#so that’s me stepping off the soapbox

[studywithisabel]

i’m gonna be negative for a second so fair warning

the STEM obsession is literally a plague on the current academic world, especially the recent “women in stem” shit. of course people who are typically discouraged from male-dominated fields should receive encouragement from schools, recruiters, etc, but i am really sick of this being turned into “STEM is the only valuable career path and you are betraying your intelligence as a woman/poc/whatever by doing literally anything else.”

there are SO many non stem jobs that are essential to the proper functioning of society and are definitely NOT worth any less than being a doctor or engineer. i’m tired of there being zero scholarships, internships, encouragement in general for literally any other career path. it’s just disrespectful and honestly dangerous. we can’t let humanities-focused subjects and careers die because STEM is the current hot topic. and i just hate most of all the appropriation of feminism to do it.

#it just feels like conflating feminism into you can either be a stupid housewife or be a smart girlboss doctor #like no there are plenty of other fulfilling careers that require very high skill and intelligence #and you know what even careers that aren’t seen as prestigious are just as valid #so that’s me stepping off the soapbox #i hope no stemmies are offended by this it’s not about you personally #it’s about the complete systemic ignorance of all other subjects #negative #academia

[guildwuff2]

sorry it's late but i'm a night owl and i'm still thinkin' about the screenshots people have posted, like

...the fact that these people were wanting to use large language models to write their RP posts, or generate rps in general. it's genuinely kinda heartbreaking to think about, rp is a collaborative effort with multiple people to make really fun and personal stories in settings you enjoy with characters you relate to, or just a concept you want to explore. i've met so many amazing people that i talk to every day through rp, i've had friends i met through rp or rp platforms online that i've gone on to meet in person, multiple times in some cases.

what do you gain from rping with an LLM? all it's doing is predictive text. i want to connect with people, through characters connecting or characters in conflict, and grow as a creative! and, hell, grow as a person. the trajectories i've written characters in have gone in ways i've not expected before and it becomes an opportunity for introspection, and there's absolutely no way i'd ever get that from having a machine write the post for me.

writing is hard! art is hard! it takes years of practice, trial and error, mistakes, and taking inspiration from the media you love. the only answer is to connect with those artists and authors, connect with people in the same boat as you and want to improve as creators. using LLMs just takes the humanity out of the whole process.

#sayeth the wuff #ok stepping off my soapbox #the rping with llms thing was stewing #i can only speak for US culture but the degree of isolating individualism on display genuinely depresses me #community is SO important! we are social creatures! #ok i gotta go to bed good night

[waitineedaname]

"Amestris is an allegory for nazi Germany" you fool. Amestris is not an allegory for just nazi Germany -- it's an allegory for genocidal, fascist, militaristic governments as a whole. Yes, it has parallels to fascist Europe, but it also has parallels to xenophobic militaristic US and imperialist Japan. The point is not "look at this outlier of a country committing atrocities," the point is that the country committing atrocities might be your country and you might be complicit in it no matter how morally upstanding you might think you are. To act like only one government is capable of committing genocide blinds you to the potential that any other government might commit genocide too.

#fma #im writing this at 11pm bc i was thinking about it so hard i couldnt sleep #i havent seen 03 but the nazi germany thing bugs me and i think this is why #like yes the parallels to germany are VERY clear #but also the bit where ishvalan soldiers were being rounded up immediately reminded me of the japanese internment camps in the us #and the oppression of the ishvalans is at least somewhat inspired by the oppression of the ainu in japan #the point is that it's COMPLICATED #this series is basically You Are Not Immune To Propaganda #anyway. stepping off my soapbox now. #im putting this in my drafts and i'll give it another read tomorrow to see if i should post it #<- it's been almost a week now and I'm finally releasing this from my drafts #it's a hot take but I'm gonna say it anyway #fma posting

[cripbian]

i really wish the people attacking cpunk stopped creating this false dichotomy between physical & mental disability, even though that's not how the community seems to think of physical disability as a category. it's way simpler. it's just a question of whether or not you're physically disabled. it's not about mind-body dualism, it's about embodiment: does your disability affect your physicality in a way that aligns your experience with other physically disabled people? i really like the cripple punk "exclusionary" community because they're not...exclusionary? the community seems to operate on an understanding that if you feel like your disability affects your physicality, then you're physically disabled. no one seems to really gatekeep so long as people are respectful and kind. in fact, i've seen a lot of validation directed at people who don't feel "disabled enough." this community seems, to me, to be built on respect, on listening to people who are more disabled than you are, and on inclusivity to the point that folks tend to trust that you're physically disabled if you feel physically disabled. the people who get shit on are the people who think that accessibility for physically disabled people "overshadows" other forms of accessibility & devalue the voices of our more disabled community members.

#rambles #cripple punk #cpunk #stepping off my soapbox now but ive been mulling this over for a while. i just feel like cpunk has been SO welcoming to me #especially when i dont understand things #and i find the discourse SO confusing bcs of that. no one has ever acted like my struggles w mental illness are not impt either

[see-arcane]

I like the atmosphere and tension in Psycho so much. Could never fully enjoy it since the core horror here is trans people.

Oh absolutely, it broke a ton of ground for cinema. The sets, the shots, the build-up, the bait-and-switch protagonist. All extremely cool! But also...yeah. Kind of set the tone for a Certain Trope.

Need an edgy*** serial killer? Easy! Just have this GUY be LADY and do murders about it!!

Psycho: 'Man dresses like his mom and kills people! Scary!'

The Silence of the Lambs: 'Man kills women so he can BE a woman! Scary!'

Sleepaway Camp: 'Boy forced to pretend he was his SISTER! Girl life! Killed about it! Scary!'

Insidious 2: 'Serial killer did serial killing because his mom made him dress like girl and have girl name! Scary!'

Behind Her Eyes and Suitable Flesh: 'Man possess lady body? On purpose?? FOR EVIL AND MURDERS AND STEAL UR MAN??? Scary!'

#on that note I really truly wanted to be excited about Suitable Flesh since it was playing with an often overlooked Lovecraft story #but like #it just really shot itself in the foot as far as the core of the fear went #the terror and the betrayal of some evil old fuck swapping bodies with his own kin #just to leave her to die and then make another hop to her beau #abusing the love and trust that's meant to save our heroes in any other tale #as a stepping stone for immortality and body horror #meanwhile Suitable Flesh would have done So much better if it just was not playing with Lovecraft lore as a background #but maybe that's just me being on a soapbox about it #I'm trying to be less Fun Police about stuff based off of old writing #it just didn't land for me this time #anyway #horror #psycho #transphobia

[sojourner-between-worlds]

"Scripture is sufficient."

Hm. Yup. No one said it wasn't.

"That's why I don't watch X media based on the Bible."

So, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you also don't sing any hymns in your church's worship service then, huh? Because, ya know, the Bible has an entire book of songs already, so you don't need any others.

But I'd bet money that's not the case at all. Because we use media other than the Bible to supplement our worship all the time. From visual aids in Sunday School classes down to the décor, they are things we add. And it doesn't make any of them inherently wrong.

Look. I don't care if you, personally, don't like something or not. That's not what this is about. What I have a problem with is you tacking on a "holier than thou" sentiment to a subjective opinion. "Scripture is sufficient." Yes. It is. "I don't like this piece of media because it adds bits" (that don't contradict Scripture). Personal Preference.

And you are allowed to have personal preferences. But you don't need to justify them or belittle other believers in order to say, "I'm not a fan."

So all I can say is this: if you're going to toss out visual media because "scripture is sufficient" then you'd better be prepared to throw out your hymnals, too.

#yes this about someones opinion of the chosen #and lemme tell you the chosen is a lot more biblically sound than a lot of hymns #or do people just not pay attention to the words theyre singing? #'old' doesn't inherently been 'better' #thats a different story though lol #point being it just rubbed me the wrong way #especially considering the chosen specifically has message before the first episode that basically amounts to #'GO READ YOUR BIBLE OKAY' #like they have NEVER claimed to be a replacement for scripture #in fact dallas has said the opposite so many times that it hurts #rubs me the wrong way like an old pastor i had growing up that said you shouldn't script prayers because it makes them less sincere #which is utterly terrible advice btw #another tangent wheeeeeeee lol #anyway heres a fun fact to leave you with: #the chosen can actually make it into countries where the bible is banned because the app is labeled simply as 'entertainment' #so it's not blocked #if it's between the chosen and someone never hearing the gospel otherwise? #yeah i think you guess what i think about that #anyway #*steps off soapbox* #I feel better now lol #the chosen #the chosen tv series #christianity

[shittyelfwriter]

I saw a really good tiktok a while ago (that I will add to this post if I can find it again) talking about how jk rowling doesn’t have good execution of her own ideas and concepts in her writing (specifically harry potter series) rather, she made a good sandbox and that’s what draws people to the books. it’s the potential of the world she created, not the actual application of it that has people so enamored

and honestly? it’s so true, and applies to most media I can think of. that’s why fanfiction is what it is: it’s just us kids playing in a sandbox created by someone who didn’t know what to do with all that damn sand

#yes this is me thinking about the tsc series again and waxing philosophical #I get that some people are okay with the series on face level #I’ve even seen people getting ANNOYED by the fandom’s (unhappy) reaction to the choices the series made #it’s not that we NEED our headcanons to be canon. we just want to see the premise of the media treated with the respect it deserves #and when it isn’t it’s fair to be disappointed! just block as you need to friend #but that’s why we write! anyone is welcome to consume the series as is #tsc sandbox is very fun and the premises are incredible and THATS why it’s annoying when it becomes tim allen so funny har har boomer joke #IN 2022 OF ALL YEARS #like we’d hoped for updates to the movies that were fun not MOCKING #anyway *steps off soapbox* #it’s a wednesday alright #ana speaks

[torchickentacos]

I never do this, but reblogs were off and I want to shout this at everyone. stealing this post.

more thoughts under read more. I know it's a popular saying and I never look down on people who say things like this before knowing the impact they have (or even after to an extent, I have too much benefit of the doubt to go around), as we all have things we say and do that have negative impacts, and sometimes you never know to change that until someone points it out. So this is NOT a call out post or whatever, this is my rambling emotional thoughts on a topic.

I think first and foremost, I'm bothered by the ableism of course. But secondary to that is my annoyance at seeing people act high and mighty about fandom discourse. Like, if you want to talk to adults with jobs, go to linkedin or something, not tumblr, where we do care about things, and where we do discuss things.

And I GET thinking some discourse is stupid. I DO! because guess what. some discourse is stupid skjfhsdjkjfhsdjfhkdjs. I've joked about the poke/amour stuff before. I'll clown on some things, and maybe that makes me a hypocrite, but I feel like a step is taken when you take it from 'making fun of the discourse', something we all do to an extent (which dare I say is a form of participating in it) to 'making fun of the people who engage in such discourse'. We are FREE to talk about how silly the voltron stuff was. We are FREE to be snarky about things because human nature is to be a bit of a hater sometimes. but do it in a way that jabs at the topic and not the people.

But I think a lot of it also hinges on how we see human value on a larger scale. People make fun of people who work retail, people who don't have jobs, people whose jobs are considered extra or undesirable like sex workers, et cetera, despite these jobs being IMPORTANT. It's disheartening to me to see people lean on these types of jabs, and I think it tends to paint human value as something purely based on what you can give out to the world. It leans on this sort of input-output based system of determining how valuable or worthy someone is. And if they don't meet that standard value of 'adult with job', then their opinions are moot as jobless losers in their mom's basements or whatever the fuck. I think the whole thing leans into the conservative 'special snowflake' attitude, which isn't something I think we should be leaning on in arguments or discussion.

And I think that the intent is usually not to be ableist. Most people don't start their day wondering how they can insult disabled people, I'd hope. But intent and impact are often detached, and good intent (avoiding discourse) can have a bad impact (making fun of people in the name of pointing out issues with disocurse). I also think race could be a component, given how racial discrimination in hiring is still a very real thing and is a real factor preventing people from getting 'GoOd ReAl JoBs', but I'll leave that side of the discussion to someone who is more qualified to talk on it than I am. Feel free to chime in with any insight on that side of the coin if you want!!! I imagine the same also goes for visibly queer people but I'm not going to get into the straight/cis passing stuff right now.

And maybe I'm looking too far into it. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much, maybe it's just a funny little saying that TOTALLY doesn't affect actual people in any way. After all, I'm just some jobless disabled loser in my parent's house talking about discourse on tumblr, aren't I?

#rbs are fine but please be kind if you're going to send anons about this topic. #reblogs were off for a reason presumably so I'll leave it anon #i don't know or care what side of whatever discourse op is on. they're right about this specific thing. #i genuinely don't want to get into back and forth discussion about how wrong i am on this right now tbh #I don't want to hear WELL ACTUALLY- #like no please just let me say my piece and step down from the soapbox #this isn't a callout post or like OH YOURE SOOOOO TERRIBLE IF YOU SAY THIS #like no i've said it before i think khdfskdjfhdzb just my thoughts right now #it's annoyance at the societal aspect of it as a whole #like i'm not mad at cashiers for taking my money. i'm mad that as an entire society we have no money for groceries. ya feel? #never mad at any individuals! always mad at the societal aspect as a whole #beause it really isn't something any one person should have blame for imo #also reminder i am a random tumblr user and not some moral lighthouse to guide everyone. what do i know lmao

[aliferous-ly]

Hard felt!! Idk if I want engage or three houses more, cause a three houses challenge vid is what originally drew me in to Fire Emblem and I’ve heard that Three Houses has a more serious story and Engage is far more camp. Byleth also isn’t a walking colgate billboard

What I do know is I don’t want both cause what if the turn based war strategy game genre reduces me to tears and my inadequacy soft locks me? Then that’s just a waste of money (I try to have an I’m bad at games attitude to reduce stress while playing but this has in turn increased stress when wanting a game of a genre I’ve never played or is described as a hard version of a genre favorite)

I totally get that. And tbh, both three houses or engage sound super fun if u approach them knowing if it's more serious/more camp because I doooo love a good camp game, lol.

I usually try to be realistic about my own skill set for video games which is.. mid. fps I am bad at and don't like (except for knife tag, which is just hide and seek but more fun) and indie games I'm like, I get it on steam on sale for 5 bucks, if I hate it.. it's 5 dollars. but rn I'm feeling that sunk cost fallacy guilt of not playing botw bc it cost me $40 (got it on sale? or something? who knows it's a miracle) even though the point is to, yk, have fun.

If u have steam then maybe try some cheaper turn based games? otherwise idk if fire emblem has an accessibility mode or like, a story-only mode where the fights are easy. Celeste, a commonly known hard asf indie game has an accessibility mode. Hades has "god mode" so you can advance the story if you're shit at roguelikes but really want the plot. imo most games should have this bc the point is enjoyment, not gatekeeping.

#steps off my soapbox #game accessibility is a thing i could ramble about #like ill probably never try dark souls. its my brother's favorite type of game but it just doesnt .. appeal #im all for trying things out to see if u like them so i want to encourage u to play but also . 60 dollars. woof. #i REALLY hope theres no spot in the game where inadequacy soft locks u because that would be shit #long post #kinda #also me rambling in the tags to keep the post shorter. lol

[lionheartedmusings]

hey everyone! i want to first off thank everyone for your support bc it's meant a lot to me throughout this whole shitshow <3 in better news too, for everyone following the last 4 months of my life and how shitty those have been, i've been grinding my butt off over on twitch and i'll be eligible to get paid next month! not an insane amount, by any means, but enough to cover some bills which i'm so excited about because it means things are turning around.

as of right now, shit's still pretty rough and there's no way to get an advanced payout so i'll have to wait until the 12th for that. i've sold pretty much everything i could sell that i own, and i've been doing some odd translation jobs but it just hasn't even remotely come close to something livable for me. i have around 20€ to my name and that's because a friend was kind enough to help me.

i have to show up at everyone's doorstep on tumblr dot com standing at the doorway, but i know in a different time i would've urged anyone to ask for help every single time they needed it so i'm taking a page out of my own book and putting this out there in case anyone wants to help <3 it'd mean so much to me if you could reblog, but either way thank you for letting me step on my soapbox and have a beautiful day! this is my p*ypal <3

#financial assistance #financial aid #mutual aid #actually autistic

[atyourmerci]

Let me step on my mf soapbox reallllll quick

The smut/sexualization discourse in the TLOU community right now is honestly fucking comical. Let’s start with the y’all being mad about the “over sexualization of Ellie/Abby” who are not…real people…pixels….pixel pussy? 99.9% of the sexual content made about them is based off of the VIDEO GAMES. Actually don’t think I’ve ever read smut based off the tv show character for Ellie.

Also let’s not forget how smut is a FEMALE dominated industry and consumed. Wow you mfs found another way to shit on women and coin smut as a porn addiction!!!???? I’ll even take the leap and say it’s targeting queer women because not ONCE have a seen this in the joel miller fanbase. It’s like two different worlds reading/engaging in the queer and straight characters of this fandom.

Lastly ITS FREE CONTENT!!! You as the consumer spent no money and possibly time engaging in the content these creators have spent their time creating. Fics take hours/days to write and YOU didn’t get what you wanted so you’re throwing a fit about it? Childish as fuck. This is a mature rated game, you have to be over 17 to even buy it, and you expect all the fanfic to be about rainbows and kittens?

Anywho this is me stepping off the soapbox.

#abby anderson #the last of us #ellie williams #ellie tlou #tlou smut #tlou2 #tlou fanfiction

[cricketfucker]

Will Wood Song Tournament!

Good morning ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls, neithers, boths, and in-betweens. We gather here to vote upon the best Will Wood songs of all time.

Below is our roster of 64 Will Wood / Will Wood and the Tapeworms songs, placed in a randomized order, my only rule being that none of the matches in the first & second round will be from the same album:

ROUND 1 - Voting Date & Time: January 31st, 2pm CST

Match 1: Becoming the Lastnames VS Self-

Match 2: Euthanasia VS Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture

Match 3: Welcome to Camp Here & There VS You Liked This (Okay, Computer!)

Match 4: Falling Up VS Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca)

Match 5: Momento Mori: the most important thing in the world VS Sex, Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll

Match 6: Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) VS Morning Announcements

Match 7: Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia/Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to the Fusiform Gyrus) VS Everything Is a Lot

Match 8: Evening Announcements VS Ferryman

Match 9: Love, Me Normally VS Good Morning, Campers!

Match 10: Afternoon Announcements VS Destroy to Enjoy

Match 11: Misanthrapologist VS Lysergide Daydream

Match 12: Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In! VS That's Enough, Let's Get You Home.

Match 13: Dr. Sunshine Is Dead VS Yes, to Err is Human, so Don't Be One.

Match 14: When Somebody Needs You VS Big Fat Bitchie’s Blueberry Pie, Christmas Tree, and Recreational Jell-o Emporium a.k.a. “Mr. Boy is on the Roof Again” (Feat. Pasta by Sneakers McSqueakers) [From “B.F.B.’s B-Sides: Bagel Batches, Marsh-Mallows, & Barsh-Mallows”]

Match 15: 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.) VS Your Body, My Temple

Match 16: Cover This Song (A Little Bit Mine) VS The Main Character

ROUND 2 - Voting Date & Time: February 1st, 2pm CST

Match 1: Red Moon VS I / Me / Myself

Match 2: Cicada Days VS Outliars and Hyppocrates: a fun fact about apples

Match 3: BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA VS Half-Decade Hangover

Match 4: Front Street VS Vampire Reference in a Minor Key

Match 5: Tomcat Disposables VS Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq, G.F.D.

Match 6: White Knuckle Jerk (Where Do You Get Off?) VS ...well, better than the alternative

Match 7: Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave VS Alma Mater

Match 8: Um, It's Kind of a Lot VS Under a Monochromatic Sky

Match 9: ...And If I Did, You Deserved It. VS Against the Kitchen Floor

Match 10: -ish VS Venetian Blind Man

Match 11: Under a Technicolor Sky VS 2012

Match 12: 6up 5oh Copout (Pro / Con) VS The Song with Five Names, a.k.a. Soapbox Tao, a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government, a.k.a. You Can Never Know

Match 13: Jimmy Mushroom's Last Drink: Bedtime in Wayne, NJ VS White Noise

Match 14: Willard! VS ¡Aikido! (Neurotic / Erotic)

Match 15: The Rhumba of Death VS The First Step

Match 16: Skeleton Appreciation Day in Vestal, NY (Bones) VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

ROUND 3 - Voting Date & Time: February 2nd, 2pm CST

Match 1: Becoming the Lastnames VS Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture

Match 2: Welcome to Camp Here & There VS Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca)

Match 3: Momento Mori: the most important thing in the world VS Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)

Match 4: Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia/Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to the Fusiform Gyrus) VS Ferryman

Match 5: Love, Me Normally VS Destroy to Enjoy

Match 6: Misanthrapologist VS Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!

Match 7: Dr. Sunshine is Dead VS When Somebody Needs You

Match 8: 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.) VS The Main Character

ROUND 4 - Voting Date & Time: February 3rd, 2pm CST

Match 1: I / Me / Myself VS Cicada Days

Match 2: BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA VS Front Street

Match 3: Tomcat Disposables VS Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq, G.F.D. VS ...well, better than the alternative

Match 4: Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave VS Um, It's Kind of a Lot

Match 5: Against the Kitchen Floor VS Venetian Blind Man

Match 6: 2012 VS The Song with Five Names, a.k.a. Soapbox Tao, a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government, a.k.a. You Can Never Know

Match 7: White Noise VS Willard!

Match 8: The First Step VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

ROUND 5 - Voting Date & Time: February 5th, 2pm CST

Match 1: Chemical Overreaction / Compound Fracture VS Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca)

Match 2: Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) VS Mr. Capgras Encounters a Secondhand Vanity: Tulpamancer's Prosopagnosia/Pareidolia (As Direct Result of Trauma to the Fusiform Gyrus)

Match 3: Love, Me Normally VS Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In!

Match 4: Dr. Sunshine is Dead VS 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.)

Match 5: Cicada Days VS BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA

Match 6: ...well, better than the alternative VS Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave

Match 7: Against the Kitchen Floor VS The Song with Five Names, a.k.a. Soapbox Tao, a.k.a. Checkmate Atheists! a.k.a. Neospace Government, a.k.a. You Can Never Know

Match 8: Willard! VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

ROUND 6 - Voting Date & Time: February 7th, 2pm CST

Match 1: Cotard's Solution (Anatta, Dukkha, Anicca) VS Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)

Match 2: Love, Me Normally VS 2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.)

Match 3: BlackBoxWarrior - OKULTRA VS Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave

Match 4: Against the Kitchen Floor VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

ROUND 7 - Voting Time & Date: February 8th, 4pm CST

Match 1: Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!) VS Love, Me Normally

Match 2: Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

ROUND 8 - Voting Time & Date: February 9th, 5pm CST

Final Match: Love, Me Normally VS Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

WINNER!

Suburbia Overture / Greetings from Mary Bell Township! / (Vampire) Culture / Love Me, Normally

#will wood #will wood and the tapeworms #wwattw

[nothorses]

Why do people say "oppression doesn't add up or cancel out like Pokemon types" but then a post later say whiteness cancels out oppression and black Indigenous fat queer trans disabled women are the Most Oppressed (but conveniently never add that living in the US or a developed country, or going to college or Internet access at all are privileges, bc then their fave queer/AA studies academics wouldn't be the Most Oppressed, and therefore not be immune to criticism...). Like I'm def a little bitter but also I genuinely don't see what component I'm not seeing.

tbh I think the real answer is that memorable slogans and sayings are effective reminders, and sometimes even effective communicators within a small, established group with deeply shared ideology, but not really effective communicators anywhere outside of that.

people know that "oppression olympics" and "treating oppression like pokemon types" is Wrong and Bad, between the phrasing itself (negative/derogatory), and the context it's used in (Something People We Disagree With Do). but they don't always understand what those phrases actually refer to, or why they're being used. because they're used as a shorthand for larger ideas so frequently, it can be difficult to gain any understanding of them directly, because Everyone Knows What That Means Now and it no longer bears explanation.

sometimes the people they're learning the phrases from also don't understand; it's not uncommon that a phrase like this gains some popularity and good favor in a larger culture, and then people find ways to use it that help them court that favor and persuade others to their "side". it's also not uncommon for people to just use those phrases to mean "Something People We Disagree With Do", with no deeper understanding whatsoever.

the other answer to this, imo, is that people cognitive dissonace their way out of reckoning with their beliefs all the time.

I think the version I most often see is "oppression isn't pokemon types", but they view all oppression through one lens (cisheterosexism, racism, misogyny, ableism); all of the connections between axes of oppression, and all of the ways they enforce one another, are filtered through this one lens. so we get takes like "[oppression] is the One True Oppression, the Oppression which all others exist only to reinforce".

(It doesn't help that a lot of academics don't bother clarifying that's not true in writings that could very easily be interpreted that way by someone who isn't already familiar with the ongoing conversation.)

anyway im stepping off the soapbox now. I hate this shit so much. I feel like I understand (some of) why it happens, but that really doesn't make it drive me any less apeshit.

[spider-man-2o99]

so, then, what IS up with miguel o’hara’s moral backbone?

lol sorry if y’all’re sick of my 2099 soapboxing. anyways.

while i understand where the reading of “miguel is a morally bankrupt evil scientist and his spider-man is just a violent shitheel” comes from, i just... really can’t ever get behind it, based on what we see in the text of SM2099 v1 (1992-1996) itself.

like, don’t get me wrong-- from our first introduction to the guy, we very quickly learn that he has been a cog in the machine for one of the 2099 imprint’s Big Bads, the ruthless megacorporation in charge of the United States’ East coast: Alchemax.

..but. like.

the whole point of his origin story is changing that. the initial catalyst for his Spidering--getting roofied by Tyler when he tries to quit his job--would not have happened if he had no moral compass to speak of.

narratively, it’s less that miguel himself is changed, after he gets his powers, but that his perception of the world has changed.

just-- just bear with me, yeah?

see, for a lot of his life, miguel was a perfect cog in a shitty machine, and he did everything he was expected to without even thinking to stray from the path set down for him by his biological father and by alchemax overall.

and, then, suddenly, that’s all ripped from him in an instant. and miguel’s left floundering in the water.

he’s no longer on the winning team-- more than that, he realizes that he probably never even was on the right side of things, to begin with.

miguel o’hara’s most-quoted line is his response to the infamous “great power,” bit: Great responsibility? No. With great power comes great guilt.

he’s repressed, and he’s a hypocrite, but a guy can only turn a blind eye so far when something he knows is wrong is happening right in front of his face.

as soon as it’s even suggested to him, he immediately steps out of line and tries to put his foot down on absolutely not using a human test subject for his personal spider-man project. when stone brushes him off and makes them go through with human testing anyways, and then the subject dies, miguel doesn’t hesitate to turn up his nose and walk out right then and there on the spot.

his reward for it, of course, is an ice-cold dose of Reality.

from there, his blinders get pulled harshly off his face, and mig realizes that he really doesn’t want to keep being the person that he has been. his life has been wasted sitting idly by and letting bad things happen because all he knows is helpless compliance, right up until he goes and gets himself The Fly’ed into spider-man.

and once that happens, and he Realizes it, he starts to fight back.

that’s how the run is kick-started, in the very first three issues!

the first ten issues of spider-man 2099 (1992) follow miguel stumbling from a very sheltered life, having been thrust head-first into navigating a world that is not only deeply, deeply unjust, but also wants him very, very dead.

he don’t got a dead uncle to motivate him! all he’s got it his own fear and an inner desire to use his new abilities to try and make the world a better place.

hell, the first time he put on the costume, ol’ miggy boy wasn’t even doing so for the purpose of becoming a superhero in his off-time-- it was just an old spare in his closet that he threw on in a desperate attempt to Not Fucking Die as a bounty hunter tracked him to his home.

it’s only later on, after he’s had time for it all to sink in, that miguel realizes that he can actually meaningfully help the people who had been cast aside by the same society that had previously lifted him up above them.

as much as he whines and bitches and moans about it, he never seriously considers throwing in the towel and hanging up the costume for good. he may hate what has happened to him, but he never once seems to hate what he can now do with his powers, vis-à-vis challenging injustice.

mig’s often stuck between a rock and a hard place, what with the kind of world he lives in. it’s why he don’t work well when he’s stranded away from his dimension. peter can get his villains locked up just fine and dandy, but miguel’s world isn’t like ours like that. it’s brutal and it’s very very much established across the imprint that earth-928 (marvel 2099) is a kill-or-be-killed place to live.

despite how people harp on him not having a no-kill rule, miguel honestly hasn’t even killed enough people to count on one hand; the first was completely by accident, even, and the second told him to his face that if spider-man let him live he’d just keep being a cannibal gang-boss because no one else ever has or would try to oppose him.

is killing people the answer? not if you have any other option. but. mig ain’t a friendly neighborhood superhero. he’s just doing what he thinks is right in the moment while scared absolutely shitless for his life most of the time.

now, i don’t mean to defend his every action--miguel o’hara isn’t a saint, and, good god, but he’s made some questionable choices--but. at the end of the day, he’s still shown throughout the run to be trying to be better.

and, i dunno. maybe i’m just a sentimental little sap, but a story about somebody who finally “wakes up” and struggles to build a life worth being proud of after years of having shut down from heavy early-life trauma? that hits, man.

hits real close to home, to be honest. learning to Live after so long simply Surviving is fuckin’ hard, man.

#spider-man 2099 #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara #meta #my meta #comic analysis #atsv #itsv #spider-man #marvel 2099 #marvel #across the spider-verse #talking tag #yarfs this all up on ur laps and skitters away into the night for ever #all this long long post is to really say is just. yknow. #just because they never said the words ''post-traumatic stress disorder'' until the 2010s it doesn't mean he wasn't Coded back in the 90s #slaps roof of spider-man 2099. you can fit so much goddamn Coding in this guy #call me whatever u will but i gotta underline i'm NOT in love with this man he is simply my dark mirror reflection of self #sm2099's my Special Interest i gotta lotta thoughts abt it #'dude this is super biased and opinionated' well. yeah. why do u think i point that out all the time? im coverin my ass for a Reason #always do your own research and take away from a piece whatever you want to take away from having experienced it etc. etc. etc. #this is My Blog where I natter on and on and on abt what i Wanna in between the metaphorical scrapbook-making experience

[c-e-d-dreamer]

You bringing back that Cassian hair fic and your tags on it have me giggling. Clearly so passionate about our fave bat boy's hair! But you're right and you should say it 🤭

You know what, lovely Anon? I am passionate about it 😌 Like listen, this is absolutely the fandom hill I am willing to die on even if it's just me and like 4 other people, and I will not apologize for that!!!

I will say, the people who I was talking about this with yesterday (and thus sparked the reblog) are fandom friends, and they're lovely people, and they had no malicious intent in this joking and teasing instance, but I do think there's a wider fandom problem of lessening Cassian's character.

And I know what you're thinking, "but Caty. You shit on canon Cassian all the time." And I do! But that's still my boy!

He's a General. He leads whole armies. He has intricate military knowledge, strategy, probably history. Nesta notes in ACOSF that he has a lot of books. Like Cassian is smart. He is a smart dude. But I've found that often he gets cast as like the fandom comedic relief. Like you watch the skits on TikTok and they're fun, but Cassian will always be played as the Big Dumb Boi(tm). He's the head empty himbo. And now we're adding that he's unhygienic too? That he doesn't wash and doesn't care about his appearance/doesn't even try? No thoughts in his head and no care for the hair on that head....

Like please leave my boy alone 😭

Plus, Cassian's a bastard! And I know people often point to that as like further proof he's not doing much because he literally couldn't as a child and obviously had more important things to worry about while in the snow. But I actually think it had the opposite effect! Cassian isn't exactly a proud bastard. We see in ACOSF that it still affects him, that he thinks Nesta deserves a prince like Eris over lowly ole him.

I think Cassian learned something from Rhys. He learned something being raised by Mama Night. And I think he puts in the work to present himself in a way that reflects his status, his station now. He is standing there as The General(tm), and you better damn put some respect on his name!

And I know there's jokes to be made about SJM's choice to make Illyrians workout and sweat in leather of all things (🤢) and how Cassian is always in them and does he even own any other clothes? But I think that's part of it too! Him always in his Illyrian leather is part of him presenting as the warrior, as the General.

And mmm now I'm thinking about a fic where similar to Cassian seeing Nesta with her hair down and what that signifies. But it's Nesta seeing Cassian without the General mask. No leathers. No siphons. A little bit messy and not put together. So soft... So vulnerable.... Jots notes for Cassian Appreciation Week....

Anyways! This answer really got away from me, didn't it? So rambley. I've completely lost the plot and the point. But yeah, I'll just step down off my soapbox now.... 😅

#answered #fandom wank #I guess #Caty's soapbox rambles #we'll make that a new tag #cassian #acosf #acotar

[makethatelevenrings]

Day 23 - Dom/Sub

Pairing: Jason Todd x gn!reader

Warnings: if you’re under 18, go away!!!

Summary: After a stressful day, all you need is Jason.

Note: kink =/= sexual all the time! Dom/sub lifestyles can be a constant thing, even outside of the bedroom. Also, aftercare is SO important, for both subs AND doms. Ok, that’s all. Getting off of my soapbox now.

Kinktober Masterlist

A thud hit the table above you, but you didn’t raise your head. Jason’s forearm brushed over your head as he reached over to set the pistol and rag in his hand on the coffee table. Soft jazz played somewhere in the distance and you realized belatedly that it was playing in your apartment. Everything was fuzzy around the edges, but it was a good fuzzy. The warmth that washed over you made you feel floaty and safe.

Jason’s thigh flexed under your cheek and you nuzzled closer, your eyelids fluttering close. One of his hands came up and rested on your forehead, his thumb stroking along your brow.

“How are you doin’?” His voice, rough but tinged with warmth, slipped over you like a warm blanket. You leaned into his touch, savoring the rough, calloused pads of his fingers as they ghosted over your skin.

“Good, sir.” His hand slid down to your jaw and he tilted your head up to meet his gaze. “What do you need, sir?”

“Hey,” he chastised gently. “This is for you. You’re doing all I need from you.”

By that, he meant kneeling on the floor beside the couch he was sitting on and submitting yourself to his control. Jason had been looking over some files when you came storming in, practically shaking in repressed emotion. His immediate reaction was to grab a gun and beat the shit out of whoever fucked with you, but once he took a longer look at you, he realized that you weren’t angry.

You were stressed and scared and in over your head. You needed to just not be for a moment. You needed to get out of your head.

As your lover, it was his job to help you out in times like this. As your dom, it was his hand that you submitted willingly. So he met you at the door, took your coat and bag and hung them up, and he led you to the couch and asked if you needed him to take control.

And you sank to your knees, grateful to give in for a moment.

That’s how you found yourself here, pressed against him and cradled in his gentle touch. For such a rough giant of a man, Jason was an absolute angel when it came to you. He sought to ensure you were taken care of, both in and out of the bed. You sought to serve him in the best way possible and however he required it of you.

“Have you eaten today? Drank water?” He ran the pad of his thumb over your bottom lip as he spoke.

“I had breakfast,” you admitted. It was getting close to dinner now and your stomach was starting to ache.

“Can you join me in the kitchen? Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Jason helped you stand, one hand supporting your hips as the other massaged your thighs. Swiftly, he scooped you up in a bridal carry and you snickered.

“C’mon baby, let’s get some food in you.”

“And you, sir. Not letting you go out tonight without taking care of yourself.”

His soft gaze studied your face for a moment before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your temple. “Thank you, baby. Want to tell me about your day?”

He sat you on the counter and prepared dinner while you spoke about the stress you were under. The longer you spoke, the better you felt and by the time dinner was ready, your head was clear.

“Jase?” Your voice had softened, catching his attention. He stepped in between your legs and settled his hands on your waist, giving you his undivided focus.

“Thank you for taking care of me, sir. I always feel safe when I’m with you.”

His grip tightened just slightly on you and he leaned in to steal a quick kiss from you. You grinned and laced your fingers together behind his head, stroking your thumb along his hairline.

“You’ll tell me if you need me, right?” you asked.

“Of course. Thank you for trusting me.” You both knew how important it was for him to hear that he made you feel safe. For the longest time, Jason didn’t feel safe. He grew up in the shitty parts of a broken city, died young and resurrected, and faced off with the worst of the worst and yet he still came home to you, to the peace the two of you have curated, and he craved the knowledge that he could provide for you and make sure that no matter what, you were safe.

“Love you, Red.”

“Love you too, baby. Now eat up.”

He lifted you off the counter, lightly slapping your ass as he did so, and deposited you onto the ground so you could grab a plate. He curved around your back, lips brushing the shell of your ear.

“If you’re good while I’m gone, I have a reward in mind.”

A devious smile curved across your lips. “Define good.”

#kinktober #kinktober 2022 #jason todd x reader #jason todd imagine #jason todd smut #red hood imagine #red hood x reader #red hood smut