#that’s not even TALKING about how being biracial is a major part of the story

[kenniex2]

it is so painfully obvious that white gays have never been oppressed or marginalized outside of their queerness. y’all see Mizu, a woman marginalized into hiding her gender for her own safety and you think it’s a story about you. You’ve never been discriminated against as a woman of color. All the people on this site that I have seen saying the same things as me are other women or people of color, with few outliers, who understand what Mizu is going through. I’m sorry that you’re starving for representation but so are we, if you want to project go watch Nimona or Our Flag Means Death. If you want to understand, you need to sit down and shut up.

if you think this is a story about a trans man you are missing the point

if you think this is a story about a man you are missing the point

#media as a window and a mirror. Blue eye samurai is a window for y’all you are on the outside looking in #blue eye samurai #mizu blue eye samurai #women of color #fandom racism #racism #that’s not even TALKING about how being biracial is a major part of the story #The people of her own culture aren’t accepting of her because she has parts of another #it is not a metaphor #I’m fucking biracial and bicultural I know what the hell im talking about

[berkut-rigel]

Folks I have a question, is it only something that I observed in French fan side, that nobody engages in criticizing honestly One Piece and call out bigoted elements on it? Or do the international - English speakers are the same?

I say this as in French side the percent of BIPOC among One Piece fans is enormous. And I want to tell I have never yet seen anyone call out any of the things such as the doughnut lips on Black (or "who are supposed to be Black) characters, and yes even if Oda gives them to nonblacks chara it's not an undo. That or all character being done way more lightskin (wtf Zorro's tan), or that most "Black characters" are lighter skins that numerous dark skinned non Black characters.

So Usopp is supposed to be half Black from his father and half "White" from his mother, Usopp technically is served as "Black clown character" for most manga parts. And Brook from his afro and doughnutlips would be intended to be Black too, and he is a skeleton so blackness stripped.

These are all elements I've seen called out loudly by communities on social medias from BIPOC in different animanga. Yet what I see the same in One Piece spaces happening is quasi inexistant and I'm really bothered and worried.

That and also Western queer fans praising and idolizing Oda calling him a queer supporter for making Queer intended characters. But I've seen Japanese and Asian LGBTQ people telling us how and why Oda's work is harmful to them and has perpetuated queerphobia in their homes are ignored and silenced, this is not okay. I love Dellinger and his design and queer man esthetic, that gives me no right to ignore the damage One Piece perpetuates.

I've tried numerous time to talk about it with Black friends and I'm really worried because they jumped at the defense of Oda and gave him excuses numerous times. As if One Piece to them was exempted for reasons.

I started to think that One Piece being a long old manga series and major Alternative Culture media in the West, people especially BIPOC have been attached strongly to it since young age, and as it is more easy to get into than opposed "Western elitistic and classic for White people media". And the relationship they have made with OP not let them criticize the media they love? Only theory

There's also the other possibility that maybe it's because numerous of these BIPOC and queer folks are bigoted too and that would be unfortunate.

Or is this a consequence specific of the culture of French animanga fans that created a mistake somewhere?

I'm worried as a biracial queer man that I see nothing. Please I want to know how it is in you other folks spaces.

I've gave these thoughts again after I went last night with my black sapphic friend to watch One Piece Red.

*Forgot an important point is how a major story point of One Piece that was most identified as what was History of enslavement of Black people was put on no Black but to a fictional superpowered fish mutant race, with also lot of given "Black" features, and that are naturally more powerful than humans. or I'm overthinking this like my friends tell me.

#one piece red #one piece #one piece uta #one piece fishmen #usopp #yasopp #emporio ivankov

[uselessheretic]

These takes about what's racist that end up being racist themselves also continue to. Overlook how blatant the show's writing is about racism. Every time they present an action or character as racist it gets called out textually and thwarted in short order and they're consistently good at keeping racism to these instances. In part bc the writing room and cast is very diverse themselves. If Izzy was meant to be a stand in for colonialism we'd KNOW the characters would KNOW and it'd be a stated reason they'd move against him... this isn't the kind of show where that'd slip through the cracks or be obfuscated it'd be right there in the text.

And also reducing a character's actions and motivations to their race and their race only is ??? Racist lmao if everything Ed does and says is bc he's a poc (and it's always this general term, possibly to cover up that they're looking at this like he's Black and specifically Black American and not Māori. Shoving every single poc into the experiences of Black Americans is shockingly also racist) and not an intersection of whatever brands of brain weird, his class, his position as a pirate, his personality, every single other thing that makes Ed Ed along with his race it's weird! It's a weird way to read a text!

the show is just...... not subtle about racism. there isn't any gray area and there aren't any characters who are racist that we're supposed to sympathize with. the closest we get to that is black pete and stede saying a microaggression to the indigenous tribe in ep 2 which is immediately called out and corrected. the way the show portrays racism is often thru poc being able to reclaim power and subverting white supremacy. the writers of color were also explicit that they dont want to portray racial trauma as a driving character trait! blackbeard was also written before taika was officially casted (altho ik jenkins said he wanted to have taika play him) but i'm pretty sure a bulk of his initial writing would've been done with the character written aracially (he is not aracial, btw)

that and we also know that taika doesn't like having his writing or characters boiled down just to their race. he's talked about this before where he wants to write stories with māori characters that aren't centered on super serious interrogations of their identity. not erasing their māori heritage, but that it was alienating for him growing up and only seeing certain depictions on screen. also... idt there's any māori writers on the team. like i just don't think there's going to be a super in depth deep dive into ed's racial trauma unless there was representation of that in the writers room. jenkins and taika are both pretty good with that (i mean reservation dogs has an all indigenous writers room! we just gotta get some black natives in there too now lol....)

anyways, i do feel like there's a tendency for people to center their reading of ed, and the other characters of color as well, through a lens of an american view. which just happens to most often be a black american view. either that or people applying an indigenous american reading to ed's character and not actually. looking anything else up. which does a disservice imho like even to the other black characters who are all likely from different regions and experiences and therefore have different interactions with race. like frenchie, who's biracial and presumably had been "in service" in parts of europe has a completely different lived reality than oluwande, whos likely of the african diaspora and seems less familiar with majority white spaces. (these are guesses ofc)

shrugs idk it's just weird i feel like people put very little effort into trying to look into other experiences than what they're familiar with. which is an issue across fandom as a whole and something i think white fans and fans of color are both guilty of. i feel like a big part of it is a very american-centric view tbh (the continual shock and confusion from the brits at "olu is an offensive nickname" lol) which i am also american and need to work on my own biases and assumptions.

i want to be careful to not seem like i'm pushing blames onto fans of color or anything like that, but i also think it's necessary for us, as poc, to continue to challenge ourselves as well. there's a tendency in fandom to relate our analysis through a personal lens exclusively when that doesn't always cut it. when it comes to topics of identities separate from our own, we should be open to feedback to ensure we're not platforming misinformation or a limited view.

but there's soooo much rich and good diversity in ofmd that covers a wide range of identities that it feels like a shame to flatten them into a one size fits all reading. a great part of representation in media is that it exposes you to narratives you may not have been familiar with before, and ofmd offers a chance to engage with them on a deeper level!

#ofmd

[hexsdexs]

The seven husbands of evelyn hugo is the worst book I've ever read.

I read this book because it was so hyped up and it still is and i cant understand why. Literal hot garbage. Trigger warnings and major spoilers ahead.

With no sign of her dad being s*xually abusive or attracted to her at all, evelyn talks on multiple occasions how she left because she got boobs, and her dad would not be able to contain himself.

Evelyn being domestically abused by her second husband, but only as a way to butter you up to her for what comes next.

The "plot twist" is predictable from before we get to her second husband. More on this point later.

Evelyn is not as smart as she thinks she is. She's not as ruthless or as calculating. She uses s*x and boobs to get what she wants and it worked but it's a sexist, tired cliche.

The only 4 things you know about monique are:

Shes divorced, although that part is entirely unneeded in the book

She's half black. Literally thats it

Her photographer dad who worked in hollywood died in a car accident drunk driving, although it's out of character for him.

Evelyn hugo wants her to write a book, desperately. Wouldn't give the story to anyone else in the world. We wonder why this random person gets the story. Eyeroll.

It was painfully obvious evelyn was involved with monique's dad's death. So obvious i wished this wasn't the case because that would make this book written by a 13 year old. A 13 year old writes a better book.

Evelyn is so pretty and hot and no straight man can ever resist her!! Not once in the book was she turned down by a man, except of course if that man was gay because that's the only thing that makes sense. Not that men are human beings that aren't sexually attacked to anything with a hole and have the ability to say no.

The author consistently tries to tell you how to feel about evelyn and doesnt let you make up your own mind. Consistent theme of evelyn doing something that is downright awful then a few pages of telling you that people aren't black and white, and she's not awful and you shouldn't hate her. Except she IS awful, doesn't regret the terrible things she consistently does to people, doesn't show any remorse, frankly i felt that evelyn showed narcissistic traits throughout the entire 2/3 of the book, that magically vanished once she had a baby because the author didnt want a narcissistic mother.

When the big "reveal" happens, evelyn tells monique she doesn't owe her anything. After confessing to leaving her father for dead to save her only white friend's reputation, and leaving a black man KNOWING as a biracial woman that little to no investigation would take place, and monique gets upset that this woman and her ex husband MURDERED her dad and covered it up, she tells monique that she doesn't owe her anything at all after robbing her of her dad.

Of course monique magically forgiving the narcissist because eveyln is so captivating!! So unique and so glamorous and so powerful that i admire her even after i found out she's the reason my dad's dead and his reputation is tarnished !!!!

All of that not taking into account the abysmal portryal of both lgbt relationships and biracial people. Its exactly how a straight white woman would write about both these things.

#7 husbands of evelyn hugo #evelyn hugo #evelyn herrera #the seven husbands of evelyn hugo #taylor jenkins reid #tjr

[herorps]

shadow and bone and racism

shadow and bone just came out so i can now finally break my silence bc holy shit do they go ham on the racism and me being me, i just have to tell you all about it. possible spoilers and triggers for anti-asian racism and microaggressions.

to preface, i was very privileged to receive a screener for the entire first season last month and i was actually excited to watch it bc i have friends who love the books and the show piqued my interest since it was announced. and i also have to say that i never read the books and i probably never will ( tho i’ve been told i would like soc ) but i did like the show overall. 

i think sab is a good adaptation and that the fans will like this show. i thoroughly enjoyed it and as someone who had very little to almost no knowledge about the books, i didn’t have trouble keeping up with the fantastical world. 

however that doesn’t mean i can’t be critical of it. 

i think the show can actually benefit from people being critical about it because so far, it feels like they took a very tone deaf direction and ran a marathon with it. 

what i’m talking about, is alina starkov being half-shu. 

now, i said before that my interest was piqued for this show when it was announced and one of the major reasons is the casting of biracial actress, jessie mei li, in the role of alina starkov. i can’t tell you how happy i was to see that a half-chinese actress was cast as the lead in a series based on such a beloved ip, especially since the creators of the show consciously changed alina’s ethnicity to be half-shu before casting calls were even sent out. ( for those of you who are also non-book readers, shu is the race of people from the country, shu han, and is based off primarily mongolian and chinese cultures ) 

so i was endeared with the idea that this character, that is coded white, was deliberately changed to be coded asian ( and coded mixed race to boot ) because the producers wanted to include diversity into the show. i commend that, i love that, i support that. but i believe the way they handled it, shouldn’t have been the way they handled it. and it’s because alina’s race is constantly brought up. 

obviously of course race is going to be brought up at some point. alina in the show is surrounded by white people when we first see her, and her home country of ravka does have a hostile history with shu han----i get it. racism is going to play a part in alina’s story. but it doesn’t necessarily need to go so far as to constantly remind the audience that she is shu in almost every interaction she has with someone she meets. 

and that’s a big part of the issue, is that nearly everyone she meets will bring up the fact that she’s part-shu. and a lot of the time, it’s said with hostility. now i’m not exactly sure if i’m just being particularly sensitive because of certain recent events, but the anti-asian racism hits differently these days. idk. 

because that’s what it is, at the end of the day. it’s racism. alina is often the target of very hostile racism and it seems to mainly be directed at her character and her character only. 

and honestly, on a surface level it makes sense, i sort of understand what the producers are trying to do. ravka has a turbulent history with shu han and were involved in wars with them and they’re often seen as the enemy so obviously that would affect a shu-mixed person growing up in ravka, a very white country. but on a deeper level, it reminds me a lot of the anti-japanese sentiments during wwii. the production team even created a banner that i felt called back to those anti-japanese propaganda of that era. ( mind you it was shown multiple times, in main focus, and acknowledged by characters that were coded shu ) 

but on the other hand, they’ve done a considerable job to diversify at least the ethnic makeup of ravka. there are black and brown grisha at the school and there are people of different cultures ( noted by costuming, etc. ) in ketterdam and there’s even a shu-appearing trainer that teaches the grisha to fight. so my question is, why is this very hostile treatment primarily geared toward shu people and geared toward alina specifically? it just doesn’t make sense to me. 

and when i say it’s specifically geared toward alina, i mean that it’s very apparent that they’re targeting her specifically, because mal  ( played by a possibly mixed-race archie renaux ) is also coded to be of mixed shu blood. while it is not explicitly stated that mal is shu, it is heavily implied that he is mixed, but he is never subject to the treatment that alina is, and the only times he is subject to racism is when alina is also present. in scenes where we see alina and mal as kids, they are often both referred to as “mutts” or “half-breeds”. but when they are older, only alina is continuously called those things. 

this isn’t even touching the microaggressions she faces after she’s at grisha school and this one line that made my gut wrench so viscerally i had to pause the episode and replay the part so i could confirm what i heard. [ episode 3 spoiler warning ] i’m trying to avoid posting screenshots or from spoiling parts of the show but there’s a scene where alina is being cleaned up and made presentable by servants and one of them says “I’d start by making her eyes less Shu.” [ end episode 3 spoiler ] i don’t think i have to explain to anyone how offensive that is. and i understand that the intention was to show how racist this servant is, that the entire point of of this weird racism plot is to show how the people of ravka can be racist and ignorant, but to have that line be written by a white writer, approved by a white showrunner and said by a white character to the face of an asian actor/character feels very tactless. it feels like another antagonist alina has to go against is racism itself. 

what also turns me off about this scene is that jessie mei li revealed that this scene is what actresses had to audition with. “...the sides that they sent for the audition, like Alina is talking to Genya and they’re talking about her eyes and they’re talking about her Shu ancestry.” having actresses of mixed-asian ancestry come in and act out that scene for white producers doesn’t really sit right with me. and i know that there’s an argument to be had about how it’s important to show the minutia of what it’s like to be ethnic in a world ruled by white supremacy and that it’s important to show how alina’s race affects her story, but i don’t think that going this far is necessary to the development of plot or character. 

and i don’t personally know jml, i don’t know how she feels about the show apart from what she’s probably briefed to talk about in interviews, but it is perfectly valid for me to feel iffy about the microaggressions while she feels that it’s necessary for character development ( again, this is just an example, i have no clue what she thinks of the racism ). our experiences are different, our upbringings are different, but we’re both happy to see representation and i’m happy that she’s happy to see an actual mixed-chinese character on screen as the lead. 

i’m glad that the producers were open to diversity and were open to making the lead a person of color, but it’s things like the treatment of shu characters and exchanges like “Tell her...Oh, I don’t know...good morning.” “I don’t actually speak Shu.” and “I didn’t know the Zemeni had such talent.” “She’s Suli.”  ( zemeni is a race of “dark-skinned” people and suli are coded south asian/mena/wena so this exchange is just white people mixing the brown people up )  that remind me the majority of the writers and producers are white. 

now i’m not saying that you should boycott the show or that this show is the most problematic thing to ever grace my retinas, because i really enjoyed watching it and i want to see what season 2 has in store ( more crows content please ). but, i want you all to please keep all of this in mind when you watch the series and think critically of what kinds of unconscious biases these producers had. you’re allowed to have nuanced opinions, you’re allowed to be critical of the media you enjoy so long as you understand where some people’s criticisms are coming from---where my criticisms are coming from. i just hope in future seasons the treatment of alina gets better and that she actually learns to love her shu side because otherwise it’s just going to be problematic as the show continues. 

#shadow and bone #grishaverse #six of crows

[shewhotellsstories]

i really dont wanna annoy you but you post about racism in fandom sometimes so i thought you'd be the right person to ask. i hope this doesnt come off as expecting u to be my teacher. yesterday someone said they didnt trust white zk shippers and i thought it was mean but then people started sending the them all these nasty messages and i started to worry maybe op was right. honestly a lot of this stuff is pretty new for me. i think our fandom is inclusive & unlike the rest of the atla fandom we actually like katara. but i'm trying to learn.

why would it be a problem that a lot of zk fics have katara looking after zuko? i always just felt like he needed it more bc he was abused and kataras better at dealing with feelings and she's good at taking care of people. is fire lady katara still ok? is there racism in our fandom? there are a lot of woc zks and i've seen them get hate for it. but the messages op got were pretty bad too. i know i'm asking a lot of questions i just hate the thinking that we might be as bad as the z*kka stans have been saying all year.

This is gonna get long so I’m just gonna jump right in. When I listened to fansplaining’s episode on fandom racism one of the guests said white fans who can acknowledge that fandom racism exists tend to frame it as “just a few bad apples” and get caught up in worrying about not looking like a “bad apple” instead of making fandoms spaces that aren’t hostile for BIPOC. Jag offs hiding behind anon to tell women of color who ship zutara that we have a creepy fetish for imperialism and colonialism suck, but your biggest concern really shouldn’t be the optics or if you can claim superiority over zukka stans.

Yeah the “katara’s a homophobe” nonsense didn’t come from our end of the fandom, but it feels naive at best or dishonest at worst to act like the zutara fandom is uniquely immune to fandom racism. A creator I follow made the excellent point that allyship conditional upon if a poc talks "nicely" about racism is still white supremacy. I believe poc need to be allowed to vent and be salty or angry without being tone-policed. I definitely have my days where I’m like “ugh white people,” or "why must white fans be like this," so I get where the OP was coming from. Ironically the folks that sent them anon hate proved their point. You can always count on hit dogs to hollar.

Fandom is only escapist for some people. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum so you’ll find racism in fandom because there’s racism in the world. Navigating that gets exhausting. There are certain things I enjoy, but for the sake of my sanity I'll only talk about it with friends in real life or only follow fans of color. Before I follow white fans I need to see first that they’re not the kind of person who inspires posts about fandom racism. A good friend of mine loves Star Wars, Kpop, and gaming but after years of attempts at calling in she decided that she’d only interact with woc in those spaces. Again, you get tired.

ATLA wasn’t on my radar until last year so I definitely haven’t read every zutara fic out there but I have noticed a lot of fics do tend to have Katara being the one comforting and supporting Zuko. It’s not inherently wrong of course, it’s just in the grand scheme of things in fiction woc are often cast as eternal caretakers and confidants in fiction:

“How characters of color are portrayed in fanworks, especially fanfiction, is worse than the actual films. They are portrayed as supportive, almost invisible understudies. Any characteristics which they possess in the [MCU] films are stripped and given to other white characters. It is not only erasure. It’s a theft of identity.

Characters of color are positioned within storylines to support the main, white characters. Even within the slash biracial pairings, the character of color is underdeveloped and in a position of servitude within the relationship.”

TheNavyLanguage, Fansplaining

As the quote above points out this honestly happens in a lot of fandoms. I’ve read fanfic for books, movies, tv shows, and comics and I can’t help but notice that in fics the writers often have the non-white character or-- if neither character is white--the darker skinned character being the care-taker, the bodyguard, or the person who is performing all the emotional labor. It’s not inherently wrong to have a character of color have a nurturing personality, you just have to remember that since Black and brown folks have been saddled with narrative after narrative where we exist to serve leaning into dynamics where the non-white or darker skinned character is providing all the emotional support and getting very little in return has some unfortunate implications.

It’s not better if instead of being defined as the avatar’s girl, Katara’s the fire lord’s girl. Part of the appeal of zutara for me is the idea that Katara could lay down some of her burdens and get some much needed support. I always imagine she’d have some major issues after the war.

"i always just felt like he needed it more bc he was abused and kataras better at dealing with feelings and she's good at taking care of people."

I’m going to push back against that statement. Yes, Katara didn't grow up in an abusive household but she has pain and trauma of her own. In fact I’d argue that her believing it’s her job to take care of everyone is rooted in her trauma. Katara needs support and care just as much as anyone else does.

Having read a lot of fics revolving around abuse victims in different fandoms I’ve observed that if fans feel a character’s trauma wasn’t properly addressed in canon, they’ll give them a lot of TLC in fics. But again, reducing the non-white or darker-skinned character to a glorified therapist has some implications.

I feel like the Fire Lady Katara headcanon's been talked to death so long-story short, it’s not inherently racist but it can problematic if it's not clear that Katara is Katara of the Water Tribe wherever she lives. Fics and art where her crown has a crescent moon, she wears blue, or Zuko wears blue when she's in red are the executions I'm fondest of.

When in doubt just listen when poc talk about uncomfortable trends in the fandom. Give fansplaining’s episodes on fandom racism a listen here, here, and here. And very loosely quoting my favorite professor just remember that if a marginalized person says they’re distrustful of a group of people or institution it usually happens after a lot of bad experiences. Don’t center your own comfort and hurt feelings.

“If we truly believe in fandom’s progressive credentials, then perhaps it is necessary for us to listen to critiques that make us uncomfortable rather than those that keep arguing that the status quo is perfectly acceptable—even as there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. Perhaps then we will be able to come at these, yes, these very complex and nuanced discussions with the type of openness and good faith that is required for them to succeed, rather than approaching them with hostility.”

-Rukmini Pande, Fansplaining

#asked and answered #zutara #katara #atla fandom crit #fandom racism

[writingwithcolor]

Biracial (B/W), Trans, and Cultural Disconnect

I’m a biracial college grad who grew up in a very white, rural area in the northeast US and within the last four years made the realization I’m trans ( or masculine-aligned agender but that’s for another time ). My mother is black and my father is white.

Beauty Standards

Beauty standards haven’t really been something I’ve paid attention to growing up, mostly because dresses and skirts always made be uncomfortable and I didn’t like the weight of makeup on my face. I am very stubborn and so I stuck to not wearing them as much as possible, even getting into arguments with my mother about wearing a dress to a funeral when I had nice dress pants and a blouse to wear instead.

My mother did have a bit of an obsession with my hair growing up; she loved my curls to the point that if I mentioned cutting them she adamantly said no. My hair isn’t the usual tight black coils but rather “banana curls” as my mother described. It was only in my senior year of high school that, out of the blue, she told me if I wanted to cut my hair I could.

Culture / Family Life / Identity Issues

This is the biggest struggle I find I deal with and sort of ties in with like four topics, so this section will be long. I don’t have any attachment to a culture, not even the African-American culture developed in the US. I grew up in a very, very white area and until 5th grade, went to a private religious school where as far as I can remember, I was the only PoC in the whole (under 100) student body.

Both of my parents have no siblings and due to some things, I only actually met my dad’s extended family three or so years ago when we went for a visit aside from phone conversations I had with his father when he was alive. My mother’s parents were gone before I was 5 and she didn’t really have any extended family aside from a couple of cousins up in New York who I saw every so often when I was really young. I had an “aunt” who my mother knew for many years along with her son whom I consider an uncle, but that’s about all the extended family I have. My (half) brother is 13 years older than I, so by the time I was 7 he was out of the house and visiting only a few times a year. So even despite not being an only child, I was raised like one.

Even in the public school I went to, there weren’t a lot of BIPOC and the few that showed up in high school in my small grade and I didn’t really talk. My university had a majority white student body and I found I couldn’t quite relate with the BIPOC community, mostly because it felt like you had to choose between the BIPOC community or the LGBTQIA+ community and most of my classmates, because of my major, and friends were part of the latter.

When I studied abroad, I became good friends with a BIPOC queer group, especially with a black individual from NC. But sometimes they would make references to me and such that I wouldn’t understand and at one point this individual said “How do you not get that, you’re black!” I had to pull them aside and explain my environment growing up and thankfully, they understood immediately and apologized. But it was alienating, and exacerbated the feelings I have of “I don’t belong anywhere”.

I’m not light skinned enough to pass as white, but I don’t have the experiences of growing up in a black community to connect with other black folk. I just feel like I stand alone in that respect.

Micro-aggressions

I don’t know if this counts as a micro-aggression, but the thing that comes to mind immediately happened when I was 14. I had an online friend and we had been voice-chatting for awhile. One night I turned on my camera and the first thing out of their mouth was “You’re black? You don’t sound black!“ 

I don’t speak/use AAVE because I didn’t grow up around people who did, and don’t have any sort of understanding about it, etc. This also adds into the whole identity crisis thing.

Misconceptions

I am frequently assumed to be Hispanic and, on one occasion, Indian. I’ve had people ask me if I’m Mexican outright. At one point I worked in a nursing home and the dementia unit had a lot of nurses who spoke Spanish due to some of the residents forgetting English. One of these nurses spoke to me in Spanish. I gave him a blank look and he sorta paused and went “You don’t speak Spanish?” I was also on a train once and an older Indian gentleman was standing near me? Or took the seat next to me and I believed he asked me if I was Indian outright.

I don’t have enough Workplace experience to make it it’s own category, but I once worked in a Dunkin Donuts with a primarily Indian and Haitian staff and I had these older POC women repeatedly asking me “Where are you from?” when I started. I told them “oh, the western part of the state” and they did the “but where are you from.“ I don’t know, I’m sorry.

Also as a kid my dad picked me up from school and this one girl asked me if I was adopted lmao. Nobody ever thinks biracial.

Self-esteem

I have pretty low self-esteem. While I don’t necessarily think I’m ugly, my struggle with my identity both gender and racially make it hard to be confident and outgoing, at least with strangers. I dunno, existing is hard sometimes.

Things I’d like to see more of

More mixed kids in stories and media as main characters or main supporting characters

More interracial relationships of all kinds, not just black & white.

I don’t know if it’s right to ask for this, but also.. more small families. 

More people whose families are like mine: just myself, my parents and my brother, with an occasional family friend showing up for holidays. All these stories with plenty of cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents always make me feel alone and like I missed out on a lot.

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#POC Profiles #Black #Mixed Race #Transgender #agender #hair #black hair #culture #identity issues #microaggressions #culture disconnect #LGBTQIA #submission #Anonymous submission

[travllingbunny]

Having spent a couple of years in The 100 fandom, one of the things that always strikes me is the gap between the canon characters and their fanon versions. Almost every character has at least one, sometimes two doppelgangers in fanon. These fanon versions often contradict each other, since the fandom has apparently been sharply divided for years. In other cases, there is one definite fanon creation that’s widely popular and mostly uncontested. 

Which of these fanon creations do you find most boring, and which ones may be actually kind of fun?

Fanon!Clarke 1: The show’s main villain. This character is completely selfish, spoiled, tyrannical, absolutely loves murdering people and committing genocide, and spends all her time scheming and manipulating people so she could achieve her evil goals (which are to keep her friends and family alive). Likes to risk her life and “sacrifice” herself just because she always wants to be the center of attention. Has always been abusive to Bellamy by.. telling him nice and supportive things about himself, but not nice and supportive enough, and cruelly allowing him to go on a mission that was his own idea and his plan (an example of how unequal their relationship is and that she always orders him around). Doesn’t care about anyone, except maybe her adoptive daughter Madi, which makes her annoying and a traitor for not prioritizing her friends’ safety over her daughter’s, except for the times when she’s prioritizing her friends’s safety over her daughter, which makes her a bad mother.

Fanon!Clarke 2: Minor character, notable for being Lexa’s love interest. (See below.) This young, occasionally confused lesbian was a damsel constantly in need of saving by the show’s hero, Lexa, and didn’t do anything important until  meeting Lexa, and learning from her how to be a leader. Still not too good at it, probably due to the bad influence of the show’s villain, Bellamy (see below), with whom she has an unhealthy, toxic platonic relationship but for whom she doesn’t really care, at the same time. Had a bunch of things happen to her, such as losing both her parents and a bunch of other important people in her life, having to mercy kill her first love minor crush (at the time when she still thought she was into men), constantly fighting for survival, being left almost alone on a deserted planet for 6 years, having her body stolen - but none of this ever traumatized her, the only thing she’s ever been affected was Lexa’s death, which she spends all her time talking about, 24/7, even 6.5 years later. 

Fanon!Bellamy 1: The show’s main villain. Evil, violent white man (as a consequence of having a younger, white sister, which makes him white because biracial people don’t exist), constantly angry, goes around killing people in bouts of rage. Racist and hates Grounders (who, naturally, are a race - as descendants of a group of people from a cult that used to live in a bunker). Super into killing civilians and committing genocide. Probably stupid and uneducated. Killed his sister’s boyfriend and somehow indirectly killed the show’s hero, Lexa. Is indirectly to blame for anything wrong that ever happened in the show. Also likes to abuse Clarke (see Fanon!Clarke 2). 

Fanon!Bellamy 2: A very unusual character that consists of two different people: in seasons 1-4: the sweetest, most sensitive and softest clean shaven boy in the world, who wore his heart on his sleeve and spent all his time telling Clarke how much he loves her (even without ever actually having told her anything like that, or asked her out on a date, and even while sleeping with other women, but that’s this character’s special power). Never killed people, except when he did, but that only happened because the writers hated him and he was OOC. As of the start of season 5, turned into a cold, unemotional bearded man who is totally in love with evil Echo (see below) and doesn’t care about Clarke at all (which makes his actions in a lot of season 5 and all of season 6 a complete mystery).

Fanon!Octavia 1: The most perfect human being in the history of the human race. Has never done anything wrong in her entire life. When she beat up her brother savagely, it’s because he deserved it, everyone she’s murdered deserved it, and she was never a tyrant - people just didn’t realize that, as the perfect leader, she needed to have absolute power. She was also a victim of manipulation by evil Abby (see below), who made her decide to force her people to become cannibals. But forcing people to become cannibals was also the right thing to do. Was betrayed by everyone, including her treacherous brother and all the other traitors who didn’t appreciate her leadership.

Fanon!Octavia 2: A monstrous epitome of white supremacy, this character enjoys going around beating up various people of color just for kicks, enjoys cultural appropriation, and even decided to be born because she knew this would be an act of aggression against her MOC half-brother, whom she emotionally abused by her very existence.

Fanon!Abby: One of the show’s main villains, this character is incompetent and clueless but at the same time a vicious schemer, manipulating and exploiting the younger women in the show. (See above.) Can’t take responsibility, as seen by the fact that she didn’t blame herself for everything Octavia ever did. Messes things up because she still wants to mother her 18-year old daughter, which makes her annoying. At other times, pays more attention to trying to save her dying boyfriend than to trying to mother her 24 year old daughter who seems fine and able to take care of herself, which makes her a terrible mother.

Fanon!Lexa: The show’s main character and hero. Even though she was in just 16 episodes, didn’t join the show until halfway through season 2 and died 4 seasons ago, the show is still all about her. A pure cinnamon roll who never did anything wrong, the greatest leader and strongest fighter, able to single-handedly defeat all the bad guys, but also a visionary peacemaker who did the unprecedented action of doing what Clarke advised her to do. Actions like betraying her allies, throwing people off the top of a tower, letting her own people die, were all wise leadership choices and therefore morally right. (Anyone who feels differently is probably homophobic.) Possibly a woman of color (because of a mismatched foundation and/or because you can’t be a part of a technologically underdeveloped society and be white). Will come back in the series finale to save the day, in spite of having been dead and cremated 131+ years ago.

Fanon!Echo 1: The show’s central character since the start of season 5. An epitome of pure, 100% unadulterated evil, this character has no appealing, redeeming or just human qualities, but nevertheless, possesses an incredible screen presence that makes the fandom obsess over any second of her screentime and talk about every single thing she does or says (or even about her hairstyle) more than about anything else in the show.

Fanon!Echo 2: The strongest  and most badass of strong female characters, as seen in the fact that she is good at fighting and killing people and at carrying out other people’s orders (including that of her boyfriend’s). Has never been portrayed as a villain or done anything wrong that could possibly make any of the viewers dislike her - the only possible reason for anyone to dislike her is jealousy over her great, epic romance with Bellamy.

Fanon!Pike: Worst person ever, this villain was just racist towards Grounders (who are a race, see above) with no reason whatsoever and never had a sympathetic or tragic backstory to explain his views and decisions. He imagined that his people were in danger when in fact, everyone else was peaceful and tolerant and it was just him ruining everything. Invented a story about Azgeda being genocidal against his people and murdering the majority of them, including 15 children, right after they fell on Earth - which never happened because we didn’t see it. Somehow he manipulated everyone else into remembering that, too. Probably a cannibal and definitely a Nazi and Donald Trump 2.0, comparisons which are perfect because Pike is the epitome of racism because he not only killed Grounders, he executed a black guy by shooting him in the head. Strangely, Pike also looks like a black guy, but he can’t be one or this is unimportant, because using guns makes you white and only Grounders can be POC because they use medieval weapons.

Fanon!Roan: Clarke and Bellamy’s best friend. Spends all his time hanging out with them just because he likes them and really wants to see them get together. May be an Azgeda king or something, but that’s not important, because it’s not like he has political motivations for his actions. Super loyal to Clarke and never did anything like break alliances or kill his allies or march on Arkadia to attack her people or do any political scheming. Probably has a secret “Bellarke Forever!” tattoo.

#the 100 #the 100 fandom #canon vs fanon #clake griffin #bellamy blake #octavia blake #abby griffin #roan kom azgeda #charles pike

[dearamericaroyaldiaries]

Get In Losers. We’re Going Witch Hunting

I Walk in Dread- 1691(-1692), Deliverance Trembly

By Lisa Rowe Fraustino

Don’t judge the picture. Google had no images that I felt comfortable using license wise so I took a (bad) picture of my copy.

Age of Protagonist: 12

#ReadingThoughts

-Before I even start I am digging the Puritan names. First Remember Patience and now Deliverance (and I would come to find ANOTHER MEM!!).

-My edition looses points or not having a ribbon even though it’s hardcover. This negatively impacts my reading experience for Reasons.

-Hold it. Is her uncles’ name really Razor Strap? I know Puritans were big on using random phrases from the Bible for their naming, but is that really a phrase in the Bible? Also, Sister Mem had me confused it was Mem from the last book for a hot second.

-SO do Mem and Deliverance just live with their uncle? Just the three of them? (The answer I quickly found was yes.)

-I appreciate the lesson on town politics. That's important for the Salem area in 1692ish.

-I am confused by what’s happening with the year. Why is it Dec 31, 1691, then Jan. 1, 1691, and then Jan. 2, 1691/2. There is a bullshit explanation in the about the author section. If you’re worried about Accuracy when it comes to the Julian vs Gregorian calendar, put something in the text. You’re average grade schooler isn’t going to jump to that . If I remember correctly, there’s something about the Gregorian calendar differing from the Julian calendar in the Anastasia book that is handled better. Liv explains other things to the reader, why not this?

-Why is a 12 year old more responsible than a 17 year old? Especially in 1692. Mem should at least have a higher opinion of herself in the family hierarchy and be preparing to keep her own house as a wife.

-Again, I feel Mem should be more mature than Liv.

-Liv can use her sister’s boy-craziness to her advantage. Mem is willing to shovel shit if there are attractive members of the opposite sex in the vicinity.

-Allergies=Witchcraft. That explains so much about me and my life. Though I suppose it makes sense from a 17th century Puritan POV.

-Mem wants to be a stepmom to 9 kids all of whom are most likely closer to her age than she would be to the potential husband?  The last part might not be a big concern in the time period but good gracious that’s too many kids for my liking.

-Age update- some of the kids would be older than her or her age.

-I feel the average target reader would need an explanation of what “God’s Elect” means. Most 12 year olds don’t have a strong grasp on post-Reformation Protestant Theology.

-Poor Liv. She wants to fit un but is failing spectacularly.

-Is Liv going to be among the accused? She’s not on the best of terms with the accusers and has been or will be associated with at least three people who were accused and killed.

- They used the strong trick for loose teeth in the 17th century? I have no evidence or data to argue one side or the other but I am suspicious. Somewhat amused, but suspicious.

-I find the tithing man hilarious. I want a stick with a fuzzy rabbit foot on one end and a knob for whacking people on the other. Also, he deserved getting thumped back by the one guy,

-I am calling bullshit on Goody Corey sniffing out only girl scent. Either it’s a bit or she’s a witch, not her husband. (Spoilers: He’s accused and refuses to confess so the town can’t take his land and is pressed to death while trying to get a confession. Post reading note: I totally forgot/didn’t know that Goody Corey was also accused and killed.)

-I don’t know really anything about the real Goody Corey, but she seems like a stand-in for an enlightened modern person, above the provincial notions of witchcraft and the commonplace racism toward Amer Indians. I’m not saying everyone thought they were the devil, but a majority thought that they were superior to the indigenous peoples of the American colonies.

-Mr. Cooper’s letter is too vague! We need deets!

-Because this is told through Livs’ eyes everyone asking about their uncle and checking in on them comes off as invasive and nosy but as an adult, a twelve year old and a seventeen year old have been left on a farm by themselves for almost two months at this point is an issue. Is he ever coming back?

-WHAT!? Goody Corey has a bi-racial son born when she was estranged from her first husband? Prepare for a wikipedia tangent because I had to a a google to corroborate this. Wikepedia backs this up but what it doesn’t back up is the timeline. I read her as in her 40s or 50s in the book. According to wikepedia (don’t judge me, it’s good for basic facts and a starting point) she was 72ish in 1692 and this biracial son was her first child who would have been 50ish at this point and was born before Martha Corey was ever married. *End Tangent* Good for her though if she did indeed five her husband an earful after Liv left.

-Hold on. Mr. Cooper wants to talk to Uncle Razor Strap about Mem marrying Darcy, not him. Mem is gonna be devastated.

-Would electricity have been a concept a) known in 1692 and b) be well enough known that a random 12 year old in the colonies with little formal schooling would be comfortable enough using the phrase “electrical lightning.” No, I will not be googling this. Googling historical facts is one thing, googling sciencey things is another thing entirely,

-Did the girls hear the stories and then claim to have witnessed ZYX or did they independently corroborate the stories? One is much less suspect than the other.

-At this point I wonder will we ever meet Uncle Razor Strap? Is he dead? Is he trying to get back to Salem? Is he abandoning them?

-I feel the leap to “Am I a witch?” after having a weird dream about nursing a baby Sarah Goode is sensible as someone who has been about to call the Vatican several times when their period was late. In those cases clearly the only explanation was pregnancy, even when physically impossible just as being a witch is Livs’ conclusion here. 

-Hopefully the girls can just get out of the Salem area soon and the landlord giving them to the end of the month is a neat enough excuse.

-So Mem thinks that Goody Corey is a witch but is okay with Liv going over there?

-How scary it would be to worry that the one family member you have in the area, who should be protecting you because you’re 12, might accuse you of witchcraft.

-I am delighted the the horse can act as a chaperone. Really? Okay.

-How does the horse give permission to whisk a fainted person into the house? It’s a horse.

-So now Mem is forcing Liv to read her diary to her. Rude.

Thoughts on the Afterward

Meh. Mem marries Darcy but dies young so Liv gets her man. They return to Salem. They don’t go West like they talked about. Liv has a gagillion great grands. No one ever fount her journal. Meh. I’m happy she was happy and all but meh.

Overall Thoughts After Reading

It took almost 200 pages to get through four months. I think I just don’t care for the author. I should have liked this book. It ticks multiple boxes that should be my jam but something about it just... is a no for me. Maybe it’s because I have zero nostalgia for this book. It took me about 4.5 months to get through this book and finding it boring is one of them. No one seems like a well rounded character who has any growth. Last book Mem had a whole arc where she came to terms with losing her mother  but this time Liv didn’t really seem to change or grow.

I had high hopes. This book came out right as I was aging out of Dear America but I remember the hype around it on the Scholastic website. (Yes I was a wee nerd who hung out on the Scholastic website.) Sadly I was disappointed.

Also, we nope out of the actual trials. The first trial wasn’t held until JUNE. The book ends on April 30. Yes, we get to see the initial hysteria and flurry of accusations and arrests, but this was just the beginning. This seems like a cop-out.

Rating: 3/10 Sisterly Cat-Fights

Other contenders included False Accusations (this one seemed unfair because while I believe no one who was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Hysteria was actually practicing witchcraft, I can’t say with confidence that the accusers were all lying. They may have believed honestly that they were afflicted by witches so calling them false accusations seem disingenuous.) and Bible Verses because Puritans. In the end, I had to honor the brutal way Mem and Live went after each other. Apparently in addition to being sickly, Mem was also small because how else could a 12 year old take her 17 year old sister like that. 

#Dear America #Read with me #Puritans #History #Historical #Deliverance Trembly #Salem Witch Hysteria #Salem Witch Trials #I get minorly sweary again. At this point just accept it.

[richincolor]

*As is usual with our discussions, there may be a few spoilers ahead, so beware.*

We all were incredibly excited to read Angeline Boulley's FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER when we first heard about it, so we decided to make it our second group discussion book for the year. Come join us!

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

[Note: While we will not go into any great detail in this discussion, Firekeeper’s Daughter contains murder, suicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, addiction and drug use, racism, colorism, and death of parents/family members.

You can read an excerpt of the book here!]

Audrey: To get us started--let’s talk about this gorgeous cover! The cover art was created by Moses Lunham and designed by Rich Deas. The first thing I noticed when I got my copy of the book was that the two faces at the top had different skin tones. According to this interview, author Angeline Boulley says that “the different shades of the faces symbolizes Daunis claiming her biracial identity,” which is a major part of the book.

Jessica: The cover is so beautiful. It’s next to me on my desk right now and I can’t stop looking at it. Love how the cover ties into the themes of the book.

K. Imani: This cover is absolutely beautiful! I love the design of the faces looking like a butterfly as well as the bird and bear (I think) and the fire. There are so many subtle images in this cover that you can almost find something new each time. And the colors are so stunning. Like you Audrey, I noticed the faces had different skin tones which I found interesting and made me wonder what was going to happen in the book. Knowing the faces symbolize Daunis’s biracial identity now is powerful and really brings home the meaning of the book.

Crystal: I agree that the cover is gorgeous. In addition to the aspects of her physical appearance and physical identity, Daunis’ cultural identity is also displayed within the illustrations with bears representing her clan. In addition there are the birds like the one that guides her and the sun is in the background too which is from the story of the original Fire Keeper’s Daughter. The faces forming a butterfly is also just brilliant for a coming-of-age story. There’s so much to see. Each time I notice more.

Audrey: Daunis, our heroine, is on the older end of the YA protagonist spectrum at 18. She’s dealing with a lot of upheaval in her life, and things only get more complicated in short order. Something I really liked about Daunis was how often she thought about and evaluated what her responsibilities were--to her family, to her friends, to her community, and to herself. These sometimes complementary, sometimes competing, responsibilities strongly influenced her decisions.

Jessica: You mention the complementary and sometimes competing responsibilities -- that’s exactly it. I loved how her thought process was explored throughout the book in such a thorough and complex way. The way Daunis balances and reconciles the interests of her community with what the FBI wants from her and her quest for justice is laid out really clearly. Sometimes, narratives can tend toward simplistic, binary summations of the issues people, especially from marginalized communities, face -- but that’s just not the case, and Daunis really highlights that. To be honest, I was a little nervous at the introduction of law enforcement and the FBI, given the racism and oppression baked into these institutions, but the way Daunis navigates her interactions with them, plus the way other members of the community tell the truth about these institutions, really played out in such a nuanced way. (I really, really hope that the Netflix adaptation keeps these nuances and hard truths in the show, but I suspect that won’t be the case, unfortunately.)

K. Imani: I enjoyed that Daunis was 18 and on the cusp of adulthood. So many YA novels focus on the character’s high school life but a lot does happen and teens do grow and change a lot in that year after high school. Many have left home for college (that was me) or working full time and they are learning how to navigate a life that was not completely so structured. In addition to having to deal with changing friendships as people move away or just become busy. It’s a unique time and I loved that we got to spend time with Daunis as she was going through this change. She was learning how to become an adult in one of the most stressful ways possible, and sometimes I felt she was a little too idealistic, but I’m glad that she kept her truth throughout and was focused on helping her community in addition to helping the FBI. Her perspective helped keep the investigation grounded in what mattered which wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t involved.

Crystal: Daunis balances a lot of responsibilities and really tries to follow what she’s learned from elders. She considers how her actions may affect all of her relatives within her family, clan, community, and beyond. Boulley embedded a lot of elder wisdom within Daunis’ inner dialogue such as thinking about the seventh generation when making decisions.

Audrey: One of the things that I really appreciated about Firekeeper’s Daughter was the depth of the setting and the characters in it. While Boulley says that Daunis’s tribe is fictionalized in the author note, it’s clear how much care and thought Boulley put into creating Daunis’s community. It’s filled with people who have complex histories (both within and between Native and non-Native groups), with differing opinions and prejudices and goals.

Jessica: This really highlights how important it is to have stories where cultures and communities aren’t portrayed as a monolith. It’s not just the right thing to do, it makes for a better and more accurate story. I read Firekeeper’s Daughter and watched the TV show Rutherford Falls back to back, which really drove home the power of depicting a community with nuance. (Also, sidebar: Highly recommend checking out Rutherford Falls, which does this really well.)

K. Imani: One of my favorite aspects of Firekeeper’s Daughter were the elders in Daunis’s tribe and how we got to hear many of their individual stories which showed the complexity of real life. I loved that Daunis listened to her elders, really took in their stories and learned from them. Her interactions with the elders greatly contributed to her growing sense of self and her desire to help her community. And this is where this novel being truly #ownvoices shines because of Boulley’s connection to her community that she took great care in making sure Daunis’s tribe felt real and authentic as well as culturally accurate. It was not full of stereotypes but filled with real people who had real lives and real stories. I was drawn into Daunis’s community and really cared about the people that made Daunis who she is and becomes.

Crystal: Like Jessica says, there is a lot of nuance here. When you have a wide variety of characters who are not simply good or bad, the story has more power and is definitely more believable. The people in our everyday lives are also complex and have a story if only we take the time to listen. This is what Daunis excels at with elders and others around her. She is paying attention and trying to connect with people. There is a lot of love throughout the book of many different types. The love is beautiful and yet also has some ugliness too in the betrayals. It’s not picture perfect and that makes it so much more real.

Audrey: Boulley tackles a lot of difficult topics in Firekeeper’s Daughter, especially ones that can hit hard on a community level. Much of the plot focuses on drug use and addiction, of course, but violence against Native women also has a significant impact on what happens in the book and affects multiple characters, including Daunis.

Crystal: Daunis and the other women are examples of the many, many, women who have been harmed in the past and the present. That’s not the whole story though. As Daunis is learning, there are many ways of being brave. Throughout the story, we see many women being strong and brave though at initial glance their actions may not seem to be either of those things. There is bravery in speaking out, but sometimes bravery requires something else. These women have done what they needed to do to survive or help their loved ones survive.

Audrey: Firekeeper’s Daughter has a complicated ending, and it left me thinking about two things. The first was how proud I was of Daunis and her character growth. There were a couple of times where she came across as very Not Like Other Girls (particularly with the hockey players’ girlfriends), but that changed over the course of the book. The second was grief at how many people and institutions failed Daunis and her community, both within and without. Just as one example, even though Daunis is a confidential informant for the FBI, the FBI doesn’t come out of this story as a Good Guy.

K. Imani: I was torn by the ending too. I so wanted justice for Daunis and Lily and for others who were murdered, but on the other hand life doesn’t always have a happy ending and I recognize that Boulley gave us that horribly realistic ending because the fight for missing and murdered Indigenous women continues and the fight for justice for Indigenous peoples. It was a heartbreaking reminder of a very real issue. On the other hand, I was so proud of Daunis as well. She was able to achieve her goals of helping out the FBI while staying true to herself and her community. She grew so much as a character and really found her place in her world.

Crystal: The ending gave me much to think about too. Daunis grew a lot as she worked through this complicated puzzle in her community. She learned much about herself and some of the assumptions folks have about others. I also really, really wanted justice, but unfortunately, would be unlikely in real life with our current justice system. I also found Jamie’s growth to be interesting. He is truly struggling with his own identity as an adopted child with Cherokee roots, but no Cherokee teachings or culture to turn to. I don’t know if a sequel or companion book is planned, but I would be interested in seeing more of their journeys whether their paths cross again or not.

Jessica: Audrey, thanks so much for leading this discussion! Now I have a question for you all -- what YA books by/about BIPOC are you reading right now?

For AAPI month, I’m rereading Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario. After that, I’m planning on reading The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He, Apple: Skin to the Core by Eric Gansworth, and Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart! Yes, my TBR pile is excellent. :P

Audrey: Next up on my list are The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani, Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur, and Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud. I feel like that’s a pretty good mix of genres and authors right there!

K. Imani: Since I’m needing some inspiration for my vampire manuscript, I’m re-reading and new reading some vampire novels. Currently I am reading Fledgling by Octavia Butler then up next is Renee Ahdieh’s series The Beautiful and the sequel The Damned.

Crystal: I just re-read Saints & Misfits and then dove into the sequel Misfit in Love. S.K. Ali is an author that I really enjoy and I am loving it so far. Next up is American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar along with Love & Other Natural Disasters by Misa Sugiura. I also think my TBR is pretty stellar.

If you've had the chance to read FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER, please join in the discussion below! We'd love to hear what you think.

#firekeeper's daughter #weneeddiversebooks #group discussion #contemporary #thriller

[sun-undone]

You asked for Druck opinion questions - so here goes one: What are your 3 favourite Druck seasons and the best things about each one? Plus, one thing in each you'd like to change/improve?

ooooooh thank you for this! 

my top 3 druck seasons are hands-down 3, 5, and 6, in that order

i’m gonna talk a lot from memory and not really looking back at any notes that i have for these seasons so i apologize in advance if i forget about some things

let’s start with the best things from each of those seasons first

season 3: it’s really really hard to choose just one thing as being the best from this season, cause there���s just so much good in it. but i think i’d have to say that the thing that really makes druck season 3 stand out so so so much to me is how the writers really said “okay we see isak and even, we see them, we appreciate them, and we’re going to respectfully do our own thing thank you very much”. they completely switched up their isak and even characters, not just by making david trans instead of bipolar, but by changing their entire personalities and dynamic together. it’s so DIFFERENT and fresh and hits me in a personal way that i have to say has been even more poignant than how isak and even hit me when i first got into skam all those years ago. matteo and david really just feel like they are characters that have been specially made with my personal tastes in mind, and i KNOW that i’m not even close to being the only one who sees so much of myself reflected in parts of both of their personalities. i love when remakes switch things up, especially with the beloved isak season, and druck really went there with no fear. they made that shit their own, and the ways in which they did so just happen to pluck at my heartstrings so perfectly.

season 5: this season is just so well-crafted, i think a lot of people would agree in saying that it’s druck’s most well-written season. you can really tell that a ton of work went into the overall story arc, properly addressing very touchy subjects like alcoholism and mental illness, introducing all of these new characters, just EVERYTHING. and what a huge fucking task that is, putting out a new season almost completely from scratch right after pissing off all of your fans. but they fucking delivered. there’s so much good in this season, too, so it’s tough to pick just one element to be the very best. but honestly, i think i’ve gotta say mina’s acting??? i was WORRIED about what the acting would be like in the new gen because i was so impressed by the old gen actors and their ability to really make each of their characters so distinct and personable. so going into the new gen, my expectations were already low for a lot of reasons, and i was kind of expecting to just not be as convinced by the actors and therefore not be able to fall in love with most, if any, of the characters. AND BOY WAS I WRONG. i do think a few of the actors were a bit rocky at first, which was also the case with the old gen so i’m not bothered by that at all, but damn they really stepped it up and blew me away once they all found their footing and chemistry with one another, especially mina. i think she’s the second best actor in all of druck (behind michi and maybe tied with or just above anselm), which is insane considering how young she is. she absolutely killed everything she was given and completely drew me into this season that i was fully expecting to not be able to connect to. i really do think that if someone else had played nora, season 5 and the new gen in general would’ve had a much rockier start. she led us into this new generation of characters with such warmth and natural, charismatic talent, and she deserves so so so much credit for that. she had great material, yes, but she really put in the fucking work.

season 6: okay so i still haven’t rewatched season 6 cause i’ve been a tad preoccupied with a different obsession at the moment, BUT i still just know that this season is fantastic and groundbreaking by giving us a biracial couple with no white person in it, a black lesbian main with a learning disability, and tackling performative activism and racism in a really grounded, realistic way. other remakes could never. just like in other druck seasons, it is incredibly obvious that the team worked their asses off to make this season, especially in light of all the covid restrictions. i'm hesitant to name the best thing about this season because i haven’t rewatched it, so i don’t wanna miss something. i WILL say that the soundtrack for this season is fucking phenomenal and has introduced me to so many new artists, particularly artists of color, which i appreciate so much. druck’s soundtracks are always amazing imo, but fatou’s just has something extra to it that i can’t quite put my finger on. maybe it’s just simply most aligned with my own personal tastes, i really don’t know, but it’s fucking brilliant. i also do have to say that i really appreciate how fleshed out kieu my is as a full character, not just as a love interest. she definitely has an advantage from being introduced in the previous season, but the writers could’ve easily made her stagnant once she and fatou started getting together. but NO, they made her even MORE interesting. she really got a full arc along with fatou, and i just love her so fucking much. once i rewatch, maybe i’ll make another post with a more complete answer, but that’s what i’ve got just from my memories of watching the season live.

now onto the thing i would change/improve for each season (i’ll try to keep this more brief because jesus christ why do i talk so much)

season 3: it’s obvious, isn’t it? david’s outing was done poorly, the execution of episode 8 in general was weird and out of place, it’s the only time that i really felt like the show was relying on shock value and drama (maybe even trauma porn) instead of good writing and conflict. there was a way to teach the audience about trans issues and experiences without subjecting david to that pain and also without having him just be absent for so much of the season. in conclusion, the season needed more david but never at his expense.

season 5: i really think that this season is druck’s absolute best in terms of writing and pacing, so it’s hard to find something that i was disappointed by (i would put this season above season 3 if i wasn't so damn emotionally attached to 3). i’m really racking my brains trying to think of something, anything, that bothered me, no matter how small it was. the only thing i can think of is that i remember a few music moments that felt forced or badly edited to me, but that’s literally all that’s coming to mind right now.

season 6: this season definitely wasn’t as well-paced as season 5, but there’s still not many glaring narrative issues that i can remember. there were a few smaller things throughout the season, but nothing too major. the one that i would most like to change is the stupid tinder/”cheating but not really” thing at the end of episode 8 (i think that’s the right episode number). it was just unnecessary and then completely forgotten about by the writers and characters, which shows how unnecessary it really was. 

ask me some opinions about druck, wir kinder vom bahnhof zoo, or really anything!

#druck

[thejudgingtrash]

Last but not least: PJO hot takes part IV!

Alright my dudes. I think we’re still in this game for one final round. Anyway here’s wonderwall. And Part 1//Part 2//Part 3!

Percy had actually knowledge about the Greek myths. He didn’t waddle in blindly. Where did y’all even get that?

The new possible Irish myth saga will be PJO 3.0 aka Magnus Chase 2.0 aka The Kane Chronicles 1.2.

Riordan already got the names of gods of that possible saga wrong

Riordan‘s Asian characters only know bitch or bland mode, huh

Stop babying Annabeth for fucks sake. Seriously

How the fuck did Sally afford several private schools for Percy when they were poor as fuck? I guess Gabe had to have a some somewhat decent job but then again playing poker/being a gambler and stealing from your stepson ain’t a cute move

Hazel should’ve been Thanatos‘ kid. To break the classic 12 Olympian mold (yeah Hades/Pluto technically isn’t one but he’s still team major gods) and also to throw the damned Hitler/Pluto aesthetics away

Did any of the kids break their limps or get permanently disabled at some point? Or do they just... die (and mostly stay dead)? I forgot

Where can the kids at Camp Half-Blood actually sneak off to fuck? Percy is legit the only one to claim his own shit as his love bunker. The rest is just fucked I guess or has first hand traumatic pre-college experiences

”Percy cursed“. Literally why, Riordan. Let the kid say fuck. He has earned the rights to do so a long time ago

Did I mention that people lack of basic reading skills in earlier takes? Anyway. Here’s another reminder!

Tbh the gods are egotistical fucks and have killed people for the fuck of it. I don’t see Poseidon being even close to okay with Sally marrying Gabe or Paul

I still don’t understand why Frazel is a thing

Most of you don’t understand how movie production works but that’s okay. Just know that everything inside your head will never be realized and there will be drastic cuts and additions to the books (again)

The electronics not working thing doesn’t even make any goddamn sense? Hermes is the god of the Internet. Does this mean that demigods can use the web just fine but simply can’t call each other? This really came back to bite Riordan in the ass now did it? Wouldn’t it make more sense to use old means of communication once you’re trying to reach more important/godly people or electronics fail in an accute situation?

Turning everyone heteroflexible creates the image that you’re simply liking a character for the fact that they are LGBTQ and not the character itself, just saying. More representation sure, but that itself isn’t a personality trait and shouldn’t be the main focus of a character unless it’s really defining in the story line (Nico‘s arc partially for example)

Tbh, HOO should’ve been aged up mentor Percabeth protecting CHB, with the rest of the gang fucking up Greece with aged Reyna + Nico perhaps. I might post an outline on that AU someday (someone should remind me about that tho)

On one hand you have in depth discussions and people diving into the matter and talking about every nook and cranny and on the other hand people are more then just fine with stereotyping and deflecting. Whut. Okay

Why are people shipping the lie that is Jasper/Jasiper

Stop romanticizing the gods

Dark!Percy is just a cheap way for you to turn Percy into an overpowered asshole and that’s that tea

Being in a relationship isn’t a personality trait, my dear shippers

Riordan‘s timeline is off because the coke rush didn’t last that long

The wasted potential of everything past PJO makes me want to cry

Percy’s fatal flaw isn’t stupid, Riordan just didn’t flesh it out properly which is why there were no real repercussions. A fatal flaw is supposed to be hindering you and not a compliment

The fact that adult people still can’t take jokes about their favorite characters is fucking insane part II

Why the fuck did the Stolls get tossed aside? Bruh. The potential? The stigma as a Hermes kid? They trying to redeem their cabins honor? Imagine one of them as a prophecy kid in HOO (and they’d switch and swap to confuse everyone)? Yes??

Every single one of you that essentially is team poc!Percy because he had a rough upbringing deserves to get slapped. Poverty, abuse, a single parent, etc. doesn’t equate to being poc?!?!? Smells racist just saying

Turning Hazel into Nico‘s sister was cheap af

Stop romanticizing and down playing the myth aspect. Tragedy is essential and will haunt demigods. Thank you, next

Also stop babying Percy

Let’s be honest none of those fuckers make it to college

Annabeth Chase is fucking WHITE part II. She’s not biracial, she’s not ”exotic“, she’s certainly not fucking black. She’s white with a little hint of a tan. That still makes her white. Do you really want to turn her into Ariana Grande 2.0? A fucking botched orange? This is your Annabeth aesthetic? Artists get it fucking right unless you state that you portray her as [spraytan headcanon] which is still fucking cheap let’s be real. Orange Annabeth isn’t part of the kulture

Regardless of the reception of the PJO movies, I’ll never forgive you people for letting Logan Lerman aka the OG white boy™ flop. Throw Tom “lipless but okay booty“ Holland and Timothée ”I missed a few meals“ Chalamet the fuck away!

Tbh a less romanticized version of the camps would’ve been more interesting. I’m still put off by CJ (and also the fact that CHB is a summer camp), but had there been more fights and actual deaths that had happened around the camps due to training, etc. you would’ve understood immediately why demigods dipped before the age of 18. The antithetical nature of sweet summer camp and people dying left and right would’ve been amplified

Did Reyna at some point in time even have the time to breath with all of the shit that went down? Her life is simply 24/7 stressful. I get that she wanted to bounce and no longer be in a tiring and demanding position but the hunters ain’t it sis

It’s okay to admit that fanon artwork or fanfics don’t deserve the webspace they are wasting. But phrase that probably in a nicer way

PJO Calypso wasn’t annoying. HOO & TOA Calypso on the other hand...

Alex Pettyfer would’ve been a better Luke Castellan but Jake Abel did an okay job

Percy isn’t an idiot. You are one for believing so

Riordan corrected the stance that Muslims don’t shower during Ramadan (literally how in the fuck did he come up with that in the first place?!) in upcoming MC books. Can he use the same energy to rewrite HOO tho??

Luke’s portrayals in SoM and TTC were straight up trash

Historically accurate PJO would’ve been everything

Monsters can detect demigods by smell. Camo wouldn’t do jack shit ffs

Jason is still bland and making jokes/pointing that out is more than okay

Omfg accept the fact that characters can have multiple facets all good and bad. Reducing them to one specific trait makes them boring and bland. Also it stereotypes

Getting mad over the fact that Clarisse has a boyfriend is still fucking insane

Not everyone needs to be a fanfic writer or an artist, a theorist or someone that analyzes everything phrase by phrase. As long as you’re in the fandom to enjoy works & discussions and remain on the saner side of the spectrum you’re good. You’re valid. Don’t forget that.

Not wanting to stay in a fandom and merely enjoying some of the fruits/benefits as in art/fics/headcanons is also super valid

PJO Reddit, Tumblr, IG and Twitter are a cesspool of chaotic mess and straight up trash but Tumblr > Reddit >>>>>> IG >>>>>> Twitter

Tbh: just try to enjoy a decent book series. It’s all not that deep

#pjo #annabeth chase #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson #heroes of olympus #jason grace #hazel levesque #piper mclean #frank zhang #luke castellan #nico di angelo #reyna ramirez arellano #hoo #toa #pjo hot takes

[cloveroctobers]

ROBERT “BOBBY” MCKENZIE —

IG info/bio : @/returnofdamckenzie | 426k followers | @/mclitgs2 is my forever boo🤟🏽😍 while @/cardib is my WIFE! She just doesn’t know it yet ❤️ support my work & be part of my family: @/bobbymckcares

24 (25) years young

Born in Dundee, raised in Glasgow, Scotland

Jamaican father named Badrick who is a African studies professor

Caucasian/Scottish mother named Catriona who used to be a au pair but now works as a receptionist in senior living — one eye is honey hazel and the other a dark brown

It was difficult growing up in a school that didn’t accept Bobby being biracial, it resulted in bullying to the point where he needed to switch schools (A lawsuit was also in place) The next school was slightly better but Bobby slowly learned to accept himself as it was not something he could control and not something he would want to in the first place. He was proud of where he came from and never thought he was better or less than anyone else, that wasn’t how he was raised

He’s an only child, his parents thought about adopting (and fostering) but with Bobby they had their hands full and he was just enough for them

His family is very family-oriented so he would never have to feel lonely since they gave him a lot of attention, slightly making him spoiled but he was also around his cousins & spending time with them as well

He’s extremely close to his younger cousin (only by a few months) Femi who he views as his sister. They’ve been through a lot together and are always there for each other so it only makes sense

Most likely an active kid always up to some sort of shenanigans whether it’s by himself or with his group of friends, “why would you do that Bobby?” “Don’t ask why but ask, why not!?”

Definitely suffered some broken bones, concussions, & sprain injuries but would never show signs of pain...guys got a high pain tolerance that’s for sure

Fan of films/series “stand by me” & “the goonies” & “scooby doo” since he feels they relate to his life??

Hospital caterer and loves making those feel better with food that he’s created. If he can’t put a smile on patients face with words then he feels like he can show them with food

Food is an art to him. He went to school for culinary & it’s very important for him to show how much it is to him. He picked up the craft from of course his family, who always used food for numerous of things: to bring people together is one of them

Perfected Jerk haggis, it is now he favorite dish next to desert & breakfast!

I’m struggling to figure out what sign he maybe? He’s very playful which may come off as childish at times, which makes me think of Leo? (Maybe Gemini?) Only because they usually hold onto their childhood as best as they can, very generous, & give their energy to you but I also don’t see him being a fire sign at all? So maybe very little Leo in his chart. I also feel like he might be a bit of an empath? He knows when situations around him don’t feel right, knows how to read the room, and always wants to help others by lighting things up.

Idk but I’m feeling he’s libra sun + Gemini moon + Leo rising? Who knows

Probably lived in a 2 bed flat with his old uni mate. It was small and a bit shit but it was their shit and they made the best of it

Now lives in a stone cottage or farmhouse with MC that was built in the 1900’s & is slightly haunted. He’s decided to call them Duncan??? But he believes they’re a good spirit, maybe even a friendly ghost!? since he got comfortable with the bizarre happenings in the new flat & it doesn’t seem like they want to hurt them

Lottie offered to bring her ouija board next time she visited—Bobby declined

House is mostly neutral based but three of the rooms in the flat are covered in ridiculous patterned walls or furniture much to MC’s distaste but, “what’s yours is mine” right? No. But Gary approves!

Has two dogs: a terrier & a collie since MC wasn’t down for getting a sheep

They do have chickens to raise their own eggs tho!

Definitely the kind of significant other that will ride on the cart when they’re out grocery shopping, will make you breakfast in bed, & will send you memes while he’s at home and you’re out or even when he’s at work and you’re at home, let’s you put his arm to sleep when you’re laying on it in bed (big ass head gang!), definitely chooses the candles from bath & body works that smell like food items (majority of them suck let’s be honest)

Probably smells like cucumber, melons, lemons, and eucalyptus

Has your wedding date in his IG bio & is proud

Annoys Gary & Lottie with his food pics, “oh, Not this shit again! 😡 looks brilliant, but enough!”

Has zoom/FaceTime movie nights with Marisol & MC who stopped feeling like she was third-wheeling months ago

Talks to hope & Noah (in the background) as much as he can. Feels like they’re his inspiration for love, even tho he’s the only one married out of the villa

He values marriage just like his parents do and often has Sunday dinners with them & MC ofc

Probably has relationship guide books and only reads them out of boredom but finds fascinating facts/advice if he pays attention & tries to apply it to his relationship with mc. If it works, it works! & If it doesn’t, you can’t say he didn’t try!

Works long hours but will still come home to cook for MC or brings leftovers from the events he’s catered (most are for the hospital but occasionally he’ll do other events)

Has a separate IG for his work

When WAP dropped, he almost lost his shit. Even tried to get MC to do the challenge with him, he’s pretty bad but MC eventually learned it just for him 😜

Is thrilled that Cardi made the best decision EVER on divorcing offset, “are you thinking of leaving me now?” “... I might.” “BOBBY!” “Haha, I love you!

Absolutely loves Christmas!!! It’s his favorite holiday and he loves giving back to everyone in his life. Usually he’s working overtime for the holidays & it makes him emotional due to the stories he hears & he puts a little extra love in his food

Goes all out for Christmas. Tries to buy/make everyone something. Even if he doesn’t really care for them...he’ll at least send them a x-mas card, if they keep it or burn it it’s entirely up to them—if he knew about it he’d probably be a little sad not gonna lie...he’s a soft king

Once bought Lottie black crocs with spooky pins , “are you joking Bobby?!” He knows she secretly loved them

Uses salt and peppermint in his dark hot cocoa...

Rather make deserts for Christmas than the food, he feels like it’s his duty

King of giving the thumbs up, especially when situations have gone to shit. He’ll still shoot them up with a smile or a grimace

Always inviting someone somewhere. “Bobby, hun. You’re 4-6 hrs away and it’s 1 am.” Hope groaned after listening to his bright idea, thinking something bad happened. “Ah, you could still make it if you tried, lassie.” “I’m gonna hang up now. Good night, bonkers man.”

Needs constant reminding when to get his locs touched up & moisturized

Either has a trampoline or a funhouse jumper in his backyard (maybe both) “we’ve got the space and this is better than a pool, or almost!”

Wants children, a whole footie team! There’s no specific time frame for him, when it happens, it happens

Used to cool & wet temps & loves vacationing in Greenland. Sure the hot weather he experienced in the villa was awesome & something different than what he’s used to but you can’t take the scot out of the man. So he typically sticks to places that are similar in temps, that way he doesn’t have to change his clothing choices much

Loves a good bath. Bubble baths are better than bath bombs to him, PERIOD!

Loves bubbles so much he put too much laundry detergent in the wash (does this on purpose now) and came back home to the dogs and room covered in it. Do you think he cleaned it up before MC came home? No. He decided to have a bubble party in the room with a Caribbean playlist playing in the background

MC definitely posted about it the first time & joined him for a bit, dreading the work that came with cleaning it all up. Now whenever Bobby needs a bubble party, he knows what to do. MC preferred him to have his little bubble party in the tub but 50% of the time he chooses not to listen & they leave him to pout & clean it himself

Likes to hold hands with fingers interlocked. When it’s cold and if you’re both wearing hoodies, he’ll slide his hand inside the arm of your hoodie to help keep you warm

Canon: His version of a snack is spaghetti hoops on toast & can eat that for the rest of his life & be content

If he didn’t end up marrying MC, probably finds his significant other working as a nurse at one of the hospitals he caters to or a volunteer at a old folks home

Never had a serious relationship, very few hookups, was either always placed in the friend zone or there was one person he wanted to be serious with but they rejected him and continued loving someone else who treated them like shit—so he kinda swore off of relationships and just flirted a bunch and kept his love life non-existent

Fav ice cream? Rocky road ice cream with one scoop of cotton candy & one scoop of cookie butter blue

Doesn’t believe in measuring when it comes to culinary. He uses his eyes as his measurement, could be a bad thing, could be a good thing, that’s up to you

If he’s up at night, he’s eating something sweet. A nice glass of single malt scotch whiskey + a splash of coconut milk (🤢) with a slice of angel food cake & he’s out like a light

Absolutely loves shopping for the kitchen, finds immense joy in doing so. If you lose him in a store, one of the places you’ll most likely find him is in the kitchen decor area

Owns a bagpipe & wants to get better at it, even tho he scared the living shit out of his dogs & chickens

Wears his shades quite a bit even tho the weather is hardly sunny and mainly windy & damp

Will hold the door for strangers even if they don’t say thank you

He’s open when it comes to music. Will listen to anything but feels like the music has to be a purpose for something...Everything he does in his day to day life has to feel like a soundtrack to him since in his mind he’s daydreaming about his life being made into a movie. Who isn’t?

He thinks wentworth Miller should play him in a film and that kid from blackish should play him when he was a wee lad, Marcus Scribner

Always keeps a positive attitude because he knows what it feels like to feel low and he doesn’t want anybody else in the world to feel like that so he wants to uplift and if he can try to be someone’s happiness he’ll gladly be that— which isn’t always the right move, he learned

Listens to: Rotimi, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Skip Marley, H.E.R., Jhene Aiko, Jorja Smith, UMI, The Kooks, The Killers, Cold War kids, Milky chance, Blood Orange, The 1975, Vampire Weekend, Bad Suns, BRYSON TILLER, Kilo Kish, & Ella Eyre (although he misses her old music)

Celeb crushes? Cardi B is his mfkin celeb wife okay?! Nobody else comes above her! He also thinks FKA twigs is pretty & super talented, sevdaliza!, Tia & Tamera, Iman, and brandy from the 90s makes him swoon

Anthem = jaden, “Boys and Girls”

#litg #litg s2 #litg2 #litg Bobby #litg au #litg headcanon #litg headcanons #litg gary #litg lottie #litg marisol #litg mc #litg hope #you asked and you shall receive

[kenzirobinthoughts]

Colin Bridgerton Love Story

Georgia and Colin is a new story about a plus sized biracial girl who falls in love with Colin Bridgerton. Written for @theshyprincess and this is only chapter 1! I will be posting more, the frequency depends on the reaction this first bit gets

Chapter 1: The Promenade 

Words: 1298

Georgia Devonshire had spent the majority of her life unloved. As an only child, all of her family’s fortunes were up to her. With her father always busy with work, she was left to the devices of her mother. Lady Devonshire was a beautiful woman. Her skin was almost porcelain white, with jet black hair and blue eyes. She relished in her beauty and was so excited when little Georgia came out as a perfect mix between her and her husband. The blue eyes were striking against her darker skin, and the black hair had the texture of her father’s. It only took a year and a half for Georgia to start gaining what was seen as unseemly weight. Lady Devonshire refused to pick up such a heavy baby and tried many times to get the staff to feed her less. Alas, no matter what she did, Georgia was heavy set. It broke her heart. This resulted in a childhood full of withheld meals, direct and indirect insults, and the assumption that no man would ever marry her for love or attraction.

In the summer after Georgia’s sixteenth birthday, she was preparing to come out. Both she and her mother were full of dread at the prospect, but there was nothing else to be done. Lady Devonshire had been unable to produce any more children, much to the dismay of her Lord, and so all of her eggs were in this basket. She did not hold out much hope. There was, however, a sliver of hope which still existed in Georgia’s heart. Despite the lack of attention she’d received, she still held onto her dream of walking into her first ball and getting swept off her feet by a handsome suitor. At her first ball, she was sorely disappointed. She watched from the sidelines as almost every single other young lady got asked to dance. Their dresses twirled so prettily, and laughter rang out. Some of it was probably exaggerated, but Georgia didn’t care. Even if she was going to be miserable and pretending to be happy on the dance floor, that would be better than not being a part of the fray at all. Two balls later, Georgia began to think she would never get the opportunity to pretend to laugh at the joke of a suitor. She would die old and alone, a disgrace to her family. The thought was almost too much to bear. She left that ball early, with a tutting mother in tow. Most of the season passed uneventfully for her. One by one, the girls she would talk to at events got engaged, leaving Georgia alone to wonder about her future. Of course, she was happy for the other girls, but she was also jealous. Every time someone proposed, it was one less eligible man out there. Not that Georgia really thought any of those men would be interested in her. She wasn’t holding out hope but giving up wasn’t an option. Even if she knew without a doubt that her efforts would be fruitless, she had to try. For her parents, because in their eyes this was her only purpose. This was her one chance to redeem how disappointing she’d been her entire life. She had to try for herself, because this was her chance to get out. To possibly be appreciated for her skills and personality which her parents continually ignored. Most people did, in fact. It was as if her fat was some kind of shield, and it prevented people from actually seeing her at all. Despite her beauty, people’s eyes always glossed right over her. Bigger was most certainly not better, and no one in the ton seemed keen to let her forget that. So, at a late season picnic, Georgia was quite surprised when a young man kept glancing her way. She promenaded with her only friend who was still single, Cora. She thought him much too attractive to be paying her any mind. “Is it my imagination, or is that young man looking at me?” Georgia asked. Cora followed her gaze and gasped in excitement. “That young man is Colin Bridgerton, and he most certainly is looking at you!” Georgia’s breath escaped her when she heard his name. Everyone knew of the Bridgertons, of course, but Georgia hadn’t met them. Her family’s social status wasn’t quite high enough to interact with Bridgertons. She’d seen him at a couple of balls during the summer but hadn’t known his name. While most of the other girls memorized names and faces of gentlemen, Georgia had chosen to focus on bettering herself. If she couldn’t be attractive, she would become the best mother there was. A good wife, too, if any man would allow her the opportunity. The best she’d hoped for was an older gentleman without other prospects who would give her children. But Colin could give her so much more. He looked away, and Georgia’s hope fell just as quickly as his gaze. “I’m sure he was looking at you, Cora,” Georgia said, her voice as plain and unemotional as she could manage to make it. “You’re so beautiful. You’ve had two proposals already.” Cara blushed and said, “Not from the one that matters.” She looked across the vast lawn toward a group of men. She’d been in love with the same man since she was a young girl, Elliot Abberton. The two of them had long been friends, but he didn’t seem to see that she wanted more. It frustrated Cara to no end, and consequently Georgia as well, having to hear about it so often. “He’ll come around someday, Cara,” Georgia reassured her, and she believed it. Cara was kind and beautiful and loved him with her whole heart. If Georgia herself couldn’t have a happy ending, she found comfort in knowing her friend would. She would simply have to. “I think we should walk over by the Bridgerton boys,” Cara suggested, already steering them in that direction. “We cannot!” Georgia protested. But she was being pulled along, and as they got closer it became more apparent that Colin was indeed looking at her. She was convinced it couldn’t possibly be because he found her attractive. She was just too large to be considered seriously romantically, or so everyone had always said. He strolled a bit away from his family’s tent to be closer to the path, a bounce to his step. Colin was a mixture of boyish charm and impassioned intent as he walked. It was all Georgia could do to not gasp when she saw him up close. He was beautiful. A warm and inviting smile, a sparkle in his brown eyes, and hair she wanted to run her fingers through. She shook those thoughts out of her head. “I must have an introduction,” He proclaimed when they reached each other. “Oh, you must?” Georgia asked him with just a hint of attitude. Cara nudged her but Colin just laughed. “My name is Colin Bridgerton. I would be delighted to find out yours.” His smile became a bit shy, but he didn’t back down. He waited expectantly for Georgia to make her way out of shock and respond to him. That didn’t happen. It was Cara who said, “This is Miss Georgia Devonshire.” Hearing her name snapped her back to reality and she gave a small curtsy. Colin quickly returned it with a bow. “A pleasure, Miss Devonshire,” he said, taking her hand to kiss. She blushed as he did so, and then his mother was calling him away, and he bounded back to his tent. After this encounter, Georgia couldn’t sleep for days. She wandered about her house with her head firmly in the clouds, replaying the brief conversation over and over again.

#colin bridgerton #bridgerton #chapter one #fanfic #kenzie writes #biracial #plus size #big girl love #romance

[wthelvetica21]

Linked Souls (Updated Version) MSA X TLT Crossover AU

Mystery Skulls X The Living Tombstone Crossover Alternate Universe

————————————————————————————————                                         The Basic Synopsis ———————————————————————————————— After Shinomori retreats back underground after a standstill with Lewis and Mystery, the Mystery Skulls gang spot the possessed green arm scurrying away to an underground cave in the dessert near Tempo which was rumored to have a old mining site where there is an elevator that is thought to be a gateway to the afterlife since people have heard faint music. They find the elevator and end up in what appears to be a cabaret where they meet a group of what appears to be cyborgs or robots with stylized skulls on their faces calling themselves The Living Tombstone. Something or someone is causing both of their universes to bleed in with each other to where a few canon versions of the characters of each universe appears. It is unknown weather if it’s a cataclysmic event or something else entirely. Both Lewis and zero_one have the ability Linked Souls were they are synchronized with each other and make mashups of their songs by mixing up vocals and switching instrumentals making something new and exciting. ————————————————————————————————                         Group Dynamics (Main Characters) ———————————————————————————————— Lewis & zero_one They get along pretty well, but it later becomes a bromance. Lewis seems to sense the human presence within zero_one and gains an empathetic link with them as soon as he entered TLT’s universe. Lewis and zero_one both had visions of their transformation into what they are. Both of them want to know what it all means. Little do they know they have more in common than both of them think, at least at first. ———————————————————————————————— Arthur & Rust Rust found Arthur annoying at first but gradually gains some respect for him once he repairs is star speeder despite coming from the distant future. And Arthur reminds Rust in a lot of ways to zero_one and often cracks some jokes that Arthur is a parallel universe version to the human that zero_one is merged with. Arthur was a tad intimidated at first but likes getting into discussions about machines and general mechanics often. ———————————————————————————————— Vivi, Tesla, & Armstrong Armstrong is rather polite towards Vivi and calls her “Miss Yukino” in a formal almost mentor like manner. While Tesla tends to affectionately call her “Liebchen” (much to Lewis’ annoyance) and has gone so far as to lend is bassmenship to Mystery Skulls if an opportunity arrives. Vivi finds both of them pretty cool and nice to be around, Armstrong in particular reminds her a lot of Lance. ———————————————————————————————— Mystery & Doc They are rather chill with each other. Doc was surprised and impressed that a dog could even play the drums at all. But once he talked Doc’s only reply was “hah.. That’s not your real form isn’t it?” And Mystery finds her and the other tomesonas to be particularly interesting since they are a lot like Lewis but are made through synthetic or non-supernatural means. ———————————————————————————————— Arthur & zero_one Both of them enjoy each other’s company, almost like brothers. Both have confided with each other about their traumas. Rust has gone so far as to say albeit jokingly that Arthur is a parallel version of zero_one’s human component given their personalities and bad luck. ———————————————————————————————— Lewis & Rust They have a bitter rivalry on who’s the best vocalist ; overtime it becomes an unspoken respect for one another. ————���——————————————————————————— Arthur & Armstrong Armstrong acts more like a father to Arthur and Arthur in kind looks at Armstrong like his uncle Lance. Both have shared the stories about their arms (even though Arthur only told Armstrong about losing his arm in an accident). ———————————————————————————————— Lewis & Doc Lewis finds her cool to be around and they where both born in Louisiana and have pride in their shared Cajun heritage. Doc is curious on how  Lewis’s locket can contain the deadbeats and if they are pieces of his soul. ————————————————————————————————                       Dynamics with Minor Characters ———————————————————————————————— Lewis & Skulldude* (from Drunk *: TLT Canon Version) Lewis has this oddly familiar feeling similar to that of zero_one but doesn’t have that empathic link. Also he considers him just as annoyingly neurotic as Arthur if not more so but tolerates it nonetheless. Skulldude* was at first surprised that Lewis was a ghost but seems oddly unfazed. Lewis couldn’t tell if he was just that drunk or he was telling the truth. One time after a particularly bad bender, Skulldude* figuratively and literally spilled his guts about his problems while talking to Lewis. Suffice it to say that day was painfully awkward. ———————————————————————————————— Vivi & Haru (from Sunburn) They clicked very shortly, they both geek out over yokai and cryptids. Haru reminds Vivi a lot of her co-worker Cloe. Also they are into anime and cosplay much to dismay of Mystery and every one else. ———————————————————————————————— Mystery & Hina (from Sunburn) Hina seems unfazed by Mystery’s kitsune form then most characters, she thinks it’s cool that a kitsune has a black and red coat coloring. As for Mystery, she reminds him (albeit to an uncomfortable degree) of Mushi, not so much in looks or demeanor but in her strong unflinching spirit. ————————————————————————————————      Major Differences from the Canon Universes ———————————————————————————————— Mystery Skulls ———————————————————————————————— * Before Lewis could get to the crashed van, he spots Shinomori trying to kill Mystery and Vivi ; he was pissed off enough to put aside his revenge just for a moment to nip an ugly tree lady in the bud. She reappears later still looking not only for Mystery but for Lewis and another soul in the Living Tombstone’s universe that has caught her interest. * Arthur, Vivi, & even Mystery can take on temporary ghost forms similar to Lewis but with different elemental affinities and themes to them.    * Arthur: electricity (Steampunk Frankenstein’s monster)    * Vivi: Ice (a Yukiona with Modern Winter Clothes)    * Mystery: darkness and light (a classical kitsune) * They also can summon deadbeats as well but they are not as numerous as Lewis’.  Tesla thinks it might be because there are certain limitations on what they could do while they are in TLT’s universe. It is possible that both their universes will begin to collapse if they push their ghost forms too far. *  But for whatever reason that Tesla can’t explain and is fascinated by is that Lewis and zero_one can synchronize with each other (what he coins as the Linked Souls) without any ill effects (that he knows of). * Lewis gain’s tomesona like characteristics like his human face being more visible under his floating skull and his pompadour turning into a helmet. ———————————————————————————————— The Living Tombstone ———————————————————————————————— * SkullDude (Or Drunk Guy) from the Drunk music video is the one bonded to zero_one in this crossover AU because it would be a little more convenient than pulling a random OC out of nowhere. Also I thought it be an interesting juxtaposition between the bulky, stoic but hot headed ghost Lewis and the scrawny, somewhat sanguine, but sorta neurotic zero_one!Skulldude (though he’s a tad more mellowed out then his canon counterpart and has amnesia but can somehow recognize his prime self much to his dismay). That and I think it’s a missed opportunity that he’s barely a minor character in the TLT’s canon lore of zero_one. But canon!Skulldude does some appearances every now and again. (Mostly for comic relief)    * A little tidbit for reference, apparently in the canon lore Skulldude is a separate character from the person who sings “drunk” who DOES become zero_one. So he’s a composite character in this Crossover AU. * The tomesonas have the ability to somewhat show they’re human forms. They generally have pale unnatural skin complexion and have glowing blood veins correspondent to their color. But the most gruesome parts are covered by clothing sans Armstrong. With zero_one however is unknown but it is assumed by Tesla that it was worse than the process the others went through when they bonded with their tombsonas. He can however reveal his face revealing a similar looking face mask to the canon version but it’s orange and is not a fake replica that was almost permanently glued onto his face as part of a cruel joke while he was hungover by his roommate who he believed was his long time friend in both timelines. * For zero_one, his linked soul form gives him ghost like characteristics like visible ribs outside his suit and a single glowing pupil in his left eye.

Edit  The Tombsona’s also have different host in this AU as well. 

Doc is a woman in her late 20s, Armstrong is a huskier gentleman who’s is his 30’s, And Tesla has a side burns and goatee and in his early 20s. Rust is possibly biracial but his skin is so discolored it’s hard to actually tell.

#tlt zero_one #lewis pepper #mystery skulls animated #the living tombstone #au crossover #basic outline #fanfic #my master project #linkedsoulsau

[astralbooks]

The Art of Saving the World - Corinne Duyvis

Read: 17/09/2020-18/09/2020

Rating: 4/5

Rep: questioning asexual lesbian main character with undiagnosed anxiety, chinese-american side character, biracial chinese american side character, queer side characters with endometriosis & anxiety

CW: panic attacks, homophobia, violence, hospitals, hospitalisation of a family member, comas, guns, government organisations, suicide

Review: 

I enjoyed reading this book! I was able to read it very quickly, and the story drew me in right from the start.

The Art of Saving the World is a fantasy story masquerading as sci-fi, which is something that the characters themselves are surprised by once this fact makes itself known. The mysterious government agency (or MGA, as it’s literally called in the book) are convinced that there’s a scientific explanation for the rift, but they’re wrong. I really liked the real explanation of what the rift is, why it’s there, and what makes Hazel so important. This book is an examination, possibly even a deconstruction, of the chosen one trope, and I’m a sucker for that sort of thing.

Nothing about this book’s cover or description indicates that one of the major characters is literally a dragon. I was delighted at this surprise dragon, and she also turned out to be a very entertaining character to read about, which made it even better. The moment that I realised there was a dragon in this I put the book down so I could excitedly message my partner to let them know that the book I was reading had a dragon in it! Loving dragons is ace culture, that’s just how it is. Since this book’s publication Duyvis has talked openly about Neven’s existence, so I don’t consider it a spoiler even though her being there was a surprise to me, and I hope that there being a dragon in the book makes more people want to read it.

(Also at one point the dragon takes a group selfie with the Hazels and that alone should make you want to read this book.)

The interactions between the different Hazels was really interesting to read about! They all had things about them that were different, due to their different universes and circumstances, but they also all had a lot of similarities and it was interesting to see the POV Hazel - Hazel Prime - reacting to both the differences and similarities. Key things that I think are worth mentioning are specifically how she reacts to ‘Rainbow’, who is the most visibly queer Hazel, and ‘Four’, who is the Hazel who is most similar to her. Hazel Prime spends a lot of the book almost in awe of Rainbow, both of her appearance and of her apparent confidence, while she’s often harshly critical of Four’s appearance. She’s not trying to be mean, and every time she catches herself thinking mean things about Four she’s horrified, but looking at Four reminds her of all the things that she dislikes about herself and her own appearance. All of these things were relatable to me to some degree, and I’m sure that they will be relatable to a lot of people who read this book. A strong message that this book pushes is that people should be kinder to themselves.

This book also features a favourite obscure trope of mine! I really love it when duplicates of people, whether those duplicates are clones, copies, or from another universe, become like siblings with the original/alternate version of themselves. Hazel Prime explicitly describes the other Hazels as her best friends, and one of them as her sister, and I’m living for it!

The queer representation was good! I liked that all the Hazels were at different stages of discovering their own sexualities and/or coming out to other people, and it was cool to read from the perspective of a character who’s questioning in a story that isn’t primarily about that. I also liked that Rainbow, the Hazel who is the most comfortable with and open about her queerness, is an asexual character who does have sex sometimes. Not all asexual people are sex repulsed, attraction and action are not the same thing, and that’s something that is incredibly important for people to understand. However, I personally got the impression that Hazel Prime’s asexuality was treated as being secondary to her being a lesbian. A decent amount of page time was dedicated to her wondering whether her feelings towards one of her friends was a crush or not, and almost none of it mentioned her lack of sexual attraction until the point that a discussion about labels was being had. My asexuality is just as big a part of me as my love of women, it’s not just a modifier. But, that being said, there are definitely people out there who do see their asexuality as being more of a modifier. My experiences are not universal and all that. This is just something to bear in mind as it did bother me while I was reading.

All in all, The Art of Saving the World is a fun look at the chosen one trope with an unconventional main cast and also a dragon. I definitely recommend it!

I received an e-arc through the author & publisher in return for an honest review

#book review #the art of saving the world #corinne duyvis #books #booklr #review