#(it's always like acquaintances I don't necessarily talk to a lot but still)

[bookishbrigitta]

Full disclosure, I don't necessarily think it's an equivalency people should make, but I can definitely think of some reasons people do. Some are more surface-level; others are more on a socio-political level. And there will always be some folks that are just plain ignorant and/or angry. People draw and project from their own experiences, for better or worse.

I also want to say I'm not bashing Catholicism. I'm just pointing out historical and structural aspects that might make the Jedi "read as Catholic" to some people.

Anyway, here's my 2 cents as a history buff who is a non-Catholic Christian with a lot of Catholic family:

The religious orders most Westerns are acquainted with are Catholic ones. Like the Jedi, they tend to heavily value contemplation and focus on the spirit rather than material goods, etc.

Catholic priests (and monks and nuns) take a vow of celibacy and do not marry. It isn't the same as a vow against attachments, but you can see where people might make similarities depending on how they interpret what the Jedi mean.

The audience's main understanding of the Jedi's rules and customs are through Anakin, a deeply unstable and unreliable narrator. He emphasizes the negative, and that probably resonates with a lot of people who feel hurt by religion. And many of those people are ex-Catholics.

Although they are often sent on missions in tough conditions, the Temple is arguably a gorgeous place of refuge, separate in many ways from the outside world. They have priceless religious artifacts and ample resources...but we know other places in the galaxy, or even on Coruscant, are suffering. Similarly, the Catholic Church has historically had a lot of centralized wealth, which some are critical of.

The Jedi have outsized political power. As a religious order, there is no reason for them to get involved in so many political disputes. Likewise, the Catholic Church has historically held tremendous political influence -- see the Renaissance Papacy and all the ways it intertwined with wars, democracy, kingdoms, and more.

Raising children: It's never really stated how most younglings come to the Temple, but the mere fact that they are there harkens to images of religious orphanages and schools. Some legitimately helped those with no other options to meet their basic needs, but there was also an entire network of religious boarding schools (many of them Catholic) in the Americas designed to harm Indigenous children. (U of British Columbia has a decent intro to that history.) It is understandably a sensitive subject for many.

The Jedi Council is a centralized power structure that appears to not include much member input. No individual Jedi has voting power. Similarly, power is famously centralized in the Catholic Church, which is in stark contrast to many protestant denominations that have representative or direct democracies. Frankly, as someone in a church where parishioners have a lot of input, the Jedi Council's unilateral decision-making was very off-putting to me.

Catholicism is global. There are 100% other religious sects that share some of the above traits, but the reach of the Catholic Church is vast and ancient. Things like missions and inquisitions and ties to royalty early were pretty effective ways of spreading across the world. In online spaces where people come from all over and yet the West still dominates in many ways, lots of Star Wars fans have a shared knowledge of history and culture left behind by the church. We learn about it in history class. We talk about it in social justice circles. We see it in when people get married or buried in movies and when politicians speak and when the Pope performs Christmas Eve Mass on TV while we stay up late eating cookies.

what the fuck is it about the jedi that makes them like the Catholic Church. Truly I will give a thousand dollars to anyone who can give me an answer that isn’t full of racist aphobic fanon bullshit

[dkettchen]

I stg everytime I see someone in the local queer community who I'm like "isn't that (x person)" and then talk myself out of that assumption, it ALWAYS ENDS UP BEING THE PERSON I THOUGHT IT WAS AAAAHH

[axolotl4days]

Batfam au angst :) also leading into (platonic) yandere batfam

What if Jason wasn't the first kid to die :)

And what if Damian wasn't Bruce's only biological kid :)

Au idea I'm simple terms: what if Bruce had a daughter in his early years of batman, who went missing and dead, but then years later reappeared and was found again, Bruce and the others won't make the same mistake twice.

Author's note before reading: Please keep in mind I'm new to this fandom, so I don't know much about what's canon. I simply get creative ideas really easily and have decided to share them.

If anyone else likes this idea, feel free to rewrite or add onto the concept, if you do please tag me I'd love to see what others do with this concept

I'm picturing reader to be the same age as or potentially slightly younger than Damian, but no specific ages are mentioned

Damian POV:

It was a day like any other, awful, Damian had to go to school. He didn't hate school, just the people there, loud, annoying, nosy.

He went about his day the same as always, reading in class and working on his work, until suddenly the principle came to class abruptly saying they had a new student, which the teacher promptly assigned to sit next to Damian. Great.

The teacher also informed him that he would be the one to show this new student around. So Damian braced himself for the extra annoying questions about him and his family, after all that's what people always want to know.

But to his suprised? This girl didn't care about any of that, simply asking questions about the class and school. She didn't even ask if he was really a Wayne, she looked a bit suprised but it wasn't the usual suprise most people had, and she didn't ask him any questions about it so it didn't matter.

As he showed her around he found out that they had the same classes, he heard her sigh of relief, but when questioned she said she was glad because it ment she wouldn't be alone in any of her classes and she'd have someone to turn to.

As the day went on they would go to class and work on classwork, it seems his new classmate was a lot smarter than the rest of them and he didn't have to constantly help her with work.

At the end of the day he made a mental note of a new acquaintance.

Later that day

"Ah, Master Damian, welcome back. How was your day at school?" Alfred asked, greeting the young boy

"It was alright Pennyworth, we had a transfer student today, but she seemed to be quite intelligent unlike the rest of those peasants" Damian replied

"Oh? A transfer student? In the middle of the school year? How odd."

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, her name is Y/n." Damian said, but after saying her name he noticed Alfred looked pale

"Pennyworth? Are you feeling ill? Do I need to inform father?" Damian asked

"No no, I'm quite alright, it's just, I... used to know someone with that name, so I was suprised to hear it. That's all." Alfred replied, but he still looked pale

"If you say so. I'm going to head to my room and work on schoolwork before it's time for patrol" Damian said, and he was gone without another word

Alfred's POV:

'Calm yourself Alfred. It's a normal name that anyone could have, besides, it's been 20 years. Even if it was her she wouldn't be part of the young masters class. Still... I should inform Master Bruce, incase he mentions this classmate' Alfred thinks to himself before heading to the batcave.

There he finds both Bruce and Tim, working on the computer, searching for sightings of criminal activity, recently rumors of a new villain with unknown powers had started to arise, so it was the batman's job to keep Gotham safe

"Ahem, apologies for interrupting, but I need to borrow Master Bruce for a moment" Alfred says

"Did something happen Alfred?" Bruce asks

"No, not necessarily, it's nothing serious but we need to talk" Alfred replies

Bruce gets up and follows Alfred out of the room

"What is it Alfred? You look like you've seen a ghost." Bruce states

"Apologies Sir, as I said, it's nothing serious, however Damian informed me of a new classmate at school today" Alfred starts

"In the middle of the year?" Bruce comments

"That's what I said, however that isn't the point, I simply wanted to let you know before hand, incase the young master mentions this classmate infront of you.." Alfred pauses

"That's it? Why would you need to inform me of that" Bruce asks confused

"Well you see. He said that her name was... Y/n" Alfred states, and Bruce becomes just as pale as he is

"I see.... did Damian tell you anything else about this.... classmate?" Bruce asks

"No, he did not. But simply stated he'd keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Alfred said

"I understand." Bruce said with a deep sigh

"Are you alright Master Bruce? I know it's been a long time but-"

"I'm fine Alfred. I just... I'm fine. I need to head back to work now, we still don't know what this new villain is capable of, or what they're after." Bruce says, turning away

"Alright sir, if you insist. Please take care of yourself."

Alfred says, but he knows how Bruce is

The patrol went on as normal, and so did school. Nothing particularly interesting happened it was a week like any other, Damian and y/n would work on schoolwork together during breaks, since y/n joined late she had a lot of work to catch up on but she didn't have much trouble and Damian helped her when she did. The two had even become friends, turns out they had a lot in common, and some classmates tried to joke about how they were like siblings, but the two didn't mind. The jokes did make Damian aware of how... familiar y/n looked. He pondered the idea of her being a child from a one night stand, but the timelines didn't match up so he brushed the thought away, thinking it was a coincidence that she looked so much like Bruce. But nothing out of the ordinary happened of note, not until one fateful patrol where Damian made a discovery

Y/n POV:

Y/n didn't know where to go after waking up again, it was clear so many things have changed, and her dad taught her well. She needed more information before she made any decisions.

Unfortunately this ment she had no place to stay. After all, she couldn't go to an orphanage, she wasn't an orphan and she didn't have any documents or a story on where she came from. She knew better than to go to the police, what would she even say to them? So here she was. Sitting under a bridge hoping she won't get sick. But she was strong, she'd do what she'd have to in order to understand the situation better. Even if that means sleeping under a bridge like a troll, even if it means only eating the food provided by the school, even if it means-

"Hello there. Are you alright?" A voice asked making her jump

She turns to see, some sort of vigilante. She had heard in passing about how her dad Batman wasn't the only vigilante in Gotham anymore, so she figured it was one of them

"Oh um, I'm alright" she replied, she hadn't planned to meet any of them, she knew she might meet batman, which she kind of hoped for because then she could get some answers, but this was new territory this was- wait a minute why does he kind of look like Damian?

"Are you sure? Your sitting underneath a bridge at night, kids shouldn't be out here like this you could get hurt. Or worse. Why aren't you with your parents?" The vigilante (Damian) said, after recognizing his classmate, assessing the situation

"It's... complicated" y/n replies, before wondering how much she should tell him "I... can't really talk about it, but I can't go back home.. not yet at least, and I don't have anywhere else to go, so I've just been here" she states, hoping she didn't say to much

The vigilante just stays there for a moment, not saying anything, and she wonders if she said to much or if he thinks she's a criminal

"I see. In any case, you shouldn't be out here alone, the streets of Gotham aren't safe, however if you insist on staying out here may I suggest somewhere that isn't so easily spotted? You wouldn't want to be attacked. I know a few places that are safer than.. this" The vigilante says offering a hand

"Oh, uhm" y/n thinks for a moment, weighing her options "I'll take you up on that offer, it's not great down here" y/n replies, taking his hand

The two go to a more remote, slightly cleaner area

"Here we are, even if it's temporary this would be a better place for a shelter than where you were before. I don't know what's going on, but if you need assistance, im willing to help" the vigilante replies

"Thank you, you've really been more than enough help and I appreciate it a lot. If I need anything il let you know....."

"... Robin. My name is Robin." Robin says, noticing her pause

"Robin... thank you for the help, good luck with the rest of your patrol" y/n says

"Of course, you be careful now, always keep an eye out." Robin says, before leaving

'Phew.... he's gone. That was definitely him, and he definitely recognized me. Now what. He didn't say anything so they're definitely still doing the secret identity thing. I guess I'll just have to play it cool and hope he doesn't say anything at school. If any of the teachers find out I'm definitely gonna get investigated and then my whole plan will be thrown out the window.' Y/n thinks to herself 'Maybe this is a good thing, if he's Robin, it's likely that dad's still Batman too, which means I might run into him. What if he doesn't recognized me? What if he does recognize me?? What if- what if he didn't miss me.... no, no! This is dad, of course he missed me but it's been... so long... what do I do if he doesn't want me back...' y/n starts to worry about before she falls to the floor and starts to cry

Which, unbeknownst to her, Damian saw, he doesn't know why she's crying or why it makes him feel so... protective but he knows somethings up, so he goes off and reports what he knows to Batman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aaaaand cliffhanger! Mwahahahaha

I would have kept going, and I know exactly what's coming next, but I've been typing for awhile and I have no idea how long this post is, and I don't want it to be too long

So I'm stopping it there,

This wasn't supposed to be this much but my creative brain decided to run with this idea, so there's gonna be a part 2 soon

Also I've decided to call this au

Batman Dead Daughter Au

Because.... idk what else to call it and if I'm gonna make a part 2 and potentially more depending on how this goes, I'm gonna need something to refer to it with.

As I said before, I'm extremely new to the batman stuff

Pretty much all of my knowledge comes from youtube and tumblr, so bare with me if things are out of character

I've also never written fanfiction before, it's always just been in my head, so the writing is probably a bit funny

Yes I'm a writer in the making but I haven't actually gotten to the writing part

And fanfiction is a bit different

Hope yall like the concept tho

Again, feel free to write your own version of this if you want to, just tag me so I can read it too lol

[nymphbroadcast]

Can we get the octa trio with a fluttershy reader please? I just Love her!!!!

Octavinelle x MC! Like Fluttershy

⊹Synopsis ⊹ೃ 🌊⋆The Octavinelle boys with an MC! or Yuu like Fluttershy.

⊹Relationship ⊹ೃ 🌊⋆ Fall in love / free of interpretation.

⊹FEM! MC/Yuu/Reader ⊹ೃ⋆

⊹Clarifications: my Little Pony Fluttershy pony ver!

⊹Fluttershy's Analysis ⊹ೃ 🌊⋆

• Fluttershy is the living representation of kindness, her personality is introverted but not asocial, since she enjoys spending time with her friends, she is gentle with her acquaintances and friends, although she prefers the company of animals since due to the bullying she suffered from young, his consolation was the company of butterflies and other animals. At that moment she discovered her talent for handling animals and beasts of all kinds. Despite her shy and calm personality, Fluttershy is also a person with a strong character, not necessarily aggressive but firm in her ideals and, if necessary, protecting her friends... Fluttershy does not judge by appearances and always tries to find a second chance for those seeking redemption. Although she can also be insecure and doubtful and carry a lot of guilt on herself, she´s very talented in her 'work' with her animals, maybe like a Vet in the series. Unlike Twilight, Fluttershy is not from an aristocratic family, but she is not from a poor family either since it is mentioned that her father worked in a cloud factory and for his part he has a large house in the most natural areas of Ponyville. And the others seem to go to only her for advice regarding their pets, Fluttershy is a balance between peace and chaos.

Azul Ashengrotto

🐙 Cute butterfly... You get on Azul's nerves, you know? You must be doing it on purpose.

🐙 At first, Azul, without knowing you, begins to feel nervous, you are too kind, you do things for others and you don't even receive a payment, you must be dangerous, that is his conclusion.

🐙 Since no one has ever been genuinely nice to Azul, Azul has a hard time getting used to how selfless you seem to be.

🐙 You're so gentle, even while he's trying to manipulate you with the Dorm Ramshakle, Azul was genuinely expecting you to yell and insult him, you're full of surprises, aren't you? - Chapter 3

🐙 Although he must admit that he underestimated you... You're smart, strong and you have limits... That itself only makes him panic, you're like a dolphin, cute and seemingly friendly, but you can be genuinely scary sometimes. – Chapter 3

🐙 Luckily for him, you're the embodiment of kindness (Literally) and even after he tried to steal Ramshakle from you, manipulate you, and almost kill you in his Overblot, you're still kind and understanding to him, Azul almost genuinely feels like he's gonna crying. – Chapter 3

🐙 After all... Azul begins to feel more and more desirous of your kindness and genuine affection, looking for a way to see you and feel your genuine affection.

🐙 Azul genuinely wonders how you are so transparent, he has seen you talk more to animals than to people, you are shy and anxious, how do you do it? He needs the advice.

🐙 But, Azul begins to grow fonder of you every time he sees you, he is glad that despite everything, you were able to forgive him and continue to be so kind and gentle with him. Who knows, maybe it's a deeper affection than Azul believes, maybe even genuine love.

Jade Leech

🍄 Jade finds you adorable, you don't really like socializing or being the center of attention and yet, one way or another, you always end up doing it.

🍄 For Jade it is also funny how your kindness often works against you, since you don't want to hurt other people's feelings you usually resist your displeasure and end up helping (even if it is something you don't like, fear or feel disgusted by) and maybe Jade sometimes (almost always) takes advantage of this.

🍄 You are good with common animals and since you arrived at Twisted Wonderland you decided to study about the fauna there, so it is certain that you know a lot about the Tweels and Azul species, but don't use it against them, okay? They are just "innocent" guys.

🍄 That is something neutral for Jade, on the one hand you understand his behavior and his needs, on the other you can use it against him despite your kindness, although we all know how sadistic he can be, so he probably provokes you on purpose to see your reaction.

🍄 Something else to highlight is that Jade loves it when you lose control, you are so kind and shy almost all the time... Until someone breaks that way of yours, you scream and look harshly at whoever provoked you regardless of whether you are being the center of attention, which normally would make you panic. You can see this guy smilling with pleasure in the corner.

🍄 It's something unusual, but Jade tends to be more real with you, you don't judge him by his... Curious likes... For mushrooms, you even give him advice since you usually deal with animals that eat all kinds of plants and he thanks you... In its own way, but he does it.

🍄 Just like his twin Floyd, Jade finds you adorable, your natural but well-groomed appearance and adorable embarrassed expressions make this eel boy burst with you into a tight hug that could almost be mistaken as Floyd.

🍄 We would like to fool ourselves a little, but Jade is Jade, he takes advantage of your kindness a little to help him do his homework and your company. What can he say in his defense? That he likes your company... Which isn't a lie, actually.

🍄 For the same reason, Jade starts to develop that 'protective instinct' towards you, you are too kind and shy in his eyes that he should protect you, come on, the whole NRC is afraid of Tweels, so you have your cute eel boy as your personal bodyguard... Or something more, maybe...

🍄 Of course, maybe he mentally compare you to a pretty butterfly or a shrimp, just like Floyd does.

Floyd Leech

🏀 Are you two Discord and Fluttershy in this universe???

🏀 Well, in a way yes, you two are chaos (Floyd) and peace (you) in NRC.

🏀 We all know that Floyd has a similar way of being to Discord, rarely being serious and actually in great danger when he is...

🏀 You, on the other hand, prefer discreet and simple, here are two options: he calls you 'shrimpy' because you are easily scared by everything except real pests, or because you are shy.

🏀 Floyd loves to make fun of you, scaring you and chasing you, God help him be careful because you have patience and I don't think it's a good experience for him to receive 'the look'...

🏀 You seem adorable to him, squeezable and very tender, your big gentle eyes make his heart race and he can't help but fawn over you, pinch your cheeks or hug you for a long time.

🏀 Just like in the series, no one believes that you two are really friends, especially knowing Floyd's adventures, you are too good to even be his friend! Floyd is bothered, but as soon as you tell him that you like being with Because they are very different, he is immediately happy.

🏀 He likes to see you take care of the animals, it's funny how you keep Grimm like a spoiled baby knowing he's a beast! However, be careful if you interact too much with any brunette other than him... He may be jealous... In a strange way, obviously.

🏀 As an animal whisperer, you love that he's a merman! You insist a lot on seeing his mer form and he gladly shows it to you, you both spend a lot of time just playing in the water and having fun!

🏀 Eventually the two of you would become very fond of each other, Floyd is happy that you are his true friend, one who doesn't care if he is chaotic and different, you love him just the way he is and he loves you too...

Nymph's Note:

I'm loving these MLP requests since it's my favorite cartoon for a long time, I remind you again to read my rules in the post pinned to my profile for your requests!

I hope you enjoyed!

Remember to tune in, end of this broadcast!

Octavinelle Dorm x MC! Like Fluttershy Done!

[nurselynn]

so, this is miss magnolia lynn! aka maggie aka mags aka “big ass crybaby”

she is, as you may have guessed, the baby sister of everyone’s favorite school nurse, lynn. the two of them had a really rough time together when maggie was young ━ which is to say that lynn bullied her as a child lol. things are weird between them now that he’s back in her life, but they’re working on it. they don’t like to talk about it with others.

maggie is a sensitive soul. she cries over everything ━ animal shelter ads, sad stories, things that have only happened in her imagination. she's just a delicate flower. she also has very strong attachment issues and doesn’t really know who she is as a person outside of her personal relationships. some might say she’s clingy, or annoying, or even obsessive ━ and they’re not necessarily wrong. 

outside of acting like someone’s lost puppy, she enjoys painting, being on the school yearbook committee and in the art club, and playing singles tennis. 

she’s very tall for her age, around 6’, and twiggy. she tends toward pastel / boho / whimsical clothing and loves the colors green, purple, and pink.

maggie has gone to saint sara belle since kindergarten and is in the same year as the jerks, so even though she isn't in their group, she’s still fairly acquainted with them ━ for better or for worse...

nate was maggie’s very first friend ━ despite not necessarily wanting to be. but when he was the only person to stand up for maggie against her older brother, maggie’s obsessive attachment to lynn quickly transferred to him. she idolized him and wanted to follow him around wherever he went, which stressed nate out tremendously. he slowly began to accept her presence in his life, especially when she tried (and failed) to stand up for him against everett and his friends. nate keeps maggie grounded in reality and maggie helps nate deal with his emotions, and even though they might grate on each other's nerves because of just how different they are, they're still very close; maggie would have said that they were best friends for most of their lives, if it wasn't for everett butting his head in where he didn't belong.

everett has always gotten on maggie's nerves, ever since they were small and she saw that he treated nate poorly. they would bicker and squabble over stupid things, just because they didn't like each other. even as things got better between everett and nate, maggie still hasn't been able to get over it ━ she never wanted nate to become friends with everett to begin with, and told him that much. but they still did, and even became roommates, and maggie struggled with it considering how overly attached she was to nate. though she and everett don't argue as much anymore, there is a silent resentment between them, each wanting more of nate's attention than the other gets.

when shiloh first came to school, maggie liked him a lot! he was so nice to everyone, and maggie thought they could be good friends. that is, until shiloh endeared himself to others he considered more useful than maggie, and began to outright ditch her for his “better” friends. this hurt maggie a lot, especially considering this was at the height of her power struggle / attachment crisis with everett and nate, and she's really never forgiven him for it. shiloh is still nice and civil, of course, because really it was nothing personal. they were never terribly close, and barely ever speak at all now. she still doesn't understand what his game is. though lately, he has seemed to want to win her favor once again...

bae is another one who maggie doesn't understand. she's quite naive, and so a lot of his sarcasm / patronizing went right over her head at first. but one day, bae said one little thing that maggie caught and realized, “oh, this guy actually thinks i’m dumb as a bag of rocks, and maybe i am” and bawled her eyes out about it. of course that wasn’t bae’s intention, and he apologized for it, but things between them have only ever been awkward since then. they just simply don’t talk.

jeremy actively avoids maggie more often than not. she emotes entirely too much for him to be comfortable with. maggie, however, has a bit of a fascination with jeremy. not a crush, but just... an interest. that leads her to possibly overstepping boundaries and being a bit clingy when he’s around. when she acts like a normal person, though, they are able to get along, mostly, though she’s too sweet for his preference. their biggest bonding point is over talking shit about everett.

pran… is the newest object of maggie's attention, and significantly more so than jeremy. they share an art class together, and when she sees just how talented he is (PLUS the added mysterious broody allure), she quickly develops an attachment to him… even though they had never spoken. and even when she does take the leap and tries to acquaint herself with him, it's like trying to pull teeth. it's only when they're paired together for a project that he reluctantly begins speaking to her. but she really hopes she can crack his shell and understand him better.

jb intimidates maggie. maggie already feels like she has to vie for her friends’ attention, but now that a beautiful girl has come in and also wants to get to know them (and her brother!!) it's only made things worse. she doesn't want to dislike jb for that alone, because maggie wants to be a girl’s girl — but her jealousy issues and possessiveness take over sometimes. 

her other friends include alicia, chand, and adrian. she has no interest in the school cliques, but does have acquaintances in the artsies, troublemakers, and others groups. (when you go to a tiny school  your whole life, you tend to just know everyone else around you.)

all of these relationships are evolving, and things do begin to change once their junior year of high school properly starts.

also these lol

[joocomics]

txt thoughts if you're still feeling like it (and if not that is so okay i simply had to get this out)

two words. frat boy taehyun. he holds a special place in my heart as a little post ab him is bookmarked on my laptop and is to this day how i get onto this website (the post has been deleted/archived i fear but i digress)

maybe i just have a crush irl and taehyun is the closest to what they're like but all day every day its just frat boy taehyun in my brain. sitting up there. waiting. (can you tell i have never had more than a surface interaction with a real frat boy and probably never will)

but either i'm projecting my campus crush or he would be SUCH A CUTE FRAT BOY?? like is that possible idk but like he's the golden boy hs class president type and it carries into college. and everyone's like wow he's just great and he's so smart but he's not the most popular one. sure he has his fans and whtv but at the end of the day he has that frat boy charm that fits him in with the rest but not that notorious player energy (does that make any sense? i have no idea

like he'd be good at party games and have fun at parties but probably isn't hooking up with every single person he makes eye contact with. but he's still a frat boy. so like yes there are hookups but like a more so-called reasonable amount? and he isn't like a heartbreaker necessarily but nobody expects anything from him bc he doesn't rly hook up with strangers, kinda like a one-time-fwb thing. generally more relaxed on that side of frat boy culture and everyone picks up on that because he has less hookups than the other frat boys and it "fits" with his other side of being involved in so much outside of the frat. he dds a lot as well i imagine

he's a huge athlete tho i fear very involved in everything. like everybody knows him. literally everybody. but not everybody is aware of how much of a frat boy he is (i guess that's what i mean by him not having such an aggressive red flag energy. like he exists outside of the frat)

very much like friends to lovers vibes because he's just so endearing and your brain's like "we don't trust frat boys" but he's so charming you're just like "well he's just my acquaintance or friend or whatever" and he's been drooling over you this whole time. for him it was love at first sight but he's got the frat boy part of his rep going for him that its like "he cant be trusted" even though logistically he hasn't done anything particularly untrustworthy. and then the flirting hits you all at once one day and its like "oh wait so he wants me?" and then its the confusion of like am i delusional but surprise you're not bc he's not like this really ever (cuz he doesn't hook up w ppl as much and has that bit of reputation)

i so hope this makes sense LOL and if you feel like it i would love to hear your thoughts! like if i'm crazy be so honest i want to craft fratboy taehyun perfectly (can you tell i have never done this before)(ANYWAY I LOVE U AND UR BLOG AND HOPE UR DOING AMAZING!!)

fratboy!taehyun doesn’t make the fact he’s a frat boy his entire personality in contrast to many of his peers in the fraternity! every time he talks to other people they’re always the ones bringing up the topic, most of the time super curious and nosy cause what they’re expecting to hear is parties, sleepless nights that result in embarrassing stories, hookups, rumors and constant bad hangovers, but those are not the things that made taehyun join the brotherhood. yes, he experiences those things alongside his frat friends, because he’s always invited every time, thanks to his easygoing personality and how effortlessly he fits in, but he experiences them a reasonable amount and that fulfills him enough. he’s not greedy nor does he want to get carried away and lose balance over his life outside of the frat

he also gives strong big brother energy. he’s doing so well as a frat boy without leaning into the toxic/chaotic frat boy culture that at one point in time he inevitably gets chosen as a mentor to a new member in the frat. he’d be pretty good with guiding him through the initiation and overall fraternity experience. (maybe that’s how he meets kai??)

fratboy!taehyun who’s an athlete and often gets eyed by different girls from the benches when he’s in the middle of the field; they’re drooling over his figure, all heart eyes because of his charming smile and mellow gaze and once they find out he’s a frat guy they step back with a frown cause, as you said, we don’t trust frat boys. those who give him a chance quickly realise he’s not like the rest though and secretly wonder if there’s something off because he’s too good to be true. usually those girls are the ones he has a temporary thing with, and he always makes sure there are set boundaries and that it’s clear for both parties that there’s no commitment involved…

perhaps he doesn’t realise it at first, but the reason his few situationships have ended is tied to his friendship with you. no girl excites him like you do - with your beauty, but also with your personality and the way you almost challenge him (unintentionally) to prove you that he’s not the frat guy you take him for. he’s the type to chuckle when you raise a brow like “frat boys bring girls flowers?!” after he hands you a bouquet of roses, not huff annoyed or be all smug about it. he likes how when he’s in the middle of practice you’re still actively occupying his mind, and how you have him so addicted that he can’t help but check his phone during parties in case you sent him a message

… of course, the boys who’ve known him since day one, pick up on that unusual behaviour of his and tease him about it, especially yeonjun who immediately catches onto what’s happening, because he’s never seen taehyun, the one who never thirsts openly over girls that attend their parties, the one who never shows signs of having a crush, act like that before…

a/n: first off, good luck with your crush!! (AH i love hearing about people’s crushes *sighs dreamily*) second, you are far from crazy, you’re actually genius for forming those thoughts and super cool for coming here to share them with none other than me! <3

i just now realise that i don’t read fratboy aus a lot so i really hope you enjoy my thoughts! i know i had fun writing them down for sure cause you got me hooked ngl DAMN fratboy taehyun… fratboy txt in general… it’s attractive. feel free to stop by anytime so we can chat more about it if you want LET’S CRAFT THE PERFECT FRATBOY TAE FOR YOU!!! love you too boo and i hope you’re having a great week 🫶🏼

[sock-kaleidoscope]

I wouldn't necessarily say me and my coworkers are friends, but we are friendly. We do small favours for each other and we're always saying thank you. It's something as small as holding open the door or moving a cup away from the edge of the counter for them so it isn't knocked over.

I don't know my coworkers very well. There's one or two that I chat with often. I know they have a Subaru but they love Mustangs, they have an allergy, that one cup that is always in the back is theirs.

We just like each other. We aren't friends but we don't have to be. Sometimes a coworker makes me a drink or I get them some ice cream during downtime.

I also have a few coworkers that I'm less drawn to. But I don't stop being helpful. I'll still cover for them when they go to the bathroom.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't understand people who say they can't stand any of their coworkers. Of course there are places with people who are having a bad time and people that will never be nice.

But sometimes I wonder if they just haven't talked. Even small talk (yes even if you hate small talk) about their morning or how their dog is doing is all it takes. You don't have to be friends. You just have to ask if they're okay if you hear a crash or they say "ow'.

Me and my coworkers say goodnight to each other at the end of every shift (except Sundays, which are morning shifts). We just say goodbye and wish them well. Why do I have to be best friends to care about you?

Anyway this is my rant about people being inconsiderate to strangers/acquaintances. I've overheard this kind of stuff a lot recently when out and about.

[peachjagiya]

https://x.com/tekookmoments/status/1811810379804135873

Tbh I do kinda agree with what this appytappy person is sayin. They are all(comp+members) very aware of what goes on in the fd. It's not like shippers are new or just limited to their little corner. They are pretty loud, have been so since the beginning. I think if the people involved aren't much affected by the narrative that has been set for them for years now, then we are no one to police the people who joke about it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oof this is complicated.

I have a lot of disjointed seemingly contrasting thoughts on this so bear with me.

I am not terribly offended by jokes about them having sex. As I've said before, I'm pretty difficult to shock and this seems like nothing compared to what I'm used to. I do not like the low key thread of puritanical sex-shaming inherent in "this is DISGUSTING," when it's literally like "they're having gay sex!"

But...

You make these jokes at a risk of criticism. RP shipping or even just RP fandom always carries a risk that you're crossing a line. I'm going to talk about the way I personally talk so I don't seem like I think I'm immune to this critique.

I make a joke about His Royal Thighness Namjoon, right? I am aware there are some people who might find it to be objectifying. I skirt that line knowingly and prepared to face the consequence of someone saying "don't you think that's a bit like objectifying him?"

Because they're right, aren't they? Maybe I defend my right to say stupid stuff on the internet and maybe I'm not necessarily going to stop because finding someone attractive is hardly a crime but I'm certainly not going to tell the person who finds it objectionable that they're wrong. I'm going to recognise the thin ice and balance it with more considered narrative.

And...

I would be mortified if even my most innocuous commentary broke containment and the members saw. This goes for individual members pr subunits, management, bodyguards, staff, close friends and acquaintances of the members.

I'm well aware that they see stuff. But the idea of them seeing stuff certainly keeps me in my place when it comes to defending my words. I'm not posting about Namjoon's thighs to weverse or in the comments of live or on his instagram and the mindset of a person who can flood lives with inappropriate questions will remain baffling to me.

Which leads to the bigger issue and the most visceral ick reaction I had to this...

There's an implication of victim-blaming here.

Trigger warning: small undetailed mention of sexual assault in the section between purple 🟣

"They're aware of the things we say and they still do it so it's on them" is gross. You dance around the boundaries of proper behaviour, write the sexual things and they now can't go anywhere near each other? Think how that sounds.

🟣 It might seem like a big leap from that to "she wore a short skirt therefore wanted to be SA'd" but it's the small pernicious ideas that create the ethos that allows that disgusting logic to thrive. 🟣

They could literally be kissing on screen and you don't get to say "Eh they're ok with anything I say then."

Literally how does Jimin (or JK, whichever it is) moving from sitting to sleeping in a bed seemingly by himself result in sexual discussion anyway? Let alone sexual discussion that they've kidded themselves into believing he himself is "okay with" because he dared to *checks notes* be in a bed? They've sexualised a guy laying down. That's absolutely not on him and I despise the accusation that he's feeding it. He is not complicit because they can't act right.

So...

Do it if you must. But do it knowing some people are going to think you're an idiot.

Some people are going to roll their eyes. They need to recognise that fundamentally, they're doing the inappropriate thing. Nobody is actually taking away their freedom to say dumb stuff on the internet and have fun with their internet friends... but a little humility wouldn't go amiss.

But whatever you do, leave the they love it argument at home. Or in the trash where it belongs.

And finally..

Why do they think a camera crew is filming them making out? PLEASE BEHAVE.

[yannaryartside]

I want Carmy to have a best friend.

Besides Sydney.

I have been trying to find this gif, but there is a moment in 2x08 when Carmy is talking to Sydney about where to buy some product. He mentioned, "Yeah, my buddy from high school, he is running an Ibero account," and I went: "bitch you lying. Weren't you a total loner in high school?" he probably just wanted to sound better than say, "yeah this guy I know from high school" maybe to pretend to be more "normal." There are multiple scenes that could be evidence of Carmen having not friends at all growing up, not closed ones anyway:

In 1x04, when Cicero is describing his friendship with Carmy's dad, Cicero says, "We had the same problems at the same age, so we had a lot to talk about," and Carmy says, "That sounds nice," like he had never had a person like that in his life. In 2x05, Carmy says, "You always had so many friends, I don't know, I really wanted that." There is a pause here, his eyes moving because it's a big confession, before trying to continue the conversation and saying, "Mickey had that," to top it all, he mentions in his monologue that he thought Mickey was his best friend. After all, Mickey is the one person who knew him best, despite how little Carmy knew about Mickey. Here is the thing: Carmy still doesn't have any friends. Richie is not a friend. He is more like an older brother, somebody that can scold him. They are not equals. Most of the figures in Carmy's life are authority figures/relatives.

You may argue that Sydney is his friend, and she is, but he hasn't referred to her as his "partner" (business) yet, and I think there may be something behind it. His trauma dumps on her; he shares a passion for cooking with her, but they are not there yet on the emotional stuff. I know they are going to star calling each other friend, or best friend, in future seasons as their relationship grows, but I do not want that responsibility to rely completely on Sydney's shoulder; she is going to be "his person," but I think it may be healthy for Carmy to get a friend that he can talk to besides her, maybe somebody that he can relate to in the things he cannot relate to Sydney. So he can get perspective on things, and find confidence in his value as a "friend" or learn to be a good friend to begin with, to trust deeply on someone. On that note, while consuming fiction, people get this feeling when they see a loner/isolated archetype fall in love with their best friend because he is the "only person who gets them," like some codependency stuff. This will not be the case for Syd and Carmy because he was attracted to her even before they started to connect.

I think Marcus and Carmy don't have that chemistry yet; if there was a chance of them becoming more friends than acquaintances, it would have shown already. This was one of the reasons I was excited to see the new staff, to see if Carmy could get a friend that way. I honestly want Sydney to get some friends too. We don't know much about the staff yet, and there is a position open since they fired that guy.

So here is my wish list: I want somebody Carmy can think of as an equal (not necessarily in the cooking world), but somebody of the same age and preferably with similar issues. Maybe somebody who has tragically lost a dear one or somebody who is in the program (not an addict, that probably would not work, but somebody from a family of addicts). And I want them to have similar interests, like fashion, art, and other stuff. This comes from a person who was really depressed in high school and only started to recognize my own destructive patterns when, one summer, I met my best friend, who was also very wounded and depressed. I had an abusive father, and her classmates harassed her. You see my point here. We held each other through some very dark times. I want that for Carmy, especially when his relationship with Richie (and maybe Sydney) is complicated in what could be arguably the darkest moment in Carmy's life. "The more people I cut out, the quieter my life got," I think he is going there again. That being said, can I suggest somebody? (this is totally a fanfic scenario that I am starting to write to fight writer's block, but here we go).

Listen to me, I know. You don't have to tell me to get over this man. I am currently re-reading Six of Crows as I do once a year.

But here is the idea of the fic. This is Nikola. He is from a russian family (politically persecuted refugees back in the '80s). Ten months before the time of the series, Nikola's father killed somebody in a liquor-induced rage, the victim being the man Nikola's mother was having an affair with. How did the father figure it out? Nikola told him, hoping they could divorce and his father could live with dignity. To make matters worse, Nikola is a lawyer, but after trying to represent his dad, he has a sense of guilt related to his profession, for reasons I explain on the fic. So he tries a new career trying to figure out who he is after this mess, running away from all ot it, and he decides to be a cook, he gets good at the quick stuff (a comi) and the first scene is Carmy hiring him personally (because he wanted to give Sydney a break). Nikola's nickname is "Fox," he is quiet for the most part, serious, and looks perpetually confused and amused by Richie and Fak's shenanigans. Carmy and Nikola start talking about the program for families of alchoholics, and because of Carmy, Nikola goes to his first meeting.

Let me know what you think.

[pips-is-squeaking]

I actually have quite a lot to say about Rain-Slick 3 already . For now I'm gonna try and spit out the "short" version .

I've only got about an hour of playtime clocked in , there's still time for these things to be remedied in-game , so take these things very lightly .

Sorry if this doesn't make much sense , my thoughts tend to get muddled and confusing when I try to write them down .

So far the differences in writing have been quite jarring to me . I know that an entirely different studio worked on the game , that's fine with me , I'm growing fond of the new setup and style anyways ! It's just odd going into the game and having the characters act differently from what we've established in previous installments . I wouldn't call it mischaracterizing , because it's really not , but I can't think of another word to use .

Tycho and Gabe are silly , as always , but it's cranked up a noticeable bit . They also refer to each other by name often * , something that the two rarely do in the starting chapters , or even the comics .

*( at least from what I've seen so far . This could just be a personal issue because I don't enjoy it when characters use names when talking to them directly . They know who they are , you don't gotta tell them ! )

Another small issue I have is also the expanded world , kind of . While I like seeing and learning more about New Arcadia , I don't like when it clashes with the information we've established in-universe . Certain connections to characters seem awkward when they're treated like long-time acquaintances and this is the first time the player has even heard of them !

Magic has been introduced as an ability the team can wrangle with no explanation . It's not necessarily that it's hard to believe that these goofballs can cast a little spell and punch with fire , it's just this wasn't something Tycho or Gabe could do before .

( Coming up with attacks is hard , and I can sympathize with that . Honestly I don't care all that much about this , but it is something of note . Didn't really think Gabe can manage magic but he can ... I guess . )

New characters and elements must be introduced , I get that , but I don't believe that this was the best way to do it .

I'm no writer , and I'm only an hour into the game so they've still got plenty of time to kick my ass with whatever gay shit appeals to my autism , and I'm excited to see what it is that hooks me on it ! I've just got some nitpicks that I wanted to get out .

[greenerteacups]

Different anon: miss ma’am GTC is such a cute nickname and I am hereby appropriating it 🥰

I imagine Pete to be a hanger-on, the handsome rich popular kids take him and Remus under their wings. Remus is brilliant in his own right, but Pete straddles the line between celebrity awe (they picked unremarkable little me to be their friend? And I can raise my social capital by being their friend??) and sheer resentment. A Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian circa 2007 dynamic if you will. Judging by descriptions of Sirius and James and their bullying of Severus (which Remus only reluctantly tolerated but Pete gleefully participated in) I also imagine that they weren’t all that kind to him. He’s the one they could mercilessly rag on and Pete will take it because the alternative is to be the class’s unlikable runt. Think of Ron in your fic but crank it to the max. Such a person would turn on their friends under duress (and also under the belief that his status would rise significantly in a Voldemort-rule world).

As for Molly…idk I come from a culture that condones and even encourages age gaps. Mum is very maternal and she’s always told me to finish school and find a good job before I marry but even she was like oh but he’s a good match! when a 28 yr old family acquaintance wanted to propose to me when I was only 19 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cool take! I like your read of the teenage dynamics, but in canon I still feel this disconnect between the person he's supposed to be as a teenager (close friend, fourth Marauder, Secret-Keeper, clearly trustworthy or thought to be so at any rate) and the cardboard villain he is as an adult (cowardly, sniveling, immediately returns to Voldemort despite there being no need for him to do so). Do I think they were all that kind to him, eh, probably not, but that's because I think the Marauders are kind of dicks in general [she said affectionately]. He's close enough for Lupin to tell him his secret, and to go through a hugely impactful transformation in order to help him with it, so he's clearly got some degree of loyalty and personal camaraderie — plus, I really don't buy the way McGonagall talks about him as an "extra" or a hanger-on. For one: weirdly harsh, considering she's talking about a man she believes to be a murder victim; and for two, McGonagall believed that Sirius was capable of killing/betraying James, so I don't know how much we can necessarily trust her read of their dynamic. It strikes me that anyone who knew how close Sirius and James were would've found Sirius's conviction fairly suspicious; Lupin, for instance, believes Sirius as soon as Sirius gives him an even remotely plausible alternative explanation, absent any proof whatsoever. So I'm thinking McGonagall might just be reasoning a posteriori, here.

I love your comparison of Peter to Ron, though, because I've actually thought about it a lot. If you analogize Harry to James, then Ron twice steps into the role of Peter/Judas/traitor, both in Book 4 (blows up, calls him a liar, leaves him during the heat of the Tournament) and Book 7 (blows up, calls him a dick, leaves him during the heat of the horcrux hunt). Those are betrayals! And if Ron hadn't come back (or if he'd been killed and never made it back, leaving everyone to imagine he'd just fucked off for good) would people in 10 years be talking about Ron the same way they talked about Peter? "Yeah, big lump of a guy, always trailing after Harry and Hermione"? "Guess we all should've seen it coming, we all knew how jealous he was of Harry"? And like, we know that's true, but it's not the whole truth. How much of his story would ever be told?

[yourlocaldisneyvillain]

Hi!! How do you meet people on tumblr? I've been here for forever but don't know a soul. Probably because I don't interact lol, but I don't know where to begin.

How do you do it?

Do you have to be mutuals, do you have to have the same type of tumblr, who do you chose?

Super random I know, but I see you interact with so many tumblrs and you even know eachother irl.

Thank youuu 😘

it's hard to give an exact formula! i am naturally a person who just goes like... hey :)))))))))) like i am not shy at all! i struggle with consistency though, but i really do Try(TM) lol, and from there i sorta hope other ppl will be better at texting back than i am. BUT i have managed to score myself some actual friends on here!! and i met them irl on the belgian con! they all really grew on me and i have (still vague) plans to see them again during the course of this and next year again! all very lovely ppl that i am very happy to know. you know who you are :* <3

i don't think you necessarily have to be mutuals! however, it's an indication you both like each other's blogs enough to follow, so that is a good sign. personally, i look for the vibes? not necessarily the content. OR some of them i messaged bc i was kinda adsjkhf about their writing i was like oh i HAVE to talk to you!!! and some of them messaged me and then i was like, OH you're such a lovely person!!! neat!!! it also helps that i have a very like. Specific Type of content and i write, so that tends to make ppl wanna talk to me, i guess!

i'd say just message ppl you think might be interesting! in my experience, ppl tend to react poorly to, hey wanna be friends??? bc it puts pressure on them -- like uhhhh idk if i wanna be friends, like i don't know you, but you seem nice??? i'd suggest you just start casual convos abt mutual interests and see where it goes from there. that being said, your sort of crowd might be ppl who react very well to HEY wanna be friends??? so just be yourself and see where it sticks, there's bound to be your sorta crowd here somewhere.

also! sometimes, based on someone's blog it might seem like you'd have a lot in common, but when you actually talk to them, they might be unresponsive, or the convo won't flow well, and in that case i always say move on! it's not anyone's fault! just stick to the ppl you actually vibe with and that match your convo pace/energy! don't try to force something that isn't there for any reason, either the other person doesn't want to talk, or you have nothing to talk about. and also never EVER take that personally. bc it truly isn't a reflection of you, just a reflection of the fact that perhaps this particular person isn't interested in making friends, or that you don't vibe well with that specific individual.

one other thing is that friendship takes time! months and years! i always say, irl, i only really see who my friends are and how we truly vibe after a a year or more of consistently hanging out. so don't be afraid to put in the time, and make sure that when you do, it's reciprocated! and don't shy away from casual acquaintances. not all friendships have to be ride or die for life. and who knows, sometimes a person you thought would always remain a casual acquaintance turns into a friend after some time!

go forth and frolic in the tumblr meadows, my child!!! don't forget to have fun! it's the point of the whole thing!

[palmtreesx3]

Taking a break from my normal thirsting for a certain ice cream scooper 🍨⛵... Read on if you wish. Scroll if you don't. It's not a debate. I won't entertain negativity. ✌️

------

There's a lot of weird shit going on in America these days. I wrote the following rant/blurb/piece/ramble under the cut last summer, almost a year ago when shit started to really feel wild in the legislation, not just the media and for "show". When we started to see the ideas that people spewed and talked about like wild fairy tales actually start to become law. A year of this and some of the laws and bills that have come to pass after this trend have been shocking and abhorrent.

There's so much going on in states like FL, TN, TX and more that takes justifiable control away from people who deserve to control their own lives and bodies. There is too many people that don't want to be influenced by others values but want to influence the values of others. There are books being banned for having two male penguins, 10 Commandments being mandated in public school classrooms, children forceably taken away because their mother's hair is cut too short and their dress is to masculine, there is CONTINUED and immeasurable gun violence in places that should feel safe like schools, women toeing the line of the living and the dead while they can't have their own life-saving care because some non-viable cells took up residence in their uterus, women needing written permission from their spouse for a hysterectomy....

It's not about one view. It should be about many views. It's not only about reproductive choice, it's about the choice to live your own, unique and beautiful life any way you choose.

--- READ ON ---

I curse. A lot. If you know me you know that Friday is NOT my favorite F word. I don't necessarily temper my language around my kids - they know that there are mommy and daddy words and I don't give those words a ton of value in that context. I insert curse words regularly. I use them to show excitement. (FUCK YES!) I use them to emphasize frustration. (fuckkk) I use them to express anger. (That's fucking bullshit). I use them to make you pay attention.

I use them because I choose to. I use them in situations that are generally (not always) but GENERALLY at least socially acceptable. I slip up sometimes, but I read the room. I don't always make assumptions that people are comfortable hearing it. I may start if I am comfortable with YOU or in a safer space regardless of your own personal choices on language.

I have people in my life, close friends, sorority sisters, family, coworkers, casual acquaintances. That DO NOT curse. I have never heard them utter a word. Or that do but rarely, and you KNOW they are really deep in that emotion to be muttering or exclaiming the word of choice when they do.

Ya know, there is marked research that shows that people who do curse are smarter, more creative because it's activity in the right brain and have a higher social emotional skills and empathy. People who talk like me are scientifically more honest (I can feel the SHOCK). Science and legitimate research has shown there is correlation to higher levels of integrity, more robust vocabulary and literacy intelligence and even have higher pain tolerance than non-cursers. Do I feel superior? Fuck no. Do people who choose not to curse or do not believe in it feel superior to me? Maybe. Probably. But that's not my problem. They stay in their lane about it and sometimes I never know the difference.

I respect these people no less because they choose not to curse. I love them no less. I think they're no more or less of a person. They are not more moral than me because they don't say fuck. They choose to have that as part of their ethics and morality and everyone's ethics and morality is dictated differently - culture, religion, exposure, personal experience... It goes on. And you know what... People with different values still chose to like me. I still have respect, professionalism, love and friendship even with people who dont have a dirty fucking mouth. * My value is not defined by my vocabulary even when a significant amount of people do not value my vocabulary. *

Now if you don't quite know where I'm going with this yet ...I'll just clarify that I'm not comparing saying the word fuck with abortion. Not outright at least. But I sure as hell argue that I have the right to say any fucking word I want just like you have the right to choose never to utter a curse word in your life. On the continuum is people like me as using profanity as part of pretty regular language. People who casually curse but it's still not part of a typical conversation - maybe to highlight a point or display a very strong emotion. The people who curse to deal with immense stress or pain - emergency cursers. And still people who will find alternative words to express their emphasis differently for their entire life and never even consider using a phrase. All seem perfectly reasonable, huh?

Oddly enough we can have moral, values-based choices that are individualized about almost anything else...cursing, vegetarian or veganism, alcohol use, religion, gambling, educational approaches, clothing (which ironically ALSO primarily effects women). My point is that choice is about the continuum and recognizing that there is one. Veganism and vegetarianism are perfect examples of this. Vegetarians aren't wrong just because Vegans exist.

My point is that I can support someone who thinks they need to make that choice while also simultaneously supporting someone who would also never make that choice based on each individuals views simply because it's NOT my choice. I can also choose to agree on principle or morals but not make it my problem because it's NOT my choice. I can also not know a fucking thing about it because no one owes me the right to know what things are going on between their legs and inside their bodies. You do realize that you can be Pro-Choice and personally VEHEMENTLY against abortion at the exact same time, right? Well guess what.. you can.

The argument for choice is not for or against one single thing... At all. It's for the humanity to recognize that everyone's values are not and will never be the same. It's about the right to wear a mask IF YOU WANT, to decide to take Advil to cure your headache or use peppermint essential oil. It's about my right to have a colorful vocabulary.. and it's about STAYING THE FUCK OUT OF WOMEN'S VAGINAS.

[aestherians]

More ways we are completely alike, just off the top of my head:

Into folklore and the supernatural as a serious field of study

A lot more concerned about other people's opinions than we like to let on

Simultaneously prone to fantastical thinking and annoyingly rational. Cognitive dissonance because belief in the supernatural comes so naturally to us, but we refuse to allow ourselves to believe in it

Wanting peaceful conflict resolution, prone to violent outbursts, struggling hard not to be violent and feeling bad about it afterwards

Avoiding conflicts that can not be solved through our limited conflict resolution skills or violence, to the point of retreating from the people around us and becoming reclusive

Changes presentation to appeal more to strangers, both by changing appearance and behavior and by pretending to have different opinions and beliefs than we really do

Good at surface-level social interactions, but push people away when they get too close. Great at talking to strangers, terrible at talking to acquaintances

Stupidly loyal to the few people we allow ourselves to get attached to, would, for real, take a bullet for those people. Have put ourselves in danger more than once for the people we're attached to

Feeling lost and without a sense of purpose when separated from the people we're attached to

Mediocre sense of self-preservation. Doing the "right" thing at the cost of our own safety

Dislikes taking orders. Greatly dislikes giving orders. Would rather be given orders, and then have to decide whether to follow through on them, than have to give other people orders and hope we made the right decision for them

Always consumed by guilt, and not necessarily for a good reason

Envy and pride are our deadly sins. Narcissistic tendencies, tempered by our constant insecure second-guessing of ourselves

Arbitrarily dislikes a random person every once in a while. No good reason for it, and we know it doesn't do anything good, but we can't really help it. Just try to avoid the target of our dislike

The way he reacted when he woke up after his coma and found everything had changed... idk, I can't put it into words, but I would have reacted in the exact same way

Every choice he made surrounding Grace... I would've done the exact same thing...

I don't believe there's anything supernatural about the similarities between us. It's not even necessarily alterhuman. With the billions of characters that exist in books and movies and games and so on, it was bound to happen eventually that one would be uncannily similar to me.

But still, I can't help but attach some significance to the similarities. Reading his comics was like reading about myself. My whole present self.

Abe Sapien is like a copy-paste of me, where all my experiences of being othered, due to my neurodivergent behavior, have been externalized through a nonhuman appearance. The act of Abe making a cup of coffee is so completely and utterly mundane, but it's made not-mundane by the viewer because he himself is visibly not-mundane

That's a completely normal guy^

He is a completely normal guy, but the other characters, and the reader, are unable to treat him as normal because something about him is so clearly different. In my case, it's my odd movements, staring, and speech patterns that I've been othered for since kindergarten. In his case, it's gills and fins. But the core of the experience is the same.

This isn't the only reason I consider him, in some way, a part of me, but... well, it's a part of why.

[gay-otlc]

hi honest sincere question how can a man be a lesbian? can amab men be lesbians?

Hi! Thanks for asking respectfully. I am going to answer your question in significantly more detail than you probably wanted. Be warned.

The main reason I think men can be lesbians is: I think people can use whatever words they think most accurately describe their identity and/or experience. These words might not necessarily be words that they are, but still words that they use to describe themselves.

Lesbian does have a lot of feminine connotations, and can cause dysphoria for many men, so men who use both terms have often put a lot of thought into it. I might not understand their reasons, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

You don't need to understand to be respectful, but if you're curious, here is an explanation of why some men choose to identify as lesbians. This got so long that I'm dividing it with subtitles. I'm so sorry if you didn't want to read all this.

Lesbian Trans Men

Men who identify as lesbians tend to be trans men. Of course, wanting to use the label lesbian is a minority of trans men who like women! Definitely don't assume all trans mlw are comfortable being called a lesbian, or call a trans man a lesbian without permission.

At least for me, labels describe how I feel in the present but also the way I have experienced gender and attraction throughout my life. Right now I'm a man who's attracted to women, but at lunch today I was talking about how it felt in middle school to be a "girl" who liked girls, and I used the word lesbian to communicate that.

Trans men who have spent a very long time identifying as a lesbian and being a part of the lesbian community, often decades, might continue using the label lesbian after transitioning. If a trans man feels like he spent his life as a lesbian rather than a straight man, the former might feel most accurate to describe his experience.

Trans men might also identify as lesbian due to being in the closet. Internally, I feel more like a straight man, but that's not really how I'm seen by the rest of the world. I'm out to a few close friends offline, but pretty much all my other classmates or teachers or relatives or acquaintances think of me as a woman.

If I called myself straight, that would most likely be interpreted as me being a straight woman. I'm open about liking women, though, which means I would either have to be out as lesbian or bi. I definitely shouldn't call myself bi, because I'm not attracted to multiple genders. So, I go with lesbian. It's not the perfect label, but it gets the point across. (The point being "I think women are hot.")

Male =/= Solely, Always, Exclusively Male

Men who are lesbians are not always exclusively men. Multigender people exist! I'm one of them. If someone is bigender with those genders being a man and a woman, and they're attracted to women, I don't think it really makes sense to say that they can't be a lesbian.

I'm assuming you (anon) support nonbinary lesbians, since that's the general trend I've noticed among those who are trans-inclusive but don't understand male lesbians. Some nonbinary people will also identify as men. If nonbinary people can be lesbians, nonbinary men can be lesbians.

A genderfluid person might sometimes be a man and sometimes be another gender(s) that are more commonly included in lesbianism, and like women, and use both labels.

This could apply to anyone regardless of assigned gender, so those are some examples of how a man assigned male at birth could be a lesbian.

AMAB Male Lesbians

As for whether men who were AMAB can be lesbians... yes, but I want to clarify that not just any cis man should go "lol I'm a lesbian" because it's funny. Someone would need to put thought into why the feel like lesbian is the best label for them.

In the case of a man who was AMAB, they would probably feel like lesbian is a good descriptor due to having a complex relationship with their gender. Being genderqueer and being an AMAB man or AFAB woman are not mutually exclusive.

Gender Non Conformity

There's a type of identity that I believe is referred to as a cusp identity, or something like that? It is where someone might blur the line or exist in the grey area between two different identities with an overlap in a lot of experiences.

There might be someone who is on the cusp right between being a trans woman and an extremely gender nonconforming man. They might not be sure which one they fall into, or feel like they exist right in the middle. This person might identify simultaneously as or right between "lesbian trans woman" and "feminine presenting cishet man."

There are also some people who identify with their assigned gender, but pursue medical transition in a way typically associated with a different gender. I have a friend who identifies fully as a cis woman, but thinks she might want to get bottom surgery. It's a type of gender nonconformity, you know?

I don't know anyone who's had this experience in reverse, but it's definitely possible. I'm sure there's a cis man out there somewhere who has or wants to medically transition to "female." And I think it would make sense if this hypothetical person wanted to identify as a lesbian.

Trans Women

Just to be clear, I am NOT saying trans women are men. They aren't. (Unless they're multigender, which is cool.) But monogender trans women aren't men, and definitely should not be misgendered.

Similar to how a straight trans man might be closeted and call himself a lesbian, a lesbian trans woman might be closeted and call herself a man. Again, this lesbian trans woman wouldn't be a man. However, a she might refer to herself as a man to stay safe, or just because she's not comfortable being out yet, but might also refer to herself as a lesbian online or around a few people she's close with. She's not actually a lesbian man, but using both labels would still be enough to get cancelled by those violently against male lesbians.

Some trans women might also still be eggs (not yet realize they're trans). I know that prior to coming out as trans, some gay trans people have said something like "I'm a man, but I want to be in a lesbian relationship" or "I'm a girl and I love reading mlm fanfiction, I like to imagine myself as one of the characters." A trans woman just beginning to explore gender could identify or want to identify with being a lesbian, while still not fully realizing she's not a man. Again- not actually a man, but someone who might use both labels.

Arguments Against Lesbian Men

Now, I know there are a lot of reasons this is controversial, and some of them are even in good faith. However, they are still misguided.

"It's Misgendering Trans Men"

Many people are opposed to trans men being lesbians because they're trans men and would feel dysphoric if called a lesbian, or are an ally and don't want trans men to be misgendered.

That's a very understandable concern, but see my earlier note about not calling a trans man a lesbian without permission.

Trans men aren't a monolith, and everyone's comfortable with different things. Some trans men are comfortable wearing dresses and some trans men are comfortable being called "sis" or "queen" or something, but many aren't, and that's all okay!

I think people just need to be clear that even though some trans men are okay with this, it doesn't apply to all trans men.

"Cishet Men Will Pretend To Be Lesbians"

Another reason people are against male lesbians is because they're concerned cis straight men will call themselves lesbians for no reason other than they think it's funny, or they want to make lesbians uncomfortable. Which I agree; that's shitty, and they shouldn't do that.

But I feel like most of the time, they do make it pretty clear they don't genuinely identify as a lesbian. People with complex or contradicting identities generally understand that their labels don't make a lot of sense at first glance, so they tend to offer a short explanation. They have no obligation to go on and on defending their right to exist, but a sentence or two is good and most people are totally willing to provide that.

I've had friends ask about me being both a trans man and a lesbian, and I've given a short explanation, and it works! Because they aren't assholes! The main one that comes to mind happened shortly after I told my best friend I was changing my name, and it went something like this.

Me, after seeing a pretty girl: Oh my god, I'm so gay for her. Friend: Do you still identify as gay? I thought you might want to be called straight now, since you're a trans guy. Me: I'm, like, both a man and a woman? So lesbian and straight man are both fine with me. Friend: Okay, cool. Let me know if you decide you don't want to be called lesbian anymore since I don't want to make you feel dysphoric.

And then that was it! It wasn't a big deal. With just a short conversation, I established that I was a lesbian man because I'm bigender and not because I'm just saying it for the lols.

I do understand the desire to stop cishet men from making lesbian jokes, but the thing is, there's no reliable way to do so that won't also end up harming some queer people. I mean, TERFs argue that trans women can't be lesbians because then what's to stop a straight man from invading the lesbian community by falsely claiming he's a trans woman, you know? But just because some people might abuse other queer peoples' genuine identity, doesn't mean no one can use that identity.

"They're Invading Lesbian Spaces"

Those against male lesbians are trying to stop men from invading lesbian spaces. While I agree that lesbian spaces should be for lesbians, and I think it's wrong for people to attend an all-lesbian support group or something if they know they're not a lesbian, I also know I can't stop them.

What are we supposed to do, go around forcing everyone there to prove they are a Real Actual Lesbian? Who decides what a Real Actual Lesbian is? How do we verify if people are telling the truth on the questions asked to prove Real Actual Lesbian? Keeping 100% of non lesbians out of lesbian spaces just isn't a feasible goal and it's not fair to make everyone prove their identity like that.

If someone in a lesbian safe space is causing any harm to others, they should be kicked out, but this applies even if they are a Real Actual Lesbian. Lesbians are perfectly capable of hurting other lesbians and being a lesbian doesn't give them a free pass to get out of consequences.

Male Lesbians Are Rapists

An extension of the "invading lesbian spaces" arguments is that lesbian men are forcing or pressuring lesbians to date or sleep with men.

However, lesbian men don't necessarily expect or even want other lesbians to be attracted to them. Lesbians don't have to be attracted to every other lesbian in the world! Sometimes, people don't find another person attractive, and that's fine. Sometimes, people are not attracted to a certain gender, and someone of that gender being a lesbian won't change that.

I'm not attracted to nonbinary people, and there are plenty of nonbinary lesbians, and I'm not attracted to them. Which is fine! Them being lesbians doesn't mean I have to be attracted to them, and me not being attracted to them doesn't make them not lesbians. Accepting someone as their identity doesn't mean you have to find them attractive.

I might be attracted to a lesbian and ask her out, and she might respond "Sorry, I'm not attracted to men and since you're bigender I wouldn't be comfortable sleeping with you."

What I would not say: "But I'm a lesbian! You accepted me into your lesbian safe space, which means you have to sleep with me. Checkmate."

What I would say: "I understand, have a nice day."

In the above scenario, if someone in that situation refused to accept that the lesbian woman wasn't attracted to them, that would be shitty no matter what. It would be shitty if that person was a male lesbian, and it would be shitty if that person was a cis woman. Because it is shitty to not respect people's boundaries.

This isn't something only lesbian men are capable of doing. Most lesbian men are perfectly respectful people who would not rape anyone, and if they do? They're shitty, but they're not shitty because they're a lesbian man. They're shitty because they're a rapist.

Claiming that someone would lie about their gender identity to rape people is entry-level transphobia. You cannot believe "male lesbians are just lying so they can rape lesbians" and then call yourself a trans ally. They are mutually exclusive.

Political Lesbianism

Finally, this argument is derived from TERF rhetoric. If you're not familiar with political lesbianism, it's a radical feminist ideology that can be summarized by "don't date or fuck men." Being a lesbian was a feminist choice that wasn't necessarily about attraction to women, but about not being involved with men. This sounds quite a lot like the common lesbian definition used against male lesbians; "non men loving non men." A major component of TERFism is trying to keep men (or those they believe to be men) away from women's/lesbian spaces, and including trans women doesn't change the fact that the ideologies stem from the exact same place. There have been anti male lesbian posts that genuinely sound exactly like a TERF wrote them, which is pretty telling. If you're violently against any men ever being lesbians, odds are you've been drinking the TERF juice, and you probably need to unpack that.

Conclusion

This is ridiculously long and I have been writing it for the last two and a half hours. I am very thankful and also kind of apologetic to anyone who just read every single word I vomited out.

Basically, even if you disagree with someone using both "man" and "lesbian" to label themself, I would recommend leaving them alone. They're describing their identity in the way that works best for them, and they're not hurting anyone. You don't need to like their identity, and you definitely don't need to understand it, but you do need to be respectful. It costs $0 to not be an asshole.

If you're considering telling a lesbian man their identity is invalid, take my advice and simply... don't do that. There are so many other things you could do with your time.

The queer community has a lot of problems. The world in general has even more problems. In the grand scheme of things, someone identifying as a male lesbian literally does not matter.

That's finally all, thanks for reading.

[sourgrenadine]

Are your applications open? If not, ignore this. Uh, maybe that sounds self-indulgent or specific, but, Danno Riddler with a s/o who has minor allusions? Sometimes I think I see animals or people, but they're not there, I've gotten used to it, but sometimes I just want to scream and I don't know, how would Ed take this? Sorry if it's so specific:(.

a/n: my inbox is always open!! im probably going to slow how often i post fics tho, i fear im getting a little burnt out lol

i feel like ed reads up a lot on psychology related topics a lot, not just to better understand & conform with other people but also to inform him of himself

so he knows a good amount of what they are but not necessarily how to help with them

probably asks reddit on how to help

i think its actually extremely likely that he's experienced quasi/pseudohallucinations (he knows what hes experiencing is not real but the feeling is still strong enough to concern)

so while he might be aware of what hes feeling (and thus be less confused) he empathizes with you

will very frequently offer to help talk things through

if you want to explain to him he will definitely listen

if he knows youd rather not talk about them instead will just start conversing with you about his day

telling little riddles to try to get your mind off of it

hes bad at small talk with farther off acquaintances, but to a s/o he can ramble on endlessly

"did you get a new shirt? it looks kinda like that other one you have but i like the way the collar lays"

or "yeah i was thinking of getting a hair cut, not sure if i want to go back to that one barber shop though"

his voice is low and quiet to begin with too