#the nice thing about my stuff is anyone of any belief can read it and enjoy it

[kingshovelbug]

im sorry but i need to geek out somewhere and screaming into the void on tumblr is less likely to get me flayed than on twitter, especially if i get terms wrong. plus i can do a read more and yall can click into the tech talk if you want to verse it bombarding your twitter timelines

so idk if i only liked it or if i actually put it in my queue but i saw a post that talked about a few pieces of tech that focus on user repairs and being sustainable (fairphone and frameworks laptop) and after doing some more research into what they have to offer i actually really excited that these products are finely hitting the us market and that people are moving away from the belief that super smooth streamlined glassy = the future. being able to reliably repair and keep what you have alive verse throwing the whole thing away when maybe all you needed to do is add more ram to your current laptop (something that i would do with my laptop to keep using it for a few more years if it wasnt glued shut and i was at risk of cracking the screen) or swap out a fuse.

i know big corporations dont like it but i truly do believe with how much tech we use on a daily basis that the way that we are going to be more environmentally friendly is to move back to tech that we can hang onto for as long as we can and to recycle and then reuse what we cant. like with the frameworks laptop. i saw that they just partnered with coolermaster to create a case specifically so that you can reuse you motherboard, cpu, etc and make a portable workstation. you could dual wield with the laptop you just upgraded if you want to dedicate specific tasks to one or the other. they also specifically mentioned that you could screw it into the back of a monitor and create your own all in one. guys thats cool as shit??? if you had a 3d printer and some time you could even create that yourself

on top of the actual hardware part moving to open source programs when your able. when i update my desktop i plan on running linux. it might have a learning curve compared to windows but in terms of performance??? ive heard that it runs smoother even on older machines, that its more efficient because isnt running stuff in the background that tracks your data and shit. now i understand that not everyone can do that because there are some programs that dont play nice with linux but for my needs at least it does everything i would need it to. and maybe a couple years down the road we do figure out how to run these programs on certain flavors of linux since its open source and people fiddle with it so much. (still looking for alternatives to like word and excel though, i use google docs since its free but i want to move away from them as much as i can too since they laid of their youtube music team (i believe?? it might of been a different branch) for trying to unionize)

if anyone knows of any other smaller companies that actually focus on sustainability and user repairability please let me know. theres certain pieces of tech that i think are now unfortunately behind a software repair paywall, things that used to be just machines and are gaining more bells and whistles like cars and refrigerators if that makes sense. but the more we push for these things to be repairable by us the consumers id hope that would change, or there would at least be options that dont need specific companies to repair them or else they blow up

#personal

[bajisbbg]

🐈‍⬛

tw: this is my first time actually posting anything i’ve written. i made these pretty late at night so i’m sorry if they’re bad i just wanted to write something. probably some spelling mistakes and stuff i didn’t feel like checking it throughly.

a/n: please be nice

personal

* i’ve mentioned this before but baji absolutely LOVES the yakuza game

* favorite one is yakuza 0 (definitely not because this is the only one i’ve watched so far🌚)

* john cena fanboy for absolutely no reason. has his theme as his ringtone

* number 1 baby metal fan. owns their merch and goes to every concert

* his favorite season is summer for obvious reasons but his favorite holiday is definitely christmas because he and mikey ride around with shin

* HATES horror movies. like nothing can convince this man to watch them. even the kiddie ones like goosebumps or scary stories to tell in the dark will have him act like the devil just touched his soul

* definitely the kind of guy to walk around with one lens in his glasses after a fight

* purposely named his bike cockroach knowing pah is afraid of them

* he used to hate his fangs when he was little because kids used to tease him and say he was a dog

* that was until he started saying he’d bite and give them rabies if they kept messing with him

* cannot grow facial hair to save his life

* judges people on how they interact with animals, specifically cats

* despite popular belief, i don’t think he would get any tattoos. he seems like a piercing guy and definitely cannot sit that long for a tattoo

* gave himself the alias edward because he used to watch twilight with his mom

* he even had a phase when he acted like a vampire but will vehemently deny and threaten anyone who dares to bring it up

* is lactose intolerant and just like many of us will eat dairy and instantly regret it as soon as it hits his stomach

* sometimes he feels insecure about the fact he was held back, all of his friends moving up while he’s left behind

* even though he has a reputation for committing arson and slightly unprovoked violence, keisuke is truly a model citizen☝🏽

* volunteers at shelters, helps the elderly, feeds the homeless, solves climate change. he truly is a saint and can do no wrong!

home life

* i like the idea that his mom was a teen mom and that his father was never really around and just stopped coming one day

* due to her job, his mom sometimes works really late or super early so over the years he’s learned to cook (the only good thing he can cook is yakisoba)

* on the nights he knows his mom will be back late he cooks her food and despite it not being the best she still loves it

* even though she works a lot the two of them are still very close and their favorite thing to do is read manga and watch mystery dramas whenever she’s off

* despite not knowing his dad(he only visited when he was a baby) he never felt insecure about it

* he’s a total mamas boy, and will fight anyone who says something about her

* when ryoko was younger, she wanted to have a lot of kids but after having keisuke she changed her mind. she felt it would be selfish to have so many kids when she works so much and after realizing how much of a handful he can be.

* despite that and having him at such a young age, keisuke was the best thing to ever happen to her and wouldn’t trade him or his wildness for the world.

relationship

* back on the yakuza point, whenever you’re sad he’ll grab a hair brush, turn up the radio and start singing 24-hour cinderella to you until his voice is gone

* when you guys get in a fight he’ll act like he’s in a 2000’s r&b mv and start singing bakamitai. chifuyu gets the hose to spray water above him, kazutora plays the music, and ryusei records the whole thing so baji can send it to you

* a biter, like what’s the point of him having those sharp ass teeth if he don’t try to take a chunk out of you

* whatever your favorite animal is, he’s gonna buy every single book about them so he can share little facts about it with you

* if you’re into a specific artist or group, he’ll listen to their whole discography and learn everything in the fandom

* becomes a horanghae enthusiast and will force you to be one as well

* just like he’s loyal to his friends and toman, he’s loyal to you

* like foreva togetha foreva LOCKED IN 🤞🏽

* a girl tries flirting with him and all of a sudden he’s hellen keller

* the type of boyfriend to say you’re too spoiled whoever you ask for something while doing said thing you requested

* will literally lift his ass off the seat while you’re sitting next to him and fart on you then blame it on you

* talm bout some ‘ew the hell did you eat’ like his diet doesn’t consist of yakisoba, monster energy drinks, and beef glizzies

* speaking of farts😸 keisuke will send pics of his shit to you asking if it looks normal

* will make fun of you if you’re lactose intolerant as if he don’t be upside down on the toilet fighting for his life

* is constantly in your personal space. like he’ll be standing behind you while you play like candy crush or best fiends mumbling about moves you can make. sometimes he’ll snatch your phone and play it himself

* what’s yours is his. mid chew on something he wants? he’s opening your mouth and popping it in his, no matter if it’s soggy

* absolutely loves giving and receiving hugs, being in your arms makes him feel safe and gives reassurance that despite all of his flaws you still love him

* stares at you with his mouth open, no matter what you’re doing or how you look his eyes are on you 24/7

* takes the absolute worst pictures of you on facetime and puts each one in his favorites until the end of time

* throws rocks at your window at like 4 in the morning knowing you both have school just so you can ride around with him until the sun comes up

* i feel like he’d totally like mellow down on the things he does. he doesn’t want to worry you while he’s away

* constantly checks up with you so you know he’s okay and not lying on the ground somewhere and dying 🌚

this is so scary bye 😭

#tokyo revengers #baji keisuke #keisuke baji #kittykei #tokyo revengers baji #tokrev #tokrev baji #tokyo revengers keisuke #tokyo revengers keisuke baji #baji hcs #tr baji #toman baji #baji keisuke x reader #baji x reader #baji fluff #bajikeisuke #baji x black!reader #baji #keisukebaji #tokrev baji keisuke #toman keisuke baji #toman baji keisuke #baji headcanons

[lajikookbolala]

Some thoughts on this shipping discourse

I have already expressed MULTIPLE times how much I hate drama, so this is probably gonna be my last post on this topic. In the future, I might post less, not at all, or often but with only positive stuff. I just don't know if I can mentally handle being on here for much longer. Anyway, here are some thoughts:

Trying to convince Tkkrs they are wrong is not going to work.

I would like to challenge anyone here to think of a time when someone ACTUALLY changed their opinion on something after an online argument. Can't think of one? Exactly. Humans are stubborn, it's just part of who we are. Especially online, nobody is actually open to changing their opinion on things. We argue just for the sake of arguing.

And, we have to remember that Tkkrs are JUST as confident that their ship is real as we (Jkkrs) are. It may be stupid, but as a former Tkkr I would know (I had just joined the fandom and I was young, don't blame me for falling for the Taekook bs). Anyway, when I say I was confident in my belief that's an understatement. Eventually, I did stumble across Jikook, and the story is actually very funny. Again, I had just joined the fandom and hilariously, my mom was starting to get into BTS too. One day, she stumbled across a Jikook video on youtube, called me in the room and showed me, saying "look how in love these two are". I was hesitant at first (still being a tkkr at the time), but I watched it with her, because she was my mother; someone that I knew and trusted. If some random person online had sent me the same video and told me to watch it, I wouldn't have. I would be pissed and ignore it. My point is, to convert me from a Tkkr to a Jkkr, it took my own mother showing me a video, and explaining to me that with her almost 60 years of life experience, she could tell they were in incredibly in love.

Nobody's gonna listen to a random person's opinion on line. At least, not with an open mind.

2. We're just giving toxic people the attention they want.

More than 50% of what I see on Jikook Tumblr recently is answers responding to toxic people's posts, whether those people are tkkrs, antis, or solo stans. Because we answer all their stupid questions, more of these people are coming out of the woodwork to share their own stupid opinions. And then it's just a toxic circle.

Even though it may give you some satisfaction to roast random strangers on the internet (I even enjoy reading roasts by jkkrs sometimes), it's really not worth it. We're just giving them the attention they want. If we just ignored them for a while and didn't answer their questions or respond to them, they wouldn't go away, but we would definitely see less of them on here.

Also, aren't we kinda being hypocrites? When tkkrs leave hate on Jikook posts we all get together to hate on them (which is justified) but we seem to have no problem when jkkrs leave hate on Taekook posts. I know it's different because Jikook is real and taekook isn't, but again, we're not going to convince them by leaving hate comments. We're just gonna piss them off more. Honestly, I think the only thing that would shut tkkrs up once and for all is if Jikook came out with their relationship, and we all know that's not going to happen, at least not anytime soon.

Ok, I think that's the end of my rant. Please let me know if you agree with me or not. If you disagree, I totally understand. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I'm just sharing mine.

ALSO 3 more things:

1: please feel free to send me asks! I will respond to ALL of them as long as they are not toxic.

2: does anyone know any platforms where the Jikook community is welcoming and nice? It may sound stupid but I think that's what I really need right now. I have no BTS friends and would LOVE someone to talk to about them.

3: let me know if you would like me to stay on here. I'm almost definitely not gonna post any more stuff about this drama, but I will 100% post more cute and wholesome Jikook moments if y'all want me to.

I love you all, thank you so much 💜

#jikook #kookmin

[the-trail-to-oregon]

🍄 my names and pronouns 🍄

my names are dee, beathan, silas and any abbreviations of silas (si, sile). mutuals can call me dorris alexander challenge. i use they/she pronouns, but i prefer masculine or neutral honorifics (sir, dude, mr, mx, gentleman, etc). you may call me 'my liege' if you desire

🌾 more about me 🌾

i'm white and british. at the moment i'm learning more about my scottish and irish heritage. i'm also autistic. my special interest is the nez perce war.

🌻 my interests 🌻

nature, celtic reconstructionist paganism, the wild west, medieval europe, codes and spying during ww2, the ancient egyptians, bison, small fluffy things, nature, hiking, folk music, scottish stuff, bbc and cbs ghosts, lord of the rings, animal crossing, horror novels, found footage stuff, space, plushies and the history of maize. as you can see, i am a very well-rounded individual.

🌿 dni and byf 🌿

dni: terfs, general homophobes and transphobes, racists, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, pro-lifers and zionists. ik that if anyone in that list really wants to interact with me then they will, but i promise you WILL get blocked.

byf: i do complain a lot lmao. i'm trying to escape from my family's conservative beliefs that i have believed for years. i'm very bitchy about it. also, i swear a lot, in case you haven't noticed

🌊 where else to find me 🌊

my ao3

my pinterest

my cohost

my spotify

i'm not really active on any of them but there ya go

🪻 sideblogs 🪻

@doodlebugs-and-doodleart, @heneversmiledagain, @suairceagsionadh, @the-days-of-49, @aesthetics-hypothetics, @pipistrelle-s, @wyncandel, @mus-rusticus, @be-ace-eat-cake, @moodboard-creator, @rosehips-and-autism

🦜 tags 🦜

i don't tag things regularly at all, so if you're looking for a reasonable tagging system here then you ain't getting it. however:

#dee rambles - all my own posts

#dee's history stuff - all history related posts, both my own and reblogs

#dee reads history things and #dee watches history things - self explanatory really. mostly me watching everything with black kettle in, which isn't much

#dee speaks dialects - anything to do with my regional dialect (which i am relearning) and dialects in general

#dee studies languages - me studying latin, nahuatl, cheyenne and gaeilge

⚠️ i don't censor anything, including tags. all tw's are tagged 'tw [x]'. this applies to all my blogs ⚠️

🦬 links and donations 🦬

donations:

links for palestine

palestine fundraiser (please donate to help families escape from gaza)

donate to the wampanoag langauge reclaimation project

important links:

more links for palestine

even more links for palestine (mostly not donations but resources to learn more about palestinian culture)

shop palestinian brands

stuff to do for thanksgiving (*definitely* not links to resources about decolonisation (it totally is btw))

what to do if someone has hypothermia

executive dysfunction tips

suicide helplines

debunking the lies your abusive parents told you

how to adult successfully

just nice things:

time is a flat circle

the sound of every forest in the world

if you're having a bad night

internet guide

bison (!!!!)

#pinned post #blog intro #donations #this post is getting steadily long and longer...

[preet-01]

So this has been in my mind since rumors about the details of Lewis' Ferrari contract started and John Elkann just giving Lewis everything and more.

Over the years, Lewis had gotten used to rumors about him going to Ferrari. It was just the type of thing that happened when you won championships and weren’t a Ferrari driver already. The common belief in Formula One had always been that everyone wanted to drive the red car at least once, to etch their name alongside so many greats, to have the bells of Maranello ring for them. 

So there had always been rumors about Lewis going to Ferrari and leave Mercedes. Rumors of him trading the German manufacturer for the Italian manufacturer, trading silver for red – or Rosso Corsa as Sebastian had told him many, many times over their shared years in Formula One. 

However, despite his friendships with people at Ferrari’s helm and the cars he bought from them, Lewis had never thought to leave Mercedes for Ferrari. Or at least he hadn’t thought about it seriously. A few times he’d joked about with his friends whilst drunk and high off the feeling of winning a championship. 

That had been before John Elkann. 

John had somehow snuck up on Lewis. Bit by bit integrating himself into Lewis’ social circles until it wasn’t odd that the two were grabbing lunch or coffee or occasionally dinner when they were both in Monaco and sometimes during race weekends. Until it wasn't odd that Lewis knew where the man lived and had spent some nights there. Until it wasn't odd that they talked almost all the time, even when they weren't in the same place.

And then things had begun to sour at Mercedes. Lewis hadn’t gotten so far in his career without seeing that the tide was changing and it wasn’t in his favor. He’d gone to them with a request for a three year deal and a brand ambassador position for when he was done. It had seemed like a simple request – they’d talked about the ambassadorship so many times over the years. 

Despite previous talks about his future with the team, Penni had informed him that the higher-ups at Mercedes were only interested in a one year contract. After continued talks, they’d come to a 1 + 1 contract, giving both sides an exit clause and Lewis knew that sooner than later they’d be pushing him out to make room for someone younger. But this was his team, his home, the place he’d admitted his love for Nico and subsequently lost it. The one place that tied him to Nico, to Niki, to so many important parts of his life. 

“Say, I were to be looking at my options for 2025-” Lewis doesn’t even have to finish his sentence before John is sliding him a black, hard-cover folder with the Ferrari symbol emblazoned on it. “Do you just carry this with you?” 

“Would you believe me if I said no?” John asks, pouring more wine in their glasses. 

“Given the speed with which you pulled it out, no,” Lewis says as he finally opens the folder. There’s a contract inside. A contract for 2025. 

Lewis is skimming over it when John starts talking. “We’d have to discuss some of the details concerning salary, bonuses, initiatives, the usual stuff. But it would be $100 million, with $20 million of that going to Mission44. A multiyear contract as you want, whether that be a 2+1 or something else along those lines. And I would put in an additional $400 million investment fund for any projects you have,” John lists out the things that Lewis is reading. “And of course, you can bring anyone that you like from Mercedes. Including your race engineer,” he adds. 

It’s… a lot. So much more than Mercedes has ever been willing to do.

Lewis isn't going to sign it right away. He's not an idiot. His management needs to go over it and speak to his lawyers. But Lewis had seen the tides shifting out of his favor and the contract is very nice.

"I'll need to talk to my team," Lewis says closing the folder.

"Take all the time you need. We all want you at Ferrari, I want you at Ferrari," John replies.

"I do look good in red," Lewis jokes.

"Believe me, tesoro, I have noticed," John retorts.

#lewis hamilton x john elkann #f1 #lewis hamilton #john elkann #f1 fic

[rollercoasterwords]

Hi! I found your blog through the female rage substack article that you posted and I’m curious about a couple things (so I hope the tone of this ask will read as genuine/non-confrontational etc).

I really liked the article and the anti-gender essentialist content, so I looked through the others and eventually found your jegulus article (which I read and also liked) but I was sort of surprised to see that you are a part of the hp/marauders fandom. For me personally, everything related to that franchise has just been tainted since the whole jkr terf debacle really took off. I was big on hp when I was younger and wolfstar is a ship/dynamic that I enjoyed back then, so I’d probably like your stuff if I were to read it. But I decided some time ago to give any and all hp content the chop, because to me it didn’t feel right to engage with it anymore. So I was just wondering how you feel in that regard, if you don’t mind sharing. I don’t have anyone in my internet content circle that still actively posts about hp and if irl friends still enjoy it then it’s not something we talk about, so I’d just like to know how you juggle the ‘two sides’ in that sense of your trans-positive/anti-essentialist beliefs and fandom content that’s still so intrinsically connected to jkr and her politics. (Also, sorry if you’ve answered a question like this before. I scrolled through your blog a bit, but if yes then not far enough.)

Anyway, hope you’re well and I’ll probably keep an eye out for any future essays on your substack even if I don’t follow you on here. cheers! (and thanks for the “playing the whore” book rec, I’ll be looking into that. a rec from my end would be paul b. preciado's "can the monster speak". it's the written version of a speech he tried to give at a Freudian psychoanalysis conference about the position trans people occupy in psychoanalysis before being booed off stage. it was short and pretty intriguing, in case you're interested/haven't heard of it yet.)

hi! happy 2 hear u enjoyed the female rage essay--i wasn't expecting it to spread as much as it did + had to turn off reblogs for my own peace of mind 2 keep terfs away from my blog, but it's nice to know there are still people getting something out of it. also appreciate the book rec--that definitely sounds up my alley + i'm excited to check it out!

and i'll do my best to answer your question about hp, but i'm gonna put it under a cut because i know this is a contentious topic + i have a feeling my answer's gonna get long--so if anyone doesn't want 2 read abt my conflicting hp-fandom thoughts, just scroll away please xx

so, quite honestly, i'm in agreement with you that the entire franchise is tainted by jkr. the truth is that it was never really my intention to join the fandom--i read a single fic because it went viral on tiktok, then decided to rewrite the fic from another character's pov just for fun. at that point, i hadn't read any other hp fic and had never been involved in any kind of online fandom space, and although i'd read the hp books + watched the movies growing up i hadn't touched them in years + was so far removed from the franchise that i vaguely remembered hearing jkr had said some terfy stuff, but wasn't aware of the extent to which her politics were like. actively and significantly causing real-life harm.

anyway, i'd done a rewrite for fun of another story i liked and had posted it on ao3, and that had received a handful of people commenting + talking about the story with me as i wrote but had remained pretty self-contained + small. i was expecting the same sort of thing with the hp fic i rewrote, but instead someone posted about it on tiktok and it went viral, and then suddenly there were thousands of people reading every ch update and hundreds of comments. like i said, i had never been involved in an online fandom space before, so i sort of awkwardly stumbled into it and tried to figure out what i was doing as i finished up writing the fic. this was at a point in my life where i'd recently moved to a different country and had to go back in the closet after being publicly out for years, and this online fandom space became my only queer community and a bit of a lifeline in that way. i started making actual friends and talking to people + getting more deeply involved in the community aspect of things.

at the same time, i started actually educating myself on jkr + her politics + her impact, and the more i learned the more uncomfortable i became with being part of anything hp-related. now, i've been writing hp fic for almost two years and 'active' in the fandom for ~one and a half, and despite being grateful for the friends i've made and treasuring the space i've been able to cultivate, i've become increasingly disenchanted with 'the fandom' as a whole and have increasingly found it to be a hostile space, so i've sort of taken a step back from broader engagement and more + more have limited my interaction to just my mutuals here on tumblr. unfortunately, i think many of the 'bad parts' of this fandom are somewhat built-in because of the source material; there are a lot of people who agree with jkr's politics to varying extents and that can make it kind of a miserable place to be sometimes. i know many people insist that hp can be completely removed from jkr, but i don't think that's the case, and i've talked on my blog before about the fact that her politics are built into the very foundations of the text, so i think it's necessary to acknowledge her influence if we want to actually engage with hp at all in a way that isn't just perpetuating her politics.

all that being said, the point i'm at currently is that i'm not really sure that this fandom is a space i want to be a part of forever. again--i understand how it can be lifeline for some people and a queer community they might not have elsewhere, because that's been the case for me. but for me personally, as much as i value my own carved-out space, it doesn't completely outweigh the negatives that i have found myself coming into contact with more and more in this fandom. writing hp fic is also something that i keep strictly separate from 'real life,' contained solely in this online space, because i know that any engagement with hp is a red flag for many, many trans people and i don't want to bring it outside of this space. within this online space, i don't keep it a secret that i write hp fic; it's right at the top of my blog so that anyone who wants to can easily block and unfollow me. i only post my fics on ao3, where they are clearly tagged as harry potter fanfiction, and i only post about hp fic + fandom stuff on this blog, which was specifically created for that purpose. i've requested that people no longer post about my hp fics on platforms like tiktok where the algorithm could send it out onto anyone's fyp, and that request is also in my pinned faq. keeping my hp fic as contained as possible to only people who are already engaging with hp fic is one way that i try to mitigate any harm that might be caused by my fics contributing to hp's ongoing popularity.

the other ways i try to mitigate potential harm are by actively discouraging people from giving any financial support to hp + jkr and by being very vocal about my politics on this page, so that anyone who is following me will be getting pro-trans and anti-gender essentialism politics along with any hp engagement. i also don't engage with hp uncritically; i am specifically critical of the shitty politics in the books both in my posts on this blog and my fics themselves. i don't make it a secret that i think the books are politically rotten all the way down through to the foundations.

none of this is to say that there's, like...a Right Way to engage with this content or a set of rules that, if followed, Absolve All Shittiness. this is just an explanation of the personal evaluations i've had to weigh when it comes to deciding how i'm going to interact with content that is fundamentally opposed to my own politics. and again, i don't blame people who think that any amount of engagement is morally untenable and completely block it out. this is a growing source of cognitive dissonance in my own life, and i'm increasingly considering whether/for how much longer i want to continue to write fic + be involved in hp fandom. but for the time being, i'm still here + still writing fic, and i guess my feeling is that any harm that fic causes is a drop in the bucket, and even if i were to stop writing it wouldn't necessarily have a huge impact either way. i'm just some random guy online like everyone else; even though i talk about politics, that doesn't mean that i'm asking to be held up as some sort of moral standard, nor do i think anyone should be expected to be 100% politically perfect in every action they take--like, for me, writing hp fic kind of falls into the same category as like...eating mcdonalds even though i think factory farming is fucked, or buying + wearing makeup sometimes even though i think the beauty industry is fundamentally corrupt, or paying to see the new guardians of the galaxy movie in theaters even though i think marvel movies are us military propaganda. i don't think "no ethical consumption under capitalism" is an excuse to completely abandon any attempt to mitigate the harm our actions might cause, but it does matter to me the way in which someone is engaging with a fundamentally broken/corrupt piece of media beyond simply whether or not they're engaging at all. at the end of the day, it's up to everyone on their own to evaluate where they draw the line on hp, and i am not looking to make that judgment for anybody else considering that my own thoughts + feeling about it are still changing.

#ask

[bright-eyed]

.

I hate how any person who makes the case that people should try reading more complex or deep poetry or fiction always gets strangers popping out of the woodwork to call them snobs or say that they should be happy people are reading poetry and fiction at all even if it’s the more “accessible” kind built for entertainment. It’s very depressing to me how we’re still unable to talk about art without immediately getting shut down by accusations of snobbery. Are we still not at a level of depth as a society that we are able to talk about how some art is different from other art and they serve different functions and accomplish different goals? Hello?

Also it’s like… people who are making this case are sometimes writers or poets themselves who have genuine concerns about having to cater their work to a mass audience and simplify their art (their translation of their thoughts, beliefs, and most intimate experiences of the world) to cater to whatever consumer trends, which has always been something that artists of all kinds have hated and chafed against because it hurts and feels like the world is forcing them to conform in perhaps the one place where they have been able to express themselves freely.

And if it’s not a writer who’s making this case, it’s an enthusiast or a reader or someone who makes writing a big part of their lives and is genuinely really into it and knowledgeable about it. These people have a harder case to make because they can’t say “well I’m a writer and the skill and complexity I put into my work should be appreciated for what it is and I think it’s harmful to expect my work to entertain when it’s firstly an expression of self; I shouldn’t be forced to conform/etc.” As a reader, you’re arguing with other “readers” about why they should read differently, which is basically asking for a fight. People who identify as readers do notttt like to be told that what they read isn’t “enough” which makes sense because people generally get defensive when their identities get called into question like that. There’s also the problem of: as a reader you can’t argue on the merits of different ways of writing so much as the merits of different ways of experiencing writing, which is more obviously subjective, and a lot of the time people who don’t read “deep” stuff don’t even know what you’re talking about because they’ve never experienced it. Which is another reason to make the case… like it’s sad to see that there are people who don’t know what you’re talking about when you’re trying to relate a transcendent or revolutionary experience you had reading a novel or a poem, and not only that but scoff at the idea of reading that thing because it’s too “cerebral” or “boring” (ouch)

It’s impossible to explain to anyone really how sometimes the words are built different, and they can arrange themselves in such a way so as to tear you apart and make you whole again, or shine a light into a dark corner of your past, or touch your soul in a place your soul has never been touched, etc. I think it’s just something you have to experience, but I think once you do you can see why someone would argue that not all reading is created equal and that it’s sad that there are people who identify as readers who have never experienced the feeling that comes with certain types of reading, who might have blocked themselves out of it because they read the same way they watch netflix or play app games — for the dopamine. And it’s not even to say that reading for fun or pleasure is always bad, because it’s nice to read many different types of things, but the playing field is not even; “snobs” are reading Montaigne and the occasional ya fantasy when they get the itch, and “readers” are telling you Montaigne is a boring old windbag and you think you’re better for reading him but you’re not. And obv the hypocrisy is never addressed…

And we don’t always do this with some other types of art. We do it with music, but we don’t do it with traditional art so much. Maybe because people are less likely to identify as “art appreciators” and looking at art often requires going to a museum and standing silently in front of a painting, or reading art histories that some people consider pretty boring, which may prevent certain types of people from even caring about the argument, but you’re allowed to talk about how cartoons are different from, like, Caravaggio without immediately being hit with accusations of snobbery. Maybe this is also because the mechanisms for making art more entertaining have changed the face of it so much that it’s more evident (cartoons just look different than paintings). And because of that you can recognize that cartoon artists and animators are good at what they do in their own right but that what they embarked on is essentially a different project, an art that is expressed and experienced differently fundamentally. But I guess because all books look the same, as in are all just pages filled with words, the mechanisms are way less obvious. But they are there! Just like they are with music, even if untrained ears probably can’t tell the difference and many of us are just listening to whatever song makes us feel good in the moment, not looking to be transformed. Words are like musical notes except there’s like millions of them and they’re all a different sound and shape and color and texture, and the orchestra they create is both resonant and impossible to hear.

Anyway, what I meant to say is that we should be able to talk about books as part of a larger consumerist framework, and it shouldn’t be considered snobbery to ask for art to be above consumer trends. It also shouldn’t be too much to ask that people participate deeply in the art they claim to love, and to not claim to love it if they won’t appreciate the full range of its power. Also words can be very beautiful thanks for coming to my ted talk i have to go to work now

#meant to write like 3 sentences still can’t do that apparently #kennapost

[harocat]

For the LBFaD Asks: 5, 6, 10

Please and thank you!

(I'm such a weirdo but I love knowing if anyone uses different fonts between writing and editing!)

5: Describe your writing space.

My desk! I have a laptop, mouse pad, and a pink kitty-eared mouse. My desk is pretty messy. I used to have it really nice with lots of enamel pins and decorations, but my cat Chai is addicted to messing with anything on my desk. The enamel pins became hazardous because he'd pull them out with his teeth and they're uh, sharp obviously. So those are being moved upstairs to the desk I work at (I WFH). There's a couple cubbies stuffed with little knickknacks and just random stuff and some mugs with pens et al. There's a little desk lamp, and I also always have slime on my desk. I'm a huge fidgeter, so I keep slime with me whenever I can to combat the nail biting, etc. I may do otherwise.

6: Does font matter to you when you write?

I just use the default font, which on google docs I believe is Calibri. I'd be okay with any standard font like that, arial, times new roman, etc. I wouldn't want to write in something quirky or a script though, of course.

10: What fanon fact/s did you make your mind up on while writing for LBFaD?

I don't have a 'set future' per se for DFQC and XLH like I do some of my other ships. Maybe it's because they'll live so LONG that it seems impossible to do. I do think they'd have children, and I have it in mind what kind of parents they'd be. I've always been of the belief that one of their children would have the capacity to wield hellfire, just so DFQC can have some more anguish and trauma (I'm normally quite nice to him, I swear). Of course they wouldn't pursue it, but the mere idea of it being possible would still tear him up inside.

This is a personal thing, but I don't like when XLH is referred to Xiyun post series unless it's in a professional capacity. Xiyun was sealed when she was a child, and everyone that Xiao Lanhua knows and loves that is alive, knows her by that name. She's been XLH longer than Xiyun. It truly doesn't work in my mind that she would, when its actually revealed she's still herself and she has her memories, want people to call her by another name.

I can see her going by Xiyun in goddess related diplomatic settings (specifically if she's appearing as the Xishan goddess. If she's there in capacity as the Moon Queen, I think she'd use XLH), but outside of that she's XLH to me.

But a part of me even likes XLH there as well. Something satisfying about Yunzhong in specific having to call her XLH; he can never forget for a moment that this is the woman that he tortured and hunted unjustly. XLH is not as spiteful as me though LOL

And this is not vagueing anyone. Lots of people have a different opinion than me.

At least I haven't seen anyone have DFQC call her Xiyun. I could not read that. She’s XLH to him (or Xiao Huayo of course).

#haro talks #haro fic #intricatecaprice

[thatlittleegyptologist]

Burial practices anon here, thank you so much for your help!

My nephew is an autistic young adult (like me) (sorry for not clarifying properly, my family isn't used to sorting information by age) so we usually have to chew through things together before really getting a grip on what was meant.

(No pressure to read or respond to the rest of this, I just need to ramble a little, sorry)

He was very confused by the idea that a population could believe in an afterlife, but only for one person who isn’t them- the article he read implied that, before pharaoh-like burials trickled down to lower classes, there was no afterlife expected for any of the common people.

The main takeaway I'm getting from this new info is that there is a difference in being "reborn as an Osiris" (Pharaohs only originally, do not steal) and "getting an afterlife where you can receive offerings" (for anyone with the money to preserve a body and make offerings). Meaning there was some sort of afterlife available to everyone… but if you weren’t the pharaoh, the quality depended on price, and a very poor person might not get any sort of proper burial or offerings, and so miss out on a nice afterlife all together? Or, not be able to secure a 'position' in the afterlife?

I wasn’t much help to my nephew when he asked for help because my understanding is that it’s almost universally common for pre-historic humans to, when they did bury their dead, include offerings of food or objects with the body.

Do all of these imply belief in an afterlife, or were some of them just done as a way to let the grieving friends and family of the deceased do something for their lost loved ones one last time? It doesn’t seem like there’s a clear cut way to tell, in many cases. I’m assuming the issue is the same in prehistoric Egypt, and that could muddy things in predynastic Egypt as well?    

Sorry for rambling, thank you again for taking the time to help! I’ll share your answer and the links with my nephew. He’s been on an Egypt bend for a good year now (still hasn’t returned the “Laundry Lists and Love Songs” book I lent him, bought on your recommendation, which was great fun many thanks), and really is getting frustrated with all the outdated or mixed up information he’s had to slog through.

I'm afraid being an aunt doesn't automatically make me much better and sorting through it than he is, but it's interesting stuff, so who can complain?

Thank you again. Stay well!    

Ok, so some of these I can resolve pretty quickly:

The details of the King's afterlife probably wouldn't be known to many. Only 2% of people can read, so they're not looking at the texts that accompany him and it'd be really none of their business unless they're involved in the construction of his tomb. In the Old Kingdom, the King was viewed as a god, so 'a god' having a separate afterlife to the regular populace wouldn't be seen as weird. Especially considering that he doesn't 'die' but simply leaves this plain of existence to join with the rest of the gods.

Quality of the afterlife is in no way dependant on the cost of burial. All Egyptians entered the same afterlife: the Field of Reeds (Aaru). A peasant and a noble would go to the same place; the only thing that's different is that the noble will have made a big shiny tomb talking about their accomplishments and have more offerings.

Not getting an afterlife hinges on a persons behaviour when they were alive. There are such things known as The Negative Confessions, which also start life out in texts reserved just for the king and then filter down to the public. This happens due to a change in how the King was viewed from the Old Kingdom through to the Middle Kingdom. The First Intermediate Period, which is the period between these two, was extremely chaotic, and many men declared themselves King and the concept of 'King as deity on earth' becomes very diluted. As such, things that were for the King only work their way into general use, as the nobles use them, and then regular people begin to use the. I can't really go through the complex changes of the Socio-Political-Religious situation without writing far more than could or should be written here.

A 'proper' burial is less about 'what's with you' and more about 'is the body intact and proper procedures followed'

There is a definite belief in the afterlife. How much they believed in it is subject to debate (lamentation texts show there were clear doubts as to whether an afterlife existed), but that could easily be said of people now. The Egyptians would not have done what they did if they didn't in some way believe it to be true.

Uhh with Pre-Historic Egypt, we don't know a huge amount, only that with Pre-Dynastic Egypt some things are already fairly set in stone (reed buildings/fertility statues/fetishes (religious)). Many origins within the religion we cannot trace because they occur before hieroglyphs, basically.

I'm glad he enjoyed McDowell's book!

[foxyanon]

Welcome to my den!!

My name is Foxy and this is my little den (blog) of chaos and magic. This is a safe space for nearly all unhinged or deranged nonsense. A few things to know about me are that I am a practicing witch, a Norse pagan and I’m bi. With that being said, here are a few HARD rules to know before we get into the good stuff.

I will tolerate absolutely ZERO hate or discrimination. This is a safe space, I will not let anyone desecrate that.

I am a Norse pagan, BUT I DO NOT SUPPORT WHITE SUPREMACY! If you come here with those beliefs, leave and don’t let the door hit you where the gods split you.

This is an 18+ blog, so minors DNI! I don’t care for whatever reasons you want to give, this is non-negotiable.

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Failure to comply with these rules WILL RESULT IN AN IMMEDIATE BLOCK.

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I write fan fiction for Sihtric Kjartansson and Masema Dagar, switching between OC fics and reader fics. I do have one crossover series I am working on. If you wish to be added to my taglist, send me an ask! I have crossposted my works to AO3, link is below.

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I create AIs for BetaCharacter and have created a world on AIDungeon. If you wish to request an AI, leave me an ask with the NAME and FANDOM of your character and I will do the rest. I only make canon characters so if you were looking for a specific scenario, I recommend checking out @officerbrowneyes, @julessworldd, @zaldritzosrose and @iamyourdailydoseofbi!

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#pinned post #masterlist #navigation

[wheelie-butch]

Angsty Wolfpack Thoughts

Okay I said the other day I'd post a bit some of my angstier Wolfpack thoughts so here... basically I was thinking about how I think basically most things about them, especially the rejecting individuality to be a pack stuff, comes from abandonment issues + trauma from their parents leaving, and the fact Scott doesn't remember any of that and isn't affected the same way and so doesn't have the same need to be a part of the pack like them contributes to them having a somewhat difficult relationship in a way that's very interesting to me.

The age difference is really important because I think it's actually being able to remember the abandonment that makes the Wolfpack act so differently to Scott. The devs have said only some of the Wolfpack share Scott's surname, meaning the Wolfpack aren't all brothers but at least 2 sets of cousins among themselves, which I think supports my thinking.

I think in response to their abandonment issues they try cope by taking an extreme view of like 'we'll stick together forever and that will be safe, everyone not in the pack is dangerous, if we don't get close to anyone outside the pack they can't leave us'. A lot of their asshole behaviour (like when they're mean to other characters or they are ineffectively hitting on girls/the moon) reads to me as being more about their own insecurities, proving themselves to each other and like trying to make themselves feel good and part of the group together. Like I don't think they actually care if Calculester has facial hair they just want to 'prove' themselves 'better' than him (an interesting event for me considering they have WAY less facial/body hair than Scott also, which again suggests the insecurity aspect of their bullying) or like when they are trying to ask out Vera and Miranda they're really caught up in saying stupid shit ('the hottest dogs to ever not literally be hot dogs' 'we'll show you courtship sportmanship on the COURT!!') more than focused on actually trying to force one of them to go on a date, and even the narrator unusually notes they're not actually trying to be assholes here, they're just stupid. Conversely, the time they are nicest to you is the lunchtime event where they decide to be "aggressively inclusive" and make you an honorary member of the pack. The way they have to justify being nice as 'you're one of us for a bit' I think shows how they really can't see beyond "in the pack = safe, out of the pack = not safe" even when they want to be friendly and have a nice time with people.

I think their constant attempts to get Scott to be more in the pack and stop having outside friends comes from a (very misguided) attempt to protect him - they think its safer to stay as a pack and any non-werewolf friends will abandon him. I actually think Vera's speech at the end of the FAMILY route about identifying what is not hell and holding onto those people is very pertinent to them. I think especially her promises never to leave Scott probably are why the Wolfpack are okay with her saying she's family to Scott and they're in the final image with everyone, because I think it speaks to their way of understanding the world.

I know their occasional moments of self-awareness are mostly for comedy, but when they admit things like 'we harass scott to cope with our unstable home life' to me that opens up interesting possibilities for thinking about exactly how much they are aware they are maybe not coping in the healthiest way. In the FAMILY route when they thank you for stopping them ruining Scott's idea of parents, and again the fact they let Vera refer to herself as part of Scott's family, it suggests to me that on some level they are aware it is actually better for Scott to have his beliefs and other friends.

I think it's interesting to imagine could they perhaps even feel jealous that he is able to have that faith and fearlessness to connect with others? Do they resent that he can do that and that he doesn't carry the trauma the same way as them? The dynamic of like 'i want to protect this younger family member and im glad they didnt go through the same things as me but also it hurts that i feel fucked up by what's happened to me and they're not and we can't fully understand each other because of it' is interesting for me to think about in regards to them. Some of this I think is reading in more than you can directly get from the text, but it's the sort of thing I find fun to explore beyond canon if that makes sense.

Also all this angsty headcanon thoughts don't mean I think they're actually secretly really sad all the time or something. I think their worst behaviours are driven by these abandonment issues in a way that feels like a clear thread through their actions, and I think they are on some level aware of it, but I think thats all buried pretty deep generally and most of the time they are all focused on having a good time being lads together. I think if they start to get too consciously sad they would probably cover it by lashing out or getting extremely hype over something distracting. However I just love to think about my favourite characters from lots of angles and yeah I hope if any of this is new to anyone else you have fun thinking of some angst also :)

#mez speaks #monster prom #the wolfpack #monster prom the wolfpack #meta #i had better go back to work lol this got long #sorry its a bit incoherent also i have spent so much time thinking about them #that i cant tell what is like obviously immediatley understood to anyone vs me going on a mad one #anyway. I LOVE THESE IDIOT DOG BOYS I HAVE TO THINK SAD THINGS ABOUT THEM HOORAY

[alllostinmythoughts]

I was not a good Witness and that’s a good thing.

When I was in, I thought I was a bad JW for things I could not control. I had poor physical health since I was a teenager and my mental health suffered because of that. I became a publisher as a tween but my hours were lacking because I could not do more than an hour a week and I did not get “return visits” or bible studies because of my severe social anxiety. I did not comment in the meetings and I had to eventually remove my self from the ministry school for the same reason.

All of those things did not make me a bad Witness. Those things were me being human and doing the best I could despite my circumstances. Now that I am out, I can see that I should not have felt ashamed nor have been made to feel guilty about it.

Here, though, are a list of things that did make me bad Jehovah’s Witness and why I think it was a good thing.

• I didn't like giving people the JW version of life after death.

A few years ago the organization updated the tracts they produced. Before they were square and had a trifold design. They had several paragraphs about whatever the front cover said it was about. Typical religious stuff. Life, death, how Jesus can save us. It was something you could give someone on the fly while out and about or to someone who said they didn't have any time to talk. The new ones are a little different. Same info, just a different format. More colorful and eye catching. Folded in half and with less info, only a couple of scriptures and sentences.

As I got older, I became increasingly uncomfortable with giving out the ones about suffering and death. I was especially uncomfortable with the ones about death. A witness will read this and think: “Why would anyone be uncomfortable with telling someone about our hope for the future.” That's why, because it is our hope, your hope. I would always think, what if we gave that tract to someone who had just lost someone. They're in the middle of grieving and you want them to contemplate an entirely new belief in the afterlife. They may already have a really strong belief that brings them comfort but then you tell them that they're wrong, and show them a couple of scriptures why they're wrong. That could devastate someone.

I know this isn't always the case. Since I was a child, I've heard stories of people who lost a loved one and then were visited by witnesses and were comforted by the witnesses version of what happens after we die and what we have to look forward to past that. But it's not like you're gonna hear a person talk about how they in-fact were not comforted, when they're giving their life experience in the Kingdom Hall. You could not look me in the eye and tell me with absolute certainty that it did not ever hurt someone.

Witnesses think that everything they believe is an absolute fact and that everybody would want to hear what they have to share. They cannot even fathom for a second that someone else may actually be happier with their current belief system and their beliefs may make someone upset.

• I didn't believe in paradise.

When you’re a child, you believe everything your parents tell you. With kids outside the organization, they’re told that Santa and the Easter Bunny is real but then kids grow up and they realize for themselves what’s real or not. Not so when it comes to witnesses.

When you’re a kid as a witnesses you’re told about this paradise and it’s nice to believe in. Who doesn’t want to play all day without worrying about anything or being able to pet lions, and tigers, and bears. Oh my.

However, when you grow up you realize the reality of the situation and you just have to be comfortable with all the implications of it.

Witnesses are a doomsday cult. They probably wouldn’t like that descriptor but it’s the truth. I might go into it further in a another post but for now, I’ll just give a brief summery. They believe that in an indeterminate future, Jesus and the angels will kill everybody on earth except Jehovah’s Witnesses and then it will be paradise. So, if you have family, nice neighbors you talk to frequently, and innocent children who aren’t witnesses, they will not make it. Think about it, there are currently close to 8 billion people on earth and there are only 8 million witnesses. Close to 8 billion people will die, just like that. Innocent people, just because they didn't believe the same things as a group of 8 million people.

I think this belief is just awful. When I was in the organization, I think I just tried to ignore it completely and didn’t even think about it to keep myself sane.

• I had political opinions.

Now this one is a doozy and something that I still struggle with, being partially sheltered from most things, especially of the political nature. But you can’t be kept away from everything and my family were not the type of witnesses that didn’t have a TV and us kids were allowed to watch anything age appropriate. (Well, we weren’t allowed to watch a few things but we weren’t extreme. That might be another interesting thing to post about.) So, things filtered through but not enough that I feel that even now, as an adult, I have an completely informed opinion on a lot of different ideas. But, I’m getting there. Hopefully.

I think, however, I was informed enough about a few topics. Like, racism and feminism. These were dirty words in the organization.

You see, on the surface, the organization could look pretty progressive. (Ignoring the blatant homophobia.) On paper they paint a pretty picture. But if you’ve lived through the organization's actual stances of these things, you’d realize that’s not actually true.

When if comes to racial inclusion, you’ll read in the books they publish, that God is impartial and that God does not favor one race, ethnicity or nationality over another. We’re taught not to have a nationalistic view of one’s country because we’re all God’s children on Earth. We’re even suppose to take a stand against drafting in the military, if we’re ever called to that, because we’re supposed to view everyone as a brother under God and how could one go to war against your brother.

But you’re also supposed to be politically neutral. So if you were to agree with the sentiment that there is a problem with police brutality currently in America, then that could get you in trouble. You would be told that you are creating division and that that is a politically held belief and we do not hold political beliefs.

When I was still in the organization, I got into an argument with someone I worked with who is a Jehovah’s Witness. It was around the time of the BLM protests. I tried to be carefully with what I said because like I said, I could get in to trouble. However, I got so frustrated with the things he was saying that eventually, I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore. I straight up asked him if he thought de-segregation was a bad thing, because that decision came from the direct result of the protests lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I asked him if he was okay with the fact that black people wouldn’t be working along side him, if segregation was still in effect right now. He kept trying to skirt around the question because obviously he couldn’t say he was okay with segregation but he also couldn’t agree with the protesters either.

It’s so twisted.

• I thought it was okay for other people to worship however they wanted.

I never could wrap my head around the witnesses disdain for how other people worshiped in their faith. For multiple reasons.

First, just like many witnesses who are born in, many other people in other religions were also born in to their faith. It is the only way they now how to worship. They were taught by their parents from a young age. If someone came up to a witness and told them, “By the way, the way you’ve worshiped God since you were a child is wrong and you’re gonna be punished because of it.” They would be offended. Well, no. They would probably take it as a challenge. To prove why they are the only ones in the entire world who worships the correct way. As if there is such a thing.

That’s the other reason why I couldn’t understand. I always thought it was presumptuous for any one person to claim with absolute certainty that their religion was the true religion and therefore, everything they believed and did for that religion was correct. I respect that they have the right to worship however they felt was right. However, even if you believe truly in your heart that you had everything figured out. That you found God and now you know that the way you’re going to live your life from now on out would be the correct way. You still would give other people the courtesy to have the same thing that you have and to recognize that even if you whole-heartedly believe, there would be no way for you to 100% certain. Maybe 99%, but never 100%.

So that’s it. There are many other things that made me bad bad witness but I’m proud of all of them. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they have the moral high ground in everything they believe in but they don’t.

#ex cult #ex jehovah's witness #exjw #ex jw #long post #very long post

[feudalismoffire]

Hello folks, after way too long, I finally done it, I concluded the main cast of characters of Continent of Wrath, so at least the thought as "povs of a first arc" kind of stuff, and now, a little introduction about them in order:

Augor and Shtraza:

"You know, I wasn't going to write this thing, but Elya kept insisting, as if someone would read this... But... ... Look, me and Shtraza, its a harsh story, life in the rainforest is tough, especially when you don't know your mother and your father sold you for a few cocoa beans to buy some poisoned alcohol he loved so much, more than his youngling. He can die, as far as we care, from his own poison.

--------- What Augor is trying to say is, yes, we are prickies, yes, we will spit acid on your face at night. But if you are nice enough with us... We... ... We will consider not, you know, we have no love for anyone but ourselves, but we aren't turning our backs to you either. Yes, I agree with her."

Elya:

"Hello, you from maybe beyond this time, I am Elya, and honestly, I have the least purpose of all of us here. My parents were all killed in the battle in my hometown, even my sister, and my brother, I don't know, but I don't expect anything else. I have nothing, I wondered through the desert to this foreigner land, only the shining stars and Rarnara, my goddess, to guide me. I have no idea what is my purpose, but I think I found... Those who I may call family again...

What do we have to lose? We all had nothing good going on before, and if we succeed? What else is there for us? Will we split? Going back to our miserable lives? I mean, Larkhau may return, her tradition has an end goal after all, she I will understand. But for the rest of us? The dangerous rainforest? A monstrous parent? A life without goals under the sea? We are in this together, and if we die, I hope so its also together, we stand for each other, despite our races and different beliefs, this is what I hope."

Lorsan:

"Hello, I am Lorsan and... From all of us, I believe I had the most shame to bare. We red dragons believe we own the world, everyone is to serve us, those who don't want are to be smashed and killed without mercy. So this was the way of Tsshar, the god of red dragons, of the fire that nurtures as our very souls, so this was the way of Isshtar, the all-mother. I renouce it, I renouce everything I ever believed in. All our beliefs are... To destroy, to kill, to purge the land from life, to watch it reborn, to do it again, destroyed with our cleanensing fire...

My mother is a monster, I was afraid of her, but I couldn't ever be ready to face such tremendous evil. The burning of innocents is such a thing I will forever give away my right to do so. She made me what I was, but I am not ashamed of what I can be, there still is hope. I learned that all races are alive, they have their own lives, hopes, dreams. My caretaker was a kobold, and she was more motherly to me than my own mom, they are brutalized under the shadow of our wings, and yet now we are fighting shadows themselves. Are we any different? I wonder...

Regardless, I now pray to Tiamat. The mother of all gods, symbol of draconic unity that has now been so long lost. I am not afraid, Tiamat died by the greed of her children, ever so ambitious, as the tales say. A family destroyed by it and now I feel like this is my own tale too, my father is gone and my mother is a monster, but while Tiamat was betrayed by her own offspring, they thousands of years later are my allies, my friends, the only dragons I can call even remotely my family, I won't betray them and I am sure they won't betray me, we can be different, we can do better, this tale does not have to end as it once did."

Ebu:

"Ebu knows you read, future you. He does believe in his friends. Ebu once was saved by Elya and Lorsan, when no one would do it. Evil red dragoness killed his family, not the same one as Lorsan's mother, though. Ebu is forever grateful to them, he swears to defend them against no matter who.

Ebu admits, he is afraid, very afraid. But at side of his friends, Ebu has the courage of a thousand dragons, he will not faulter when his friends ask for help.

Ebu even calls them family, he does believe in them."

Larkhau:

"I am Larkhau, faithful of Aurorvotha, goddess of all white dragons, the all-mother. I am the oldest of this group of misfits, yet I was bestowed the privilege of assisting them in their journey. No, my markings aren't natural, I painted myself with lapis lazuli, a tradition to grant knowledge and blessings upon us, tradition told to have been granted by priestess Aurorva herself, thousands of years ago.

Naturally, the goal was to wash them away in the freezing waters of the North, but I felt a presence, a high calling from my goddess. She is a stern mother, never gives answers to her children, but grant them the might to find it on their own. She knows a greater threat is upon all of us, all of us... No one is safe should the shadows win against the red dragons, old enemies of my kind, now, I find myself living amidst one of them and a yellow dragon, but this is the wishes of all-mother, and I faithfully comply."

Khashila:

"Hello there, whoever is reading this. I am Khashila, a green dragon. Despite animosities between my race and the black dragons, me and them aren't so different right now. I grew without my parents, left to strive on my own in the toughest and most unforgiving places of the world. You would think you need a cold and brute to survive this, but not really, you need a thinking mind and the blessing of the mother of the forest, of course, Rylatyma, she is ruthless, but never unfair, so I admit I don't like to brag, but I think there's something stored for me and all-mother never disappoints!

Many wonder how I keep myself in such harsh environment, well, the forest is... Kinda my family, you know, its animals, its threats, its like a red dragon family reunion when you think about it, it hardly goes well, but we all know it always happens and everyone never misses it.

But those guys... They are different... I had no sibling who survived to call mine, but even behind all my toughness, I don't miss the opportunity to be friendly to them, such company does not come to be so often in the rainforest, so, this was my chance, I know we don't know each other very well, but I do say so, I am ready to defend them with my own life. What is the worst it could happen? I die and my body returns to the all-mother, just how every green dragon's does."

Lankun:

"Hello there, mysterious creature from the beyond Elya thinks its going to read this! I am Lankun, a blue dragon, I was not into this above water stuff, I preferred to hunt in peace with my folks underwater, salmon is my favorite, by the way. But well, the shadows, they are out there and they are spooky, we got to defeat them and I am all for that, who doesn't love a good fight? My lightning powers will toast those monsters to smoke, as if they weren't enough already!

But yeah, about me, I was alone in the sea, well, not REALLY alone, don't know my parents, they just lay our eggs in the beach and depart, from there its mostly with ourselves, I had my folks in our little flight, good dragons, an elder usually was with us, teaching about the knowledge and all this stuff Larkhau is more interested than me to be honest. I was just a common dragon, living my life in the sea, in pursuit of some salmon... Well, may Ersaythya bless us all!"

#augor #blackdragon #bluedragon #digitalart #dragon #dragons #elya #greendragon #lankun #lore #oc #reddragon #whitedragon #yellowdragon #dragonoc #ebu #dragonocs #lorsan #art #continentofwrath #larkhau #shtraza #khashila

[rainbowsky]

Hi rainbowsky,

Up to you to publish this or not, but I told my mom that I am a fan of DD and she's been trying to tear him down for some reason? Probably based off of anti stuff she reads on the Chinese internet since she doesnt follow him. Since I talked about it she told me about an article her friend linked to her where they wrote that he only acts with one expression, and recently she has been going off about the fake pregnancy "scandal" and when I told her that DD always treats women with respect she responded with "he's just pretending, you never know what people are like behind closed doors". It really gets me down that she keeps trying to discredit him knowing that I like him. Why would she do that?

Hi dianaprincessownsmyass!

Is your mother a GG fan, by any chance? 😅

I'm really sorry you're having to deal with this behavior from your mother. It would be nice if she could at least set aside her negativity to support you in something you enjoy. But then, she might be feeling protective of you as a fan of someone she hates, and trying to convert you away from him. Still, it's got to feel really bad and I'm sorry to hear it.

She's also human, despite being your mother, and just as prone to all the same behaviors anyone else is prone to. She might just really hate DD that much, or be that duped by the information she's seeing. Unfortunately a lot of people never learned critical thinking skills and are unable to evaluate claims or don't even think to, they just take things at face value.

It's interesting because I answered a really similar question a while back about a mother who was taken in by claims about GG. It seems you're not alone in dealing with this! Anon from the previous ask, if you're reading this maybe reach out to dianaprincessownsmyass if you have any tips on dealing with it, or even if you two just want to bond over having gullible mothers! 😅

If your mother is a fan of GG, or spends a lot of time around fans of GG, then she will be getting brainwashed constantly by toxic shrimps, because they love nothing more than to try to tear DD down. Never underestimate the depth of hate GG and DD's fans often have for each other's artist.

In any case, her behavior is hurtful, and she shouldn't be doing it.

Have you tried talking to her and asking her why she does it?

I wouldn't recommend debating her about whether DD is all the evil things she thinks he is. There's that old saying, "Never try to reason someone out of a belief they didn't arrive at through rational means." Proof, logic, rational thought - none of these things are likely to make a dent in her views, because they don't appear to be criteria she valued when forming them.

Better to focus on your relationship with her than on anything about DD. If you have the sort of relationship where you can talk about feelings, you could ask her why she'd want to say things that hurt you. She might not be fully aware of how it's making you feel.

If that's not something you feel safe to do (some mothers just don't do 'feelings') then I'd recommend making the topic 'off limits'. If you set that boundary with her and stick to it, then at least you won't have to deal with that behavior anymore. Since it's a topic that's really not integral to your relationship - it's not something personal about the two of you - you might be able to avoid the subject without impairing your relationship.

There are some people who I really love and have a good relationship with, but who I just can't talk to about certain things. They know not to bring the subject up, and if it does come up we change the subject. Sometimes that's the only way to find harmony.

If all else fails you can try to appeal to her motherly guilt and affection - shamelessly if need be - to get her to stop being so hurtful.

Most important; please remember that what she is saying and doing has nothing to do with you. It's about her and her own feelings, biases, baggage and attitudes. Try not to take it too personally.

Good luck. I hope you're able to work something out with her! Just remember that you've always got turtles here to support you. 🫂

I have a previous post that's somewhat related here.

#bxg perspectives #fandom relfections #ask

[dearweirdme]

Hello my dear (weirdme) 😄☺️! Happy Friday!

Well, I honestly have to give it to jkkrs, they will take whatever they can get and I understand why because they get very little. So if it brings them joy to gush over whatever j*kook content that comes about, so be it, because, to me, it still changes nothing about Taekook’s realness.

I still don’t understand how any taekooker can be insecure about Tae and JK after the Dreamers premiere. We saw the whole scene unfold right before our eyes in all the videos posted. Tae’s confident encouragement, JK’s hesitant shyness, it was a declaration. They can’t come out and tell us verbally “we’re in a committed relationship with each other” but the Dreamers premier was as close as they could get for now (maybe post enlistment and some years down the line they’ll tell us more, if they want to) to let us know that they are more than bros and band mates.

To me, the ring is also a subtle declaration, a “we’re apart for work but we’re still together” because like you’ve pointed out, JK knows that the ring will be traced back to Tae. I truly believe that’s exactly what his intention has been by wearing it, regardless of whose ring it is. As well as the “Kappa sweetheart” T-shirt and so many other subtle “hints” we’ve gotten.

Going to Yoongi’s concert together, leaving together, how can insecure taekookers not put faith in that? Again, a subtle indicator that they were TOGETHER 😆

I just don’t know what to make of a taekooker being so easily swayed away from the belief in Taekook by some cute j*kook banter in a live where JK was obviously giddy with excitement about life in general. Why would anyone believe Jimin and Jungkook interaction cancels out everything Taekook have shown us?

Why are there taekookers who think Tae and JK need to constantly feed their bond, closeness and love for each other to us? Because truth is, they don’t need to. They’re not together for us, for our benefit, for our entertainment. If you truly believe in Taekook then you don’t need constant, blatant “proof”. And if you DO need consistent validation then you need to reevaluate why you believe in Taekook in the first place.

Anyway, not really an ask, but wanted to add my thoughts 😁

I hope you get everything moved and it goes smoothly! Yay for saving the hedgehog 🥰

Hi @taekookibb !

So nice to see you back online! I was so happy to read you finally settled in your new place 😊.

It is so weird how sometimes something so mundane can become a whole thing. Like.. in a month or two we will still be like.. remember when Jk asked Jimin to go live together, what a day that was 😂🙈. When in reality.. it’s so meaningless.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ring situation, though it’s quite clear it’s a meaningful ring to him. The Dream premiere was reaaally something else. Whenever I come across that footage I just.. 🥰. And Tae’s pic of them together afterwards on his insta just before the Paris stuff.. yeah those things matter.

I’ve had plenty sane anons thankfully, who are all very sure about their believes. There’s always going to be insecure persons. It’s a complicated situation, so I can understand some.. especially when you allow too many Jkkrs comments to flood your social media accounts. I’ve not gone there yet.. gonna stay on my side of fandom for a while.

Thanks so much for stepping by 😊!

#taekook #jk live

[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

okay, so, how can i cope with the possibility of potentially being biologically useless? i ask after doing some reading on the net (if you want links/citations, i can pull some), i felt a tad deflated at the prospect of being the unnecessary/inferior sex. maybe with technological advancement, women'll do away with men (women could live without us in-theory). are the radfems right? i dunno. depends. btw, this is my first ask on Tumblr, i enjoy your stuff, and have a nice day. how can i cope?

You are not biologically useless. Do not listen to anyone that says that. Do not listen to any articles or 'experts' that try to say anything like that or similar.

It is incorrect.

I've seen some of those things before so I know what you’re talking about 

Fair warning, I don’t know if this is really going to be helpful or not but I hope so

- Stop looking at that stuff.  It’s just gonna keep eating at you if you do

- Realize that those beliefs are not representative of everyone. So many other women don’t think that way and so many disagree with what they’re saying 

-Immerse yourself in some positivity. If you’re starting to feel upset by what you see online and not just related to what you’re talking about, but just anti-male stuff in general, look at some positivity to help you

-  Realize that their words don’t matter. This is so important. I know it’s not easy. No one should make you feel inferior. 

Again, I don’t know if that’s helpful. I’m very sorry if it isn’t. If anyone else has better advice, please chime in. 

#mens rights #answered asks