They Both Want To Make Season 4 Happen!

They both want to make season 4 happen!

All of this. All of the stupid headcanons and apologism are even worse when people insist he is better or secretly a good person or just misunderstood and have no actual evidence of it because the man was dead before he ever got on screen. The extras are so limited and out of date that they aren't a good view of what he was really like late in life, and what little they do show us does not tell us good things about his personality even then.

Yeah, he was a slave and that's terrible. But other people have also lived terrible things and not become a POS. That was his active choice. Trauma happens. His response to trauma is what tells us what kind of person he is. No one forced him to take it out on other people.

Also, people pretending that other people would make the same choices in the same situation? Um, no. No they wouldn't. Because they are different people and their response to the same trauma would be different because of that. Sit tf down with all that, please.

I hate Shen Jiu. Mainly bc of his "fans". They infantalize him and turn him into this uwu tsundere misunderstood poor baby, like I'm laughing my ass of imagining Shen Jiu reaction to his delusional "fans". This dude is someone who abuse a child and didn't show an ounce of regret about it. Even after being put through inhumane torture he still doesn't show any regret, if anything the only thing he regret is not killing the abused child the first chance he got. Shen Jiu will definitely hate his "fans" more than he will ever hate Binghe LOL, at least Binghe respect his agency as a person to hold him accountable for the shitty things he did unlike his "fans" 😂

Is how the Marauder's map is treated really surprising from the series that minimizes trauma, glorifies bullying, portrays abused children as inherently evil and sees nothing wrong with the implications of a society where love potions are so routine that people sell them by the store full to literal children and tell "back in my day" stories about them like sexual assault is a fucking joke?

No, it doesn't surprise me at all that the invasiveness of the map is never addressed.

It's very telling that even though her general excuse for all marauder antics is that they were just mischievous kids, but then she has characters who were adults then do nothing and then she has characters who are now adults--adults she wants us to Believe are reasonable and fair--who know what they did and still defend it and treat it like it's perfectly harmless and a "just good fun."

The Marauder's Map and why the books failed to address the issues it raised

It infuriates me that people always seem to consider the Marauder's Map as something "cool" and boyish. To me, it is the ultimate tool to bully and abuse - a violation of all privacy and safety, the ultimate object of control for the abusers. I cannot see many things that would be more dangerous than this inside a boarding school, and I cannot even begin to imagine how Snape and other students must have suffered from it, unable to hide from those who could attempt murder or sexually assault them without being expelled. I don't care if this takes place in a magical world - everyone has a right not to be restlessly tracked. The fact the matter is never addressed within the books, and the Marauders seem to have received no real punishment (in a normal and proper school, this would get students expelled) when this clearly is psychological harassment and stalking, is another example of how unsafe Hogwarts is for all students that do not have the privilege to belong to Gryffindor, or come from a wealthy background, thus being at the mercy of bullies like the Marauders. And the fact the narrative doesn't point out this fact is highly disturbing - on the contrary, the map is always talked about in a positive way:

"This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

It is still an object of pride for Lupin, who gives it to Harry at the end of his third year. We know for a fact he never understood, or wanted to understand, the seriousness of his actions - the fact is this time, his views on the map aren't contradicted by anything in the narrative (in the contrary to the bullying of Snape, seen for what it was by Harry).

"While on the run in looking for Horcruxes, Harry would often look at the map to see what Ginny Weasley, his love interest, was doing, which would hint that the map works from any location."

We know that Harry and Ginny's relationship is a positive one with shared love in a particular context; but still such activity should never be romantized. None of the partner should have the power to stalk their loved one: it gives a disturbing idea of "entitlement" to the other.

"Eventually, James Sirius Potter probably stole the map from his father's desk."

Finally, the map is again presented as an object of enjoyment which provides mere fun - according to JK the map certainly made its way back to Hogwarts, in the hands of a James Sirius nonetheless (I mean, this is a symbol as a whole). I think that shows how she never understood the seriousness of what this object implies - because the use of the map is clearly, and definitely, written and talked about as positive and even funny.

Thus it is also talked about as something entirely positive within the fandom, just as bullying and trauma are minimized by many people - and to accept the idea that stalking is okay, another tool for "pranks", is worrying. The map is, on the contrary, a symbol of what the Marauders had and looked for during their school years: absolute power.

"My father will hear about this!" is actually healthy child behaviour

So one of Draco's most iconic lines (from the movies at least, but the same sentiment is in the book) is "My father will hear about this" or "Wait till my father hears about this".

It's usually used to ridicule Draco from what I have seen...but to me it makes Draco a more relatable child character compared to the trio.

As a kid, and even as an adult, I was very open with my parents. I told them basically everything. They were very involved in my life and I felt comfortable going to them with all my problems.

Admit it: would you prefer kids like the trio who go off on dangerous adventures, leaving adults in the dark or would you prefer a kid like Draco who will loudly tell you what's bothering him?

This is what these lines tell me about Draco's relationship with his dad and himself:

Draco has a close emotional bond with his father. He is ok with telling his father about his daily life which should be healthy child behaviour.

He believes his father cares about him and his safety. You don't complain to a parent who does not care about you.

And of course, the rebuttal is that children should not be overly dependent on their parents and they need to learn how to handle problems on their own.

Well, I have a news flash for you! If your kid is being abused by teachers or feels they are being treated unjustly at school, they should not be made to handle it on their own!!! Maybe Harry would have benefitted from having more of Draco's attitude. And then maybe Umbridge would not have been able to torture how many kids without hordes of angry parents descending on Hogwarts!

As problematic as the Malfoys are, I genuinely believe they have one of the healthiest nuclear families. Neville's grandma is...let's just say that it's a tragedy that JKR made Snape Neville's boggart when his grandma is ultimately responsible for Neville's self-esteem issues. Didn't one of his uncles throw him out a window as a kid?? Harry's family are hella abusive. Ron had a broken wand and feared going to his parents about it which is a huge red flag! You know given how dangerous a broken wand is! Hermione doesn't seem to give a damn about her parents. We don't even know their names. And I truly fail to understand why some muggleborne kids were never removed from school. Hermione was petrified and her parents sent her back the following year? Either Hermione never told them, the school hushed it up and/or the parents couldn't care less. Either option is bad.

I don't care what the antis think about Draco. When/If I have a kid in the future, when they have issues I hope they will feel secure saying "My mom will hear about this!".

FACTS.

“The Crocodile”

Okay. I was typing a reblog and it somehow became a rant/spiel, so I’m making a whole post about it.

“The Crocodile” Episode? I know a this isn’t exactly an unpopular opinion, but I’mma say it anyway.

Hook and Milah. Had. It. COMING.

Granted - Hook became cool eventually. But I hated him for a LOT of the series on the grounds of his first impression alone.

Like it’s one thing to run off with a man’s wife. Rumple and Milah weren’t in love and the marriage wasn’t a good one. She put zero effort into their family and taking her off their hands may arguably have been better for everyone.

Seriously. Fuck Milah.

Spinner Rumple tried so hard to be a good husband and father, or at least to make their family work in a loveless marriage, and he deserved better.

But in spite of that, what Hook did to him on the ship crossed so many lines and he totally deserved to get owned for it.

Let’s review:

Concerned husband boards a pirate ship to beg for his wife back, thinking she’s been abducted. Right off the bat: That right there took courage. It always pisses me off when OUAT characters call Spinner Rumple a coward, because he really wasn’t. The world put him through it and he was doing his damn best. Just showing up to the ship of bloodthirsty pirates, knowing that literally all he could do was beg and hope for the best, took guts.

Back to Hook. So this poor guy shows up to ask for his wife back unharmed. And shy of actually hurting Rumple, Hook decides to do quite possibly the cruelest thing he could have done:

Keep letting the spinner think that his wife had been taken against her will and that she was being raped by the whole crew.

If Milah was in on the lie, then in my opinion SHE was the cowardly one here. Not Rumple. You want to abandon your disabled husband and son to run off and live the high life with a pirate? Own your shit.

But no. Instead they pushed the blame onto Rumple and gaslit this poor man into thinking it was somehow his fault.

Yeah - Rumple didn’t pick up the sword when Hook challenged him to a duel over Milah. But let’s think about that for a sec shall we?

We have Rumplestiltskin: An older wool spinner with a disability. Who can’t walk all that well WITH his walking stick - much less without it, on a boat, and during a fight with a sword. Which he’s barely held in his life unless you count the crash-course he got as fodder- I mean a new recruit, when he was drafted into the Ogres War.

Versus Captain Jones: A younger, taller, stronger pirate. An experienced swordsman, comfortable on a ship, and with two good legs. AND with a loyal crew of OTHER strapping pirates who would probably kill Rumple even if by some miracle he DID take Hook by surprise or something.

So really, Rumple had two options here.

Option A: Refuse to fight the bloodthirsty pirate, leave with your life but without your wife, and return home to your now motherless son.

Option B: Fight the bloodthirsty pirate, probably die or at least get badly injured (which could be death within a few days-weeks anyway given his financial situation and living conditions), the pirate takes your wife anyway, and your son is left an orphan who may or may not ever know what happened to you.

So there was no realistic scenario here where he fights off the pirates like a dashing hero and carries his wife home.

What else was he supposed to do?!

Rumplestiltskin is extremely smart. He always was. He knows when to pick his battles and he would have known all of that at a glance.

Refusing to fight wasn’t cowardice. It was common sense.

And yet Hook, this mothafucka, who must have realized all of this too and put Rumple in this situation in the first place, had the gall to act disgusted about it when Rumple refused to “fight like a man.” And then gaslit him into thinking that he was a coward and a fool for making what was obviously the more rational decision.

Now Hook is a pirate. I never would have expected much from him. But that’s no excuse. What he did was fucked. And karma is a bitch.

Stupid Game = Stupid Prize

And yes I know this is a pretty commonly held opinion so it shouldn’t be new to anyone but I rewatched that episode recently and needed to get this off my chest. 😤

Destroy the myth that libraries are no longer relevant. If you use your library, please reblog.