They dont even hide their racism anymore

https://www.tumblr.com/drakaripykiros130ac/740128372398669824?source=share

Yeah, another anon already sent that to me a couple of days ago. Just report them for hate speech. That’s all that really can be done because people like this won’t stop unless they get formally reprimanded.

I must admit though I am starting to find this whole situation to be a comedy of ironies.

These people sound like their beloved queen and misogynistic maesters they allegedly hate and think are liars when they go on about how Daemon would never touch the darkie—I mean Nettles with a ten foot pole.

Personally, I wouldn’t be spazzing out about a ship I know for sure isn’t canon or it being canon in a show I supposedly hate(cause again it’s not canon), but do you boo!

While we are here, they also need to stick with one script because one moment they are screaming how there is no such thing as Black and white people in the ASOIAF universe, there is no racism in F&B, that the Targaryens aren’t racist colonizers, that we are trying to weaponize racism to attack their queen, and Nettles is without a doubt Valyrian, then the next they writing bullcrap like this.

Which one is it cause it can’t be both🙃

I don’t want to take it there, but I will. Even if Daemon was a racist(I think he’s prejudice and Nettles helped him see some things), racism has never stopped someone from being attracted to the people who they hate/are oppressing.

Daemon definitely wouldn’t be the first man upholding white supremacy(or Valyrian supremacy in this case) and then when the lights go down he’s fucking the person who he thinks is inferior.

Again that’s not the situation(before y’all get any ideas, don’t try it; out of everyone Daemon saved Nettles and put her first so if I hear someone comparing him in situation to an enslaver or what happened during Jim Crow I will scream), but Mrs. Epps whole argument doesn’t even come close to tracking with reality(which again is why she is spazzing out).

Character Asks: Tina to round out the kids!

I was going to sleep but I can not do that to my T girl

First impression: surprise surprise she was my favorite at first, the first episode totally made me fall for her, the whole how many tothpicks on the ground and the "My crotch is itchy"

Impression now: still love her very much, i would say i even love her more, she's not my fav (blame Gene) but yeah she's like amazing for me, she's bold, confident, romantic, brave and horny, but in her own unique way.

Favorite moment: I mentioned some, and I can actually think in many more but I think is definitely the two episode special "Some Like It Bot: Eighth Grade Runner" the whole song "What If They're Right?" made me cry til this day. Seen such a confidence girl doubt herself like that is heartbreaking and totally relatiable.

Idea for a story: Im very bad at this, uh I just have an idea, a kinda homage to "The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants" not the story per se but the essence. something like "Stand by Gene". maybe they go in a school travel and Tina meet with Dilon again and for some reason they end up getting lost from the group, so is a Tina, Dilon, Susmita and Tammy having to work together to survive, and end up learning new things about each other and themselves... I swear I just came up with this. My brain is running a marathon. You can replace Dilon for the new cool girl Tina meet, Sage, but it would be cool to see Dilon again.

Unpopular opinion: ...maybe that I dont ship her with Jimmy Jr? for me she likes him yeah, but she likes like a ton of other boys, and I actually like more the idea of them being friends. But for Tina exclusively I dont think I have any unpopular opinion.

Favorite relationship: the obvious one is Tina and Louise, i love the sisterhood, though wish to see more of Tina and Gene I think they get each other in a total different way, they talk their own lil language, but I will go with Tina and Susmita... i know Im full of surprises. Picture this, Tina mostly hang out with popular kids Jimmy Jr and Tammy and Jocelyn, and Susmita is so different from them, is so refreshing every interectation she have with Tina and those are specially sweat we get to see a different side of Tina a lil mean, she always think she's a better person than Tammy or that Tammy is the mean girl with her, but with Susmita she's the mean girl :D but Susmita no se deja de nadie and bring Tina down back to earth. Is just different and there is just so few of this moments that they let me craving for more.

Favorite headcanon: truly non, maybe that she's bi, but even Im not totally convince in that one. Maybe the fact that Tina is kinda of a mean girl sometimes, in a good way, who doesn't love Mean Girls? uh I just thought a silly one, I'm pretty sure Tina is fan of "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" XD I love my Zombie Movie Fan Tina

One of my friends and players just brought something up to me that I think is a discussion that should be had and that is:

Should white people make ocs that are poc in ttrpgs

She sent me two ticktocks here and here where two poc talk about how it makes them uncomfortable when white people play as poc in ttrpgs and she was freaking out because her oc from the last 3-4 years in our campaign is mix raced. My friend is also mix raced but white passing and she was afraid she was offending people.

So, I just wanna give my perspective from observing this same discussion in other writing communities - because it is essentially the same discussion of whether or not white people can write poc in novels, video game, movies, etc because it all comes down to aesthetic appropriation.

Now, if any poc would like to add their own thoughts and experiences with this please do, your voices are much more important than mine - a white person - so I'm going to put my thoughts under a cut. I'm basically going to talk about my own observations within the fantasy genre as a whole when it comes to ethnicity and race and the patterns I've seen and how that translates into the ttrpg medium. Cheers :D

So, the main problem I've seen brought up when white people try to be inclusive by adding poc in their stories is that their inclusion stops at aesthetics. A poc is still written with the mindset of a white person. Changing the ethnicity of a character changes nothing about them and - many times - their ethnicity isn't even clear. They are south Asian but of which country? Which region? South Asians are an incredibly diverse ethnic group just like Afrians or Central/South Americans. If you can swap the ethnicity of a character without changing anything about them, then you aren't actually making good representation, you are doing the bare minimum of preventing an all white cast. It's 2023, we should hold ourselves and each other to higher standards.

Now, when it comes to fantasy stories, there is a bit of a problem. The worlds within fantasy settings become so much smaller because humans often share the setting with nonhumans such as elves, dwarves, gnomes, etc. This means humans are often turned into a european monolith - or something very close to it - while other real world ethnicities are shoved onto fantasy lineages (often times still flavors of european).

I dont think I need to point out why this is a problem. Humans continue using the aesthetics of nonwhite ethnicities but completely divorced of their culture and context. This is the definition of appropriation. I can think of dozens of fantasy stories from various mediums where there would be no change if a poc was white because their ethnicity has no impact on their characterization - as seen with various video game characters who's skin becomes lighter and lighter through every installment or has dark skinned concept art and a light skinned final product.

You want your fantasy setting to be a mixing pot of cultures and ethnicities? Ok, look at the US and how all of these different cultures remain intact even after generations. Yes, there is a level of assimilation but even fourth gen Mexican immigrants are still influenced their culture. Mix raced people have their own unique struggles and cultural experiences. Every country in the world has their own unique mixing pot of cultures and ethnicities. No country is a monolith as that would require committing cultural and/or ethnic genocide to everyone who does not fit the predestined mold.

A setting can have a mixing pot of cultures without racism or prejudice. You can have a human civilization that isn't a monolith. Don't be afraid to research different cultures to represent them with respect. Not only will it make your setting feel more immersive, it will give you a deeper understanding and respect for people irl.

It's always boggled my mind when people say irl race doesn't matter in fantasy then immediately turn around with fantasy racism like... seriously? The beauty of humanity is how diverse our cultures are and yet you'd rather dismiss this beauty over using the violence of prejudice and racism as cheap conflict in your story.

If you actually want to be inclusive in your fantasy stories, do research. Talk to poc of the ethnicity you are trying to represent.

If you are a player wanting to make an oc that is a different ethnicity than you - consider why? Does the character's physical appearance actually matter to their story? Are you willing to put in the work to represent this character's culture and respect the irl culture and people you are drawing from? Is this even your story to tell? If your answer to any of these questions is no, then maybe you should rethink some things.

I don't have the answer on whether or not white people should be allowed to make their oc a person of color but I think this question is indicative of a much larger problem within the fantasy genre of aesthetic appropriation and surface level representation of poc. I don't have any answers - other than put more effort into representing different ethnicities and cultures which its whole own can of worms- but its a conversation that should be had.

I would love to hear other people's thoughts and feel free to correct me or add your own experiences with this. I want to learn so I can write better representation in my stories and understand different perspectives better. Cheers :D

Ok so Star Trek: Enterprise really seemed to be improving in season 3 ever since they abandoned the shapeshifting lizard people as the series villain and stopped trying to put T'pol and Archer together but then we came across an episode last night that baffled us so thoroughly we stayed up for an extra hour just yelling into the void about it

So, Enterprise comes across this destroyed insectoid ship. The crew are dead and most systems are down and they dont know why. And then on the ship they find a hatchery of insectoid eggs. Babies. It's the most fortified section of the ship and the only section that still has life support.

Turns out, the crew cut power to their own life support in order to keep the hatchery running. They sacrificed themselves to save these babies. Phlox analyzes their anatomy and learns that they reproduce asexually, concludes there is likely a hatchery like this on every insectoid ship. So now we know two things: these children were loved, and the crew of this ship was not especially negligent for having them onboard, because this is a normal practice for their people.

Archer says "we gotta save these babies." The crew is skeptical, because saving the babies would take a lot of resources and put Enterprise in danger. For once i agree with Archer - they gotta save the babies. He makes a lot of really good arguments, like "we have a chance to show the Xindi that we're not the monsters they think we are," and "if this was a nursery of primate babies, you wouldnt think twice about saving them." That good Star Trek shit. No one actually directly refutes this argument, they just say they dont want to save the babies.

The whole episode goes on like this, with Archer fervently trying to save these babies while the rest of the crew stands around saying "idk i think the captain's going crazy." T'pol refuses a direct order to help with saving the babies, so Archer relieves her of command. This is seen as evidence that Archer is going crazy. Another insectoid ship shows up, and Reed blows them out of the sky without even attempting to communicate, so Archer relieves him of command as well. This is further evidence that Archer is going crazy.

Then the senior staff fucking mutinies. They say, "captain, youve taken this whole 'save these babies' thing too far, let us kill the babies." The babies have started to hatch and Archer is getting weird with it. They drag him off to sick bay and scan his brain - turns out, he was infected with some kind of alien pheromone that gave him an irresistable urge to protect these babies. He was not, in fact, following a moral code that compelled him to protect innocent life, or trying to set a good example for humanity as they join the interstellar community. He was just crazy all along! No attempt is made to refute the (very good) arguments he made in favor of saving the babies, the viewers are just meant to accept the premise that saving the babies isnt worth it actually, because it would take a lot of resources. Archer even says "yeah if i was normal i wouldve just let the babies die" and leaves it at that - no slow zoom in on his face as he realizes what that means about him, no speech about how humanity needs to outgrow old prejudices to see the sanctity of diverse life, the episode just leaves off on "those babies were creepy it wouldve been fine to kill them."

But the episode still makes a point to tell the viewer that the babies will survive, because the writers understand that when you put a bunch of babies in danger, people will naturally worry for their safety. Not the crew, though. It's super fine and normal that they were totally willing to let those babies die, the captain was definitely the crazy one for trying to save them.

anon incest hater :3 meow ok

alo i also agree the nations are fucking insane due to them living for so long being immortal kinda and seeing sm gore however who do u think id the least crazy also this is a hard quedtion but do u think they would still be very trad???? and by that i mean racist 😟 because are they kust demented senile old people in younganime boy appearance or have they somewhat caught on that some past practices are bad

interesting question i have no idea how to answer 🤤 i imagine their beliefs get shaped so flexibly by humans that it can change so drastically (which i also imagine would induce a really horrible existential dread) and i think their detachment from humanity fluctuates. so i think after many years they dont really. consider that anymore. not really in a good not racist way more that theyre apathetic about it, passive maybe. theyre kind of useless in that i think lol. what do they even do? im kidding. like well obviously governments are racist but if you argue they represent their people more then what about the prejudices people from a country might hold 🤷‍♂️? sooo i guess i think they dont neccesarily hold racist beliefs but theyre definitely not helpful about it, like most people are stuck in their human bodies in the human world so are they... theyre not free 🤤

this is only tangentially related to fl, but ive been thinking a lot about the genre of historical fiction where nobody is prejudiced ever (or if they are, it's in ways that aren't real, like being prejudiced against rubberies but not people of color, or are no longer relevant, like people in fl still being anti-catholic but not antisemitic. as far as we know anyway)

it's... interesting. it definitely has its pros, and i see why people would want to craft that kind of world to play in, but i also think it's worth acknowledging the downsides, too. also this post is really long but i couldn't find a good place to stick a readmore. look at my posts, boy

like, i get that nobody wants to write Period Accurate Racism Simulator, both for personal moral reasons (ie "I don't want to write racist texts") and for commercial reasons ("No person of color is going to want to buy Period Accurate Racism Simulator") but also... so much of society is structured around prejudice that historical stuff almost falls apart without it

i was in two Regency-era larps, and both of them were "no prejudice" alt history, one of which had a whole alternate timeline explaining why Britain was a global superpower even though colonialism didn't happen, and the other one... well never quite got around to explaining the worldbuilding. but both were in agreement that Queen Elizabeth I ended sexism forever (and also homophobia and transphobia i guess??)

but like... so much about what is iconic about the regency era (especially in regency romances) is the negotiation with extremely strict social rules, which were, at their core, about controlling women. a woman can't be alone with a man because that's improper! i mean... what if they fuck each other???? But if it's equally valid for this woman to be in a relationship with another woman, then... it would also be improper for her to be alone with other women? okay so she can't ever be alone... but if polyamory is a possibility, then i guess she can't be in groups, either, because they still might all fuck each other!!! so nobody can... ever be around anybody? of course, if we dont view a woman's assumed reproductive capability as a commodity that must be protected and secured, then we don't need to police who she is alone with, but then we remove the stuff that's fun and interesting about Regency romances! At this point, we're just writing regular fiction, but everyone's dresses are really high waisted.

And I mean, if we imagine a Regency era Britain where colonialism flat out did not happen... how are any of these characters this wealthy? How are they still using the products that were made accessible to Britain because of colonialism, like fabrics from India? If there were no colonies, then Britain didn't colonize North America, then there was no Revolutionary War, which means France didn't go into debt FUNDUNG the Revolutionary War, which means it wasn't in the dire financial straits that lead to the French Revolution, which means that Napoleon would not rise to power because of his military service DURING the French Revolution, which means the Napoleonic Wars aren't going to happen, but obviously we're still having the Napoleonic Wars because how are you gonna do Regency Era without its tentpole features, like people achieving upward mobility through exceptional military service against the dreaded Napoleon. And don't even get me started on how the history of Corsica would fit into all this!!!

People made the decisions they made because of the world they lived in, and if you change fundamental aspects of the world they lived in, its absurd to have them make the same decisions.

And on top of that, it actually ends up being kind of limiting for what kinds of stories you can tell. i mean, if no prejudice exists, then you can't have anyone interacting with it, internalizing it, or overcoming it. To have a character that, for example, is concerned about homophobia would be as bizarre in this setting as someone worrying about societal backlash because... idk their favorite color is red instead of blue. Who cares! Do you care? Clap if you care.

I know that's the fantasy some people like engaging with, and that's perfectly fine, but... well, it's not what I like writing.

I think Fallen London splits the difference pretty well- society still exists on the Surface as it always has (more or less), so you can still write characters engaging with it, but having London be it's own little pocket of equality has its own problems. I mean, if London was moved underground and the Masters granted everyone equal rights under the law, then that means no minority has ever campaigned for an expansion of their own rights and succeeded. There was no real Women's Sufferage movement in London, because there was no need. But there were Suffragettes who did cool stuff!! Stuff that might be interesting to engage with, but you can't, because of the setting. You have to overlook the accomplishments of real marginalized people, because the very premise of your story depends on the new government just... deciding to be nice.

Is this a problem that needs fixing? Nah, I don't think so. I think it was good when FBG went to remove some of the #problematic bits of text that still hung around (like changing the description of the Fourth City Airag so it's less... shitty, for example) because that doesn't fit with the tone they're setting. But I think it's fun and interesting to look at the opportunity costs of these decisions!!! im just having fun lol

4. the deathlings' fight for freedom and it's role in the story

tbh I also didnt think to wonder about whether they won or not. maybe bc from wilbur point of view the goal was standing up against his past/letting go of the pythia and getting out of there with tommy and alive

all in all their situation is so interesting and kinda weird? bc like wilbur is going thru his own thing, being kidnapped but at the same time the temple becoming his escape from his abusive life in the palace and the fight against schlatt and his court was his chance for actual freedom and closure

but the deathlings have been "fighting" against schlatt for years, probably even longer than they have been alive there were deathlings before them hoping to be free and its clear most of them never thought it would happen during their lifetime so while they were technically trying to win they were mostly just surviving in the temple (and while from wilburs pov they were living a nice community life together they had to get in danger to steal food and couldnt really leave so was it really living) and even kidnapping the pythia was a spontaneous shot in the dark and now its worked out and they arent illegal anymore and they can theoretically live a normal life and like some of them have probably never had that before, I mean tommy, tubbo, aimsey, ranboo theyre all so young they mustve joined as kids

but at the same time we dont know how its going to work out in reality, the laws and the publics opinion arent one and the same and they have been painted out as terrorists for so long and like look at erets kingdom its not illegal there but still a taboo and there are just so many questions about what will come and how its gonna go, but that doesnt mean the win isnt a win

and we might not learn what will happen and we probably wont learn much more about the deathlings' pasts too but thats bc it isnt what this story is about, this one is about wilbur and from his pov so it makes sense yk

I actually really like this uncertainty, but also its not like you were left hanging at the end of the fic, we never even knew the beginning or most of the deathlings' story in general, we just get a glimpse at it while wilbur stays with them

yeah that's the thing, I didn't want the deathlings whole fight to be the focus because that wasn't wilbur's focus. wilbur's story was about finding his own sense of self and putting the pieces of his identity back together. the deathlings goals aligned with his and of course he wants them to have their freedom, but he's got other things on his mind.

(also this isn't related to glass really but since you grouped aimsey in with the 'kids' I do just wanna point out that even though I don't always match cc ages to character ages, cc!aimsey is only a month younger than cc!niki so in glass I kind of imagined a similar thing, with glass!aimsey being around 20-21. still definitely young, but a bit older than tommy, tubbo, and ranboo)

anyway yeah the thing is we're not going to know how it all shakes out. the fear and prejudice against death worship has gone on for a century if not longer, it's not something that's going to disappear overnight. but the important thing is it won't be outright illegal. the deathlings won't be hunted down (presuming they don't commit anymore acts of mass terrorism).

i'm glad you like these aspects of ambiguity! I really like leaving certain things vague at the end of my fics because I feel like it's a bit boring to just give all the answers. I like leaving things up to reader's imagination and glass is no exception. and like you said, it was never wilbur's main focus. he had his own story separate from the deathlings, there just happened to be some overlap for a short while.

I think the way we learn about the status of each character is kinda genius, because it informs us not only who is positive and negative but also who is mostly dealing okay and who is struggling, and it helps characterize the large cast of characters.

Collins flinches away when Angel first touches him, because he’s bleeding and it’s a significant bio hazard, but doesn’t offer up the information until Angel does. He’s at peace with being positive, but at the same time, it’s a private thing for him; probably he’s learned to stay a lil hushed about it due to his background in academia and the prejudice he almost definitely faced there. He’s also way less patient with Roger’s lil depression spiral -“Roger picked up the phone?!” and “Oh hi’? After seven months?!” - which makes you think this isn’t new for Collins, and he’s a bit too removed from his first positive test to be as understanding (or enabling) of Roger. He has no shame but he’s not stupid either.

Then there’s Angel, who offers up the information within moments of meeting Collins, almost as a way of flirting. Like Collins, Angel is at peace with her status and unashamed of who she is. Unlike Collins, she hasn’t had to hide it. To Angel, being positive is almost just part of being queer; growing up and becoming herself in the 80s and 90s means this is all Angel has ever known, is a community ravaged and left to die of AIDS by its government. She’s already living on the streets (quite likely a victim of prejudice for her status and gender/sexuality if we’re being super honest) so what the hell does she care if people know she’s positive? She’s also coping the best out of everyone because she’s accepted it; she has a loving support system in the Life Support meetings and in Mimi. She has no shame in who she is!

Maureen and Joanne’s negative status is never conveyed explicitly but what’s interesting is that both of them are introduced through their relationship with each other, and then, through their activism. The Voicemail let’s us know Joanne is a civil rights lawyer, a genius, and potentially has a strained relationship with her parents due to her sexuality or gender presentation. Before we even meet her, we know Joanne will love and fit in with this group (have always felt Collins & Joanne bonded over feeling like outsiders while bumping elbows with The Upper Class). Maureen, meanwhile, gets “that attitude towards the homeless is exactly what Maureen is protesting tonight”; it’s not surprise she’s up there singing “revolution justice screaming for solutions” alongside Collins, why she’s so drawn to Joanne - maybe she didn’t go the academic route the way Collins & Joanne do, but she’s just as smart and determined to Do Something with her life. We are shown, long before either woman shows up on stage, that they are unashamed of their friends and would fight alongside them when needed.

Roger’s status, on the other hand, is disclosed over several songs. “How can you connect in an age where strangers, landlords, lovers, your own blood cells betray” and the only positive character on stage besides the extras is Roger, but he doesn’t sing the line alone. In fact, Roger isn’t even the one to ultimately tell us - it’s Mark, mother henning & telling Roger to take his AZT who informs us that Roger being HIV positive is a new thing, likely from sharing dirty needles with April. Even more telling is that Mark informs us during the tune-up that Roger is in recovery & attempting to reconnect to his old passions, but pointedly doesn’t tell us Roger is positive until later. Unlike Collins & Angel, who have progressed further into AIDS yet dont “act sick”, Roger is very much still “acting sick” because he’s in shock. Not just that he’s positive but also that April killed herself. He’s not just struggling with being positive, he is stuck in that moment, reliving finding April and that note over and over and terrified of dying the moment he leaves the safety of the apartment. Shame, trauma, and unending grief consume him, so he tries to hide from his reality even as he reaches for community.

And then there’s Mimi!! What I always notice is not just that she’s casual while not offering up information until it’s necessary - she doesn’t tell Roger until their FOURTH song together! - but that she’s clearly struggling just like Roger. Obviously she’s struggling physically because she’s still using drugs, she’s still drinking, she’s still partying way too much, but she’s also still just sad. “Feels too damn much like home, where the Spanish babies cry. So let's find a bar so dark we forget who we are where all the scars from the nevers and maybes die” isn’t just about Mimi being restless and young and poor, it’s her own version of One Song Glory; she still “feels sick” and feels like her life has been stolen from her, and is desperate to forget everything that reminds her that she’s positive. Not just reckless, and not something as easy to pinpoint as shame, Mimi feels like she’s stuck in a never ending cycle of sickness and sadness and death, and has chosen to deal by simply refusing to acknowledge reality outside of the exact moment she’s living in.

And then there’s Mark. “Oh I’m not-I’m just here to-I don’t have-I’m here with-MARK! MARK! I’m MARK.” Most of his friends are sick and dying around him and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it and it hurts, and it makes him incapable of connecting to others emotionally while desperately seeking connections before the people he loves die. How do you find the line between grief and self pity? How do you not give into guilt while it is weighing your every moment down? Mark is unsure and he will not confide in us his feelings of despair until halfway through Act II after Angel’s funeral when the grief and guilt and pity overtake him until he can no longer hide behind his camera.

i agree with you about how otis being unapologetic about what he wants but i wish he had been a bit more thoughtful about what he said. calling folks in the closet a mess? saying the guy he was seeing and who probably trusted him thought of him as a psychologist? for some people it is not always easy or even safe to come out. this just screams straight writers

I think the point is that Otis is young and he himself is displaying prejudice. I mean alot of guys who fuck guys on the DL are homophobic as shit so he isnt wrong with his stereotypes. I think its just blanketing every guy in the DL that way. Some people are in situations where their safety is a concern thus why they are closeted. They arent homophobic its just complicated. But like Otis's reaction is a very normal out of the box reaction. Also I wouldn't take him saying they are a mess so harshly. A mess is such an overused adjective in the gay community. Like I use it at all scales. Like "girl put some thing else on your a mess". He isnt really directing it at someone more so like "that situation is messy" and I aint about it. Which I mean dating a closeted person is messy especially for someone like Otis who is dripping in rainbow. Like if Otis was my friend I would say the same thing to him like dont get into that messy shit. I do agree tho the whole they need a therapist comment is harsh but its also funny because Robbe baby definitely needed a couple of therapy session. Our boy could be a messy baby too. Its an interesting juxtaposition to present. Another gay person judging another gay person for their queerness but like its also valid because thats like literal gay culture.

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy book review

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee (2018)

⭐️⭐️⭐️✖️✖️

"I don’t know what you’re referencing, madam,” the chairman says, his voice raised over mine. “I’m talking about menstruation, sir!” I shout in return. It’s like I set the hall on fire, manifested a venomous snake from thin air, also set that snake on fire, and then threw it at the board.

I got this book after finishing The Gentleman's Guide and i finished it January 18, 2023

This sequel to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue tells the story of Monty's younger sister Felicity, who were also a part of the adventure of the first book and came out of it a woman with a strong will and backbone for days. This takes place a year after the first book and after Monty and Felicity disowned their parents and went out on their own, Monty to be gay and happy and Felicity with the intention of becoming the first woman doctor, almost a more difficult task than Montys. This quest for finding someone who will teach her and give her a licence takes Felicity all over Europe and even further than that, to discover what lies underneath the Atlantic ocean, during which she rekindles old relationships and makes new ones and have to see how far she's willing to go to fight the patriachy of the world!

i got this book second hand, because i wasn't the biggest fan of the first book (but a fan none the less, thus giving this a chance) and while there were parts i really enjoyed and liked, i was also left kind of underwhelmed with this book. I dont know, maybe Lee's writing just isn't something for me...

but all in all not a bad book. i liked the viewpoints Lee explored about what it truly means to be a woman, challenging the downright prejudice against frilly girly girls and also girls who loves playing in mud. It's nice to read as a woman, to feel seen, heard and representated. 🌸 And not represenation in just feminism and womanhood! i went into this book thinking Felicity was gonna find a pirate wife and that kinda happens, i guess, but also kinda not. Felicity is definitely some kind of aro-ace and she's a queen for that! it's the first book ive read with an aro-ace main character and i really respect Lee for not forcing Felicity to enter a relationship, just to make it a fully romance lesbian story. Even if Felicity liked Sim, or at some point had some sort of feelings for Joanna, if romance and sex isn't for her, that's that. Queen, legend, icon! ✨

All in all, if you wanna read a story about a strong, independent woman fighting every man she comes across, want to laugh at all the "dumb white man" jokes or experience good aro-ace represenation in the main character, this book is a definite read and rec!

heterophobicdyke/727058214627213312/ heterophobic did very much go on a weird rant about how she thinks the majority of the population is bi in response to "why bis are the biggest homophobes". You also even reacted to her saying that bisexuals don't face "core" homophobia yourself so idk why you say that's a lie. Maybe she didn't say all the things that anon said directly but where the hell are the implications of both those statements supposed to go then. If bisexuals categorically dont experience core homophobia of course you're saying all their abuse is non-core homophobia. if you're saying bisexuals are the majority in response to that question how are you not blaming homophobia on bisexuals.

piqued definitely reblogged a post that called bi women dick worshipers, that they were identical to TIMs, and that their "abuse" was a pretext to weaponize against lesbians. Then she threw a tantrum saying bis weren't allowed to get mad at her for endorsing and praising that post because she already said she didn't "fully agree with all of it", that it was "frustrating" for bisexuals to "zero in" on those things, and that the lesbophobia she was addressing was the only thing that mattered because death of the author or some shit. It all boils down to she thinks she's within her rights to throw the abuse of bi women in their faces if SHE decides its worth it, and us #triggered victims need to stfu. I can't even link all this shit because it was like a dozen posts but what is the point of calling this a lie when she admits it she just doesn't thinks what she did is at all bad or insensitive. some of the other things about her, like her reaction the blackpills and saying they need compassion, are also true, but she did apologize and clarify more.

the kronkk one is the only one that I think is kind of twisted. Someone else posted that radfem tumblr biphobia was bad, and kronkk said it wasn't prominent. so they showed her various posts from blackpills, and she said they were not radfems so it doesn't count even if they're in "radblr" and that radfem/radblr are different things. then she got some annoying anons and made that "anyway I love mean lesbians" post as a frustrated response and deleted it within the hour or less. I don't think kronkk meant it as direct support for the blackpills, but considering it was directly responding to that topic I think its very understandable lots of people understood it that way and took that badly, lesbians too, and she herself must have known otherwise she would not have deleted it. I mean take it all with a grain of salt since im on anon but idk how you can definitively say kronkk never did this either.

first of all i think i remember what ur referencing with piqued and i’m pretty sure that’s not what happened lol. she got an anon venting about homophobia that had a line somewhere that expressed prejudice against bisexuals. she didn’t remark on that line and empathised with the anon on her vent about experiencing homophobia. the biphobia truthers collectively called her out for not acknowledging that sentence and she literally ended up apologising within like. one reblog. so again, it was not the way you presented it in ur ask.

second of all ur admitting to intentionally misconstruing and twisting kronkk’s words. so now we have established you have lied about two lesbians, how biphobic of me to say so tho, i guess. instead i should clap and agree that lesbians r awful bc u twisted their words or sth, my bad.

then third, let us compare heterophobicdyke’s words to what u claimed she said:

not once did she call heterosexuals “a sexual minority” here. she believes that most ppl are bisexual, which frankly isn’t somehow out there as a belief.. many ppl believe this and a lot of bisexuals will argue that everyone is “a little bi”. she didn’t even argue “homophobia is the fault of bisexuals” but is clearly exclusively talking about ppl viewing homosexuality as a preference/choice and theorises that this viewpoint that it is probably comes from THEM personally choosing heterosexuality & assuming others must also be choosing to act exclusively towards one sex or both sexes. and i’ve also experienced many “heterosexuals” confiding in me and expressing some level of attraction, albeit often quite minor, to the same sex too.

you claim she said that bisexuals do not “experience core homophobia”, whatever that means, when in reality she said (at least this is what i recall reblogging & agreeing with) bisexuals do not experience the homophobia gay ppl do. meaning, u do not experience persecution for being exclusively same sex attracted, or for not being attracted to the opposite sex. i don’t think it’s somehow evil to point out we face homophobia differently. nowhere did she argue that bisexuals being raped and abused is “some het bullshit that doesn’t have to do with real homophobia”

it’s one thing to criticise the people actually saying what you claim but you specifically misconstrued several lesbians (& 1 bi woman) and demonised them and twisted their words, put words in their mouths, & then on top of it when i said to u that u are misconstruing them u went and sent my post to other bloggers, i guess to incite harassment against me? it’s disturbing bc u don’t even NEED to be inventing shit. there’s plenty of people actually saying awful things about bisexuals. but u made sure to name and misconstrue some of the most prominent lesbians on here bc they ?? said blackpillers aren’t radfems??? and that they think most ppl are bi (a belief most bis i’ve met will actually reiterate and use to argue homosexuality isn’t real ??) ??

Can I ask smth? Why quirkless must be hated?

I ask while knowing some would say "duh bc they dont have power" ok but not all power is good. "X can fly like Superman while Y can make grass grown"

While prejudice can exists...fans seem to believe quirkless are third class people...and never give an answer as why. Usually those actions have some logic- not supporting racism here to be clear just saying it has a fucked up to exist- but in mha fans just shurgs and say "yep quirkless are treat like garbar or worse"

And NEVER has an explanation as to why. So everyone wake up and decides "yeah I think I want to beat up quirkless"?

Also have you noticed when a media is popular and has "character with power" and then goes "but those people dont have powers" the fandom tends to be...wierd. take the harry potter fandom for example, back in the day was hilarious see muggles being tortured or make fun bc they are powerless and are mean so...they deserve it.

Not sure if this makes sense or if I worded right it's just those mha fics where "Izu is quirkless" never gave a reason as why everyone hates quirkless.

They just do.

All that based on what we see shithead did to the mc mind you it was just bk- yeah aldera is not perfect- and BK only went after Izu.

If he hated the fact he is quirkless...once he got one...should have make him back off unless it wasn't about quirk at all...it was bk being abusive towards izu bc he can.

Honestly a lot of fanfics definitely exaggerate the whole quirkless discrimination thing. There was a fanfic I read that had Izuku barred from entering a movie theater of all places. Yeah, you can argue that segregation in the United States barred Black people from certain areas, but there’s no mention of anything like that happening in MHA, so it comes off as just adding unnecessary angst to the story.

In canon though, I’m pretty sure there’s a hierarchy in terms of quirks. Flashiest/strongest quirks are at the top and the quirkless are at the bottom. In a society that basically revolves around quirks, those that lack such a thing are going to be seen as lesser than those who have some. It doesn’t matter that someone has a useless quirk, like that one kid in the beginning of the manga who can only make his eyes pop out, they can go around and say “hey, at least I’ve got a quirk unlike Izuku”. It’s a hierarchy thing not based on logic but the overvaluing of quirks, so even those who don’t have a good one are “more valuable” than the quirkless by virtue of having one.

Hellooo leather collar seb can wear in the car is GENIUS oh my god?? Like i didnt even think to work around the jewellery ban and this works so well i love you

Re: tie and not needing to hide the collar bc dom/sub relationships are a norm, my first instinct was to say that maybe theyre a norm but its sort of expected for drivers to be the dom (toxic masculinity sport yada yada yada) but this would work even less bc in this setting seb would want to show off his collar even more (bc this is a bullshit prejudice and he can't stand bullshit prejudice).

I kind of liked the idea of someone unknowingly trying to mess with his tie that acts as a collar by proxy but i dont really know where i was going with that lmao. Kind of like, that tie doesn't feel like an adequate option anymore? Its too easily removable and, while the fact that it doesn't read as a collar to anyone but you two is more a feature than a bug, after someone tries to touch it it just doesn't feel the same?

Like he’d feel borderline violated--but also extremely stupid for feeling that, bc rationally nothing bad happened, that person had no idea what the tie means to him and he stopped them immediately anyway. And i feel like he'd maybe not necessarily bring it up with you right away, because it's stupid, right, he'll get over it, he doesn’t want to worry you for no reason, he just wants to cuddle up to you and feel you pull on his hair and feel yours again.

But no matter how silly he thinks it sounds, it just keeps eating at him, especially after a few more events where he goes in a tie as a collar and just spends the whole evening on high alert as a result, returning to you miserable and exhausted.

And then you get him to fess up and he wears an actual collar under the shirt from then on, and everything is well. Something like that 🙃

💜

- Lemon 🍋

YES! I really like this as the explanation for why the leather collar would come about. As always, lemon you have managed to make my ideas so much better, so let's expand on this a little.

Maybe Seb isn't the one that's scared to wear his collar in public and at events, he doesnt care if people judge him. Especially not if we set this in the same verse as lemon's other sub!seb asks where seb had an awful Dom at Ferrari?

Because now that he actually has a good Dom, he wants the entire world to know.

However, as lemon said, people might not be very accepting of submissive F1 drivers. And you just... you want to protect him. He's been through so much, and you can't stand the idea of him getting judged and hurt even more.

Which might make this whole thing even worse?

Sebastian understands where you're coming from, which is why he agrees to let you tie his tie instead of wearing a collar at formal events, and you were right in the sense that he definitely gets judged less.

And Sebastian is almost okay with it, he sees why you suggested it and you're with him at the events anyway.

Until someone jokingly touches his tie? And maybe it's just something like they flick his tie up in response to a sarcastic comment he made.

And he knows the person didn't mean any harm, knows they wouldn't have done it if they knew that the tie was acting like a collar.

But it shows Sebastian just how vulnerable that proxy collar is?

Like, with a normal collar, it's considered completely unacceptable to go anywhere near it if you aren't the sub's dom. If he had a normal collar on, or something identifiable as a collar, this would never have happened.

And it leads him down a very dangerous thought path because, if you suggested it, did that mean you didn't think he deserved the protection a normal collar would grant?

He doesnt tell you about the incident for a long time, until you're getting ready to go to the next event together and, when you go to tie his tie, he just starts crying?

Because all he can think of is how someone could touch the tie, how he isnt safe enough, doesnt feel enough like a claimed sub.

Needless to say, neither of you attend the event that night.

You just hold Sebastian tight, promising him that you had no idea not having a formal collar would make him feel that way and that you fully intend on killing the person who dared to touch his tie at the last event.

You go the very next day to be a discreet, but identifiable leather collar.

Hey, what is up? Kat? I just wanted to vent, if thats alright. Im an old man. As in, Im pushing 30. In another couple years. Im pretty exhausted. Im in and out of treatment and never taken seriously when I do go. I have an incredibly hard time holding a job. Anywhere from 1 to 3 months is about my max at each place and then anywhere from 1-6 months to find a new one. I have only been able to survive now because of the help from my mom, but I am getting older so she is too, you know what I mean? I have been homeless before. I feel now I am preparing to become homeless again. I am currently working, but I dont know how long it will stick. Im actually a little suprised they have not fired me yet given I stopped showing up to half my shifts so that I can instead sleep, cry, or numb myself or all 3. I have bursts of energy for like a week or a day or a few hours, but affer that it's just gone and im depressed and useless. Everyone just thinks I am not trying hard enough, but work (and therapy and anything that requires more than one visit a month) is hard for me to be consistent with either because my mental health will make it so or the prejudice from being trans just gets old and exhausting. Something about knowing a lot of the world just wants you dead and gone makes that voice in your head telling you that nobody would care if you died a whole lot more valid. I just, dont want to be one of those guys living under a bridge that most people cant even stomach making eye contact with, but I dont know what I can do to change it. I just want to give up. Im not sure at which point it was supposed to have gotten better for me, but it never did and I am still trying, but I just dont know why anymore. It doesnt work. I still fail. Its never enough for anyone. And Im so tired.

To me it sounds like you're doing your best to cope in a system which is refusing to meet you halfway and that the actual reason you're struggling so much is the treatment and accommodations you haven't been receiving. It's hard to keep pushing when the people meant to support and accommodate you through your struggles aren't even taking you seriously and when the kind of resources you need aren't offered. And it's not on you that it's hard. I don't have a solution for your situation, and I'm definitely not qualified to guide you through it, but I hope it helps a little to know that someone sees that you're trying and that you deserve better than being blamed for struggles which are outside your control.

I'm a bi person and I wanna have a family someday. But usually when I hear bi people being talked about in the context of having kids, I hear it in the sense that it might not be an option if they married someone of the same gender, despite ways for same gender couples to have families together existing. do you think it's possible i could have a family if i ended up marrying someone of the same gender? is there something i dont know that i should be concerned about? is it just biphobia? how come i havent ever heard it talked about?

Hi anon

I'm going to try to answer this as best I can as someone who doesn't have, want or even like children but yeah I think that's just biphobia and homophobia, this idea that same gender couples can't ever have kids or have a 'real' family. Also I think it may tie in with this weird idea that impacts even on many straight people that unless a kid is biologically yours it doesn't really count somehow, which is nonsense.

It might be more difficult sometimes for same gender couples to have children than for the average male/female couple in terms of both the prejudice and bigotry they might have to face as a same gender couple and as same gender parents and because it may be more difficult for them to have children in the first place but sperm donation, egg donation, surrogacy, adoption, fostering, step children, co-parenting with someone else, these are all things that exist. I don't know how being in a same gender relationship may impact on people being able to do things like adopt or foster children both because it's not something that's relevant to me and also I think the rules and laws are going to vary a huge amount depending on where you live but there are definitely same gender couples who have adopted or fostered children. There are also same gender couples who have children other ways, such as by using sperm donation or one of them having a child from a previous relationship or the pair of them having a child with a friend (i.e. someone who is not in the romantic relationship with them but who still wants and is willing to have a child with them) and them co-parenting with that other person. (Also bear in mind that some straight cis couples may also struggle to have kids too for various reasons, like infertility for example; having problems with having children is not an issue that can only affect same gender couples.)

I think if you do want a family that includes children, being in a relationship with/married to someone of the same gender could potentially make that a little harder but it definitely doesn't mean you can't possibly ever have children.

Tiger

Hello, loved your 1:44AM's Hanma Shuji, and was wondering if you could elaborate more on your favorite classic lit? I had no access to proper education on literature and always interested in seeking perspective from people who's well versed with it!

heyy <3 do you mean you'd like me to recommend you some of my favourites? i'm actually quite new to classic lit myself, and i'm just into reading and researching abt it all as a hobby, hehe — i've always enjoyed fiction where the writer projects a lot of their own emotion and experience into their writing, which is what you find in a lot of old novels.

if i find a writer's work interesting, i like to read more of their books instead of just going back to that one popular piece of theirs.

for example, almost everyone knows abt alexandre dumas's the three musketeers, and ofc there's many movies and stuff based on it. but i dont see often people talking abt one of his other books — the count of monte cristo. that's personally my fave work of his, and there's also a 2002 movie based on it. but i rarely see anyone that ISNT a huge fan talking abt it t_t

also fyodor's novel, the gambler. one of my favourite quotes of all time is from the gambler, "do you know that I shall kill you one day? i shall kill you, not because i shall cease to love you or to be jealous, i shall simply kill you because I have an impulse to devour you." you've probably seen the quote, i see it on those dark aesthetic pinterest boards a lot 😭😭 but idk if many people know where it's from.

some of my fave POPULAR books are frankenstein by mary shelley, the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde, and OMG pride and prejudice by jane austen <3 everyone ik is all over mr. darcy but i actually fell for elizabeth LMAO.

i also really like virginia woolf's writing. i started with orlando, and then to the light house, then the waves. her writing is sapphic, at least heavily implied to be (some people dont believe so but i do KSHJKDN) so i fall back to her works a lot.

one thing that i think everyone should really know and fully understand before they start getting into classic lit though, is that there is a lot of explicit, offensive and violent content. most of these novels were written in the early 1900s and before that. there's a lot of knowledge you can gain about major historical events and life back then in general. but very often, there's a lot of disturbing themes (even if it's not directly part of the plot), not limited to homophobia, religious discrimination, misogyny and racism.

so definitely be aware of each book's contents before you start reading.

OH OH!! idk if modern day works actually count as classic lit, but i think any novel/piece that has that level of depth and timelessness to it deserves to hold the title!! so i'll recommend ocean vuong's poetry with all my heart <;3 night sky with exit wounds, and on earth we're briefly gorgeous are both popular works AND FOR GOOD REASON!! they're so so so good ocean vuong is my favourite poet ever.

AJGMFH i'm rambling now and i'm not sure if this is what you wanted me to answer with when you asked this 😭😭 but yes!! if you want more recs, or if you have a different question, then lmk <33 as i said b4 i'm also new to classic lit, but i'd love to talk to you abt it if you like ( ^u^)