#gergthecattalks

AI generated Aurora Cycle images I found on Pinterest:

The chimpanzee one is my favorite.

Also

Bro needs therapy because he is suicidal, insecure, mentally ill person, not because YOU don’t like him

“get therapy” is not the insult you think it is, and just furthers the stereotype that mentally ill people are crazy or bad people when they most certainly are not

This is NOT what Libby looks like

This IS what Libby looks like

Normally, I wouldn’t be this picky about the representation of a book character, but as someone who’s be made fun of A LOT for having an alt style, it hurts to see that what is a coping system for many people (not saying it is for her, but it doesn’t seem far fetched); fashion, is being diluted to make her more digestible. When Libby changes her image to please Alisa, she dyes her hair AND drastically changes her fashion, and that is what I feel is happening here. Again, normally, I wouldn’t care, but being goth is such an important part of her character, and it’s so common for alternative or “weird” traits/characters to be adapted so people are able to see someone they relate to. Alt characters are frequently changed or dumbed down to niche one trait (for Libby, it’s often her hair/liking black) so instead of having interests that are weird and creepy, they are just quirky and different while still being societally acceptable. She IS weird and she IS creepy. That’s not an insult.

Not voting, or a vote for a third party, is a vote for Trump. The far-right are united behind Trump, because they’re too blind to see better. The far-left are too careful about what they endorse that the only candidate they’ll vote for doesn’t exist.

No person is perfect, but Harris is miles better than Trump.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

I see so many young, essential voters choose to abstain from progression in a flawed system in favor of the idea for moral purity.

The only way to fix it is to elect a candidate who is willing to work towards that.

We don’t have that opportunity this election, but a Harris term gives leeway to better representatives in the future, in all levels of government.

Not voting because you hate the way it happens is a vote for someone who will never change the way it happens because he benefits too greatly from it.

the TIG fandom is so grossly oversaturated with this seemingly monthly revolution of discourse. everyone will love a character and post about how "they're such an icon" and "they are such an angel character who's perfect and beautiful and such a baddie" and everyone's so happy with that. UNTIL! someone does some studying and reading and comes to the shocking conclusion that this character is not in fact what the fandom told them they were, and that they in fact do not fit into this charming little box that everyone had sold to them. they cite this character's absolute gormlessness in making an irrational decision "and yes I understand they were in an abusive relationship and had just been bombed and kidnapped and told all their friends were dead but that's no excuse!!!" and the fact that "remember the time that this character had MULTIPLE arguments with people they claim to love and care about and *gasp* even HURT SOMEONE" and said person declares this character to have been operating under this beguiling facade to trick everyone (even though, shockingly, it seems the characters who actually surround said dark omen never seem to share that opinion), and thus begin the crusades against Character for their crimes, wherein we all claim to have never liked them to begin with and we must all post about how we "honestly don't understand how this character ever found their partner" and how "Other Character is such and angel because they didn't even get mad at Character for their dastardly, unforgivable, actions," and then the cycle starts again.

in conclusion (sorry for that), you all create this problem. none of the main characters of any of the books are good or bad people because nobody is. THEY ARE RELATABLE!! of course, I've fallen victim to this as well, I'm not trying to frame myself as some sort of holier-than-thou who could never have a misguided or insubstantial take about something. I just mean to point out that so much of what we pretend is character discourse is actually about the fandom. I am also not saying we should stop having these conversation because that is the opposite of that I think, but to blame a character for the aesthetic diva-tized version of them that you see people making up in their heads is ridiculous. and, of course, this isn't only a criticism of the posts that claim to be disillusioned with a character but also of the people who create those illusions in the first place. i think you forgot how real people act.