#...and that's a sentiment shared by many. so i don't really place my identity on something like my dysphoria...

[detransdamnation]

hey, i'm a transgender person who came across your blog while looking through some tags. i don't necessarily agree with much of your views (i'm very much not a gender critical), but your posts have given me a new perspective on detransitioners. i didn't hold any animosity towards them before (or much of an opinion at all really), but my understanding of them didn't have much depth. i just wanted to say that i feel a great amount of empathy for you. transitioning might have not been the answer for you, but i hope someday your dysphoria dissipates and you're able to find peace. you aren't a freak for pursuing a path that didn't end up being right for you, you simply tried to alleviate your dysphoria in the only way you knew how to. i'm sorry it didn't work out. and i'm sorry so many of my peers treat detransitioners with vitriol when we really should be extending our support to them. i apologize if this came off as me pitying your situation. i'm not good at conveying words through text, but i just want you to know that my sentiments are genuine. i'm sure this is kind of a weird thing to get in your inbox (probably even weirder coming from a transgender person, sorry). i suppose we're at odds with each other, but i hope you are able to find happiness and someone who will love you for you.

Thank you so much for this message, sweet. One of the driving forces in my decision to publish my mostly unfiltered turmoil in relation to my dysphoria (beyond the fact that I just need a place where I can drop it and forget about it) was/is the wish for people to gain this very perspective through my blog. I find that a not-insignificant portion of the gender-critical community consists of people who (self-admittedly) do not actually experience long-term dysphoria to the degree that I and many other transgender people experience (meaning they're just parroting talking points without a personal, in-depth understanding of what it is actually like to hate yourself and your body to such a degree and be so fucking desperate to just make it stop), while the wider detransitioned community (contrary to somewhat popular belief) do not actually criticize gender identity as a concept, and in fact, often continue to find comfort in upholding it post-detransition. I also find that the ways in which dysphoria is approached and talked about in both communities can be a bit... shall I say... missing-the-forest-for-the-trees in that there is so much emphasis on "curing" dysphoria (whether through the means of transition, therapy, or simply "growing out of" it) riddled into the ideologies that when they come across someone like me—someone who has continued to have severe, persistent dysphoria through transition, detransition, and pretty much everything under the sun—they, very often, have no idea what to do or say because I exist outside of the plane of generalizations they have based their beliefs off of. I believe, if you want to have an honest conversation about mental health, you have to acknowledge that you can do everything "right" and still suffer—I am living, breathing, walking proof of that shitty fact. I choose to be pragmatic about it, to show that both "solutions" to this internal nemesis have caused me pain in different ways, because I think it's way too easy for people—including myself—to forget that real people's stories are often much more nuanced and complicated than mere theories would have you assume. Maybe that's cliché, dramatic, pessimistic or self-defeatist of me. But it's messages like yours that show my decision has made the intended impact.

You have nothing to apologize for. I don't read your message as your pitying my situation (and even if I did, I'd totally understand, considering the content of some of my posts lmao). I'm so glad to know that you have found some value in what I have shared here, even more so that you read through my blog and came to a place of compassion instead of defense. I'd go out on a whim and say we're not so at odds with each other, seeing as how I do still live my offline life as a transgender person currently, although I understand how many would disagree with me on that considering my perspective. Especially in this past year, it can be very hard for me to not look at this clusterfuck of an issue and want to throw back all of the anger and hatred that the trans community has shown me in the past, I'll honestly admit that—but through it all, I try to hold out hope that we will move past this weird timeline of extremism (on both sides) and we will all be able to come to a place of mutual understanding that will benefit all dysphoric people who precede us.

#genuine fanmail #detrans #submission #text #my post

[telomeke]

5 Songs Tag - QL Shows Edition

I was tagged by @recentadultburnout and am excited to play along; thanks for tagging me! 🥰

Before going further, I should clarify that @colourme-feral also tagged me on a different musical tag game, and I was just about to respond to that when this one came in. So am combining my responses for that one with this one as well; hope y'all don't mind! 😚💖

Credit to @troubled-mind for starting this off with their post linked here. 😍

Here are the rules:

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to. 🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

But I'm going to bend the rules a bit because I can't stick with just five. Here are my choices (extra details for the top five, and the more unusual ones listed after):

1. 遠い国/Tooi kuni sung by Ueno Daiki (上野大樹) – the closing theme to Bokura no Shokutaku (Our Dining Table)

This gently lilting song perfectly captures the essence of the hesitant, winsome waltz between Yutaka and Minoru as they orbit ever-closer to each other around radiant little Tane-kun in this heartwarming gem of a series. I can't listen to it without the tears welling up, sentimental fool that I am. The laidback time-signature (a somewhat unusual choice) and hauntingly plaintive key changes really set this one apart. If you'd like a glimpse into the meaning of the lyrics, @isaksbestpillow has a post linked here that translates them into English – the lines are poetically indirect and yet still find some way to pluck at your heartstrings in new and unexpected ways, just like the show itself.

Although the tempo is different, I find this song reminds me so much of the theme to the 70s family series The Waltons, with its old-timey 3-4 (or is it 6-8?) vibes of nostalgia and home truths being shared over steaming bowls of homecooked goodness (also calling to mind Yutaka and Minoru's meaningful exchanges during their many simple but oh-so-delicious meals together).

‌

2. เพลงที่เพิ่งเขียนจบ (Our Song) sung by Nanon Korapat – PatPran's theme in Bad Buddy Series

Nanon isn't one I would call a gifted singer, but his schoolboy tenor and unembellished vocal delivery suit the simple message of this piece really well. It's an unassuming little love song that sweetly encapsulates Bad Buddy's Episode 11 storyline and the theme of living the truth of your love (and by extension that of your identity too) without any need for great flourishes or grandiosity to glamorize the picture; you and your truth are enough, no matter what you may think or what others may tell you. (More write-up linked here.) 💖

‌

3. พรุ่งนี้ (Tomorrow) sung by Ford Arun – the closing theme for Moonlight Chicken

A quiet, hope-filled ballad that softly reminds us (as Moonlight Chicken did) how life will always be fraught with struggle, disappointment, sadness, bereavement and mistakes – and despite it all, the dawning of each new day is also an opportunity to cast off the burdens placed on us yesterday and reshape the present and the future in any way that we wish. We are more than just the sum of our past missteps, and we can find our way to a life of fulfilment when we move forward beyond the shadows of our immediate despair. Ford's rendition, set against an end-of-year Christmas backdrop, tenderly nudges us with the message that whatever it is (within reason) that we seek – happiness, purpose, love – the promise of it is wrapped up in the days to come, and is always ours to take and make real.

‌

4. รักติดไซเรน (Love Siren) sung by Ice Paris and Pearwah Nichaphat – from My Ambulance

My Ambulance isn't strictly a QL but it has a BL side couple played by Billkin and PP Krit, so I'm counting this one in (also because it's a relentlessly feel-good and catchy confection, everything you want in a breezy pop song). Everyone's really pretty, and you can spot some familiar faces dancing back-up. I've watched this so many times I immediately recognized the filming location when it popped up in Our Skyy 2 x A Tale of Thousand Stars and Be My Favorite. (Don't understand the unnecessary toilet break at timestamp 3.27 though. 🤷‍♂️)

Almost forgot to add the multilingual version – if you've not seen this before, get ready to have your mind boggled at the different languages they sing in, and maybe watch out for your own to make an appearance: 👀😍

‌

5. ไหล่เธอ (You’ve Got Ma Back) sung by Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun, Satang Kittiphop and Winny Thanawin – from My School President

A cheery teen anthem to togetherness and the support of friendships, very much like My School President itself. You can't help smiling and singing along because you know it's all about positivity and living worry-free when those around you care and protect you too.

‌

And for the also-rans – these are not in any way inferior (some are even arguably superior musically), but they're not up above simply because they don't have as heavy a rotation on my playlist (and I'm listing them here to spread awareness): 🤩

ไม่ยอม (Be Mine) from TharnType, the Kaownah version (very strong melodically, and this performance converted me into a fan of Kaownah who's excellent here; the song, singer and actor deserve to be associated with a better series).

รักคุณยิ่งกว่าใคร (I Love You More Than Anyone), from Cutie Pie 2 You, sung by NuNew Chawarin (hopelessly, somewhat ironically and unapologetically cheesy, this paean to the pageantry of Thai country music or luk thung is so joyful I can't help loving every jangly, bedazzled melisma; I love it as much as the Build Jakapan cover and the Got Jakrapun original – all so addictive, like too‑sweet candy).

คนที่เสียใจคงไม่ใช่เธอ (The One Who Will Be Sorry Is Probably Not You) – theme from Bad Romance The Series (amazingly this works either as the hard-driving original replete with wailing guitars and screamy rock-god vocals by Pete Pitipong, or the soft ballad cover by Tul Pakorn – both have a grip on my heart).

The theme to KinnPorsche by Slot Machine – this is like the theme to Bad Romance but with no brakes at all, racing to the cliff edge and you don't care; with soaring, almost operatic vocals and a relentlessly pounding rhythm that shifts unsettlingly offbeat midway, the Thai original (เพียงไว้ใจ/Just Trust) is already so many kinds of amazing, but the English version (appropriately titled Freefall) is surprisingly not only more than credible, it also screams primally with lyrics that embody the full-blooded, breathless, all-stakes-committed rush of KinnPorsche's action sequences and darker dramatic moments (when the series wasn't unfortunately tripping over its own shoelaces or galumphing about in a clown car).

นิทานพันดาว (Theme to A Tale of Thousand Stars) – but it's the Torfun version sung by Aye Sarunchana that's won me over. 💖

ฟัง (Listen) from My School President, sung by Lookwa Pijika, Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun, Satang Kittiphop and Winny Thanawin – you can give this treatise on love so many readings, but my favorite is when it incarnates the love that Mrs. Ratchanee has for her little Gun of a son; the original by Sin Tosaporn Achawanuntakul (featuring โอม Cocktail) isn't half bad either, with the music video also dallying with LGBTQ+ themes, but Winny absolutely does a better job of the bridge in the MSP cover.

คิด(แต่ไม่)ถึง [Same Page?] by Tilly Birds – not too sure this counts as a song from the world of QL because it was only in the original, not-quite-canon Bad Buddy trailer but not in the series itself (except for the one line Pat sings on the terrace of his apartment during his Ep.12 drinking game with Pran); still I'm including it because it's an aural experience like no other, starting out hollow, off-kilter and dissonant before its various polyphonies interweave into a delightfully solid pop song.

Inwza by Panpan Yeeyee – once again, not sure this counts as a song from QL but the made-up word Inwza (not so much the song itself) was mentioned as part of Pat's chat ID in Bad Buddy Ep.1 (significance explained here); nonetheless looking up the word got me connected to this wistful little synth-heavy indie pop number that makes for a refreshingly quirky listen.

เพื่อนเล่น ไม่เล่นเพื่อน (Just Being Friendly) – the My School President version by Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun and Satang Kittiphop is just as good as (and maybe even slightly better than?) the original by Tilly Birds featuring Milli, but this flawless mashup of the MSP version with NuNew's is also amazing and I rotate between all three. No favorites here; all so boppy and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. 😍

เลี้ยงส่ง (Farewell Party) by So Cool – this is what Pran references during Bad Buddy's Ep.12 drinking game as the first song he learnt the chords to; totally old-school (dates from 2005) and makes me think of a pre-teen Pran struggling to learn guitar, practising the chords on a song that was already a Thai rock classic at the time.

Stand by หล่อ by New Country – this wasn't in any QL as far as I can tell but the MSP boys performed it in their Prom Night concert and Bas Asavapatr also confirmed having danced to it during one of the Be On Cloud games, so I'm including it because it's so infernally catchy, has roots in Thai luk thung, and the dance video is really SHINee-slick.

Tagging @pandasmagorica, @isaksbestpillow, @colourme-feral, @dudeyuri, @ranchthoughts...

...@chickenstrangers, @lurkingteapot, @airenyah, @dribs-and-drabbles and anyone else who wants to play along. Apologies if you've already been tagged!

‌

#5qls #YouTube

[im-a-goat-in-disguise]

maybe a heterosexual cisgender person shouldn't be telling trans people how they feel about a party endorsing transphobia. you cannot understand the way it feels to walk into a supermarket and see every newspaper call you a nonce because of your identity. regardless of how we will actually vote, it isn't your place to speak over us when we talk about our disillusionment regarding parties that are supposed to be 'left wing' throwing us under the bus to 'pander to the moderate right." what are trans people in rosie duffield's constituency supposed to do?

I am not trying or intending to speak "over" trans people. Is simply sharing my views on a matter overriding others? I wouldn't think so, but I could always be wrong. I am completely open to becoming more informed on this matter by trans people and others more educated on this specific subject.

You're right, I cannot understand what it's like to be told I should be exterminated. I should also not be telling you how to vote. What I am adamant upon is that you do need to vote, at the very least. For somebody, for some party. And given the past few decades, I'd say it definitely shouldn't be the Tories. They've had their time and proven utterly incapable of running the country or doing what's good. If it comes to choosing between the Tories and Labour, I would personally choose Labour. You are free to vote how you want (not something you need my permission to do - I have no way of forcing anybody to vote for anything or anyone), but you do need to vote. Even if you don't want to vote for any party, a spoiled ballot is better than an absent ballot.

I know you may not have looked completely into this, but from what I can tell, Labour hasn't actually "adopted" the guidelines in any meaningful capacity. They haven't even been silent on the issue - many labour MPs have come out saying it's unworkable and pointed out how it threatens the lives of trans children. They aren't pandering, they just straight up don't have much they can really do in this specific circumstance. It's not a policy they can reverse right this second or can even vote against. Schools have been encouraged not to follow the guidelines but it's basically out of Labour's hands.

I can't give advice for specific constituencies, but having a look just on Wikipedia about Rosie Duffield's rapport of transphobic sentiments, I can see why you wouldn't be interested in voting for Labour, but I don't really see how not voting would be a better choice. The last Tory MP for Canterbury was adamantly against teachers even being able to talk about homosexuality, wanted abortion essentially torn down and was an avid brexiteer. I'm sure that wouldn't particularly be favourable for you either.

I really don't want to come across as antagonistic, but it does seem a bit strange you're simultaneously telling me I shouldn't tell anybody how to vote, and then promptly pry me for instructions on who to vote for. I'm not entirely certified how I can satisfy this ask by doing two mutually exclusive things.

At the end of the day, I'm not a grand arbiter of whom exactly every individual in the UK should vote for. All I ask is that you get out there and at least leave your mark in the ballot box. There is no real formal system that allows citizens to request a party change who they put up as a candidate for a specific seat, but you can join the people who already campaign for the labour party to do something more than investigate.

If you have any suggestions on how I could improve what I'm saying, or something I can do to not speak over trans people simply by speaking, feel free to shoot me an ask. My inbox will never be closed

#the q's n a's #anonymoose #ask to tag #long post #i looked at my original tags again and again and realize just how contorted they are by the statements of the post above them #my tags were written under the presumption that labour had somehow absorbed the guidance into their manifesto or something #i should've known to be more observant and look into it a bit before commenting #i also should've been way more specific with my message. what i said was sloppy and wrong. #oh well this is probably my last response for December maybe. depends on stuff

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Hello! I am Filipino (Kapampangan) and my family used to be very close to their animist/polytheistic roots but are no longer due to the genocide of our indigenous culture/peoples. I am very passionate about anti-colonialism (and the revival of culture, including religion) because of how it affected my life (and many before me), and I really like your blog! I find much joy in that people are willing to stand up against the squashing of other cultures simply because they do not fit the "ideal" or "aesthetic". Because I am not Greek, I would like the opinion of someone who does come from that culture on religion specifically. Would it be okay that people like me who aren't Greek worship the Greek pantheon/participate in Hellenic Polytheism? I was learning about polytheism in context of my own ancestry, and along the way, I came to learning of Hellenic, Egyptian, and Hindu, among other religions. The more I learn on Hellenic Polytheism, the more I believe in Orphic teachings as they just make sense to me. If it would be okay, how would I do so in a way that isn't harmful? What sources would you say are best? If not, I completely respect that. I understand how it is to deal with misrepresentation of your home culture/religion, and I don't want to contribute to all the cultural appropriation of Greek culture. Thank you !!

Hello! Thank you for opening up with your story and it was great learning about your experience and your thoughts💙 I know the internet connects everyone from all places on earth but if you think about it we are pretty far away from each other, and it makes me so happy that a person from so far away found joy in what I keep!

Most importantly, I feel it's so touching that a Kapampangan Filipino would say to a Macedonian Greek "I have found my spiritual way in your ancient gods* and the Orphic beliefs". What are the odds of this happening during the last thousands of years of human history! (There are some Filipino immigrants in Greece but the odds of this specific discussion happening are slim.) I miiight be getting a bit emotional about it, but again... what are the odds!

*We still refer to our ancient gods as "our gods" although nearly all of us are baptized Orthodox :p

Greeks don't mind if non-Greeks worship the Greek gods. While the Greek gods have a Greek cultural identity (Greeks literally believed they descended from these gods as a nation) there was never any point in restricting the worship of these gods to people from other regions. There are no such limitations in the ancient texts or rules of the religion.

To be faaaair, there are so many times many Greeks think "just don't touch the damned thing because there's a 99% chance you're gonna fandomize it or treat it like a doll play with a dash of Evangelical upbringing" but that's another problem and it comes down to attitudes 😂 There is this 1% of people who want to be respectful and research as much as they can, so we get very excited about this authentic cultural contact!

If you're here for long you've probably realized that Greeks could relate to some experiences of cultural erasure and prosecution + genocide of the Kapampangan people. You would have seen the post about the Ottoman Empire posts, the genocide, the anti-Greek sentiments, the pogroms etc. (And how we are pretty much dead in the eyes of many Western nations who don't even know what language we speak in Greece and call Greek a "dead language", but I digress 😂) I know our histories are not the exact same. But I appreciate how your message showed our shared goal.

For starters, you can check my f.a.q. page , you can check my tags #hellenic polytheism , #greek gods, #greek mythology, #ancient greece #zeus and hera, #hades and persephone, #xenoi doing bs , #greek speaks , and #hellenismos (which is an incorrect tag the way I use it, but I keep it for people who don't know it's better to avoid using it xD) There are lots of discussions there that will probably shed light on the opinions of Greeks and how inaccurately Greek culture is seen through a Western lens. The material is a lot but it will be a good start, and the posts have various moods.

I understand that you have some experience with cultural erasure, and perhaps some experience with outsiders adopting animist practices in disrespectful ways. You could use this experience to pin down the details of your learning path. I don't imply that you would cause any disrespect. To be honest, I already see that you are approaching the entry to the practice in the healthiest way!

What I am saying is that you could check for potential gaps in your understanding by examining how people misunderstood Greek symbolism or beliefs because of cultural differences. (I would do the same if I attempted to practice a faith foreign to me because I also have my own cultural lenses on)

Depending on where someone comes from, they might see the Greek gods as too cruel, or too soft, or too distant from humans, and the reason for this different POV (even if this POV sounds bonkers :p) is always interesting to investigate. So you can later bridge the gap based on what characteristics might be different between your culture and the ancient and modern Greek culture. This whole advice section might make more sense if you read the posts in the tags #zeus and hera and #hades and persephone .

But definitely start with ancient Greek texts as your guide! Any type of Greek text that mentions the gods. Be careful with ancient Roman texts, as they are later, and especially with whatever Ovid has written.

I'm sure you have already thought "I should approach the ancient Greek religion as I'd like a foreigner approaching my ancestral beliefs" and that would be just right! In addition to that, I would urge you to follow the ancient Greek texts but also look at what the modern Greeks are doing. Many of our rituals and religious philosophy have carried on to our Christianity, so they have evolved, in a way.

This is a bit tricky course because, obviously, you don't want to become a Christian Orthodox, and you still want to retain some ancient Greek practices which might not be used today. Reading a bit on Christian Orthodox practices might give an insight into this evolution so if you want to check it out read the tag #greek orthodox and #greek culture. Chances are, you are familiar with Catholicism but there are differences with Orthodoxy. Since our saints have replaced the ancient gods and their domains (Panagia for Aphrodite, Agios Giorgios for Ares and Athena, Agios Haralampos for Asclepios), seeing how we approach these saints might give an insight into how we used to approach the ancient gods.

As an example of being "out of touch" I bring up the traditional ritualistic cleansing before entering Greek a temple (Polytheistic and Christian). Many westerners have analyzed the concept of "miasma" greatly, writing very long posts and intricate explanations about this. Meanwhile Greeks are like "guys don't stress too much about it. Just don't be dirty or a biohazard to others while entering a temple. It's common sense" xD I don't blame anyone for wanting to be as accurate as possible but sometimes checking in with the locals simplifies things :P

Veiling in Greek temples, both Polytheistic and Christian is an element we ditched as a nation since we have come to associate veiling with a type of purity that works as an oppressive force. Of course our priests, monks and nuns are still extremely covered and modest but the average Greek thinks this is not a practical way to live.

In any case, you will worship in 2023 and not in 300 BCE, so you don't have to follow all the rules of 300 BCE. This post is a small window into what the few Hellenic Polytheists in Greece do in their worship. And you don't need to use the ancient forms of Greek words. We still use them, so you can use their sliiiightly different 2023 forms. No deity will judge you if you use the Greek terms of your time :p (it's not necessary to use Greek words if an equivalent exists in your language)

I think it would keep you "in touch" if you maintain a decent relationship with today's Greek culture while practicing the ancient Greek religion. The ancient religion and culture are not a forgotten part of us. By researching Greece you may find ways to combine the new and the old ways of worship. In Greek tradition all inanimate nature is alive and, as in our ancient epics, the mountains and soil and trees, etc, are still entities that speak to us. The ancient nature - and death - deities also exist in our recent tradition.

As a last point, also based on "I should approach the ancient Greek religion as I'd like a foreigner approaching my ancestral beliefs": You can make a checklist with basic concepts and how they are different in the culture you know compared to the Greek (ancient and modern) culture.

E.g. What are the cleansing rituals? What is a "respectful" attire? When do they eat fish? How important are the dead to them? How many days, months and years have to pass before the next remembrance ritual? Do they address their dead? What offerings do they make to them? What are the seasonal festivals? What's their relationships with trees and mountains? What types of incense and alcohol do they use in their rituals?

That's all I can think of now! I am not an expert and I don't know everything - I am not the absolute Truth - but I hope I helped. I'm sure you'll have lots of things to work on but I am sure it will be a fulfilling journey. Don't hesitate to send more questions if you think that I can help with anything. Many Greeks follow this blog so they can write opinions and suggestions as well.

Farewell and have lots of success with your endeavour! 💙

#answered #masterpost #hellenic polytheism #worship

[biblioflyer]

Picard s3e10 "The Last Generation"

I laughed, I cried, I cheered, but I'm not free of conflicts.

The artificial constraints of a 10 episode season are something I really feel acutely. So I'll start off with an acknowledgment: if OG Picard fans are furious, I get it. I don't share your anger, but I do understand it.

Spoilers ahead.

I broadly agree with the creaky older fan sentiment that in many ways Season Three is what Season One should have been. Primarily in that the absence of the rest of the main characters and centering Picard and Picard only and, to some extent, Data, was a disservice to the rest of the TNG ensemble.

A flaw that was rectified in Season Three. However, by rectifying it in Season Three and then committing to the story they were going to tell in the amount of minutes they were going to tell it in, a grim sort of triage inevitably was going to take place. The victims overwhelmingly were the characters and storylines of Seasons One and Two.

That was neither kind nor fair.

I won't pretend I didn't love this season. But I also was aware of and frustrated by what was missing because I am committed to the ideals I started this blog on: these are my self conscious reactions, reflections, and introspections rather than objective truths I live and die by and demand others validate, lest they be deemed "not real fans."

Now I myself will not be buying a ticket for the Matalas hate train. I think there was an awareness that a lot was being left on the cutting room floor to cater to fans like...well, me, and an attempt was made to offer an overture to a possible sequel series not unlike a "sorry for your loss" bouquet.

Should you view that as a fair consolation prize for only addressing Seven and Raffi's relationship with a couple of quips and an action movie one liner? Or literally forgetting Elnor?

Were I in your place, I probably wouldn't. But I sincerely hope we get that sequel show so that proper amends can be made.

Hopefully it will also include Worf so that the DS9ers can get justice for Jadzia.

Although, I am a bit pessimistic that its going to happen even with the overwhelmingly positive reception. Two overlapping ship focused shows seems unlikely unless Enterprise-G is a metaplot driven narrative show while Strange New Worlds is episodic with light sprinkles of meta. A prospect that I am kind of meh on. Season Three proves that you can do a season long narrative and it not get too bloated or convoluted and deliver a satisfying finish, but I don't know that its enough for me to trust the concept of the 10 episode version of a classic Trek two parter going forward. Five times burned, twice shy.

For those keeping score, that's seven seasons of serialized Trek with five that I think were not well executed overall, not unforgivably so, but they definitely had a clumsy adolescence as their shows matured. I liked Discovery season 4 quite a bit. I'm not on the "Discovery sucks" anti-hype train either, but I think the show has rather clearly been showing its work as it has struggled season after season to figure out its own unique identity and to balance that identity with the expectations of the broader Star Trek franchise, navigating the hellscape of the fandom and trying to figure out which parts have valid criticisms and which are misanthropes who are allergic to other people experiencing joy: and its been a messy process.

What also steals some of my euphoria from the ending of Picard is the announcement of the Section 31 movie.

I love Michelle Yeoh, I even like the character of Georgiou, but I don't trust anyone who has been involved in Trek to date, not even Ron Moore or Robert Hewitt Wolfe, to not resuscitate vile late 90s to mid-oughts nihilism and uncritical worship of "hard men making hard choices because the good are too effete and squeamish to do what must be done."

I know, I know, its negative for a Star Trek apologia blog but I hate Section 31. That's the only thing I'll ever gatekeep. Its a violent refutation of the core premises of Star Trek: that reason and decency win in the end and the endless fascination with constructing scenarios where characters have no other choice but to do near genocides, assassination, and other grimderp shenanigans really infuriates me. There are multiple franchises where I would accept that with zero qualms: Babylon 5, Star Wars, Farscape, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica*, the Expanse etc. but they don't have that same core premise that good wins because good is actually how you win.

*Although it got REAL tedious REAL quick because of how excessively Moore's Galactica leaned into this. Which is incidentally kind of why even though I admire the man, I kind of want to see him and Star Trek keep 500 feet from each other at all times. The guy is way too into torturing series leads. Save that for O'Brien, he lives on pain.

So, to recap.

Dear S1/S2 fans. I adored this ending: it was everything I love about TNG right down to Picard saving the day through warmth and decency. But I'm sorry you got screwed. This is not a zero sum game to me. I think there was a way we could have all been happy and it sucks that wasn't a priority.

#star trek picard #first reactions #picard season 3 #picard spoilers #fandom commentary

[saviourofzaun]

Munday questions: Negativity is entirely too easy so... what's something you LIKE about writing specifically here on tumblr?

SHIMMER INQUIRY | @independentzaun

I have been on Tumblr since the beginning of time (I'm heavily exaggerating this). I started writing on here when I was sixteen. My first fandom was the Attack on Titan fandom. It started off lovely: I made many friends, and even kept some of them around in my inner circle. I have a very warm heart towards this website. I was able to grow into someone I wanted to be, I got to better my English on here, again, made lifelong friends and found my identity. Not only that, Tumblr was my escape for the rough patches of my life. So, in a way, I like this website, due to sentimental reasoning.

Besides the sentimental connection, I really like the aspect of making your own blogs. Having serious threads and crack threads happen simultaneously at the same time, the annoyance towards those annoying bots and collectively bitching about the format changing on this website. But overall, I think it is the people. Don't get me wrong: there are fuckers out there, definitely. But most people I have met, were wonderful. I could relate with some, if not with most of them. This website has its own communities, that somehow intertwine with one another. It feels like one big, fucked up, mentally ill family, here to share their twisted desires for their favourite characters, shows, and literature. To me, this is the place where the 'outcast' can be themselves, and that on its own is already heartwarming and beautiful.

#(this became longer than I anticipated on). #(I now see why Silco is my muse). #(Talks too damn much). #》 𝙄’𝙑𝙀 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀𝘿 𝙃𝙀𝙍… 𝘾𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙄𝘿𝙇𝙔 ⎯ (𝙤𝙤𝙘). #zaunrising

[aroace-pancake]

Hi! I just discovered your blog. I also just discovered I’m probably aspec. Specifically, I think I’m pretty strongly aromantic, which is right now not something I’m super excited about. Kind of in the grieving process of knowing that it’ll take a miracle for me to be comfortable in a romantic relationship, and not sure if it’s a trauma thing (I was in a relationship that kind of sucked a lot of life out of me in hindsight and idk how much that factors in) I need to work out or if I’ve just always been like this and I need to accept it. Idk, do you have any advice for a struggling arospec who doesn’t really know what to do and is definitely grieving more than anything else?

Hello friend!

I sort of relate to this sentiment to an extent! There are many aspec folks who have voiced similar thoughts as well, and it's always difficult to come to a place of acceptance, especially for ourselves

Mostly my grieving comes from a fear of loneliness for not wanting a traditional romantic relationship. I had tried to date a few people as well with no luck, both relationships ended up being bad for me too. I don't think that trauma factors in for me personally, but has created frustration and deterred me from pursuing other relationships.

Whether it is partially caused by past trauma or not, I want to emphasize your identity is still valid regardless

However, when it comes to romantic relationships I want to offer a bit of advice my therapist mentioned which was, "have you ever been in a close relationship with an aro person?" To which the response was a resounding no from myself. I have no idea what a close relationship would be like with another aro person because I haven't tried it!

If a romantic relationship is something you still desire, this is something to consider! As much as it is a clique and grinds the ears of our community, perhaps you haven't found someone you really can vibe with?

There are aro folks out there who do want romantic relationships despite not feeling attraction etc,. Identity is complex and it's understandable to feel confused or resentful

On the flip side, if you want to give up on the endeavour, there are many avenues you have yet to explore!

For me personally, finding acceptance has meant becoming more involved with my local community! Sometimes I go to knitting nights or volunteer. Whatever it is, I feel comfortable with my identity because I have created a network of relationships in my community.

I understand that not everyone finds this ideal. You could instead find a QPR relationship, which is defined within your own standards (and your partners).

Another option would be to adopt an animal, as I have found caring for another (if you're in the position) helps foster meaning in ones life

This doesn't sum up everything ofc, and there are plenty of things to consider. Mostly, I want to emphasize to you that you will reach a point of acceptance for yourself. It's important to grieve, but equally so to explore outside what you can see in front of you

Unfortunately, because the world is built around systems which confine our ideals of what community, relationships, and our own lives can look like, so, we have to build from the ground up. However, this is equally a blessing as there is so much potential to form meaningful relationships with others and ourselves that exist outside the norm

Not to throw in Marie Kondo here, but she has this bit where she asks others to imagine what kind of life they want in their homes. It may be useful to apply this to your life as well and think about what you want

Have faith friend, it's alright to feel the way you do. You're feelings are valid because you have them! If anyone else has advice or resources they would like to share, feel free to send them!

I hope this is helpful! I know it's difficult, but have an open mind and consider your options. You will reach a point where you feel okay with your identity!

#this got a lil exestential at parts #but i hope this is sound advice and you find it helpful #this is stuff i personally try to think about when i get too caught up in worrying about how my identity will affect my future #i mean this stuff sorta applies to life in general as well but i think identity exists at an intersection because it affects us so much #aro #aroace #asexual #aromantic #ace #aromantism #asks

[autistic-fuckwad]

your immediate belief that lesbians are radfems or want to kill all men bc some of us would like to be acknowledged as a sexuality that aren’t attracted to men is really upsetting. bisexuality is valid! ppl liking men is valid! lesbians r allowed to have weird relationships to their gender or be multi gender! trans and nb lesbians exist! womanhood shouldn’t ever be something to be gatekept from anyone? and I wish ppl would stop instantly assuming that lesbians share so many beliefs with terfs and radfems. like we love our trans siblings?? so much?? that has nothing to do with us wanting nonlesbians to stop trying to force men into our spaces. at the end of the day we r all fighting the same queer fight to be free. I don’t think it’s unreasonable tho for lesbians to be upset with ppl constantly trying to put men into the equation of our attraction when that’s just… not the case. we’re not evil for not being attracted to men? and it really feels like ur painting us out to be that way with some of ur posts and replies

To begin with, I never said all lesbians are radfems or want to kill all men. I said that you held the sentiment that being a lesbian is "sacred" and "must not be invaded by disgusting men", which is radfem rhetoric. Radfems also believe men should all die because they're gross. You can spread rhetoric without actually believing in most values of the thing you're spreading. Stop putting words in my mouth that I never said just because you're upset that I caught you spouting bullshit.

You are really mad about people who you consider to be "just fine", in your own words. I'm not your personal therapist to scream at because you're uncomfortable with the way someone identifies. If you genuinely have a problem with people identifying as bi lesbians because you see it as "non lesbians are ruining our sexuality by forcing men into it!" You seriously need to reconsider how you even view sex and sexualities as a whole. People identifying in a way that they feel fits their personal experiences does not harm you, no matter how much you say it does. It is their experiences first and foremost that let them pick a label that suits them the most, not your ideas behind what a "real lesbian" is.

I'm not going to entertain this entire thought process and debate you on why you're wrong and disgusting for thinking that way because you've clearly taken me in bad faith, and in the first place I'm not even the person you're mad at. I'm just a gay trans man* to begin with, I'm not in lesbian communities and I don't engage with discourse about it. But frankly, I don't believe people's identity should be discourse.

Also, to add: the very idea that being lesbian means excluding men entirely over loving women is a radfem ideology. Men aren't some toxic beast unlike what you'd assume, and many women are men at the same time. People's genders are extremely complex, even my own is. I don't care if you don't personally like men as a lesbian, that's just fine. I as a gay man am only attracted to people who don't identify as women in any aspect. That doesn't mean I get to enforce the same definition to people who have been around for years more than I have, just because I don't feel the same way. That's not how this works.

I don't care about whatever baggage you have when it comes to your sexuality label. I don't care if you personally chose the label lesbian because you hate men, though I'm not saying you do. That doesn't mean you alone get to be judge jury and executioner about who gets to be a lesbian. "Contradictory" identities have been around before both of us have been born and they will still be around no matter what. Bi lesbians have been around longer than both of us have. It is not anyone's right, no matter how much of a "true lesbian" you are, to tell them how to identify in good faith.

Now fuck off and don't come back ever again. You're a miserable hateful person and I want no part in interacting with you. You're acting like a fed and you get no bitches.

#my asks #ask: anon #hate mail #sorry to my followers for what the cat dragged in #this person clearly gets no bitches #ACAB means all cops bitch #including identity cops

[tamberoo]

Sherlocksflataffect did not fucking coin a single phrase and is in fact stealing credit from the people who actually deserve it, she’s a complete fraud and a fucking putz.

tl;dr: my good internet anon... huh? oh you mean [one of my reblogs] of a thread from months ago? bit weird to come at me now but lets talk about that. don't worry, i dont hate you but holy shit this is going to be long, sorry

So, after having to do a fair bit of digging — through not just my blog, but [sherlocksflataffect], [balaclava-trismegistus], [osmanthusoolong], and of course, dealing with terrible Google & Tumblr search algorithms the entire time — simply because this ask is so vague and unclear and very unhelpful, I have had time to reflect on this debacle.

I'll be honest here. I make an effort in my own blog to not share content from some of these users, simply because of where my boundaries are — I am allowed to personally curate the content on my own blog/dash. If this means avoiding users because of personal anxiety or other undescribed reasoning, I am also allowed to not deliberate on why I have those boundaries in the first place. It means listening to friends and users who would like to inform me or perhaps send me asks. But it also easily means I am allowed to give my anon asks a little bit of crap now and then. It was personally quite uncomfortable to have to go through all these blogs to find out what in the hell you were talking about. So my apologies if I am still missing the point or coming across too confrontational, but you could do your part to be clear and helpful! — if it's true that you are doing this because you want to help me grow, which I think some could argue is giving you too much faith: after all, sometimes people just go through the notes on a post to start up fights. Again, I can't tell your intention, your merit, or your efforts because you weren't very clear. That's unfortunate, and I don't believe it really has to be this way.

I will agree with you that if it is true that [sherlocksflataffect] is someone who has used their power or influence to organize hateful mobs against individuals (especially individuals who are ND), simply because they want to have the honor of being the person to coin the term... that's terrible. That's cruel. That's bullshit. That fucking sucks and it shouldn't be this way.

If they really are someone who has "done this for years", then why is the last post from their blog from almost half a decade ago and unrelated? Why are the posts before it from nearly a whole decade ago still unrelated? If they are using new accounts/platforms to continue all of this, why not bother mentioning where those are? Do you see how unhelpful this is to leave this information out?

My reflection on [the thread I reblogged earlier] that sparked this response from you has left me with some differing positions than when I initially reblogged it here. I will say that I still agree with some of the sentiment from the author:

(1) there are many ways individuals can have brains seen as "divergent, different, unhealthy or imperfect" that are actually perfectly healthy despite this difference, and

(2) I don't think that it's unfair for this massive amount of people to be able to use the labels they prefer, feel included or excluded however they prefer, or that debating the pedantry of such labeling of identity is useful in most capacities — and you're hearing that from a self-described "autistic pedant"

I disagree with you on these factors:

Describing this community of neurodivergency in terms of those who "deserve" loose labels/"credit" for coining identity and those who do not "deserve" this... is akin to standing on the loose ground at the face of a cliff. It's a dangerous position to claim, since being so close to an edge can rile up tension and fear, both for bystanders and audience members, and of course for yourself as well. This kind of anxiety can be manipulated into boiling anger and violence by those who seek to disarm our humanity. Conservatives, essentialists, and fascists do this all the time and I think you'd hate to be lumped in with such a crowd

Thanks for the ask, anon. But next time could you please not be so vague? In the meantime, send me cat memes or shit so we could be friendly

#long posts #long post #drama #i think #seriously im sorry i couldnt write about this in a more short manner #i am really quite terrible at making things digestible even when i try my best #i want to be thorough and clear but making things accessible is also just as important #and i think as im aging im figuring out how to balance this better #i certainly dont agree with some of what sherlock-url believes and you did help me reconsider this #if these allegations of their behavior is verified i apologize for not believing you sooner #you should follow my blog and ill send you like. cat memes and thigns #you dont sound like an unreasonable or unfriendly person #just someone whos upset and looking to express that #and it wouldnt be my place to disagree with that unless you were attacking me directly and youre not doing that lol #again send me some cat memes and lets become a little friendly #anyways #to the rest of my friends mutuals and followers i hope youre all doing well #please give love back to yourselves

[uncanny-tranny]

Transition status does not necessarily equal medical transition. The more important aspect to look at is social transition - lived experience outside the binary assigned to you due to sex characteristics. Dysphoria and (ideally) lived experience is what qualifies a person as transgender, that's what gave us modern trans folks access to the resources to change our bodies until the whole inform consent thing took off.

- a trans person, 7+ years of lived experience out as trans and 6 years of hormones and two gender affirmative surgeries later.

I think my problem with this stems from both the dysphoria aspect and the lived experience part.

See, dysphoria isn't required to identify as trans or to know you're trans. It might help you parse out how you identify (what makes you feel most at home versus what doesn't), but many agree it doesn't make you trans. I've been diagnosed by a few professionals with dysphoria, but that didn't magically make me trans. Nor did my dysphoria itself. Is dysphoria a big part of some or many trans peoples' experiences? Obviously it is, it should be respected and people who are dealing with dysphoria absolutely deserve the resources to address it if they'd like. But it isn't everybody's experience.

As well, lived experience as the "opposite" gender really doesn't mean much for some, I believe, in that you can still know you're trans even without "lived experience." Like... even when I wore dresses with sneakers, I still knew something didn't feel right, and that's when I was between five and seven. And did lived experience suddenly validate that and "make" me trans? Lived experience after I came out didn't tell me I'm trans, it kind of just confirmed what I already was very very very well-aware of (which I suppose may be a reason why people believe this). It also rubs me the wrong way when people use lived experience to bar those from transition, mostly because it takes agency away from patients and puts it up to others (who, let's be real, are likely transphobic) to decide of you're "worthy" enough to them to transition.

I do agree that social transition is important - just as important as medical transition is, in fact, because all forms of transition are important. Though I do not believe it "makes" you trans - I don't think transition has that kind of power. I believe transition is a way to affirm how you feel (such as I feel affirmed that testosterone has made my voice deeper, for instance). But if I decided to never have socially or medically transitioned, nothing would change about my identity. I'd still identify as male more or less, and pre-T and pre-coming out, that's pretty much how I felt, as well.

#ask #anon #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #i'm always paranoid my thoughts don't translate well into words so if that's the case here i guess i'll just commit treason #in my experience my dysphoria took a while to recognize and feel and process... #...and sometimes i'll realize that something makes me dysphoric when i used to think it didn't... #...and that's a sentiment shared by many. so i don't really place my identity on something like my dysphoria... #...because i still have a lot to unpack and discover about it. would i still identify as trans if i wasn't dysphoric though? #i think so because being me feels *right* and this is just me #likely i won't change the asker's mind but hey i know i probably won't change my position on this by a whole ton #i understand where anon is coming from but it just isn't where i'm coming from #i hate when i have a lot of thoughts all at once and i try to catch them in my net and they just don't cooperate 💀

[helloalycia]

my happy ending [two] // kara danvers

summary: the secret Kara has been putting off for months finally comes to light, leaving you both in a precarious situation

warning/s: mentions of a breakup (let's be honest, this isn't a spoiler lol)

author's note: here’s the second part! hope you like it :)

part one | masterlist | wattpad

It had been a few months since Kara and I said 'I love you' and it was around that time when things between us were moving forward. We were still going strong and I had never been in love with someone as much as I was with her. No relationship I'd had in the past was as amazing as it was with Kara – she was magnificent.

I was sure nothing would get in the way of us; we were going strong and despite small, petty arguments we'd had in the past, we'd never truly fell out over something. I couldn't imagine us doing so either, because our relationship was built on honesty and trust. What could possibly break us up?

I was in charge of all social media content for CatCo, so I wasn't one who usually went with reporters to cover stories. In fact, I rarely did unless it was to help a colleague, like now. My friend, Cara, was covering a story at L-Corp – something science-y to do with the labs. I wasn't too into the details, but she didn't want to go alone, so she asked me to accompany her.

So, that's where I found myself now, standing with Cara as she was being shown around the labs of L-Corp by a scientist.

Cara was a professional, asking question after question and digging for the nitty gritty details in which the scientist would try to avoid. It was pretty cool to witness.

"So, that's everything we're working on so far," the scientist finished the tour, stopping by some glass doors.

"What's in there?" I asked, nodding behind the scientist.

The woman glanced behind her before forcing a small smile. "That's something I shouldn't discuss."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Seriously? Now I definitely want to know."

"Look, this isn't a scrutinising article," Cara explained, her voice sounding convincing. "We're not trying to uncover L-Corp's secrets. The last thing we need is another 'evil Luthor' recycled news story."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I still can't share what's in there," the scientist said, apologetically.

"Off the record?" Cara offered, and I could sense her curiosity, too. "We won't tell anyone. I won't report it."

The scientist seemed reluctant. "It's not a secret, I can tell you both. But it's just, you're the media..."

"Technically, she's the reporter," I pointed out, literally pointing to Cara, who smacked me in the arm.

"C'mon, we'll sign an NDA or whatever," Cara promised.

After some puppy dog eyes and pouting, the scientist (whose name I couldn't remember) gave us some NDAs to sign before finally taking us inside the glass room.

"As you know, we manufacture many different products," she explained, leading us to a desk with some microscopes on. "We're working on recreating Kryptonite."

I furrowed my brows. "That's that stuff that Supergirl and Superman have right?"

"Their weakness," the scientist corrected. "We've managed to recreate the properties of Kryptonite and can use it in case of an attack from Kryptonians."

"But the only Kryptonians we know of are Superman and Supergirl and they would never attack," Cara stated with confusion.

"Not necessarily true," the scientist said. "Remember Astra?"

"The woman who tried to kill us all at the start of the year? Yeah, we remember," I replied, shivering at the memory.

"It's for cases like that," she explained. "It's not a big deal, but we're keeping it on the down low to avoid public scrutiny. As you said earlier."

Cara nodded and began to look through the microscope, studying the Kryptonite on the slides. I looked at the green glowing rock beside the microscope, picking it up and wondering how something so beautiful looking could be so dangerous to an alien.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I looked up at the scientist. "I guess. This stuff really kills Kryptonians?"

"Too much can, yes," she answered. "Small doses can inflict pain, and manageable doses can strip them of their powers, making them similar to a human. This piece you're holding is a highly-concentrated dose."

"Best keep this far away from National City's only hero then," I joked, feeling a tad uncomfortable that I was holding such a powerful object.

I placed the Kryptonite back on the desk and tapped Cara. She got the hint and concluded the tour.

Cara and I headed back to CatCo after and she thanked me for accompanying her to the tour. It wasn't a big deal, so I smiled and left her be to write it up, promising to give it a read before she submitted it.

I decided to head to Kara's afterwards, seeing as she was working from home today. I brought some food – her favourite, Potstickers – to surprise her, and knocked on with a smile on my face. Just the thought of seeing her got me all giddy, like a little kid.

"It's open!" Kara called out from the other side.

I rolled my eyes playfully and walked into her flat, setting the food on the kitchen counter. "What did I say about leaving your door unlocked, Kara? It could have been anyone!"

Kara grinned from her position at the dining table, standing up to approach me. "But I knew it was you and– ah!"

I furrowed my eyebrows when I saw Kara stumble over her feet when walking towards me.

"Kara, what is it?" I asked, moving forward to help, but when I touched her, she pushed me away and held the table for support. "Kara!"

I looked closely and realised her veins were glowing bright green. That could only happen if...

"Wait a minute," I said, staying stood still as she gulped hard, still hunched over with pain. "You're in pain... and that can only happen if you've been in contact with–"

"Kryptonite!" she cut me off breathlessly, before staring at me with startled eyes.

I stepped back, feeling my heart drop to my stomach. "You're a Kryptonian."

"Why do you have Kryptonite?!" she questioned, still clutching the table and cowering away from me.

I shook my head, still in awe. "I was at L-Corp and we saw some Kryptonite... but only Kryptonians are affected, and there's only two known Kryptonians on Earth... Superman and..."

She avoided my eyes and that's when my suspicion was confirmed. I felt my mouth go dry as I looked at Kara carefully. Her glasses, that was it. That was the only thing separating her from her other identity, her other life. How could I have missed that?

"I've gotta go," I got out finally, my throat closing up.

"Y/N, please wait," she said desperately, stepping forward, but she stopped herself when overcome with pain. Her skin was glowing green now and I realised that there was still Kryptonite residue on me from that highly-concentrated piece I held earlier.

I turned around and left, feeling my heart beat fast in my chest. Kara was Supergirl. I didn't know what to feel because that very fact was still trying to sink in.

I had no choice but to go back to CatCo after, needing to get the rest of my work done for today. But I couldn't concentrate because of what I'd just discovered. Kara was Supergirl. She was an alien. She had a whole other life I didn't know about.

My phone kept getting notifications from Kara – she wanted to explain herself, but she couldn't see me until she was sure the Kryptonite residue had dispersed. I didn't care about that anyway, I didn't want to see her right now. I wasn't sure what I would say if I did – she'd hidden this from me!

I thought we had something special and unique. I thought I'd finally found someone, something, indestructible. I thought I knew Kara inside and out, I wanted to believe I did. But I was wrong. She was pretending this whole time.

I went home after work, leaving a little early because I wasn't actually getting anything done. I was confused, lost, unsure what to do with this information. Kara was Supergirl. When she disappeared randomly, that's probably why. When she would sneak off with James and Winn... they probably knew, too. It seemed that everyone important to her knew. But I didn't. Maybe I wasn't as important to her as I thought.

When I reached my flat, I saw Kara leaning against the doorframe. She perked up when she saw me, clearing her throat.

"Y/N," she muttered, her voice breaking.

I wanted to ignore her, but I couldn't. I simply stared at her, noticing her red, teary eyes and puffy face that were hidden behind her glasses, the same ones that had hidden her identity. It was literally right in front of me and I hadn't noticed. She hadn't shared it with me. I was so sure we would last. A relationship built upon honesty and trust. Huh. What a joke.

"I don't want to speak to you right now," I said as calmly as I could muster, before fumbling with my keys.

"Y/N, please, I know you're angry, but I need to explain to you," she said desperately. "I don't want to hurt you."

"It's too late for that," I mumbled, swallowing down the lump in my throat before managing to slot the key in the hole and push open my door.

"I'm sorry," she said, following me inside. I rolled my eyes as she watched me with a guilty expression. "I didn't want you to find out like this."

"It seems that you didn't want me to find out at all!" I snapped at her, slamming the front door and spinning around to face her. "I found out by accident, Kara. You lied to me. You didn't trust me."

"I do," she tried, but I shook my head, disguising my hurt with irritation.

"No, you don't, otherwise you would have told me," I stated. "I feel stupid for not figuring it out sooner."

"I'm sorry–"

"I don't want to hear it!" I cut her off. "At first, maybe you didn't trust me enough to tell me, that's fine. Then we admitted we liked each other and okay, fair point, you didn't know if we would last so you didn't want to tell me. It's fine, understandable even, that you didn't tell me. But then we told each other we loved each other. And that could have been your chance. But no. You kept pretending that I actually meant something."

"I wasn't pretending!"

"If you weren't, then I would mean something to you, Kara. I would be important enough in your life to have known the truth!" I shouted, my vision blurry with tears. "You let me fall in love with you! Believing we could go somewhere when this whole time, you were living a whole other life! And apparently everybody else knows but me! Right? I presume that's why you're always hanging out with Winn and James?"

She stayed quiet, watching me with tears streaming down her face, but I couldn't care less. She was hurting me.

"Get out," I said, breathing out.

"Y/N–"

"I said get out," I repeated, glaring at her.

She nodded slowly, looking down to her shoes. "I'm so sorry, Y/N..." She walked past me, and I didn't turn around until I heard the door close.

I released a shaky breath, closing my eyes as tears fell. So much for a happy ending.

–

A lot can happen in a month, which is funny because it goes by quite quickly.

That's how long it had been as I tried to come to terms with how I felt about Kara hiding a big part of her life from me. I couldn't just forgive her and pretend it didn't hurt. The more I thought about it – which was a lot, as much as I tried not to – the more I felt like an idiot.

I was in love with somebody who I truly believed was my perfect someone. I believed she was everything to me, but she was pretending the whole time. I was convinced God was out there, letting me know not to get too attached, too safe with someone, because I would just be setup for disappointment.

Obviously, seeing as Kara and I worked in the same office, it made for, well, pretty much every day an awkward encounter. I tried my best to avoid her presence, which I thought wouldn't be too difficult, but gosh it was. It was like she was everywhere I went – the photocopier, the coffee machine, the toilets. It was infuriating, especially because I began to miss her a lot.

I had to put up with avoiding her eyes and stares from across the room for a long time. I knew she wanted to speak with me, because at first she tried to, but then she gave up and I think everybody knew. Nobody in the office brought it up, but it was obvious they knew, judging from the tension in the air when we were around each other.

And if all of that wasn't enough, it didn't help that I was reminded of Supergirl pretty much every day. She was all over the news and it was literally in my job description to tweet about her when I could. Seeing her – Kara – in all of those photos, reading about how she was literally saving people's lives... it hurt. She didn't trust me enough to tell me about all of it. Was it something I'd said? An impression I gave that made her deem me untrustworthy?

I didn't know anymore. I just knew that by the end of the month, my heart ached more and more, craving for the arsehole that was Kara Danvers. I refused to admit it at first, but when I kept finding myself searching for the blonde around the office, I knew I'd finally accepted what had happened. I wanted her back. I missed her.

It took a while to find the guts to go forward with this, but when I did, I tried to find Kara at work. She wasn't at her desk and nobody had seen her around. I did a quick search around, calling her name, but nothing. Only, when I was on my way into the hallway, I found her standing by the coffee machine. She wasn't alone.

The new-ish guy, Mike or whatever, was stood with her, pretty close to her side, his hand resting on hers on the table.

I knew I had no right – I'd literally blown her off for a whole month – but my heart began to ache at the sight. Whatever they were talking about must have been important. She was staring at him like he had hung all the stars in the sky. Unless that's just what I saw, I wasn't sure. I just knew that I hated it.

The two of them turned around when they heard me call Kara's name and I froze, meeting Kara's eyes for the first time in a long time.

"Y/N?" she breathed out, surprise in her voice and expression.

I licked my lips, backing up. "Sorry, I– sorry. I left it too late. I'll go," I mumbled, my voice breaking.

"No, Y/N, wait!" she tried, but I'd already turned on my heel and speed-walked away.

I felt my eyes tear up like an idiot as I walked away. Of course she'd moved on. Why wouldn't she? I'd wasted her time.

"Y/N, please wait," her voice broke me from my self-pity, and she stopped in front of me, eyes searching mine. "Let me explain."

"I didn't mean to interrupt," I said, clearing my throat. "You don't need to explain anything, Kara. I– I made you wait too long without saying anything. You don't owe me anything." I sucked up a shaky breath and avoided her eyes. "I've gotta go, sorry."

I didn't give her chance to respond, not wanting to hear her comfort me out of pity or obligation, and instead pushed her out of the way before leaving abruptly.

I just felt like an idiot.

–

I sat at my kitchen counter and opened the pizza box, tucking in there and then instead of getting a plate. I was tired, upset and wished today was over with.

After seeing Kara with Mike earlier on, I felt embarrassed and couldn't wait for my day to be over with so I could sulk over a box of pizza. I guess I should have seen it coming, since I practically pushed her away and gave her no benefit of the doubt. I deserved it, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.

As I was halfheartedly eating my pizza slice, I heard a knock on the door and groaned inwardly. I really couldn't be arsed with the company.

"Go away," I called out, hoping they'd take the hint.

"Y/N? It's me."

I groaned loudly this time, recognising the voice as Kara's. I paused, glancing at the door, debating whether to tell her to go away. But I realised I'd have to face her eventually, and she was way too stubborn to take my word and leave.

With a heavy sigh, I dropped my pizza slice into the box and wiped my hands on my jeans before going to answer the door. Kara was standing there with a small smile on her lips as I avoided her eyes, cheeks growing warm.

"Hey," she said softly.

I nodded awkwardly. "I– er– hi..." I swallowed hard, saying, "Look, if you're here about earlier today, I'm really sorry, Kara."

"No, you don't need to apologise," she was quick to reply. "It wasn't what you thought, I–"

"You don't need to explain," I cut her off, finally lifting my eyes to meet hers. I didn't want her to explain it. "It's your business. I shouldn't have assumed anything."

Her eyes softened as she clearly had more to say. "Can I come in? Please?"

I would have rather ended the conversation there, but the part of me that missed her deeply was telling me to let her in. Next thing I knew, I was stepping to the side and letting her come in, hoping she couldn't hear the racing heartbeat in my chest.

"Mike isn't just the new guy," she said when I closed the door. "His name is Mon-El. He's an alien."

"Kara–"

"He's an alien and I've been helping him to settle into living on Earth," she cut me off, continuing hurriedly. She held my gaze, not giving me chance to interrupt. "Supergirl has been helping him. That's all it is. That's all it'll ever be."

I pressed my lips together, nodding slightly to show her I understood. Her shoulders relaxed and I felt a bit more at ease now myself. She wasn't moving on. Or at least, not with him.

"I didn't know that because I pushed you away," I admitted, frowning. "I didn't give you a chance... I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise," she insisted, shaking her head.

I smiled sadly. "I get it could be too late, but–"

"It's not too late," she said quickly, eyes glistening with hope. "I... I was waiting."

I felt butterflies in my stomach as I felt my embarrassment return. "I needed time, that was it." I sighed to myself as I began to pace uncomfortably. "It was silly, really, how I didn't realise the truth. Everybody else knew and I... I should have known."

"Don't say that," she said, and I felt her hand grab my arm reluctantly. I stopped and faced her, seeing her shaking her head. "I didn't mean for you to feel like that. It wasn't your fault, Y/N, it was mine. I should have told you. I wanted to tell you."

I couldn't help but feel betrayed again. "But you didn't."

She let go of my arm and frowned. "It just happened that Winn was the first person I told. And James already knew because of Superman. And then I wanted to tell you next, but being Supergirl was hard at first. It was demanding. And being Kara with somebody who didn't expect anything more was nice. It was selfish, but I had you. And I wanted to tell you after, but I was scared. And once again, I was selfish because I knew I was falling in love with you and I didn't want to scare you away because of this lie."

I swallowed the lump in my throat as she searched my eyes for something.

"It got out of hand and I was in way too deep," she admitted regretfully. "You won't believe me, but I did want to tell you, Y/N. But now you know. And I know you hate me, but I wish you didn't because I am truly sorry I ever hurt you. I never wanted that."

"I don't hate you," I told her, eyes glassy with tears. "I don't think I could hate you even if I tried, Kara."

"I love you," she whispered, a tear slipping from her eye.

I couldn't stop myself as I pulled her in for a hug, squeezing her tight. I had missed her so much and to have her back in my arms was a blessing, even if it hurt me at the same time.

"I don't completely trust you right now," I muttered truthfully, before pulling away and holding her close.

"I understand," she said, nodding and sniffling.

"But I love you, too," I added, knowing that deep down I couldn't stop. "I want to be with you, Kara. You mean too much to me."

She seemed confused as she furrowed her eyebrows. "What does this mean?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'd like to start again, but go slow. I still care about you and seeing you with Mike– Mon-El– whatever, made me realise that I can't see you being with somebody else."

"I'll earn back your trust," she promised, tucking a strand of her behind my ear. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know you didn't," I said, grabbing her hand and kissing it gently. "And I know you will."

She smiled through her tears and I felt my heart beating quickly again, glad I had her back. I moved forward for another hug, relaxing into her arms as she squeezed me comfortingly.

We'd get through this. She was still my happy ending, Supergirl or not.

#kara danvers x you #supergirl x you #supergirl imagine #supergirl x reader #kara danvers x reader #kara danvers imagine #supergirl #kara danvers #melissa benoist

[thefairyletters]

Naruto in Hero Academy

Which Naruto characters would replace the MHA characters more accurately in MHA AU?

Here is what I think:

🔸

Naruto Uzumaki ➡ Mirio Togata

Naruto is a lot of things but nervous and shy isn't one of them. Izuku may be the protagonist of MHA but Naruto is like Izuku only in terms of his desire to protect everything that breathes, oblivious towards the blatant interest of opposite sex and their determination to succeed.

Mirio, on the other hand, is optimistic and shares same sentiment towards helping others. He, like Naruto, is not the brightest student and can be dumb and goofy. He is also a jokester of sorts and makes fool of himself like Naruto. Both of them are very hardworking and train themselves to master hardest techniques.

Naruto's quirk: Pressure control

Sakura Haruno ➡ Kyoka Jirou, Ochako Uraraka

Jirou is cool, smart, level-headed and quite aggressive. Sakura is book smart, is dry when she wants to be, isn't afraid to put people in their places when they show disobedience or act silly, and has leadership qualities. Both are self-conscious of their looks and bodies and have aversion to horror settings.

Ochako and Sakura are both strong willed, both work hard to be useful to their friends and don't want to left behind. Both are competitive, friendly and kind. Both become shy in front of their love interest. Ochako wants to become a good hero to support her parents and help people, Sakura worked to truly become a shinobi to stand beside her teammates. Ochako cares deeply for Deku, regardless of her feelings for him, like Sakura towards Naruto.

Sakura's quirk: Super strength

Sasuke Uchiha ➡ Shouto Todoroki, Katsuki Bakugou

Both Shouto and Sasuke are cool, quiet, impassive and blunt. They are top students of their class and are popular for their pretty-boy looks and their powers. They both are from influential families and have a strained relationship with their father and older brother who is a villain. They both are intelligent and top of their classes.

Katsuki and Sasuke are arrogant, tend to look down on others and desire to be on the top. They tend to snap at their rivals and often lose their cool in their presence. Both secretly cherish and care for their friends, but are really bad ar outwardly expressing them. They are antisocial and prefer to train over socialising.

Sasuke's quirk: Electricity

Shikamaru Nara ➡ Shinsou Hitoshi

Both are straightforward and clever enough to be one step ahead of the rest. Both are antisocial yet have many friends who are absolute sunshiand are manipulative when they want to be. Both have their mentor's quirks passed onto them – smoking and love for cats.

Shikamaru's quirk: Shadow control

Rock Lee ➡ Eijirou Kirishima

Both are overly enthusiastic about manly things and youth, have optimistic personalities and are insensitive to what people says about them. They care and believe in their friend – Neji/Bakugo – no matter how they shun him away.

Lee's quirk: Speed

Hinata Hyuga ➡ Tamaki Amajiki, Eri

Both are extremely shy in social settings, show outward signs of social anxiety when it gets best of them, doesn't believe in their strengths and look up to Naruto/Mirio.

Eri and Hinata, both are timid and naive. Like Eri, Hinata is accepting of her father's opinion of her and doesn't stand up for herself. While not psychologically traumatised like Eri, Hinata has her social.

Hinata's quirk: X-Ray vision

Shino Aburame ➡ Fumikage Tokoyami

Both are odd ones in their groups, blunt to a fault and have distinctive way of speaking. They are both underestimated and are powerful in their own rights. Tokoyami has his bird and Shino has his bugs to assist him.

Shino's quirk: Insect control

Neji Hyuga ➡ Seiji Shishikura

Both are proud, dignified individuals and are strong believers of their opinions about who can/cannot become heroes/shinobis. Both are arrogant about their abilities and tend to be very cruel to others at times, but that's where their similarities end.

Neji's quirk: Deflection shield

Konan ➡ Asui Tsuyu

Both are not afraid to speak their minds and are very stoic individuals who rarely show emotions. While both are blunt and to the point, they also are compassionate and care for their friends deeply. They are also very supportive and reliable individuals which makes them great partners.

Konan's quirk: Telekinesis

Nagato Uzumaki ➡ Tomura Shigaraki

They both have been manipulated by Sensei/Madara. They both wanted to ruin Shinobi villages/Heros of the world for what they were manipulated into believing a greater cause. They both hide their true identity from the rest of their allies, behind hands and reanimated body. Both, as a child, were kind, compassionate and desired to help others.

Nagato's quirk: Resurrection

Itachi Uchiha ➡ Dabi/Touya Todoroki

Personality-wise, both are similar in some ways – aloof, confident, smart, stoic and cautious. Both often taunt their brothers by pulling on their abilities and weaknesses, however, their intentions couldn't be more different. If Itachi had been a true villain with no martyr tendencies, only rightly placed anger, then he could be considered as true Dabi of Naruto universe.

Itachi's quirk: Hallucinations

Kakashi Hatake ➡ Eraserhead/Shota Aizawa

Both find their wards troublesome and causes trouble to them as much as they could, but they both secretly love them to death. Both have protective steaks in them and always turn 180 on their enemies who dare to pose threat to their kids. Both have distinctive – Aizawa usuallu has his sleeping bag with him and Kakashi always have his porn with him.

Kakashi's quirk: Copy

Hashirama Senju➡ All Might/Yagi Toshinori

Both are revered as idols and are considered the strongest heroes. Hashirama established the idea of 'will of fire' and All Might is considered the 'symbol of peace', which is an idea of goodwill. Both are jubilant individuals, brimming with positivity and strength. They are always shown smiling and have inspiring personalities that are well-liked by others. Hashirama, like Yagi, have serious streak in him which is in contrast to his normal, cheerful attitude.

Hashirama's quirk: Earth control

Anko Mitarashi ➡ Midnight/Nemuri Kayama

Both have similar appearances – purple hair, spiky hair and curvaceous figure – and dress provocatively. They both are quite sadistic and enjoy unsettling others like its their personal hobby. Both are impulsive, stubborn, playful, but also intelligent and resourceful individuals.

Anko's quirk: Elasticity

Madara Uchiha ➡ All for one/Sensei

Need I say? The boss villains whose powers rival the likes of Hashirama and All Might. Madara is better person than Sensei of course, but both are terrifying, manipulative, have animosity against Hashirama/All Might and can be considered the Symbol of Evil. Both are power-hungry, ruthless and manipulative. Despite their merciless nature, they also seem to love their younger brother.

Madara's quirk: Gravity control

Tsunade Senju ➡ Healing girl/Chiyo Shuzenji

Both are old women. Like Chiyo, Tsunade is kind and compassionate, but also harsh and chiding towards crazy and reckless people. They are both expert doctors.

Tsunade's quirk: Healing

.

I had so much fun comparing the characters of my two favourite fandoms for this post. As far as abilities goes, I am happy with this list. I think Fire Control is the most overused ability ever. Gravity manipulation is my favourite ability; if you can increase and decrease the gravity then you are nearly the strongest person. Madara is that. It's insane how strong he is in Naruto, I didn't give him all that credit here.

Thank you for reading!

#mha #naruto #crossover #bakugou katsuki #sasuke uchiha #haruno sakura #uraraka ochacho #uzumaki naruto #mirio #itachi uchiha #dabi #madara #one for all #rookie 9 #naruto crossover #i love naruto mha au #hatake kakashi #shoto aizawa #protective teachers #konan #nagato #childhood friends are now enemies lol #shikamaru nara #shino aburame #rock lee #hinata hyuga #it was still fun #naruto fandom #mha fandom

[chili-aux]

Im honestly so done with aot fandom wars really. I now let people spew whatever shit they want. It gets toxic in the end. I started hating so many characters because of this irritating fandom till I realized that a bunch of teenagers dont have the right to steal my love for this story away from me. Theyre so ridiculous really it looks like a bunch of kids decided to watch AOT and miss the point entirely. Yams wrote a beautiful story that gets more interesting when you reread it. I wasnt even aware of shipping wars till I finished the manga only to realize its hellfire here. I just assumed oh Erwin loved Marry but chose the corps how sad. Shadis had a thing for Carla. Bittersweet. Oh Ymir and Historia loved each other. Tragic. Reiner is a historia simp great. Oh Levi and Hanji are closeted lovers who just cant accept they're into each other. And thats it. But I went online just to see wow manga discussions yaaay and I ran into middle school children shipping Levi with Eren/Mikasa I mean are you ok? Are you not unhinged? Do you need therapy? Seriously guys wtf? Levi/Erwin? WTF? They're literally brothers wtf? Hange/Moblit, WTF? Are you even aware of the concept of friendship and loyalty that runs in the army? Do you think everyone in the army is in love with each other wtf is this logic Im sorry Im so done with this fandom. AOT deserved better fans who'd appreciate the story and its depth. Apart from a few plotholes that made no sense. (Especially hanji's useless fking death, dude she could've lived ok its so unfair. Anyways) I also can't stand it when people start making Yuri and Yaoi ships of two clearly straight characters. I don't mind if you ship characters within a show that have some sort of legitimacy FROM THE SOURCE MATERIAL. But literally changing everything about characters just so they can fit your idea of a stupid ship is pathetic. A character is so much more than someone you ship with someone. Grow tf really.

hi anon, thank you for sharing! i am tired too. i honestly cannot wait for the time i will get over this anime, but if that time comes, i will still ship levihan and probably continue making fanfics about them. at this moment though, I still hyper-fixate on this ship.

I agreed with some of your points, like that with a bunch of kiddos ruining our experience cuz damn, I've seen it a lot after I joined the fandom but I just stayed on my place and blocked a lot of them for peace of mind. And really, at first, I don't have any ship in aot not until i rewatched it for the 2nd time, that's when I have noticed levihan's bond then boom, I'm riding this ship forever. But when I dove through aottwt, I discovered that eren-levi and those ships that involved a veteran and a 104th member exist, damn I just wanna cringe so hard (or i did cringe hard) cuz why? that's fukcing illegal, my brain can't even comprehend why some people ship those characters who obviously treat each other in canon in a parental-child way.

and hange's death? so true! it's just useless when falco will have the ability to turn into a titan and fly by the later chapters -_- they're just one day away from the end of the rumbling but... fck I'm sad again.

however, i do not agree with some of your points.

disclaimer: I'm not mad anon!

eruri and mobuhan aren't illegal. people can ship them cuz of the exact reason that you said - the concept of friendship and loyalty that runs in the army. i admit I cannot see levi/erwin and hange/moblit in a romantic relationship too like how you perceived it, they're just more like superior-subordinate for me that I can't affiliate their relationship to bud in something that will surpass that. but the loyalty and friendship between those characters, i think, are enough for other people to ship them. why? because there aren't any spoken rules in shipping so we don't have the right to dictate what they ship (proshippers aren't included. stop.)

and babe, what's wrong with yuri and yaoi ships?? aot characters' genders aren't mentioned in the source material (though i see hange as nonbinary cuz of the searches that i made before when i kept on seeing gender wars that always involved hange.)

the case is, there's this term called 'projecting'. people are often doing this in the fictional characters that they love - projecting their identity or what they headcanon about this certain character that, whether we like it or not, often diverge away from the source material. i believed that there's no harm in doing so. they see erwin as gay? let them. they see nanaba as nonbinary? let them. they see levi as pansexual? let them. they ship mikasasha? let them. they ship ererei(erenxreiner)? let them.

it's pride month babe. and even if it's not pride month, people can ship yaoi and yuri. people can project their identities that they cannot express in real life to their favorite characters. and you can't stop them from doing so no matter what. that is their decision and we don't have a say on that. it's not pathetic nor dumb.

but yes, do not reduce any character to ship material. that's downright stupid. and as anon said, grow the fuck up.

thank you for sharing still. and as I've said, I'm not mad! i just want to clear some things that i don't share the same sentiment with you.

#ask #anonymous #levihan #snk #eruri #mobuhan #aot #attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin #fandom problems

[mellometal]

Hi, everyone.

I have something extremely important to talk about that is NOT fandom related. I really do hope this can reach everyone on here, especially since it's still Autism Acceptance Month.

A few quick questions for anyone who happens to see this before I dive right into this: Have you ever heard of Dhar Mann? If so, have you ever seen his videos? What do you think about them?

If you don't know who Dhar Mann is, he's a content creator whose main platforms are Instagram and YouTube. He makes these videos about various scenarios from a couple on the brink of divorce, to kids bullying one of their peers, even about Autism Spectrum Disorder. All of his videos have some kind of message at the end that really drives the point home. One of his most recent videos is about ASD, which is what I'm going to discuss today.

Personally, I think some of his videos are interesting, despite the concepts being reused and recycled over and over; however, how I feel about the video he made about ASD is the complete opposite. I'll summarize the video he made so you don't have to watch it. (If you really want to watch it to see exactly what I'm talking about, I'm not gonna stop you. Do what you need to do in order to form your own opinion.)

The video Dhar Mann made about ASD is about this boy who excludes his autistic brother from participating in activities with his friends at school. The boy bullies his autistic brother and does pretty much everything to make his brother's life Hell, even going as far as to pretend that he doesn't know his own brother. The boy "instantly regrets his decision" when their mom is called into the school to discipline her son for bullying his autistic brother. What his mother says is what REALLY upsets me. The message of this video in particular is this, WORD FOR FUCKING WORD. I wish I was kidding. But here's the message below:

How the video concludes is the boy reluctantly includes his autistic brother in every single activity, the boy sees his brother's potential, and they live happily ever after. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

As an autistic woman who works with disabled people for a living, that message Dhar Mann put in this video specifically is not only extremely ableist, but is also spreading misinformation about ASD.

News flash to all the people who still spread misinformation about ASD: Not every single autistic person is a little white boy in elementary school, nor is every single autistic person a young white man who's a Super Genius™️. (I could go on all day long about how the media stereotypes autistic characters and autistic people in general, but that's a whole other topic.) No autistic person is the same, meaning we all fall on the spectrum in different places and all that jazz. There's no "look" to autistic people either because no autistic person looks the same.

Autistic women exist.

Autistic girls exist.

Autistic nonbinary people exist.

Autistic BIPOC and AAPI exist.

Autistic people who are completely nonverbal exist.

Autistic people who are completely verbal exist.

Autistic people who are in the middle of being nonverbal and verbal exist.

Autistic people who require minimal to no support exist.

Autistic people who require moderate support exist.

Autistic people who require full support exist.

Autistic LGBT people exist. (Reason why I bring this one up is because the media almost always shows cishet autistic men and I don't see autistic LGBT representation very often, if ever.)

Autism isn't something you can "catch". People have this same mentality about ADHD and Tourette's Syndrome too, which, by the way, you can't "catch" either.

Autism doesn't "go away" when you reach adolescence or adulthood. Why? BECAUSE AUTISTIC TEENAGERS AND AUTISTIC ADULTS EXIST. Autistic kids grow into autistic teenagers, then into autistic adults.

You can't "cure" it either. Unless you can build a time machine and a device to go back in time to change how a person's brain develops, there is no cure. ABA therapy is a fucking shit show in itself that does more harm than good.

The title of the video is a real squick for me too. It's mostly because I don't particularly enjoy people using person first language (the "boy with autism" part). I've seen many other autistic people on multiple other platforms sharing that same sentiment and preferring identity first language (autistic person). There are also others who prefer using person first language and those who don't have a preference. That's all perfectly valid. Whatever you prefer people using when referring to you, or whatever you refer to yourself as, in this case, is totally valid and I love you. This goes for disabilities in general, not just Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Regarding the message in this video, here's my response to it! A quick heads-up, my response is VERY long and VERY passionate. I was VERY close to making a response video where I tear that video apart AND tear Dhar Mann a new asshole. Unfortunately, it worked me up so much that I was really struggling with what I wanted to say and I had to stop multiple times because I kept stumbling on my words. That's how angry this message made me. I'll try my best to explain whatever parts you have questions about. I put my response in the nicest way I possibly could, despite me seething with rage, wanting to go OFF on him.

(The first part of my response are the first three screenshots, and the second part are the last three screenshots.)

The first part of my response, I did forget to add that the message is offensive and disrespectful to autistic people as a whole. I apologize. My initial comment got way too long. I pretty much covered that when I told him the message is ableist. I wanted to clear that up before anyone asks about it.

The second part of my response is me opening up about my experience with being diagnosed with ASD, formerly known as As//per//ger's Syn//dro//me, at sixteen years old. I also went into how not calling ASD what it truly is (which is a disability) and calling it a "different ability" instead is extremely harmful and is treating being disabled like it's a bad thing.

By the way, saying that a disabled person is disabled isn't a bad thing. I'm disabled. It is what it is. Does it have its challenges? You bet. Does it help me with certain things? Hell yeah. I can really absorb information about my favorite bands, characters, shows, books, etc., and tell you a lot about those things. For example, I can tell you that Su can't ride a bike or read manga and she's okay with that. I can also tell you she can't tie her shoes very well, which is why her boots don't have laces and are slip-on and/or zip-up. But that doesn't mean my struggles are nonexistent or that I never struggle. I do, and it makes my life Hell at times.

The narrative that autism is a bad thing to have, every autistic person is somehow broken and they all need to be "fixed" is also super fucked up and not true. That's the narrative that I received when I was diagnosed by a therapist I had. I'm gonna be real here, I cried when I was first told that I was diagnosed with ASD. I felt like I was broken. I already felt like a total outcast. Being told about my diagnosis made me feel even more broken than I already felt. I was so ashamed of myself, despite me not doing anything wrong whatsoever, that I masked for SEVEN YEARS of my life. I masked for so long that I forgot I was even diagnosed with ASD in the first place. I wasn't taught how to really put my special interests into good use. I kinda had to figure that out on my own. I was pretty much under the assumption that me being interested in anime, cartoons, music, comics, theatre, writing, etc., to the point of obsession, was somehow weird and hurting people around me. You know, despite those things being harmless. Despite me being able to separate those things from other things that are important (like work, for example). Despite my only surviving parent, other family members, and the woman he was dating at the time completely overreacting and not bothering to see exactly what makes these things so special to me.

(By the way, having a disability does not completely make who a person is. There are a lot more things that make who a person is than that.)

It's kinda shocking that I wasn't able to come to terms with my diagnosis until this year. Considering that I masked for so long due to being ashamed of myself, plus being treated like a burden for being disabled, it's probably not very surprising. I initially thought at the time that it was the worst thing to have, as I was already struggling with enough shit back then, but came to realize it's not a bad thing. It doesn't change who I am. But I'm glad I came to terms with it finally nonetheless.

This is getting way too long, so I'm gonna wrap things up here. If you've read this far, thank you so much. I'm sorry this got so long!

If you watched the video, what are your thoughts on it? If this is your first time hearing about Dhar Mann, how do you feel about him? If you're a Dhar Mann fan, did this change your opinion on him in any way? Feel free to sound off in the comments!

Have a great day, everyone!

#mello speaks #dhar mann #autism acceptance #autism spectrum disorder #being autistic isn't a bad thing #autism isn't a different ability stop fucking saying it is #autistic community #autism self advocacy network #autistic women and non-binary people network #fuck autism speaks #i had to say this #dhar mann will live to regret his decision uwu #autism acceptance month #autism speaks does not speak for me #light it up red #light it up gold #no puzzle pieces #tw dhar mann

[non-binharry]

Regarding your coming out anon, I think it would be great if we as a fandom just chilled with the entire focus of coming out - as gay, as trans, whatever. Including Louis. If they’re only valid or important to you if they come out, or if you see coming out as some kind of end goal, something is wrong there. I guess I’m speaking from my own closet on both parts, but I absolutely agree with the sentiment of showing that queer support without them having to prove anything to anyone. I love the post you chose to pin to your blog. I think that is so, so important. H never has to say anything concrete and I’ll still bring a trans flag to his shows. I see you, you see me. 💖🤍💙 And if he ever says that he’s absolutely cis, that’s fine too! God forbid trans harries create a safe space and community amongst themselves. As important as Harry is to me as someone who is my gender North Star, it’s this community thats has really helped me figure my shit out. I have maybe lost the plot of this ask, but you get me. Having like, ambient trans/queer support around him is only a net positive for him and his queer fans.

yes!!! i can only hope that one day harry will realize there's an entire community of people who are grateful for his existence, who have discovered themselves because of him, and maybe he'll decide he feels comfortable enough to share this part of himself. but my support will not waiver the longer things go unsaid. i feel how i feel about it. i don't think there's anything harmful about connecting to someone and believing they're like me, even if they never say it. many of us will in some part be closeted our entire lives, either at work, with family, etc. but it doesn't make our identity or our place in this community any less valid.

#anonymous #mensaje mensaje

[writingwithcolor]

My book is about androids / AI. I don't want to make it too heavy-handed (most of the story is pretty light), but there are parallels in the way the AI are treated and real-world racism / discrimination. Do you have any advice for tactfully mirroring real life social issues in a fictional "race"? The AI are nearly indistinguishable from humans and are made after every ethnicity. Do you think it's realistic for a character to face discrimination for being AI *and* because of its assigned race?

2) also, the story takes place, essentially, in current time - it’s not futuristic, it’s just the world as it is now + the advancement of AI, if that’s important.

Androids with Assigned Races & Discrimination

If you haven’t yet, maybe watch the movie Artificial Intelligence (AI) which also deals with discrimination against androids.

My best guess is you research racism and other types of oppression. Focus on using the right sources, people from within those communities. Material written from people outside of those marginalized groups often miss important nuances, are sprinkled with microaggressions, written with unconscious biases or talk over the people they write about. 

Then, yes, I believe that AI would experience intersectional oppression. I believe many people would be biased, believe in stereotypes and let their actions be influenced by these ideas when it comes to AI. Since your story takes place on present day Earth, their discrimination will be influenced by their other marginalized identities as well. 

It’s also best to really look at what sentiments might cause people to fear/hate androids so the oppression fits. Oppression of different marginalized groups do share overlap, but it’s never 100% the same, even when it seems like it is.

~ Mod Alice

#catladiesarepeopletoo #androids #racism #discrimination #marginalization #intersectionality #asks