sleepy

amari || they/them || 🇨🇴|| i love many things, too many to list, so whatever is on here is whatever i’m obsessed with at the moment. and then I'm also civically engaged so I’ll post non-fandom things/issues i feel strongly about; profile pic by @witlesswriter on Ins

[ao3femslashtop100-tournament]

AO3 Femslash Top 100: Round 1

Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe (DC's Legends of Tomorrow) vs Tara Maclay/Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Sara/Ava (DC's Legends of Tomorrow)

Tara/Willow (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Remaining time: 6 days 9 hours

[ao3femslashtop100-tournament]

AO3 Femslash Top 100: Round 1

Hen Wilson/Karen Wilson (9-1-1) vs Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Hen/Karen (9-1-1)

Faith/Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Remaining time: 6 days 9 hours

[ao3femslashtop100-tournament]

AO3 Femslash Top 100: Round 1

Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) vs Princess Bubblegum/Marceline (Adventure Time)

Gideon/Harrow (The Locked Tomb)

Bubblegum/Marceline (Adventure Time)

Remaining time: 6 days 9 hours

[ariana-grande]

#very normal and healthy information to know

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE 2.02 "Do You Know What It Means to Be Loved by Death" | 3.02 "Toledo"

[anton--rayne]

under socialism we will make it illegal to name illnesses after countries

[rucola-ruquette]

Okay genuinely the damage that naming the Ebolavirus has done to tourism in the DRC, an already impoverished country, is devastating. No one wants to visit the Ebola River. Coronavirus is named after a shape. There are so many ways to name a pathogen or disease without harming the people of the region where it was discovered.

[anton--rayne]

it also discourages even informing people of the pathogen, scientists and doctors who are the first to inform people for their safety have to go in knowing the racism and racial namings that will happen just because they tried to protect and inform people. even when the naming isn't a race or place people get racist to the discovery place as it happened with covid, therefore even more so when it's named after places

[vidibit]

Mutuals who I have hardly spoken with but we instead communicate through silently liking and reblogging each other's posts... I hope you're all having a lovely day ✨

[ghostoffuturespast]

[angrybubbles]

What makes it worse is before this season came out, armand was already hated by a lot of the audience, much more so than lestat because he is an antagonist of color, and of course it is justified to dislike him but a lot of the way he's been talked about is thinly veiled racism. So when tvl invites people to laugh with lestat instead of challenging it, of course a lot of the audience will laugh with lestat even though none of it has to do with armand's actions in season 2. Even people who are also critical about the season don't recognize the racism, orientalism, and islamophobia in the way armand is written and treated. "Because he's the villain so he deserves it!" And a lot of fans already see him through this lens and tvl is validating it and encouraging it when characterizing him the way they did in episode 7.

Yeah...

I'll genuinely go into this more when I type up my academic essay (I'm hoping to have it done in 7 days? We'll see if I make it, lol), but you said it perfectly. Unless you understand the ideological signs of the orientalist, neo-orientalist, islamaphobic, and racialized depiction of Armand, there is little reason to doubt how Lestat -- who also controls the season 3 narrative -- and the writers present the character. There is no reason to try to find or argue for what the character was before the bullshit, unless you're prepared for bad-faith Louis fans to say you're an abuse-apologist. General audiences were primed to do reparative thinking for Lestat in season 1, because white (and poc audiences, to be clear) are primed to find the good guy in the white villain, but they are significantly less primed to do it for a beautiful Brown character who psychologically abused the main character in season 2, and then physically tortured and humiliated that same ex in season 3 with absolutely no narrative build to the event.

Horror has always been an ethically complicated genre, because what terrifies people is often other people. There ends up being endless discourse over whether a depiction of something that causes terror and discomfort is reinforcing those fears in an uncritical audience (like critical thinking - not media criticism), or if a depiction of something normally scary in a media environment creates a safe place to feel that fear so that it isn't so startling when you run into it in everyday life.

The media argument essentially is, is depiction violence, or is it exposure therapy?

(this ended up turning into a mini essay on horror media interpretation and how that connects to Armand under the cut, sorry)

Modern gothic horror made in the imperial core, that is politically and artistically self-aware, is at least partially mindful of where the anxieties and interpretations used to create their art comes from. Social anxieties are everywhere, and have always been everywhere -- you see them in racialized folkloric descriptions of "undesirables" (lots of Bavarian German folklore is quite antisemitic, for example, because the culture recorded that rhetoric in folktales), and "chilling" tropes like houses built on Native American burial grounds, and witches dancing around the bonfire -- so anxiety-ridden stereotypes themselves are just a normal part of human social life. I don't think we'll ever really get rid of anxieties, and certainly not with rationalism, but I do think it's healthy to consider what type of rhetoric a depiction is drawing from.

The modern humanized monster is a complicated marriage between depiction and artistic exposure, which I think is why we see so much discourse around it. Exposure therapy doesn't work for everyone, and ten people with the same trauma will result in varying reactions - maybe even ten different reactions and interpretations - so who do we listen to? Are we here to baby the audience and hold their hand and make sure they Know What Is Being Said, or are we here to challenge them and expose them to ideas they have been hiding from with art that they draw meaning from?

Which brings us back to Armand and racialized anxieties. I know, as a white girl who was raised Mormon, in Mormon Utah, there are a lot of unconscious biases that I've had to unpack in my life that I thought were just creepy. On the other side of the two-way mirror of life, though, those biases made kids hate themselves. This is privilege. Once again, what scares us is often other people, but privilege and power can make reactions to that fear a bloody and hateful reality.

Self-aware Gothic Horror wants to scare the majority of its ideal audience and force them to confront lingering social anxieties -- like how Jennifer's Body (2009) is more uncomfortable for the average white man who is there to see Sexy Megan Fox, because it reverses the gender role of the anxiety of rape and murder-- so the majority audience should ideally be the ones uncomfortable by seeing what they thought would be a "safe" horror.

Oblivious Gothic Horror wants to scare the majority of the audience and affirm their discomfort in an idea -- Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker is uncomfortable for the average white western European who thinks that wealthy Eastern European immigrants are bloodsucking leeches who want to transform their beautiful unwed maidens -- has it's own artistic merit even as it could be argued (successfully, but only in academic or intellectual spaces) it has ideological harm. Horror of all kinds generates discomfort, so people will never have the RIGHT to comfort with the genre, but how often does horror reinforce our fears of the 'other' in real life, rather than challenge them? Is there a duty in art to challenge these fears at all?

There is an oft-uncommented and socialized white American fear of brown men. There is a lot of blood behind how that anxiety has manifested in American politics, warfare, trade, and interference in the Middle East, Eastern Africa, and South Asia (the world-over, really, but we're talking about anti-Arab and islamaphobic xenophobia right now). Gothic horror that cares about where that fear is coming from should present the fear that we understand the language of, and then they should show what it's hiding. Season 3 did this (poorly) with the emotional climax of the episode revealing that Arun was 12 when he was sold to a brothel, and Louis affirming that it has never been discussed the way it should, but it was completely eclipsed by the body horror and shock value of the scene it was in -- not to mention the constant switching between Louis and Lestat and Daniel was... personally I think it was just a touch too chaotic, because it really fucked with the emotional journey of each storyline. Either way, the humanized monster of Armand that the affirmed anxiety was hiding ended up eclipsed by the horror. This means we don't develop much empathy for Armand unless you're not in your own shock at the other things, but as you said the suspicions and fears of the general audience who do not look at these depictions with suspicion, just end up affirmed in their beliefs that brown men are dangerous and even if the brown man has an inner child that has been hurt, that same brown man will take it out on the one who least deserves it.*

Sometimes it becomes difficult to rationalize writing and ideological flaws with your emotional opinions and reactions, so plenty of really intelligent people who hated Armand before season 3 are just rolling with the depiction to hate him more. What an uphill battle, especially for the South Asian and Muslim Armand fans who are shaken at seeing this louder version of Armand hate/people integrating the depiction into their understanding of Armand without critical thinking. It was easy in the period after season 2 to say "hey, this is the humanized monster show, do you think they're a bias to how you're interpreting Armand," but it's significantly harder to do that now.

We're now the ones who look like the Lestat apologists/AMC haters from the season 1 era. Lestat fans of the first two seasons could pettily mock us and say, "ha, how do you like it now," but there is not a literal bloody legacy behind characters like Lestat being demonized by mass media, is there?

*There are a dozen additional caveats to this ending statement. Anti-black racism and audience bias are incredibly strong factors here, and I'll address my interpretation of Gen Audience perception bias in my essay, but I will say that "the one who least deserves it" is my opinion. I discussed at length, before 3x07 was released, how Louis does have a neo-orientalist view and treatment of Armand, but even with that interpretation in mind, my pure emotional reaction to the scene is "Louis deserves this scene the least," which I am treating as a valuable point of data.

And the thing that is most frustrating about the decision to do this without developing Lestat's love for Armand, is that there is no possible way to argue that there is a counter-balance. The general audience is not prepared to love Armand in the finale, because he's had creepy horror music play whenever he's on screen, and the (implied) tender emotional development with Daniel is off-screen, so it can be super easy to interpret and argue that Armand and Daniel have a self-serving companionship rather than having a well-liked character LOVE Armand. Gen audiences just see an intimidating face -- that they likely know is manipulative and cunning if they've seen the first two seasons -- and be suspicious of his intentions, which becomes affirmed yet confused by how his intentions got him to torture Louis, but he's still torturing Louis and Regina in a horrifically grotesque way so clearly it's good to HATE HIM.

(I have an IRL friend who I watched the show with, and this was genuinely her reaction. She hated Armand, Louis, and Lestat equally after season 2, but she literally can't look at Armand now, and finds herself endeared to Louis and Lestat. Even when I break down the racist rhetoric in the scene, she can't shake that emotional impression.)

I wasn't planning on the response to this ask to be this long, but you got me in a yapping and analytical mood, so I hope this was entertaining to the 25 people who read it (lol).

[angstqueenart]

As a Muslim Armand fan (North African, not South Asian though), I deeply appreciate this post, being in this fandom while a Brown Muslim fan of Armand is ROUGH when nobody seems to understand that his writing is so so deeply orientalist and islamophobic. It's like it goes through one ear and goes out the other with those people when you try to explain. It does feel like he's used as the easy villain/antagonist in the show honestly, like, whenever we need someone to do horrible things to Louis, let's use Armand (reducing things heavily but the creepy horror music whenever he's here? Come on..)

And it frankly annoys me too that people are pointing at Armand fans saying we cannot handle gothic horror or that "they're evil they're going to do evil things". I do not mind Armand doing evil or questionable things (cutting off Nicki's hands, pushing Lestat off the tower, etc), but it needs to stay accurate and proportionate to his character and to his motivation, not turn him into some caricature. 3x07 had him doing an evil laugh and an evil plan reveal it was embarrassing to watch and deeply uncomfortable. Not to mention the uncomfortable undertones I felt with making Muslim coded characters (Armand and Fareed) take part in live streaming decapitation on the dark web (reminiscent of terrorist beheadings in the early 2000s).

Overall it's just very clear to me that there is no regard to Muslims and Brown people (SWANA and South Asian both) in the way Armand and other Brown characters are written, not to mention weaponizing us for anti-Blackness against the Black characters (Louis and Regina/Claudia). And I've even seen people in the fandom act like it doesn't matter because "Muslims are homophobic bigots anyway"... You guys realize Muslims can be queer too?? I'M queer and Muslim.

Same people who will use queer Brown people as talking points when we are living breathing people.

Very long winded reblog sorry, but I feel like a lot of people in the IWTV fandom just don't understand how irritating it is interacting with white fans who haven't got the slightest idea what your experiences are, and spew orientalist, islamophobic bullshit hate towards Armand at your face for daring to like him.

[aropride]

people make jokes about how people who weren’t allowed to watch spongebob as a kid are always talking about how they weren’t allowed to watch spongebob but as one of the aforementioned people who wasn’t allowed to watch spongebob my insight on the matter is: you would not BELIEVE the amount of times spongebob comes up in normal adult conversations. i don’t often think about him of my own accord but people reference him and i have to say. what? and they say. it’s from spongebob?? and i say. oh i never watched spongebob. and they say why? and i say. i wasn’t allowed to. and then a few weeks later it happens again

[zukotheartist]

Sad that Harris (a fat character that is treated as more than just a silly gag to laugh at) will not be portrayed by a fat man BUT im already seeing the racist takes start and we're not gonna fucking do that, no using anti-fatphobia as a means to excuse racism. You can be frustrated that a fat role went to a non-fat actor (and i think we should talk about it because it happens constantly) but that's it, period, no "mmm but he's not ginger and pale" or whatever the fuck, no. Justice Smith get behind me

[carebooks]

sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the plot, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the character bonding, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 to watch queer characters not die and actually have a very happy ending, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the healthy, mature, and supportive romantic and platonic relationships portrayed in the show, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the action sequences, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the music and party moments that alter your brain chemistry, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 for the fucking orgies and the beautifully done sex scenes, sometimes you rewatch Sense8 just for the fucking awesome cluster transition shots— every time they’re walking around and suddenly all other 7 of ‘em pop outta nowhere seamlessly or that fucking shot of Wolfgang walking down the alleyway and he’s visiting all his other selves and they turn up to follow behind him as they all line up into one and then in the restaurant with lila- the shot of them all rising behind him—

there are so many fucking reasons to rewatch this show.

[sandersstudies]

Every time you go in a public place and something ISN’T disgusting it’s because somebody cleaned it. Every time you feel comfortable using a public bathroom or sitting at a restaurant table or setting something on a gas station counter or playing on a playground it’s because somebody cleaned it.

Thank you to everyone who cleans the world, especially those who are underpaid and under appreciated.

[stephexmachina]

real talk tho ive seen ppl talk abt how long hair on men isn't intrinsically feminine & assuming so is racist can we get the same convo going for Black women w short hair can we start talking abt how short hair isn't intrinsically masculine or is that a step too far

[knighthearts]

happy pride month for it/its users, polyamorous people, xenogenders, non-transitioning trans people, and other "weird" identities. btw

[biorust-art]

I didn't know they had faces.

-

[Image Description: A drawing of Murderbot as the Perfect Blue poster. Murderbot is a south asian person with medium brown skin and short curly hair. it wears a blue hoodie and as its hands raised above its head and a murderous grimace on its face. Blood covers the blade it holds as well as its hoodie and there are speckles on its face. Behind it is a screen that shows the armored face of a Security Unit with parts of the advertisement overlayed onto Murderbot. The company name and its face has been glitched out. the background is a vivid orange-brown with screen lines overlayed. The message 'WARNING: Uncontrolled Unit' appears above its head. END description.]

[pjharvey]

our age of blogs is collapsing

[sashasparrow]

not doomed by the narrative but saved by the narrative. yeah i know you'd rather die than keep suffering but the story doesn't actually care what you want. you have to keep going, even when it hurts. even being erased from existence won't stop you from being salvaged from the wreckage of un-being. get up. keep pushing. keep bleeding. keep living.

[cottaegecore]

when you start reading again and it's like oh. oh . the sun actually does still shine.