How To Fucking Flag Pedophiles

I will never hate Taryn and I stand by that.

I think everyone dogs on Taryn because this is Jude’s pov. We get an insider look into how much she’s hurt and that it’s coming from her own twin. But if Jude can break bread then the taryn’s haters should to. If they dislike taryn as a person, they need to take that hate up with the man who made her the she is: Madoc.

I also have a head cannon that in the future Jude and Taryn continue to grow as people, now that they can finally get out of the constant survival mode. I think they grow closer the older they get.

you're absolutely correct, nonnie.

i think people will be shocked to find out how Taryn-neutral i am. despite everything i've said to defend her, my thought when finishing the series for the first time was exactly that: if Jude can forgive her, then we should be able to, as well. it was a very simple, no bells-and-whistles forgiveness. i think Taryn is extremely interesting, i think her character is poised and ready for a beautiful arc, but i wouldn't trust her as far as i could throw her.

also, i've said this before and i will say it again: Madoc getting every single exemption and grace from the same people who condemn Taryn to shame on main is some kind of bullshit.

the mental gymnastics you'd have to do to say that the dude who continuously tries to manipulate Jude and her actions for his own gain, who continuously patronises/underestimates her throughout the series, and who straight up murdered her parents in cold blood in front of her cos he felt slighted, is more redeemable than a teenage girl who was 1) just trying to survive in a cutthroat world and 2) honestly was just doing what Madoc told her to do? would be laughable if it weren't so damn sad.

this isn't to knock on Madoc, either. i think he's a fantastic villain, an extremely fascinating character, and i love the dynamic between him and Jude. but there's no denying he's done some straight up reprehensible things to all of his daughters. and the lengths some people will go to defend him while at the same time tarnishing Taryn's name is wild to me.

now, i'm not saying people can't dislike a character just because. Taryn is Not a likeable character. so if your opinion of her is "she's just not for me", i think that's valid.

what i am saying, however, is Not Liking Things to the point where you make hate posts using main fandom tags, send people asks demanding they defend why they like a certain character, start discourse in the comments of posts celebrating the character you dislike, is the antithesis of fandom.

fandom is meant to be a joyous celebration of the fictional worlds/characters/things we love. if you don't like something in fiction, that's fine. but the moment you make your poor opinion of something other people's problem is the moment i take issue.

–Em 🖤🗡

p.s. i love and agree with your HC. i think that is an accurate representation of irl sibling dynamics, as well.

In Defence of Taryn Duarte

more theories/analysis/opinions

I have issues with the Hunters of Artemis

I fear this could be quite controversial with how popular the hunters are, but it’s something I really have to say and it’s not like I can lose followers over this    The hunters of Artemis aren’t the icons you think they are. Bold take, I know, but I hope you still hear me out. Still there? Nice. Okay, first thing.

The hunters aren’t feminists. I read that every now and then, but no, they aren’t feminists. They are misandrists, aka sexists. And it’s really not funny. They hate men, think of them as lower than women, as untrustworthy, as weaker than women, etc. the list goes on. Which for me is reason enough to be iffy about them, but I have more. They also hate women or at least think lowly of women who choose to date. Granted, this follows out of my first “argument” but it’s still a yikes from me. Talk about women supporting women. On that topic. They aren’t women. Well, technically they are, but they almost exclusively get recruited as young girls. As Artemis said, the average age of her hunters is about 12 years old. 12. Of course, it makes sense, at that age they likely haven’t fallen in love yet which makes the choice easy. But honestly, that’s exactly what I have issues with. They don’t really choose. They have no idea what they could potentially lose, it’s not an informed choice. This might be just me who feels weird about it, but since this is all about my issues wit them, I’ll mention it anyway. I also dislike their opinions about the aphrodite kids, but honestly, this is part of a bigger problem I have with Ricks portrayal of the aphrodite cabin and it’s implications, so I’ll make another separate post about that (maybe). I also wanted to write a bit about the hunters as lesbian/aroace icons but that isn’t that negative and the post is already getting long so I’ll leave it out for now

what if—and bear with me here—annabeth isn’t the the overly-emotional character that everyone makes her out to be and defends to the point of no return. what if she—and you’re not gonna believe this—is reacting as any normal person would in a situation of her kind? and even crazier, out of the two of them, it’s more likely that percy is the more emotional one, because he suppresses his emotions so severely that they manifest in the demonstration of his powers. those powers, being some of the harshest and grandest in the series, acting as a visual for exactly how much emotion he has bottled up inside

I first saw your posts on Instagram. And now I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity every time I see your posts here

ITS YOU! IVE SEEN YOU ON EVERY SINGLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM THAT EXISTS

Despite the fact that I’m only on two?

I like how Falin experiences the opposite of Laius being nerfed by autism. She’s rendered op by autism. Everyone is like wow Falin is such a free spirit and so mysterious and intelligent and powerful and kind I want her fuck her brother though and Falin is just there splitting a thought bubble with Laius about what a big bug they just saw tastes like based on its observable taxonomic properties.

Kinda true. Honestly, Rick sometimes seems to “forget” the lasting impact abuse can have on people. Not sure I can pinpoint an actual quote or passage, but sometimes I feel like he ...maybe not should, but could have portrayed the lasting damage more

Tw: domestic violence

Who thought it was a good idea for Hedge to go on the Argo II? Like here are three teens who were physically/verbally abused as children and we’re sticking them on a boat with this aggressive man who’s constantly yelling and swinging a bat around. Can anyone else see how Percy, Hazel, and Leo might not vibe with that very well?

Fuck it, Elden Ring text posts

Since Im ranting about The State of Things, Ill keep going.

I just saw 3 anti AI things in a row (good) and like aside from the fact that AI is stupid and wrong a lot or the catastrophic environmental impact, but do people really, *really* not see how AI is Bad as a concept period?

Like, The Youths who use it to cheat, especially at a University level, do they REALLY think the point of class is to get the answers? Your professor knows the answers. They are not literally asking you to find the answers they need like your boss might. The Point is to show that you know how to get Good Answers on your own and apply them correctly or to build the skills to solve problems? No one expects you to unveil Brand New Information. Do they know that?

And then the people using it to cheat at life, you know the point of reading a book isnt JUST to know what happens right? Like, theres more? I spoiled myself for Nosferatu bc I am afraid of Horror movies and while I KNOW what happens now, Im fully aware I'm missing out. I do not want to miss out! I want to experience it myself! Why would you choose not to experience something that interests you? (Unless, like me, youre a scared little bitch who will get nightmares but at least I would never claim to have Seen The Movie now).

The only metaphor I can come up with is a snow cone food truck who advertises theyre Real Snow and people get their cup of shaved ice and say "now I know what snow is like." Do you really think that???? I feel like so many people are admitting that yes they would think they get the snow experience from a snow cone and I feel insane because it is absolutely not the same, its but one little point in a much bigger whatever. You want the art but dont want to make the art??? You want the fic but dont want it to have any heart?? You have a book written by a human but want a robot to interpret it for you? Whyyy????

Second metaphor, I apologize. Its been a long time since I took Philosophy (2003?) but it almost reminds me of like a reverse Allegory of the Cave. We are currently outside the cave with the ability to see things as they are and people are choosing instead to go in the cave and see a weak projection instead and then arguing that its Good without any hint of embarrassment. Well Im embarrassed for them. They're embarrassing.

I finally made the meme I've had in my head for over a year

Your personal triggers and squicks do not get to determine what kind of art other people make.

People make shit. It's what we do. We make shit to explore, to inspire, to explain, to understand, but also to cope, to process, to educate, to warn, to go, "hey, wouldn't that be fucked up? Wild, right?"

Yes, sure, there are things that should be handled with care if they are used at all. But plenty more things are subjective. Some things are just not going to be to your tastes. So go find something that is to your tastes and stop worrying so much about what other people are doing and trying to dictate universal moral precepts about art based on your personal triggers and squicks.

I find possession stories super fucking triggering if I encounter them without warning, especially if they function as a sexual abuse metaphor. I'm not over here campaigning for every horror artist to stop writing possession stories because they make me feel shaky and dissociated. I just check Does The Dog Die before watching certain genres, and I have my husband or roommate preview anything I think might upset me so they can give me more detail. And if I genuinely don't think I can't handle it, I don't watch it. It's that simple.