#that's important to acknowledge too

[wild-at-mind]

TW- murder, transphobia, racism, incarceration, suicide

I remember in 2018 (I think that was the year) I went to a TDoR vigil at the cafe in the next city over, which at the time was the source of much of my LGBTQ connection, along with a meetup group I attended in the same area. The vigil ceremony was not ideal in many ways- some local reporters talked over part of the address, and during the name reading it was clear that the Latin American names were being pronounced wrongly. In the UK it can be harder to find someone who is culturally connected to Latin America who could do the reading or at least advise than it might be in the US, so I don’t know if they would have ever been perfect, but it seemed that pronunciation had not been even checked and it was really noticeable. But while there is room for improvement I still think it’s an overall good that this vigil happened.

The gathering in the cafe beforehand was better. I was very tentatively exploring my gender stuff back then, and being around so many trans and nonbinary people of all ages was very powerful. I remember seeing a group of older trans women who looked weary and tired talking at one of the tables.. or perhaps they were cross dressers. The line between them can be blurred, especially in older generations. And being a male cross dresser who doesn’t identify as a trans woman does not protect you from violence. One of the murder victims on the TDoR list this year is Jimmie ‘Jay’ Lee, a black self identified gay man in the US who was murdered while wearing women’s clothing. https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/2022/07/08/jimmie-jay-lee_lafayette-county-mississippi-usa_348b20a4  Plenty of historical transfemme people identified variously as cross dressers or drag queens as well as trans women. I’m hardly the first to say this but I hope that an obsession with correct labelling in the LGBTQ community does not mean the important things get ignored.

At that 2018 gathering before the vigil the cafe was packed, full and standing. I felt a sense of community with people there suddenly, even though I didn’t know most of them, because I felt we were all coming together for something bigger than ourselves. I think it’s easy for something as personal and identity based as gender to become very inclosed in our own heads, especially for the comparitively privileged (Western, white, ok financially) and that’s something I’ve found difficult. For me at least, because of these things that I have and the comfort they provide, it can feel self indulgent to focus on myself. Coming together in this outward focusing way with so many trans and nb people at that time was incredibly moving and poweful. Especially important to me is that it had nothing to do with the kind of awkward self flaggellation that self conscious white queer communities can end up doing when trying to support people much more marginilised. I hate that this seems to be so inescapable sometimes. Though maybe that was a misguided view as I later saw an overview of some of the criticism of TDoR on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_Day_of_Remembrance  in the Reception section. (It uses a lot of language about ‘bodies’ rather than people, a language choice which I have seen pushback on recently from black people especially, so warning for that.) As a way to honour trans and gender nonconforming people who were murdered or took their own lives, it is vastly imperfect, as we saw from the badly done reading of the names I talked about earlier. It’s ok for things to be imperfect and nuanced, and I hope I will make an effort to actively learn more about these issues. It’s common for activists for a particular cause to be asked to think of and draw attention to related injustices, and I think TDoR should be no different. Starting in the UK, where I live, the story of Taylor really gripped me. Taylor was a trans man who in prison serving an IPP, Indeterminate sentence for Public Protection. He was in a situation where he had served 10 years over his initial sentence, due to the nature of the IPP, and had no release date. They no longer give out these sentences, presumably because they are inhumane, but they were not retroactively repealed. I encourage you to read more here: https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/2022/07/09/taylor_wotton-under-edge-gloucestershire-united-kingdom_87fabb44 and here: https://iwoc.iww.org.uk/free-taylor/ (Note- this was written before Taylor’s death.) Taylor took his life in prison while under an insufficient suicide watch. Transphobia was one of the problems he faced in his life but it was one of many, and all were exacerbated by him being locked up for so long. This makes me want to learn more about UK prison advocacy- we have the highest rate of prison suicide in the world according to the IWOC link there, and that horrified me. A homeless man in my hometown who to be honest was mainly known for acting strangely in public (shouting in megaphone while wearing odd outfits- mildly annoying I guess but harmless) was jailed for one of those ‘crimes’ they get homeless people for, and soon after he took his life in prison. There was a shrine to him in the town centre when the news came. His name was Lee and they called him Superman because that was one of his outfits. It made me think of him and how fucked up the system is, if he hadn’t been locked up he could still be alive.

Got a bit rambly there. I hope it made sense. Sending my love to all trans and gender nonconforming people today. And I hope I can focus on the wider issues in UK society in the name of the amazing trans people I know, for the love of humanity and people of all kinds in our country.

#tdor2022 #transphobia #tdor #activism #prison advocacy #uk issues #fyi i'm focusing on the uk because it's the most reachable to me #i donate to international causes but getting further involved isn't really possible #however the majority of reported murders and deaths on the list are from central and south america #the us south asia and south east asia #that's important to acknowledge too #not proof read sorry #i'm not an expert or even a beginner on this stuff btw please look for resources that are from experienced people to learn moree

[humbuns]

various doodles i did while reading some enstars events

#enstars #shu itsuki #mika kagehira #<-- since these are parts of stories that involve them after all #i do dislike eichi just a bit but sometimes he says some funny things like the second to last part that makes me laugh way too much #anyway shoutout to everyone pointing out how mika is very important to shu despite them not acknowledging it in the timeline i'm in #doodles

[gethimbackpdf]

i still think that percy should have remembered sally instead of annabeth in son of neptune. don't get me wrong, I like percabeth too and i understand that they had a deep relationship or whatever.

but come on, sally literally put up with gabe for percy, you know the kind of courage that would have required? especially after what she went through previously? she was always the one constant in his life and she should have been acknowledged (grover too should have had a larger role in hoo but that's a whole seperate rant)

look I'm not saying that annabeth isn't important, she is a very big part of percy's life... but sally should have been remembered

#and don't even get me started on that judo flip in moa I could rant about that too #pjo #hoo #son of neptune #sally jackson #percy jackson #annabeth chase #percabeth #grover underwood #scheduled post #rr crit #come on rick you could have done better in EVERYTHING #it's not like the annabeth thing was important to the plot either but sally should have been acknowledged #at least jason remembering thalia makes sense #him remembering annabeth was just a way to remember chb which he could have remembered bc of sally too

[gayvampyr]

“queer spaces should be inclusive of people who don’t enjoy sex and who have “strange”, negative or repulsed relationships with sex” and “sex is an important aspect of lgbt community, history, and activism and queer people should be allowed and able to talk freely about sex without stigma or shame” are ideas that can and should coexist.

#‘queer people were banned from and shamed for having sex and that’s where a lot of our activism stemmed from’ and #‘not liking or having sex is considered abnormal and a mental illness and also needs to be destigmatized’ are concepts that not only can but #often do coalign #it’s esp important to consider that a lot of lgbt ppl who have a tricky and strained relationship with sex are like that because of trauma #which is very common for queer folks #it’s really not an ace-only thing #like i am sex repulsed but it’s very hard to discern if it’s because i’m asexual or if it’s the trauma. either way i deserve to have those #feelings and be included in lgbt spaces and discussions about sex and treated as just another queer person with a different experience #instead of being alienated because my feelings about sex don’t directly line up with yours #im so sick of people in this community trying to pit us against each other. as an ace lesbian that shit is so toxic and harmful #my relationship with sex is fluid. im sex-positive always‚ but i often find myself sex repulsed. im otherwise neutral about it but im sick #of people acting like it’s either you enjoy sex and have it frequently or you hate it and you shame everyone who has it like youre a puritan #and it’s often aphobes who bought into that ‘aces are puritanical celibate straights who want ppl who have gay sex to die or think they’re #‘dirty’ or some shit. and it was literally 90% crypto-aphobes pretending to be aces to get people to adopt that into their belief system #the same way crypto-t/rfs pretend to be trans women who want to prey on the ‘innocent women’ #and y’all will use those posts/screenshots as ‘evidence’ that whatever scapegoat you’ve selected is actually inherently bad/homophobic/ #misogynistic/etc and not even #acknowledge the giant hole in your logic cuz you’re too busy trying to find a scapegoat #it’s the same tactics and y’all fall for it every time #text post #like. lesbians are CONSTANTLY getting hounded and told that we’re broken or mentally i’ll for not showing interest in (having sex with) men #for the same reason asexuality is considered bad or wrong or weird #not showing interest in heterosexual relationships or sex is why this is so important #anyone that falls outside the scope of heterosexuality is part of this community whether you like it or not

[priceofreedom]

funny how everyone seemed to adore Zack until he started having more screentime...

#it's honestly very surprising. i see hate towards him almost every day since Remake came out and i wish i was kidding #and yeah yeah i know other characters get lots of hate too but the hate towards him has been so sudden and random??? #idk maybe he *was* hated before but i just didn't notice #but at the same time no. i'm 100% sure the hate increased considerably after he was shown to be alive in the Remake #i feel like some people are just weirdly concerned he is gonna overshadow the main characters which is stupid #this story is still about Cloud and the others #we're just gonna explore another reality (allegedly) with Zack it's not that deep bro #(rebirth spoilers) -> even in Zack's timeline Cloud AND Aerith are there #and who knows how many more #like i get shippers being petty because when are they not petty #but i've seen non-shippers/casual players saying they do not want to see more of him and being all bitter bc he's important #he's always been important you all just refuse to acknowledge it!!! #no matter how many times hamaguchi nomura nojima etc say he's super important ppl just keep denying it 💀 #as if y'all know more than the freaking devs i'm getting tired of this bs #my post #i'm glad the devs love him as much as we do. cry about it

[iintervallum]

and i kiss her again

edit: the finished version is here!

#cr spoilers #wip #laudna x imogen #imodna #southern gothic #my art #critical role #i'm super behind on c3 but i still think that making this is important #spoiler culture isn't real because i'm defo going to still be hyped when i finally encounter this episode #edit: i'm interested more in the ship now that they're together since it raises some interesting possibilites #since what was holding each other back i feel in the past was this unspoken SOMETHING like imogen was not saying what she truly felt #and now that its finally brought out into the open maybe other things can be brought out too! like maybe for once they can actually disagre #or not be so attached to each other since they now know for sure that the other loves them in the way they love them #essentially the security of a defined realtionship helps them more in the long run if you get me #as much as i love undefined and messy relationships #they can be very very tricky #like qpr work so well because the parties involved define it as such #it cannot work with ambiguity #i'm still holding onto the idea of them being qpp as well as laudna being some form of aspec #though i do acknowledge that thinking your unlovable is different from the inability to feel romantic/sexual attraction #those two can still...exist together #case in point me #i thought for a long time that no one would like me and still struggle with that #but i myself in addition to that find romantic feelings comes after an emotional connection(demiromantic) #so yeah i still view laudna as someone on the aspec spectrum for that reason #but i'm open to people reasoning it as other things too! #like sure i view them as bi4bi but lesbian headcanons are valid as well #just don't be a dick about it and say that its “impossible for them to be into men or masc-presenting people” #we can just have differing opinons maybe #phew i really did a long vent in the tags so sorry about that LMAO

[daisies-on-a-cup]

i think while we can acknowledge the queer subtext and themes in the show, it's important to not forget that, historically, women of color have been robbed of their right to be a woman in their own way. it's terribly difficult for a woman of color to exist in any media in a more traditionally masculine way without immediately pivoting to see them as a man because of those feminine traits not being on the surface. the bias of white femininity allows for more masculine white women the grace to still exist as women in their spaces- a grace that poc women are often not allowed. the show creators have stated that mizu is a woman, someone who reflects part of themselves, and while it's fine to have various headcanons about mizu's gender identity, it's not fine to disregard the creator's intent with a character like mizu. mizu represents a lot of the struggles mixed race and mixed cultural women feel and go through, and i personally resonate with her as well as a mixed asian-white woman. again, there's a lot to be said about the queer themes in the show, but the show itself is not a queer show. there are elements there, but the message and plot line i don't believe surrounds a queer allegory so much as it does about poc women struggling to find a place to belong without subscribing to one race or feminine or masculine trait over the other and still be seen as a woman

#again im not saying that there arent queer themes in the show- there totally are and those are important #but mizu's story is not necessarily one about a queer story #parts dont equal a whole and all that #its important that these things can coexist but one cannot go into blue eye samurai under the assumption that its going to be a queer story #you are going to be disappointed by what comes if you do #go into it with an open mind and heart and empathize with mizu's struggles as a woman- and at the same time acknowledge #all the other women characters and what they are struggling with too #dont ignore them for the sake of a ship you like or a hc you subscribe to #blue eye samurai

[general-cyno]

not to get ahead of myself but thinking abt future opla zolu made me a little emotional bc depending on how many seasons the show manages to get, there's high chances of seeing so many of luffy and zoro's moments. and the thing is - there's a lot of them? their relationship is built upon all these moments and interactions, some small, some big, some when they're not even together but still end up referencing or mirroring one another in some way. it's just so good. I can remember more than few off the top of my head in alabasta, jaya, skypiea, water 7/enies lobby, thriller bark, sabaody etc and that's just pre-timeskip. opla has so much potential to go absolutely bonkers with these two I'm unwell

#!!!!! maybe it's time for a re-watch #zolu #tp #do you ever think abt how hard 'what good is ambition if I can't even save the life of my own captain?' is gonna hit #after luffy's 'I need you zoro' and zoro's vow. the sheer angst of luffy watching zoro almost get killed in sabaody #the possible angst fuel of whiskey peak #the hurt/comfort of water 7. the peak soulmatism behavior in jaya etc #I feel insane just thinking abt it #it all depends on the show's future success and how much they actually invest in the writing #and their particular relationship too but it's like!!!! I think of all these moments and just. they're so important? #I can't really imagine erasing any of them out of the plot bc it's just so integral to both their characters and the crew dynamics #like zolu tends to be considered a more hmmm subtle? kind of ship? in terms of the nuance of their relationship #if that makes any sense #but in a LA TV format it gets more....blatant and nearly unavoidable to acknowledge how crucial it is #I think of opla's main theme playing in the background as zoro makes his vow in ep 6 all the time

[soullessjack]

Also just since my one jack-psychosis post made its rounds i’d love to add on these things for extra salt in the wound:

-> “jack smiles, so happy to be so needed, so loved.”

-> “they’ll never want to be friends again.” [“and that’s important to you?”] “they raised me. taught me to be who i am.”

#HE LOVED THEM SO MUCH NO WONDER HE WENT INSANE OVER LOSING THEM 😭😭😭 #also can this be the start of the fandom actually talking about him….paychisus included we are simply very lacking in jack meta #we’re lacking any acknowledgment of jack that isn’t a condensed ableist mischaracterization lmao #spn #supernatural #jack kline #sam winchester #dean winchester #tfw2.0 #castiel #spn scripts #spn meta #spn 14x19 #cannot stress enough that the idea of him as just being their adoptive baby to fix everything and make it all domestic is a gross #misrepresentation of how TFW2.0 actually works and how exactly jack feels about them #they’re his friends they’re his dads they’re IMPORTANT to him and he’s not only willing to harm/risk/sabotage himself for them #but he’s also very VERY willing to kill for them too #which is also highly glossed over in the fandom bc precious smol bean-ification runs rampant around here but i digress #guy who would very easily destroy the world because his surrogate fathers are his world 😝😝🥹

[hephaestuscrew]

I've been thinking again about Minkowski and Hera during the time when Eiffel was stranded on Lovelace's shuttle - about how Hera had gotten so used to monitoring Eiffel's wellbeing, and how Minkowski felt responsible for his safety, and how neither of them cope well with not knowing things they feel they ought to.

Perhaps one day Hera notices Minkowski reading the nutrition information on the back of the ration packs (the same kind as the ones that were on that shuttle). And Hera knows what Minkowski's doing, because she's been running the same calculations herself. Calories in one ration pack multiplied by number of ration packs on the shuttle, divide that by minimum calories required per day, add something on for the number of days survivable with no food at all...

Hera's got access to plenty of information about what the human body can survive, but there's too many variables here. How damaged is the shuttle? What's the temperature like? What's Eiffel's body weight? And there's too many horrible questions that Hera and Minkowski don't want to think about, and are unable to stop thinking about. How much will to live does Eiffel have? How long can a person hold onto hope in a situation like that?

Perhaps they each separately decide on an answer to their calculations, if only so they can pretend they know that he's currently still alive. But their mental countdowns tick down. And so maybe there comes a day when Hera glitches much more than usual. And maybe not long afterwards there comes a day when Minkowski can't seem to focus on anything at all. And maybe they talk about it, or maybe they don't. But either way, they both know that the other is thinking over the same question. And they are both hoping - more than anything - that the answer they've arrived at is incorrect. They are both hoping for an answer that seems impossible.

#Wolf 359 #w359 #I thought about writing this as an actual fic #but I know in my heart I'm not going to #so here's just a random sad post #Apologies #I go back and forth on how much I think Minkowski and Hera talked to each other about Eiffel during this time period #Like sometimes I believe they must have talked to each other a lot about how they felt about losing him #and about the memories they shared of him #because the alternative feels too bleak #But other times I acknowledge that neither of them are really winning any prizes for opening up about their feelings #Either way I think Minkowski and Hera did provide really important support to each other in this time #even if it was more unspoken #I think the way they had to rely on each other in this time really strengthened their bond #Also I couldn't be bothered to figure out actual numbers for how long it might have taken him to starve to death #Lazy research provides too broad a range of answers about that #and I know this doesn't acknowledge the cryo pod #but Minkowski and Hera might not even have had evidence that it was functioning #and they certainly didn't know whether he'd use it #Wolf 359 spoilers #w359 spoilers #the empty man posteth #Hera & Minkowski #Eiffel & Minkowski #Eiffel & Hera #tw starvation

[captainkirkk]

Currently thinking about the AU where the gaang are all platonic soulmates

The political landscape is a mess post-Sozin's Comet, I'm not sure revealing the gaang are all soulmates would make things better or just muddy the waters even more

#every country is war torn and fractured and peace is barely holding #but every country has an important person connected via soulmate mark to the other countries #broke: the countries are arguing for a political marriage #woke: the countries are arguing because our soul-deep connection has TOO MANY political alliances in them #kfjgkjdkfj #avatar #atla #au ideas #my posts #i love the reveal part of soulmate AUs #but i can't stop thinking about the AFTER #the gaang are already pretty much platonic life partners in canon #but i love the thought of them being treated like that #platonic soulmates being taken just as seriously as romantic soulmates/spouses!! #people acknowledging that the gaang are each other's next of kin!! their family!! #i'm losing my mind about this

[lyril]

i am of the opinion that there was plenty of stuff "wrong" with steven universe, whether from a writing standpoint or a poor/untasteful decisions standpoint, but i have to say: keeping up with all the hazbin hotel/helluva boss drama (a set of shows that are legitimately very rough in all aspects of its handling, from writing, to sensitive topics, to creator involvement) as well as looking at sugar's writing on adventure time is like... making me appreciate how well a lot of it was done still

this show had tons of great songs, interesting characters and stories, lots of perfectly well done emotional beats, and rebecca sugar also... stayed out of the discussions around stuff LOL. they are genuinely a talented writer, some of adventure time's most beloved episodes, songs, and emotions are from them, even before they left to start their own show. but because of how much of a shitshow the discourse was, it's like, tainted all the actually good things in the show for a lot of people, even though these discussions can totally coexist. i really don't think it's "irredeemable media" by a long shot. and like, i'm serious in that i 100% believe there are justified conversations about how they handled things, regarding actual important topics like racism -- i kept up with the critical community when it was big on here! but i also think it is true that it has become kind of a "cringe" sore spot as well, that people no longer want to associate with it or feel like they're allowed to enjoy it casually, even for nostalgia reasons, because of discourse rather than the weight of the actual material itself. that's definitely how i've felt for a long time, at least, to the point where i feel like i even have to clarify these things and the issues i also have with it, even though it's truly just a cartoon with issues like any other and not something to specifically be held on a pedestal... i haven't seen it in a long time now, but one day i would like to rewatch it, and hopefully in a bit more peace

#talk #cartoons #steven universe #i don't like when people defend the show and just brush off things that are actually distateful #and that's important for me to clarify #but i do wish that alongside that all of it's strengths were acknowledged too #y'know #and for context a lot of the perspective that i write from here is really colored by the discussions i've seen; good and bad

[subtlehaz]

can I share something that might be an unpopular opinion? is this a safe space?

so obvs The Lawsuit™️ gets talked about all the time. and while I understand Buck’s thinking… do I necessarily agree a whole lawsuit was the way to go? depends on the day. but! what I wanna know that I don’t see a ton of discourse about, is do we think Buck forgave Bobby too quickly with the treatment he gave post-lawsuit (and the treatment that led to the lawsuit in the first place tbh)?

the whole reason the lawsuit happened is because of what Buck essentially considered as Bobby’s betrayal. we know about the Divorce Era with Eddie that happened BECAUSE OF the lawsuit, we know Hen was the only one to properly welcome Buck back with a cupcake and not really hold the lawsuit against him, but we also know Bobby was still kind of a d!ck and influenced the behaviors of the rest of the 118 after the lawsuit.

we really just see Buck at the hospital after getting checked out because he cut his arm saving those people on Halloween, and Bobby showing up and being like, ‘hm, maybe you are ready to come back’ and Buck is like ‘wanna get breakfast’ 🤨

am I the only one that kind of wishes Buck like. acknowledged Bobby’s behavior? like I get he was just so grateful to have it all over, to be back to properly working etc. but NOTHING?! I mean maybe he felt so bad about the lawsuit he didn’t care? Idk someone talk this out with me

#honestly I think Buck forgives a lot of people far too quickly #like yes maybe Eddie was dramatique for his reaction #but I wouldn’t mind! seeing Buck holding a bit of a grudge! #or like #at least acknowledging everyone’s accountability #I know Bobby kind of spoke to Hen about it #and Athena #but I feel like so often the show has those important convos we wanna see between the directly involved characters #off screen #LIKE CHIM PUNCHING BUCK #AND THEN APOLOGIZING #COME ON #OR WHEN EDDIE WAS AWFUL TO BOBBY S5 AND SAID HE APOLOGIZED OFF SCREEN #BUCK BABY #KNOW YOUR WORTH MY DARLING #anyway #9-1-1 #buddie #evan buckley #bobby nash

[commsroom]

i think there's something to be said about what exactly it means to be "non-human" in a story that is as much about humanity as wolf 359 is, where even the dear listeners are defined less by their own perspective and more by what they fail to understand and therefore reflect about the human perspective - to the point that they don't even have their own voices or faces or identities that aren't either given to them or taken from humans. they speak to humanity as a mirror.

even pryce and cutter are "very much humans" - pryce defined by her resentment of and desire to transcend its limitations, and cutter by his aspirations to redefine and create a "better" type of human - and find the idea that they might not be human laughable. it's interesting that they have distinctly transhumanist aspirations when their goal is the narrative opposite of common science fiction fears: that we will expand the definition of humanity so much that we'll lose whatever it is that makes us human. pryce and cutter's transhumanism narrows the definition of humanity to the worthy and the useful, as defined by them; "there will still be a humanity; it'll just be our humanity."

in direct opposition to that, i think it's meaningful that the show instead expands the definition of humanity in ways that include lovelace and hera, who in another show with different themes might be considered (in the descriptive, non-moralistic sense) non-human. i will always make a point of saying that personhood and humanity are two often-related but meaningfully distinct concepts, especially when talking about sci-fi and fantasy. i am talking about humanity.

the question of how hera identifies, and what social pressures influence that, is a complicated one. i've talked about it before and i will talk about again. what's important for the purposes of this post is that i think the show considers her fundamentally human. think about her role in shut up and listen - consider jacobi's lion example and the concept of different paradigms - that even things that are close to humans, comparatively speaking, understand the world in different ways. whatever differences hera may have from the others, it's primarily in experience, not fundamental understanding. she shares their emotions, their concerns, their values, their thought patterns. she has an appreciation for music, which the show considers a hallmark of humanity. she fits within the framework of humanity as the show defines and is, in her own words, left feeling "uneasy" about how difficult it might be to communicate with beings who don't. and it's significant that this takes place in shut up and listen, of all episodes, specifically because the way she is clearly and unambiguously included in the show's understanding of what it means to be human highlights the ways she and lovelace are othered by eiffel's careless comments that suggest otherwise.

(i don't want to get too into these details for this particular post, but it's worth noting that hera will refer to 'humans' as a category, often when she is upset and feeling isolated, but has never said that she 'isn't human' - she has never been upset that people are treating her 'too' human. i've seen it said about the line "you need to get it through your heads that what goes for you doesn't always go for me", but that's a frustration related to ability and safety, not identity. far more often, she will refer to herself in 'human' terms - referring idiomatically to experiences or body parts etc. that she doesn't literally have - and is upset primarily with comments referring to her status as an AI. it does not diminish how being an AI influences her perspective and experience, but again, so much of that is in terms of ability that it feels almost inseparable from a discussion about disability.)

lovelace's humanity and hera's humanity are so interlinked and directly paralleled in the text that i think it's impossible to really argue one of them is "not" human without making implications about the other. in desperate measures, lovelace tells kepler he's "not human" and he responds "you're hilarious. on a multitude of levels." later, defending lovelace against kepler's repeated dehumanization, hera very pointedly uses the phrase "that woman." in out of the loop, hera says she's never met anyone who "worked so hard at being inhuman" as jacobi, who says "what do you know about being human?" hera very emphatically responds, "i know plenty." later, defending hera against jacobi's repeated dehumanization, minkowski pointedly uses the phrase "that woman." with the care taken towards language and the way scenes and turns of phrase will parallel each other, that's not a coincidence. it might seem strange to have the "non-human" characters be the ones to express criticisms based on perceived "humanity" (something hera will do in other contexts as well - "we don't have funerals for animals" etc.) but in the broader context of the show, i think it's the point.

so, whether hera would ever call herself human, or be comfortable with that, is a complicated question for another time and depends on a lot of other factors. but wolf 359 is a show about humanity, it includes her within its definition of what it means to be human, and i wouldn't be comfortable definitively saying she's not human because of that. it can't be a neutral statement within the particular context of this show.

#wolf 359 #w359 #hera wolf 359 #there are so many concepts here that could be posts on their own #but this is already too long. sorry. #i think it's also worth noting how often i see the discussion of hera and humanity conflated with the discussion of #whether hera would want a body and while i think there's some degree of influence in that. if she has human experiences without human form #there's something uniquely isolating about that that could influence her decision. BUT. the form she exists or doesn't exist in #is separate from whether the show includes her within its 'in group' of humanity. which thematically it does. #hera can be considered equally human without ever having any type of physical form. that's part of expanding the definition #and i think that's an important distinction. #anyway sorry i'm kind of passionate about this it just. doesn't quite sit right with me i guess #in a lot of cases i think it's important to acknowledge that non-human characters have different experiences from human ones and #a lot of science fiction will (or should) decentralize the human experience. but it's core to the themes of wolf 359. it's different. #i think hera is so interesting as a take on the 'human AI' character because. the mistake a lot of them make is having a character #'learn how to be human' and it feels patronizing. but hera is. a fundamentally human person who has been told she isn't #and internalized that. and i think that's much more complex and. well. human. i know she's just a fictional character but #i can't help but feel a little defensive sometimes #it's also part of a larger discussion but feeling inhuman is a not uncommon human experience. it is within those bounds

[spacedlexi]

people dont talk enough about how heartbreaking the marlon betrayal mustve been for clem too,,

this dude saves the life of her and her kid. takes them in has them patched up gives them their first hot meal in who knows how long. gives them a safe place to stay. possibly permanently. confides in her that hes trying to be a good leader but feels like and fears that hes failing. asks her to help him take care of the rest of the group. helps her get over her fear of dogs by asking her to trust him. and things go well. she feels safe. like this place could really finally be the home shes been looking for

but as soon as she finds out what happened to the twins. that marlon planned on giving up her and aj too. she immediately becomes a liability to him and he attempts to kill her for it. locks her in the basement to die by walker. then tries to turn the group against her so he can shoot her instead when the first method fails. and he nearly succeeds

then a majority of the group turn against clem the minute aj kills marlon. ignoring marlons mistakes but condemning aj for his. like clem wasnt betrayed by marlon in the exact same way he betrayed the twins. like she literally wasnt almost killed twice? and how long had he been considering giving her up? was it always some contingency he planned? did he truly want to keep them around and things only changed when he feared the raiders had returned? she'll never know

#i think about this a lot... the betrayal... clems deep trust issues... then they all want to kick her out (except vi aasim and tenn 💕) #when she was just as impacted if not more so than the rest of them. since she was the only one with her Life on the line #thats why violet fighting so hard for them to stay is so important imo and would MEAN SO MUCH to clem too #vi and aasim are the only ones who can see past the bullshit and realize that theyre safer with clem around #while the rest would rather kick her out so they dont have to acknowledge their confused feelings about marlon #like first marlon betrays her then the rest of the group tell her to get fucked and die. dont come back. we never want to see you again #but she does. and she saves them #personally i do think marlon had 'good' intentions but he was a scared and fucked up kid who made bad decisions #and continued to make bad decisions to cover for his previous fuck ups #but that just makes him interesting :) #and i like teaching aj the difference between people like marlon and people like lilly #all of clems 'wow i feel so safe here :) and these guys seem smart :)' personal dialogue around ericsons makes me 😭 #she was so happy to be at ericsons. and they turn against her so fast when she was more of a victim than any of them #aj is a literal baby. do not treat him like an adult who can make fully rationalized decisions. hes a baby and he only knows survival #at least they slowly get over it after clem comes back (some take longer than others...) #but the lack of compassion in voting to kick them out is heartbreaking. she was heartbroken #and thats not acknowledged as much as it should be #posting this old drafted post now cuz it expands my feelings on clems broken heartedness about the marlon situation #it speaks #twdg

[nothorses]

If being gay was a gender that would be mine

this is me actually

#these asks are about Guy Genders #the original post was about how you can be a 'binary' guy and also have a specific unique relationship to gender #nonbinary people you are welcome here too and i enjoy your contributions #i just want folks to know that this is specifically about how you don't need to be nonbinary #to have a complex relationship to gender #you can be A Specific Kind of Guy and that's also important to acknowledge #a subclass if you will