#this is not inherently bad! it just causes tension | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theeoriginals · 6 months

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could you do elijah with a catwoman type of reader? she likes the finer things, she's flirty/loves the chase, and whatever else you think fits! maybe they've been seeing each other secretly (like when katherine/elijah were doing it secretly in tvd lmao) OR they meet for the first time (e.g., she steals something from him and gets caught but gets away and she's hints at seeing him again next time) this is so specific but do whatever you want with it!!

cat and mouse | elijah mikaelson

author's note; this was so fun thank u for requesting <3

warnings: witch!female!reader, tension, abruptish ending bc I didn't know how to drag it out more, brief shapeshifting but I like barely touch on it, because it's sort of inconsequential to the story. reader is close with Klaus, but it's purely platonic! honestly could class this at love at first sight, with how I wrote elijah. fluff, just some heavy make outs, nothing too graphic. reader is flirty and confident!! no use of y/n!

There’s an inherent seductiveness to wearing a mask. It’s almost more vulnerable than just showing your face, because you have to rely on your words, your wit, to get the job done. Of course, there isn’t any specific job she’s needing to get done tonight, but she tries to never attend these sorts of things without a personal mission of some kind.

She gets bored, is the thing.

Even though she's got everything she could ever want and more, she gets bored and she can't help what happens after that. It's a bad habit, she knows. Her friends always laugh, hiding their smirks and smiles behind her hands when they come over and see the newest shiny thing that wasn't there before. When they hear of a shadow that terrorizes people, seemingly at random.

It's harmless, though. She's never hurt anyone by doing it. She just laughs a little and maybe she stays the night with some of them, and gets what she wants and more. Cures that boredom in a few different ways.

It’s started to creep in again, that feeling. It’s why she’s here in the first place. Klaus is a friend, but she tries to keep out of his hijinks for her own safety. Most people here in New Orleans know better than to pledge loyalty to the hybrid, because no one around him is safe for long, even his own family.

That’s the premise of tonight’s party, according to Klaus. Reuniting his family for what seems like the hundredth time. She feels it’s starting to lose its emotional impact, what with how many times he’s daggered and undaggered them, treating them like they’re pets or something. But she doesn’t voice any of this to Klaus, because she’s smarter than that, and she isn’t equipped to deal with the thousands of years of family drama between the Originals.

It seems odd to have a masquerade ball as a welcome home party, but she digresses. It’s pointless to question his motives, and it causes her more of a headache than anything. It’s easier to just enjoy herself, and even easier than that to try and find a cure to her boredom.

It's starting to settle in like a fog of some sort, except it's not hazy or particularly tiring, it's more like steam. Like a hot sauna, soaking the surface of her skin, leaving her panting, thirsty.

So she leaves the relative safety of the open bar, and lifts her chin up, keeping her shoulders in a stiff line so that people move for her, because she certainly won’t move for them.

She’s nearly through the dance floor when she’s stopped by a firm hand on her wrist, and her arm is extended with the light tug just before she twists around, braced to deal with whatever idiot has grabbed her.

She stops short at the sight of the man, only half of his face covered by a mask unlike hers that shields everything real about her except her eyes.

There’s a smirk on his lips, like he’s amused by something, but she can’t fathom what by. “Excuse me?” She raises a brow, incredulous expression hidden by the mask on her face. It’s rather flimsy, overall, but the rhinestones placed strategically around it juxtapose the sleek black dress draped over her frame, making her appear as nothing more than a shadow.

“You’re not leaving yet, are you?”

The voice is unfamiliar, and she loathes the thought that a stranger is teaching her with such familiarity. “I wasn’t aware it mattered,” She gestures vaguely with her other hand, reminding herself of the rather loose grip he has on her wrist. “The party will go on without me, I’m sure.”

The man ducks his head in a conceding nod, but the smirk on his face has done nothing but get bigger the longer she entertains this odd interaction. “You’ve hardly danced all night.”

She knows he can’t see the twist of curiosity on her face, but her body must portray it anyways, because he’s immediately elaborating.

“I’ve had my eye on you,” He says, accented voice a lulling drawl. She’s sure it would put anyone under a spell, given the chance. “I couldn’t let you leave without getting at least one dance, and perhaps your name.”

“Awfully presumptuous of you,” She notes, though she closes a bit of the distance between them, suddenly interested in the proposition. “I’ll give you a dance, but you’ll have to convince me for a name. I don’t give that out to strangers.”

He nods again, pulling her to him, closing the rest of the distance between them. “Of course,”

It’s easy to fall into step with him, practically painted against his chest, there’s no real rhythm to what they’re doing, but it’s working. She’s staring into his eyes from behind the shadowy mask, and he’s looking into hers, like he’ll get every answer he wants from them.

“So,” He starts, blinking slowly like he doesn’t want to spare a split second from them just in case he misses something. “Do you know anyone here, or are you just here by word of mouth?”

“I’m familiar with the host,” She says carefully, noticing the way his eyes darken with a hint of surprise. “He’s a friend. I do business with him, sometimes.”

He seems to see the deeper meaning behind her words. “I wasn’t aware he had many friends of your variety these days,”

“Oh, he doesn’t,” She says, smirking beneath the mask at the short chuckle that leaves him. “But I suppose there’s an exception to everything. It works for us. I’m still alive, after all. Not many can usually say that after dealing with him.”

The man’s mouth twists wryly. “I can’t disagree with that.”

“You’ve obviously got something in common with him, too,” She notes plainly, leveling the playing field between them about information they can peel out of each other without really saying anything. “Perhaps he has more friends than either of us are aware of.”

“He’s got plenty of secrets up his sleeves, I’m sure of that.”

He turns them suddenly, hand spanning across the open back of her dress, and she can’t stop the quiet gasp that spills from her lips, hopefully muffled by the mask, though the slight twitch of his fingers against the bare skin of her back says he heard it loud and clear.

“If I give you my name, may I have yours?” She asks suddenly, aware of the song playing for their dance coming to an end sooner, rather than later. “A fair trade.”

“I am nothing if not fair,”

She hums, though she partially doubts his words. He’s shown in the past few minutes that he can play any game she plays, just as easily.

They dip into the shadows for a moment, ducking out of the colorful lights flashing on the makeshift dance floor, and she makes a decision quickly.

She lays her hand flat against his chest, skating her nails along the pieces of his suit as she slides up his neck and to his jaw, moving fast to push the mask off his face as her other hand rips her own off.

She doesn’t give him time to blink, or get a real look at her face before she’s smashing their lips together, squeezing her eyes shut as he backs her further into the darkness. She twists them just before they hit the wall, relishing in the way his breath is knocked from his lungs. It doesn’t seem to bother him for long, because he’s drawing her back in, sighing against her lips like she’s just breathed life back into him.

She skirts her hands all around his lithe frame, feeling the muscles that tense under her touch, hidden but not unnoticeable by the lines of his tailored suit. She drags her nails up under his jacket, rustling the neatly tucked fabric, and pulls her lips away from his mouth to drop down to his jaw, flicking a sharp canine against his jaw and delighting in the choked off noise that breaks from his throat.

She hides her face in the curve of his throat, leaving marks that disappear almost immediately as she makes them. Panting for breath, she clenches her hands where they lay on his waist. “What’s your name?”

He licks his spit-swollen lips, head thrown back against the wall as he tries to collect what little of himself he’s got left. “Elijah,”

“Elijah,” She echoes, tongue curling prettily around the syllables of his name. “Elijah.”

“Yours,” He says, calloused fingers digging into the exposed skin from her dress. “What’s your name?”

“My name,” She says, pressing her lips to the shell of his ear, smile practically audible. “Is a secret.”

Before Elijah can even let out his next breath, every point of pleasure she’s got on him disappears, and he’s left feeling abruptly cold. He rips his eyes open, blinking as they adjust to the bleak lighting, and his chest heaves as he looks around for any piece of that mask, or that dress. Strains his ears to hear the breath of her voice, the pulse that drowned out every song playing.

She’s nowhere to be found. Elijah tries to be annoyed, but a smile grows on his lips and he can’t help but slump against the wall as he attempts to fix his suit where it’s been tugged at and wrinkled amidst their brief burst of passion.

A smear of lipstick lingers on his skin, and her intoxicating scent drifts in the natural breeze.

His curiosity is a dangerous thing.

──────

She sets out on a familiar path, forgoing her flesh tones and simpering smiles for four legs and a sleek black coat. She covers more ground like this, makes her way to the Quarter and past all of the usual mess happening. No one really looks twice at her in this form– it's how she prefers things, for the most part.

There's a specific brand of chaos that she's seeking, and she hears the familiar echo of the man's voice as she approaches the compound. If she could smirk like this, she would, but as it is, all she can do is reveal the two sharp fangs that hang down onto the sides of her mouth and pick up her pace ever so slightly.

The door to his study is open and she sees him pacing back and forth, talking loudly to no one in particular. She isn't sure if there's other people in the house right now, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time she caught Klaus talking to himself.

He seems to notice her just as she leaps onto his desk, shuffling the stack of stationary sitting atop it.

"Oh, good, and now you're here to bother me," He stops his pacing, turning to face the black cat sitting primly on the desk. "What is it you want?"

She stares blankly at him and he rolls his eyes, face set in that familiar glare that's basically tattooed on his features.

"I don't know why you bother with this," He gestures at her, rolling his eyes again. "The sooner you're in a form I can actually speak to, the sooner I can get you out of my house and back into the Quarter, wreaking havoc on those who have wronged me."

She can't help the sudden desire she has to irritate him just a bit more, so she bats a leg out and kicks a ceramic figurine off the edge of his desk, watching his fists clench at his sides frustratedly as it shatters.

Yawning dramatically, she flicks her tail out and perches on the edge of his desk, shaking off the sudden change in appearance as he glares at her, entirely unamused by the whole act.

"What do you want?"

She huffs, ever so dramatic, and pushes off his desk, walking around him to drape her arms over his shoulders and dig her chin into the muscles there.

"I'm bored, Klaus. And nobody likes it when I get bored."

He sighs, entirely put upon at her dramatics. "What do you suggest I do about that?"

"What's got you so tense? Maybe I can help with that, hm?" She tries, digging her nails into his skin through the fabric of his shirt.

"My generosity has come back to haunt me,"

His words earn an immediate laugh from her and she peels herself off of his back, walking across the study to throw herself down onto the couch, laying an arm over her eyes. "Oh, yes, your generosity, which you are so well known for. What have you done now?"

“Must everything be my fault? It could very well be someone else, you know,”

She lifts her arm from her face, giving him an entirely unamused look that he dutifully ignores.

“You know,” He starts again, earning a quiet groan from her that he ignores just as easily. “I undaggered my siblings because I thought they would be less upset with me after all this time. I threw them a party! I gave them access to as many humans as I could!”

“Oh, I know– how could anyone ever hold a grudge for being stuck in a box for hundreds of years because their brother didn’t want to have a moral compass?”

He glares at her and she pushes up from the couch, stretching her limbs as she goes. “How about you just let them be mad at you, and you give me the name of one of those people who have supposedly wronged you?”

Klaus sighs, but he gives in easily, just like she knew he would. It’s why they work so well together. He can’t resist her inherent desire to make a mess.

──────

The Quarter is as lively as ever, but the energy is always different when the sun goes down. She likes it better this way, when the tourists have returned to their hotel rooms, scared off by enough local legends that they don’t dare wander too far in fear of being sucked into some magical nightmare.

She likes when the nocturnal things come out to play, because it means there’s so much less attention on her, and what she’s doing. It makes it easier to get things done, this way.

She’s nursing a drink at the bar in Rousseau’s, unable to resist the draw this place has for witches and vampires alike. It’s mostly seen as a neutral ground, because no one’s willing to risk a place to get good food and drinks over a turf war.

She’s been making eyes at a boy across the room, quickly looking away when he catches her eye, hiding a bashful smile in her drink. It’s a fun game to play, and it grows easier with every passing minute to lure them in. Even if there’s something off about her, they can’t resist it. Like a mouse walking straight into a trap, just for a bite of the cheese.

It doesn’t take much longer for the boy, Ethan, to approach her. He’s got a smirk on his face, and he’s obviously under the impression that this is a sure thing.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but,” He shifts, setting his drink down on the bar next to hers. “I saw you looking at me from over here.”

She swirls the straw in her drink around a few times, looking up at him from beneath her lashes. “Is that all it took? Me looking at you?”

He chuckles, moving to stand more directly in front of her. “Well, you seemed a little lonely, sitting here all by yourself,”

She sits up in her seat, smirking. “Are you going to fix that for me?”

“That will be all, thank you, Ethan.” The strikingly familiar voice comes from behind her, and she instantly slumps in her seat, a wry, defeated smile twisting onto her lips despite how much she tries to stop it.

The boy in front of her straightens up, defensive at the sudden rejection, but as soon as he sees who it is standing behind her, he backs down. His eyes flicker to her, and she flutters her finger in a wave, dismissing him easily as the man quickly takes his place standing before her.

“That wasn’t very kind of you, Elijah,” She says, taking a sip of her drink. “I was doing business with him. Your brother’s business.”

“You were a very difficult woman to find, do you know that?”

She raises her glass to him in a mocking toast. “And yet here you are,”

“Is that what my brother considers business these days? Usually that sort of exchange was reserved for his closest confidants,”

“A good businessman is always adapting,” She shrugs, watching his eyes roam her face, committing every part of it to memory. “Did you find me for any particular reason, Elijah? Or am I just honored to have the company of an Original,”

“You stole my watch,” He says, looking anything but upset. “And a button, of all things. Now, the button I’m less worried about, but the watch is an antique.”

She hums, eyes narrowing at his easy going demeanor. “You spent all this time tracking me down over an antique watch? Forgive me for my assumptions, but I don’t believe that.”

He nods, still smiling fondly, like she hasn’t been almost entirely antagonistic to him since their first meeting. “I also want your name.”

“Surely you know my name by now,” She says, huffing a disbelieving laugh. “You couldn’t have found me otherwise.”

“I do,” He nods again. “But I want to hear it from you. A fair trade, and all.”

She heaves a sigh, pushing to her feet off the chair to stand before him, once again practically glued to the front of him. “A man of your word, I see,”

He hums an agreeing noise. “Even when we have nothing else, we have our word. I’m also not one to go back on a deal. I don’t like loose ends.”

“That’s a shame, I love loose ends,” She grins widely, earning a chuckle from him that says he’s nothing but charmed. “Follow me.”

She gestures towards the door, and Elijah is quick to fall into step behind her, though she isn’t sure if it’s her past disappearing act or something else that has him so keen to do as she says.

They step outside into the humid, but cooling air, and she glances up at the pale moon above them, feeling every bit of warmth from it that one would get from the sun.

“I’m curious to know how you found me,” She says, looking at him as he walks beside her down the mostly-empty sidewalks.

He sighs, pushing his hands into the pockets of his suit pants, looking every bit as pressed and pretty as he did at the party. “I thought about asking around at first, of course, but I figured if you wouldn’t even share your name with me, the second you caught wind of someone asking about you, you’d become harder to find.”

“Smart man,”

He hums, and smiles. “My brother, his girlfriend, is a witch. I asked her for a favor. You left your mask at the party, so,”

“Foiled by a simple tracking spell,” She says, putting on an air of defeat that has him chuckling, her following suit shortly after. “I appreciate your tenacity, Mr. Mikaelson. Not many want to play my games,”

“Is that what it was, then? A game?”

“Of sorts,” She says, coming to a stop at the steps that lead up to her little apartment. “It’d be quite bold of me to play a game of cat and mouse with an Original, don’t you think?”

He steps closer to her, eyes narrowing as he tilts his head, examining her. “I think that you seem to know quite a bit about me and my family, but I’ve just barely scratched the surface of you.”

She steps closer to him, the tips of her shoes hitting his. “I do owe you my name, don’t I?”

“A deal’s a deal,”

She echoes his words softly, already pressing up on her toes to meet him halfway. “A deal’s a deal.”

There’s much less fervor in this kiss than the last, but no lack of passion. It seems to strike them both breathless, and she finds herself leaning into him, wrapping a hand around the end of his neatly knotted tie to pull him in impossibly closer.

A split second later, she forces herself to pull away, sighing shakily as she looks into his lustful, deep gaze. She whispers her name quietly, watching his pupils blow out as it carries between them. He echoes it back, just as quietly, and she nods, hand still wrapped in his tie, where his are still clutching her waist, keeping her from running again.

“Is that all, then?” She asks, voice still a whisper, like she’s afraid to break whatever has settled between them. “A deal’s a deal.”

“What’s that you said earlier?” He sighs, chest heaving with the breath. “A businessman is always adapting.”

He pulls her back into him, catching the corner of her mouth with his lips before he realigns, barely parting for a second to press repeated kisses to her soft lips that taste like the sugary drink she’d had at the bar. “Besides,” He breathes in between kisses. “You still have my watch.”

She laughs into the next kiss, and it spills out into the night, making him let out his own laugh that sounds just as utterly besotted as hers.

He forgets about the watch. But by the time he remembers it, he figures there’s no harm in letting her keep it. If only to have an excuse to see her again.

#the originals #the vampire diaries #elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson x reader #elijah mikaelson x reader fluff #elijah mikaelson fluff #fluff #writing #fanfiction #the vampire diaries fanfiction #the originals fanfiction #klaus mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #kol mikaelson

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inamindfarfaraway · 2 months

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Stumbled across your post on Carmilla and Cain from one of my favorite artist and just wanted to say that I loved that post incredibly!!

I loved the way you articulated the ability for free will to shatter heavens expectations! It had me thinking about free will in general so thank you for sharing that goodness!

Thank you! This analysis just came to me as a fun little observation, I wasn’t expecting it to gain so much traction. Free will is very thematically important to Hazbin Hotel, isn’t it? Lucifer believed in the good it could do, but accidentally created evil by giving it to humanity and fell for it. Since then he’s seen all the pain free will can cause and become embittered. Charlie, however, believes like he used to and fought for human souls passionately and selflessly enough to bring him back around. The Elder Angels who ordered the Exterminations and the Exorcists who carry them out seem to alternately hate and fear free will’s power, and by their indiscriminate condemnation of sinners as inherently irredeemable, not want to acknowledge it at all.

If the theory that Adam could live on as a sinner in Hell turns out to be true, I’d love to see his character and thoughts on his mortal family and free will explored, because he must have SO much baggage, which could explain (though not excuse) him being The Worst. An interesting detail in the backstory Charlie reads is that he’s never actually stated to eat the forbidden fruit. We see Eve take it, but not him. Maybe the reason that he’s in Heaven, but we never see or hear of Eve or their children in either afterlife, is that in this canon’s version of Genesis, he’s obedient and didn’t commit the original sin, only to be cast out anyway. Regardless of what exactly happens in Eden, he and Eve are forced to fend for themselves in the wilderness. Suddenly they need survival instincts. They can bleed and starve and get sick and loads of animals want to eat them. They have existential dread. Not to mention the marital tension. Why? Because the same angel who stole his first wife messed with his second one! As a result, people can sin. They can hurt each other. This allows Cain to invent murder on his brother. He’s then cursed to wander the Earth, eternally living with his guilt and grief. Oh, and where can dead souls live on now? Where might Abel be trapped forever? Hell, a dimension made of evil, everything bad about the new and degraded human experience taken to the ultimate extreme. You’ll never guess why it exists (Lucifer. It’s Lucifer again). So Adam loses two kids with one stone that was indirectly thrown by one fucking bird guy. Can you imagine how you would feel, having lived that life?

You would have issues. A lot of issues.

No wonder he scorns redemption so much. In his eyes, free will is synonymous with sin - with suffering. But thinking damned souls to be evil incarnate at least lets him take vengeance. It lets him feel the wrathful satisfaction of physically stabbing and hacking his way through representatives of the force that cost him paradise. Broke his family. Killed his child. Maybe he was a genuinely good person when he died. For the most part. Maybe stewing in all that unprocessed trauma while watching the horrors of human history unfold and being venerated and indulged in the perfect afterlife without any of his family changed him for the worse. If you can have a redemption arc in Hell, you can have a corruption arc in Heaven.

After all, Lucifer lost faith in humanity over time. But he has Charlie. Adam’s ‘daughters’ in Heaven are the Exorcists (he calls them “[his] girls” and names them, so he probably creates them), of which I bet Lute was the first. That’s a really twisted dynamic. Like, “From now on, my kids are killing people on MY terms”. Lute having parallels with Charlie makes her being the new main villain even better!

This got out of hand. What I mean to say is, the first human family and how they relate to the theme of free will have huge potential for exploration and development. And if Adam is reborn as a sinner, it would be precisely the Hazbin Hotel blend of heartbreaking and hilarious to have him reunite with Eve, Abel, Seth, etc. in Hell and they’re all like “What. The FUCK?” and his whole horrible personality just collapses in on itself.

#what have i DONE why did i humanize ADAM?#he’s THE WORST #but i guess he is human #that’s the point #he was fhe first human soul and immediately set the standard of suffering and getting fucked up #that fight scene where adam is pure rage and lucifer is gleefully mocking him isn’t so funny now is it?#lucifer: you come and me and my DAUGHTER #adam: oh now you care about kids? now you don’t want your kid to die? would’ve been nice if you’d thought of that in eden!#hazbin hotel #cain and abel #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin adam #hh adam

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stealingyourbones · 11 months

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Bruce isn't the best parent, but a chunk of the issue is that he's an only child. Should he stop Jason and Dick from throwing Damian back and forth like a human ball? Is Tim threatening to bite Cass an issue? Are those death threats serious or not? The poor man is an only child trying to run herd on at least a half dozen feral siblings. He exists in a state of constant confusion.

This isn’t to be mean, but that is simply not the case.

I keep getting bad parent bruce takes and it sucks because all of them aren’t even proper reasoning for his character.

I’m just using you as an example, but hear me out.

Bruce is an extremely smart person, Homie has watched movies and read books, he can learn from situations around him that things are sibling things. Sure, he was excluded as a kid, but that isn’t nearly the main issue why he isn’t the best parent.

homie has so much shit wrong with him, he’s emotionally just not there, he keeps himself stuck in a perpetual state of grief and mourning for his parents of a thing that happened when he was a child, he has been trained by assassins and has experienced loss and pain to an insane extent, he has such an insane extent of paranoia and trust issues that it affects his daily life, is definitely autistic, and has issues with social cues.

I’m trying to properly articulate just why that’s not the case but my brain isn’t working with me so I’m handing this over to my twin @bonebrokebuddy who is far more articulate than me.

———

Hi, it's Billy, Bones's twin writing because Bones had a hard time putting this into words and I'm more of a canon nitpick than her.

Uh- have you ever. And I mean even once, met an only child.

I promise, if you read even a singular comic, you could tell this take is incredibly out of character.

Bruce isn’t a good parent. He’s also not a bad parent. He loves his kids. He literally could not stop them from pulling dumb shit if they tried and putting themselves into danger.

Bruce is the worlds greatest detective. He knows how to spot and detect emotions and trouble in his kids. He’s The Worlds Greatest Detective.

His issue with being a parent likely comes from having Alfred as a father figure. Imagine having a dad that you can fire at any time, you pay so they can stay with you, and can just leave at any moment if they don’t approve of the person they work for. That will severely fuck up a kid.

His issue isn’t that he’s an only child, it’s that it’s every Robin’s god given right to go against and defy Batman’s orders whenever possible because kids are viscous little buggers who don’t like being told “you can’t do that” even if it’s for their own health, they’ll do it anyway.

After you’ve taught your kids how to exist in deadly situations, they think they’re invincible when it’s because Bruce is doing all he fucking can to make sure his kids don’t get hurt. If they feel like they can make the world a better place, they’ll do it, regardless of the risk because they’re inherently self sacrificing and good people.

Bruce’s issue with parenting is due to his relationship with his kids. Again, it isn’t that he’s an only child, it’s that the kids he adopted are their own people and they are even more stubborn and bad at communication as him.

Even more so, it’s due to the dang narrative.

Conflict between Bruce and his kids that cause them to separate has been the backstory for plenty of solo batkid runs to endure Batman isn’t as involved or the main focus of the run.

Narrative tension is literally the cause of all the bad parent decisions for Bruce, because conflict drives narrative or miscommunications cause the story to lengthen and complicate itself

it’s not as easy as “Bruce is bad dad” because he’s Not. Bruce is good with kids! He has a pouch in his utility belt specifically with suckers for kids!

But Bruce isn't a great world star dad either. He definitely inherited his ability to communicate with people outside crisis situations largely from trainers around the world and his arms-length-distance-at-all-times distance relationship with the butler who raised him.

Despite him being good with kids, his kids have lives of their own with morals and opinions of their own that conflict and clash constantly. It’s not a simple case of “Bruce is a bad dad.”

It’s a case of “everyone has slightly different opinions and approaches to situations so occasionally conflict happens when they clash or interfere with each other” because it’s a comic that tells a story!

Anyways, my recommendation? Pick up a comic. And preferably? Read it. Or watch BTAS if it’s more accessible to you. either works. This opinion isn't your fault most likely, just the quality of the DC fan-content you've been consuming that are incredibly removed from the comics. If you want, DM me at @bonebrokebuddy and I can send you some good quality DC fics with in-character Bruce.

————

Bones here again,

That basically sums up the exact stuff I couldn’t properly describe. I was using you more as an example because I have dozens of bad parent bruce takes in my inbox and I am 90% sure that the cause of them is that they simply haven’t read anything about the character.

Read a comic, read some strictly DC fanfiction, watch some of the many many TV shows and animated movies, there are even motion comics free online to watch that have voice acting and everything!

Being an only child doesn’t make you a bad father.

#bones rants #both Billy and I were just a tad annoyed sorry #just please pick up a comic #please. read a fanfic or watch literally any DC content.#bones replies #dc #dc comics #billy replies #billy rants #billy here. had to edit my text convo from what bones originally posted bc ya boy swears too much over text and it came out as mean. my bad #so now its in a more neutral tone.#but genuinely. read batman year one. or something.#dm me if you want incharacter fic recs. some of them show bruce as a flawed parent (bc he is) but that doesnt make him a bad dad #it just shows how he's not great at communication and therefore not superb at compromise.#bruce is wacky intelligent. hes also got the tism vibes in communication with his kids

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number1villainstan · 29 days

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hnnnngrh an RGU Meta Idea has me in a chokehold so bear with me while i brainvomit about saionji and his masculinity vs the ideal of 'prince' and how it plays into the power hierarchies ohtori sets up

he's the very first antagonist we encounter, right? literally our first impression of him is "he hit that poor defenseless girl! that he was supposed to be dating!!! what's wrong with him!!!!" and then he rejects wakaba's love letter and utena duels him and the show kicks off. our very first impressions of him in the very first episode are that he's mean, he's cruel, he's inconsiderate, even that he's a brute. that--and this part is important--he is Masculine In A Bad Way. in ohtori everything is tied up in gender, and saionji is assigned the labels of 'man' and 'masculine', and so when he does bad things he is doing bad things as a man, right? he is, of course, hurting people, but more importantly to my point he is not performing manhood in an acceptable way. his masculinity is somehow corrupt or lacking or Wrong. in this way utena's victory over saionji in the first duel isn't just a triumph of "good" over "evil", it's a triumph of specifically utena's Good Masculinity (protective, sympathetic, princely) over saionji's Bad Masculinity (cruel, inconsiderate, not princely). rgu doesn't give a specific name to Bad Masculinity like it does to Good Masculinity (prince), Good Femininity (princess or bride), or Bad Femininity (witch) (possibly because akio is metaphorically the one behind the camera and doesn't want to draw attention to the idea of Bad Masculinity in a way that might allow women a legitimate advantage over men, possibly because outside of rgu there's no corresponding specific fairytale role for Bad Masculinity) but it's still there and, more importantly, it's still being used to uphold the hierarchies and illusions of ohtori

because if we go back to the idea of Good vs Bad Masculinity, and then we take the rest of the show into account, we see that Good Masculinity isn't 'good' because it helps people or reduces harm, but because it upholds the systemic hierarchies and dichotomies of Ohtori. the role of 'prince,' the term for and model of Good Masculinity, is inherently a limiting one for both the 'prince' himself and the 'princesses' he saves. which makes that first duel no longer straightforwardly a positive thing, but among other things a reinforcement of those same harmful hierarchies and dichotomies.

and of course saionji isn't actually the archetype of Bad Masculinity (which i want to call the 'brute', but i'm not sure i want to dive into the racial/imperialistic connotations of 'brute' vs 'prince' in this post) that he's presented as in the first episode. he's a character in his own right, and throughout the series we see that this first impression we got is, while not entirely wrong, at best a surface-level reading of saionji and the roles he plays in the narrative. and what illustrates this tension between impression and reality best is how he acts when wakaba's keeping him in her apartment: as the essay Fight/Flight, Rest/Relaxation by Giovanna points out, possibly the only time that saionji is every truly happy or relaxed is when he's staying with wakaba--in other words, when we see him outside the systems of ohtori. of course, that happiness isn't totally pure either, because wakaba is using saionji as her Shining Thing so that she can go from the non-special side of one of Ohtori's dichotomy to the special side, because unlike saionji at that point wakaba is still participating in those same systems. and yet. when working inside the systems of ohtori saionji is cruel, uncaring, rude, mean. outside the systems of ohtori saionji is happy, relaxed, straightforward and honest and genuine and kind, even.

and in the end that's the key, isn't it? now we understand his behavior in the first episode not as caused by his being a Bad Person. there are no Bad People in RGU, save perhaps akio. no, now we understand his behavior here as a kid, lashing out and hurting people because he's hurting, because he lives in a system in which violence is presented as the solution, because no one taught him how to manage his own emotions and he has no access to or knowledge of that information. because he's a kid growing up in a system that turns his emotions and his straightforwardness against him because they're a threat to that same system. saionji is assigned the archetype of Bad Masculinity not because he hurts people but because his native personality threatens the system. and when that same system begins to repress those innate parts of himself, when he's angry and in pain, the system teaches him to lash out and make other people hurt like he hurts, reinforcing the emotional isolation, reinforcing his pain, reinforcing the roles the system imposes on him and the shallow image those roles project to other people. he's angry and miserable because he's isolated by the system, the system teaches him to lash out and push people away, people respond to that by not getting close which reinforces his isolation. the cycle continues, one gear among many, revolution after revolution after revolution and nothing changes.

but there's hope. there's a glimmer of another path here, and it lies again in that contradiction. the cycle is one of violence; it takes work to maintain ignorance. outside of those cycles, the systems of ohtori, saionji is no longer bound to that path, no longer cast as the Bad Masculine. when he's living with wakaba, all that anger and pain disappears, almost, and he flourishes. if he can leave the system he can break the cycle. a gear fixed in place in a machine turns and turns and turns and gets nowhere; a gear fallen out of the machine can roll forward for a great distance.

all girls are like the rose bride. all boys are like the duelist. and all of us are trapped in this hell of human making...unless we choose, like anthy did, like saionji could have, to walk away.

#saionji kyouichi #kyouichi saionji #rgu #revolutionary girl utena #sku #shoujo kakumei utena #rgu meta #sku meta #also touga definitely plays a role in how saionji's masculinity is shaped and repressed but i didn't get into it here #there's also something to be said about how rgu problematizes morality/moral character but i also didn't get into that here #anyways this show is incredible

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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 7 months

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What do you think of edward’s perception of Seth? He says in canon that he has the kindest purest mind is he being genuine or is he Edwarding again, also could Seth(aged up)/Edward work?

Good question and the answer is a little bit of both.

Edward is Edwarding but He's Edwarded Worse Before

From what we see of Seth he is an earnest kid who sees the best in everyone and thinks the Cullens are his cool vampire friends. He doesn't just think everyone should get along but doesn't see why they shouldn't.

He's just a really nice kid who's taking being a sudden supernatural warrior quite well (or poorly depending on how you view things).

The trouble with Seth is just that, though, he doesn't recognize that the Cullens are inherently dangerous and that maybe the tribe should be as wary of them as they are. Seth at 14 isn't connecting the fact that the Cullens are inclined to eating people to the fact that, even if the Cullens don't wish to, they can end up hurting people. He just sees these really cool people who are nice to him and helping fight the vampires.

It's like a more extreme version of Bella's "Switzerland" argument where not only does he ignore the tension between the groups (the Bella approach), he straight up doesn't seem to comprehend it. It's a non-entity to him.

Added into his lack of a sense of danger he without a second thought signs up to protect the woman pregnant with a demon baby under Jacob's leadership. He seems to do this without really coming to terms with/recognizing that this will likely lead to confrontation with the rest of the pack (which could lead to either his, his sister's, Jacob's, or the other pack members serious injuries or deaths). He also doesn't realize that there is some cause to be worried about Bella's baby, now murder's not the answer, but on the other hand there is 0 awareness from this kid that this is all a very bad idea.

But Edward likes these qualities about Seth.

To him, Seth's 14-year-old brain is wonderful because Seth genuinely doesn't see the Cullens as monsters or at all dangerous. He thinks they're great. To Edward, rather than concerning, that's a balm to the soul and something he'd relate to Seth being a purer spirit than the rest of us.

And, of course, Seth seems to like Edward the best of the Cullens so that just proves he has good taste, doesn't it? (For all Edward hates himself, he also does love a bit of flattery).

"What a kind pure mind" Edward says.

Seth/Edward

Well, the thing is, I don't know if Seth would be like this at eighteen or what have you. He may still be an optimist, but he'll likely develop some sense of danger which means he wouldn't be exactly what Edward's looking for here as he'd have some innate fear of Edward and the rest of the Cullens.

However, I'll put it disturbingly like this, 14-year-old Seth's brain is exactly what Edward thinks he sees, and is very attracted to, in Bella's silent mind.

I could see a world where Edward pursues Seth as a friend which... causes lines to get blurred somewhere... and Seth doesn't realize any of it is happening.

... I'm going to stop here, I don't like this place.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #seth clearwater #edward cullen #anti edward cullen #edward/seth #anti edward/seth #edward/bella #anti edward/bella #meta #headcanon #opinion #shipping #twilight shipping

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the-bloody-sadist · 7 months

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Don't you think it's funny cause actual canon gay characters in BL manga/manhwa will say "I love you" but only the shounen bromance can spew out some of the most romantic shit akin to a 19th century poet writing a letter expressing his surpressed love for his lover 😭.....

This actually is such a frustrating (and funny) psychological concept to me. Because there’s an element to it that will always influence why we fall harder for a non-canon ship couple than actual canon couples, and that is simply: SEXUAL TENSION.

The difference between watching a romance and watching a shounen with bromance is that we know for a fact the romance will end up with resolved sexual tension. The shounen bromance, however? We’re so criminally aware that they’ll never get together that it makes everything they say to each other HYPERSEXUAL in our heads. We look everywhere for that next crumb of “THEY LOVE EACH OTHER, OOO THEY WANNA FUCK SO BAD YOUR HONOR” energy.

So even IF a BL romance had couples spewing 19th century poet confessions, it would never hit as hard as (yes I know you’re talking about Moriarty the Patriot) those two bros having an entire conversation about how they’d like to kill each other.

The romantic tension of BL is so much harder to pull off than the inherent homoeroticism of being enemies in an anime.

Also, anime knows exactly why you, as a man, are watching that anime. You saw the pretty men sitting suspiciously close on a couch. You saw one of them with his foot far too close to a crotch to be “no homo bro”. You know and the anime KNOWS you’re only here for that super secret romance. The action is just a well-packaged cover-up.

BL is just like hi, this is about men fucking in the first chapter, please enjoy. DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?

Anyway, Vanitas and Noé should kiss in my opinion.

#sadist’s answered asks #bromance

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writing-whump · 3 days

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Sorry, if this is rude.. but I'm really curious.

Why is puking such a large theme in your writing? Is it more of a whump fixation like 'emptying' oneself of their turmoil or is it more of a fetish fancy?

Again I'm sorry if this is a weird ask and please, feel free not to answer if it is.

Hmm, that is a good question.

I consider my writing to fall into the emeto category of whump. So it's like whump in terms of emeto?

I'm not entirely sure what fascinates me about it. But I feel like the biggest draw for me is the hurt/comfort potential.

Like feeling sick/puking is just incredibly vulnerable uncomfortable state, where you basically don't have control over yourself, you can't help what's happening, you can't really stop it...but it has so many causes and is so mundane in a sense? Everyone goes through it?

And it's gross. So I feel like whoever takes care of you during a sickness like that has to really really care, and you have to be comfortable and close for that comfort/intervention to not feel humiliating?

And it's exactly in this kind of state where genuine care, real friendships, close family or significant other come through to help you with what you need and can't help?

For me its like the ultimate expression of selfless, non-profit, not doing it for sex or attraction or good looks or "to look good" kind of love. And it's not something breezy and easy like a fever or a cold where you do something half-heartedly and it's done, it requires real overcoming yourself and your comfort zone?

Other thing is the whole caretaking like bellyrubs and gurgles that might have a sort of sexy/kink quality for me? The buildup and stuff? I'm not entirely sure, I explore this aspect of it more on other blogs, but it has a bity bity part of it in my fics too.

So it's kind of a mix between super selfless care and kind of sexy build up tension and vulnerability and a kind of exploration of sex and sexuality (in romantic smutty context! Not all fics are about this!!It isn't as high on my priorities in writing as the platonic aspects for example) that just feels a lot safer for me?

I'm not a fan of sex without a deep emotional connection, I'm super afraid of it, actually (which is not a trendy opinion right now). Casual sex is sort of a personal squick. My environment was very "sex bad! Sex unpure! Sex dangerous! It's a way people will use you!" (It took me a long time to figure out that sex itself isn't what bothers me. It's the casual kind of sex that does. Ergo why my world and OCs are so sensitive about touch and can't do casual hookups at all lol.).

So connecting this selfless kind of care with sexy kind of context creates the right comfort level for me.

Honestly, I don't know for sure. I think for me this ties into the debate of "is whump inherently sexual or not" and "where are the lines between whump and kink" and "are there kinks that are freaky or are they alright as long as it's consensual" and "is whump or h/c just an expression of desire for connection and care/being taken care of/caring"?

(I have read studies that suggest whump can be a substitute for vulnerability for asexual people or for people not currently having/being wary of sexual relationships).

Basically, the pure hurt/comfort and care and vulnerability is my favourite whump content. I'm here for the comfort, not for the hurt (not that there is anything wrong about the hurt itself I think). And emeto nicely ties into that.

#emeto #I mean why do we like certain kind of whump?#why does emeto exist?#is it something the writers of it share or does everyone have their own specific reason?#and we should simply accept it?#I don't know #gonna go hide somewhere now bye #ask #whump meta

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lord-squiggletits · 30 days

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After I write that new IDW Optimus meta, the next one is gonna be a post of "why I really hate that theory about Rodimus being a better Prime than Optimus and how it doesn't even match the themes of IDW OR canon fact about how the Matrix functions."

But the TLDR that I feel like encapsulates where a lot of this fanwank comes from, is that I feel like ppl don't properly appreciate that the context of Optimus and Rodimus' leaderships are extremely different.

Like, Rodimus only led a ship of about 200+ people. This means that the scale of his leadership responsibilities and the risks/consequences/stakes of his actions as leader were much smaller in scale. However, it also means that just because he only led one ship of people doesn't mean that his choices weren't important/weren't indicative of his personal character (that is to say, just bc it was only one ship doesn't mean that it had no meaning or significance at all).

On the other hand, Optimus led an entire freaking army over a 4 million year war that arose from political tensions that began even before he/most of the people in the war were born. That means that the consequences of his leadership had extremely far reaching consequences no matter what he did, which grants him a large degree of culpability/blame for his actions. HOWEVER, it must also be said that under the pressure of fighting an impossible war, just because OP wasn't able to "stop it sooner" doesn't mean that he was a morally bad/incompetent leader, because a whole galactic war is such a huge burden that one person can't possibly stop it or influence/control everything to make the most morally correct and peace-causing decisions.

TLDR can we please stop pitting Optimus and Rodimus against each other when the contexts of them being leaders was so vastly different (and they had such different leadership styles in general) that you can't really say "who's the better leader" without minimizing either of their accomplishments/magnifying their respective flaws.

Also, canonically speaking the Matrix can be wielded by anyone who's confident/at peace/self-righteous enough to believe they're worthy of it, which was shown not only by the ending of LL where a bunch of regular ass crewmates were able to use copies of the Matrix, but by the fact that the first Prime/ruler of Cybertron Nova Prime was a massive piece of shit who colonized people, yet was still a Matrix bearer who wielded the true/original Matrix.

And also Primus is literally Just Some Guy and not some omnipotent god who's an objective arbiter of morality that can point at a guy and go "YOU are the Specialest Boy Ever and are Divinely Mandated To Be A Good person"

So the entire premise of why ppl even make theories and debate about this is beyond me lol. In IDW1 the Matrix is more of a social/cultural symbol than it is an actual measurer of morality, which is in line with IDW1's consistent themes of challenging the inherent rightness of authority

#squiggposting #like frex i wouldn't say rod is inherently a worse leader just bc OP was a general and he wasn't #not every good leader needs to be The Top Leader In Charge and small scale impacts are important in their own way #likewise i wouldn't say that OP is inherently a worse leader because bigger and badder things happened under his leadership #bc the problem is that when you're a leader of a whole ass army the scale of all of your actions is much larger #so just as your heroic deeds and victories will be larger. so too will your fuckups and flaws #OP and Rod are also both good people with good intentions so like #which one of them is a 'better person' is generally subjective and more up to how you individually measure their virtues/vices #meta #i mean literally one of the central sources of conflict in idw1 (functionism) was put into place by a religious body #sooooooo why is it ppl are using the matrix as a religious justification for who The Best Prime is?#like bud the last time cybertronians used religion/alleged godhood as justification for their leader/government #they invented a fucking caste system and colonized the galaxy #even if the matrix had some divine power to objectively decide on Moral Goodness it's kind of a shit judge of character

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6-2-aestheticsofhate · 2 months

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I keep seeing people say that they think Blood Quantum (the movie) supports the concept of blood quantum, usually by pointing out that there's no way to know if Joseph's child will survive a zombie bite since her mother was white. I don't think this is so much supporting blood quantum rather than pointing out the inherent flaws in the system. It's saying that by dividing people into categories of who's native and who's not is bad and showing that by pointing out the uncertain faith of an infant, a very vulnerable person, during a zombie apocalypse. It's supposed to make you think, make you question how and why natives are immune and how the system, whatever that is be it some otherworldly force or the virus itself, decides who's native and who's not and how the uncertainty that brings affects the protagonists.

In real life it's the government who decides who's full status or not. Not being status will leave you without the rights our ancestors fought for a long time ago, and strip you of your native identity in the eyes of the government.

A major theme of Blood Quantum is how colonization affected the natives in the film and how in some cases (Lysol, Moon, and James) are now lashing out at others in anger because of the risk the non-natives pose to their safety. The narrative treats their anger, but not their actions, as valid. The movie shows Joss sympathizing with Lysol, she understands his anger at non-natives and how they're treated but she also understands he's just hurting himself and others by acting like this.

Lysol doesn't want non-natives in their reservation, he wants there to only be natives and this actions drives the main conflict and tragedy of the movie. The movie is asking who we are hurting when we try to stay 'pure', and it's that we only hurt ourselves and those who are most affected by the blood quantum system (mixed natives).

So, in my eyes, the system of blood quantum is portrayed as a bad thing in the movie, something that is putting both the native group and especially their youngest and most vulnerable member at risk. It is separating and increasing the tension within the group of survivors and causes the entire settlement to fall apart in the end.

#seeing bad faith critiques of Blood Quantum (the movie) sucks because like. I'm not gonna defend other stuff Jeff Barnaby said/done #but the fact that people will twist the movie to make it seem like it fully accepts/supports the blood quantum system is...

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pansythoughts · 9 months

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So I got this ask on curious cat

And I had too much to say again, because Luca is my best boy and I unfortunately love character analysis. Below the cut is half a rambling essay on Luca Balsa’s flaws, unreliable narration in IDVs storytelling, and ultimately, how I liked his third birthday letter a lot.

So to start with, I’m not actually sure that much changed with regards to Luca’s character, or at least how I think of him, based on the information presented in his third birthday letter. I think we’ve always been presented with Luca’s flaws—we meet him when he is in jail for having murdered a man and causing an explosion that harmed others. We learned last year that he has a habit of mansplaining to women he just met, and cursing out people he thinks have wronged him in ways that imply they’re less than him. We knows he’s got anger issues, and we know he’s not particularly thoughtful even to new people.

But also, the letter is written by a character voice that we’ve seen time and time again takes the cruelest, most bad faith reading of any characters actions to seemingly prove that all humanity is inherently evil. Which the narrative also disproves! Idv gives us the context to see that there’s other information that strongly contrasts the way the experiment file writer thinks of each character, and in Luca’s case this is especially true. We’ve been given so much about how Luca is angry and reactive, yes, but that also he is an abuse victim dealing poorly with a new disability, not to mention arguably ptsd. Anger, lashing out, thoughtlessness—all of those are really human responses! The letter writer is wrong to take the bad faith reading of a very traumatized man reacting to being put through more trauma. By the same token I think it’s not quite right to frame Luca as a character who is either positive or negative. He’s very believable, very human, and very well written.

As for my general opinion on the letter, I really liked it! I think it’s really interesting that it looks like lucatracy started to clash because of differences of opinion on the stakes, and interestingly I think it’s because Luca’s experience was mostly in the realm of design and theory while Tracy had practical experience. I also like that the letter specifically discusses the brain damage and issues with cognitive function Luca has now, because the lore hasn’t always leaned into that. I like that it establishes that as a baseline at the top for our context as an audience; it makes it clear we’re supposed to read the rest of the letter through that lens, that this is a traumatized disabled man having a reaction to exposure to his trauma, and acting accordingly. The character voice of the writer doesn’t view it like that, but i really think we the audience is meant to. That’s good dramatic irony and tension imo. I also think it adds a lot that they hammered in how sensitive he is to betrayal, and how that caused issues in his game when he was faced with something that seemed like betrayal, apparently. That’s a really good detail that’s fascinating to incorporate into my view of Luca. None of that I think in the end makes him better or worse than I thought he was, and I sincerely hope people aren’t judging him too harshly for reacting in believable ways to the bad things that have happened and keep happening to him. I still love Luca the most of any character in this game, and am still excited to learn more as time passes.

#identity v #luca balsa #Cari does meta analysis

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sheisadykewomon · 2 years

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In discussions of what draws people to trans ideology, I have not seen anyone mention the role of childhood emotional neglect in priming children to accept the premises of the ideology and the dynamics of “trans culture”. Children who have been emotionally neglected are especially at risk of being drawn into gender ideology. (Below, I use the word “child” but the analysis also applies to “adult children”, or grown-up children of emotional neglect.)

Emotional neglect causes deep feelings of emptiness, extreme emotional loneliness, and the feeling that something is inherently wrong with you. An emotionally neglected child feels that she needs to change something about herself in order to be safe and happy, but she doesn't know what it is; she can't pinpoint what it is that is "wrong with her", so she is plagued by the constant, unyielding tension of living day-to-day with an unsolvable problem.

Emotionally neglected children are always looking for a way out of their unhappiness, but are frequently unable to consciously acknowledge what is causing their unhappiness. Because the parent may have provided adequate food, shelter, and clothing, the child may feel unable to blame her parents, worried that it makes her ungrateful, which would be evidence of her inherent “badness”. These children frequently blame themselves for not being able to consistently hold their parents' attentions and affections. They frequently self-harm as a result, may develop eating or substance use disorders, and otherwise struggle to regulate their emotions and maintain emotional stability. All of this makes a child susceptible to the kind of love-bombing attention that is characteristic of trans ideology: here's what's wrong with you (you are trans), here's what you need to change (gender identity), once you do it you'll finally belong somewhere and you'll have a "family" who loves you (the "trans community"). That's extremely appealing for someone who has grown up feeling like he or she does not belong and is not wanted.

Some parents of trans youth tend to wonder why their child has been drawn into this ideology, why the child is so eager to discard the family of origin and disown his or her parents. They believe that trans ideology turned their child against them. These types of parents would never stop to consider that perhaps their child had never been "with them" from the start, because they were never emotionally there for the child in any meaningful way. They are not and were never aware of the child's emotional needs, and so cannot empathize with the child's desperation to find emotional fulfillment elsewhere. Trans ideology gives emotionally neglected children a great excuse to extricate themselves from emotionally painful relationships with their family, without having to directly acknowledge the extent of the pain that the neglectful family has caused. The painful interactions can be reframed as "transphobia", as the parents oppressing the child because he or she is trans, rather than the more complex reality of the parents being emotionally unavailable to the child.

This gives a more concrete excuse for the child to abandon the family of origin and seek out a life independent of the family. The child can more easily justify to herself the action of separating from the family of origin; trans ideology absolves the child of the guilt she might otherwise feel if she just "left for no reason". But this initiation into the ideology, and ticket away from the harmful family dynamics, comes at a price. The child must dedicate him- or herself entirely to the ideology, or lose the justification for individuation from the family of origin.

If transitioning should fail to fulfill its hefty promises for the child--i.e. eliminating the deep inner emptiness and emotional pain--the child feels panicky, and fears that “it’s not working”. She may begin to doubt that the ideology is the solution to her problems, but the only alternative she sees is to return to the previous (unpleasant) family role. The child must then double down on the ideology. Feeling that the failure to resolve her pain is her own fault, and not the result of the false promises of the ideology, she must mold herself further to fit this new role. The child feels unable to be completely individuated from either the parents or the ideology, and relies on the ideology as a kind of pseudo-parent; like the emotionally neglectful parent, the ideology dictates what the child can and cannot say, do, or think. It is the creation of another role under the guise of "personal freedom", when the child is only switching from one constrained role to another, from one dysfunctional belief system to the next.

Trans ideology promises freedom, but trans culture tells another story: one of control. The culture of trans ideology is, on its face, about celebration of individual differences; however, only certain superficial kinds of differences are celebrated, such as clothing style or hair color. Deeper differences, such as differences in values, opinions, experiences, and perspectives, are not tolerated. In this way, the ideology replicates for the child the same conditions created by the emotionally neglectful parents. It feels familiar, and therefore safe. True individuation feels frightening for the child; the child is not able to think for himself and does not truly know himself. The ideology "protects" the child from confronting and resolving these fears by demonizing any members who express divergent opinions, perspectives, or ideas, thereby threatening the child into compliance in the same manner as the emotionally neglectful parents. It "protects" the child from growing into a true individual. As long as he or she goes along with whatever everyone else has agreed is "the right thing", all is well.

#thoughts #trans ideology #gender ideology #this is not really finished but I'm sharing anyway

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neoneun-au · 4 months

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why do u hate modern romances? i need to know if its the same reason i hate most of them lol (way too horny too fast like wheres the PINING wheres the ROMANCE, also why do some of these couples not even like each other half the time 😭 either they hate each other too much with no real arc or they’re unhealthily obsessed with one another) i have so many grievances w modern romances since i struggle to find ones i enjoy tbh :( its the reason why i ended up reading thrillers more (which is fun! i love the genre i just wish it was easier to find good romance that wasnt obsessed with getting the characters to bone like its the only reason to ever even like someone)

Basically all of that !! Which I generally sum up with: they're lazy. SO lazy. And the cover designs are the perfect example of that as well, it's the same thing every time. If I wanted to read something based on common fanfic tropes and written quickly without any quality control, I would just read fanfiction!! (And I do). I can accept those things in ff cause they're an inherent part of it, but in actual published books??? I would like some quality and good writing please. And the lack of TENSION YES! That's part of what makes the classics so moving imo. The issues between them feel almost insurmountable at times and the hatred/bad blood is actually founded on something that makes sense narratively.

I think even classic harlequin / paperback romances do it better than modern popular romances tbh. At least the plots are sometimes interesting.

I saw someone call the modern publishing word fast fashion for books and I think it's most apparent in the romance and romantasy genres

#im sure there are some good modern romances #i have one sitting on my shelf that ive heard actual good things about sans trope marketing #so i will read that one day #n e way #thank you for the collaborative ted talk LOL #replies #anon

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yardsards · 1 year

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i think one of the most evil aspects of fundamentalist evangelical christianity is how it (and the general culture of those who follow it) encourages parents to treat children

first off, it treats having children as something EVERYONE should do, regardless of if they actually want and are capable of raising said children. in more extreme cases you get shit like the quiverfull movement, wherein couples are encouraged to have as many children as physically possible

and then, those children are referred to like they're their parents possessions, like they are just objects their parents were "gifted" with by god. they're not treated like their own human beings.

AND a core tenet of their religion is that humans are born inherently sinful. they think newborns, who can't even fully control their bodily functions yet, are automatically full of sin. an infant's crying for its basic needs to be met is seen as a sign of their inherent selfishness

a parents' main goal is supposed to be to "purify" that child's soul by any means necessary, the child's actual wellbeing is secondary to "saving their soul"

and, of course, free thought is discouraged in favour of obedience. they believe in a hierarchy: child < wife < husband < god. if you are to disobey the one above you, then you are considered to be disobeying god himself- even if the thing your parent or husband is commanding you not to do is not a sin in of itself. "honor thy father and thy mother"

and again, parents are taught that the best trait for a child to have is *obedience*. obedient to their parents and obedient to the church and scripture

parents are taught to force that obedience by corporal punishment. physical abuse (and yes. "spanking" is abuse. if you disagree then, well, i'm sorry that someone convinced you that raising a hand against someone so much smaller and weaker than you is anything short of abusive) is ENCOURAGED

in fact, if you DON'T hit your kids, you are seen as A BAD PARENT, who is failing to properly "train" their child, and who is dooming their child to a life of wickedness, sin, and suffering ("he who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." or, put more simply, "spare the rod spoil the child")

parents are told to ignore their own despair and revulsion towards the idea of harming their child, and to hit them anyway. hit the kid and ignore the voice in your head that says hitting kids is wrong. remind yourself that this is for the child's own good. remind yourself that this is god's will.

you're also supposed to remind the child that you are hurting them for their own good, because god commands it. teach them that people hurting them is a good thing.

and many suggest that after you beat them, give your child comfort (comfort from the distress caused by being beaten by you, who is supposed to protect them from harm) and to give them affection (to drive home the point that hurting them is how you show love). which, if you know about the cycle of abusive relationships (tension, violent incident, reconciliation, calm) then you can see how this is pretty much a mirror image of that

it's fucking evil

look up the book "to train up a child" if you want to see this taken to the extreme. even many fundamentalists thing the methodology is too extreme, but they generally agree with the ideology/principles behind it

#eliot posts #exvangelical #abuse cw #christianity cw #religious trauma cw #my parents weren't even that religious compared to some others i knew #but they had thoroughly absorbed the abusive ideologies peddled by that specific belief system #i was only beaten a dozen or so times that i can remember #my sister had it way worse #but even still. it fucked me up #wooden spoons still make me uncomfortable tbh (i also got the belt or the hands but the spoons were the worst and most common)#i still get a little bit afraid that people are gonna hit me when they're really mad at me and i shut down #sidenote: even outside of religion‚ beating children is extremely accepted in rural appalachian culture #and there's just. a lot to disentangle with that #i'd read some pretty good pieces about like. unlearning abusive ideals that were normalized in your culture #whilst not like. fully rejecting or belittling every part of your culture even the good or harmless stuff #though most of those were written by people of colour so not a 100% overlap with my situation #cuz y'know. we don't have racism against us just for being ''rednecks'' or whatever #but we do have our own smaller cultures that have formed outside the mainstream because of geographic isolation and bc poverty #but it's not the exact same situation #SIDENOTE my parents never rlly did the comforting me after beating me thing and were very blatantly beating me out of anger #so i kinda benefited there cuz there wasn't that level of manipulation so i realized it was wrong of them pretty early on #i didn't know it was abuse but i knew it was cruel

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max1461 · 4 months

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Ok, right. Suppose you have [incredibly broad category]. Suppose among those who are involved in some way with [incredibly broad category], there are [cool people doing interesting stuff] and [incredibly Annoying people] and [others]. This is true for almost any [incredibly broad category], by virtue of it being incredibly broad, ya feel? Right, so suppose you're me, and your primary exposure to [incredibly broad category] has been in the form of [cool people doing interesting stuff]. Why? Well because I seek out cool people and interesting stuff, and avoid Annoying people, so naturally it would be so. But there's another type of guy, a Type Of Guy who's primary exposure to [incredibly broad category] is [incredibly Annoying people]. Why? Idk, maybe this guy seeks out Annoying people to be annoyed at. It's a common behavior.

Ya feel me? Ya feel me so far?

Well this can be a source of tension. Cause I want to post about the cool people and the cool stuff they're doing. Cause I think it's cool, right. And sometimes I reference [incredibly broad category] in describing these people. Not because I think [incredibly broad category] is inherently Good, or whatever, just because like. Ya gotta describe people, right, ya gotta describe shit somehow. And because I'm me, I am immensely careful to be circumspect in my phrasing, and avoid the implication as best I can that [incredibly broad category] is a priori Good, because of course it isn't, it's too incredibly broad for that. But I do spend most of my time focusing on the good parts of it, because of course I do. I like thinking and talking about things that I like instead of things that I dislike! Sue me!

But the above mentioned Guy, well, this Guy naturally spends a lot of time dunking on [incredibly Annoying people]. And often they reference [incredibly broad category] in describing these people. Not necessarily because they think [incredibly broad category] is inherently Bad (idk if they think this or not), just because like. Ya gotta describe people, right, ya gotta describe shit somehow. And because they're not me, they are not immensely careful to be circumspect in their phrasing, and to avoid the implication that [incredibly broad category] is a priori Bad. Even though of course it isn't, it's too incredibly broad for that.

So they see my posts and probably pick up the implication that I'm at least somewhat sympathetic to the [incredibly Annoying people], whether that's true or not, which makes them (I infer) a little annoyed with me by association. Not necessarily very much. And I see their posts and pick up the implication that they are somewhat excessively critical of the [cool people doing interesting stuff] and the interesting stuff those people do. And indeed this implication has sometimes been backed up, at moments where I feel they have unfairly dismissed the [cool people doing interesting stuff] or lumped them in with the [incredibly Annoying people]. And this kind of makes me feel worse whenever I see it, makes me feel a little bit negative when I'm trying to engage with stuff I think is cool, and so on.

No one is like, objectively in the wrong here. Idk. You can be a hater on your blog, that's your right. I was being a Dark Souls hater the other day, which I'm sure pissed some people off. Sometimes you gotta Hate, on your internet blog, and that's fine. But I know when I do it, at least, I do feel some responsibility to make it lighthearted, to make clear that it's merely an expression of preference and that I bear no ill will in it. Just because this mode of Hating, IMO, avoids the above scenario better (and is more accurately representative of my actual feelings on the issue, too). And when I am not being lighthearted, when I am seriously Against something, I try to be very careful to distinguish it from all the maybe-similar-seeming stuff that I am not Against, again to avoid the above.

I probably don't always succeed at this. And realistically it is not any random internet user's responsibility to think this hard about any of this. But I do think it's nice to try.

And, I also admit that when I see this kind of thing play out, I'm usually a bit more sympathetic to the Liker than the Hater, which I guess is just a reflection of the fact that I think love is better than hate, and shit. Ya know. I like liking stuff, and I tend to side with the people who like stuff. Liking stuff makes life better and hating stuff makes it worse. Well I mean, obviously it depends on the stuff. But I do think we should have a general predilection for liking over hating. I'm more sympathetic to this position.

#vaguing #navel gazing

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