I saw a post earlier where someone's opinion on a fictional character was different than mine and just went #'actually idc what this stranger thinks' and stopped reading lmao #2pm in the morning

[utilitycaster]

Without FAIL every single person I've seen throw a fit over people "being mean" to fictional characters is extremely awful towards the real people they perceive as being insufficiently respectful towards the pretend people

#this obviously doesn't include racism/homophobia/transphobia/other bigotry #since if you'll be hateful to a fictional character you're still being hateful towards that real group #but yeah people will be like jsyk if you criticize anything blorbo bleebus does you're a monster and I hope you die :) #with NO self awareness #it's tbh not dissimilar to the whole goblin thing a few years ago #ie wow you'll defend goblins against antisemitic stereotypes. now try doing that with real jewish people! wait where are you going #it's easy to defend a fictional character who will never disagree with you and can't speak for themselves #and who can't disapprove of you making death threats in their name #queue

[rhaenin-time]

I find it very disturbing how in every Team Green fanfic, Rhaenyra is constantly written as this sex-crazed maniac without a brain, and her sons are all temperamental little monsters hinted to be mad and Ramsay wannabes. Oh, and looking back on every Team Neutral fanfic I've read, Alicent is still the victim, batting her teary puppy dog eyes, and Rhaenyra is still the wicked witch who is spoiled. At the end of the story, Aegon or Aemond is crowned king, while Rhaenyra's sons are either disgraced, sent to the Wall, or worse. HOTD fanfics that claim to be Team Neutral but are still Green sympathetic are something else :/

The problem is that in order to position yourself as "Team Neutral," you kind of need to deny the fact that the Dance was about:

The battle of two ideologies (oath vs. opportunism) in the absence of codified law and a "higher authority." Where the side that claims 'tradition' can more accurately be described as weaponizing certain 'traditions' and biases for opportunism. A battle that concludes with the clear message of, that while oath and honour might not always be enough, that you need to be careful and cannot assume everyone will act under that worldview, that it's the understandings we make between each other that ultimately hold society together.

Patriarchy (and unjust systems in general) punish everyone within them. You're punished for cooperating, and you're especially punished for pushing back. And women like Rhaenyra have to push back, else they'd never see power. But it's impossible for them to push back in every regard because, unless they decide to go Fire and Blood and be labelled a tyrant, they are ultimately still subject to that system. And they'll be punished for any move they make. It's not that "no one is worthy of the throne." It's that the system itself is unworthy. And those are not the same thing.

The problem is, when you examine the story with those two themes in mind, the Blacks are more in the right. GRRM makes it clear they're more in the right. That doesn't mean it isn't complicated. That doesn't mean the underlying system isn't wrong. But there's still a clearly "better" position. It's also clear that Rhaenyra is punished by the unjust system far more than her brothers are, and far more than Alicent is — because Alicent (especially show!Alicent) often makes her own prison.

So the only way to be "Team Neutral," the only way to view it as a conflict where "both sides are in the wrong," is to erase those two very essential themes. And obviously, that's going to be to the detriment of the side that occupies the "high ground" in those themes.

And that's why you get these weird narratives that often play into the very injustices, the very attitudes that the story condemns. Once you erase that condemnation, it's very easy, too easy, to start contradicting it. Because forms of those injustices persist to this day, and they're all too easy to embrace.

#asoiaf #hotd #hotd critical #house of the dragon #team black #asoiaf fandom #fire and blood #anti team green #hotd sexism #anti team green stans #damn this was in the drafts awhile I swear I meant to post this so long ago I just worry about getting swarmed #by angry 'neutrals' claiming I'm the one being immoral for mOrAlIzInG fiction #even though it's a fiction that's let so many forms of bigotry go mask off #inspired to post by the person who was like 'these people are using bastardphobia as a way to cosplay as bigots and it's getting weird' #And i agree they just put words to it #you all aren't ready for the day I bring Parks and Rec into this

[gojous-adderall]

About Noé's latest neurodivergent adventures (chapter 61.5 and 62)

(things I found relatable)

1. PUTTING UR HAND UP BC U CANT FIGURE OUT WHEN TO SPEAK. EVERYONE THINKS UR WEIRD FOR IT BUT ITS POLITE AND LIFE IS FUCKING HARD

2. Struggling to follow conversation, and seeing clearer ways of communication that no one else can and getting frustrated that the neurotypicals are so obviously communicating poorly

3. Vanitas designated translator

4. Being quite blind to politics (when it comes to discrimination against himself as a vampire [and his PRIVILEGES as a vampire] and in this case against others like dhams) bc he works individual by individual instead of by social categories

5. Last of all it hurts to see the other characters calling him ignorant and an idiot all the time bc Ive been there. He's booksmart, he's intelligent, just not socially, but here is everyone writing him off as dumb just bc he's different.

Its not like he's ignorant on purpose. Of course it's important to know this shit he's learning now, and it can be done, but it's a lot harder when ur autistic and, as Vanitas said, when u grow up so isolated. Learning is a neverending process and Noé is very clearly learning and just bc he works differently like putting his hand up to speak or interpreting the world differently doesn't mean he's stupid

#istg im not getting mad at fictional characters it just hits hard for me lmao #i actually grew up in a small very conservative town where it was unsafe to be queer #and i had so much learning to do when i moved to the capital and im so much happier now #but it was especially hard to figure this shit out when ur gullible and confused #i always had a nagging feeling that my peers denying others human rights was wrong but whenever i tried to object i would be mocked #like the inkling was there there were just no alternatives around me to the bigotry #until i found a place where my sense of justice could flourish #socialising is still hard but the politics side has improved so much and will continue improving #srry for ranting just wanted to share my personal experiences where relevant #autism #adhd #noé archiviste #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #vnc #autistic noé #autistic noé archiviste

[virovac]

Dungeon Meshi I am able to enjoy the prejudiced characters because the tone is not a full-on morality play. Its just a bunch of stuff happening in an uncaring universe and peoples choices have consequences.

(aside from maybe that one time Marcille said the criminals will one day be punished by the universe for shunning vegetables and then the criminals are attacked by orcs)

What is insufferable is works all about punishing people for flaws or tackling issues just...treat bigotry as a funny quirk

Instead of just being "realistic" its often showing where a writer's priorities lie.

#dungeon meshi #fantasy racism #fantasy speciesm #bigotry in fiction

[writterings]

Your post about South Park really does hit the nail right on the head for why the hell this show has a fandom that I've never seen anyone acknowledge, at least not on this fucking webbed site. Instead mosts stance is along the lines of "why are you shipping the racist children" which ignores. That they have INCREDIBLY strong characterization, to the point that even side characters personalities are able to be pinpointed with a lot of accuracy, enough for there to be subsets of fans for those guys even. The show is primarily about putting those fucking circle guys in situations and people who like to see them in situations are like. Man. I could totally come up with some situation for these guys to be in. And they don't even have to be weird and centrist about it like the creators. (Not to say plenty of fans don't still land there. If Cartman is included you really have to decide whether you declaw him and either answer gets dicey unless you get him. And some people really don't and it gets. Bad.) It feels a lot more generous seeing someone actually clock the appeal of the show for what it is rather than stopping at Matt and Treys wild ride of very very mixed messages and leaving it at that so thanks

no like literally i only started watching the show as a background noise type of deal after i finished family guy (in my "watching every adult cartoon" type of beat) and then just got. enthralled.

like i genuinely would not recommend the show to anyone who doesn't have the stomach for gross out humor, frustrating political takes, and even satire that often actually is progressive and even straight up anti-discrimination at times but can be packaged distastefully -- especially since i feel like the show can only be truly enjoyed if you watch the entire 26+ seasons and movies and play the games.

but like matt and trey are unfortunately VERY good writers so i totally understand why the show has a legit, functioning fandom with popular headcanons (shoutout to marjorine) and AUs. like oftentimes the fans are also just Putting The Circle Children Into Situations. or they're playing around with the Situations the Circle Children were already put into in the show, like expanding on tweek and craig's canonical relationship via fanart or exploring kenny's canonical trauma of being repeatedly killed and reincarnated as himself.

but yeah happy to provide my input on this when asked! glad you liked my take

#ok so i apparently lied i am posting about this topic once more #but its not gonna be a regular thing #if anyone does need a trigger tag then let me know im happy to tag it #also just as a disclaimer but the claim of the characters being 'racist children' is actually incorrect -- more often than not the kids are #actually pretty progressive and have episodes about them learning to be less shitty #it's legit just cartman doing shit and he does get called out on it a lot #and if the other kids DO engage in cartman's bullshit it's usually from a place of ignorance and them genuinely not know something is wrong #which is somewhat of a cop out claim since they're fictional characters and are controlled by matt and trey #but the point is that they're not intentionally written to be bigots so when people find the show appealing. it's not bc of bigotry.

[pacificgasandelectric]

Current Events in Silm fandom rlly reinforce my feeling that, despite claiming an ethos of acceptance/tolerance of anything that doesn't hurt ppl, a lot of ppl in the section of Silm fandom I frequent do follow a set of socially-agreed-upon mores about what concepts are "not acceptable" to discuss or propose (or the ways in which certain topics must be discussed to be acceptable), that you all seem to have agreed on despite the things those mores restrict not being harmful to anyone.

And when someone does say smth that violates those mores, the response is disproportionate to the amount of harm done (which is typically none, imo). I know it's tempting to say "but we just want people to be comfortable and safe", but treating ppl badly for the sin of sharing thoughts you dislike is NOT the same as preventing people from doing things that are harmful. The former is much more of a harmful behavior than the sharing of the thoughts that sets it off. Fannish etiquette, people: you shouldn’t act like someone’s meta makes them morally suspect just because you disagree with it; save the “this is morally bad” for things that are ACTUALLY harmful. We're all stuck on this website together & if you want to have any sort of community, you need to ACT like you're in a community, and that means letting other people say things you dislike. Block them if you need to! I block people all the time because i know it's better for me AND for them if we can both blog in peace.

I am not particularly comfortable with the young-queer-on-tumblr silm fandom rn due to this tendency to rebuke things that are uncomfortable rather than harmful. Maybe that's fine with you. But if your goal is to make all fans feel comfortable and accepted, you need to actually do that. If your goal is to make people who share your unwritten rules comfortable in your space, you need to admit that, and write those rules down, and curate your space so it follows them.

Edited 8:10am PST to clarify the specifics of the behavior I find concerning.

#mine #if there had been Actual Harm done i'd feel differently #but when ppl are this worked up over 'what if [female character] was Also a bad person in a way that's reprehensible to our current morals' #and start going ‘hm this person is morally suspect for their Taste In Fiction’ im like. yikes! and you do this in the War Crimes Fandom?! #and like listen i Get that esp in this fandom there's a high incidence of like. ppl who are genuinely bigoted and stuff #and it can be stressful to see stuff that reminds you of that bigotry and the way those ppl use the work to justify their own worldview #but that STILL doesn't give anyone the right to police stuff that Isn't Bigoted. that's just not how this works. #and then in terms of 'well it's not policing it's just disagreeing' i have to say. that's where Etiquette comes in and i'm frankly #unhappy & annoyed that so many ppl in my age group seem to care more about being Right than being comfortable to share a fannish space with #but again whatever maybe they don't want me in their space. that's fine! i don't want to be in your space if it doesn't want me. #but i wish they'd fucking ADMIT THAT instead of going 'ooooh we accept everyone' and then turning around #and censuring ppl whose ideas they find icky. you can't have it both ways is all i'm saying. pick one and actually do it. for all our sakes #haha i might regret this tomorrow but i'm sooooo sleep-deprived and so annoyed #sorry to my non-silm followers it's just that i'm right and i should say it

[aphverse-confessions]

i find people who include fantasy racism, sexism and homophobia in their rewrites for ‘added drama’ and ‘issues’ are extremely unoriginal and lacking creativity. if your go to conflict is always fascism just because you have no creativity to try and come up with anything else besides what you know and is obviously ingrained in your brain, you should sit down and think why your go to awnser is always fascism.

.

#ooookay #so uh #I can understand this sentiment when directed at ppl who have no expierence being discriminated against in a particular way #and still write a story abt that discrimination #like a white person adding fantasy racism to their story #however #people often use fiction as a means of exploring or explaining our world in a way that can be more digestible to the viewer #and gay person creating a fantasy story thay focusses on a world with homophobia and how that impacts those living in it #is not adding it for 'drama' #they are commentating on the state of our world which has homophobia #maybe someone's first way to explore conflict in a story is via bigotry because they have expierenced bigotry so often in their life #they view it as one of the major driving forces in their circumstances or perspective #to belittle writing that depicts real world issues as 'adding drama' shows to me that there is a lack of reading comprehension on your part #if your first instinct when faced with a story that includes an oppressed class being oppressed is 'stop add drama' #I think you need to reevaluate some things #one the number one pieces of writing advice you hear is 'write what you know' #who are u to say someone should be more 'creative' than that #aphmau confessions #aphmau #aphblr #aphverse #fandom angies #angies #instead of being mad maybe consider WHY an author may choose to add those things to a story #maybe u want fiction for escapism and that's why it bothers you #but not everyone goes to fiction for that purpose #sometimes they want to vent issues via a story or explain to someone why smth is a problem while excluding as much bias as possible #hence the fantasy setting and depiction of oppression #🤭

[rjalker]

This is your free 2023 reminder that the Animorphs book series is filled to the fucking brim with ableism, misogyny, racism, and slavery and genocide apologism, and if anyone tells you otherwise, they are straight up lying to your face. The fandom regularly just makes shit up out of nowhere and lies about every single fucking thing that happens in the series. You can literally shove pictures of the book showing the text in their faces and they will literally continue straight up lying about what it does and does not say.

If someone tells you to quit Harry Potter and read the Animorphs instead, that person is literally saying that they're fine with misogyny, racism, ableism, and slavery and genocide apologism, but draw the line at transmisia.

They are fucking telling you that if JK Rowling hadn't become an open transmisic, they'd be perfectly fine with all the other fucking bigoted shit baked into the Harry Potter universe, because the only minority they care about is white trans people.

Stop fucking telling people that The Animorphs is a bigotry-free alternative to Harry Potter just because the author doesn't hate trans people.

Stop fucking telling people to read The Animorphs without warning them about all the absurd levels of bigotry.

#Animorphs #scifi #science fiction #science fantasy #fandom racism #fandom ableism #fandom misogyny #fandom bigotry

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Am I really supposed to believe Draco is Hermione's abuser??

Some Dramione/Draco antis keep saying Draco shouldn't be with Hermione because Draco is her abuser. I agree that Draco acts like scum towards her when he finally decides to even acknowledge her presence and putting them together as they are in canon would be a disaster. But I have to laugh to myself because I wonder what abuse they're talking about!?

Here is the definition of "abuser":

a person who treats another person or animal with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly.

a person who sexually assaults someone, especially a woman or child.

I probably need to skim the books again. But when has Draco been cruel or violent towards Hermione? When has he ever harmed her INTENTIONALLY (re. hitting Hermione with the teeth jinx in book 4 meant for Harry)?

When Draco calls her mudblood, Ron and Harry seem way more bothered and upset than she does. I wonder if she is hurt when he calls her that but I truly doubt it. When he calls her mudblood, what harm does it cause her? Is there any power behind him calling her this discriminatory term? Where's the abuse? To be honest, when Draco calls her mudblood, besides the first time in book 2, it seems he does it to rile up her friends more than her. And maybe it's just me, but often it seems like if you take out the mudblood insult, he does not really go after Hermione. Half the time he calls her that, he is not even talking to her: either referring to her while he has his testosterone match with the boys or speaking about her to other people in her absence. I did a very quick skim of all the books and I was honestly surprised at how little Draco actually calls her mudblood to her face.

Let me use book 5, ch 28 as an example where Draco reveals his authority as an Inquisitorial Squad member:

“Yeah, we’re prefects too, remember?” snarled Ron. “I know prefects can’t dock points, Weasel King,” sneered Malfoy; Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. “But members of the Inquisitorial Squad —” “The what?” said Hermione sharply. “The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger,” said Malfoy, pointing toward a tiny silver I upon his robes just beneath his prefect’s badge. “A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points. . . . So, Granger, I’ll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress. . . . Macmillan, five for contradicting me. . . . Five because I don’t like you, Potter . . .Weasley, your shirt’s untucked, so I’ll have another five for that. . . . Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that. . . .” Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, “Don’t!” “Wise move, Granger,” breathed Malfoy. “New Head, new times. . . Be good now, Potty . . . Weasel King . . .”

Is Kreacher an abuser for calling Hermione "mudblood" then?

As for the second definition, we have this scene from book 4, ch 9 during the DE attack after the World Cup:

“Language, Weasley,” said Malfoy, his pale eyes glittering. “Hadn’t you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn’t like her spotted, would you?” He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them. “What’s that supposed to mean?” said Hermione defiantly. “Granger, they’re after Muggles,” said Malfoy. “D’you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around . . . they’re moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh.” “Hermione’s a witch,” Harry snarled. “Have it your own way, Potter,” said Malfoy, grinning maliciously. “If you think they can’t spot a Mudblood, stay where you are.” “You watch your mouth!” shouted Ron. Everybody present knew that “Mudblood” was a very offensive term for a witch or wizard of Muggle parentage.[This section is such a waste of space!] “Never mind, Ron,” said Hermione quickly, seizing Ron’s arm to restrain him as he took a step toward Malfoy. There came a bang from the other side of the trees that was louder than anything they had heard. Several people nearby screamed. Malfoy chuckled softly. “Scare easily, don’t they?” he said lazily. “I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What’s he up to — trying to rescue the Muggles?” “Where’re your parents?” said Harry, his temper rising. “Out there wearing masks, are they?” Malfoy turned his face to Harry, still smiling. “Well . . . if they were, I wouldn’t be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?” “Oh come on,” said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy,“let’s go and find the others.” “Keep that big bushy head down, Granger,” sneered Malfoy. “Come on,” Hermione repeated, and she pulled Harry and Ron up the path again.

Seriously, insults aside Draco tells them to leave 4 times. The last thing he says as the trio leave is a warning and he does not even call her a slur.

Wouldn't it fit the abuser profile better for Draco to keep his mouth shut and/or maybe somehow lead the DEs to assault Hermione?? Is Draco just here for a laugh? A possible interpretation could even be:

Granger, you can heed my advice or not, I don't bloody care. But if you choose not to, I will sit back and enjoy whatever consequences you may suffer. Can't say I didn't warn you.

Regardless if Draco would have truly gotten off on Hermione being attacked, he still wouldn't fit the second definition either.

This is all to say that sometimes "abuser" and "toxic" are thrown around like candy when talking about people we don't like. As annoying, bothersome and problematic Draco is to Hermione, he is not her abuser and she is barely his victim. I wonder why people feel the need to constantly victimize Hermione more than need be? How can Draco simultaneously be the most pathetic person in HP, yet hold power over Hermione as her abuser?? Please.

#hermione granger #draco malfoy #ron weasley #harry james potter #harry potter and the goblet of fire #harry potter and the order of the phoenix #draco is overly demonized #like my boy has problems he doesn't need fictional ones too #draco malfoy defense #i dont condone bullying and bigotry #just for the people ready to accuse me of that #tumblr ramblings #draco and dramione antis

[dragynkeep]

You wanted to know why Lily Orchard is bad. Here’s a list of the receipts:

https://www.tumblr.com/lily-orchard-gossip-blog/692978295298572288/a-quick-summary-of-lily-orchard

I highly recommend you watch Poppy and Zena’s video with her sibling, Courtney.

i take issue with from what i can see, fictional sexual things being thrown in amongst actual crimes — unless the csem mentioned is actual csem & not just questionable writing / about some pixels please i would love for someone to clarify this for me — but yeesh. even just skimming over this entire list is like. dear gawd.

#anti lily orchard #ais.txt #answered #q #like im down for holding her accountable for actual crimes #& bigotry but like. don't bring that fictional shit to my door #i won't entertain it lol & this is certainly the wrong blog to do so w/

[amefuyuu]

Idk why but I feel the need to make it very super clear that while I think Haytham Kenway is a Super interesting and multifaceted character (who I love digging into and want to study in a petri-dish) he is also and unquestionably a horrible father and person. Yeah he may have had good ‘ideals’ but does he ever act on them? Does he do what’s right when it really matters or if it’s at risk to himself? Does he ever care/act on that care past his own gain (for the most part)? Yeah… so while I may post about him just keep in mind I don’t see him in any way as a good person let alone a good father.

#important psa #I wanted to clarify because he is a very dividing character to talk about #I genuinely don’t think it’s wise or mature to ‘cancels fictional characters but it’s at least important to make clear my stance #he isn’t a good person but some of that makes him more interesting and some of that is just period typical bigotry

[yarrowleef]

mmm somethings been rattling around inside my brain about queerness in xenofiction (warrior cats centric cause that's obviously mostly what people are talking about in my internet circles) and I know around here I am preaching to the choir but w/e. I feel like i may have made this post before but i’ll do it again until i feel like i’ve crafted all of my thoughts correctly

everyone knows there’s always like. some shmuck on twitter or youtube comment sections, complaining about how gay cats just don’t make sense ~realistically~

and the common argument back is always something along the lines of “these cats have complex society and religion and talk to ghosts and sometimes have magic powers, and being gay is where you draw the line? it doesn’t have to be realistic”

and something just rubs me the wrong way about that argument, not that it’s WRONG, it’s not wrong, xenofiction by definition is all super super unrealistic. I think it’s more like, it oversimplifies it. because honestly when I make critiques about the warriors world building not making sense, I don’t tend to like the argument beginning and ending at “well it doesn’t have to be realistic” because no it doesn’t but it’s still supposed to feel believable.

i think i don’t like that the argument seems to imply that gay animal characters are at all on par with other fantasy things like talking to ghosts and having powers or complex religion. I also don’t like it when people who are being fake-supportive can condescendingly say “well the gay couple may be completely absurd and unrealistic but I guess it’s ok because its just a silly fantasy :) ” cause like. Like its not unrealistic tho. i don’t like the implication that it’s uniquely unrealistic, if this was a grounded story with no magic or religion and the cat social groups were more inspired by real feral cats, it would still be illogical for some queer cats not to exist.

 I feel like it is a more effective argument to point out that straight cats are just as unrealistic, in fact more unrealistic and silly

“cats lovingly and monogamously married-for-life and raising kids together” is the absurdity it should be compared to, rather then the magic elements. Because then the complainers have to contend with the fact that they aren’t bothered by unrealistic relationships between cat characters, they are just uniquely bothered by gay ones. 

I mean...not to get tmi but it seems obvious to me this knee jerk reaction people have to rolling their eyes and scoffing when “gay” and “animal character” are placed in the same sentence is based on their insistence on equating the breeding behavior of animals to the romantic relationships of humans. Y'know, they're assuming that when people talk about romantic couples between anthro characters, that that is the sort of thing they are drawing from. When, certainly when it comes to cats, that is a very very poor equivalent. Cat mating behaviors are not affectionate or long lasting--they actually seem quite stressful, and then the father runs off to find more girls and probably never calls his one-night-stand again.  

this is why I am really not fond of “mate” being used at the go-to replacement for husband/wife in xenofiction. Consider just coming up with a brand new word for your animal character’s version of romance! maybe they have types of relationships and words for them that humans don’t even have! but “mate” feels like. an action, nothing more. It doesn’t inherently imply love. frankly I think more people should be anthropomorphizing mates as simply Business Partnerships where the business is in desiring offspring, as opposed to husband/wife.

Just like....ok if you’re going to use the real behavior of animals as at least the loose inspiration for your anthropomorphic character’s behavior, surely pair bonding would be a smoother translation to what we view as a romantic couple?? not mating?? because pair bonded animals are the ones having consistent pleasant interactions, and being physically affectionate, and working together in life, sometimes even raising each others kids together.  

And keeping that in mind, frankly you could argue that gay-coded cats should be the norm. (not that I think pair bonded creatures should always be interpreted as a romantic coded relationship, you could interpret some as platonic or familial or simply allies needing to survive. The point is no matter what route you go, you are projecting some human experience onto animals who’s minds and feelings we cannot ever actually understand. So to make it coded as a gay romance is just as reasonable as making it an adopted found-family sort of affection. You can go any route and be the same amount of unrealistic.)

If these losers actually want reasonable cat fiction, no one should have romantic affection for anyone! and if two cats have kittens together, it should be treated more like a short-lived antagonistic business partnership where you part ways immediately after. If you only criticize one type of romance for being “unbelievable and silly because these are CATS for crying out loud 🙄” but you don't feel “distracted” or “taken out of the story” about the other type of romance, then this aint about realism my guy, sounds like you just have some baggage to unpack.

I am beating people over the head with a very big sign that reads “Whether you’re writing about cats or birds or aliens or fantasy people or whatever, you cannot grant any creature the ability to love without all the variety and complexity that **naturally** goes hand in hand with those messy emotions. If the creatures can fall in love at all, then there must exist the possibility for some of them to be queer about it. And if you view queerness as unnatural, then we don’t have a writing disagreement, we have a fundamental moral disagreement about life. And I can’t help you there, that’s your problem! But I refuse to let people benignly hide behind a “simple desire for more realistic-feeling fiction uwu” as a defense!! (gay people are real. It’s true! I checked!!)”

#i have to think about this a lot bc someday i am going to hopefully publish an original cat story with a lesbian protag #and then i am going to have to listen to some version of these arguments for the Rest Of My Life #i feel like someday i could write a thesis on queerness in xenofiction and how the whole sentiment of 'the natural' has been distorted #-by shitty political agendas since forever. The Natural became an unquestionable bludgeon bigots use against anything that feels 'icky' #and those sentiments have of course leaked into the general publics perception #and of course it crops up in Xenofiction first!!! the genre that is peoples attempt to rationalize the animal world #and lazy xenofiction writers just regurgitate this sanded down unscientific limited perspective of what ~natural~ behaviors look like #WHERE is that quote Ursula made about watership down #and like and like. look it SNOWBALLS and we live in a SOCIETY-- #*grabs the youtube comment section goers by the lapels and shakes them around* #DO YOU THINK IT IS TRULY **NATURAL** THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS KNEE JERK REACTION AGAINST QUEERNESS IN FANTASY #BECAUSE SOME PART OF THEM HAS BEEN LED TO BELEIVE THAT BIGOTRY IS THE NATURAL STATE OF THINGS #AND QUEERNESS AND DIVERSITY EXISTING IS JUST SOME QUIRK OF MODERN SOCIETY #THAT IS OUT OF PLACE AND '''''UNREALISTIC'''' IN ANY FICTIONAL SOCIETY THAT IS MEANT TO BE CLOSER TO THE ~NATURAL WORLD~ #you think YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT REALISM AND RATIONALITY IN THIS CONVERSATION I AM BITING YOUR KNEE CAPS RN #yarrow speaks #long post #warrior cats #technically but again this broadly applies to xenofiction As A Whole animal and humanoid fantasy species alike

[pulchrasilva]

What's an anti-anti? Or an anti for that matter

Oh my friend I am so sorry to introduce you to the shitpile that is antishipping discourse

Anti is short for "antishipper", which is someone who believes certain types of ships are immoral and nobody should ship them or engage with media about them. Exactly what types of ships that includes varies (because morality will always be vague at best and you can't meaningfully categorise anything into "always good" and "always bad"), but people usually take issue with incest, ships involving one or more minors, age gaps, etc.

I consider myself a proshipper/"anti-anti" purely because I think this kind of discourse is extremely inane and potentially harmful.

Antis tend to say "problematic" ships "normalise" harmful dynamics in real life, ignoring that exploring these ideas in fiction is a safe way of engaging with darker topics and sometimes people do so to process personal trauma. Personally I've found that reading fanfiction about dark topics made me wayy more emotionally prepared to handle discussion of them in real life.

And, as I said, it's nearly impossible to draw a solid line between what should be allowed and what shouldn't be allowed. Age of consent is an arbitrary number that's chosen because legally you need a strict number if you're going to enforce the law, but a person 1 year older and 1 year younger than the age of consent aren't actually that much different. Plus the law varies from country to country, but antis tend to choose the US age of 18 because the US dominates the internet. Age-gaps between two non-minor characters get even more blurry!! And let's not forget that a ship between two men is way more likely to be flagged as pedophilia than a ship between a man and a woman. Imo if you can't make a concrete rule about it there's no point in making a rule at all.

Plus it's fiction, and not even mainstream fiction, so it's hardly gonna cause any significant shift in real life culture. These ships get criticised to hell and back in fan spaces and people get properly harassed over it, but there are plenty of professional writers portraying these things in well known media and don't get much flack for it at all - because it's way easier to tear down a fan, your equal, than a creator. It seems to me that the problem isn't really "normalising" these behaviours, because if that was the case mainstream media would be a much bigger contributor than fandom

For some reason, toxic/abusive ships are less commonly criticised despite being objectively harmful to the characters involved, and incest is the one people hate the most despite it being (imo) the one least likely to cause actual harm to the characters. Also depictions of rape and sexual abuse are usually considered off limits but you rarely get the same criticism of, say, depictions of murder. The sexual aspect of the topic seems more important than the actual harm.

AND THEN there's the fact that antis generally only argue against the ships that make them personally feel uncomfortable. Different people have different boundaries for what they consider too far, and I lose my shit every time I see antis shipping something I know other antis claim is the devil. And often the whole thing gets coopted by someone who doesn't like people shipping characters A and B because they ship B and C. ("You can't ship these unrelated characters because they're sibling-coded which makes the ship basically incest" is something I've seen a truly bonkers amount of times)

So yeah. That's the whole mess. Like I said I dont really care about whether or not antis follow me? I'm proship purely because I don't think this is a conversation that needs to be had at all. Like who cares But, go wild, romanticise the hell out of the most repulsive things!! It's nobody else's business but yours. But if I see a mutual who followed me first reblogging "any proshippers who follow me should explode and die teehee ^-^" ONE MORE TIME I might actually explode

#take what i say with a pinch of salt because im obviously biased and youre free to come to your own conclusions but. yknow #also i feel wayyyy safer around people who openly ship filth (affectionate) than people who insist everything they ship is Pure and Correct #because 1) ideas of 'purity' are largely based in unexamined bigotry and you never know when that's gonna jump out at you #and 2) i think it's important to consider the dark aspects of ships bc to some extent youre considering dark things that exist in real life #antis dont want to do that they want to hide it all under the carpet and pretend it's not there #I'd much rather discuss fictional teenagers being groomed and isnt that fucked up? and call things 'groomercore' #because how are you supposed to spot groomer tactics if you dont do that? #ask #shipping discourse

[2000snotebook]

Gonna be honest “why doesn’t this black character face racism it’s unrealistic” is an insane take to make as a nonblack person

#addae.txt #I know vagueposting is lame and childish idc in this case I’m seriously annoyed #I don’t care if it’s unrealistic I’m not sure why you’d want a black character to face bigotry in fiction to begin with #especially when said black character already has so much going on for them in canon