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[kasmikassim]

Some quickfire book recs: world classics

Since I yell about it online without actually pointing out specific works, I figured I'd back it up by sharing a reply I sent to a reader comment containing some recs on world classics - literature that I would personally prioritize reading for not just their storytelling value but for how they help broaden one's perspective on things.

ETA: forgot Vladimir Nabokov, James Joyce, Toni Morrison

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[kasmikassim]

"Problematic" has now become the modern-day equivalent of "satanic", "witch", "evil", "unpatriotic", or the timeless classic, "pedo".

Just fling it at whomever you don't like, or whatever makes you vaguely uncomfortable, whether or not it's accurate or fair or objective, and other people have no choice but to get on that bandwagon if they don't wanna be seen as also problematic. Because apparently, in this social-media age where everyone puts their lives online 24/7, everyone is terrified of not being perfect. No way we're allowed to have flaws.

Same way it was unsafe to criticize the invasion of Iraq after 9/11 - the same way there's literally no way to fight against someone who shuts down any argument by calling you a pedo. It's become a weapon of abuse and manipulation.

There's a term for that well-known to survivors of narcissistic abuse: smear campaign.

[kasmikassim]

Reader fanart to my fic

Did I mention that a reader drew me fanart for my latest chapter of my DBZ fic

I'm dead

[kasmikassim]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 12. The Dating Dilemma

Chapter Summary: Gohan confides in Trunks about the growing pains of integrating into society.

-----

Below: A reader responded to this chapter with fanart and I'm dead

[notnkgm]

go zoey, go zoey, go zoey

[kasmikassim]

her proud parents

[kasmikassim]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Happy Pride Month.

[kasmikassim]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary:

The snow queen's path is lined with blood and tears. Through corruption, greed, and folly of men – the male kind – she's clawed her way up to where she is now: a mighty kingdom of solitude, locked behind a great wall of ice. And gods help her if she lets a MAN try to push his way through those gates.

But one man seems determined to melt his way in, and – well, Roy Mustang IS a master of fire.

[thememedaddy]

[kasmikassim]

"I love travel!"

I, too, enjoy vacations that are fun and relaxing.

"I love to laugh!"

Yes, I also like having a good time.

[kasmikassim]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Dragon Ball Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Future Son Gohan/Xeno Trunks ---

Life as a Time Patroller suits Gohan just fine.

Sure, he doesn’t remember who he is, where he’s from, or how he ended up here – but his alien coworkers are fun, his job is fulfilling, and best of all: he has the greatest commanding officer in the world.

The commanding officer who rescued him from the brink of death and nursed him back to health. Who is so kind, so powerful, and breathtakingly beautiful. Who looks at Gohan with such tragedy in his eyes when he thinks Gohan isn't looking – but always, always pushes him away.

Too bad Gohan’s always been a stubborn kid who never took no for an answer.

-----------------------------------------------

Notes: I’d never thought to try this pairing, but @izuchant gave me the idea through their beautiful fanart and I decided to see where it takes me. Please go support their art! 

[solaruniver]

As I was talking with my friend about db fusion. There’s not enough combination compare to this many casts. And the one in the game is just … so naturally I made one or three to be precise.

Let guess who’s fusion is this

Obviously

[kasmikassim]

This is honestly breaking my brain

[tmgghn-mw]

Mike, a regular customer, and Will, his favorite barista

[kasmikassim]

EVERYTHING about this is SO CUTE

[books-and-omens]

Oh. Oh. I am having a moment here.

The *screen ratio* changes when we go from one universe to another. Up until the epilogue, we watch everything in cinematic widescreen, with black bars on the top and bottom.

And then when we reach the epilogue, those bars... they go away. We've broken through.

Oh this is brilliant.

[thememedaddy]

[kasmikassim]

It's funny how they dress up this "artist" in an apron full of paint smudges and make him look like a haggard artist full of paintbrushes in his pocket. Buddy what were you painting? What are those brushes for? You were typing prompts into a plagiarism bot.

[sunflowhoops]

im so sorry but i feel like some of us are sleeping on the “why give me crowley, why make me complete and then take it away” line a bit too much cause aziraphale said that to god ?? in her face ??

an angel, whose purpose is to serve and devote themselves to god, who can’t love anything more than them. an angel saying that he feels complete not only by another being (which is already huge) but by a demon !!!

i can’t imagine a greater love confession, not from aziraphale, who always tried—even forced himself—to have faith in god’s plan and intentions, to serve her blindly and to be on her side and her side only.

aziraphale, who barely dared to speak to her when asked, now standing his ground at the boundaries of a universe that already ceased to exist, with nothing left to lose, and nothing left to fight for. speaking up for himself, blaming god for his own misery, for creating someone so perfect for him but never letting him live that love openly and freely. they spent 6000 years dancing around each other, pretending they weren’t an us, because he couldn’t go against the ineffable plan, against his purpose as an angel, against god. meanwhile, god didn’t care at all.

and now here they are, god, satan, aziraphale and his other half, one step away from eternal nothingness, from complete and cruel erasure. and here he is, this angel who in his lord’s face confesses his love and devotion to the one who actually inspired him, who showed him what pure kindness and selfless, unconditional and stubborn love really look like. not the almighty herself, but crowley. the best of god’s angels according to aziraphale, and probably the one who was hurt by her the most.

crowley completes aziraphale, he makes him feel whole. and in the end, crowley is the one aziraphale chose

[kasmikassim]

The long-awaited moment the truth finally burst from its seams.

[championoftheoppressed]

Crowley and Aziraphale through the years.

[kasmikassim]

Literally the most enduring love of all time

[luna-azzurra]

Some writing advice I will never give up:

Your characters are allowed to be bad people. Your story is allowed to have no moral lesson.yyour ending is allowed to be sad. The villain can win. The good person can do something unforgivable. The lovers can destroy each other. You are allowed to write the thing that no one asked for and everything that everyone told you doesn’t work and you are allowed to not explain yourself.

It’s your story. Burn it down if you want to.

[penmeialive]

The silliest thing I find about this whole "they only got 30 years together in the end with no memories of their shared history so what was the point" is that EVERYONE THINKS THEY ONLY MET EACH OTHER IN THIS ONE SINGULAR LIFETIME REALITY instead of my immediate thought that as its architects, Aziraphale and Crowley were wound so deep into the fabric of the new universe that there is a version of them finding each other and falling in love every single generation for billions and billions of years??????

A Roman version and a French Revolution version and a WWII version and ON AND ON AND ON AND ON AND---

For goodness sake the song that plays over this version of them finding and falling in love is "Time After Time"! THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS FIND EACH OTHER!!!!!! ***ALWAYS*** IN EVERY LIFETIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kasmikassim]

This makes sense to me.