Can You Draw A Tiny Lizard Dragon That Secretly Hoards Pennies?

Getting teased about something you’re actually really insecure about

I just love this.

Just as European sex ed programs are looking to urge more births to combat falling fertility rates, the U.S. might be seeing similar trends in its own birth rate. Not just yet, though. But, according to new numbers from the Census Bureau, more American women of childbearing age are actually childless. Almost half of women between the ages of 15 and 44 didn’t have kids in 2014, with an increase from 46.5 percent in 2012 to 47.6 percent last year. 

Do you think Bella is a strong or a weak female protagonist?

You've hit my word vomit button/one of my pet peeves, anon, in that I utterly despise breaking down female characters by being "strong" or "weak".

Because almost always it breaks down to this idea that there's only a certain type of woman that's legitimate and, curiously enough, it's a woman who takes on traditionally male characteristics or bucks feminine trappings.

There has been a long run of female characters caring about boys, makeup, clothes, fashion, things that are "girly" are made fun of or seen as weaker or lesser.

See Lavender Brown and Parvati in Harry Potter, ruthlessly mocked in comparison to Hermione Granger our more masculine acting golden girl who cares about sensible things like her studies.

It's a lot of Why Can't a Woman Be More Like a Man?

Where it really gets bad for me though is female characters described as weak are usually described as such for daring to be trapped in situations they cannot easily escape or having mental health issues difficult to cope with.

Cinderella is weak because she is abused by her relatives and lives in poverty and her one chance at escaping this is a dance. This is why we get modern interpretations of Cinderella where she tells us she can leave the house any time she pleases, because she's strong and independent, she just chooses not to for some reason. But the important thing is she could leave, because she's proactive!

Wendy from the film version of The Shining is weak because she's horrified at trying to hit her abusive and insane husband with a baseball bat in a truly terrifying situation.

In the case of Bella Swan, she despises herself entirely and a strong woman would never do that!

It's supposed to be empowering, but what it feels like instead is it's promoting the unintentional message that Strong Women (TM) would never get themselves into a bad situation where they feel trapped and or hopeless, they never have debilitating mental health conditions like depression or even suffer from low self-esteem.

To pull another Harry Potter reference, Dumbledore tells Harry that Merope is a weak woman, compared to his own mother Lily, for doing something as presumptuous as dying in childbirth. Because you see, only weak women do something as silly as die when having babies.

To make a long rant short: this isn't even an argument I subscribe to.

I tried to find something about this to reblog and share, but I didn't see anything so I wanted to put this out there. More than 1000 authors have all signed a petition to stand in solidarity with trans rights and essentially condemning J.K. Rowling's TERF views.

This includes Stephen King (which coincides with his Twitter drama with Rowling from before), Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and more big names in the industry.

Look at those beautiful trans supportive authors!

The Google doc with the letter and a list of the authors who signed it can be found here:

Google Docs

Letter in support of the trans & non-binary community from US/Canada publishing professionals

This is a letter of support for the trans and non-binary community from publishing professionals of the United States and Canada. It is a co

Here is a link to an LA Times article:

Los Angeles Times

Roxane Gay, Margaret Atwood sign open letter supporting trans and nonbinary people

Between 1,500 and 2,000 members of the North American literary world signed an open letter offering support to trans and nonbinary communiti

And here is a link to the Guardian article:

the Guardian

Stephen King, Margaret Atwood and Roxane Gay champion trans rights in open letter

With more than 1,200 signatories the US and Canada including Neil Gaiman and NK Jemisin, message follows row over comments by JK Rowling

I thought, given all the sincere disappointment I've heard from people who loved her books, at least this gives you an alternative source.

Trans rights are human rights!

Voting for Fandom of the Year at the 2016 Fandom Awards is now on Tumblr! Reblogs + likes = votes, make sure you vote before the round closes on 7/15.

hi! i stepped out of dramione fandom for the last couple of years, and i was wondering if there are any new, well written and well characterized fics? preferably post hogwarts era but i’ll take anything, i just want to get back into it 😭

Here are some newer, completed stories that are fairly popular and definitely worth reading: 

Manacled By: SenLinYu -M- Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked. COMPLETE. (Dark, contains non-con)

Love and Other Misfortunes By: SenLinYu -M- Following the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger has devoted her career to the rights of magical beings and works reluctantly with the sardonic ministry lobbyist, Draco Malfoy. But there is ancient magic at work in the aftermath of the War and its consequence will be severe if Hermione fails to look up from her legislation and notice it. COMPLETE.

All You Want SenLinYu - E- Eighth Year at Hogwarts was supposed to be Hermione’s. And it is, just not in the way she expects. Omegaverse fic.

The Right Thing To Do By: lovesbitca8 -M- Hermione felt the pounding in her ears again. She would see him for the first time since the Great Hall, gaunt and stricken at the Slytherin table with his mother clutching his arm. She hadn't meant to look for him. Not in the corridors, not beneath the white sheets of the fallen, not on the way to the Chamber of Secrets with Ron, but she was a stupid girl. (first in a series!)

Every Part of Me By: PotionChemist -M- Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy have been hiding a secret for the past five years. Something brought them together during sixth year and then the war ripped them apart. Four years after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione is married to Ron Weasley and Draco has recently married Astoria Greengrass. They reconnect at the annual Victory Ball... A/B/O fic. **Non-Con in Ch 40**

Queen of Swords By: ravenslight Hermione Granger is the weapon they never intended to create. And she will bow down to no one. / Voldemort wins AU. Slowburn Dramione.

Traditions by raven_maiden - E - Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy fell in love during the war. One year later, they're heading home for the holidays so he can finally meet her parents. There's just one teeny little problem: her parents think they're both Muggles.

Clean By: olivieblake -M- Malfoy's handsome face was contoured into a condescending smirk. "No faith in that giant brain of yours, Granger?" She looked up at him defiantly. "Maybe I don't have faith in you!" she said, raising her voice. Malfoy only looked at her. "You'll find I'm very surprising." Dramione AU, Year 6 with a slow burn and a killer twist. Book I of "This World or Any Other" series. COMPLETE.

The Commoner's Guide to Bedding a Royal By: olivieblake Objectively speaking, Hermione Granger knows Britain has a monarchy, just as she knows Prince Draco (the grandson of the King of England) is probably off somewhere living his royal life in total unrelation to hers. Seeing as she isn't delusional, she doesn't really expect to be his friend. She doesn't expect anything that comes after, either. Dramione, modern royalty AU. COMPLETE. (first in a series)

Sweetly Broken By: LadyKenz347 As the dust settles following the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco's confidence, belief system, and world are shattered. In an attempt to mend his broken pieces, he turns to vials that take the pain away. But once the high's are no longer so high and the lows get so much lower, Draco has to start a journey of healing and redemption that often hurts more than it helps.

The Gloriana Set ThebeMoon - M- The War is won, and Hermione Granger is back at Hogwarts as an “Eighth Year”, feeling reckless and determined to shed her prim bookworm persona. She will do as she pleases, and anyone who doesn’t like it will see the business end of her wand. Also returning is Draco Malfoy, universally hated but determined to restore his family’s name. Hermione’s hopes for a quiet school year are quickly dashed as she contends with mischievous First Years, killer plants, enchanted hair accessories, a totally inappropriate Moaning Myrtle, renegade Death Eaters, a nice vampire, a poorly named study group, a depraved party, and mysterious, threatening blood messages on the castle walls. We have redemption, partial redemption and (sadly or hilariously) no redemption at all. Throw in a snarky, disturbingly attractive Draco with his own secret agenda, and we have a very slow-burn Dramione with a side of who-dun-it. COMPLETE!

The Best of Me By: MrsRen -M- Officially, Hermione Granger was killed in action during the Battle of Hogwarts. Unofficially, Draco Malfoy has never stopped searching for her. Years after the war during a mission in France, his salvation comes in the form of a little blond boy and a familiar half-Kneazle. [COMPLETE.]

Could This Be A Fake? By: smithandbarrowman -M- A cold and ruthless businessman, Lucius Malfoy expects the same of his son. However, when Draco enlists the help of his father's greatest rival, a game of deceit begins. But what happens when Draco no longer wants to play? (Muggle AU) 

Five Dates By: smithandbarrowman Five Dates, that's what she offered. Five chances for him to prove himself. Five chances for her to fall even deeper.

Hot for Teacher By: MotherofBulls -M-  Draco is a single dad trying to raise a teenager. Little does he know that his son has a crush on his own childhood nemisis who has taken up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Draco tries to juggle parenthood, awkward situations, and his own budding interest in Hermione Granger. WINNER Best Comedy, Summer 2017 Enchanted Awards. (sequel: An Indefinite Amount of Forever)

A Second Look By: RiverWriter -M- Her best friend's life was a mess and she would have done anything to make things better for him and his sons. So, when she found her former enemy in a similar situation her heart went out to him as well... and the beautiful blond baby in his arms didn't hurt his case. It was certainly enough for her to give him a second look.

Pretence By: camnz -M- Marriage Law fic. Normalcy was an unrealistic ambition when everyone must return to Hogwarts for their final year after the war. The pretence impossible to continue as all are called on to save the wizarding world - yet again, by law, this time. 

The Calm to Her Storm By: writerspassion18 -M- Death isn't easy, and Hermione is barely keeping herself afloat after Ron is gone. After an unlikely friendship between her kids and Draco Malfoy's son brews, something unlikely blossoms between Hermione and Draco too.

The Troublesome Thing About Time By: LadyKenz347 -M- Draco Malfoy has just arrived from twenty years in the future and insists on speaking to his wife, Hermione Granger. The only problem is that the Draco Malfoy she knows is still the snarky, button-pushing boy upstairs-and not the man in front of her now.

To our followers: if you’ve got a favorite Dramione fic completed in the last few years, feel free to share with the anon in the comments!

-Elle

I love that the internet saw people comparing women and other alienated groups of people and went, “they’re dating,” and, “they support each other.” We’re improving as a society.

Baby beaver sneaks out behind parents to go for a swim. Full VDO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B6afRdVv40&feature=youtu.be

Vote now for Ship of the Year by liking and reblogging your OTP here on Tumblr! Remember, notes = votes, so  be sure to show your favorite ship some love and tune into the 2016 @mtvfandom​ Awards on July 24th at 8/7c to see who wins!

Art by @samkatdiz