What Women Deserve

by Sonya Renee Taylor

Culturally-diversified biracial girl with a small diamond nose ring and a pretty smile poses besides the words “Women Deserve Better”. and I almost let her non-threatening grin begin to infiltrate my psyche until I read the unlikely small print at the bottom of the ad: Sponsored by the US Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and the Knights of Columbus On a bus in a city with a population of 553,000, 4 teenage mothers on the bus with me, 1 Latina woman with 3 children under 3 and no signs of a daddy. One sixteen-year-old black girl standing in 22-degree weather with only a sweater a book bag and a bassinet, with an infant that ain’t even four weeks yet tell me that Yes… Women do deserve better. Women deserve better than public transportation rhetoric from the same people who won’t give that teenage mother a ride to the next transit. Won’t let you talk to their kids about safer sex Have never had to listen as the door SLAMS behind the man who adamantly says, “That shit” ain’t his leaving her to wonder how she’ll raise this kid. Women deserve better than the 300 dollars TANF and AFC will provide that family of three or the 6 dollar an hour job at KFC with no benefits for her new baby or the college degree she may never see because you can’t have infants at the university Women deserve better than lip service paid for by politicians who have no alternatives to abortion though I am sure right this moment one of their seventeen-year-old daughters is sitting in a clinic lobby sobbing quietly and anonymously praying parents don’t find out or will be waiting for mom to pick her up because research shows that out-of-wedlock childbirth doesn’t look good on political polls and Daddy ain’t having that. Women deserve better than backwards governmental policies that don’t want to pay for welfare for kids or healthcare for kids or childcare for kids Don’t want to pay living wages to working mothers, Don’t want to make men who only want to be last night’s lovers responsible for the semen they lay. Flat out don’t want to pay for SHIT but want to control the woman who’s having it. Acting outraged at abortion. Well I’m outraged that they want us to believe that they believe that women deserve better. The Vatican won’t prosecute pedophile priests But I decide I’m not ready for motherhood and it’s condemnation for me These are the same people who won’t support national condom distribution to prevent teenage pregnancy. But women deserve better. Women deserve better than back-alley surgeries that leave our wombs barren and empty. Deserve better than organizations bearing the name of land-stealing racist rapists funding million dollar campaigns on subway trains with no money to give these women while balding middle-aged white men tell us what to do with our bodies while they wage wars and kill other people’s babies So maybe women deserve better than propaganda and lies to get into office Propaganda and lies to get into panties to get out of court to get out of paying child support Get the hell out of our decisions and give us back our voice Women do deserve better Women deserve choice

the men and boys are innocent too.

we cry "the innocent women and children" to appeal to the masses, to try and force their sympathy, but the men and boys are innocent too.

I have seen sons crying out for their mothers, their fathers, their siblings. I have seen them break down at the loss of their families. I have seen them cling to their dead and grieve.

I have seen fathers cradle their dead children, seen them kiss their faces and hold their little hands. I have seen them faint with grief when asked to identify the dead. I have seen them carry their sons and daughters. I have seen them fasting to provide what little they can for their families.

I have seen men and boys digging through the rubble with just their bare hands, I have seen them comforting strangers, playing with children, rocking them, hushing them, even if the face of such imminent danger. I have seen them cry, seen them grieve, seen them break down into each other's arms, seen them be selfless, beyond selfless, becoming something I don't have a word for.

I have seen the men who are doctors refuse to leave their patients, even when they have no medicine or supplies to give them, even when they're threatened with bombings. I have seen fathers who have lost all their children pick orphans up into their arms and proclaim them their child so they are not alone. I have seen men and boys digging pets out of the rubble.

the men are innocent too. the men and boys are being hurt and killed too. the men and boys are grieving too. the men and boys are scared too. the men and boys are fighting to save their people too. the men and boys deserve to be fought for too.

I wish there was a show like Good Omens or Our Flag Means Death but about LESBIANS. I WANT MORE HAPPY FLUFFY MIDDLE AGED LESBIANS IN MEDIA. I WANT A SILLY WHIMSICAL COMEDY ABOUT TWO WOMEN FALLING IN LOVE WHERE THEY’RE THE MAIN FOCUS AND NOT JUST ON THE SIDE LIKE MOST LESBIANS ARE. ALL THE GOOD SILLY WLW SHOWS ARE CARTOONS AND WHILE THEY’RE NICE, I LIKE SEEING REAL PEOPLE! HAND OVER A LESBIAN COMEDY WHERE NOBODY DIES AND DON’T CANCEL IT AFTER ONE SEASON. LITERALLY NOTHING EQUIVALENT TO OURGOODSHADOWS EXISTS FOR WLW AND I’VE HAD IT.

all the people who’ve decided to spend the last week harassing diasporic Jews and unveiling mass antisemitism in a now socially appropriate way have done such hard work for the Zionism fandom.

something something ‘feminine’ female characters being deserving of all things good and righteous and holy because of them overcoming their suffering by working within the system that hurts them using their wiley feminine attributes and charm something something ‘masculine’ female characters being villainized for fighting outside the constraints of the system they’re still subjected to in a more hands on approach and being victims of similar if not the same circumstances as their ‘feminine’ female peers but it doesn’t count for some reason because they don’t suffer as prettily as their counterparts something something

I will always side eye someone who is uncomfortable w the unabashed confidence of somebody else. And when I say confidence, I mean true, unadulterated confidence—not insecurity masquerading as it (aka conceit). Tho tbh I sometimes raise an eyebrow at what others find to be conceit these days, bc it seems like it’s literally everything. You find yourself really attractive? Conceit. You find yourself really capable of a certain task? Conceit. You think you’re worth the high standards you set? Conceit. It’s also no coincidence that it’s women who’re always encouraged to be “humble,” whereas men who are openly confident are found attractive. Just makes you wonder

She can't keep getting away with this!

[First] Prev <--> Next

I cannot believe this fandom has dubbed taub the normal one. while house was doing surgery on himself like a common plebeian edgelord, taub (enlightened and bespoke) was screening his calls for help because he was too busy trying to get executed cartel-style by a stripper

I might have controversial opinions on the "Faerghus Four." Mostly that it doesn't exist, and at worst, it exists to exclude Dedue.

Yes, Dimitri, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix grew up together, but that was as children. While that history is significant to their relationships, it ignores everything after. With the tragedy of Duscur, Dimitri and Dedue became inseparable while Felix was sickened by them, Ingrid couldn't overlook Dedue's connection to the tragedy, and Sylvain's apathy grew.

Past the age of ~15, you can't ignore how Dedue and the tragedy affects their relationships. I don't see just the four of them as a friend group, especially not without him because he's so important to Dimitri and the themes of Faerghus.

Bridgerton states from season one, through Simon and Lady Danbury, to season two, with the Sharmas, to Queen Charlotte, from the beginning episode to the end spelled out clear as day, that racism exists in this world and many of the characters of colors have been impacted by it in some way. And, supposedly, I'm supposed to believe that Marina, that Kate and Edwina, that they all had more privilege and power than Penelope? No, I don't think so, a lot of things aren't right with that statement.

Seriously, and I can’t stress this enough;

FUCK. THIS. SHIT.

the blade is your implement. you'll need it if you want to do this right. (04.17.2024-04.20.2024) [18hrs]

happy anniversary to FE13! i was drawn back to this game after getting into another, though completely different game, Slay the Princess. the conflict and shifting forms reminded me a lot of what had stuck out to me in FE13, so i decided to go back and play through it.

i also made a small doodle too of the vessels during the creation of this piece. you can find it below in the read more, as well as a small list of who's who :D

a last thank you to @anoldwishbone for helping me with the glass shards and effects!

from left to right: the beast (it/its), the damsel (she/he), the prisoner (she/her), the spectre (she/her) the witch (bottom, they/them), the tower (top, she/her), the razor (middle, he/him), the adversary (top, she/her), and the nightmare (middle, she/her).

tower, adversary, and nightmare's designs were pretty unclear to me even a day before the deadline, hence why they're pretty loose here.

i ended up giving the tower elice's clothes from fe11/fe12, and the adversary was given a mix of the dread fighter's outfits in fe13 and fe15. the nightmare's clothing is still a big WIP though, since fe13's story is still yikes. would still love to explore swana and central asian fashion for plegian characters.

Hating your oppressors isn‘t actual hate, it‘s a reaction to ensure self-protection. And it‘s justified.

Women who "hate men" don‘t think of single individuals. We refer to the male sex class which holds supreme and systemic power against us.

Take it up with the bad apples in your circles at all costs and then speak to us again.

well. it’s officially ‘I like your tats’ weather. aka the bane of every tattooed girl’s existence 🙃

THEY GRADUATEDDDD💕🎓🙌 im so proud of them oml, official alums!!! also am i tripping or did paige rly just say “big fish, meek mill”💀😭

I need to speak on this because it’s happened far too many times and seems to be a recurring pattern with Fusebox.

It’s really shameful and disheartening to see how often Fusebox puts black women characters into couples with people that don’t actually like them, and proceeds to villainize them in the eyes of MC/other characters in the game.

We’ve seen it in S2 with Hope being loyal to Noah then getting disrespected by him when he confessed to MC in the end.

We’ve seen it with Grace in S6, sticking with Ozzy although he’s disrespected her and clearly wasted her time by staying with her when he was pining for MC all along. And even when he does tell her he’s not interested anymore, she does everything in her power to “win him over” instead of allowing her to rightfully look elsewhere for love.

And if you’re going the Jin route in S8, it happens with Luna. Jin doesn’t want her but he sticks around to spare her feelings. She embarrasses herself trying to win him over only to get booted off the show.

Next, they love to turn them into the “mean ones” by getting upset with MC/defending their relationship when romance (often initiated by the one they’re coupled up with) strikes.

Then they’re the enemy and everyone is waiting for them to be voted out of their game.

Yeah, sure, they’re just characters. It’s just a game. But it blows my mind, especially seeing this as a black player, that time and time again they’ve done this with the black women characters in the exact SAME way:

1. Couple with someone that’s not interested

2. argue/be a jerk to MC/refuse to take hints that their love interest doesn’t like them

3. do acrobatics to win said love interest over

4. get heartbroken, kicked off

If you’re going to put black women in your show, is it too much to ask them to be respected? To be deserving of a happy ending too? Reflect on how you’ve been representing black women, Fusebox.

Then do better.