#now they’re making fucking Facebook posts about how it’s inappropriate

[h0neybunches0fh0es]

Crazy concept I know but maybe if you’re a bored middle aged white woman you could try not harassing your 10th graders teacher about having her class read of mice and men to the point that she’s fighting off panic attacks and losing sleep. It’s like really easy not to do that.

#y’all she gave them a MONTHS notice that they were going to be reading this book #now they’re making fucking Facebook posts about how it’s inappropriate #and how it should be banned #for things like racism sexism and foul language #and how it paints mentally ill people in a bad light #meanwhile the teacher is a biracial woman with debilitating anxiety #who is pairing it with informational texts about women’s rights and the civil rights movement #so idk maybe shut the fuck up and be more involved from the get go #rather than waiting until halfway through the book to throw a god damn fit #oops sorry i forgot god damn was one of the naughty words your evil little incel 15 year old can’t be exposed to #FUCK OFFFFFFFF

[loveyou-x3000]

Well so much for peace and quiet the fandom is about to become a cluster fuck with drama and hate.They are even attaking the old guard, I notice some are even deleting post or blocking the Yahshahime tag.I guess is time for us to walk away and that makes me so sad.All of us fell in love with the story of InuYasha the characters and now F@&$&÷× Sunrise is ruining everything. Don't they see how wrong it is to ship them together to even consider it I wonder what's going through their heads. Another note most of the people who are shipping them are the Hispanic fans no offense to them.I notice that on several platforms on DA,Twitter,Facebook hell even on Tumblr.It really breaks my heart to see our fandom come to this.

FYI: Send me a message with a weird racist undertone like this and you’re getting blocked.

People will ship what they’re going to ship, and while I’m personally disgusted by the possibility of SessRin being a thing and the use of her childhood image overlaid on the twins in the new OP (if she is the Mom), the implication you’re making here is pretty clear and also wildly inappropriate. Be frustrated with the studio if you want, but this ain’t it, sis.

#really? #sessrin drama #anti-sessrin #Anonymous #ask

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #475

(from two days ago, oops)

What is your favorite background noise? (Ex. Water dripping, people talking.) I really like a steady rain tapping on the windows. Do you like taking selfies? Why or why not? No, because I'm ugly. It's annoying because I've been wanting to take pics with Girt considering even as just friends literally none exist of us, but yeah. I fucking hate taking pictures of myself and it takes a billion and two tries to get a picture I deem "acceptable" anyway. Were you named after anyone? No. What was the last comic book you read? I don't and never have read comic books. What is your heritage? German, Irish, and Polish. Describe the worst friend you have ever befriended. All things considered, somehow my former best friend was the worst. She was homophobic, racist, extremely self-centered, drama-driven, excessively bossy, ungrateful... I will never be able to explain how our friendship ever worked. If you found the recipe for immortality, would you sell it or would you burn it? Burn it. With certainty. We just aren't meant to live forever. What is the most embarrassing, cringe-worthy thing you have ever done? 99% of my life has been Cringe. What is the worst thing someone could do on a date? Be distracted/not pay attention to the other, like by constantly using their phone. It's so rude. That would immediately make me lose interest in you. If you could turn one legal thing illegal, what would it be? I dunno. What is something you swore you would never do when you grew up, but you did anyway? I was absolutely going to college as a kid. Fast-forward to the future, I've dropped out three times and am going nowhere. Little me saw me as so, so much more successful. Do you actually iron your clothes? No. Unless it's a formal occasion. Do you rent or own your current home? We rent. Have you ever used cursive after school, aside from your signature? My handwriting is naturally mostly cursive. Do you have your groceries delivered or do you buy them yourself? We order our groceries for pick-up, so we have to go to the store, but not in. Do you have a gym membership? Sigh. I do, but Mom and I have really been neglecting going since my time with my personal trainer ran out... What’s your favorite computer game genre? Horror, of course. Do you have any exes your parents never liked? No. Have you ever been severely mentally ill? I am. What was the last thing you purchased from a small local business? I don't know. Have you ever used chewing tobacco? EW no, that shit grosses me out so much. If someone’s laughing, do you instantly think they’re laughing at you? Suuuure do. How would you react if your parents told you they were having another baby? Well, they're divorced, Mom cannot stand my dad, and she also had a complete hysterectomy when she had ovarian cancer, so like... Have you ever had a garage or yard sale before? How much did you make? Over the course of my life, we've had a few yard sales. I don't remember how much we made at any. Have you ever had to evacuate your home for any reason? No. Which mythological creature is your favorite? DRAGONS. I love dragons. Have you ever been to a butterfly garden before? No, but that sounds amazing. What's the biggest bird you've ever seen up close? Oh my god y'all, when I volunteered once at a wildlife rehab center, I was FEET away from some sort of falcon. Guys, you would not believe JUST how big birds of prey are. I was shocked and in total awe. Have you ever seen a double rainbow before? More than once. Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child? I don't THINK I was? What is the strangest thing you’ve been asked? Something inappropriate that really pissed me off. What was your favorite game as a child? I was obsessed with the original Spryo trilogy and would play all three obsessively. What is the darkest thing you have seen on the internet? I don't know, dark shit. Do you crack your knuckles, neck or toes constantly? No, but ugh Girt does that with his neck and it drives me insane alsdkjfaljdlfkwe. Are you constantly catching colds or other sicknesses? No, my immune system is a legend. Are you afraid of mice? No, they're precious. What type of souvenir do you usually purchase when on vacation? I go on vacations so irregularly that I can't really answer this. I've been on a vacation maybe twice in my entire life. Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? No. If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? I don't like musicals. Will you willingly sing in front of other people besides your family? God no. Do you eat soup when you’re sick? No. I don't like soup. Who can never fail to make you laugh? Absolutely my boyfriend. He's the funniest person I know. Have you ever been on a tour bus? No. Do you prefer listening to things through headphones or speakers? Earplugs. Are you listening to music right now? No; I'm watching Gab play The Evil Within. Have you ever unbuttoned your ex’s pants? Just one of them, but we were together at the time. What are you planning on eating for dinner tonight if you haven’t already? Mom made pizza. What was the worst news you’ve heard this entire week? Girt's mother has Covid. He's vaccinated, but nevertheless, he's still getting a test done just to be safe, and also because if he's contracted it, I might have it. And that means my mother could get it, which just cannot happen, even if she's vaccinated, too. The poor guy is really freaking out about it, but ASTONISHINGLY, I'm not panicking yet. Girt's health has seemed fine, I'm fine, so... We'll just have to wait to see what his test says. Do you have a lot of trees around your house? What about buildings? No; yes. I hate living in the suburbs, it sucks here. Would you say either one of your parents are 'pack-rats?' No. Have you ever disowned anyone in your family? For what reasons? No. Has anyone ever called you a sociopath before? No. Do you have freckles? Do you like/dislike them? Not on my face, no. I have a few randomly on my body though. Would you ever consider getting dreadlocks? No. Have you downloaded extra fonts for your computer? Oh, plenty. Who is the latest great YouTuber you’ve discovered? The latest, uhhhh. I'd probably say John Wolfe as a truly "great" one considering I watch him regularly now. Do you read the Bible regularly? Yeah, no. All the Bible does is piss me off, frankly. Name three patriotic songs you like. I don't know about three, but I do shockingly like this one country song with a name I can't remember. All I know is it has "red, white, and blue" in the title. ... I think. Oh! There's "Deutschland" by Rammstein, even though it's not about my own country. Has it ever snowed on your birthday? Maybe at some point as a kid? Idr. Do you like the way your name is spelled? No, actually. I wish it was "Brittney." It's more true to the pronunciation. Do you believe in astrology? Not in the slightest, and while I really shouldn't care, like believe what you want, it's a genuine pet peeve of mine when others base their fucking lives around what positions some goddamn stars are in in an infinite universe. They make decisions based on bullshit being spat at them that might not be suitable. I know, it's stupid to care, but I can never seem to NOT roll my eyes when I see/hear people blaming their flaws and shit on this stuff. Are you one of those people who has like a hundred apps on their phone? No; I have very few. What’s the band that you love even though you know they’re awful? I can't help but love some Blood on the Dance Floor songs. :x Do you coo over other people’s babies? No, not really. Like I can acknowledge a cute picture and be like "awww," but it's nothing I lose my mind over at all. What is something that makes you very squeamish? VOMIT. If you’re out of high school, have you stayed in touch with your high school friends? If you’re still in school, do you think you will? The only high school friend of mine I'm still actively friends with/is still in my life is Girt, obviously. Like I have HS friends on Facebook that I still very much love and will react to what they post and sometimes comment, but we don't really talk-talk. Do you dye your hair regularly? No. :/ That's not something I can afford to do. Do you have an alter ego? Describe them: No. Do you know both of your biological parents? Which one do you prefer? I do, and I love them both. Do you store a lot of pictures you’ve taken that no one else has seen? I'm a wanna-be photographer, of course I do. If you had to name your kid after an American state, which would you choose? Probably "Dakota" for either gender. What do you use to dry your clothes? (Tumble dryer, radiator, etc) We have your normal dryer. Do you ever play the built-in games on your computer? Which ones? Nah. Do/did you doodle on your books at school? My notebooks and binders, ohhhh yes. Actual school textbooks, absolutely not. Who’d you last see in a tux? The groom and groomsmen of the last wedding I shot. Who’s the bravest person you know? Sara. Have you ever dated someone who was real sportsy? No.

#survey #surveys #random questions

[purplesurveys]

1168

survey by disappearingink

How old are you? 22, though my birthday is coming up sooooooooon.

Have you ever laughed in a highly inappropriate situation? I might have, but I’m not necessarily bad at hiding it if I absolutely have to.

Explain how a person last made you laugh. I don’t remember who it was anymore, but I was watching 2D1N just a few minutes ago and someone did a gesture that made me laugh, I’m pretty sure.

Name something illegal you've done underage. Just downloading torrented movies and books. I also answered this in a previous survey.

If you had to fly in something, what would you fly in? I’d love to take a trip on a light plane.

Do you have any relationship with the state of Florida? I don’t think I have relatives who live there, so no. They’re spread out across other states, though.

Is there any phrase your dad typically uses? Whenever I buy food from outside that I intend to have as a midnight snack, I always make sure to ask him if he wants some around after dinner so he can get a few bites in before I have it all for myself. His automatic response is always a whiny, “I’m fuUuuUuuUuUull” no matter how appetizing my meals look, haha.

What state do you live in? I don’t live in a state.

Would you rather be somewhere else? Sure. Being outside right now, on a Sunday evening, would’ve been a nice way to unwind before work starts again tomorrow.

The last time you wore a formal dress? Last July for my virtual graduation ceremony. I didn’t need to dress up, but I wanted pretty pictures like what other graduates from previous batches would usually post so I asked my family to dress up and pose for a few family photos.

Your favorite thing to do in the winter? I don’t get to experience winter.

Favorite sport? To play? Table tennis.

Do you know of any good comedians? Sindhu Vee has been the most memorable one for me, but I’ve only seen like one or two of her skits. Maybe my Facebook feed algorithm isn’t just very great but I feel like all the other comedians I’ve seen just try too hard.

If you were born in the opposite gender, what would your name be? I dunno. My parents have never shared this with me, though I also think they just never discussed it in the first place.

Is there anything you question about reality? I think just the inequality of wealth and opportunities, for the most part.

What do you think about people who obsessively state how *real* they are? I don’t get to hear this a lot, to be honest.

What's your relationship to the child you’re around most? They are my pets, lol.

Have you ever had an illegal substance in your blood stream? Nope.

Zodiac? Taurus.

What is the worst thing that has ever happened to your hair? My mom once bought me to this rather cheap hair salon once and they didn’t exactly have the best treatments available for rebonding, and the aftermath was horrible. My hair would turn hard as a stick every time I would get it wet, and it lasted around a year or so :( To this day I use about a 1:3 ratio of shampoo and conditioner every single time I shower.

What do you think about cats? Not a fan of most, but you do you. I still care for cats in the general sense but I never wanted one as a pet.

Can you give me a band not many people listen to? Idk if I can be the judge of that...I would suggest just looking up any letter on Spotify and see whatever obscure bands come up lol.

Who do you want with you when you're afraid? Depends on what kind of afraid I am. If it’s something like a car crash or fire, I’d want my parents around. Then there are other scenarios that I’d rather have my friends be with me.

Metaphorically, have any dogs you ever have to call off? I’ve never heard of this idiom before.

Wind, earth, fire, or air? I don’t really care.

Have you ever known a Lukas? Not with this spelling, but I have a cousin named Lucas.

Who might as well just be your sibling? My eldest cousin.

Would you ever consider working for the government? I did, because realistically it’s a lot of money; but thank fuck I dodged a bullet. I can’t imagine how I’d view myself if I ever sold out.

What is the weirdest thing you have ever witnessed a sibling doing? Idk, the three of us are all pretty private people so all the weird things they could’ve possibly done, they most likely did so without anyone seeing.

What are you looking forward to doing this summer? I’m not looking forward to doing anything; I would just want a substantially-calmed down Covid problem by then, if it’s possible.

Any thoughts on people who brag about being straight edge? I don’t mind it. I was invested in the subculture for a few years back in high school, so I get where they’re coming from.

Would you agree that alot of newer male vocalists sound gay? Ugh, so this is one of those surveys...

Your first best friend's name? Angela.

Do you miss any person who happens to be a hippie? I don’t know any hippies.

How do you act when you're uncomfortable? I like to stay quiet and hide in the background until I have an opportunity to leave. If there are people I know around, I cling to them.

Do you know what mesculine is? No.

Favorite alcoholic drink? Peach soju and Long Island Iced Tea.

What bug would you like to be extinct? Cockroaches.

Do you know who Jack Bauer is? No but this did remind of Baauer, aka the dude who came up with Harlem Shake.

The worst legal crime you've ever committed? Are...there...legal crimes?

The most trouble you've ever been in with authority? Just traffic violations.

Have you ever seen the movie Gone Baby Gone? Nope.

#survey #surveys

[princesstadashi]

A Post for Newbie Ren Faire Goers!

So, provided this god awful virus doesn’t shut them all down, it’s about ren faire season, at least for me and probably for some other people! And today at work I had this flashback to when I first started regularly going to faire, and man, was I confused about a lot of things--and I realized that maybe this would be a good time for me to make a post for others who are getting ready to visit their first Ren faire, or who are familiar with Ren faires but might still have questions and want to learn more. If you’re ready, let’s dive into this!

What the heck is a mug strap? It may sound random, and you may have never even heard of a mug strap, but this is actually one of the first questions I had about ren faires because it was something so many people were asking me if I had, so let me explain: It is a piece of leather that has two loops (at least one of which can come open), one loop to go around your belt and the other one (for sure the one that comes open) which can go around the handle of a mug or other drinking vessel for ease of carrying it! Which brings me to my second question:

Why are there so many shops selling wooden mugs (and other similar items?) This is because it is very, very important to stay hydrated at faire, especially when the weather is warm outside! A mug is an easy way to hold your drink of choice, and the mug strap mentioned above means you don’t have to carry it in your hands once you’re finished drinking! At least my local Ren faire has drink stations with water and gatorade for season pass holders, and even if yours doesn’t there are always water fountains! Do you need a mug to attend a Ren faire? Definitely not! But they’re pretty darn useful if you plan to go regularly instead of constantly buying bottled drinks, plus they look pretty cool!

What is “the cast”? The people hired by the Ren faire to play characters, you’ll usually see them walking around in the streets (or “lanes”) and performing in shows and events!

What the heck is “garb”? To put it in very simplified terms, it’s the old-timey clothes or “costumes” that you’ll see people wearing :)

(More below the cut!)

Is garb or any sort of costume necessary? No, absolutely not! Plenty of people go in regular clothes! But it is fun to get dressed up :) And you don’t have to have a full costume straight off--that stuff is expensive, so it’s okay if you need to build it up over time if you want to do that--all that matters is that you’re having fun and getting into the spirit of things! Back to not dressing up: Again, it is totally fine if you want to wear regular street clothes, and a lot of the cast will probably have fun asking about your “outlandish outfit” and any modern devices that you have with you! HOWEVER. I hate that I have to say this, but I do: if you don’t choose to wear garb, don’t be a dick to the people who are wearing it. Usually everyone is very chill, and of course some of the cast members will be wearing costumes that are meant to be very showy. But especially with regards to fellow guests: don’t treat them as part of the “spectacle” or like they’re animals in a zoo: basically just don’t stare, don’t treat them like they’re weird for dressing up no matter their age, and remember that they’re just people wanting to have a good time like you, they just want to look totally badass doing it!

So is it not okay to talk to people about their costumes or to ask them for pictures? Please, as long as you’re being polite, feel free to ask--many people like me feel like the reward of all the work we put into our garb is compliments and people asking for pictures! But use common courtesy: if someone seems uncomfortable with you talking to them, just leave them be. And always ask before taking a picture! You might see some photographers taking candid shots, but most of those people are professionals and have gotten permission to be doing that. General rule of thumb is just treat people like you would want to be treated!

I see a lot of people being very flirty/touchy feely/etc. with each other, am I allowed to do that? So here’s the thing about Ren Faires: especially the cast, we tend to all be very open with each other and let loose a bit in a safe space. And a lot of stuff like that that you’ll be seeing is between people who already know each other and are comfortable with each other, even if we might not be acting like that if we’re in character. Now does that mean no flirting is allowed? Totally not! But just like in any other social setting, use common sense: see if the other person is comfortable with it, and if not respect that and back off. Simple as that. Also please keep especially in mind with the cast that this is a paying job for them so while they have a lot more freedom than a regular customer service job, it is still in a way customer service, so they can’t be super rude to you if you’re making them uncomfortable. But also keep in mind that there is security and no one is afraid to call security on you if you’re being inappropriate with anyone, and they will escort you out.

Is that sword (or other weapon) really sharp? At least in my experience, no--for safety reasons, most weapons are blunted--they’re still heavy so they can absolutely do damage as a bludgeon, but everyone tries to avoid more injuries than necessary. 

Can I hold that sword (or insert any other cool looking prop)? ASK. Dear God, ASK before you touch anything that someone else is carrying! I don’t mean to freak you out, but most of this stuff is VERY expensive and quite possibly damageable, no matter how sturdy it looks! Also if you start fucking around and injure someone else? There could be liability on the owner of the thing you were fucking around with. Some people will be chill about letting you handle their props, but if not, just be polite and thank them for their answer and move on! I’ve seen too many things be damaged/lost that were irreplaceable because people didn’t use common courtesy so I feel very strongly about this!

Do I have to use old fashioned speech? No, but it’s fun! And there are some pretty fun terms that are used to replace modern terms that don’t have a equivalent in the Renaissance! A few of my favorites: “The Book of Faces” = Facebook; “Please God 13″ = PG 13 (usually used to let you know if the content of a show will be slightly more mature); “Master or the Cards”/”Lady Visa”/”New World Express” = various names for common credit and debit cards!

Speaking of credit cards! There are a lot of vendors who take credit cards, but not all of them do, and sometimes reception can be REALLY spotty out in the faire grounds, so I’d say bringing about $40 per person (if you’re planning to eat lunch and dinner there) in cash is always a safe bet. Some faire grounds will have an ATM, but the line can get pretty long, and who really wants to pay ATM fees? Also tipping is how a lot of performers get to keep performing their craft! So having a couple ones to put in the basket at the end of a show if you choose to see a show is always a nice idea!

What about drinking alcohol, is that a thing? Yes, most Ren faires won’t let you bring your own, but most of the faires I’ve been to have plenty for sale! Just another general rule of courtesy: please do not treat this like a frat party, and try to avoid getting completely wasted and being a dick. Believe me. There’s a difference between being buzzed and having a good time and that. I have seen it too many times to count. It isn’t funny. There are usually children around you, and this is a public space. We all see you, and we’re all silently judging you. Please know your limits and drink responsibly!

I’ve worn cosplay before, is that okay to wear to Ren Faires? Cosplay is totally encouraged, especially if it works with the time period and/or it’s a character that is a time traveler! Hell, most of my “garb” is made up of cosplay! But please keep in mind: this is not a convention. There will be very, VERY limited places to sit. There will be very limited cover from the elements. You will most likely be walking on dirt roads with rocks and, if it has rained at all, you may be walking in several inches of mud. And the walk back to the car in the parking lot is a LOT longer than you think. So only wear something that you will be comfortable wearing for eight+ hours without being able to sit down for long/without having to remove parts of, and also something that can stand to get dirty and being out in the elements! (I have seen SO MANY floor length satin dresses that get dragged in the mud and it makes me physically cringe thinking about trying to get those mud stains out!) ALSO. COMFY SHOES. DEAR GOD. Invest in inserts if you can, just wear the comfiest fucking shoes you can find, your feet will thank you later!

Last of all: Don’t be afraid to ask question, and don’t be afraid to join in! Ask the cast and shop owners what the most fun things to do are if you aren’t sure what to do--sometimes they can point you in the way of really fun experiences that you wouldn’t even know about otherwise! If the Ren faire offers maps, definitely worth the investment, they’ll help you keep track of where you are (believe me, it’s super easy to get turned around!) as well as telling you where/when fun events and shows will be! Combining the two: one of my favorite parts of my local faire is Pub Sing, which is listed on the map but I might not have gone to without friends bringing me the first time and I LOVE it now. It’s basically a bunch of us sitting on wooden benches while one of the cast members leads singing of pub songs, and audience participation of new verses to the songs, lymericks, and toasts are fully welcome, and there’s even a big circle dance anyone can participate in and it’s always a great time, I try to never miss a single pub sing if I can help it!

So--yes, this probably got way too long, but hopefully this helps answer any questions that anyone might have had! Please feel free to comment if you have any other questions!

#ren faire #rennaisance festival #rennaisance faire

[prorevenge]

We didn't help but hOW DARE YOU REMOVE US?!

I'm in 11th grade and boy, oh boy, I thought my classmates from the previous school years were stupid but God, my classmates this year takes the cake.

We have Research ( something like thesis writing ) as a subject this year. Our teacher grouped our class into three groups. Mine ended up being the unluckiest. I was stuck with the 5 most entitled shit heads in the class. They were known for not doing shit in group activities yet when you try to remove them from the group they'd start shit.

And that's exactly what happened.

They basically did nothing the entire time my co-leader and I begged them to help. It was annoying and we decided to kick them out of the group if they don't help anything in Chapter 3.

Surprise, surprise! They didn't do shit. I kept messaging the group chat asking them to help or else but were they scared? Threatened? Nope! They just left me on read, every. Single. Time. My co-leader and I then did the most logical thing; we removed them from the group.

By the way, we kept reminding them that if they don't help out in any of the chapters, they'll get removed.

Last Saturday (Mar. 16), my co-leader and I revised our paper and we asked the select group members ( who actually did shit ) to send their dedication. On Sunday, my co-leader asked those who haven't sent in their dedication to send it since it was supposed to be passed the following day. This alerted one of the five shit heads.

Let's call him Jack.

Jack: What about me?

Co-leader (CL from now on): ask Gayle.

Me: Those who were mentioned gets to send in their dedications.

This alerted another shit head ( let's call her Mimi ).

Mimi: What about me?

I repeated what I said.

Jack: So we don't have to do anything?

Me [ in the most passive aggressive way ever ]: Hmm, I don't know. You might have to do another Research Paper?

Jack and Mari (another shit head): Why?

I then proceeded to explain that they didn't help one bit even if it was as easy as sending one link.

I was enraged that night and I was ranting which alerted another shit head who oh my god is the worst, most entitled piece of shit out of the five of them. Let's call her Kae.

Kae was livid when she found out she & her precious group of friends got kicked out for not doing anything. She began ranting about how she doesn't deserve to be disrespected like this and how she deserves to get an instant reply. The other three shit heads were hyping her and saying all these inappropriate things (i.e., how they loved to grind in a bar just to earn money).

Kae: I can't believe it! You guys just left me on read!

Me [ again, passive aggressively ]: [[ cough ]] you guys also left me on read when i ask you to do something [[ cough ]] i'm sorry, my throat's itchy.

Kae: WOW! How could you say that? You only notice a select few ( I don't. I've said it over & over again that if anyone has any questions, i'll happily answer it).

Me: uhmm... Remember the sub groups chats from a month ago?

Mimi: Gayle, you said that you'll handle everything and we'd just pay.

Me: I never said that. I said that you'd have to pay if you didn't get to help out.

After that it was all chaos. I was ready to kill a bitch or maybe 5. The shit heads kept saying over and over and over about how "you could've approached us," "you could've said something," and a bunch of other shit. I was shaking due to the rage I was feeling. I've done everything to make them help. I begged, asked, and they didn't comply. I started replying to them in all caps, saying on how they're removed and that there was no way of them being ever included in the group again.

Mimi then said something about family.

Mimi: I thought we were family? I thought we were supposed to help each other out.

Kae: There is no FAMILY! ONLY GREEDINESS!

CL: It isn't our fault if you weren't active. We aren't always family.

Me: Stop it with your family bullshit cause we never treated nor saw you as family.

I removed the from the group chat, thinking it was all over. God, was I wrong. My co-leader informed me that they were mentioning me in the class group chat. They were causing an uproar. They kept saying shit like, "it's finally time to see their true personalities," or about how bad of a leader I am or about how much they paid for our research paper ( they paid 13 pesos, which isn't much honestly), and they even compared me to our class president.

Now, in our class, I'm a respectable student being both the top 1 and the class vice president. I'm a nice leader and I definitely do my part but I'm no push over. Unlike our class president who is a giant push over and that's why they said she was the better leader cause they can abuse her kindness. ( The class president and I are very good friends so no one took the comparison to an offence ).

There was a riot in the group chat and my emotionally inept classmates just kept adding fuel to the fire. It was ridiculous and immature. My co-leader and I kept quiet and decided to let them feast on their stupidity. It was 12:07 AM when they finally shut up and I decided to get some sleep too.

Here's where the fun begins. I woke up at 5:30AM in a cold sweat. I had a plan and I was absolutely ready to go through with it. Those shit heads were "exposing" me with screenshots ( because I replied to them in a passive aggressive way ) then two can play at that game. I've got all the necessary shit to expose them too. I still have the sub group chats from Chapters 1 & 3 and the entire group chat for our Research.

I borrowed my grand dad's phone, opened my Messenger account and began taking screenshots. I posted them all on MyDay for everyone to see. I added a few passive aggressive notes on the pics.

The screenshots proved that they didn't help nor gave one single reply. But my petty ass wasn't done there just yet, nope. I planned on making a portfolio with all the screenshots plus an essay. I gathered all my money because the screenshots were a hundred plus.

I told my co-leader about this. She thought it was over the top but our other group members told me they were on board.

When I got to school that day, my classmates were either asking for details or saying good luck. It just pumped me up to go through with the plan even more. CL and I went to the nearest computer shop to print the screenshots. Once CL & I entered the room, we were both shocked.

The 5 shit heads were there. They actually went to school. That was a fucking miracle to be honest. I rolled my eyes as I hid the printed screenshots from their view. They left the room but not before making a few comments about me. Those comments only fueled the fire.

Once they actually left, I began sorting the screenshots out. The class president noticed & asked about it. I told her my plan and she cheered me on. Another classmate asked when the fight was gonna start. I laughed and told him that this was the way I was gonna bring them down by ruining their reputation in the faculty room.

Nobody likes the 5 shit heads. They always started shit and a few of my classmates have confronted them but it wasn't successful due to lack of necessary evidence. I was ready to be the one that took them down.

While I sorted out the screenshots, the shit heads came back. Before they could see what I was doing, I quickly hid it all. They stayed in the room for 10 minutes or so, loudly talking about the incident the night before or how Class President was the better leader. I rolled my eyes at them again. After they said their comments, they left the room with their bags. They only went to school to talk shit about me and CL.

Classic.

After I finished sorting the screenshots and finished writing the essay, it was all set. The only thing missing was the Research Paper itself. My friend and I went back to the computer shop to print the Paper. On the way there, we crossed paths with the shit heads and they said something about grades or something, I'm not sure.

Once the paper was printed, we set off. We reached the faculty room. We saw our teacher and signaled him over. I handed our Research Paper plus the portfolio. We didn't say anything and our teacher flipped through the pages. He was silent then he went back to his desk.

Mission Accomplished.

But the story doesn't end there. Tuesday ( Mar. 19), our adviser confronted us.

Adviser ( A from now on): What's this about?

Kae: Gayle removed us from the group without us knowing.

Me: Well, you guys --

Kae: She was rude to us and I was asking nicely.

Me: [ towards our other classmate ] Ren! Let me borrow your phone.

He gave me his phone and I logged in my Messenger account.

Me: [[ handing the phone to A ]] here's the group chat Ma'am.

A: [[ takes the phone ]] okay! Everyone take the exams while I read!

And we did. After the exam, she asked us ( the shit heads + the rest of the group) to come over and talk. We came over and she said a little something that made me smirk.

A: Call Sir John!

The shit heads looked unfazed. They were tight with our adviser. They were thinking that she'd side with them but nope, she never sided with them when it came to arguments like this.

Kae was staring daggers at me while our classmates called our Research adviser. The other 4 were smirking and laughing amongst themselves. CL was rolling her eyes and the rest of the group were doing other things. I was neutral. I had no expression on my face.

After 5 minutes or so, Sir John ( SJ from now on ) came into the room. He had his class record and a familiar purple sliding folder with him. He brought the portfolio. SJ sat down on one of the chairs and the meeting resumed.

A: Start talking.

Kae: Well, it happened Sunday night. Jack messaged me on Facebook telling me we got removed from the Research group. I messaged our group chat and no one was answering --

Me: We're sorry we didn't get to reply early.

Jack: But you were online.

( Anyone who uses FB on mobile would know that you don't actually have to be on the app 24/7 to be online, you just have to be connected to a data/internet connection. I was on YT when they messaged.)

Mimi: We were mentioning you.

Me: I'm sorry but mentions don't work for me as I don't have Messenger installed on my phone. ( i have a Samsung Galaxy V btw )

Kae: That isn't the point. You were online yet you weren't responding. Shows how much of a bad leader you are.

I. Was. Baffled. I knew these shit heads were entitled but god damn, their level is wow.

Mari: You left us on read.

A: [[ slams her palm on the desk ]] enough!! Move on to the actual problem.

Kae: Gayle removed us from the group without our permission.

Me: I have a valid reason. You didn't help out.

Mimi: But you told us we only have to pay and you'd handle the rest.

Me: What else was I suppose to say? You'd only ask what you can do when it was time for passing? Plus, I only said you'd have to pay if you didn't help out.

Kae: Where tf did you say that?

Me: The group chat you love to leave on read.

They were accusing me of lying but luckily SJ stepped in.

SJ: [[ handing A the portfolio ]] Here's all the evidence you need, Ma'am.

A: [[ takes the portfolio and starts reading through it ]]

A read through Exhibit B which contained the conversation where I was asking for links regarding classroom discussion yet none of the shit heads could send any.

A: Why couldn't any of you send just one link? One link and it would've been fine!

A was mad. The shit heads were speechless for a second then began spewing out bull shit excuses like, "We don't have internet," "The internet cafe's too far," and, "I don't have any money."

I rolled my eyes. These shit heads could afford to drink at a bar-esque place every single day but couldn't afford to take 5 minutes out of their time to send a link.

Weird flex but okay.

A read through a few more pages. She was now on Exhibit C, D, and E which were all the sub groups where I was messaging and messaging and messaging for at least one of them shit heads to help.

A: Kae! Mimi! Why didn't any of you reply?

Kae: We thought we weren't needed.

Mimi: They just told us to pay.

SJ: They were messaging and kept asking for help.

A decided to stir the topic away from payment for a while.

A: Gayle, did you tell them when the deadline was?

Me: Yes, it's in th--

Kae: SHE NEVER DID! She never cared about us! She's always focusing on CL. CL this & CL that.

Me: I did and you left me on read and she's my co leader, what tf were you expecting? Plus you would've known when the deadline was if any of you just attended Sir John's classes for once.

Mimi: We do!

Bold of her to lie inbfront of SJ's face.

SJ: You don't. I have my class records and almost all of you are either Late or Absent most of the time.

Kae: We're late? What can we do about that?

Mari: Yes! What can we do about that?

Me: I don't know. Maybe make an effort to actually go to class early.

Joy: Classes start too early.

Our class start at 10 fucking 30.

SJ: Classes start at 10:30. You have enough time to be on time for classes.

The shit heads were silent. They had no come back now. It was silent till Mimi opened her fucking mouth.

Mimi: It's still unfair that we paid and now we aren't included.

Joy: I know right?!

A: Did you even help out?

SH ( shit heads ): No.

SJ: What do you even think Research is?! Do you pay for it?!

It was silent again and I was so glad I was wearing a face mask because I was smirking so wide that time.

Jack: [[ chuckles ]] Class President's group is still much better. Her group members don't have to pay and don't have to do anything to get included in the Paper.

A: Are you her group mates? No, so disregard her and the other group.

SJ: You are her [[ gestures to me ]] group mates so you are under her authority.

A: How much did you even pay?

Me: 13 pesos. Total.

SJ: [[ stares at the shit heads with an eyebrow raised ]]

A: [[ asking the SH ]] did you pay for Chapter 1?

SH: Yes!

A: [[ to me ]] Did you include them?

Me: Yes.

A: [[ to SH ]] How about for Chapter 2?

SH: Yes!

A: [[ to me ]] Did you include them?

Me: Yes.

A: [[ to SH ]] Did you pay for Chapter 3?

SH: ... No...

A: [[ to me ]] Did you include them?

Me: No.

A: See! They included you when you paid! What are you getting mad about?

Kae: It's still unfair that we aren't included anymore.

Mimi: wE PAID!

A: Not everything can be done through money. Now, don't depend on your group leader to do everything.

SJ: You now have to do your own Research paper. To be passed tomorrow.

Jack: Fine! Class President said she's gonna help us anyway.

SJ: No, she won't. I'll tell her to not help you as there will be consequences if I ever found she helped you or you asked for help.

Mimi: But sir! We don't know what to do.

SJ: What a shame. You should've attended my classes then. By the way, I've done what you asked me to do.

SJ got up from his seat with the class record and portfolio in hand and left.

The shit heads were speechless and I was amused. I knew exactly what Sir John meant, he made the entire faculty read the portfolio so now the teachers now what shenanigans these shits were up to.

I was happy that day. We won the case, the shit heads have to do their own paper.

Kae was glaring at me whenever she saw me that day and some say she's still glaring until now.

I celebrated by treating myself to McDonald's.

(source) story by (/u/AGryffindork)

#prorevenge #by /u/AGryffindork #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[onisiondrama]

onision.co questions part 3

Oh fuck. It’s nuts in there. So many people are asking questions. It’s getting really repetitive now. After this part I’m not going to post anything with similar answers.

Really important. Please. Greg. How do you sit here and say your husband never sent the photos when most of the internet, including myself, has the photos? How do you feel about other creators reporting you to the FBI? Or the entire internet having proof that your an abusive predator. And why respond to all of this with a BDSM thread on Twitter? Why won’t you respond to anybody with the photos? Is it because you know your caught?

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

I am not Kai, I kinda wish people would stop acting like I am. Secondly, Kai would never want to send anyone under 18 photos. That’s all I’ve said. People don’t know how to process what I say/read exactly what I say. I’ll say it again in a different way, Kai has never had any desire, in his adult life, to ever send anyone who is not an adult, anything inappropriate like a nude photo or whatever. Everyone involved knows Kai would never want to do that.

Do you think you're a good person? Every ex-girlfriend and ex-friend you’ve ever had says you’re abusive, and all of their stories line up with the same pattern of abuse you put them through. And keep in mind that all of these different people don’t claim that every single one of their exes were abusive, so there’s definitely something specific about you. Why do you think this is?

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

I hope they will eventually recover from me no longer wanting them in my life. I want better things for them than dwelling in me breaking up with and/or rejecting them. Dwelling in the past is no way to move forward in life.

replied 5 hours ago

That’s actually not what they’re dwelling on, but nice try! I too hope they recover from the psychological abuse they’ve all consistently stated you’ve put them through. And you’re clearly not moving forward in life either, considering that you’ve apparently used the same manipulation tactics and abusive behavior for 10+ years. Also your videos haven’t changed or improved either so there’s that, too! So maybe rethink your strategy 🙂 .

Why Onision won't just admit that Kai sent nudes to a minor Because it’s true! But the “fact machine” doesn’t want to admit this fact. So he’s using manipulative wording so he doesn’t have to admit that his parter actually broke the law! Something that “the most honest youtuber” says he would never stand behind. That’s the truth, isn’t it Greg?

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

If Kai broke the law he would be in jail by now… so, that’s reality *shrugs* Second fact is that Kai would never want to send a minor nudes in his adult life because he has no interest in sending a minor nudes. Neither of us condone that behavior. Again, Kai has never had any desire to do so. Also, realize the legal age of consent is 16 here, and Kai has to this day never performed any inappropriate acts on anyone under 18 in his adult life, despite it being legal — my husband is a pretty great guy.

replied 5 hours ago

That’s actually not reality… tons of people who break the law aren’t in jail. What world are you living in? And again, love that manipulative wording. “Would never want to send” is not the same as “has never sent”. But you can’t say that second phrase, can you? And the age of consent law isn’t the same as “sending communication with a minor for immoral purposes” law. For someone who knows so much about age of consent law, I’m surprised you don’t know this. For example: Didn’t you say that your dad had molested a minor? Why isn’t he in jail?

What does 'Kai has never had any interest in sending any non-adult nudes.' actually mean? I’m sorry if I’m missing the point here. Please could you expand just a little bit?The facts I can see. 1. Sarah has nudes of Kai (evidence posted online) 2. Sarah was underage when she recieved them (you can tell by matching Kai’s hair and clothing to a certain time-period)So did Sarah steal them? How did she come into possession of them if  not? You’re going to have to explain clearer because it doesn’t look good, if got to say.

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

The legal age of consent in Washington is 16, no one dated or did anything sexual to said person regardless. This points out something incredibly obvious: No one wanted to be with someone under 18, and clearly, no one was even though legally they could have been. There was no guardianship as I have been informed, only a medical waiver was signed. Kai never had any desire to send any minor any photos, Kai never did anything sexual to said minor despite being around them often. People try to paint Kai as some perv, when in fact, he is a great guy. If someone leaked photos of them, they should be dealt with, but Kai never had any interest in sending anyone who was not an adult photos like that.

Quick question https://twitter.com/maakenshixx/status/1173280285439299584 Hey James, I saw that you posted a tweet saying that you and Kai never sent nudes to Sarah went she was underage or any other minor for that matter. I then saw this, I’m wondering what’s going on. Is there any explanation for the fact sarah is saying that Kai sent her these when she was 15?

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

Please refer to the numerous other questions on this site for the answer. It makes everything fairly clear Kai is innocent of being evil or having any ill intentions as people seem to believe. Kai deserves better.

replied 4 hours ago

If you were making it clear then people would stop asking.

Accusations Ok, so on your Facebook page half the comments are accusing you of grooming children and/or being a phedophile. There seems to be a lot of evidence. If there’s any truth why aren’t you in jail? If its not true why have you gotten tired of saying your innocent?

Onision Staff answered 5 hours ago

Your first question answers the second one. Please refer to other sections of this questions page for more extensive answers. Kai is a really good person who would never want to do what people say he did. People have been mixing us up, and even targeting him just to hurt me, seems like silly internet drama as usual.

replied 4 hours ago

People get away with so many things without being in jail. You are extremely black and white in your views, there is literal proof of Kai doing the things he has been accused of, just because you’re worse doesn’t make him good

[anopenlettertomikeboudet]

Meme Context, Rabia, Aaron and the end of Wondery’s relationship with Mike.

It was International Women’s day when Mike posted this. This sparked outrage, understandably. 

This “meme” was the straw that broke the camels back. Wondery finally decided that the risk of having him as part of their network was a lot greater than whatever money he was bringing in.

To my knowledge, they washed their hands completely of Mike and S&S

Wondery decided to part ways with Sword and Scale. 

Mike decides to shut down his podcast for good. No more free episodes... At least according to him. This changes later on when he hires someone to host the free episodes. 

 "I just got off the phone with Wondery, and I am very sad to announce that we are no longer a Wondery show. 

In fact, without advertising, we're no longer a show at all. After this recording, I have a call with my staff to let most of them know they are being laid off today. That means no season 2 of Monstruo, no more This Is War, no more Sword and Scale Rewind, and, as it stands right now, no more Sword and Scale. That's it. Censorship actually works. You get a mob to rally against you, intimidate those around you, anyone who associates with you, because you've been deemed "a bad person" who says "bad words." The mob can censor you through intimidation, through boycotts, and other tactics just because they don't like what you say, how you said it, what tone you used, what words you used. 

I've been saying that for years. There is a culture war going on right now in the United States, and pretty much all over the world. It's not enough for this particular group of people to scroll past something they don't like, to unsubscribe from it. No, that's not the point at all. It's not about controlling what they hear as individuals. It's about controlling what YOU hear. What all of you, all of us, hear, or see, or say, or think. Your words are no longer your words, whether you think they are or not. They're the words of the mob, of the state. Your individual liberties have been given up for the sake of pretending that you're more virtuous than you are, for the sake of appearances. 

Right now, as it stands, this is the end. We will keep putting out PLUS episodes on Patreon until we move to our own platform, and then continue putting out episodes behind that paywall. But Sword and Scale, the free show, and all of the other Incongruity Media shows, are coming to an end. Anything that was ad supported is over now. Because of Aaron Mahnke from Lore, and Rabia Chaudry from Undisclosed, who led this boycott against me and my company 'cause they didn't like certain things I said. There have been many accusations against me over the years, because I believe in independent thought and independent speech. I don't talk like them. I don't say things in the pre-approved way they want me to say it. And when someone tries to tell me what to say, I tell them to fuck off. Well they don't like that. They don't like having their power challenged, so they attack your character. They use things that are out of context, especially screenshots, to prove what a misogynist pig you are. Never mind context, nevermind telling the actual series of events or circumstances behind these screenshots. No. Just collect 'em all and put 'em in a place where you can point people to. A public forum, such as Reddit, for example, where you can show people that "it's on the internet, it must be true!" That's what they do, and they do it to public figure after public figure, that doesn't toe their line. So they went after my advertisers and scared enough of them to drop me. But that wasn't enough. Then they went after Wondery, not just the company as a whole, but individuals IN that company. And guess what? It worked. And I don't blame them. There's only so much you can take, so much pressure you can take. I know other podcasters that have been attacked just because they're friends with me. They've been personally attacked just because of their association to me as an individual because I've been deemed a bad person. 

I don't fall in line with their bullshit. I make inappropriate jokes sometimes. I repost memes that some people might find offensive. Everyone takes everything SO seriously and loves to virtue-signal about it online. Even a fucking joke meme that I didn't even create. It takes a particularly special individual to try to get a podcaster fired because they didn't like a reposted joke meme, but that's what people like Aaron Mahnke and Rabia Chaudry are all about: virtue signaling online. Pretending they're better than everyone else, acting like they're more moral, more enlightened. Well there you go, maybe they are. Maybe I am an asshole. And I'm an asshole that you will no longer be able to hear because of these virtuous people. 

Now right now I don't know what's going to happen. I wanted to come on here and tell you why we're not going to be putting out shows anymore and also to let you know that there's still a way for you to support us. Again right now it's still on Patreon, we're moving off that platform because of this very reason. We don't want someone pressuring Patreon somehow to drop us because they've been offended by something. And that can very well happen. It could very well happen that we're dropped off of Patreon, kicked off of Twitter, kicked off of every platform out there, Facebook, YouTube, you name it. Because again, we don't fall in line with this common, modern day thinking that you have to say things a certain way, that you have to keep repeating the party line. That's just how I am. I don't let anyone else control my words. And so here we are, where my words have now been silenced. Censorship works. You go after someone online, you get a mob behind you, you can take 'em down. Just like Aaron Mahnke and Rabia Chaudry did to 

me. So that's it. Congratulations. You've silenced another free thinker. Good job. Now you can go get offended by someone else and silence them too. Your work is never done, is it? Enjoy your little battle. I'll see everyone else on Patreon, and thank you to those of you still listening."

Ya’ll ready to dissect a few choice parts of this?

Let’s do this. 

Aaron and Rabia merely called him out, both are very, very busy individuals and don’t have the time to lead any boycotts or mass take down of Mike Boudet, they just called it as they saw it. 

The reason why he was deemed a “bad person” who says “bad words” is because he is. I’ve never seen him once take a step back and think “Well fuck, I sure fucked up. I’ll try and do better”

As for firing his staff. Let me let you in on a secret. Let’s say that his 15k supporters on Patreon give him the *lowest* donation a month... That’s $75k a month. He still has plenty of money to throw around. He didn’t end up firing anyone. 

He got deplatformed, and he still doesn’t get why he is the problem. 

He did bring in a new host, Tricia Griffith owner of Websleuths and her story is a whole new blog post. She reads for the “free episodes” and Mike reads for the “paid episodes”

[bountyofbeads]

As The US Debates “Concentration Camps,” These Jews Are Trying To Actually Shut Them Down https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/jews-against-ice-never-again-immigration-concentration-camp?s=mobile_app

Donald Trump American Jews are not monolithic, stop using them to justify #TrumpCamps. These camps for children, women and men are dehumanizing, inhumane and shameful. We are better than this. #NeverAgain #NeverForget

“In these moments there are people who are courageous and take action, and there are bystanders,” Rubin said. “You don’t have to think of yourself as an activist to do this.”

Young Jewish Activists Seek To Shut Down ICE "Concentration Camps

"My whole life I’ve been told these stories by my community," said one young Jewish activist. "Those alarms are going off in my head.”

Julia Reinstein | Published July 20, 2019, at 7:31 a.m. | BuzzFeed | Posted July 20, 2019 |

In a messy Airbnb in northeast Washington, DC, Alyssa Rubin, 25, and Ben Doernberg, 30, passed a stale loaf of challah back and forth on Monday as they planned how they were going to shut down ICE.

“Okay, let’s all share whatever updates we have aaand...your favorite ice cream flavor!” said Rubin, introducing an impromptu icebreaker during one of their regular video conference calls with other organizers.

Surrounded by open suitcases, an air mattress, at least one Popeyes bag, and a mishmash of chips and Cheez-It containers, the two-story row house in DC’s Shaw neighborhood could easily be the site of a sleepaway camp reunion. Instead, this week it served as headquarters for Never Again Action, a brand-new movement of young American Jews calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be shut down and the closure of immigrant detention centers nationwide.

About 15 activists from cities all over the US stayed in the house this week — sleeping on mismatched couches, a futon, and the floor — to pull off their biggest action yet: a march on Tuesday from the National Mall to the ICE headquarters, where they planned to quite literally shut the building down.

There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about Jewish identity and anti-Semitism in the US. First-year Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar had to apologize in February for tweets against the pro-Israel lobby that she later seemed to acknowledge could be interpreted as containing “anti-Semitic tropes” — although she denied this was her intention. Then last month Ilhan’s fellow “Squad” memberRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew backlash from Republicans and Democrats when she used the term “concentration camps” to describe immigrant detention centers. Vice President Mike Pence said she had “cheapened” the memory of the Holocaust “to advance some left-wing political narrative,” while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it a “wholly inappropriate comparison.” Even the US Holocaust Memorial museum in DC took offense.

But while politicians debate semantics, and the media discusses whether  Jewish identity is being coopted as a political “shield,” these young Jews are instead taking action. For them, there are clear and painful parallels between their relatives’ past and the present treatment of undocumented immigrants — and their Jewish identity is compelling them to do something about it.

So over the course of just three weeks, they’ve been working day and night to build a movement to upend Trump’s immigration policy and close the detention centers once and for all.

“I don’t care what we call them,” said Rubin of the centers. “I care that we stop them.”

Never Again Action is about as new as movements come. It started on June 24 when Serena Adlerstein, a 25-year-old organizer in Michigan with immigrant rights group Movimiento Cosecha, posted a Facebook status asking if any Jews would be down to protest at a detention center. They got on their first call the same night.

“It was kind of just this offhand Facebook post … and then people starting commenting like, ‘Yes, but actually!’” Adlerstein said. “I think we could all sense the political moment we were in, and we were like, ‘If we’re going to actually do this, we need to do an action fairly quickly.’”

Less than a week later, on June 30, 36 people were arrested during Never Again Action’s first protest when they blocked entrances to a detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. They were subsequently charged with obstruction of a public passage, issued a summons, and released, authorities told NJ.com.

After that, the protests just kept coming. In Boston earlier this month, more than 1,000 marched from the New England Holocaust Memorial to the Suffolk County House of Correction, where ICE keeps some of its detainees. In San Francisco, they protested outside Nancy Pelosi’s office, chanting “Never again is now” and “Until you close the camps, we will close your building.” Protests have also been held in Philadelphia, the Los Angeles  area,  Chicago, and Buffalo.

Some of the young adult leaders have previous organizing experience through other Jewish social action groups. But taking on a project on this level — trying to build a brand-new national movement in Trump’s America — is a different beast. Almost like a mantra that they repeat as if to remind themselves, they frequently say that they’re “really building the plane as [they] fly it.”

They now have a Slack team with nearly 200 members. In one channel, called #i-want-to-do-a-thing, people volunteer for any task, big or small, that gets dropped in. Evan Feldberg-Bannatyne, a 21-year-old student at Earlham College in Indiana, serves as the group’s fundraising lead, despite having no prior experience doing that kind of work. On one of the first Never Again Action’s video calls, he volunteered to take on the role simply because no one else had. The next day, he set up a GoFundMe with the intention of raising about $25,000 to pay bail for those risking arrest at the New Jersey protest. They wound up raising $180,000. “On the way back from the [New Jersey protest], I was just refreshing every five minutes watching the GoFundMe tick up and up and up,” he said.

Now, the 21-year-old is in charge of all the group’s financial operations, running a team that handles budgeting, reimbursements, and fiscal sponsorships, which he describes as “super dry stuff but super important.”

“This is really how I practice my Judaism — through social justice,” he said.

American Jews have a long historywhen it comes to social justice work, ranging from the labor unions of the 19th-century Eastern European Jewish garment workers to the large number of Jewish Freedom Riders during the civil rights movement. Today, Jews in the US overwhelmingly vote for Democrats, with 71% opting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But much like the movement that has fractured the Democratic Party in recent months, progressive Jews have also been making themselves heard. A number of progressive Jewish groups — many of which the Never Again Action organizers are a part of — have grown in prominence, including Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and IfNotNow, a group that opposes Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Unlike more senior members of the Democratic establishment, these Jewish activists are much more likely to speak out against Israel and much less likely to bristle at Holocaust comparisons.

Though comparisons to the Holocaust have not been universally welcomed, the current immigration crisis — seeing people rounded up in cages, separated from their families, humiliated by guards, and deprived of food, water, and showers — evokes a particularly painful and frightening sense of déjà vu for many Jews.

“This is authoritarianism — we’ve seen this before,” said Brandon Mond, 25. “This is a state agency that’s able to just roll around the streets and abduct people at random. My whole life I’ve been told these stories by my community that say that’s a bad sign, so those alarms are going off in my head.”

After working in Democratic politics, Mond had a bit of a reckoning after Clinton lost the 2016 election; he pivoted to organizing with a progressive Jewish group. He thinks many people “associate with the Democratic Party the way you associate with a sports team,” but he’s been frustrated with how the Democrats have responded to what he called the “human rights travesty” at the border. Like other progressives, he says his frustration has reached boiling point.

“I don’t feel accountable to the Democratic Party — I feel accountable to people, particularly people who are really getting fucked over by the system,” Mond said. “If the Democratic Party wants to step up and help those people, I’ll gladly back them. But if they’re going to stand there and fund Border Patrol and ICE facilities like Pelosi and the Democrats did last week, why would I be accountable to them?”

Much like the Democrats have been split on whether to fund the centers, they’ve also been divided on whether it’s appropriate to call them “concentration camps.” Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Jerry Nadler, both of whom are Jewish, defended Ocasio-Cortez’s use of the term amid the controversy. But Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who is also Jewish, called the comparison “cruel and disrespectful to the six million who were murdered in the Holocaust, including members of my own family.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said “of course she was wrong” to make the comparison, while even Sen. Bernie Sanders  distanced himself from the comment.

But the Never Again Action members are leaning right into the comparison. They draw their name, after all, from a phrase directly associated with the Holocaust. Activist Sophie Ellman-Golan, 27, said the label “concentration camp” is appropriate because “we should be using the strongest possible words to describe what’s happening right now.”

“If the use of that term does prompt people to feel uncomfortable or hurt,” she said, “those are the right feelings to have about what’s happening right now.”

On Monday evening, the Jewish organizers and many of the protesters gathered in St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in northern DC, where they trained for the next day’s demonstration, painted signs, and learned protest songs next to stained glass windows depicting Christian saints and beneath a hanging wooden crucifix. The local church is known for serving as a home base for progressive movements and for its association with the punk scene.

“We are the voice within your heart / Plus 11 million / So listen, so listen,” one of the songs went, referring to the 11 million undocumented immigrants estimated to be living in the US.

Emilia Feldman, 23, a Jewish Latina organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, spoke of how personal this movement feels; her grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and her friend, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, has been in a detention center for six months.

“He has been denied his basic human rights in really horrible ways,” Feldman said, tears forming in her eyes. “I’ve gotten phone calls from him saying things like ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and ‘I want to sign papers for my own deportation,’ but he knows if he is deported back to Honduras, he will be killed.”

Never Again Action and Movimiento Cosecha coordinated the DC protest, with Never Again Action’s main goal being to amplify Cosecha’s mission of securing permanent protection for all undocumented immigrants and ending deportation and detention. Cata Santiago, a 22-year-old Movimiento Cosecha organizer who is not Jewish, said she’s “really appreciative of the Jewish community who’s uplifting the voices of the undocumented immigrants.”

“[They’re] also collaborating with Cosecha as a movement that’s on the front lines, and that in itself to me is powerful and deserving of respect,” said Santiago.

In the late night hours of Monday, the protesters walked in the dark, carrying a 20-foot-long banner that read “PELOSI, NEVER AGAIN IS NOW #DIGNITYNOTDETENTION” through the streets of DC to a local organizer’s apartment. Along the way, several passersby asked what it meant.

“Dignity, not detention!” one of the people carrying the banner yelled back. “See you on the Mall at noon?”

Early Tuesday morning, the organizers furiously typed away on laptops and took phone calls, arranging last-minute details for the action. Ben Doernberg didn’t go to sleep until 4:30 a.m. and woke up just three hours later. “I know that’s not good, and I think there can be glorification of that — but when you’re this close to getting something done, you do what you have to do,” he said.

In a Lyft ride to the National Mall, the organizers sang along to Panic! at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” as Rubin offered everyone sunscreen.

Protesters wearing yellow T-shirts that read “Never again, para nadie” slowly but surely gathered on the Mall. They eventually numbered over an estimated 1,000 people. All the planning had been a success. The leaders weren’t out here alone.

Singing songs in Spanish, Hebrew, and English, they marched through the streets of the nation’s capital.

Upon reaching the ICE headquarters in southwest DC, the demonstrators formed human chains, blocking the building’s entrances, exits, and the surrounding streets. Eleven protesters entered the building and refused to leave, eventually being arrested for unlawful entry, police told BuzzFeed News.

According to a leaked email written by the acting director of ICE, the building went into lockdown during the protest.

“It’s not just symbolic — we’re actually shutting down ICE,” Rubin said.

A few ICE employees who were returning from their lunch breaks were unable to get back in the building. At least one employee confronted a Latina protester, who said he had called her a “little bitch” due to her sign comparing ICE to Nazis.

The older male employee, who declined to share his name with BuzzFeed News, wouldn’t confirm he’d said it but added that he “didn’t like her sign.”

“I’m not a Nazi,” he said. “I’m a hardworking government employee.”

Though mostly twentysomethings organized the action, the ages represented at the protest were incredibly varied. Parents marched hand in hand with their daughters. People in their sixties and seventies showed up in droves. Perhaps the youngest attendee was 4-month-old Norah, whose mother changed her diaper just feet from the ICE building. “We’re both descendants of refugees, and it’s important we stand with other refugees against hate and demonization,” said the 30-year-old mother, who asked to only be identified by her first name, Sarah. “We know what it feels like.”

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, an 86-year-old who was once active in the civil rights movement and Vietnam War protests, stood with his back against the doors of ICE. Cane in hand, he wore a T-shirt that said “Resisting tyrants since Pharaoh.”

“You can’t use a dictionary or an encyclopedia to understand the word ‘concentration camp,’” Waskow said in a speech to the protesters. “What you need is a calendar, because concentration camps over time turn into death camps if you don’t stop them.”

With temperatures above 90 degrees and the DC humidity in full force, it was not an easy day for a protest. A team of organizers walked around doling out water bottles, Nature Valley bars, and sunscreen throughout the day. Organizer Yael Shafritz frequently reminded people to reapply sunscreen and stay hydrated — “because,” Shafritz said, “I’m a Jewish mother.”

After the protest, the organizers retreated to their Airbnb “HQ,” where they took turns showering and wolfed down Chinese takeout served family style. People filtered back to the house throughout the evening, always greeted with a beer and “Have you eaten?”

The mood was exhausted yet celebratory, with many of the organizers expressing relief and amazement with how quickly they had managed to pull off the demonstration.

Still, there was an undercurrent of sadness. The protest had been a success, but their goals won’t be accomplished that easily.

Becca Lubow, a 21-year-old University of Michigan student, was exhausted and said she wanted “to sleep for a year,” but added that there’s still so much work left to do.

“I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks of this — but at the end of it, there’s still kids in cages,” Lubow said, adjusting the pillow on which she was lying on the floor. “I just don’t know how to want a normal life while that’s happening.”

Never Again Action already has about 15 more protests in the works, Rubin said, but members don’t currently have plans to register it as an organization or nonprofit. In August, they’re planning on having a retreat to talk next steps. “The Jewish community is so hyper-organized, and everyone’s trying to start a new organization,” Rubin said. “But this is a mobilization that’s trying to achieve a very specific goal, and we don’t need to exist for longer than the goal requires.”

Among this group, the concept of “tikkun olam” — the Jewish value of repairing the world — runs deep. Rubin said she hopes people who have never been involved in protests before feel inspired by what they achieved in DC and feel compelled to step up to the plate.

“In these moments there are people who are courageous and take action, and there are bystanders,” Rubin said. “You don’t have to think of yourself as an activist to do this.” ●

#u.s. news #politics #donald trump #trump administration #politics and government #president donald trump #white house #trump #us: news #republican politics #republican party #international news #must reads #trump scandals #immigration #racism #world news #2020 election #u.s. immigration and customs enforcement #activism #impeachthemf #read the mueller report #impeachtrump #trumpism #ice #humanrights #immigrants #immigration reform #migrants #migrant crisis

[dimples-of-discontent]

JIB recording policy: my thoughts and feels

So this feels like a really awful moment to be an SPN fan. I’m crushed that “Wayward” didn’t get picked up and honestly that deserves its own post and other eloquent folks on here will no doubt be chiming in soon. Before that, though, I was already alternating between seething and feeling on the verge of tears about the “no recordings” policy for JIB. Because, honestly, I was relying on it as a hugely positive experience to lift me out of the daily struggle I’m in right now. Where the show can and will hurt me all the time (hopefully with a narrative purpose!) as I expect it to in the finale, Jibcon never does anything except make me laugh and smile (and post too many gifs). And without the prospect of seeing the panels, especially Misha and Jensen’s, I genuinely feel...bereft. It’s not that I feel like I lost what I was entitled to, but that I’ve been deprived of something positive and beautiful for no good reason.

If you think that’s silly or that I should get over it or whatever please do me a favor and stop reading. These are my personal thoughts and feelings about something personal to me and you don’t have to agree. But since I think many of you do I’m going to write about it. I’m also going to reflect on the positive impact that sharing panel videos has on the fandom and what we lose without them. (And I recognize that this policy has existed before and that we have gotten around it and that we do not yet know how strictly it will be enforced. But I have these feelings anyway so I wrote about them.)

ETA: I hear from some folks there that you can record but not livestream, like usual. I’m going to go ahead and leave this up though, whatever the outcome, because it makes other points that are prompted by the policy but not strictly about it.

In a previous post I used the phrase “hostile to the fandom” to describe the policy and I stand by that. If it were merely about money or legality why would they not do something like sell tickets to a livestream and/or digital downloads or recordings? (If you are in the industry and have insider information on this I’d be super interested in your perspective and happy to post it with or without attribution.) I know that they may not have the infrastructure to accomplish this. It takes a lot of servers to livestream to that many people. It takes a certain standard of recording equipment to make something professional. But this is the 9th year running. They know there is enough interest to justify sinking some capital into that infrastructure and I’m surprised they haven’t.

I am absolutely willing to pay for content. Paleyfest panels are livestreamed and available to buy afterwards (months after, but that’s ok). I have bought a copy of all the Paleyfest panels from my favorite shows. I am not objecting to paying for content at all. Give J2M a cut! Give the JIB staff a cut! Shut up and take my money! There needs to be a price point between “flying to Europe and paying hundreds or thousands of dollars” and “peering at illegal phone video on YouTube.” Legal recordings that generate profit seem like a great option.

You know who they would be good for in the fandom? Everyone.

People without the money to travel and attend cons.

People who might have the money but who have difficulty traveling or being in a group of people because of physical disabilities, social anxiety, mental health issues, illness, etc.

People who are caregivers and cannot easily find someone to take their duties or who cannot be away at all.

People who work multiple jobs with inflexible schedules.

I could go on at greater length but I think you all get the point. We talk about the SPN Family and have our fandom-driven efforts to better the lives of people involved and show them that “you are not alone” and “family don’t end in blood” and “always keep fighting.” And that is AWESOME. It’s special. It’s so unlike other fandoms I have been in. But the thing that keeps a lot of people going is seeing videos from cons and feeling like a part of that community by sharing those experiences. For some people, maybe just the show is enough. But there’s a substantial population that relies on the social aspect of fandom and on the (perceived) closeness or accessibility of its figureheads, J2M.

Taking away the means to do that and acting as though we have done something wrong in asking for it, in wanting it, seems antithetical to the community-building we rely on. (I could do another post about campaign fatigue, which hit me pretty badly back in the fall, but right now it’s not on my mind.) Why not record it and either monetize it or even (radical idea!) don’t and just release it? Forbidding recording and distributing panels creates elitism and alienates many of the people who rely most on that sense of connection.

This is where I get to the point about hostility. Because I can’t see this new policy (or new decision to strictly enforce the policy) as unconnected to Daniela’s Facebook rant. I can’t. I wrote about it at the time and agreed with other folks who said that, though offensively expressed, it was fundamentally anti-antis and anti-entitlement rather than anti- any particular ship. I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt and allow her to just be a frustrated human being who had a bad time at work and complained. But now I feel like it was a message about how we need to back off of Jibcon because we in some way don’t deserve it. 

And, perhaps wrongly since no pairing was singled out in the Facebook post, I feel like it’s about Jensen and Misha. Because by raw YouTube views alone those are the panels people want to watch recordings of. They are chaotic and hilarious and sweet and a just A Hot Mess, so it makes sense that we want to see them together and beam at our computer screens. There’s a reason it’s always the closing panel, that it’s so expensive, that it sells out so quickly.  And just like with Creation’s weird refusal to offer that as an option (except at Honcon) it seems like banning recordings has to do with some unarticulated prohibition on how fans view those two specifically. Like it’s untoward.

But...if that’s the case, if Jensen and Misha are so bothered by it, why haven’t they done something like sue for libel or send out cease and desist letters to the Cockles blogs? They...don’t care. They actively know what we think about them (they’re grossly in love! they’re secretly a couple!) and they play with it in their stage personae and, I assume, just gloss over it in their everyday lives because they’ve developed a strong and healthy sense of “who the fuck cares?”. I guess it could be something their publicists are clamping down on, being like NO MORE HELLA GAY GIFSETS AND KEEP YOUR DAMN CLOTHES ON, or whatever, but my impression is that the policy is coming from JIB staff.

There is no need to generate more antagonism anywhere in this fandom. There is too much of it already. Alienating the fans who aren’t able to attend JIB from the JIB organizers seems pointless. If it’s an attempt somehow to shut down the shipping wars, well, that’s ass backwards since I’m just waiting for someone to yell about how the whole policy is because of Destiel/Cockles people and their inappropriate questions and theories or whatever because obviously we are the reason Jensen flashed his underwear onstage last year. It’s going to alienate us from each other too, as I already now feel way more envious of people who will get the privileged experience of seeing the panels. 

It seems like such a harmless thing, to let people post videos of panels they can’t see but desperately want to. Like it’s basically just a force for good in the fandom. I suspect that people will find a way to record and share anyway, as we have before in face of the same policy. But, because of where I am personally and how much I have been looking forward to JIB, I have been thinking about the difference it (and other cons but especially this one) make in people’s lives I wanted to say something. Perhaps I’m wrong about the motivations--I admit to making all kinds of assumptions--but I don’t think I’m wrong about what it indicates about how the staff are viewing the fans. And that hurts. Because it’s not about objectification and shipping at all for most of us, even if it’s fun to talk about. Many of us just want a delightful thing in an otherwise painful time.

#sads #fandom life #personal #jibcon 2018 #wank adjacent #spn family #can't we all just get along? #negativity for ts #j2m #cockles #mental health #depression #anxiety #my thoughts

[jhope-seok]

I have a lot of things to say about Tinder.

This is a personal rant about idiot boys on tinder. So if you’d like to read my CRAZY FUCKING ESCAPADES IN THE DATING WORLD. PLEASE. GO AHEAD. CLICK READ MORE. IT’LL BE INTERESTING. And fun. To watch me implode then explode.

Warnings: mentions of sex/sexting, lots of cursing, men being disgusting--potentially triggering, and one angry ass woman.

Warning part 2: this is A LOOOONG ASS POST, probably with a lot of grammatical errors. It’s 2am. (just so we’re all aware, it’s about 2.3k worth of ranting plus pictorial evidence)

So here’s the thing about me and tinder. I’ve been on the thing since I was in college, probably around junior year when I really came into the realization of my sexuality/being a pansexual person. Keep in mind this was like.....5 or 6 years ago now. I was interested in exploring my options, exhausted from going to countless frat parties and having random makeout sessions with boys who never asked for my number, and/or went on to makeout with the next girl they found at the party. Over the years I have collected an INFLUX of over 1,000 matches. I am not saying this number to brag, I am saying this number to give you an idea of how much of a credible fucking source I am when I present my case. And my case is as such.

ALL MEN ON TINDER ARE THE FUCKING. ABSOLUTE. WORST.

For perspective I have also dabbled in the following dating apps:

OKCupid (absolutely horrid. don’t do it. the shit i went through on this app....just. don’t get me started. I could make a whole other post about the atrocities of this site)

HER (really sad option for lesbian/bi/pan/women looking for other women)

Bumble (pretty successful but forcing the woman to speak first is annoying as hell and then giving a STRAIGHT MALE ONLY 24 HOURS TO RESPOND. Utter hell.)

Hinge (just...downright annoying)

CrossPaths (for christians. Honestly a good idea. Poorly executed. Poorly advertised).

Badoo (honestly...what the fuck)

Coffee Meets Bagel (good idea; too complicated)

Skout (nope)

The Game by Hot or Not (i don’t remember using this but my phone says it’s in my cloud)

And probably some others I can’t remember

What you should take away from this list is that

I’m a needy bitch

I was VERY DESPERATE at times

And i’ve tried a LOT OF OPTIONS.

therefore: don’t comment on this saying: well this worked, well that worked, try this, try that. No. Tinder is still one of the only options that actually works consistently and will continue to work because it is one of the least complicated among the dating apps.

Now. To my point that all men on tinder are the absolute fucking worst.

Time for some examples.

I will not be using these people’s real names, because that’s just mean. So I will present them to you in cases.

Case #1:

Me and this man matched about a year and a half ago, end of 2016. We were unable to meet up because I had a bunch of plans going on--at the time I worked in a law firm and my commute was hell so i only had time to go on dates on the weekends. And being that it was december I was busy every...single...weekend. Which he was fine with! (Awww what a kind gentlemen). No.

He had made it pretty clear from the beginning that he was really only in it for the sex. which for me at the time was fine. I let him know that I didn’t just fuck around on the first date. I lived--and still do live--with my mother and so he couldn’t just come over whenever and i couldn’t just leave whenever i wanted to spend the night at his place in D.C. He said that was fine. However, apparently he was not fine with that.

We talked for a month, lots of sexting, lots of naked snaps, whatever, whatever, we were basically waiting to jump each others bones. But I had also told him that I did not fuck on the first date. I had a rule. I would not break that rule. Again, he said he was fine with that.

On our first date--in a CROWDED RESTAURANT--for brunch, he kept whispering to me about how he wanted to push all of our plates off the table and fuck me in front of all those people. I politely told him to shut up because there were people sitting less than two feet away from us and that was inappropriate for sunday brunch to be talking like that (how proper of me....). Anyways, I let him walk me to my car in a garage, and as we approached it he came up behind me and forcefully turned me around to kiss him. I was like “ooh how hot. I like this.” Anyways, I drove him to his car, we made out a little, then we went on our separate ways. We had a second date not much longer after that, where we had agreed to go out to dinner BUT that first we were gonna fuck in his car. So we met up in a garage and we waited for the cars around us to leave and then we made out, and i sucked his dick. I did N O T let him have sex with me because I was annoyed that he was trying to push me to it--he had a daddy kink--and kept saying “ooh how hard do you want daddy to fuck you”. I said “You can only fuck me when I say you can, and I say no.” thank god he respected my boundaries. So I sucked him dry, then he “MAGICALLY” got a call from his work calling him in. I barely heard from him after that. Because he told me I should come over and spend the night so we could fuck. I said no. He ghosted me.

Case #2--Who knows:

Soooo many fucking men. Have ghosted me. For no reason. Like we’ll have a good few opening lines. And then....nothing. Forever. Where in the FUCK DID YOU GO?! Did you find someone better? Did you grow uninterested with our conversation?! Did you forget how to speak the English language? Did you decide you regretted swiping on me? The worst is when they don’t unmatch you and then it’s just left there....hanging.

Case #whatever:

The fucking men who ask if it’s okay to text. And then don’t text.

I don’t even remember this dude’s NAME in the first place to omit it, but we got into an argument because he supports the store brand cheese puff that is America’s president, and I matched him only so I could yell at him (yeah I know...whatever...I like to prove my dominance and tell boys why they’re wrong. Also because half of the time I use dating apps just to have conversations with people because I’m bored). Anyways. we got in this heated debate and he was like “I like your fire, you should text me here’s my number ____” blah. So I texted him cause i was interested enough in our debate to continue it. THE BITCH NEVER ANSWERED ME. LITERALLY....FOR MONTHS. PROBABLY OVER A YEAR. And then out of fucking nOWHERE he responds like “hey who is this again?” Dude...... NO.

Case #The Never Ending Message Senders:

These men are the worst. So I should explain myself first. I don’t really ever unmatch someone unless it’s for a good reason. Like they’re being disgusting, racist, homophobic, gross, call me fat, ugly, whatever. For the most part I don’t unmatch with someone because in the old days of tinder, unmatching would just PUT THE PERSON BACK IN YOUR CIRCUIT (good job tinder). I’m assuming they did this in case you deleted your tinder, or your app crashed and you had to restart, or you accidentally unmatched someone, whatever. So I don’t unmatch for the sole reason that I don’t want these jerks, who never took the time to respond to my hello or witty opening statement, back in my playing field. I don’t revisit my old matches, I don’t try to restart conversations with them.

If only men could learn the same fucking thing. I have so many men who CONSTANTLY message me. I’m talking like once in every blue moon. It’s like they let the conversation lie for a while, and then BAM another message. The ones I do actually unmatch are the ones that don’t wait a while. They just constantly message, hour after hour after hour until I either respond or unmatch. I don’t know a woman who WOULD respond after having gotten 10 messages of the same “Hello? You there?” “Member me?” (yes one dude has actually said “member me” to me. Not “remember me”...”member me”) etc. etc. in the course of a few hours. Take the hint dude. Please. I don’t enjoy being ghosted, but I know when to take a hint.

A perfect example of such case is the following!

(Context: I just updated the pictures in my tinder account today! So through tinder’s cool new facebook timeline! you can see when your matches update their profiles. to scroll through and judge them even further to see if they’ve gotten cuter or uglier through time).

Please take note of the dates attached to the message. For clarification, “today” is August 27th, 2018!

I have since unmatched him. Buddy. Please. Take the hint. (Also, how fucking creepy of him to say that I’ve gotten closer since a while back....like are you tracking my distance every time you message me? Please dear lord, no).

Case #THE IDIOTS WHO WAIT YEARS TO RESPOND.

This. THIS. THIIIIIS RIGHT HERE. IS WHAT HAS GOT MY BLOOD BOILED SO MUCH I NEEDED TO MAKE THIS POST. THE FUCKING IDIOTS WHO MATCH WITH ME. AND THEN CLAIM THAT THEY DELETED THEIR TINDER. OR THAT THEY LOST THEIR PHONE. JUST REDOWNLOADED. DIDN’T SEE MY MESSAGE. FOR FUCKING. YEARS.

OOOOOOOH BOY. You’ve gotta have some damn nerve to pull that shit. If you lost the app, deleted it, got a new phone, WHATEVER. Your profile would not continue to show up on the matching feed. People would not be able to swipe on your face to find that they matched with you. You would not exist in the eyes of tinder. You would be GONE from the system.

So don’t pull that shit with me. So many dudes have had the audacity to pull this shit with me, and when I call them out on it, most of the time I get either one of three responses: they say “oof yeah I’m sorry, I’m a dick can we move on?”, “Hahaha sorry” and then they continue to ghost me, or people who pull the shit I listed above.

These next photos are from THE SAME DAY AS THE PREVIOUS PHOTOS. Please take note of the date of the first message. (“today” in this sense is technically August 28, 2018 because it’s past midnight.)

Although I deleted his name, I gotta say. My insult was pretty on point. Anyways.

Like how the fuck can you live with yourself with that fucking lie?! Own up to that shit. Be like “yep oops sorry, didn’t think you were cute the first time but this snapchat filter making u look damn good” like don’t be a DOUCHE DUDE. Men are just honestly so fucking frustrating. And yes you better fucking believe I sent that reason for unmatching to tinder. You best fucking BELIEVEEEEEEE I did that. I’m so fucking mad at men. Like how in the hell.

I’ve HONESTLY had better luck matching with MARRIED COUPLES on tinder than I have had with straight men. Married couples at least know how to respect people. God damn.

YOUR MOTHERS DID NOT RAISE YOU TO BE LIKE THIS, MEN. LEARN HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS. JESUS CHRIST.

All in all, if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of downloading tinder: Don’t. Stay out of the fucking awful shit that is Tinder and dating apps for as long as you can. I have my settings set up to men in their 30s, and honestly older men do not mean more mature men. Just absolutely frustrating.

Also, as an addendum: 

Case #Don’t put my height in my bio/or do and say “Cause I guess it’s important/matters”

To all males on the planet earth: PUT. YOUR. FUCKING. HEIGHT. IN. YOUR. BIO. It fucking matters. As a tall as woman, it is so fucking annoying to match with a cute dude and then have them say “Hey I’m 5′2″ is that okay?” um....no. I’m sorry buddy. That is not okay. I have strict height limits for this ride and 5′2″ does not pass the riding restrictions.

We’re gonna call in a CELEBRITY SHOT for this story, I matched with this dude on bumble who didn’t have his height in his profile. (Context: my bumble profile says “5′10″ cause it doesn’t matter” <--a nice jab at all the straight dudes out there) and we go about having this great conversation, we’re clicking, he knows one of my friends from college, we bond, we go on a date. THE FIRST THING OUT OF THIS ASSHOLE’S MOUTH ON OUR DATE WAS “WOW. You’re taller than I expected.” BITCH HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CAN U READ. IT’S THE FIRST THING IN MY BIO.

Sub case: I once had a guy match with me, tell me he was shorter than me, then asked me if I would be okay owning him as my slave. I understand and respect everyone’s fetishes, considering I have a slight dominance fetish as well, but a hello would have been nice first.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#rachel rambles #tinder #tinder stories #just absolutely god awful annoying humans

[accidental-memory]

Vagueposting time I guess.

I had a female friend, who I have known for a long time. You will not learn her identity from me beyond this; that'd be shitty. This post is long.

JULY We had not spoken much in a long time, and it had been even longer since we'd seen each other in person. She was sending me photos of where she lives now (which, where she lives now is awesome), and I was gushing about how beautiful the scenery is. Then I asked: Me: "with apologies, would it be weird to ask if I could see your face?"

Her: "No but it's not great!" And then she sends a single photo of her face.

Our conversation continued for awhile after she sent the selfie. I thought nothing more of it.

AUGUST We have another conversation. She stops the conversation to say the following:

Her: "I just have to stop for a second and tell u. I like talking to you, as a friend. But my husband did get mad when sent you a picture and I do have to make sure u understand I’m happily married and just feel like [[context of how we know each other]] and we have that bond of all having that same ridiculous experience, I feel bonded to them. But u have to understand that this is fully platonic and I can never send another picture or anything like that."

Okay. This as you can see is her setting a boundary. That's fine; great, even! More people should be that open about their boundaries!

But also, I want you to notice the part where she says her husband *got mad* that she sent me a picture of her face. This raised some red flags for me, and I wanted to make sure she was okay:

Me: "Like.. 'that picture' was just you chilling at your house; I wasn't trying to read anything into it. Past experiences aside, frankly, it's just nice to see a friend. That said, I find it alarming when people don't let their significant others be a person with other people if they're the gender their partner would otherwise be interested in; and I feel dutybound to say that out loud."

Her: "No I def know that and so I don’t think we are inappropriate at all but later when I thought about 'how would I feel if he had done that?' I realized I wouldn’t have liked it either. I’m allowed to talk to and do what i want, which is why I do, but I also think feelings are valid. I don’t at all judge other people’s lifestyles. If they are polyamorous, anything people want to do between consenting adults that’s not exploitative I am completely fine with. But I entered into a traditional marriage with eyes wide open to what I was doing and so I did need to clear that up before I kept talking to you."

Me: "<3 understood"

I feel like this was a very good, productive moment. But I want to know... did I miss something? This sounds like a perfectly reasonable adult conversation to me. I let her know that what she had just said was concerning to me. She told me not to be worried. So I said I understood. The boundary is thus set, and we can move on with our lives and continue being friends, yes?

SEPTEMBER: I send her a wild story from the Riverfront Times. She responds that I should keep an eye out for another story that she is interested in. Talked for a few minutes, went on our ways.

OCTOBER: I mention I went and looked around to see if I could find details on the news story she wanted me to look out for, and shared what I'd found; but it wasn't related to what she was trying to find. Talked for a few minutes, went on our ways.

JANUARY: I send her a couple of funny photos of a frog, and a link to my New Years Cabin photo album. She does not respond.

FEBRUARY: I tell her about a shitty thing my dad emailed me lionizing Clarence Thomas. She does not respond.

APRIL: I show her a couple of photos of a bizarre stuffed-dog-pillow that was left in a basket outside the laundromat just as the pandemic was hitting. She responds: "Put it on [[facebook group for weird stuff]] !"

MAY: I send her a funny webcomic. She does not respond.

YESTERDAY: I send her a message telling her about how I've spent the last 30 minutes bawling my eyes out because I watched the collage of police violence in the latest Some More News episode about the riots: "my nerves are fuckin' frayed. I'm so angry. And the only thing I can do is talk about it."

TODAY: She responds: " Adam I don’t know how to be more clear after essentially ignoring your messages for months. So I’ll be blunt. Women in general, and me in particular, are not on the planet to emotionally labor for you. It sounds like you need a therapist. I’m guessing you will say you can’t afford one but that doesn’t oblige me to do it for free.

After I placed a boundary with you, received a lecture about how I’m in an unhealthy relationship because it has boundaries, realized you’re just another male who is going to be mad and throw a fit when he doesn’t get what he wants from a woman, I honestly lost interest in talking to you altogether. So if you were under the impression I’m a bird in a cage not being allowed to, that’s false. I got nothing out of sending you a photograph, aside from avoiding the discomfort at having to say “no.” It wasn’t something I’m over here DYING to do until my Neanderthal husband said “no way!!!” Your reaction to a normal boundary threw up a thousand red flags for me and I don’t want to talk to you anymore.

We are all sick over what’s happening in the US right now. I’m sure you can find someone else to discuss this with. "

...................What did I miss? Like, genuinely, if I'm in the wrong about something here, tell me. I don't understand what brought this on!

Stop reading here if you don't want my opinions or interpretations or any of my expounded confusions.

I don't want to sit here and tell you how to feel about this message to me. You can make up your own mind. But I'm going to express how I feel about this.

1. We talked intermittently for years. Not responding to me is no indication that you're ignoring me; it means you're busy. Plenty of other friends of mine have that kind of communication style.

2. We had lengthy conversations between me stating my concerns and this moment. We had intermittent conversations too. How would this have ever been an indication that you were upset?

3. Fucking... you were my friend! I wanted to talk to my FRIEND about a hard time I was having, and now I'm literally having chest pains because I'm being accused of... what? Being manipulative?

4. What do you say in response to being called manipulative? Cuz like. Anything I say is immediately going to be called manipulative! That's infuriating!

5. I didn't say your husband was a Neanderthal. I said that what you said was concerning. I don't even know the guy! In fact, that's part of why it's concerning; if the only thing I know about him is that he GOT MAD AT YOU FOR SENDING SOMEONE A PHOTO, then yeah I think I'm absolutely in the right to make sure that you're not in a fucking abusive relationship! I've had friends in abusive relationships before and that's exactly the shit they'd say to me. It's not an accusation; it's an invitation for help if the situation is actually bad, which you said it isn't, and I took your word for, said as much, and never brought it up again.

6. What do you mean, "angry that I'm not doing what you want?" I know of precisely two things I've ever asked of her in my entire life: that one single photo of her face for which I had no intention of asking another, and advice as to how to get makeup out of your clothes (I still have no idea why there was makeup in my pants leg, either).

7. I did not have an "impression" of you being "a bird locked in a cage." You said something alarming, and I confirmed with you that it was actually fine, and that was all it ever had to be!

I don't know what else to say on the matter. My heart hurts. I saw this message pop up while I was in the middle of a tutoring session. I was like, "Oh, she responded! I hope we can commiserate for a moment so I can feel like this is even remotely normal ....... Oh. ....oh, what??"

I'm absolutely certain someone on my timeline knows even from any of this who I am talking about; she may have even talked to them about it. I'm not really interested in the gossip. I'm not even looking for advice. She's blocked me; the friendship is over, however much that hurts to say. But like. If you have actual fucking light to shed on it, that'd be nice. But also. Not right now.

I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I had to hold it together through several hours of tutoring. I'm fucking hurt and I need some time to heal.

[gakupofangirlxxx]

OMGGG peopleee!!

Okay, okay, look.... I know work can be shit! I work! And to be quite honest it really does suck. Okay?? It does. I know we all wanna stay at home.. cuddled up into our duvets and watch Netflix n’shit. We all do!  Especially this time of the year!! And I know there are certain aspects about work we hate... perhaps the people you work with?? The people you work FOR? Or maybe it’s the customers/service users?? Maybe the job itself is just shit but it’s all you could get? 

Whatever it is! MY GOD people, we HAVE to stop slamming it on social media!!

I mean.. Am I the only one that cringes when I scroll through my Facebook/twitter to see people bitching about their co-worker?? Or a shitty customer they had??  Cause it does! It genuinely makes me recoil in horror?? Even something as simple as “Work’s a load of fucking shit.” or “fucking hate my job” ... it is not appropriate, people. It’s wrong, it’s unnecessary, and more importantly it makes you look bad, and can get you into serious trouble. 

I mean, I know I sound like I’m moaning... But maybe the people that do this don’t actually know that what they’re doing is wrong?

I know I’m just ranting and I’m super sorry if I’m boring you. But it’s a serious thing? I know it can be funny... and a lot of the time it’s something we can all relate to. But writing on social media about “how shit your job is” or shit posting indirect passive aggressive comments about your co-worker on your newsfeed is just not okay. You can get sacked for it. And it can affect your chances of a good job later in life. No one wants to employ someone who slates their workers, or the job itself.. especially not on social media where EVERYONE could see it?  And no, I’m not trying to kiss the ass of the employers... I’m trying to help you, too!

If you have a problem with work, discuss it with a friend/colleague you trust. It may even be a good idea to talk to your employer about it if you can? It may be something they can help with. Or maybe talk to a family member? Or if all else fails, there’re helplines out there. Google it!!

But please.. whatever you do...!  Regardless of the reasoning behind it.. just don’t post about it. Especially not if you’re already employed with them... and you must be careful that you don’t slate your previous employers too... cause it maay or may not bite you on the arse.

Trust me. Employers do check social media.. And a couple of seconds ranting on Facebook is not worth risking your chances of employment later on.. because it can. Just like if you posted a nude/inappropriate/blasphemous pic of yourself... or applied for a job with the email of .. I dunno... “[email protected]” in the description, or something. 

Employers do pay attention to these things - more than you think. It doesn’t look good on you.. and it certainly won’t look good for them by employing you.

So pleasseeeee be careful, peeps!! I’m just looking out for you here.. And the reason why I say this is because there’s some shit circulating around my workplace at the moment..? And I think a couple of my co-workers maaaaaay be getting their heads kicked in about it. Not literally, I hope. But you get what I mean. And I’m slightly worried that this isn’t more common knowledge...?

So I just wanted to try and warn others, just in case some of ya’ll weren’t aware. And hell.. maybe it’s just me, or how I was raised. For example, when I was back in school, my mum always told me to never post anything on Facebook when I was off ill just in case “the school found out.” And I never knew why that would even make the slightest difference. But looking at it now, it’s kinda made me see the bigger picture for later in life? Cause now I’m so careful about what I do on the internet, and I don’t post anything I don’t want people knowing about. School was one thing, but now that I’m working... I totally get now why it was so important getting to school on time; why it was so important to stay off my phone when I was off sick, and not post anything on Facebook about how shit school was, or how that one teacher pissed me off.  It’s prepared me for now. School was one thing. But with work? It doesn’t look too good. I know people who’ve called in sick, then posted pics of themselves at festivals??? I know someone who posted a status on Facebook about how shit the work Christmas presents were this year.... I mean come on! At least our boss was kind enough to give us one??   And slightly off topic but I also know someone that called in sick because she said she had a severely bad back and couldn’t physically move, but was then caught walking her dog down the road that same day????

I mean, it’s ridiculous. And okay.. I know it’s not quite the same thing...?? But they’re just further examples of how careful you need to be about mixing work with your personal life. You do just have to be so careful??

Anyways. I’m sorry. I’m going off in a bit of a tangent here lol.... So I think I’ll end my rant for today... but.. I hope you all kinda get where I’m coming from...?

Just be careful, everyone...  Don’t risk it for a biscuit.

Okay! You can keep scrolling now!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.

#obama out #Seriously though #sorry for the rant #but #be careful #we need to work together not apart #text post #work #life #advice #thanks for reading

[kootenaygoon]

So,

Chelsea had her bare feet on my dashboard, and it looked just like the cover of one of my favourite books, Tempting Faith DiNapoli by Lisa Gabriele.

We were halfway across the province, driving to the coast to see my family, and she’d responded to my Facebook post looking for someone to share gas. She was sultry, with a raspy depth to her voice, and within the first hour on the road she had sung me a song that made my balls shrivel. The more I learned about her, the more I liked her, this cute little 22-year-old spoken word poet. She seemed like she would do okay in a fist fight.

“So what’s the deal with this Galloway thing? I’ve seen some of the headlines, but I don’t really understand the details,” she said. “They said he raped one of his students?”

I shook my head. It was more complicated than that. The Walrus had just released a story edited by Jon Kay trying to get to the bottom of everything, but if anything it had just inflamed the situation more. People were flaming each other online, entrenched in their positions, duking it out with people who had nothing to do with the actual scandal. I was shocked to learn that Steve had been forcibly institutionalized in November 2015, put in a psych ward when the news hit. He’d been away on book tour, and they said he was suicidal.

“It’s crazy. One of my friends was in the story with a fake name, but when she saw the story she posted all over Twitter saying the journalist got it wrong. Her name’s Andrea Bennett, and we did our MFA together,” I explained. “She was probably the writer I respected most in that program, and I was really keen to win her respect, you know? Cuz she worked at PRISM.”

“So who’s she, then?”

I shifted in my seat, getting worked up as I drove. “She was at the table when Steve slapped this other girl, one of the other students in my class.”

“He slapped her? Why?”

“He had this joke. She had criticized his work, and he said ‘I can’t slap a student’ but she had just graduated, so he slapped her.”

“What a dick.”

“Okay, I know. But it doesn’t mean he raped anybody. And this Walrus story laid it all out, the shit that he’s accused of, and it’s really not that much. I mean, there’s some inappropriate stuff but nothing at the level everyone was insinuating.”

Chelsea and I shared a passion for raising awareness about rape culture, and creating a better society for our imagined children. She had hairy legs and a bit of a Kootenay musk, but I was starting to fall in love with her. I’d only known her for three or four hours, but she was easily one of the sexiest women I’d ever met. I wondered if there was something legit there, something to build on.

“So what’s the problem, then?”

“Well, all these women on Twitter said they got the story wrong by putting Steve in the foreground and not really talking about the victim. It’s hard, though, because she’s anonymous and everyone just calls her MC.”

“People get worked up fast over these things. It triggers a lot of people.”

“Right, but I don’t understand why people are all directing this rage at each other. They created this website called UBC Accountable, calling for due process, and everybody lost their fucking minds. They said these famous authors were supporting their fellow famous author over the victim.”

“Shit, yeah. That’s hard.”

“I’ve been watching his friends try to deal with this, Lee Henderson and Kevin Chong, and I can’t imagine what they’re going through. It’s like this national hate-fest and if you express like one iota of doubt in his guilt, suddenly you’re the one being crucified.”

She laughed. “Crucified?”

“I was raised religious. All my metaphors are always religious.”

Chelsea told me about her own upbringing in Chile, about the political uprisings and the cultural revolutions. She was hungry to get back there, but in the meantime she was having fun making music in the Kootenays. She was in the local choir, Corazón. 

“The crazy thing is Andrea Bennett is my editor now. I was following her to keep track of this Galloway story and she ended up accepting my pitch to write about Andrew Stevenson. And this is pretty much the biggest deal of my whole career right here, writing this story.”

“Who is Andrew Stevenson, again?”

“He’s this bank robber who was caught in 2014. This dude who was hooked on oxy. I’m trying to write a true crime piece inspired by The Wire. I want it to be gritty and real. I want it to show people something.”

When we reached the look-out above Osoyoos, Chelsea and I walked against the wind to stand on the concrete median. We looked out at the windswept vista, between destinations, and for a moment I wondered if this conversation was even real. More and more, the line between reality and fiction was beginning to blur. Chelsea had dredged up a pathetic lust from deep inside me, and even though I was a decade older than her I thought maybe this was it. Maybe I would finally be able to move on from Paisley to something new.

“How come you get so worked up over this stuff? It doesn’t even involve you, really,” she asked.

I shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about that lately. Sometimes I care too much. I can’t compartmentalize properly, so it’s like the stories I’m writing come true in ways that I didn’t even intend. It’s like I’m creating my own reality out of my own imagination, trying to warp the way things really are. Because most of the time I hate this fucking shit-heap of a world. I really do.”

Chelsea looked at me for a long time, seemingly confused and intrigued at the same time. We’d smoked a joint together an hour back on the road, and maybe we were both just too stoned to make sense. “You’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met,” she said. 

“But I mean that as a compliment.”

The Kootenay Goon

[meowlexandragrace]

How I've Handled the Feelings that Come with the "Me Too" Campaign

If you have been on social media this week, you have probably seen your fair share of women (and men!) posting the status “me too.” Over the weekend, when I saw the first few statuses pop up with no explanation on Facebook, I decided to go where I figured the trend started- Twitter. I typed in the hashtag #metoo and suddenly, I was deeply engrossed in other people’s retelling of their experiences with sexual harassment and sexual assault. Some were celebrities and some were strangers on the internet. Some were more mild experiences, some were violent and severe experiences. This is not a new subject for me, I’ve often been the drunk one at a party who brings up feminism and tries to teach men to be less aggressive towards women, to but it mildly. To put it more accurately, I’ve been told I can be “intense” and “annoying” and “easy to make fun of.” Even though it wasn’t a new topic for me, I couldn’t help but notice that I was suddenly exhausted after reading through the hashtag.

Every story I read, I couldn’t help but go back to high school. My then boyfriend and I were walking down the street when someone honked their horn and hollered some form of profanity out their window at me. This was not the first time this happened to me, so my instinct was to flip them off as the drove by. I remember being visibly infuriated at this. “What do they think was going to happen, they honk their horn and I was going to chase after them and beg to suck their dick?!” I said. My boyfriend at the time said, “why don’t you just take the compliment?” That made me more mad, because it didn’t feel like a compliment. It felt aggressive and intrusive. It was quick, but it still felt really intimidating.

I couldn’t help but go back to the time fresh out of high school when I was dumped for the first time. It was right before Valentine’s Day, a time of year which that I now have a  track record being dumped, but that is a different story for a different time. In effort to cheer me up, my best friend at the time decided we should go dancing at an 18 and up club on Valentine’s Day (gross, I know, but I was young). I ended up dancing with some random stranger, which is a thing that just happens at clubs. Guys come up to your bum and start grinding on you. I had been to a high school dance, so it wasn’t unfamiliar. We kept dancing for a couple of songs, then he started to push my dress up, which I continuously stopped him from doing. Then, he turned me around and started making out with me. TMI moment- I will never ever forget how much like his tongue felt like a giant slug in my mouth. I ended up turning around and signaling to my friend that I was done. And yes, girls have to have a signal. Present day Alex is more prone to her signal being “don’t touch me, dickwad,” but again, I was young and needed to call in reinforcements. My friend and I went to the bathroom, and when we walked out, he was standing by the bathroom door, waiting for me. Fortunately, my best friend was a black belt in karate and total bad ass and forced him to leave me alone.

I couldn't go back to my first job, working at a Starbucks. One of our regular customers had come in, and it was post morning rush, so we were making casual conversation while I assisted him. He’d asked me about my classes, he knew I was studying film in college. I told him I was thinking about doing a stop motion animation project for one of my assignments, and he said he saw a really cool stop motion animation recently I should watch. He handed me his business card (I should specify, I was 19, he was late 40’s early 50’s I would venture to guess, so he had business cards). He said I should email him some of my projects and if I wanted to include other, more personal material, that he would really enjoy that too, he winked, grabbed his venti caramel frap with extra caramel drizzle in the cup, and walked away. I remember telling myself, “there’s no way that happened,” but I told the Starbucks manager and she said he could be a creep and that I wouldn’t have to deal with him if I didn’t want to. I didn’t for a while, but since it was a small kiosk inside a grocery store, eventually I had to talk to him again because we often had stretches of our shift that we were alone. He never said anything inappropriate again, but I was always on edge when I was alone with him.

These are just three examples I can think of, and for some reason, they are the ones that stick out the most. There not even the worst experiences I’ve had with men! They continue to stick out, though, I think because I was still so young and incredibly naive at the time. They were fresh wounds, I just went out in the world, expecting something simple, like I was going to do my job, or dance with my friend. It was a complete shock and surprise to me. Now when a man approaches me aggressively and harasses me, it’s still uncomfortable, it still makes my skin crawl most of the time, but it doesn’t surprise me. It’s become a part of my life.

That’s why I decided to write more about the feelings that #metoo brought up for me, even though I didn’t have a solution. Even though I even kept saying, ‘yeah, but you’ve not had it that bad. Other people have it way worse.” Even though I don’t have a way we can magically end sexual assault and harrasment. The thing is, I’m tired of keeping quiet. I’m tired of caring if people think I’m annoying for calling people out when they’re being disgusting just because it might cause a scene. I’m so done hearing the excuse “it was different when I was growing up,” because a majority of the men who act inappropriately with me are older. I don’t care if me standing up for myself or other women makes you uncomfortable, because I’m beyond fucking tired of living uncomfortably.

And for the rest of you survivors, whether you’ve shared your story or not (because you shouldn’t feel pressured if you’re uncomfortable sharing it, you don’t owe anyone anything), know this: you’re not alone, you are loved, your story is valid, and I’m here for you while we get through what seems to be a never ending storm of disgusting behavior.

xoxo

[artificialqueens]

tinder's a shit show (trixya) (1/?) - ornacia

(A/N: hey all. this little thing is the product of exam stress, boredom, and my inevitable relapse into full-on rpdr fanfiction addiction. i’ve never written anything for this fandom before so apologies if it’s not the best. i might continue it if the response is good but if not, it was a lot of fun either way!)

“Galentines Day,” Trixie repeated incredulously. She’d been sitting in the library for almost three hours and had relocated six times either out of boredom or because someone nearby was giving her evil-eyes for taking up desk-space she didn’t actually need. As of now she’d found herself a table at the back of the cafe with a patchy signal and a couple of suspicious looking stains on the seat.

“Yeah, it’s from that one episode of Parks and Recreation.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow, taking a long sip of strawberry milkshake.

“Remember? It’s the one where –”

“I remember,” she said, pushing her drink aside and adjusting the screen of her laptop in the hopes of seeing her friend a little better. “Are you gonna make me a mosaic out of crushed up bottles of my favourite diet soda?”

“No.”

“Am I getting a personalised 5,000 word essay on why I’m the most awesome friend you’ve ever had? A needlepoint cushion with my face on it?”

Kim fixed her with a look, and after a beat of silence Trixie gave in and pushed her milkshake to the side of the screen. “Okay, okay. What are we doing?”

“Having a sleepover. You, me, Naomi, and Max. They’re staying the night and we’re watching 10 Things I Hate About You and ordering a take-out.”

Trixie raised a brow. “Eating your feelings isn’t supposed to be a group activity.”

“But it can be,” Kim argued. “So are you in? You know, you kind of have to say ‘yes’ unless you want to lock yourself in your room all night while we throw the Galentine’s day party without you.”

“Will there be wine?”

Kim smiled triumphantly at the camera, holding up one finger and clumsily shuffling upwards and backwards out of her seat. She disappeared for all of thirty seconds before reappearing in the frame with several bottles clutched against her chest, none of which looked particularly stable. “Lots,” she confirmed, lifting her arms a little so as to give a better view.

“You got me,” Trixie said, shaking her head and grinning at her roommate. “Now go put those back before you cause an accident.”

—

She was two glasses deep into the bottle of Grenache Rosé when someone said the word ‘Tinder’. Her ass was numb from having been forcefully relocated to the arm of the couch by unanimous vote and her attention was only half on the T.V, the other half being reserved for the last few slices of pepperoni pizza.

“Yeah,” Naomi said, legs splayed out across the other girls’ laps and a wine glass dangling between her fingers. “I know someone who met their boyfriend on Tinder. Like, an actual boyfriend – not some guy who takes you to the cinema one time and tries to bundle you into the backseat of his jeep. ”

Max, ever the sensible one, considered this information with a small frown creasing her brow. “Really? Isn’t that a little… you know, dangerous?”

“Not if you meet them somewhere public,” Trixie pointed out sliding down from her perch and onto the floor that she could crawl towards the pizza boxes and re-load her plate.

“Second wind already?”

“Fuck you,” she said, jabbing a mozzarella stick in the offender’s direction and licking the salt from her fingertips. “It’s been at least twenty minutes.”

“Sure,” Kim snorted. “Seriously though, what’s the guy like?”

“Not that weird. She could do better, but like if she’s happy I’m not going to say anything.”

“Does he have Instagram?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Everyone has Instagram,” Trixie said. “It’s like Facebook. If you don’t have Instagram you’re probably not a real person.”

“Unless you’re forty years old, in which case you’ve probably got better things to do.”

“Yeah, right. Like bake a tuna casserole for the neighbours and spam inspirational minion memes on your fourteen-year-old daughter’s Facebook page.”

“Don’t come for my mother, Miss Mattel. You don’t know her like that.”

Trixie laughed and threw a ball of kitchen towel at the other girl’s face before scooting backwards to sit on the floor between the other girls legs. Max, to her credit, caught the hint immediately and picked a couple of blonde curls to start playing with.

“Why don’t you get it, Trixie?”

“Get what?” She half-turned her head to look up at Kim and Naomi on the sofa behind her.

“Tinder,” Naomi said, holding up her hands in mock-surrender in response to the flash of indignation that flashed across the blonde’s face. “Woah, hey, that wasn’t supposed to be shady. I just thought maybe you could do with getting some.”

“You are always complaining about how long it’s been since you got laid.” Kim chimed in.

As true as that was, her complaining was more for show than anything else. Trixie hadn’t ever been much of a dater, and the one time she’d been fingered at a house party in the eleventh grade was hardly memorable.

“You just said Tinder was full of creeps.”

“No,” Naomi said slowly. “Max said Tinder was full of creeps. Come on, it’ll be fun. We can toot or boot your potential hook-ups. It’s not like you’re actually gonna meet any of them in person.”

“Ooh,” Kim clapped her hands together lightly. “Sounds interesting.”

Trixie grimaced, shaking her head and pushing her phone protectively beneath her knees. “No, no way,” she said. “What if I run into someone from college or a neighbour or something?”

“Your neighbour is rather attractive,” Max mused, looking a little taken aback when three curious sets of eyes swivelled her way. “What? I’m allowed to find someone visually appealing. I don’t mean anything inappropriate by it.”

“Calm down, Maria,” Trixie snorted. “Nobody thinks you’re that kind of girl.”

“Nobody thinks you’re that kind of girl either.”

“So why am I being made to download it? Why not Max?”

“Because Max would never actually do it, and you’ve had way more to drink.”

Trixie made an affronted noise, placing her hand on her chest and and opening her mouth in a caricature of shock. For all her theatrics, she knew they weren’t wrong. All it took was ten more minutes of relentless pestering before she threw her hands in the air and gave into the pressure. It wasn’t as though she’d ever use it or talk to any of her potential matches. Besides that, a little ego boost never hurt anybody.

“Use that picture,” Naomi said, reaching forward to tap a perfectly manicured nail against the screen. “You’re giving beach-babe Barbie realness.”

“That’s so not a thing,” Trixie said, smacking her hand away. “And I can’t put that up, I’m in a Bikini!”

“What’s your point?”

She rolled her eyes, looking over her profile one last time before hitting ‘done’. It wasn’t as though she was trying to impress anybody. If a scantily clad photo with a margarita in her hand was what it took to keep her friends entertained then what was the harm?

“Set your preferences to ‘both’.”

“What? Why?” Trixie frowned.

“Because I want to see if the girls on Tinder are as weird as the guys,” Kim shrugged.

Apparently the answer was yes. There were a few cute guys here and there and a couple of girls that Trixie couldn’t help but linger on before passing, but the majority of people were pretty unsettling. There was a guy named Daryl with one too many innuendos in his bio and a selection of identical photos all taken from the exact same angle on his laptop. Then there was Jesus, Jesus in a nappy, and Jesus who’d dragged a random baby goat into his profile picture for the sake of looking ‘sensitive’.

“This guy just made a power-point on the pros and cons of swiping right,” she said, raising her eyebrows and turning the phone screen so everyone could see it better.

“Next.”

“I like her makeup,” Kim said, leaning in closer to examine the next potential match. “And her shoes are cute too.”

“Toot.”

They carried on like that well into the evening. When eventually it did get old, they resorted to watching an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras before calling it a night.

It wasn’t until the other girls had gone to bed and Trixie found herself sitting up alone on twitter that she opened it up again out of curiosity. The first profile didn’t disappoint. In fact, she found herself squinting to try and figure out exactly what it was she was looking at.

The girl in the photo was blonde and rail-thin with hollow cheeks that struck an odd contrast against the brightness of her eyes. There was a spot of red lipstick in her teeth and a slightly flushed and breathless look about her and, strangest of all, she was wearing a dress printed with screen-caps of Amanda Bynes in ‘What a Girl Wants’.

“What the…” she shifted her gaze to the bio section and snorted with laughter.

‘I’m the closeted High School make-out session that’s still got you sweating when grandma comes to visit, Katya.’

Curiosity piqued, Trixie flicked her way through the remaining photos. There was one of her hanging upside down from a goal-post with her underwear on full display and another of her photobombing a cute, ginger girl’s mirror selfie. She was grinning like an idiot in both of them and against all odds, Trixie found herself gravitating towards the green heart.

‘We probably won’t even match,’ she told herself, continuing on through the profiles out of sheer boredom. ‘And even if we did, it’s not like I’m not into girls.’

There had only been one openly gay student at her High School in Milwaukee. It wasn’t something anyone ever talked about, but she’d spied him getting roughed up behind that school canteen a couple of times and that was more than enough evidence for her to deduce that it wasn’t something you went around telling people.

And maybe it was naive of her.  She that it was different in places like California where people were open to new ideas and methods of self-expression, but she’d gotten more than enough flack for her sense of style over the years. Since moving away from home, Trixie had been able to start presenting herself the way she’d always wanted to; big hair, pink clothes, and a lot of makeup. That was enough. She didn’t need to embark on some journey of self-exploration or live out the ‘everyone experiments in college’ fantasy.

She didn’t.

Her train of thought was interrupted when a notification cropped up in the corner of her screen. Her heart stuttered a little in her chest a moment, but it wasn’t anywhere near as exciting as she’d first hoped. It was a message from some guy they’d swiped right on a couple of hours earlier - not that she was disappointed or hoping for anything else.

She didn’t bother reading it before locking her phone and struggling up off the sofa to grab herself a glass of water and follow the other girls to bed.

—

(04.33AM) i hear you’re looking for a stud. well, I got the STD and all I need is u ;))

Trixie blinked, reaching to rub the sleep from her eyes with her free hand. She could hear chatter from the kitchen, a sure sign that everyone else had been awake for a little while already, and the smell of pancakes was just starting to waft in through her bedroom door.

“Who the hell,” she murmured, keying in her passcode and scrolling through her apps until she found the little fire icon.

Of course.

The message was from Katya. A second glance at her profile confirmed that she was every bit as gorgeous as Trixie remembered and just weird enough for the pick-up to be funny instead of creepy or uncomfortable.

(10.53AM) No offence but that really isn’t how to sell yourself.

(10.54AM) Also why were you still awake at 4AM?

It wasn’t as though she was committing to anything by writing back. At least, that was what she told herself. If Katya turned out to be some sort of insatiable horn-dog or a sixty-five year old man with a thirst for women way outside the socially acceptable dating pool, she could always delete the app or block her.

The thought had only just crossed her mind when her bedroom door flew open to reveal a fresh-faced Kim sporting frilly, turquoise apron and some sushi-print pyjamas. “We’re making pancakes,” She announced. “Nutella and strawberries or peanut butter and banana?”

“Nutella and strawberries. Do we have any whipped cream?”

“Yeah.”

“That too.” Trixie said, flinching when her phone buzzed in her hand. It was from Tinder. She’d been a little on the fence about whether she’d be receiving a response at all, let alone so quickly. What kind of person stayed up till just before dawn and managed to resurrect before lunch-time?

“Who’s that?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. No-one,” Trixie put her phone in her lap and played it off with a shrug. “I’ll be through in five, can you keep a couple warm for me?”

“Sure.”

She waited until Kim had left the room before re-launching the app to see what Katya had sent her. Vaguely, she wondered if Tinder notified the other person when she’d read their messages. That was something to figure out later.

(10.55AM) no, totally - the best way to sell yourself is to up the quality and put down the price :D

(10.55AM) Sounds like you’re talking from experience.

(10.55AM) i’m a wealth of wordly experience, mother.

(10.55AM) Mother?

(10.56AM) wrong number. it’s the russian supermodel you swiped right on last night ;DD

She rolled her eyes.

(10.56AM) Doesn’t ring a bell.

(10.56AM) :((

(10.56AM) how about a crazy flashing her granny-panties in the playpark?

(10.56AM) So this is my mother.

(10.56AM) ha ha

(10.57AM) for real though, you’re super cute!

(10.57AM) Thanks, you have a really pretty smile.

(10.57AM) twenty-one years of refined sugar and legal highs and i’ve never had a cavity

(10.57AM) Get out, I had braces for two and a half years!

(10.57AM) and didn’t put one of those pictures on your profile???

(10.57AM) I literally looked like Sharon Spitz.

(10.57AM) braceface!

(10.58AM) You got that reference?

(10.58AM) no, i googled it.

(10.58AM) why did the deer need braces?

(10.58AM) Oh no…

(10.58AM) he had buck teeth!

(10.58AM) That was awful.

(10.59AM) wanna hear another one?

(10.59AM) Hold on, let me… brace myself.

(10.59AM) ahhh!!!

(10.59AM) marry me. right here, right now

Trixie was fully aware of the fact that she was smiling like an idiot. She couldn’t help it. For someone she’d been speaking to for a little over five minutes, Katya was ridiculously charming and super easy to talk to.

(10.59AM) I usually don’t accept marriage proposals until after the second date.

(11.00AM) two dates for marriage?? who do you think u are

(11.00AM) A lady of class and sophistication.

(11.00AM) no way, me too

(11.00AM) I can tell.

(11.00AM) it’s an energy

(11.00AM) Oh, totally.

(11.00AM) cosmic, almost

(11.00AM) Cosmic?

(11.01AM) absolutely. the stars have aligned to tell you i’m one high-end, high-class piece

(11.01AM) That wasn’t what I was getting.

(11.01AM) you need to open your mind

(11.01AM) listen with your heart

(11.01AM) Paint with all the colours of the wind?

(11.01AM) yes!! thank you, pocahontas

“Trixie!”

"Coming! I’m coming,” she called, peeling the duvet covers off herself and feeling around the floor for her slippers.  

(11.02AM) I gotta go, breakfast is ready.

(11.02AM) aw :((

(11.02AM) ttyl?

(11.02AM) Sure.

(11.02AM) :D

Trixie huffed out a laugh, glancing at Katya’s smiling profile picture one last time before setting her phone face-down on the bed-side table and shuffling on through to the kitchen. Kim, Naomi and Max were all gathered around the counter in various states of wakefulness. Naomi looked as though she’d slept in her mascara, no surprise there, while Max had was sitting with a cup of tea clutched in both hands. All three of them turned when she entered.

“Someone looks cheerful,” Max commented, raising a brow. “What’s that about?”

"Oh, nothing.” Trixie said idly, swiping a plate from her cupboard and stacking it high with a smile still lingering on her lips. ”Nothing at all.”

#trixya #lesbian au #college au #tw internalized homophobia #fluff #rpdr fanfiction #ornacia2 #tinders a shit show