#maybe because they're more organised? you only really get in fights with them if you invade them or they invade you

[a-faggot-with-opinions]

Responding To The "Aromantic Manifesto"

So I found this aromantic manifesto earlier today and I have many thoughts and opinions about it. Mainly that it's really bad, and it is homophobic. It uses a lot of big words and complicated language to sound smart, but it's not actually conveying good ideas. I'm going to respond to it piece by piece. By the way, I am aromantic, but I am also gay, so that's the perspective I'm looking at this through.

The main points of this manifesto, as outlined in the beginning, are:

"Romance is inherently queerphobic."

"The organisation of queerness around the celebration and pursuit of romantic desires and pleasures reinforces queer oppression."

"Queer liberation must abolish romance as its long-term goal."

Point 1 is bad because the activism for lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights has LITERALLY been all about being able to love whoever we want to. We didn't fight for centuries to legalize gay marriage to have someone say that us loving someone else is inherently queerphobic. Implying that gay love is somehow oppressing someone else makes you the queerphobic one.

Point 2 is wrong because we've been fighting for our rights for literal centuries, and we've already decided that trying to repress our sexualities for any reason, is actually bad and contributing to our own oppression. The only way to make real progress in solving queer oppression is by expressing ourselves loudly. It's okay to dislike amatonormativity. I dislike amatonormativity. But that doesn't give you an excuse to be homophobic.

Point 3 is even more incorrect. That's because a movement that is fighting for people historically marginalized based on who we love isn't going to have abolishing romantic love as a goal. It's okay to be aromantic and not want romance. The problem comes in when you try to force everyone else to repress their romantic desires because you simply don't like it. That's bad.

The next part is extremely insulting to me as a trans person. They compare gay men wanting to date other men and not wanting to date women to gay men wanting to date trans men. Newsflash, assholes: trans men are men!

If straight people can’t help who they love, then neither can gay people. Nor, one might suppose, racists and transphobes, and people who find disability and fatness unattractive.

This is an obvious homophobic argument. They're implying by this that gay men not wanting to date women is the same as gay men not wanting to date trans men, implying that men who don't love women are misogynistic. It's transphobic to compare the experience of being gay to transphobia. Tell me you've never spoken to a trans person in your life without telling me.

Queer oppression is not just the experience of prohibited desire. It is also the experience of hierarchical and violent desire. It is also the experience of undesirability.

What the fuck are they even saying right here? Queer oppression is literally about the experience of prohibited desire and the lack of experience of expected desire. I can maybe understand where undesirability comes into play, since especially as a trans person I get cis people trying to equate my sexual attractiveness with my worth as a human being, but experiencing hierarchical and violent desire?

This reads as someone saying that queer romance is inherently evil and we're oppressing ourselves and we're totally at fault for our own oppression. QUEER ROMANCE AND SEXUALITY ARE NOT INHERENTLY EVIL AND SAYING THAT THEY ARE IS HOMOPHOBIC, IT'S 2023. Why is this even a hot take?

The next section talks about the "privatisation of love," which is a model for why they think that queer activism has been missing the entire point. Let's see what this author has to say about that.

While the domestic sphere fashioned by heterosexual kinship relations has been historically designated as private life, queer intimacies have instead been regarded as a matter of public concern due to moral panics associating them with predation and perversion throughout history.

This is a very sloppy, incomplete reading of the way that homophobia works. I'm not going to get into my theory of how homophobia works in this post, but anyone who's actually experienced homophobia in their lives will tell you that this ain't it. For one example of how that's incomplete, in recent years queer people have been encouraged by society and especially the right to hide our queerness and abandon our culture in favor of mainstream society. This isn't trying to make us a matter of public concern, it's trying to make us disappear. This isn't how oppression works.

This next section focuses on how romantic love is allegedly used as a hierarchy.

People who regarded as romantically attractive are invariably upward-mobile, white-proximate, gender-appropriate, able-bodied, slender/muscular etc.

Maybe. Just maybe. That is just a reflection of how society views people who aren't white, aren't gender conforming, are disabled, and are fat. Racism, transphobia, ableism, and fatphobia weren't invented by romance. The way that romance in our society works simply reflects those things that already existed. "I just find them unattractive" has been an excuse to discriminate against people for ages. That isn't because romance is inherently THE hierarchy, but instead it's because it's used as an excuse.

Often, calling romantic partners “compatible” just means their placements on the romantic hierarchy are relatively equal in privilege. Calling romantically unattractive people “compatible” with each other, on the other hand, easily sounds condescending.

I don't have much to say about this. This is simply not how romance works. While compatibility is not a great concept and I have critiqued it before, this ain't it.

Queer romantic ideals remain incredibly heteronormative, only celebrating the most privileged and “compatible” of queers and condemning more marginalized queer people all the same.

This quote is really interesting because it's pointing out a very real issue with society (the fact that society encourages assimilated queers) and tries to blame queer activists for it. No, we do not want to assimilate. Society wants us to assimilate, and some of us try to do so. However talking to most queer activists will reveal that we don't want to assimilate. We want to be treated with basic respect.

Queer romance does not resist heteronormativity as much as it assimilates queer desire, making us hold on tightly to whichever relative privileges we have and hate ourselves for whichever we don’t.

Hello? This is projection. This is exactly what the person writing this manifesto has been doing the whole fucking time.

By peddling the illusion that romance can be made queer, heteronormative capitalism forces queer people to try solve their problems of undesirability and unhappiness privately by finding the “right” partner, rather than directing their anger towards public action.

Gay people in the past got into romantic relationships that often got us killed. Did we do that because of heteronormative capitalism trying to force us to find someone? No. What the actual fuck are these people even talking about.

We propose aromanticism as a counterpublic that responds to queerphobic violence by mobilising public resistance instead of escaping inwards. Aromanticism is a principled commitment to finding radically nonviolent ways of relating to others.

There's so much to unpack in this quote. Firstly, the author believes that aromanticism is a choice. It is not. I was born aromantic and even if I choose to get into a relationship that does not make me any less aro. This is also implying that (gay) romance is inherently violent, which is Homophobia 101.

If you already have a romantic partner, we are not asking you to “leave” them, but to aspire to love them in a different, queerer way.

There's no such thing as more or less queer. If you're queer, and you love someone, congratulations, that's queer love. It doesn't become more queer if you call it something other than romance.

I'm not going to go over the last part, but this last quote is some icing on the cake of homophobia we've just eaten.

Just be aware that similar hierarchies of desirability exist in sex as in romance.

It shouldn't be a hot take in the year 2023 that claiming that all sex is bad is a very culturally Christian thing to do, as well as being very traditionally homophobic. Sex negativity is weaponized against queer people far more often that it is against cishets.

To conclude, I'm just going to say that this manifesto takes real frustrations that even I have with amatonormativity, and turns them into denial that romance exists, and blatant homophobia. It's also very hard to understand, so if I misinterpreted something, please do let me know. While I do think that aphobia is bad, being homophobic isn't a solution and is just going to cause us to be hated even more, as well as alienating gay aros.

#star speaks #aromantic #aromantic manifesto #long post

[poppy-metal]

Okay, let's into a silly cutsy little Christmas mood, and for that I offer you : Christmas decoration war AU

I don't know if you watch those very bad Christmas movies on the afternoon, but I watched one today, and it was about this really hardworking wedding planner, living in the city, the embodiment of "living for your work". She comes from a little town on the suburbs of the city and she used to come back every year to spend Christmas with her grandma. She managed to reduce the time of her visit more and more every year until she only spends three days there and then goes back to her work. Until this very specific year when her grandma gets very sick and she needs her here for the annual Christmas decoration contest.

So with the mood set up, I expose to you, Hardworking and petty!reader x christmas obsessed and overcompetitive!Jordan Li.

It's gonna be chaos.

Her Granny used to be the one organising the decoration contest and really the whole Christmas season in town, but since she's sick, the reader agrees to come for the whole month of December to organise it for her. That's when she meets... Jordan Li, the winner of the contest for years on end. They're a Christmas obsessed, competitive person, and they win, every year.

Of course, it's a small town, so everybody knows everybody, and so reader's arrival is talked about in the entire town. Jordan hears of it, and they meet as she is planning for the events such as the Christmas market, the Christmas ball... And they litteraly are so mean, telling her that it's absolutely not how her Granny used to do it and basically she should follow the traditions because it's better.

They get in a very petty argument, and reader being the city girl that she is, wants everything to be more modern, less traditional, and literally for it to loose all the coziness of it, the whole thing just another work without flavor for her. Jordan ends the argument with a remark super petty, maybe something about how she's a stuck up entitled brat or something.

Reader wants revenge, if you didn't get the memo in the name of the au.

Of course, she also has to take care of the house decoration war and organize everything so the judges and competition couldn't be rigged and all. But then she learns from a complete stranger who's jealous of them, that Jordan Li, the infuriating chick (their first meeting was indeed in female form because they wanted to be more incisive and we know now that male Jordan is a softie), wins every fucking year.

The revenge is found. Since her grandma definitely isn't participating this year, but her house is gigantic and she has a fuckton of decorations, reader decides to beat Jordan in the competition. Plus, it'll make her grandma happy to see her house all decorated, since, as you can see, everyone in this town is Christmas obsessed.

The contest is open to every house owner but not a lot actually participate, they're just here for the bloody competition. Every week, the judges eliminate a set number of houses until Christmas eve (the night of the ball), when the winner is finally announced.

So for weeks on end, Jordan and reader fight, bicker, and meet absolutely fucking everywhere, and during those four weeks, their relationship goes from enemies to frenemies, to lovers.

During that time, reader learns a lot about Jordan, because once again, it's a small town, everyone knows everything. They own the coffee shop and the hotel in town, which they inherited from their parents who died not so long ago (touchy subject), and they're a bigender supe, their power allowing them to actually shift into both genders (yes all of them are still supes, but reader potentially isn't). Reader learns more and more about Jordan and honestly, the little minx wooed her, and it's kinda the same for Jordan, with a lot more sexual frustration.

This frustration may or may not have led to a drunk one night stand with Jordan, which resulted in awkwardness and miscommunication, and reader wanting to beat them even more.

They end up kissing on Christmas eve and everything is nice and cool. Reader ends up adoring the Christmas obsessed Town and leaves her job in the city to work the job her grandma can't do anymore because she's in fact now retired.

I might actually write this AU...

Tell me what you think of it and as always, love you and take care ❤️

- 🥖

im gonna need you to go ahead and write the au fren

#ask #🥖 anon

[littlewhispersofsolitude]

A and B got in an argument and A said something they didn’t mean to and they feel bad about it, despite the fact that B has already forgiven them.

I've had this in my inbox for like, three months. I'm sorry.

Scenarios

B comes home from work one evening and finds A crying on the couch. When they concernedly ask what's wrong, A blubbers on about how sorry they are for that thing they said several months ago. They can't stop thinking about it and how much they regret it.

To make up for it, A goes out of their way to do an over the top gesture of appreciation, just to make sure they know how much B means to them.

B cradling a teary A in their arms and promising them that they're not mad. They both said things they don't mean, they've both said sorry. Now it's time to move on.

B has basically forgotten about the fact that it ever happened, so when A brings it up again out of nowhere, they can't help but be a little confused and surprised that it's lingered on A's mind for so long.

A is extra clingy and sensitive, and B doesn't know why until they find out from a friend that the argument they had is still playing on their mind a lot. Maybe a part of them is afraid that B might leave them.

Perhaps B knows that's what's going on, but decides to wait until A brings it up, which puts a little more of a strain on their relationship.

Despite B forgiving them, they're still hurt by what A said. They wonder if maybe it's true, or perhaps that they deserved what they said. Especially as they don't realise A is filled with so much regret over what they said.

B hushing A's teary apologies and assuring them that they're all good.

A hurting themselves, either mentally or physically, trying to make it up to B.

Dialogue

"You're not a bad person. The fact that you're still thinking about it now- that it still hurts you, proves that. It's okay to let it go now."

"I'm sorry for ruining your evening with my stupid tears."

"You're still worrying about that? I've already forgiven you." - "I know, but it still haunts me."

"I know you said you've already forgiven me but... it would really put my mind at ease if I could make it up to you somehow. May I organise a date night for us?"

"That fight happened months ago, A. Let it go."

"I'm not mad at you-" - "Try telling that to my brain, because It's having a fucking meltdown over this."

"I bought you some chocolates and wine? I know it'll never make up for what I said but you deserve only the best..."

"I'm not feeling the best. I think... I think I need to get something off my chest."

"You learned my native language just so you could write me an 'i'm sorry' letter?"

"If it will help you forgive yourself, come here and give me the biggest kiss you have."

#person a #a #person b #b #imagine your otp #otp #otp prompts #writing prompts #fanfic prompts #fanfiction prompts #drabble prompts #one shot prompts #dialogue prompts

[highlifeboat]

I need to ask you one important thing. Why does the Umbrella Cooporation (An organisation that sacrifized thousends of people for their stupid bioweapon projects without even a hint of remors) get forgiven at the end of Resident Evil 7, but Eveline (a mentally deranged child who just did what she was trained to do by the Umbrella Cooparation and doesn't even know what's going on) gets not only hated and rejected but mercylessly killed?!?!?!

They didn't give her a chance nor did they even try to reason with her despite the fact that she only wanted to be loved. And redeming her would not only solve the problem it would also potentialy give them the oportunity to actually save the people that are still trapped in the mold. So killing her was not only pointless and easily avoidable but outright cruel if consider that they could have potentialy saved her victims.

It is like forgiving a homocidle terrorist but killing his child that is just begging to be loved. That is truly messed up if you asked me.

It only justifies child murder and that is outright disgusting.

I see your point, but I do think it's worth noting why Ethan killed Eveline in the first place.

Because, to Ethan (and Zoe, and Mia), she isn't some sad little kid, she's a BioWeapon that put him through roughly 12 hours of torment and killed people. By the time Blue Umbrella comes around Evie is this giant mutant creature. Whether or not they knew she was technically a child is another story but still.

It's also worth noting Ethan only sees Eveline as either the old woman, or when she's in the attic at the end of the game right before her boss fight, where she's actively displaying power which would probably dehumanize her even more. Arguably, what Ethan does is justified.

Also, I don't think Umbrella is forgiven at all? Blue Umbrella is just a sub genre in the corporation to help deal with BioWeapons. Because when they became public knowledge suddenly Umbrella was like "Well shit now we HAVE to do something." (From what I understand anyway) There doesn't seem to be anything that implies they're forgiven, it's just people doing their jobs. (Also Eveline wasn't made by Umbrella, she was made by The Connections. But yes the same logic applies of "Does she really understand how bad what she's doing is")

I think the whole Eveline thing really is just a case of "Characters know she's a bioweapon so that's all they see her as". Because, realistically, within the context and especially from what Ethan is given, he wouldn't have even considered reasoning with her. Maybe if he had seen her as a child earlier on it might've made him second guess himself, but who knows.

I don't think I'd consider the game a justification of child murder, though. I love Evie and I'd love if she had a redemption arc but she's also not innocent and what Ethan does in-game is self defence. Otherwise what he does to the Bakers would also have to be considered murder.

#idk #idk if this makes any sense #asks #raven dog

[finniestoncrane]

Dear god I am foaming at the mouth at your latest daddy oz fic like god he's so cute but also it's so funny cause im imagining they're both in a room full of people and they're doing the disgustingly cute display of "you're cute" "no you're cuter" and everyone is standing around waiting for them to leave like 🧍‍♂️

Rogues Reacting to PDA

Farrell!Penguin x GN!Reader anon this is so funny and i cannot tell you what i wouldn't give to be this embarrassing with him u-u so i kinda took your idea and did the other rogues reacting to this display of sickening sweetness 💜 (also i know it's farrell!oz and we don't have really have other reeves rogues to react to but shhhhh we can just generalise and wildly speculate shhhhh) 🐧☔ request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw for nsfw stuff: language, fluff, jealousy maybe 👀

poison ivy

"i love you so much!" "well i love you more!" "no i love you more, sweetheart!" it's sickeningly sweet, but she's a romantic at heart so she can forgive the display for a brief period, until ozzie starts eyeing up her prized roses and she just knows he's considering plucking one off the bush to hand to you and love or no love she'll break hands. of course then she'll have to put up with you fawning over him and telling him what a poor little soul he is, and that might be worse

two face

"i wanna just bite your cute little nose ozzie" "well why don't you come over here and nibble on me" ok that's enough now! if one of you doesn't actually eat the other then he'll feel like he's suffered through all of this for nothing. this might be the only time that one is better than two in his mind and if he has to come over there and physically separate you both then he will. there's nothing cute about organised crime bosses says mister grumpy da over here, so stop babying oswald now

riddler

"god, kiddo, you're the best thing to happen to me" "wow ozzie, you're the sweetest, handsomest, smartest guy around" well that takes the fucking cake! here's the thing, you can rub your new found love and romance in front of everyone's faces. you could get a room and do whatever disgusting carnal things he can see dancing around your eyes in there in private. that's fine, he doesn't mind. you can maybe delude yourself into thinking he's the most handsome. but the smartest? and in front of him!?

zsasz

"when i get you alone, the things i'm gonna do to you" "i don't think anyone's watching ozzie, give me a taste!" if he shoots himself now, will someone make sure to etch a little mark on his skin for him? because that might be the only thing to get him out of this nightmare scenario. my god, what did he ever do to deserve this kind of punishment...oh...yeah...all of the things he's done. well if he'd known the karma would be so cruel he would genuinely have reconsidered his life of crime, and he loves crime! you're ruining crime for him! stop!!

harley quinn

"you are the cutest" "no you are!" "no you are, look at those cheeks!" "no you, look at your everything!" look, she's a big fan of cutesie and a big fan of bad boys, so seeing a sweet side to oswald where he gets to be completely enamoured and in love and cringey and romantic is just deeply pleasing to her. and the two of you are so absolutely sweet together and so meant to be that she doesn't have to worry in the slightest about who she'll pick in the breakup, cos that's never going to happen obviously (or she might fight both of you)

scarecrow

"ozzie!" "i can't help it sweetheart, i just gotta touch you!" "people can see though" "let them watch" sorry, he's just deep in thought trying to remember if he ingested an immense amount of fear toxin today, because surely there's no other reason for him being subjected to this little nightmarish display of lovey dovey crap that is being inflicted up on his eyes? i mean it wouldn't be so bad if oz's wandering hands weren't so obvious, amongst other parts of his anatomy that are really hard to stare away from, get a room you two

#penguin smut #the penguin fanfic #penguin x reader #penguin x you #the penguin x you #reeves!verse #finnie writes #oswald cobblepot #the penguin #colin farrell penguin #oswald cobblepot x reader #oswald cobblepot x you

[valkyrie-of-the-rising-sun]

HI VAL!!!

Who do you feel is the most interesting antagonist in Rejuv?

HI AXEL!!!

Most interesting rejuv antagonist, huh? Okay, this one is admittedly a tough question, because they're all intriguing in their own ways. Yes, even the silly ones like Team Anti-Assist (seriously, I really want to know why this organisation is even a thing. What did the Help Centres even do to them that made them this way??)

(potential spoilers incoming)

Madame X and Team Xen are the first antagonists encountered in the game. Their goals seemed straightforward at first, but as we progress through the plot it starts to get into ambiguous territory. Why do they fight for oblivion? Clearly each Team Xen admin has their own reasons for joining, most of them being for survival or for the sake of their loved ones (exception being Geara who most likely joined because of Vitus' influence), but if they knew that Team Xen is working towards oblivion why would they keep going? Sure there's the whole Soul Crystals thing which keeps them compliant, but by then they'd have realised there's no point staying loyal to Team Xen. Especially in Neved's case, which I'm not sure if he's that delusional to hope that his daughter would be spared from the oncoming oblivion if he remained loyal to Madame X's cause or he's also given up and decided he's past the point of redemption so might as well play the role of a villain until the bitter end.

Also, speaking of Madame X. She's the main antagonist, but she doesn't seem be wholly evil if ch12 is any indication. Her goals have something to do with breaking free from karma's cycles, but why? Who exactly is she? Why did she think that oblivion is the answer to what she wants? What connection does she have to Vitus? Too many questions, so little answers...

Vitus is also interesting one, and one we all love to hate with the sheer amount of shitty things he's done and how he's basically the root behind some of the game's most prominent antagonists (i.e. Geara, Angie, Melanie in the Bad Timeline arc, Angelus, Alice in ch14 and .karma files, and maybe even Madame X herself if her appearance in the prologue cursing him out and her Yveltal is any indication). But if you really look at it, isn't he just doing what he's made to do? He's the Yveltal host, a literal sentient exe file made for the purpose of destruction as part of the cycle of life and death. The only problem is that he's gone way out of control and destroyed more than he should most likely due to Zygarde's disappearance, not to mention his obsessive fixation with Arceus and the Archetype. For what purpose does he seek the long-dead god? Does he want to become the next Arceus, or is he trying to revive Arceus in a vain attempt to salvage this world and return it to "paradise"? Is that why he and Nymiera had a falling out in the distant past? Again, a lot of mysteries...

...okay, I've gone on a ramble here so. tl;dr, I find them all equally interesting.

#ask answers #tysm for the ask! #axelcreations #rejuv 13.5

[ssaalexblake]

Imagine being La'an.

Family dumped on that planet to be used as food and/or Alien style incubators. You're the only one that lives, and really it wasn't skill that saved you, it was that people protect little girls, even if it's just their big brothers who're really still just children too. Even if it means them dying.

And you get out, and it's some screwed up ritual that leaves them letting you go after slaughtering all of your loved ones, but it mostly just means dying in a less violent way rather than a reprieve. Maybe running out of air, water, food. The cold. But you don't die, a starfleet ship saves you, and a woman makes sure you're okay and she becomes the first of your new family. She's the reason you want to join starfleet. People like her, the organisation she's in, save people like You and that's a worthy cause to live by.

So you join up and put up with reactions to the name (and putting up with reactions to the name is now a solo sport. Nobody in the same boat to commiserate with now) because it's a vocation, now. And one day you find out that your personal saviour has gone missing and that you have the opportunity to return the favour.

And you do. And you end up on the same ship as her. And it's good, it's hard to mould into the family atmosphere of the ship, and you're known as a hardass and people are scared of you but it's fine because they don't Hate you and in the end, you're trying to make it so these people will Live if they ever need your skills and that's much more important than being everybody's best friend.

But after a while, you are peoples friend anyway. You like these people, you care about these people, you're socialising and enjoying your free time with them all just for the sake of each others' company. You live together, fight together, work together, care about each other, would do most anything to save each other.

And all of a sudden you aren't lacking in a family anymore. You have a new one. A new family, you're not all related and you're not even all the same species but it's like getting something back that you lost before except, of course, it's harder because all of these people put themselves in danger all the time just like you do, for the same reasons.

So when you get the chance to try and save somebody else from the gorn, one of your new family and another you know, even if it's a slim chance and you're not even sure if they're still alive, you pack up a team into a shuttle and go to try and save them despite being told not to by higher ups, and nobody thinks about not trying to.

And you're stuck on the planet, waiting for a rescue hiding in a room decorated in blood stains, with the few survivors of a previously thriving society you found still alive.

Until you and half of your new family are beamed up straight into that situation that slaughtered your first family.

The nightmare returns.

#snw spoilers #snw #i guess my point is THAT THIS WAS REALLY MEAN #(i love it but holy shit be nice to her????) #i'm just so stuck on the fact that. she will find herself back as that little girl. #i am chewing a wall

[thevagabondexpress]

categorising sport by height and weight?? i'll admit i've never heard of that one before. maybe it's just because of the sports i've grown up doing but--i'd be interested in the impacts on diversity within teams. like soccer, where we tend to have advantages in different positions and so especially a metro division all ages women's team is gonna have a really diverse makeup. it could just be adjusting pains to the concept, but with sport i'm a lot less concerned about the top 1% or whatever that gets monetised and more about equal access to every average person who wants to play and get fit and build their skills. trans girlies are def in the minority of people i've played with, but between mixed teams where unfortunately men do often tend to dominate from my experience (could be the way we're socialised though) and teams with bigger women who'd be in similar height and weight categories--idk. i find playing mixed does tend to challenge me but i need to work several times harder to keep up and that's not always sustainable. my concern would be women, especially bigger women, getting discouraged when playing in leagues with men and giving up, thus skewing the gender skew even more. whereas women's teams with trans women in them? never even a problem. but it could be that from my experience they've always been such a small percentage of the women i've played with?? idk. it's sad but i think we still do yield our opportunities to men on the field. heck, many women in hetero relationships yield their time to play sport to their male partners, instead taking on more tasks like cooking and cleaning that mean they can't make training as often and improve their skills as much. and i think we do need to address that, rather than simply not seeing gender in how we organise sports?? but this is the first i've really thought hard about this, so my view's gonna keep evolving. i do have to say. I ran the 1500 in the boys' category once in high school so they could clock my time bc i missed my race, and it was embarrassing like. i'd have made top 5 in the girls' category for my age group but i barely made the top 20 there. swimming, however, tends to not have sex differences from my limited experience--we'd race seperately but i remember all training together in hpe and we'd clock the same bell curve of times pretty much. idk. it could be me trying to survive as a female athlete and maybe i need to train harder. but i don't think i'm the only woman athlete who's felt this massive glass ceiling (not to mention gotten disappointed by our performance when on our period). and felt super encouraged when the women's world cup came to town and i didn't even get tickets because everyone went and talked about it like it was men's sports for once. i hope we can investigate the way biology impacts our athletic performance with open minded curiosity, and focus on the average person who might want to do sport more than the elite who have already made it. sorry for the big paragraph of thoughts but i trust you to sort it!! keen to hear your thoughts <3

it did take me a while to read the big paragraph but thank you. now. on my side of things, here in the us they just don't let people play sports sometimes if their bodies aren't maximized for performance in that specific game. even at low levels. kids get weeded out of little league basketball teams and told they can't play at four, five, six years old because they're "too short." if i didn't startle like a cat on cocaine any time something came near me at moderately fast speeds i'd probably make a hell of a good basketball player: i'm fast and light on my feet, and i'm good at ducking out of the way of people in a crowded space (thank you, five minute times between classes in high school and the very crowded hallways i had to navigate at almost running speeds to get places sometimes). but here in the states, since i'm only 5'1, i wouldn't have a fighting chance. my mother, who played basketball all through high school, is 5'8 and would never get on a team in the 21st century. nobody under 5'9 gets on a basketball team in the 21st century and no man under 6'2 gets into the nba. most nba players are 6'6 and over now. you can't play football or hockey unless you weigh as much as the team's bus.

the one place this doesn't matter is boxing. they do also segregate by gender in boxing but because boxing has that secondary separation by height/weight classes, anybody who wants to box can box so long as they know what they're doing. if i wanted to be a boxer i could. so i think segregating that way instead of by gender would level the playing field in a lot of ways and also open up more opportunities for more people. the trans men and women issue for instance, but it'd also offer chances for people, regardless of gender or cis/transness, to play that would never get a chance otherwise. imagine a sport like basketball getting the equivalent of a flyweight division. there'd be a chance that somebody like me could be on a team, something that would never be possible in the 21st century otherwise.

i have to wonder a little bit though if it's an american thing. maybe if i tried playing sports in another country maybe they wouldn't care so much about height and weight. maybe the evils of capitalism in this country just run that deep. but, living in the us, i think a world where young men's educational opportunities resting on sports scholarships resting on whether or not they're genetically predisposed to being heavyset or tall is a messed up world and i think height/weight instead of gender segregation could be a step to solving that as well as to solving the issue of gender in sports.

[yanderu-deredere]

at the risk of sounding extremely weird, have you ever heard of the game cookie run kingdom? if so, could you do some of your yanderes reactions to a darling that's absolutely obsessed with the game? maybe even to the point of having physical merchandise and going to events in person?

a/n: HELLO?? SHUT UP!! HAVE I HIT THE JACK POT?? THIS IS US RN!! 🥺🤝🏼🤡 (im the clown) but neway holy shit, what's the chances that id have a follower that's into yanderes and cookie run kingdom?? i don't know what to say other than thank you for winning ask of the week and here's your request! hope you enjoy! i know cotton candy cookie is from cookie run and she hasn't been transfered to cookie run kingdom but A PERSON CAN DREAM OKAY!

warning: i definitely nerded out onto this post and im so sorry, some gacha gaming terms like whaling (putting down a lot of money to get a specific character you want) and pay to win (paying a lot of mini transations LOL)

soren kumar ★ profile

Soren doesn't know about the app but he should. Yeong-bae has definitely mentioned it to him a good handful of times but he's bad at remembering things he's not interested in sometimes. For you, though, he'll try it. He definitely ends up not liking it though. He just doesn't get it. You sit there and watch the cookies fight the cake? Okay, and then what? You level them up so they can fight tougher cake? Interesting. The aesthetic is cute enough but he doesn't know if he'll play it in the long run. He'll definitely play it up in front of you though since he doesn't want to insult something you love

I think the one thing that'll really interest him is Parfait cookie. He knows what it feels like to busk, to have to work your ass off to get recognised, and then to finally have all that hard work be paid off. So, he likes her because he can relate to her. But he doesn't like her enough to pay to win or anything. Unfortunately, he's one of those people where he's just really lucky and he ends up pulling her multiple times (you definitely need him to press the button for you when you're pulling for cookies you want LOL)

When it comes to you, he'll indulge you. He doesn't get it at all. They're just cookies and the game isn't even that fun. But it makes you happy and there's nothing in the world he wants more than to make you happy. So, he buys you the merch, he goes to the events with you (disguised, of course, since he doesn't want the date to be cut off by paparazzi) and he lets you spend his money on the app. He does give you a cut off every month. You're only allowed to spend $500! No more! Maybe a little more on special events but-- Oh, don't give him those puppy dog eyes....

eun-jeong yoo ★ profile

Eun-jeong is definitely just a casual fan. It's cute, it's popular, he likes the aesthetic. It's just something he uses to pass the time sometimes when he's alone in the vet office. He'll log on every day to get his dailies done and he'll make sure not to waste any freebies he gets but he also doesn't spend any money on the app at all. He's free to play all the way. Also doesn't put too much thought on his team just sticks with the automatic teams or a team of his five strongest cookies. The biggest crime is that he just arranges all of his buildings in a grid pattern and literally doesn't care about how they're organised.

His favourite cookie is Financier cookie for sure. Eun-jeong kinda looks up to Financier cookie's personality. He loves that she's so strong-willed and that she's able to protect the people that she cares about. Low-key, Eun-jeong wants to be like that for you. He wants to be able to protect you and he wants to be able to be someone you can depend on like how a lot of people depend on Financier cookie! He also loves her aesthetic a lot.

When it comes to you, Eun-jeong would definitely fuel your addiction. He won't pay for anything on his account but he'll definitely give you his card if you want to pay to win. Also would definitely go with you to events or get you merchandise of your favourite cookie (and of Financier cookie so the two of you match!)

liam arieh ★ profile

Liam doesn't know anything about the app until you mention it and, when you do, he checks it out. He's literally only been on it for an hour but he's already dropped like $100 like it's nothing. He's pay to win all the way and he's not ashamed of it LOL. He's already got the most popular and powerful cookies because of it. He's literally out here whaling. Definitely the type to be super into it when he starts but then like slowly plays it less and less. He'll always keep going back to it though because he likes having something the two of you both do together

His favourite cookie is Clotted Cream cookie just because he likes his vibes. Personally, I think scheming cocky bastards attract each other but that's just me. Liam also just really likes his aesthetic and likes the fact that he's a really powerful cookie. Sometimes, Liam will even ask you if the two of them look like each other. Cringe

When it comes to you, of course he supports your addiction. If you think he's willing to drop money just for his account, wait till you see how much he's willing to drop for yours. He'll also be happy to go to events with you and buy you merch. In fact, he'll buy you all of the merch! Your entire room will be infested with merch of your favourite cookies (plus some of Clotted Cream cookie, unfortunately)

ayaka yamato ★ profile

Ayaka knows the app. It's cute and it's popular so of course she's checked it out! She's definitely here for the aesthetic and the aesthetic only. She doesn't care about any of the strategy, the statistics, the gaming; nothing. She just likes that the cookies all look sweet and cute. Unlike literally anybody else on the list, her kingdom is thematic and decorated perfectly. She uses the kingdom save system so she can change her kingdom every single time her favourite color has changed. She has a set up for pinks, purples, blues-- And, of course, she's achieved this by using money to buy all the decorations and buildings, of course! All her cookies have the best skins too LOL cus, unlike everyone else, she spams the costume gacha instead of the cookie gacha.

Her favourite cookie is actually Strawberry Crepe cookie! It was a good tie between Strawberry Crepe cookie and Strawberry cookie. I think, if her darling's personality was a lot like Strawberry cookie, then Strawberry cookie would be her favourite because she finds her really really cute, her aesthetic is adorable and she's strawberries! But, if not, her favourite is Strawberry Crepe! Ayaka just relates a lot to being small and being looked down on but then absolutely kicking ass LOL And she likes that Strawberry Crepe has big dreams for herself! Plus, Strawberry Crepe cookie has the absolute cutest aesthetic too

When it comes to you, of course she'd support your addiction. She'd be way more hands-on about it though. If your kingdom looks like trash, she's taking your phone and she's fixing it! It doesn't have to be color coded like hers but c'mon, put some more effort into it! At least have little sections or something! And she'll definitely dress the two of you up in outfits inspired by your favourite cookies hwen the two of you go to events! It'll be so fun!

ryuunosuke yamamoto ★ profile

Ryuu is already a huge fan and when he finds out that you're a fan too? He'll literally scream because the two of you can be fans together! He puts some thought into his kingdom decoration but not that much. Kind of just lines up all his shops and then decorations are in the other half LOL Definitely tries to get into the strategy part of the game but he's super bad at it and ends up just being slightly better than most players. He's only slightly pay to win but he's a recovering addict, okay! You're not supposed to go cold turkey when you quit!

His favourite cookie is Sea Fairy cookie. He's been a fan of the franchise since the original Cookie Run app and that's where he fell in love with Sea Fairy cookie! The way she's always longingly looking into the night sky, missing the love of her life (cough Moonlight cookie cough), and all the sad voice lines! He feels so sorry for her! Plus, she's his strongest cookie! And her aesthetic is so beautiful!~~

When it comes to your addiction, he'll try to do the good boyfriend thing and steer you away from it. He wants to be responsible and he knows, in the long run, it's bad to encourage it. But, oh god, he knows the pain. If you really really want to pay to win, though, you might end up dragging him back into his addictions too not that he would complain that much. Hewon't be as hesitant bringing you to events and buying you merch though! He'll get you guys matching couple stuff! Maybe you can be the Moonlight cookie to his Sea Fairy cookie?

ryouta watanabe ★ profile

Another disgusting Cookie Run Kingdom fan LOL You might not even have to tell him you're into the game, you'll find him wearing merchandise of it or something somehow. He's the type that loves the aesthetic but also he's in the top 1% best players of the game. His team is doing like 200mil damage or some crazy shit. He's like over calculating the strats, making sure he's equipping the right stuff, etc. It also helps that he's pay to win the whole way (and it's probably the reason he's broke). He's also the guild master to one of the top guilds in the game and he's super strict about people logging in and doing their part. If you're inactive for a week, you're out! It's the top guild for a reason LOL

His favourite cookie is actually Cotton cookie and it's because she's one of the best support cookies in the game-- LOL but also because she's super cute and soft and kind and innocent which reminds him of you. No, it doesn't matter if you're some buff 6'6 guy! Cotton cookie still reminds him of you! That's how he sees you! This soft support character he needs to protect because your HP and defense stats are very low but you give him so much support and he just loves you so much!

When it comes to you, he definitely supports your addiction. In fact, he supports your addiction way too much. He'll like help you out with your team composition if you want him to, he'll let you borrow his card if you want to, he'll invite you into his guild, he'll remind you to log in every single day! He'll even log in for you if you'd like! And the two of you can just sit together on your phones, beating the asses of some cute cake hounds or something

yeong-bae kigal ★ profile

Another idiot with way too much time on their hands LOL Yeong-bae is definitely way too into Cookie Run Kingdom and it shows. A lot of their salary goes into gacha games and mobile games. In fact, they have like several phones because of it (one phone for work, one phone for gacha games, one phone for photos, one phone for normal stuff). It's really unfortunate. But they're a lot like Ryouta where they're the 1% of players on the app because they're so good at calculating strategy and stats. Unlike Ryouta, they also care a lot about aesthetics so they make his kingdom look good too. They're both on the same guild! They're actually an officer in Ryouta's guild LOL

Their favourite cookie is Pure Vanilla cookie and, not to be repetitive, but it's because he reminds them of you! Pure Vanilla is so healing and good, someone that brings so much light to everyone around him. That's what it feels like being around you! For Yeong-bae, just standing next to you is like standing on stage, in the spotlight! And being with you, talking with you and spending time with you, is like being healed by Pure Vanilla cookie! Definitely way over-levels Pure Vanilla cookie because of this sole fact LMAO

When it comes to you, what is he earning for if not to fuel your life joys? If he can't make you happy by letting you whale or by letting you buy your favourite merchandise, what's the point in being a popstar? Unfortunately, he can't easily go to the events. He'll have to wear a mask the entire time or he'll have to wear a disguise. But it's worth it if the two of you can go on a cute date!

#yandere oc x reader #yandere x reader #male yandere #female yandere #yandere #nonbinary oc #nonbinary yandere #oc x reader #female oc #male oc #eunjeong #liam #ayaka #ryuu #ryouta #yeongbae #soren #drabbles

[chaoticrokiroki]

back to our regularly scheduled rarepair

jirou's the one to ask todoroki out - multiple times with no success. he just doesn't get it and she's not bold enough to say the word "date" outright. so they end up having four different outings, and shouto not only invites the rest of the class but also thanks her for organising such a fun class activity -

she'd wanted to hold his hand while watching a movie and sharing popcorn like in those cheesy romcoms. (the entire class came with)

he'd mentioned that he hadn't really listened to music at all before so maybe. she could've helped him pick out something he'd like? maybe she could've bought him some CDs or just. showed him the options and then have hot chocolate together!! alone!! (kaminari, ashido and bakugou came with. ashido and bakugou understood what happened immediately and she was mortified)

having lunch together should be fine shouldn't it?? not too difficult to get, just walking together to a cozy diner near UA and finally get a chance to be Alone. (midoriya and iida, of course, always have lunch with him so. why not invite them too?)

momo and asui put together a picnic basket for them to enjoy (he saw them walking away and asked them to stay.)

so she's. understandably discouraged and kind of heartbroken in that weird "this could've been hurtful enough to make me sob if id gotten the chance to have it." way.

the fifth try is a last ditch effort - because kyouka might be shy and hurt and not all that confident behind the 'tough girl' act but. she's still a hero, isn't she? and if she can't do this, if she can't let herself have this, how is she supposed to be a good hero? how is she supposed to fight villains and have people trust her to save them for the rest of her life if she can't raise her voice to ask for a stupid date?

more than that - being a hero is hard. it shuts doors to a normal life, to those normal everyday occurrences that make up everyone else's lives. if high school is the only chance to be selfish, to take instead of giving herself to everyone all the time, then how can she let that chance pass her by?

it's not romantic. not in the least (though shouto will argue that seeing kyouka flustered and angry and demanding a proper date at his doorstep was the peak of all romance and changed his life for the better). she just knocks with more strength than strictly necessary and waits until the door is barely cracked open before blurting it out. all of it. she's frustrated and embarrassed and also kind of pissed that bakugou's studying in shouto's room and listening in to her awful confession - "i want to go on a date with you. i actually meant for all of those outings to be dates and you invited other people and i almost gave up but. i want to try and go on a real date with you so badly. and id never thought of you that way before but momo wouldn't stop gushing about her wonderful friend todoroki and when you started tagging along to our mall trips and stopping by to have lunch it was just all replaying in my head and momo told me to go for it so i did - i am going for it and i want to go on a date with you, possibly tonight so i dont lose whatever dumb courage made me do this."

she's never felt more like midoriya and she's pretty sure bakugou's going to actually die from laughing too much but. shouto looks at her and says yes - is just as embarassed as she is, blushing lightly, but his eyes are bright and he's looking at her. - says "yes. id like that. can we go watch something again? i saw that in a movie once."

their first date isn't watching a movie and sharing popcorn in a dark cinema. it's too late to ask permission to leave UA for that. but they do sit close on the floor of her dorm room, closing the curtains and watching movies in dim light. the air is sweet and filled with anxious yearning and there's no popcorn to share but their hands are sweaty where they've clasped them together and they're not letting go.

#bnha #mha #shouto todoroki #todojirou #tidojiro #kyoka jirou #kyoka jirou/todoroki shouto #theyre in love in my head #jirou kyouka #this is an actual mess #but ive got so many feelings for Them #rarepair #bnha rarepair #mha rarepair

[lulu2992]

I've got a specific scenario I'd like to share and get your input on (for an AU I'm brainstorming). If you don't mind of course. If not here, just delete this and PM me when you can.

Joseph (and the rest of his siblings, if you want to do their reactions), expects one deputy (who may possibly become the Judge in New Eden depending on how events player out) to make a decision in arresting him or not due to the visions the Voice has shown him (inadvertently breaking the First Seal). But instead, it's the Judge themself (to clarify, this is NOT a time travel thing) that physically appears in 2018 Hope County (with mask, hood, gloves, fur and all, but with the addition of a katana machete and two pistol crossbows) for the arrest, and even the Voice is surprised by this (or it more so had overlooked/didn't think "that particular vision to be correct" so didn't show Joseph it). The Judge still kickstarts breaking the First Seal by arresting Joseph (has a bounty hunter license maybe?) but the Judge seems to be semi-aware of the prophecy and only realises too late what they've done when Joseph is already cuffed (body expression basically screams 'DAMMIT! …Alright, here I go again.')

However, the Judge does not join Eden's Gate, and instead, helps the Resistance fight against them. But one thing is made really clear about them when fighting against the cult. The Judge does not kill. Not even the Angels and Jacob's wolves. Uses violence as a method to disarm and reduce the threat of a foe? Yes. Organise strategic sieges (when the Resistance is on strong enough footing), destruction of property and destroying Bliss? Also yes. But does not kill. The Judge has their own code of morals that they will stubbornly (and zealously) follow to the end. They are a fighter, a healer and a protector. The prophecy (and Jacob's conditioning) be damned, they're not about to stray from the code that gave them purpose again.

The Voice warns Joseph (who warns his siblings) to, under no circumstances, take off the Judge's mask (unless clearly and soberly permitted by the Judge themself). Because that is not only a way to disrespect the Judge really quickly, but it WILL make things more difficult than necessary, and they don't have time for that. The Judge is also apparently "as important and special to the Voice as Joseph is" or something along those lines (this isn't the entire truth; the Voice is just really curious to see how this all unfolds and doesn't want Joseph attempt to kill the Judge so early).

Hope this makes sense. Thoughts?

So, from what I understand, Joseph has never “seen” the Judge before, so he’s mostly surprised because he was expecting someone else (well, sort of) and things don’t happen the way the Voice told him they would, not really because he knows who they are. If he did, I imagine he would have been in shock! He has faith in the Voice and does whatever It asks, so I guess what he would decide to do next would depend on what It tells him…

As for his siblings, in the end, they basically follow the Father’s (and indirectly, the Voice’s) orders, so I imagine they would treat the Judge pretty much like they treat the Deputy in the game: “Joseph said he wants them alive so we need to try to convert them”. However, even though the Judge doesn’t want to join the Project, the fact they stubbornly refuse to kill would maybe make things a bit “easier” between them and most cultists. And despite the fact they’re helping the Resistance, they’re on their own path and follow their own rules, so that would probably pique the Seeds’ interest even more!

But to be honest, I’m not sure what else to say about this scenario because you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this already, and more than anything, I think I’m as curious as the Voice to see how all of this plays out! :)

#a suspenseful AU! #far cry 5 spoilers #far cry new dawn spoilers

[cephalopod-truther]

Resurrected Insurrectionist

My Secret September for @zombiecleo (thanks to @tangodyke for organising!)

The night before the predicted insurrection, Cleo finds Joe alone, hunched over the square table that had hosted the King's Court for much of Ren's waning rule. They're squinting, diamond glasses perched precariously on their head, at plans it is much to dark to reasonably see.

Cleo clears her throat.

“Hey, Joe.”

Joe visibly startles.

“Howdy, Cleo!” and the reflexivity of their reply, despite it all, makes her smile.  “I, uh, didn’t really expect to see you here.” They say, and Cleo– (Cleo who has known this ridiculous, incredible man from the beginning, who is here, on Hermitcraft, because Joe invited her, and is, here in the King’s Court, because she invited herself and she will see this through; even if she doesn’t quite know what this is anymore) –Cleo knows Joe well enough to hear what he doesn’t say.

I didn’t expect you to be loyal, Joe doesn’t say, wouldn’t say, because they are kind in ways she can only try to be. I didn’t expect you to stay.

It hurts, from her oldest friend. It isn’t undeserved (Joe was the only one to join the King’s Court without ulterior motive, except maybe Cub, who Bdubs found and pulled in) but it hurts.

“I thought you would be busy preparing for tomorrow.” She doesn’t respond and Joe continues. “It’s, uh, supposed to be a pretty big day, y’know?”

It’s a weak joke, if it’s meant to be a joke at all. Still, it’s so Joe that she huffs a slight laugh regardless.

“Yeah, I think Ren might have mentioned something of that kind.”

Joe smiles back, tentatively, and she relaxes. Even now, in the final hours, Cleo still isn’t sure of her allegiance.

She wants the rebellion to win; Ren has shown her nothing but disrespect, has undermined her at every turn and badmouthed her to some of her oldest friends. His rule has been erratic, his laws increasingly absurd, and the promise of power, of riches, that drew her to his court has proven empty; the diamonds were squandered, frittered away on vanity and vague flights of fancy; the power is meaningless, when even his own Court barely acknowledges it, let alone the people of his land. There is nothing to keep her here, nothing to bind her to the throne. Nothing, except her conscience.

I expected to see you tomorrow, he said. I didn’t expect us to be on the same side, he didn’t.

Loyalty, Cleo thinks, is a funny thing. She wants the rebellion to win but she knows she will fight by Ren’s side. She doesn’t know when keeping the king sweet and reaping what benefits his happiness sowed morphed into something more than just hunger. She doesn’t know when fake loyalty  gave way for just loyalty, no strings attached.

Probably, it's Joe’s fault. He always has had an annoying tendency to bring out the best in her. If staying loyal to a slightly-tyrannical monarch (rather than backstabbing him in his time of need) can be considered better.

For all she knows, this is just another kind of selfishness.

But then, Cleo has never much concerned herself with morality. Joe was the philosopher between them; she just stabs people and then sometimes she laughs about it later.

There are also times when she doesn’t. Laugh that is. Sometimes she regrets.

“I thought you could use some company.” She tells him and Joe’s responding grin is resplendent, none of his earlier fatigue to be seen. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Some sentiments, Cleo figures, are better said aloud. This one, she won't regret.

#hermitfic #Hermitcraft #zombiecleo #Joe Hills as well #But mostly zombiecleo #Sorry #She kinda took over this #Rentheking's presence is felt but he doesn’t actually show up

[demonprincezeldris]

I have thoughts for Pack Mentality stuff, it's rough and I haven't thought it out yet, so bear with me.

Okay, so pack mentality is a thing, and yes everyone can square up and throw down as needed on command basically. However, there are roles that each person is just naturally inclined to. Some scholars, researchers, and even stories and books suggest that these Roles have many variables, such as rank, what kind of demon you are, and various personality traits.

Any demon who hears this will call bullshit. Nobody really knows the how's and why's of it, and frankly nobody really cares. Except maybe the other races but to be expected, demons do it with them too simply to try and understand the workings of the other cultures. It's normal and natural.

Kits also do it, but it's more a game to try and figure out what your innate Role will be.

A demons Role is kind of like a secondary instinct, something they're naturally inclined towards. All, or most, demons can fight or contribute to the safety and defence of the Pack, but that's usually during times of strife, war, and lean years that people focus more on combat skills and the like.

During peacetime, though? When demons can just be and settle into their homes and pack lives? Usually you only have two 'protectors' or 'enforcers', the actual combat oriented pack members whose main job is security and the protection of the Pack, it's their job to identify and remove any potential threats, or maneuver the situation (or people) so that potential threat doesn't become an actual one. Or on occasion break up fights/quarrels within the pack so mediators actually have a chance to do their job. You may have more of these types for larger packs, but typically you only need one or two.

Mediators are kind of exactly that. They're the advisors and diplomats, more often than not Pack Leaders because of this (no the stereotype of 'strongest leads' is not true, or rarely is, and even those packs have their secondary as mediators who focus on internal while the leader works on external).

You have the caretakers, the homemakers and busybodies, they do most of the cooking and like to keep things relatively clean and organised- every pack is different, so where one may have a 'everything has a place, every place has a system' kind of situation, another may be 'can you see the floor? Are the dishes done? We're good' kind of method. They're often the ones with practical skills, too, like small home repairs. (Meliodas is NOT a caretaker, and is not allowed in the kitchen unless he's getting a glass of water, and even then the pack prefers him to be supervised)

You have creche keepers (or whatever term you can think of), they're a lot like the caretakers but with an inclination towards kits and kids. They're usually the parents of the group. Don't be surprised if you have a creche demon among a pack of adults with no babes in sight, just because they're adults doesn't mean they don't need a parent. They help with personal issues that either can't be brought up with the mediator or they don't want to, for various reasons (think it's not important enough -parent will call bullshit but continue-, the mediators have enough on their plate, it's really a small thing, only really affects that one person, or they just need a listening ear, maybe some advice?)

Healers are another one, while less know and generally considered less needed due to rapid regeneration abilities of demons, they still hold an important role and only an idiot thinks them unimportant.

There are a lot of 'sub roles', like jesters/lighthearts, berserkers, tanks, scouts, teachers, etc.

For angst potential, it can be extremely detrimental for a demon to be forced to take on a role they aren't inclined to. Physically and mentally, and has been known to cause irreparable damage in extreme cases.

Now, while most have One Role they are naturally inclined to, that doesn't mean they can't or don't branch out into others. Healers can easily pull double duty as a creche or caretaker. A protector can also be the one to keep things lighthearted and fun.

And of course you can have multiple pack members have the same role, sharing the responsibilities, which is often necessary with larger packs.

So, what roles can you think of, who would have what role? This all accumulates into my thoughts that Estarossa would be a caretaker kind of Main Role, to everyone's surprise. He's surprisingly domestic when allowed to be. The problem was, thanks to Dear Old Dad (may he rot in pieces & pain), thought that wasn't appropriate for a Prince, even the forgotten disappointment of a son. Hence he was forced into the role of a fighter, and yes while he is an excellent fighter, hell that might of been one of his secondary roles because he enjoyed it so much, it wasn't his natural inclination. If he had been permitted to at least indulge in his nature, in his instincts, it wouldn't have been so bad. But due to the reinforcement and punishment if he was ever caught doing anything not befitting a prince, like cooking or mending clothes (even on the battlefield!) he couldn't really develop properly and became more of a berserker. Even his own pack mates could be at risk if he lost control.

...

Thankfully their dad is dead and all the realms are at peace and everything is nice and the Commandments have a Big Home with many cozy spots and nests and everyone has been allowed to begin healing and learning/relearning their true natures.

(This can probably be mixed with any AU, really, if you want).

Oh my goodness i LOVE this idea!

I definitely agree that Estarossa was forced into a role he wasn't supposed to be. He definitely strikes me as a caretaker-type rather than a fighter, because he was known as the 'worthless brother who couldn't even hurt a fly'. His dad automatically forced him to be a fighter, even though his instincts screamed at him that he didn't want to be a warrior, even though he was really damn good at it.

Ok so because I'm actually hooked on this idea I'm gonna make a quick little list of what I think each of the commandments' roles would be (and feel free to change it if you want!)

Zeldris- protector

Estarossa- caretaker

Meliodas- protector

Galand- peacekeeper

Monspeet- caretaker

Derieri- protector

Melascula - healer (i'm not too sure aout this one-)

Drole- peacekeeper

Gloxinia- Healer

Grayroad- creche keeper

#pack mentality #Estarossa #nnt

[rescuefield-a]

DISILLUSIONMENT ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT, DISILLUSIONMENT ABOUT HER OWN CAREER.

also known has is claire redfield an anarchist?

WELL. perhaps not in the negative form, but she sure has a lot of beef with the us government. let's go with order though.

claire's first encounter with the establishment was during her time in paris - escaping raccoon city had turned her into a final girl, infiltrating umbrella made her a terrorist. journalism spins news however they want, and obviously in a world where corruption is rampant claire's views about changing the status quo are a threat and need to die as soon as possible, even if it means she dies in the process as well.

terrasave as an ngo likes having claire in their team because she's a risk taker, she'll go to the end of the world to make sure things get done - which means she's the one always pushed out to talk about anything. in universe, if you look up on google there are probably hundreds of interviews she's held and speeches she's said, because people listen to he ( and because she's charismatic unlike the actual leaders). while at first it's a privilege, claire quickly realises she'll be a target for the enemies and a scapegoat for the allies if things go south at some point.

the whole terragrigia situation was a huge blow on claire as we see in degeneration, she even goes far as to blame herself for not realising when really it would be interesting to know how the higher ups at terrasave didn't know about it. is claire doing everybody's job around there?

then there's the whole ongoing beef with the government about how sherry and leon are being treated. in my version, claire is using her connections through terrasave to try and get custody of sherry, because she can tell that simmons has ill intentions - and in fact the moment she tries to warn sherry about it, claire loses her visit rights.

then there's leon; whatever way one sees them, it is a known fact that they were somewhat keeping in touch via emails. maybe it was for a few months, maybe it's an ongoing thing off screen, but the point of it all is that claire knows what the government makes him do ( obviously not in details but it's still enough for her to know they're assholes ) and while she carries guilt about how things ended up after she went to paris, it doesn't change that she would fight all those guys for ruining her little found family they way they did.

then obviously least but not last in the list of awful terrible moments in claire's life... neil fisher. objectively i hate the guy with a burning passion so my view of him might be even more negative than it actually is but let's go over it for a second, shall we? he leads terrasave, is in a position of power and we can assume he was very close to claire - still, he thought it would have been a good idea to mediate with wesker about a vaccine in exchange of a few labrats for her experiments because "it's for the greater good". neil is an idiot, plain and simple. and i'll tell you more, when wilson tried to buy claire's silence in exchange for the construction of schools and hospitals in penamstan, she told him to fuck off because she makes no deals with any bad guy EVER.

there's a point in claire's life where her morals, her beliefs and all the good stuff she stands for, are not met even in the ngo she sacrificed most of her life for. so claire leaves, because if you can't trust the so called good guys to do the job then what even is the point? it's not like claire lived in a fantasy world until that moment, but there's only so much corruption she can tolerate, and the moment it taints her life work she simply peaces out moving on to other organisations - except that umbrella, and everybody around it, have a shadow so dark that sometimes it's really hard to recognise who's friend and who's foe.

#before moving to write other starters and replies i had to write this bc as usual capcom is crickets #ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ meta. #claire has friends who are considered good people and friends who are considered bad people #she has connections but you'll never catch her do the enemies bidding. fuck that

[shadeswift99]

I love how most mobs in Minecraft are either mindless undead, monsters who attack on instinct, or something whose aggression is drawn by violating some social convention, and then there's witches. This random human has magic and they REALLY hate you. Here have a harming potion because fuck you that's why

#Minecraft #the setting of this game is so wild when you think about it #like there are so many decisions they probably made without giving it much thought but they combine to make a scene that's just #so wild #what did i do to upset the witches #give a villager magic and suddenly it's ON SIGHT #....okay you know what actually #if i was given magic i would probably free myself from capitalism and run off to live in a bog too #fair #on second thought pillagers are pretty aggressive for Just Some Guys too but for some reason it feels less weird to me #maybe because they're more organised? you only really get in fights with them if you invade them or they invade you #they've got leaders and patrols and structure，they obviously have some goals that they don't want interfered with #plus they'll stop if they're unarmed #but witches are just #filled with potions and rage <3

[radicalposture]

Hi! That post u reblogged about writers having a tiny dissociated piece of themself analyzing their emotions and the things they're feeling you tagged as also a symptom of autism, can you elaborate a little? It's very interesting to me

yeah no problem! (twas this post, for reference)

so in my experience and from what i see of others experiences when you're ND and especially if you're late diagnosed there can be this phenomenon where you overcompensate for your 'natural deficiencies', as it were, by developing an extreme competence in a skill that's not exactly the same but runs kind of parallel and does the same job, if that makes sense?

for example, my adhd makes me extremely forgetful, so to counteract i've become an incredibly organised person (colour coded schedule, reminder apps, to do lists, etc.) and people say wow you're always on top of things! but its an 'artificial' skill. its something i learned and not something i naturally am. being a good organiser and having a good memory are not the same thing. i have a terrible memory, but the learned skill of being a good organiser does the same job and achieves the same result. similarly, because i'm autistic i am terrible at reading people and all that general social interaction stuff. but to compensate for that i've become very good at understanding psychology. so while i literally cannot tell when my boss is joking with me or how to respond to a normal question from her, i could tell you exactly how her brain works, why she acts the way she does on certain days, what went wrong in her marriage, how to word a request so i always get her to agree with me... its not the same skill, but it does a similar job and most of the time covers up the fact that i have this glaring hole where my social skills are supposed to be.

so to get back to the writer question. some autistic people really struggle to name and describe their own feelings (sometimes called alexithymia). i especially struggle with this. the best i can describe it is i feel like theres a missing link somewhere? like for normal people i guess it goes like

an event happens to them > it creates a feeling > the feeling has effects

so like idk. they have a fight with their friend (event). they feel sad/frustrated/embarassed (feeling). there are side effects, like maybe theyre irritable or they cant sleep or lose their appetite (effects).

but for me its more like

an event happens > ????????? > ahhh i can feel the effects.....

so because theres this void where the 'appropriate' feeling should be im missing the vital signpost thats supposed to indicate to me how good or bad the event was, or the sequence of events that led to a behaviour, or how im supposed to respond or whatever. for example last week i was in dublin and i was really excited to go to the gallery but after lunch i'd suddenly lost all interest in going and i was like huh? what happened there? so after talking it out with my sister i figured out like ohhhh it was really crowded when we got lunch and i got really overwhelmed because we looked up the menu in advance and decided what we'd get but THEN when we went in they had a COMPLETLEY DIFFERENT menu and i was too shy to ask what was up with that so i didnt really enjoy the food we got and they had a weird self serve system and i got really self conscious and and and. and now im exhausted and thats why im suddenly not interested in going to the gallery anymore. BUT. and heres the crucial thing. at no point did i FEEL exhausted or overwhelmed or sensory overloaded. i had to INFER how i was feeling from context clues without ever actually feeling the actual feelings myself. what makes it doubly annoying is that i do know what feelings are 'supposed' to feel like because sometimes it'll be like oh no! a sad thing happened! i feel sad! and then i cry. but thats only like 5% of the time and the other 95% im like crying and i have no idea why, time to go on a detective quest to understand what the hell it is this time. which is exhausting.

so to get back to the topic at hand!!! sorry for the long and maybe irrelevant sidebar!!! but here's why i think the post is relevant to autism (broken down into points bc i think theres a few reasons and they maybe overlap)

because we often struggle so much with understanding and identifying our own emotions we often develop a hypervigilance around them. we end up with this constant monitoring and checking and analysing to see if we're doing it 'right'. NTs (apparently) just feel their feelings. they feel happy. they feel sad. they feel angry. and they just feel them and act on them and don't think that much about it. but because i so often feel the 'wrong' thing or more likely nothing at all it becomes this constant stream of 'ok I'm feeling kind of angry but like. is that appropriate in this situation? am i too angry? am i not angry enough? am i expressing it right? do other people understand what i mean?'

the performance aspect is so interesting to me bc literally everything feels like a performance to me... when i was getting diagnosed i said to my psychologist 'when im around other people i always feel like ive suddenly been pulled up on stage and told the plays about to start and im like WHAT PLAY and the curtains suddenly gone up and everyone's looking at me but i didn't get a script and they all know their lines but i didn't even know there WAS a play much less that i was supposed to act in it and also I'm really bad at ad libbing so i cant even fake it i just stand there getting more and more panicked' and she was like 'that's autism babe <3'

in addition i often feel like i HAVE to act or exaggeratedly perform to get my point across. especially when i was younger but even now, like for example when im sick ill be 'ok family today i feel really sick im going to call in sick to work and stay in bed. goodbye.' and then i get the hmm you dont LOOK sick and its like? i told you i was sick what more do you want. so sometimes i feel this pressure to like put on an act like i have to do all the croaky voice COUGH COUGH ooogh im sick bleggh etc etc and then people go wow you look sick! you should stay in bed! like i TOLD you that was that not enough. and the line then becomes really blurred like am i performing these actions because that's what's natural in this situation or am i pretending to go through the motions in order to perform the socially acceptable signals to communicate my intentions because that's what people expect but left to myself i never would... you have to not only deal with your own feelings but also read your audiences mind to figure out how they would best receive your message and then translate from your native tongue to theirs because you know they can't speak your language and won't even try so you have to be fluent in their language or you get ignored..... exhausting!

tangential but this post on r/aspergirls yesterday struck a chord: "I’m tired of having to be sugary sweet, bubbly, and happy in order for people to not feel threatened by me. I feel like because I present feminine as well, people need me to coddle them like little babies in order for their egos not to be bruised."

on the other hand because i am so divorced from my emotions its so much easier to be a kind of objective outside observer exactly as the post described. because my actions so often feel/are fake or performed i can consciously analyse them BECAUSE theyre conscious choices im making and not spontaneous unconscious actions. and even when they're real i can also be very detached from them. past experiences in particular i can analyse them very objectively and not feel the feeling over again. i feel like my past emotions are in little glass cases and i take them down and examine them and then put them back.

but going back to the original post, people might say 'but thats just a writer/artist/actor thing' ya and why do you think people are drawn to those careers... people are drawn to career paths or interests because of the kind of people they are, they are usually not made into a certain kind of person by a career or interest. once i said something like 'ha ha sorry im being really detailed about this i guess my classics degree turned me into a bit of a pedant ha ha', to which my sister responded 'has it never occurred to you that you did a classics degree because you were already an insufferable pedant' which shut me up pretty fast lol. what i mean is people are drawn to these things because of the kind of brain they have and the particular bent their minds take. im not saying all autistic people are like this or that or that NTs cant be writers or actors or whatever. but so many ND people are drawn to these kinds of things and we're often so so good at it too.

ND people are often drawn to fiction because it just makes our brains tick a certain way. my brain in particular loves sequences and putting things in order and im also really good at taking huge amounts of seemingly disparate information and compiling it into a coherent whole. we can also be amazing at finding or making connections between things that seem to have no connection at all. and aren't these things the very basis of all fiction? isn't that what a story is? one event and then another one after it, and seeing things that are different but that can be grouped together to be put in the same narrative? isn't that what a metaphor is? you take two things that are not the same but you find out how they could be the same and you hold these two entirely different things next to each other and say see? here's the ways they're similar. here's how you can sort them into the same category. here's the lines you can draw between them. and as ursula k leguin said a story is just one big metaphor. the novelist must express in words what cannot be expressed in words.

ND people are also often drawn to fiction because its a condensed or simplified or hyperreal version of real life. you can read a novel or watch a film or tv show and watch how the characters behave and talk. they describe how they're feeling inside. you can see how one event or action leads to another. its a way to learn how the world works so you can copy it. it teaches you how other people think and it teaches you how they feel and how to feel yourself as well. which is kind of the entire point of fiction anyway but autistic people seem to have a special affinity for it. also we are always right.

EDIT: autistic people especially learn by copying or mirroring. often we learn a skill especially a social skill by copying someone else. when i go into an unfamiliar shop or social event i take time to watch what everyone else is doing first so i can copy how you’re ‘supposed’ to behave. fiction is so useful for this because you can do it in the comfort of your own home and you can pause or rewind or repeat as many times as you need. and so often it’s unconscious as well! it’s not like i said to myself ‘i have no idea how relationships work so i’m going to read pride and prejudice to find out’ but i did learn from these books first and not like. my ‘intuition’ from the world around me. we naturally seek to learn what we don’t know even unconsciously

‘classic’ literature (which most people use to mean victorian novels) seems to have a particular draw for some autistic people as well and it definitely did for me. i think it’s because the preoccupation of the novel in the nineteenth century was with human behaviour, relationships, psychology, social questions etc. especially the ‘novel of manners’ or the ‘social problem novel’ types, austen and dickens etc. there’s less focus on melodrama, unreality, it’s very much a genre that deals with real people in real situations. i soaked it up like a sponge lol. i think this is where the weirdo austen obsession comes from also. you know the kind of people who r like ‘ooh i love jane austen everyone had such good manners in ye old days’ girl you are just searching for a world with discrete social rules that make sense. ALSO i’m convinced this is where weeb/koreaboo/anglophile/any other fetishisation of another culture comes from. obviously an interest in another culture is nothing bad in itself but can so easily tip into creepy fetishisation. if you take japanese culture for example there’s very strict ‘rules’ that seem to apply to that culture that an autistic person might latch onto as easy to follow eg. honorifics & associated dynamics, bowing, etc etc. obviously japanese culture is just as varied and complex as our own but from the limited/xenophobic perspective of the western weeb it becomes kind of like a game. there’s such a temptation with autistic people where you kind of go ‘well i don’t fit into my culture but if i went to this other culture which has very clear rules that i could follow i would be happy’. which is obviously a temptation which must be resisted because it’s a) untrue and b) usually racist

also why autistic people are especially drawn to fandoms! every fandom has its own rules and lingo and once you learn them you’re good to go! and because a fandom is a very small and closed system focused on one thing it’s like a little mini world with very few rules that is easy to navigate. and the people in the fandom have the same interest as you so they’re not going to reject you and you always have talking points

CONVINCED this is why kpop has such a grip on people here lol. compared to western artists the kpop system is so structured like there’s a limited number of companies, there’s a very specific pipeline the band goes through, there’s very specific roles within the band they’re supposed to adhere to, success is measured by specific awards or streaming goals. it’s kind of gamified and you KNOW how gamification is euphoric to the ND brain. also autistic people love numbers and stats so i can see why some people on twitter are obsessed with that kind of thing. have more to say on this subject but that would expose me as Knowing Things About Kpop 💀

wow that was long and a lot of its not really relevant but ig these are just some thoughts it inspired. again not all of it applies to all ND people and it might apply to some NT people, but this is how my brain in particular works and i've seen enough that it seems to be the case for a fairly big proportion of other ND people too. thanks!

#sorry abt the delay too -_- #sorry i’m adding as i think of things #brain tag