#this has been a rant

[msbarrows]

Argh... so I've been reading in Scum Villain's Self-Saving System (SVSSS) fandom recently. And it's given me a new pet peeve about formatting and TTS. A bunch of the authors in that fandom are using black lens brackets to indicate the 'system' voice, 【like this】, because the original novels do, and, yeah... unfortunately that's not always compatible with TTS (definitely not with google's TTS engine, and testing with various other online TTS engines gives mixed results).

Guess how I know they're called black lens brackets.

…

Go on, guess.

…

YUP! They get read aloud! Every. Single. Time. They. Appear. Open black lens bracket like this close black lens bracket.

Please resist using the novel's formatting and just use regular square brackets instead! Which do not get read aloud unless there's a space in a bad position, [ like this ]. If you want to be fancy, maybe use <tt>...</tt> formatting or a monospaced font such as courier to make it stand out more as something mechanical.

[Like this]

Which reminds me, another bad formatting choice I've bumped into multiple times (and I can't remember if I've mentioned this one before) is where authors use something <like this> to indicate things like speaking mind-to-mind, or that someone is speaking a foreign language (despite the actual text still being in English). Cool. Neat. Also not TTS compatible, unless you like repeatedly hearing less than and greater than mixed into the text. But guess what - there are already perfectly serviceable ‹single› and «double» angled quotation marks that could be used instead - and since they're recognized as actual quotation marks, they don't get read aloud! Shocking, I know.

Those angled quotation marks could also be another decent option for indication of things like the system voice, obviously.

«Like this»

Thanks to everyone who is already using more TTS-compatible formatting, and to anyone who decides to make some changes to theirs after reading this :)

#Fanfiction #Writing #Formatting #TTS #This has been a rant #Not a terribly serious one #It's just annoying when I go to read something and am just getting into it #And suddenly I'm hearing random punctuation marks #Over and over again #If I was interested enough and have time I might download it on the desktop and run it through editing in calibre to make it TTS compatible #But often I just sigh and skip that fic until I've time for reading visually #Or sometimes just skip it entirely

[tea-and-antlers]

I love when people tell me I make clothing wrong. I love when they tell me “you have to knit sweaters from a yoke” and “you have to sew a back rip stitch for a garment zipper” because I don’t! I don’t!!! I can make clothing however I like! I knit sweaters from the bottom up in panels on straight needles! I sew my zippers on by hand with embroidery thread! And guess what?! The sweaters look like sweaters! The zippers work like zippers! The SNOZBERRIES taste like S N O Z B E R R I E S!!

#this has been a rant #coming at you from people on line getting mad that I make sweaters in 4 parts #and don't mind sewing #witchraft #witchblr #green witch #knitting #knit #knitted sweater #handcrafted #handmade #yarn #magic #kitchen witch #cottage vibes #cottagecore #gremlincore #goblincore

[chiyo-hana]

sorry but the narrative that successful YouTubers don't make good money doesn't hold up anymore. there are so many people on youtube that make good money, are able to build a business from YouTube, are able to bring in staff, support them and pay them well, while also making high quality content. you don't have to be an expert in anything to see that. putting content that we have got for free for years behind a paywall is fucking stupid and feels so out of left field. Steven 'drives a tesla' Lim complaining about money and profits also feels extremely scummy. this is just overall a bad business decision and you can tell they're losing fans by the minute. this just sucks.

#this has been a rant #I cant articulate all my thoughts #watcher

[starlingflight]

Seen the argument that Ginny had no say in Albus Severus' name on numerous occasions today and I just... have we considered that hot-headed, reckless, (rightfully) angry Ginny probably did any number of things that required Snape to subtly save her life during DH??

We know he only gave her detention in the Forest for attempted theft of the Sword of Gryffindor, and even Harry is surprised at the light punishment for that. Who knows what else happened? (no one because DH ends frustratingly abruptly)

Am I saying Severus is a good name? No. Do I like it? Absolutely not. Do I think there are probably reasons Ginny had for agreeing to it? Yes, probably pretty major ones that, maybe *gasp* have nothing to do with Harry

#i know this goes against seemingly everyones carrow and ginny headcanon #which i will not be touching with a ten foot pole #this has been a rant

[fuckyeahheartst0pper]

Dying for Heartstopper to have a bi storyline with a m/f (or presenting) couple to show the flip side of what Nick is going through.

The rejection from queer and non queer groups. The "oh I'm gay too!" "no you're not youre dating a guy" thing of bi-erasure and biphobia.

When you're in a same sex (or presenting) couple, its always "just admit you're gay" and "pick one". But as soon as it doesn't ""appear"" gay and is """"straight passing"""" literally no one wants to hear from you. The queer community says "no we're not the same cuz you're not THAT gay" and if you correct the straights to say you're queer they say "oh...well not really/not anymore cuz you're dating x"

#this has been a rant #idk if i should tag this Heartstopper #bisexual #bisexuality #bi pride #i actually kind of thought this would be cool to do with Imogen #tho I'm still excited for her gay awakening #but having her experience simultaneously mimic and foil nicks would be so cool to me

[halliescomut]

Y'all want another rant??

I have seen so MANY cracked-out, poorly considered 'hot takes' this weekend, and wow are they aggravating. We can start with the continuing discussion regarding HeartStopper and it's author, who feels the fact that there are no sexual scenes in their work make it inherently better than other queer media. (Edit: The initial comment ppl point to is from 2017, but there has also been no clarity or further statements made despite this being regularly discussed, which is certainly not the norm for addressing divisive statements.) Now, the fact that she's mentioned things like this in conjunction with dismissal of East Asian and South East Asian BL, makes it clear that this is not simply a 'purity' thing, but also has racist undertones. My biggest issue though, is that it clearly demonstrates that they have not attempted to consume any of the available content out there. Are there BLs that focus on the sexual aspects of relationships? Yes, there's the Pornographer, but there's also My Dining Table. You have TharnType, but you also have My Only 12%. Hell, my absolute favorite BL is GameBoys, which first season ends in the ONLY kiss and the couple is still separated by a plastic barrier.

So how can you say that EVERY show revolves only around sex? Realistically you can't. And there's a whole slew of other issues with such statements, like the fact that for a vast majority of romantic couples, sex and physical chemistry is a vital and valued part of their relationships. Or the fact that reducing the queer media of a non-white culture down to sex alone contributes to the misleading idea that people of color are ruled by base human desires, and don't have the intellectual ability to create a romantic relationship based on something other than sex. Honestly, it's giving very British, unsurprisingly.

The reality is that in the world they created in HeartStopper, an overt focus on a sexual relationship would feel vastly out of place. Both because of the age of the characters, but the tone of the story. It's a romanticized coming-of-age/coming out story that revolves around first love. It's intention is to focus on the emotions involved in those experiences in a 'rose-colored glasses' type of way. It's why we've seen plenty of gay men criticizing the show by saying it's unrelatable. And while I don't imagine that it's 100% true representation for every gay man out there, I'd say that's based more on it being distinctly romanticized in a way the real life rarely is. I think it's also intended to be slightly aspirational, it shows a world where more often than not a queer teen's family, friends, community, and society are supportive, kind, and loving; something that has rarely been the reality of many queer adults today. It's not wrong or bad to be aspirational, it's a facet of the queer experience that is necessary, but it should not be taken as a replacement for more 'realistic' queer media, especially in an attempt to sanitize the lived experiences of thousands of queer men.

(I'd like to note that I do intentionally tag any posts that I make about HS as BritishBL because I'm a petty bitch.)

The amount of sex either alluded to or shown in a piece of media does not indicate it's value. If you have done even a mild foray into BL outside of Thailand, then you are likely well aware that Chinese and South Korean BL is often promoted as being more 'tame' or 'respectable' than Thai BL, or even Japanese BL. But if you think critically about it for even a moment, you're able to easily conclude that the reason those countries often produce queer media that's more on the level of a PG or PG-13 rating is because there are still very strict societal AND governmental standards that prevent the presentation of queer media. It's rare if not unheard of to have shows or movies based on queer written media show even a single kiss, and it's because of homophobia, when you move outside of China to places like Taiwan (which China still considers to be part of it's empire) you may see more 'explicit' presentations of queer relationships, but they often still skew towards being more in that PG-13 range. I've inserted below a chart that I pulled for another project, but is applicable here as well showing the legality of same-sex relationship as well as the legal protections of them (i.e. same-sex marriage recognition or adoption)

While for China and North Korea in particular, we have to sort of accept their word, you can see that for the vast majority of East Asian countries, same-sex relationships are not illegal, but they area also not actively supported. And while progress has been made in many places, there is still a long way to go to offering them equal opportunities and protections. And, as is always true, the negative effects of bigotry and homophobia have the largest impacts on those that live in poverty or are members of other marginalized communities. So while, you may see rich and privileged queer people from these countries living their life without much backlash, that is never going to be the lived experience of your everyday gay salaryman.

Just want to pause here and say this next part is not related to Alice in any way, it's just another aspect of upsetting to me discourse I saw this weekend.

Moving on to another very concerning discussion that I saw revolving around Mew and Top in the first episode of Only Friends. The are SO MANY comments being made on edits all over social media dissing Mew for choosing not to have sex with Top once they got to his apartment. With the vast majority saying something along the lines of 'He's hot, Mew should have just done it", "Virginity isn't even a real thing", "He knew what Top wanted when he invited him over", and it honestly gets more frustrating and disturbing from there. The #1 key to consent is that it is ALWAYS ongoing and you have the right to revoke it at anytime. It is an incredibly valid criticism of Thai BL that they waffle a little bit with that consent line, and I feel like some of the same people who argued that the sex between Lom and Nuea in Wedding Plan last week was iffy consent because Lom was clearly drunk, are spouting these bullshit opinions about Top and Mew. Consent can be and often is a VERY nuanced conversation. Mew believing that he was ready for sex with Top when he left that bar, and realizing that he wasn't once they got back to his apartment is incredibly realistic. It happens to a lot of people, and unfortunately those people are often not with someone like Top, who in that moment was willing (even if not precisely happy) to forego sex. This is a scene that shows what a reaction SHOULD be to a removal of consent. You don't have to be happy about it, but as a human who hopefully has respect for the other human involved, you should respect it.

As far as the 'virginity is a social construct thing'--you're right it is. But it is not wrong or weird for a person to prefer that there be a personal and emotional connection between themselves and a potential sexual partner. There's literally a whole sexuality where a person does not feel romantic or sexual attraction WITHOUT an emotional connection.

That's not to say that this automatically concludes that Mew is definitely intended to be demisexual, it's possible that this is fully unintentional on the part of the writer, director, or actor. But in terms of negatively reacting to this scene on public social media, you are actively dismissing the very real feelings of very real people who you may be interacting with. Because just as there is absolutely nothing wrong with being comfortable having sex without feelings being involved, the same is true in reverse. As with all things related to sex, it's about the comfort of the person participating in the act, beyond that there is no 'better' or 'right' way to feel about it.

And moving onto that last incredibly upsetting point...that Mew knew what was going to happen when he left the bar with Top, how disgusting of a take. There are literally thousands of people, most female presenting, who get asked that same question when reporting sexual violence from people they were dating, or met in bars. The dismissal of a person's autonomy because 'they knew what they were getting into' is nothing more than disgusting. It's not just a bad take, or a problematic one, it's a take that feeds into the victim-blaming society that we live in and makes it more and more difficult for survivors of sexual violence to come forward, and impedes our ability to install tenets of consent in our society as a whole. By continuing to spout such ridiculous and disgusting ideas, you are setting a standard that prevents ANYONE from revoking consent at any time and enables assaulters to pressure people into sex, or just bypass their consent completely, knowing that the likelihood of actual repercussions is very low.

So I guess TLDR- All levels of intimacy (both physical and emotional) are important in queer media, from the most innocent to the most carnal, and healthy representations of consent conversations, especially those that show people's autonomy as being fully respect should be praised, not dismissed.

#HeartStopper #BritishBL #only friends the series #TopMew #Thai BL #East Asian BL #South East Asian BL #Nick and Charlie #Nick Nelson #Charlie Spring #HeartStopper season 2 #This has been a rant

[just-a-lil-otter]

I wish more people understood that stuff like cuddling, kissing(on the head and cheek specifically), and holding hands can be PLATONIC as well

I hate that a lot of people think you can only do that stuff as a romantic thing. When really it's normal to find comfort in doing it with a friend, look it up!

Hell I grew up in a family that did all that stuff all the time! And while I don't do it with my parents now that I'm older, I'll sometimes cuddle with my younger sister because that's just how I'm used to showing love!

The fact people think that someone simply wanting to be held/cuddled by a friend means that those people HAVE to be dating is annoying. As someone who shows affection through physical touch, the idea of having a friend I trust enough to hold me in such a way sounds amazing, and I mean that in a a PLATONIC sense.

I've never had a romantic partner(and might never) so I don't know if it's just one of those "things" people think only need to be done in a relationship like that, but I think it's perfectly fine to want to cuddle with a platonic friend(despite never doing so yet due to trust issues)

Idk maybe I'm just lonely and touch starved but personally I wish it was seen as platonic just as much as romantic. It's simply showing affection, you don't have to make it weird.

#this has been a rant #platonic cuddling #platonic kissing #platonic hand holding #i wish it was seen as platonic more sometimes #rant post #mini rant

[menelaus-blue]

do you know tumblr im losing my mind. do you know when you’re not at home in your funky little element and its like cosplaying as a normal person and you have to keep all the crazy in and sometimes there’s a reprieve like talking to your friends on the phone or going to your mind palace but SOMETIMES you’re at college and no one at college wants to talk about your modern gender swap mdzs au because no one knows what mdzs is and besides no one would understand the complexities that went into creating it like for instance the fact that its set in san francisco (you’ve never been to san francisco but trust please its important) or that jin guangyao is a lawyer or that the entire this is centered around nie huaisang. no one at college understands this so you just sit around all day doing nothing because you can’t keep having the draining kind of social interaction where you make small talk and ask about peoples dogs you need to be a cringe fandom girl but no one here even knows what the word yaoi means. im losing it.

#im so sorry about this im just absolutely miserable #can someone please lead me to the department of yaoi or whatever i can’t do this anymore #i don’t really want to be a bother but i am like really close to just posting everything on here so i can get some type of feedback #this has been a rant #this has been a certified menelaus blue 100% truthful post #sorry again #mdzs #ig #sorry to anyone in the mdzs tag that has to see this #mo dao zu shi #jin guangyao #nie huaisang

[odakota-rose]

idk who needs to hear this today but your life does not end at 25, or 35, or 45, or any point beyond. your life ends when you die.

you are being fed propaganda that directly benefits companies that would like to sell you anti-aging treatments, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and medical procedures, some of which are unnecessary and some of which are actually dangerous.

there's nothing inherently wrong with a lot of them, but if you choose to use these products let it be because you like the way they make you feel, not because you are looking to the warped standards of beauty as defined by capitalism. do not base your worth as a person on standards created by corporations who view you as a marketable audience.

remember that aging is a privilege many of your ancestors did not have, and cherish it.

#this has been a rant #saw some stuff online tonight that made my blood boil tbh #and there's so many kids who are buying into this crap #there is nothing wrong with you. you were simply born into a dystopian capitalist hellscape. #ren.txt

[dementian]

At this point I feel like I need to take Downton Abbey outside and shoot it like a rabid dog

For gods sake put it out of its fucking misery. Six seasons and two movies for what??? WHAT MORE IS THERE TO DO??? I get it, you want to make more money. You want to show the kids grown up. But I garuntee you the plots will be recycled. Both of the Bates were arrested. Mary had more suitors than she could shake a stick at. I feel very underwhelmed at the idea of a return to Downton. The world is being radicalized. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. I'm tired of seeing an opulent family live a glamorous lifestyle when I cannot afford groceries.

#this has been a rant #take it for what it is

[ominouspositivity-or-else]

there's a michael knowles video on Hazbin Hotel.

it's off to a great start he just called it a kids cartoon even though it's 100% meant to be for 18+ viewers. it's literally rated MA.

the older i get the less i can stand anyone on any political side it's all SOPHISTRY

#this has been a rant #horrors within my comprehension #HAZBIN HOTEL HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS #I READ FANFIC FOR IT WHEN I WAS 15 BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS #THIS ISNT NEW #AGH

[paddockpatrol]

The Red Flags podcast should at this stage just add a "Shitting on Verstappen" segment. I enjoy some of their content, but the uninformed takes on Max have turned them from wankers (affectionate) to actual wankers.

Imagine having the take that Max should shut the fuck up about reliability issues because of how good the car is. My dudes, the championship this year will be between Max and Checo. If Max has 2 dnfs (the very reliability he complained about that you say he should shut the fuck up about), and Checo doesn't, Max will be 50-52 points behind, because with the Red Bull being so good, Checo will likely take the wins in those races.

That's 8 races of winning with Checo coming in 2nd before he's caught up in the championship. Checo and Max are the only 2 contenders, realistically. So, of course every point counts. This is the dude who was one of the two 2021 contenders. He knows first hand every point counts.

This was followed by a shit take about the sim-racing and the 10/10 poles and races he did on the sim. This apparently showed Max has his life out of balance. The dude co-runs and sponsors Team Redline whom he raced for this weekend in the online 12h of Sebring, the track he did his 10 races on to up his rating. He was working. He's not expressing frustration, he's putting his money where his mouth is and putting in the hours to lead the team.

I get people may not like Max and may not like his approach to racing, fair cop, everyone is different in what they want out of a racer. But seriously their takes on him recently have been simply jumping on the lazy we-hate-verstappen bandwagon.

#this has been a rant #i started typing a message to them #but then couldn't be arsed because it is clear they've made up their minds #max verstappen #paddock prattle

[bylightofdawn]

W H E LP. My brother texts me at work and says mom called him sounding drunk and gave him the impression she was stranded on the side of the road. And that he called her back and got no answer. I got it at 8pm something, I noticed it at 9pm and immediately started calling her as well. REPEATEDLY and no fucking answer. I spent the next 45 minutes being a total anxious mess at work and get off and immediately start calling the two bars she frequents to see if she was there or if they had seen her.

Anyone who has an alcoholic in their life knows this song and dance, my siblings in trauma , I feel your rage and sadness at those sorts of situations. Neither had seen here so I called her AGAIN before driving across town after work, questioning if I should call her new boyfriend to see if he saw her but I didn't want to potentially 1) worry him or 2) if they were having a fight or some shit, escalate things further.

So I get to her house and her car is there, she's there on the phone with said fucking boyfriend and I am grasping for the last shreds of my self-control as I explain she called George and gave him the impression she was stranded on the side of the road in fucking WINTER. And that I had been calling her for over a fucking hour with no answer from her and that's why I am storming into her house at 10:30 at night. Her car was fine, she apparently called my brother instead of said boyfriend and NGL I did not bother to press for any details cause I was at nuclear meltdown levels at that point.

And that's when I forced myself to march right back out and not rip her stupid, irresponsible head off and drove home seething mad cause this is not the first time she's pulled this shit. See the above fucking alcoholic portion of this post.

DID I MENTION I WAS TIRED OF FUCKING DEALING WITH MY MOTHER THIS WEEK???

Also come fucking Tuesday I'm going going to start calling therapists' offices, I need some fucking mental health support right now. And whinging on tumblr ain't cutting the mustard right now.

#life of el #tw: alcholism #this has been a rant #gawd my night is ruined I don't think I'm going to be able to clear my head enough to write

[lowonthewilltolivemeter]

Almost finishing up tmnt o3 and i must express how much i love and appreciate Donnie?!! they can’t do anything without him, and i mean anything, guy misses ONE mission and they almost all die (guess i should’ve already learned this from that apocalypse world but that’s not canon to me, as if Leo and Raph would abandon their family for the sake of pettiness).

it really keeps surprising me how much they depend on him; super weapns, super armor, technology that surpasses anything they ever saw, always knowing what’s up and noticing the wierdest shit and saving everyone without them even noticing. Wow! just wow man!

#this has been a rant #cuz i can't keep it for myself anymore #tmnt #tmnt 2003 #tmnt donatello #03 donnie

[britts-books]

Lucy Westenra is a Grade A Cinnamon Roll™ Sweetheart with character depth and adaptations depicting her as a vapid, shallow man-eater (not in the blood drinking sense) are Tired, Boring and Misogynistic AF

#daily dracula #dracula daily #lucy westenra #this has been a rant #the whole point of her character is that she's a genuinely good person #so when they try to make her a conniving gold digger it's not only in insult to her character it also makes no sense narratively #her and Mina's friendship is shockingly well written for the time #it's super sweet #mina murray #mina harker