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am-i-the-asshole-official · 2 months

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AITA for being condescending towards an asexual kid in GSA?

🙃🏳️‍🌈 to find later

Long post so buckle up.

I (17, they/it/he) am one of three co-leaders of my school’s GSA, along with R (18, she/her) and N (17, he/him). All three of us are openly bi, and I’m also openly trans and (most importantly) very loudly aromantic. We’re all in 12th grade now but we were leaders last year (in 11th grade) too. The school/GSA is small enough that all four grades (9–12, so around 13–18 years old) are in the same GSA, there’s no separate upper grade and lower grade groups. We also have two advisors, both cis queer teachers; and some younger queer faculty members also join sometimes for formal events. We take turns running events during club time, such as fun crafts or watching music videos. Sometimes we also do educational stuff or documentaries, including having teachers come in to facilitate discussions.

I’ve been planning (since early December) to run a two part series of discussions about asexuality and aromanticism (separate discussions of each). I really just wanted to do one day about aromanticism, but R said that if I did that, people would derail it and just talk about asexuality anyways, which both N and our advisors also agreed made sense. So, it’s two days, and the asexuality one is first so that the aromanticism one can be closer to Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (ASAW).

There’s a girl in GSA, let’s call her A (16, she/her), who’s in 11th grade. She’s very socially awkward and if someone points out that she’s accidentally said something rude or offensive she’ll make a big deal out of not knowing and generally derail the conversation. Also, two years ago A made a ton of “jokes” about me and my little sibling (16MtF) being “secretly dating.” When I asked her (politely at first) to stop, she said she was just joking around, and kept doing it. I asked her again and also asked the theatre teacher and school counselor for help, and eventually she did stop. But A kept following me around and trying to be friends with me, and I was super uncomfortable to the point that I asked the school counselor to facilitate a conversation between A and I so that I could ask her to fucking stop. It somewhat worked. Now she still keeps trying to start conversations with me in the hallways and such, but I just brush her off or ignore her.

The one place I can’t do that is during GSA. Since I’m a leader, I have to be civil to everyone and actually talk to people (R, N, and I set norms at the start of the year during our planning meetings). A is asexual but not aromantic, and today she showed up like 5 minutes into lunch (cafeteria lines are annoying) and loudly asked if she was late. We weren’t doing anything in GSA today, just chilling. At some point during the meeting I announced casually that next week we’d be discussing asexuality, and then the week after that we’d talk about aromanticism, which leads nicely into ASAW during February break. When I said this, A immediately said that she would be extra ace that week [during ASAW]. I was like, “during aromantic spectrum awareness week?!?!” in the same tone of that “during pride month?!?!” meme. She looked like someone had just given her an F on the most important test of the year and said she hadn’t known.

I also made a comment about how there’s way more openly aspec people at our school than at most schools, and N said that maybe the presence of role models is part of that (clear subtext: he was referring to me). I said pretty loudly (more people could hear) that it was kinda funny that I’m the “ace role model” when I’m literally not asexual. A looked super lost and confused at this, and I think she might’ve thought I was ace, even though I’m super open about not being ace, and have told her directly more than once.

Here’s where the potential assholery comes into play. There’s an ad for PrEP that was fairly common on the back covers of theatre playbills in the past year. The ad shows a Black man dressed in ripped leggings with fishnets, shiny knee-length heeled leather boots, and some sort of white leather harness, doing a bridge pose with one leg extended upwards so that the “r” in PrEP is resting on the sole of the boot. The ad has a bright red background and text that says “you cast of PrEP options is changing” along with a small QR code and website link. The pose is somewhat provocative, but not out of place on a playbill for an all-ages show.

During GSA, A was saying that she thought the ad was bad, because of the leather being “fetish gear” and “weird” (basically the same arguments people use to say that gay people shouldn’t be allowed in public). I told A that there’s nothing wrong with someone wearing leather, and she said that “it’s fetish gear and that’s disgusting and degenerate and just bad advertising!”

I explained calmly, like I would to a child (although I probably wouldn’t talk about this topic with a child), that PrEP is a medicine that people take if they anticipate having sex with someone who’s HIV-positive, so it’s okay that the ad is somewhat suggestive. She seemed to accept that, but still said that the leather was weird, and the ad should’ve shown “a diverse group of people getting pills at a pharmacy” instead, because “fetish gear” was too much.

I asked if she thought that all leather clothing was inherently fetishistic, to which A said yes, and then I asked, “do you know that people can’t just choose fetishes?”

She hadn’t known that, but she still said the ad was too sexual. I pointed out that it was a fairly well-targeted advertisement, using theatre references, but maybe A was not part of the target demographic. I also said that sometimes outfits are just hot without there needing to be any fetishes involved, which she didn’t refute, and that even if it was a fetish, that wouldn’t make it inherently “bad” or “degenerate” at all.

A said that she still didn’t like it, and I told her that she was entitled to have whatever feelings she wanted to have, but that doesn’t mean the advertisement itself is a problem.

Another person (17, he/him) called out “[OP], what do you think about kink at pride?” in a sort of nonchalant way, so I walked over while saying “i’m pro–kink at pride.” The conversation eventually moved in other directions, and then club ended and we had to go to our next classes.

TL;DR: given my position of power and responsibility as a GSA leader, AITA for being kinda condescending towards an ace person who’s 2 years younger than me because she was being very sex-negative about an ad for PrEP?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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ineffably-human · 7 months

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It honest to God took me a month to rewatch the last two episodes of this season of Shadows, because I'm still so mad about how they handled Guillermo's decision. And I'm probably going to always be mad. I think this season wasted a lot of time that could have been spent laying better groundwork, for both Guillermo's decision and for Nadja and the Guide's subplot.

But something did click into place for me in that very last scene, where Derek's being ushered down by Topher to meet the other zombies. Season Three was unofficially about power and protection. Season Four was officially about change. I thought this season was going to be about secrets. But it's actually about belonging to a community.

The vampires were out in the world a lot more this season. Colin runs for public office (passing among humans as he can), which drags him into the interests of the community of energy vampires. Nadja connects to a community from her homeland, and winds up caring about them more than she ever expected. Laszlo's mostly focused on the experiments, but his natural ease with Sean (and humans in general) is on display a few times - and when the vampires think he's in distress, they throw a whole party to rally him. The Guide, of course, struggles the whole season with feeling like an outsider who can't be part of the group she cares for.

Sean links the vampires to the pride parade, not just celebrating the queer community, but making the vampires the face of queerness, of immigration, of Staten Island itself. (And Guillermo gets his first taste of Pride, and of a community he'd never been able to claim until recently.) At the same time, it's shown that vampires always feel like they're a step away from being found out by humans, of their surrounding community turning on them and forcing them out.

Nandor struggles throughout the season with social awkwardness, communicating, being misunderstood; he fails to connect with strangers without hypnosis guiding the conversation the way he wants it to go. But the other vampires have become his home, in a way that's evolved past their relationship during Season Three. He rallies them successfully during Local News. He and Colin Robinson look out for each other. Keeping Guillermo's secret is just as much about protecting Nandor as it is protecting Guillermo.

(It's still Guillermo he's always calling out for, though. With the certainty of someone who already knows where home is, he just hasn't named it yet.)

And as always, Guillermo is stuck in between two worlds. He can't connect fully with his bio family, but can't truly step away from them. He wants to be a vampire, but his transformation fights him and he can't see humans as prey. He wants to come when Nandor calls, but can't tell him about the biggest thing that's happening to him.

By the finale he feels more isolated from the vampires than ever, to the point that he can't see what's actually happening: by the time they all know his secret, the others have rallied around him, and are seeing him as another member of the family in need of protecting.

And once Nandor realizes that he cares more about losing Guillermo than his own pride, he deliberately brings that community to Guillermo: he introduces Guillermo as the fifth of their household, and throws him a birthday party to bookend the one at the start of the season. He makes Guillermo a ceremony, invites everyone they know, and asks if he's willing to become one of them forever.

And it's not that Guillermo doesn't want to be a vampire. He does, desperately. It's that he can't stop also being a human.

So instead it's Derek (a vampire basically living as a human, and deeply lonely for it) who is ushered into a new community ready to welcome him, something Guillermo has always been hoping for.

("Do you like eating human flesh? Heh, you will!")

Guillermo still doesn't have The Thing he wants, not really. He still has to name exactly what it is. But Nandor helped guide him towards where home is. And Laszlo helped him pick up the pieces. The vampires don't love Guillermo like a fellow vampire, but they love him like Guillermo, and like with Colin last year that doesn't just reset. It can't. The roots are in too deep, it's already bound everyone stronger.

We'll just have to wait to see what it turns into.

#fandom: wwdits #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #i am a meta gremlin #otp: nandermo #nandermo

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accio-victuuri · 6 months

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Sugar Rush : October CPNs

This was an insane month to say the least, I’m not even exaggerating. Things happened that will go down in fandom history. Our detective skills in looking for places and trying to piece a story was tested and the clowning was at it’s peak. I would have to say that by far, this year, it’s this month that generated lots of noise. Both sides were just throwing sweets at us and we can’t even keep up.

It also proved once more the charm of turtle cpns and why context, history and time is important to fully enjoy a candy:

“The charm of turtle candy is that it is incomplete. It is not a one-time solution. You feel suspicious at the beginning, but you are more sure later, and then at some unknown moment in the future, you suddenly get it. The correct answer, everything forms a closed loop, it's so cool”

• YH poster for WYB is from a BJYX fansite

• On 10/1, there has been some talk about WYB’s hair hiding beneath his beanie when he arrived at the airport to Paris. People’s guess is that he is blonde. Some people are connecting it to the blonde character in the XZS vlog.

People are free to interpret this however they want, as a candy, it appears to ZZ giving us a clue as to WYB dyeing his hair. Personally tho, this person is a member of GG’s staff & his friend who also takes part in putting out the amazing materials we get. People particularly remembered one of them had blonde hair during MFW. Anyway, I understand why people are so happy about this & interpreting it the way they do and go ahead and it this if you want 🍭

It also doesn’t help that the character kinda looks like WYB in Paris which is some next level coincidence. I can’t even with this fandom.

• I’m adding this beautiful analysis of Pie @potteresque-ire about the Mid Autumn festival photos posted by our boys. It’s technically from last month but i already published it before I read this meta. It just gives more weight to the meaning of it aside from how it matches 🌙

• Mengniu exhibit with zz and wyb standees

• Camera/Leica CPN : This has actually become everyone’s favorite candy of the year. It started out so simple and almost like a galaxy brain sort of clowning but both sides ended up “confirming” what we speculated. I have talked about this at length and in different parts below :

Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five

10/6, WYB continues to show off his camera. Almost all the photos in the set released by YBO, he is holding it, and there are falling cameras on Weibo in that post!!!! 📸

There is also this CPN on what WYB is taking a photo of and with people using google earth and comparing, they found out it’s the number 23. What a beautiful number. He really loves it! ♥️

• Same place, different times. This is so bittersweet to me. One day, they will get that Romantic Paris getaway together 🖤

• XZ 1005 birthday CPNs : one // two 🎂

• A photography studio shared a shot of GG for his bday and the kadian is 18:23. This same company also released a bday photo for WYB’s. They have worked with the boys a couple of time.

• The same description of something being like a film

• Glasswork art piece from France that could have been a gift and souvenir for GG

• Camping site and it’s connection to WYB selfie - At this point, there’s been so many “evidence” collected by bxgs and the most accurate date is really 8/14-8/15 that this “celebration” was done. There are also posts from people who visited the place and a motorcycle “parade” took place, so we know it’s a popular place to ride your moto. It’s one of the “services” they provide and looks like something that WYB took advantage of.

• Is one of the photographers yibo? 📸

• GG’s rope necklace and it’s meaning

• XZS birthday video taking some inspiration from a queer themed short film “we are animals”

• The camping trip was a team building of XZS and YBO?

• Both of them so sexy 🔥🔥🔥🔥

• 10/12 ZSWW rumor house & fake story content 🤍

• WYB’s 10/13 Selfie : part one / part two

• A galaxy brain cpn of XZS 10/13 post’s caption

• On 10/16, XZ released a tribute song which is government sponsored of course. In the past months, the go-to person we usually see singing for these causes is WYB and now it’s XZ. This is not exactly CPN, but i like the way that they are both people seen as positive influences and may be used to sing for certain events. Maybe one day they can do a duet? LOL.

• This one is so funny, there is an interview in a Taiwan TV show i guess. and the question was, “Talk about the general interests of gay men in Taiwan” ; the person answering is also gay and he said it’s : fitness, mountain climbing, raising cats, and Shiba Inu. 😂😂😂😂

LOL. Why does it remind us of two people? It’s so specific. Who have always wanted to raise both a car and a dog (shiba inu) and is currently loving fitness and mountain climbing. They might as well add camping on there 🤪🤪🤪

I don’t really believe in stereotypes and that there is a certain “checklist” that makes you gay or whatever— your interests are personal and what you enjoy. maybe you will be influenced by your environment but just do what you want. Tho I understand why this was so amusing to c-turtles cause they immediately thought of ZZ & WYB when they saw this.

• Even holding the camera is the same 😂✌🏼like a true photographer. Not acting all cute and using a camera to “pose” but actually using it.

• Updated mole signature by XZS

• XZS video x Bottled Joy Parallel. 🫶🏼 ; and the fact that Bobo’s is by Bottled Joy, a brand who is known to be BJYX bias ( allegedly ) . Tho this was most likely filmed before that XZS video. A happy coincidence. && This is the renewal we have been waiting for.

• Luoyang Tourism video uses a BGM of a song by ZZ

• BJYX and Skydiving 🪂

• 130 fake rumors compilation

• Wuzhen Day 3 Yibo shirt CPN ⛳️

=======

See you all next month for another round up! 💛

Previous Posts: Jan-June 2023 / July / August / September

#yizhan #bjyx #there is no science here i’m just clowning like i always do

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peachjagiya · 24 days

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sorry but the chances of that many bts members being queer is so unlikely…like yoongi is essentially confirmed queer and you’re tryna say ALSO jk and tae. literally 3/7 bts members are queer ? that’s rlly so unlikely like maybe one, maximum two, but three ? the chances of that are rlly minute. 80% of people globally identify as straight so the likelihood of almost half of bts being queer is rlly ridiculous.

There are five Woogas.

Statistically speaking 20% of them must be queer. That's one.

There are what, eight 97 liners.

20% of 8 is 1.6, round it up to 2.

13 individuals under Bighit label.

20% of 13 is 2.6, round it up to 3.

I know a family with four grown children and every single child is queer. Statistically improbable. Actually actual.

You can take any group of people and apply statistics to it but real life doesn't work neatly. I promise you we don't have to cut a gay loose when another gay comes along to join our violin quintet. "Sorry, David, we already have a gay, you're fucking our stats up."

So no, 20% of 7 does not equal three but flesh and blood has a way of telling numbers to go fuck themselves.

AND ACTUALLY whose to say Yoongi's queerness hasn't opened doors for people around him? I know I've thought a lot more about my sexuality since having more queer friends who just let me explore and find out who I am. You're born who you are but sometimes words and possibilities aren't open to you until someone else opens it up.

Aaaand they could identify as straight even if they're making out on the regular. Statistics don't leave room for nuance.

All this said, my overriding thought is a; why are you here?

And b; if I thought there was no chance of 3 of them being queer, why on earth would I be here? Like what do you want me to say? Oh good point, well this was fun but lets abandon ship?

#my asks #taekook #sexuality discourse is bananas 🍌

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dinitride-art · 1 year

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Why Byler Would Be a Failure of a Queerbait

Queerbaiting is used to draw in an audience and usually results in a strong fandom. It’s goal is to gather a larger audience, and the audience that would not want queer characters. What I’ve noticed about it, is that it usually is comprised to two straight characters who are good friends. They then sprinkle stuff into interviews outside the media from actors. Things like, maybe she likes her? I guess you’ll just have to find out in the next season! Or saying they could see it happening. Basically anything that would draw in people who want to see a queer pairing, but keeping a reasonable amount of doubt available to those who don’t want to see a queer pairing. Also fan service when the queer bait is being directed at an audience of mostly straight women shipping two male characters. It’s a marketing tactic.

Queer baiting does sometimes result in queer characters, but not the ones that they’re marketing. Or if it is the ones their marketing, they immediately die. The Queer baiting and bury your gays combo. See, supernatural. Having canon queer characters usually isn’t what is intended. They aren’t important to the plot, and can be easily disposed of once they’ve played their part. Their part being covering up any trace of queer bait with the argument that they actually have a queer character in their show. These characters, more often than not, are one dimensional side characters and aren’t there to stay. Main characters revealed as queer, can’t be more than one, and are only revealed at the last possible moment as not to lose the part of the audience not being queer baited.

Stranger Things has two characters that are canonically queer and are relevant to the plot. Robin on her own could be seen as potential queerbait, if byelr were at that time, popular enough to warrant baiting. The queer side character backtrack comes after pressure from a queer baited audience. Not before. Prior to season four, there were more people on tumblr who shipped Mike and El, than Mike and Will. On tumblr. In fact, there were so few byler shippers, that they were in a position where they could be targeted by Mike and El shippers with no consequences. In season three there would be no reason to even think about smoothing over anger from a baited fandom. There was no fandom to be baited. The audience being baited needs to actually be present for it to work.

With one queer character introduced there is no need for another. If Robin were a side character who died in season three then that might allow for another queer character to be introduced in season four. However, Robin is very much alive in season four. She’s not going anywhere and actually has a character arc discussing both her as a person, and her experience as a lesbian in the eighties in Hawkins. That’s pushing it for queer bait. It’s really pushing it.

Will Byers is in love with Mike Wheeler. That’s canon in season four. It’s been built up to since the beginning. If Stranger Things was baiting a queer audience, this would be a weird move. Considering that Byler shippers have never been worth noting before season four, and that Will’s the character that they built the foundation of the show off of, this is a terrible option for queerbaiting. Not because it wouldn’t draw a queer audience that wasn’t to see queer characters, but because it would push away the audience that doesn’t. That is a line that they cannot cross. Will Byers would be crossing that line, and then some. This character is not one that can be thrown away without consequence. He’s important and affects almost everything that happens. I have never seen a main character be queer, and have their story represented in a genuine manner. Never would it affect a central straight relationship. They wouldn’t dare lose a single member of a heteronormative audience.

Two queer characters that are this important are not queer bait. They are not a marketing tactic, they’re integral to the story. Their experiences are integral to the story. Robin Buckley was the first straightbait I have ever witnessed. She is a queer character who was a character first, and queer after the work was put in to make the audience see her as a person. This character is enough to say that Stranger Things represented a queer character well.

Will Byers says that Stranger Things is about queer people. He’s in love with another main character, and it’s affecting the plot. Will Byers being in love with Mike Wheeler is actively changing Mike and El’s relationship. It has been since the beginning.

You can’t queer bait an audience that isn’t there. You can’t bring in a queer character to cover your asses when no one’s accusing you of anything. This isn’t something I’ve ever seen before. Robin is introduced in preparation for Will. It’s the literally opposite of queer baiting. It’s creating a story with queer characters, about queer characters, and marketing it to a straight cisgender audience.

Queer baiting has never been done like this. Because this isn’t queer baiting. It doesn’t effectively function as queer baiting because there was no audience, and their largest audience is the one they’re testing. It is more of a problem to lose a straight audience than a queer one that barely exists.

Byler cannot be queer bait because that’s not how queer bait works. There are not two canon queer characters in a queer bait. Certainly not one of the characters the plot has been centred around since the beginning. And definitely not a character that they would lose members of their audience for writing him as gay.

Will Byers is in love with Mike Wheeler. Will’s relationship to Mike is still important to both of them even after the audience sees this. In fact, Will is affecting Mike’s decisions, and it’s stressed how much he cares for him. Mike and El’s relationship is in shambles and Will is the character they’ve chosen to get involved in that.

This doesn’t happen.

Will is in love with Mike, and he’s still someone who Mike cares about. There’s no distance put in their relationship. They actually spent an entire arc repairing and strengthening it.

Will Byers is in love with Mike Wheeler.

And he’s still alive. He’s still important. He’s still important to Mike.

I literally don’t know what to do with Mike and Will. Because it’s not queer bait. It doesn’t function as queer bait because queer bait is not an aspect of the story. It’s always marketing to an audience. Never an experience or a conversation or anything that’s significance goes further than saying there’s a queer character for the sake of having a queer character.

And it’s never a main character.

When your main character is queer, your story is queer.

They cannot use queer bait as a marketing tactic because they’ve already committed to writing a queer story. Their main audience is not queer. There’s no reason to queer bait a straight audience that doesn’t want queer characters in the first place. It doesn’t work like that. Queer baiting has never worked like this.

This isn’t queer bait. It never has been.

They’re going for it. They are actually going for it. And I can’t wait to see it.

#it just hit me #it’s always been about this #byler #stranger things #oh #I’m in this story #oh fuck #I’m gonna start crying

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legend-collection · 5 months

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Am Fear Liath Mòr

Am Fear Liath Mòr is the name for a presence or creature which is said to haunt the summit and passes of Ben Macdui, the highest peak of the Cairngorms and the second highest peak in British Isles after Ben Nevis.

Pic by mlappas on deviantart

Although there have been many purported encounters with the Big Grey Man, few eyewitnesses have actually seen the creature. It is reported to be very thin and over ten feet tall, with dark skin and hair, long arms, and broad shoulders. Most often, the creature remains unseen in the fog of the mountain, with encounters limited to the sound of crunching gravel as it walks behind climbers and a general feeling of unease around the mountain. Tangible evidence of its existence is limited to a few photographs of unusual footprints, so the majority relies on the credibility of eyewitness encounters.

The figure has many similarities with the Brenin Llwyd (English: Grey King) of Welsh mythology, this figure is also semi-corporeal, silent and uses the mists as a cloak to prey on unwary travellers. Unlike the Am Fear Liath, Brenin Llwyd is found in mountainous locations across Wales, and is particularly noted to prey on children.

In 1925, J. Norman Collie gave the first recorded account of a Grey Man encounter. A noted hiker, professor, and member of the Royal Geographical Society, Collie recounted a terrifying experience he had as he hiked alone near the summit of Ben Macdui years earlier in 1891.

"I was returning from the cairn on the summit in a mist when I began to think I heard something else than merely the noise of my own footsteps. Every few steps I took I heard a crunch, and then another crunch, as if someone was walking after me but taking steps three or four times the length of my own. I said to myself, this is all nonsense. I listened and heard it again but could see nothing in the mist. As I walked on and the eerie crunch, crunch sounded behind me, I was seized with terror and took to my heels, staggering blindly among the boulders for four or five miles nearly down to Rothiemurchus Forest. Whatever you make of it, I do not know, but there is something very queer about the top of Ben Macdui and I will not go back there again."

Collie's account was reported in the local press, which started a debate between sceptics and believers within the community. Other climbers came forward with their own encounters, which they had previously been afraid to share. One climber, Hugh D. Welsh, said that he hiked the summit with his brother in 1904, where throughout the day and night they heard "slurring footsteps, as if someone was walking through water-saturated gravel." Both felt "frequently conscious of something near us, an eerie sense of apprehension."

In 1945, Pete Densham was participating in rescue work in the Cairngorm mountains during World War II. One day, he reported hearing strange noises, mist closing in on his location, and increasing pressure around his neck. He fled before seeing anything concrete. A friend of his, climber Richard Frere, wrote about his sense of "a Presence, utterly abstract but intensely real" on the mountain and heard "an intensely high singing note" a few years later in 1948. Frere also presented the encounter of another mutual friend, who wished to remain anonymous, while he camped on Ben Macdui. He reported waking up feeling an inescapable feeling of dread, and looked out of his tent to see a large figure with dark hair standing in front of the moon in silhouette.

In 1958, naturalist and mountaineer Alexander Tewnion published an article in The Scots magazine about an encounter with the Grey Man in 1943.

"I spent a 10-day leave climbing alone in the Cairngorms. One afternoon, just as I reached the summit cairn of Ben MacDhui, mist swirled across the Lairig Ghru and enveloped the mountain. The atmosphere became dark and oppressive, a fierce, bitter wind whisked among the boulders, and... an odd sound echoed through the mist – a loud footstep, it seemed. Then another, and another... A strange shape loomed up, receded, came charging at me! Without hesitation I whipped out the revolver and fired three times at the figure. When it still came on I turned and hared down the path, reaching Glen Derry in a time that I have never bettered. You may ask was it really the Fear Laith Mhor? Frankly, I think it was.

No photographs of the Big Grey Man have ever been taken. Photographer John A. Rennie supposedly found a series of footprints in Spey Valley, measuring 19 inches (48 centimetres) long and 14 inches (36 centimetres) wide. These were published in a book, but he later discovered that they were a natural phenomenon caused by rainfall eroding the snow.

#Am Fear Liath Mòr #scotland

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youtastelike-sunlight · 1 day

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1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25 for the tattoo asks! Thanks! 🤪✌️

Katey for the love of god just tell me you want a video call where I strip down and show off my ink 🤣

(Also, the number of times I checked this list absolutely convinced you would have skipped ONE for the lulz)

1. How many tattoos do you have?

Uh. Somewhere around 35-ish? There's been a lot of, like, building out on existing ones and making them cohesive, so it's really hard to say. 40-50 sessions in the chair, for sure.

2. What is your favourite tattoo you've gotten?

Stop asking pansexual ADHDers to pick favourites. Actually, speaking of, that joke on Dropout's Breaking News a few weeks ago about how Dropout fans are "pansexual nerds with drama mask tattoos and anxiety disorders" called me the fuck out, four for four baby, so maybe right now it's my drama masks with a Shakespeare quote 😅

3. What is the most meaningful tattoo you've gotten?

Any of the multiple memorial tattoos for deceased family members, or the matching tattoo I got with my spouse after our wedding

4. What is your dream tattoo?

I'm hoping to get something cool on my chest post-top surgery, but that's a long-ass way away yet.

5. What was the most painful tattoo?

I fully used numbing cream when I got my inner thigh tattooed, but I missed a spot. Ask me how I realised.

Also my knuckles, jfc. Fully cussed my tattoo guy out for that one, it was his idea to extend the design down to cover a couple of knuckles in the first place lmfao.

6. What was your first ever tattoo and how old were you when you got it?

My uncle's initials after he died when I was 17. I had this deal with my mum that I could get all the facial piercings I wanted, dye my hair all the batshit colours I wanted, as long as I didn't get a tattoo until I turned 18. And I'm grateful for that, because I wanted some tacky-ass shit at 15-16. But we negotiated for the one at 17, which there was little to no chance of me regretting.

7. What is your most recent tattoo?

An envelope with a piece of paper coming out of it that says "wish you were queer xo" for a flash day fundraiser for RainbowYOUTH.

8. What does your family think about your tattoos?

My mum is fucking petrified of needles, so her objection isn't to the permanent ink on my skin so much as willingly subjecting myself to being stabbed lmao. I hid them from my paternal grandparents until my wedding day and then said 'fuck it they can't yell at me today!' and they have never, ever mentioned them since. My maternal grandmother hated my first few, offered to pay to get them laser removed when I was at about 4 or 5, then begrudgingly acknowledged that some of them weren't terrible, and when she went into hospice in 2017 she gave me a list of the sorts of things she wanted included in her memorial tattoo 🤣

9. What meaning do your tattoos have?

Everything from very personal connections/memories/experiences in the memorial tattoos down to "I rolled three dice and got three words and the artist designed something based on that and slapped it on my body", and everything in between.

10. How many tattoos do you want?

As many as I have good ideas.

11. Where is the most painful place you've been tattooed?

Is this a different question to #5?

I will say - back of calf tattoos are surprisingly difficult. Not the MOST painful place, but probably the longest I've been really genuinely uncomfortable? (Though, again, sans numbing cream on my inner thigh this would be a VERY different convo)

12. Where is a place on your body that you will NEVER get tattooed?

I dunno... butthole? Eyeball?

I'm unlikely to do a face tattoo, but who knows, really.

13. What is a design you love on others but would never get for yourself?

I can't think of a specific design!

14. What is your favourite style of tattoo?

New School, for sure. Though I have a bit of nearly everything 🤣

15. Would you trust a friend to choose the design of your tattoo?

Depends on the friend. Katey, you will not be designing a Fiona/Dragon tattoo for me, soz.

16. What are some tattoo assumptions you think need to die?

That having ever gotten a tattoo in the past means you have a ton of disposable income now (the amount of "omg they're on a benefit but they have tattoos" I've heard from dipshits how the fuck do you think tattoos work?????), that it's not a valid and fucking impressive form of artwork.

17. Do you have one tattoo artist who does all of your art or a stand out tattoo artist? Hype them up!

These days I do! Only since I moved back to my current city in 2017, though, so a lot of my older stuff is by other artists. His name's Steve, he's a fucking delight, every day I'm in his chair is a fucking party. When my grandad died I just booked him out for the day and chatted to him about my grandad for the morning until inspo struck him and then he turned his iPad around with the loveliest design on it.

18. Is there any artist you would love to get work done by? Tell us about them!

There are lots of incredible artists out there, but I don't think I have, like, one bucket list person.

19. What is your worst tattoo experience?

I had an apprentice go too deep on my pansexual tattoo and I still have a bit of raised scar tissue there lmao

20. What has been your best tattoo experience?

Getting my grandmother's memorial tattoo designed and tattooed. Per #8 I went in with a bit of a chaotic list and what the artist put together was just fucking stunning. It's my whole upper arm and every single element of it has really personal meaning.

21. Do you have any matching tattoos with people?

Yep! My spouse and I got matching Doctor Who tattoos after our wedding. I'm a DW fan of old, got my spouse into the show after we got together, and we had a reference in our ceremony but without discussing it, we'd both put references in our individual vows as well lmao.

I also have a few like... standard tattoos, for lack of a better word? As well as a few flash sheet designs. So I definitely have matching tattoos with strangers 🤣

22. What is your opinion on face tattoos?

Follow your bliss, babes, but you know the society we live in and you're accepting the potential bullshit. (I have hand tattoos!! I'm not saying it's RIGHT I'm saying it IS.)

23. Do you think tattoos make people look less professional?

No, but I know people think they do. Where's that tweet about how tattoos make you perfect for corporate culture because it shows you can sit through the most painful bullshit and that's every corporate meeting ever?

24. Post a picture of your favourite tattoo.

It me, the Dropout fan.

25. Give us a tattoo tour!

Katey I will absolutely get booted off tumblr if I do that.

[tattoo asks... except katey's already asked them all so]

#tattoo asks #hagface #you fucking maniac I miss you

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princess-of-the-corner · 5 months

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Okay so, if I could summarize each of the four main characters and what makes them so interesting:

Ruby Rose: She dresses in black and red, has a lot of death motifs, and is the most willing of the four main characters to fight dirty. She's also an altruistic sweetheart who just wants to make the world a better place, is heavily coded as both autistic and asexual, and her entire character arc across the first eight seasons of the show is based around her deteriorating mental health as she holds herself to higher and higher standards until she just can't live up to role she has given herself. She's also seen blushing when talking to a pretty girl in Season 3, and while one boy younger than her is implied to have a crush on her, she has NEVER shown ANY interest in boys outside of the noncanon parody spin-off. Also, while it's never explicitly mentioned in show, analyzing the information we DO have reveals her to be perhaps the SOLE survivor of a HORRIFICALLY thorough genocide, even if Ruby herself doesn't realize until after Volume 5.

Weiss Schnee: Basically Chloe with better writing. She starts out as a seemingly shallow, petulant rich girl with an ego larger than her father's corporate empire. She's also deeply aware of what a monster her father is, comes from a broken home, and even BEFORE her character arc is primarily motivated by a desire to redeem her family name after her father married into the family and turned her grandfather's company into a standard evil megacorp. She's also canonically bisexual.

Blake Belladonna: She's a Faunus, a former member of the civil rights group-turned-terrorist organization known as the White Fang. Her ex boyfriend, Adam Taurus (who is heavily implied to have started courting her when she was 12 and he was 18), has slowly but surely been subverting the White Fang's actual purpose in order to turn it into an instrument of his bloodlust, and thus her driving motivation for much of the first few seasons is to atone for her perceived role in the White Fang's fall (as she unfairly believes herself to be responsible for his fall to the darkside, because he would divert blame to HER whenever she tried to confront him on it), and also try and fight racism. She's also the team's second in command. She was also the first member of the cast to be confirmed queer, and is the closest thing to a harem protagonist the show has, with three characters (not including her abusive ex) all having been confirmed to have fallen for her at different points. Her eyes are the same color as her partner's soul.

Yang Xiao Long: She might wear the image of a hard-drinking party girl, but she has NEVER consumed alcohol on screen, is PROBABLY the best student on her team, built her weapon herself, and is a genius mechanic on TOP of being a berserker who gets stronger the more and stronger hits she absorbs to charge her Semblance with. She's both the tank AND the team mom, because all three of her parents AND her uncle have let her down in some way, shape, or form since she was a child, forcing her to grow up so her sister wouldn't have to. Her birth mom walked out on her when she was a baby, her actual mom mysteriously disappeared on a secret mission, her uncle's too drunk to be much help around the house and is usually absent on top of that, and her father is very clearly not up to the task of raising two children on his own, no matter how much he may try and genuinely loves his girls. Also, she's Ruby's older half sister, and a good chunk of her arc is dedicated to the fact that it takes her until season 9 to realize that she's gay and in love with her best friend. Her eyes' default color is the same as her partner's soul.

GOD that's gay.

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anawkwardlady · 2 months

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Hiiii, this is the anon from 2 weeks ago who said trans girl tohya would fix so many issues in umineko but couldn't talk about it because my wrist hurt turn out my wrist hurting was going to last a lot longer than expected, but it's better now :3, so :

There are a few issues that I have with umineko: 1)Ikuko and Tohya are not properly utilised - ikuko is a mouthpiece for the author and tohya's characterisation is hard to parse- the only reason I'm so attached to them as a duo is due to the fic 'Coracle' by Ncfan 2)The exploration of class a bit poor- sure we see how Kanon and Shannon suffer but in their happy alternate timeline, where Lion exists, the issue is not framed as one of class divide and wealth, but rather the family's lack fo acceptance of Sayo (which is also a problem but it wouldn't have fixed everything if they did accept her). TLDR Berkastel was right actually, the existence of the ushiromia family is inherently evil, as it is a microcosm of class oppression 3)there was an opportunity for an exploration of queer community, and finding acceptance outside of family had Tohya been made a trans girl due to Tohya being so separate from the family - I understand why that opportunity wasn't taken, Rhykishi is a cishet guy who probably didn't know much about queerness at the time of writing, and I'm glad that Ciconia is doing what umineko didn't, but I'm still mildly disappointed on that front 4) the wedding in episode 6- no I will not elaborate (lie)

I do have a couple more issues of course, but those aren't relevant rn, why? Because these three (four) problems I believe could be fixed with the inclusion of trans girl tohya How? Combine Ikuko and Tohya into one character (not in the sayo way, but in a 'sometimes you have to kill your darlings" writing advice way) and make this new character poor. Let me explain or rather, let me paint you a picture

You, Ange, sit in the living room of the author you have been looking for. It's small, you note, not a sprawling study filled with books like you imagined, and all the decor is rather cheap. The woman in front of you claims to be 30, but she looks older, you notice white roots at the top of her scalp, her hair looking hastily dyed black to hide said fact, and her skin beginning to wrinkle, her voice nasally and rough, perhaps she's a smoker? Despite all this, she guides you into the small room with grand movements- probably trying to come across as worldly, but there is an air of performativity to it, and rather than dignified she comes across as a bit dorky.

At one point say you've heard that the author was a man so you're you're surprised to have to have found her instead. She actually fidgets and tells you that a friend of hers is the one who handles the public side of this, she always wrote for the sake of it and had little care for the sudden surge of attention she has received recently.

Your lip curls at the phrasing "So you write about someone else's dead family 'for the sake of it'". The woman leans back in her chair, she repeats that she had never expected to gain the attention that she did, let alone for it to catch the eye from a member of the family itself, considering what an eyesore someone like her must be to someone of your status.

it should have come across as scornful, but rather she levels you with a knowing look. Instead of judgement you feel understood in a way you don't wish to be.

You divert your eyes.

Listen, what I want for this reimagined version of tohya to be a worst-case scenario. Without being picked up by a rich benefactor, post-incident Tohya would probably become homeless due to lacking any credentials and not even knowing their own name. That would most likely lead to their first few years of life as tohya to be rather rough, but it would have exposed them to other unwanted folk perhaps even leading them to discover the queer scene of the time Badabing bada-boom, tohya realises she's a girl

over the span of several years

and probably making it even more difficult than it already was

The only reason the Tohya Ange mets even has a modicum of financial stability is because of the community she found.

This all is important to me because of two reasons: 1) trans girl tohya shows that Sayo wasn't doomed 2) it showcases the consequences of separating oneself from an abusive family- primarily the financial consequences - I SAY THIS AS SOMEONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE HELPING SOMEONE ESCAPE FINANCIAL ABUSE THAT SHIT SUCKS- IT WAS A YEAR LONG PAPERWORK NIGHTMARE TO GET THEM BENEFITS AND SOCIAL HOUSING- LIKE COME ON RYUKISHI YOU WERE A SOCIAL WORKER YOU COULD INCORPORATED IT INTO YOUR STORY, anyway 3) the woman that ange meets being post transition battler would not only tie into the themes of the story ("without love it can't be seen" ange can't recognise who tohya is without coming to terms with what that means) 4) (yeah these points just keep going) tohya would probably come across as a little less irresponsible than in canon. Unlike in canon were tohya only makes contact with ange decades later, this version of tohya does make an appearance once ange seeks her out (perhaps even the whole having a bunch of pen names with different clues leading to her even being intentionally placed for ange). But once she realises that ange does not recognise her and their first meeting not going all that well, tohya might decide that it's for the best - it would echo Sayo's story and in turn make it easier to emphasise with tohya's circumstances 5) also I just think it would just make certain scenes more fun? for me at least. Like I think ange respects ikuko in canon a bit too much. I imagine in this version ange would catch on that trans girl tohya is a dork and think that would lead to some that lead to some interesting banter- the sort of banter that leans uncomfortably close to sibling banter

That would mean that would also change ange's dynamic with featherine. I like to imagine ange being a bit more casual with featherine, perhaps even bullying her a bit for that dress (seriously what is up with that dress), and everyone else being weirded out that featherine doesn't just outright smite her for it

also, episode 6's wedding being battler and erika. Listen, I'm just mad that ryukishi just threw a rape metaphor and never elaborated- that stupid rape metaphor lives in my head and I think it's about time to charge it rent. Felix from Jokrono positied that that scene is there to reflect Ikoku's feeling on how a romance between her and tohya is doomed to never blossom, but personally I feel that's a stretch due to how Ikuko's feelings are never explored in the story and I don't think ryukishi was about to start doing so with the wedding scene as he never elaborated on it.

In my version of the narrative the wedding scene, it could signify tohya's guilt for her inability to be beatrice's groom, to be her prince. ("I mean in canon one of the chester sister's says that battler is more of a bride than a groom, come on ryukishi it was right there!!!) being wedded to erika could signify the fear of staying a man, and the wedding between battler and Beatrice signifies embracing trans lesbianism baby!

Ok I am simplifying it a bit- I honestly don't know what to do with the wedding even in this context, at least not without changing it rather drastically, but I need to get it out there or else this thing is going to stay in my brain. There's nothing wrong with having a rape metaphor in the wedding scene btw especially with a story that focuses on sexual violence like umineko I just wish it effected battler's or tohya's character you know?

And on a final note, tohya in this version wears a short white jean jacket with rolled sleeves with a knee-long black dress and short black hair cut just above the shoulders (aka just a better version of Ikuko's outfit from canon), and once ange and tohya meet again decades later once ange too has become an author, the colours of her outfit have inverted since her hair has gone fully white by then. i would send you a pic of the outfit but I can't find any pictures that match on google so I'd need to draw it- which I might do later

Okay so lets take it from the top lol 1) I usually don't focus much on these characters so I don't have a strong opinion on that, but maybe its in itself a proof of what you're saying here lol. 2) For the class part I don't exactly agree, I think the fact that the servants despite being here for so long are being targeted and distrusted needlessly + sayo being a victim of child labor and being forbidden to be too close to Jessica WHILE going to school with her, being a parallel of her having a normal childhood does say something about the class element. I get where you're going tho and yes, it could have been more developed on that part. 3) Well, but I'd rather something like this on the queerness part than if it tried to bit more than they could chew (and then become really clumsy in the message). I think it treats the subject with enough compassion and respect, thats all I wait for tbh. But I'm also not the right person to elaborate on the trans identity part. (and idk anything about Ciconia but glad its elaborating in the subject).

With all of that said, I do think your idea of Tohya being trans is smart and interesting, combining to characters in one and changing a bit the dynamics with Ange, and its true it would balance things out with Sayo, it holds water and all. The financial part I think was more to make everything easier (having time, opportunities and so on without putting more hours of explaining how its possible). (also that design sounds really cool!)

For the wedding scene and the rape metaphor : in some ways I feel like it was a good adding and in some ways i do not. I understand how it can feel out of place and I agree with you with the lack of following on all of that. I think its being taken as a "what happens in a game stays in the game" but... yeah. I personally just saw it as an illustration of how to feels to force a narrative and a truth without consideration, as a continuity of what happened in EP5 with the character assassination of Natsuhi (which btw, did give me that kind of ick too even if its not the same thing or situation). But for why Tohya made that specific choice I couldn't say for sure. With that said, I can't deny how impactful and chilling that scene was, it think it was extremely well done, but its too bad it was so consequence free :/ (i actually heard other criticism on that scene but more in comparison with how rape was treated in ep7 it was really good I wish I could find it again anyway).

#answered #umineko spoilers #tw rape

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fnvminorcharacterpoll · 11 months

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Round 2 is over! Let's recap:

A Bracket, Day One: Easy Pete crushed Santiago's post-presidential assassination aspirations in a landslide; Red Lucy avenged Maj. Elizabeth Kieran's incredibly close Round 1 loss by similarly crushing the poll's most pathetic man, Beagle, in a victory for feminism; Old Ben climbed further in the ranks with a close win over Manny Vargas*; and Ranger Ghost sailed into Round 3 over Tommy Torini.

A Bracket, Day Two: Heartthrob Harland desecrated Pvt. Kowalski in the round's first of several dramatic upsets; the #TRASHSWEEP continued well apace by laying waste to Pacer; Swank and his big ol' eyes saw a win over old Ranger Andy; and the love for 10 of Spades carried him to victory over his fellow NCR soldier Maj. Knight*.

A Bracket, Day Three: The Hadrian Gang unfortunately could not survive against the high-seed monster, Fantastic; Rotface gave Boxcars a tip: get eliminated from the tournament; the Garret Twins made a smear on the sidewalk out of bubbly Brotherhood initiate Melissa Watkins; and Ignacio Rivas's* good nature wasn't enough to take down Trudy from Goodsprings.

A Bracket, Day Four: Fan-favorite Keely utterly crucified houndmaster Antony, which has knocked every member of Caesar's Legion who isn't a slave from the tournament completely; Mr. RADical successfully just laid there while Jimmy* from Casa Madrid couldn't impress; Regis from the Great Khans just barely eked out the W to make Cliff Briscoe extinct; and Mick & Ralph pulled an overnight upset against Old Lady Gibson to punch their ticket.

B Bracket, Day One: Daisy Whitman blew up Raquel; Ringo wrecked Ramos; preliminary fave Angela Williams pulled off an astonishing upset against number two seed Oliver Swanick; and Allen Marks' victory over Crandon & Jules goes to show that the corpses keep winning.

B Bracket, Day Two: Beatrix Russell ate Chomps Lewis; Emily Ortal left Pvt. Kyle Edwards in the radioactive dust; The Lonesome Drifter drifted easily into Round 3 over Michael Angelo & Kate; and Siri beat Malcolm Holmes but not without a surprising amount of turnout for the cap-collecting good samaritan.

B Bracket, Day Three: No-Bark Noonan opened up the all-Khans bracket by kicking Oscar Velasco out of the tournament; Jessup & McMurphy successfully defeated a frail and sickly child; Melissa Lewis succeeded where her father had failed the day before with a victory over Cannibal Johnson; Doctor Usanagi proves that STEM is more valuable than an English degree by giving Jerry the Punk another beating.

B Bracket, Day Four: Big Beard & Little Beard trounce the Gundersons, probably because Heck was the only one with a beard; Chris Haversam throws Meyers back in the clink; Mister Holdout couldn't hold out against Sarah Weintraub; and finally, in the single most massive (624 votes) and close (tied as late midnight with 500 votes) and polarizing (just check the notes) match-up in the entire tournament so far, Calamity the ghoul pulled an upset over Cpl. Betsy*, who's probably dealing with her loss in therapy. Hopefully Dr. Usanagi doesn't bring up her own win.

*Happy Pride Month, losers! The first round of June and literally every canonically queer character (except for Red Lucy, bisexual [edit: and Sarah Weintraub, also bisexual!]) got voted out, and that's hilarious. Funniest possible thing that could have happened on here, the gay and transgender website, during the gay and transgender month, in a tournament for the gay and transgender video game. (Beatrix Russell and Old Ben might also be exceptions, but it's minor; I only can't remember if you can sleep with them as the same sex or not when they're working at the Atomic Wrangler, but even then they may just be gay4pay. Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

You can see all of the Round 2 polls here, and the tournament bracket has been updated so that you can get a preview of the matches yet to come in Round 3. Voting will pause for a bit while I prepare graphics and bracket posts, so use this downtime to mourn the fallen, celebrate the risen, and submit designated cheerleader endorsements for your favorite remaining characters in their upcoming rounds. It's only going to get more tense from here!

#fallout #fallout new vegas #fnv #chatter #info

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 9 months

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WIBTA for unintentionally getting my cousin’s number and not tell him i’m not a date

I (24 FtM) came out as a trans queer man to my extended family when i was 18 years old, despite my (queerphobic) parents’ disagreement, fully knowing the reactions wouldn’t be positive for the majority. i was just done with having to hide, and indirectly be ashamed of, this huge part of myself to the people i used to grow up with, and couldn’t bare keeping it a bashful secret any longer, putting myself at risk to lose touch with them all. which happened. gradually, i lost contact, or intentionally cut contact, with most of my family members (close and extended), moved out and started transitioning. i also got top surgery last year, and am now four and half years on T.

so i did change, physically and mentally (for the better), to the point i know some people from my family who haven’t seen me in five years, wouldn’t recognize me if i didn’t tell them.

all this to say: a little over a week ago, i went to this gay club / bar, when i was asked my number by a guy who was there too. i knew i knew him from somewhere else, but i was a tipsy, dizzy from dancing my lungs out, and the lightning was tamed, so i didn’t catch on immediately and couldn’t properly see his face, and so i simply accepted to exchange numbers. nothing else happened with this guy this night, i only added my num to his contacts, talked and maybe flirted a little, and then he had to leave (he was with some friends).

only hours later, back home, will i realize this guy was in fact my eldest cousin (26 M) in with whom i haven’t talked in five years. i remember he was one of the only person who didn’t react badly to my coming out, though he didn’t quite understand it either. i had to cut contact with him when his mother, my aunt, tried to call and threat me through him / by calling from his phone number so i wouldn’t hang up immediately.

we used to be very close, and though i have moved on now from my family life, i do catch myself missing him from times to times, and would’ve like to contact him again. i just didn’t know how, and was scared he might have started agreeing with the rest of the family on my account. but by his presence at the gay club, i suppose not.

i didn’t text him right away to tell him i was, in fact, his cousin, and not just a random dude he met at the bar. i still don’t know how to approach this. three days ago, he texted me first, asking if i would like to meet up again. and, without thinking, i said sure. and still didn’t add on the crucial information. i am scared of what might happen if it tell him. would he suddenly resent me? or worse, call back our family and tell them what happened of me, giving away where i now live. i don’t want to contact with the rest of them again, but if i could gain my favorite cousin back, maybe just as a friend, it would mean a lot to me.

i still haven’t texted him, and i won’t lie and say i haven’t been contemplating the idea of just, never telling him, and just say i’m not ready for more but would love to stay friends. we are supposed to meet at the beginning of next week.

and before you guys start thinking anything weird, i do not, in any way shape or form, want to pursue anything of sexual nature with my cousin! i think this is, as well as being immoral, a disgusting and horrendous idea

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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shcmook · 10 months

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I think the story and worldbuilding of TOTK would be overall much better if more of the champion successors had NOT been Sages. As it is, 3 of the main characters of the game end up with this problem where it feels like they’re the only useful person in their entire respective races, and the game seems to be implying they HAVE to perform their multiple roles within their cultures due to their bloodlines.

Tulin stands out as the GOAT of the four main sages for several reasons. One is just that his ability is so constantly useful that I dread going back to BOTW bc I’ll miss those gusts. But also his story is the only one that feels unique to this game. It’s not a sequel to a story in BOTW it’s focusing on a minor character from that game who doesn’t have to now juggle multiple roles in his society. The older members of his tribe are struggling just to get food and take care of the village. Teba can’t take time away from his duties as chief to be the sage. Tulin stepping up and going through his arc feels SO natural and works so well both as a story on its own and as a follow up to the Revali / Teba storyline.

Sidon may be an exception to bc my thesis. It’d seem incredibly out of character and ruin a good arc if this guy didn’t feel in his heart that his place is joining the fight alongside link. It would probably eliminate the queer subtext of sidons inner conflict as well but we’d still headcanon it no matter how it was written. But as is it’s still weird that he feels so torn between being king and being Sage and being with Yona and purifying the water for the domain and helping Link and part of him still mourning Mipha when like. Why can’t Yona do some of those things for him? The idea that he’s worried about losing Yona like he lost Mipha would be much stronger if she was the one going to the temple with Link and Sidon wasn’t ok with it. Yona being the Sage would also still have the three of them had to work through this complicated relationship, and probably just add more layers to a poly reading of that dynamic. Idk. I just think it’s weird that they went to the trouble of creating Yona so that she could be the wife of a guy who is a sage and a king and the Hero’s best friend instead of her having an actual identity or a role of her own. I lied when I said Sidon was an exception, Yona should have been the Sage.

The Gerudo having a weird heirarchy and multiple leader figures within their culture is part of why I love the Gerudo so much in other games. In OOT, Twinrova, the leader you fight in the Fortress, Nabooru, and Ganondorf all fill leadership roles in their society. So why is Riju chief AND sage? Why not make Buliara the sage? Rijus main thing in the other games was her sandseal, she didn’t have thunder powers before this game. Buliara is literally a Guard so it’d give failing the town defense missions more emotional stakes if you losing means she fails her duty. I love Riju but. It’s make more sense for her, as Chief, to be busy managing her tribe’s underground affairs while Buliara feels ashamed at not being able to defend her Chief from the Gibdo threat and then *she* gains lightning abilities while training in the ruins.

I’ll be honest I haven’t actually played the Goron quest yet. But was anyone really hoping for more yunobo after the first game? I like the idea of him getting corrupted by Ganon I like the whole marbled rock roast concept. But why not introduce a new Goron who helps us free Yunobo from Ganon’s influence? And then that bro becomes the Sage instead? Doing this relieves us of having the bit in the story where the Sage of fire kind of ruins the lives of a bunch of his own people, and then still gets to be their Hero. It’s waved away too easily and I don’t like it and also I just don’t like Yunobo. If any of the Champions’ successors should’ve been replaced it’s him.

In conclusion: Tulin’s story I s the BEST, and more of the Sage quests should have been based and Tulin pilled.

#TOTK #Zelda tears #zelda tears of the kingdom #tulin

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dcpridefanzine · 3 months

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Creator Spotlight || Raven/ Lena Gantner @ravendraculina

Raven has been an amazing and talented addition to our team. One of the first collaborators to join up, they have brought and incredible and unique talent to the table with a truly inspiring interest in teamwork.

Lena Gatner (also known as Raven online) is an illustrator/Graphic Designer from a small town in America! With four years of experience as a digital illustrator and designer specializing in comic book art, they bring a spunky and passionate approach to their work. Their designs are quirky, fun, and beautiful, with their bright, colorful, and out-of-this-world aesthetics. Proficient in various illustration techniques, both digital and traditional, they have an incredible ability to conceptualize and bring imaginative ideas to life.

So who are you, Lena? Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am a recent graduate from Uni and have been an active member of my QSA (queer straight alliance) Club as the event coordinator. I was in leadership during the Hight of covid and towards the end when the slate of hate within my state was in full effect. I worked hard to keep the queer community in my area safe and be able to participate in radical events! I reconnected the club with local queer community such as the sex shop and the local countship! Creating a strong foundation for future success and strength within the club no matter what difficult event happens (Such as existing in a red state). I am both a member of a lgbtq+ community but also part of the autism spectrum. Not only has this shaped my life but also the work I create. I care deeply about activism and I am also a passion artist with a love of comics. Part of my studies was studying comic book textures and vintage styles. My proudest work is my senior thesis where I mimicked vintage comic book style. This will always be my proudest spread despite the critics!

That's amazing! What draws you to comics? How have they impacted you and/or your art?

My personal greatest inspiration since I was young, will always be Kevin Conroy. The Batman Animated series and Justice League animated will be the animation series that drew me into comics. Within comics exists people who fight for a better world no matter the obstacle. To be the change to bring the better world. These figures helped shaped the person who I am and leads me to a lot of comfort for when I feel weak. Kevin Conroy will always be a source of inspiration for my self on how media can impact others. He will always be my Batman, a symbol of Justice when you feel like you live in a world with none. Wonder woman will always be my Ambassador of Peace, bring peace to the world ridden with war and hate. While Superman will always be my symbol of Hope, to hope for something better.

Can you give us a little hint about what you're working on for the Pride Special?

I am working with amazing writer hankenstein for an incredible mini comic and illustrating a pin up page! The Comic will deal with three generations of queer characters coming together and fight baddies! These characters include cult classic The Shadow, Ghostmaker and the Ray! Three incredible characters in a incredible story. For my pin up page I wanted to draw two characters who mean a lot to me Tim Drake and Conner Kent. Referencing a classic interaction between them which fueled years of queer coding and left a lasting impact on queer comic book fans!

We'll give you a taste of this comic as well as other amazing stories and art in the upcoming weeks -- so stay tuned!! We are SO excited to have Raven on board and can't wait to show you more!

You can check out more of Raven's work here, and if you're just as excited to see their work, consider buying them a coffee!

#dc pride fan zine #dc pride #queer art #lgbtqia #queer #dc comics #dc zine #lgbt pride #dc pride special

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neppys-hub · 1 month

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Third Tav post~!

Leiden Del Ceibo.

(Left side is Act 1 Leiden, right side is Act 3 Leiden!) Leiden is an old character of mine- She has had many iterations and none of them ended well. That broke my heart so I brought her back in DND, and use her in BG3! Class: Rogue/Monk Multiclass Subclass: The Way of Four Elements/Assassin

Background: The Haunted One (She was also a noble in her past, but for BG3 the durge fits best) Preferred Weapon: Unarmed! (One of her iterations use iron knuckles!)

Romance: I'm not sure yet! Most likely Shadowheart because they both share a remarkably similar stories (in some ways, and despite me creating Leiden nearly a decade ago lmao). Minthara is likely but I actually haven't gotten Minthara in my main playthrough!

Pronouns + Sexuality: Leiden uses She/They pronouns! She is a total lesbian- Girls, girls, GIRLS for her. She does identify as a queer woman.

Like most of my characters right now Leiden in BG3 is a version of a much different original character! So her story is vague at times to fit the world easier.

Leiden Del Ceibo was a child when her family was run out of their land. Nobles fallen from grace- She remembers the caravan flanked by gold and red standards, family, and supplies as they escaped their ancestral home. She remembers the guards in shining gold and red armor riding along for their protection. And she remembers when the cultists emerged from the shadows and ambushed the convoy.

The slaughter was tremendous. Fire and steel burnt or cut down her guards. Her parents fought bravely, took many with them, but could not protect her. The last three standing were her mother, her sister Calia, and herself. "We will mold them," The cult leader promised. "Make them our weapons to enact our will long after we are gone." In hopelessness Leiden's mother, to spare at least one of her daughters that fate, slit Calia's throat. She was merely five years old. Leiden screamed as the cultists attacked, ending her mother's life but unable to save Calia. Leiden would have to do. She would grow in a household of magic, abuse, and manipulation, becoming exactly what the cult leader had promised: A weapon. Leiden wielded fire to enact the cults will- Assassinating all who opposed their god. Eventually, her fellow Cultists died out. Most were Human, after all, and she was long lived. She'd continue being the instrument of their will for many years until she ran into surviving family members. These people reminded her of who she was, brought her back into the fold, and gave her a chance to start over.

And it failed.

With nothing and no one else in the world for her Leiden roams, drifts, and searches for a purpose. It is during this time period that she finds herself trapped on the Nautiloid.

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foundfamilynonsense · 1 year

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One un-acknowledged part of queer bating is like. Sometimes tv shows try to queer bait and accidentally create the perfect aroace character.

Like Will from Stranger Things is the perfect aroace character. Season three is just him looking around and discovering all his friends are in relationships and he’s like what the hell? We’re still kids? Let’s just play dungeons and dragons like we used to?

And Mike says we all have girlfriends it’s not our fault you don’t like girls. And people call him the f-word bc of course they do. Bc he doesn’t like girls. And he’s harassed for that. And he knows he’s different. The fact he doesn’t like boys either doesn’t even matter.

And then in season four he draws this heartfelt picture where his old friend group is back together. And he’s telling Mike “you’re the heart” as in “you’re what keeps the group together. The group works through you. Without you, we aren’t friends anymore.” Bc he just moved away and he’s desperate to keep his friend group and he knows it will stay together as long as Mike keeps it together. But that’s such a close and personal and intimate conversation and guys are not supposed to acknowledge that they need their friends so badly. And what happens after he finally works up the courage? Mike goes back to talking about his girlfriend, because that’s all Will’s friends seem to care about anymore. And what was the point anyway? Mike’s only there to see El. He wouldn’t have even bothered to visit Will.

Now. Is this what the writers wanted us to take from these scenes? No. They wanted us to take that Will is gay and in love with Mike. But they don’t have the balls to come out with it so they accidentally create the perfect aroace character and plot line. Plot line about your friends “growing up” and getting crushes while you stay put. About spending hours and weeks and months trying to formulate how your friend group could stay together and realizing this one person is the load bearing friend. And then having it not matter, bc having crushes is natural for them.

But obviously the writers aren’t on our side. And the queer community isn’t on our side either bc this is so obviously pointing towards a mlm relationship and why are we trying to get in the way?

And that’s the tricky part with me and obvious queerbait. It’s that I feel like I can either see what I naturally see: a plot line that mirrors my own adolescent experience better than any other.

Or I can stand by the queer community and say of course Will loves Mike. That is what the writing is trying to get us to realize. And the fact that that the writers are doing it in bad faith with no plan to follow through is homophobic and wrong.

And of course I stand by people who want Will to be canonically gay and in love with Mike. But I also remember when I was in middle school/ just starting high school and my friend group was falling apart. And I decided that this one girl could keep us together. So I got attached to her. And this one girl started pushing me away. Probably because she thought I was gay and had feelings for her. Or just because she decided I wasn’t what she wanted anymore. And I remember sobbing over that, because these friends were all I had. Just them and my family. Bc I knew even then romance wasn’t really an option for me. And that’s so beautiful shown in Will’s story.

Too bad that’s not what I, as a member of the queer community, am supposed to think of this character. I’m supposed to be angry at queerbaiting. But… where else could I get stories like this if not from queerbaiting? Who else is telling such heart breaking stories about losing a friend when they start dating? Where else will I get such perfect aroace characters in popular media?

#aromantic #asexual #aroace #aro #ace #queerbaiting #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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