#As long as it doesn't cross some arbitrary rules

[b-rainlet]

Henry Bowers and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Summer

[lemontrash]

2x5 and 14, 17, 21 for the OTP game?

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops?

Duo is 100% the more tactile person, but he's strategic about it because Wufei is a lot more 'proper' about PDA and such. He intiates touching the most, but on the sly or lets it get passed off as a joke, at least early on in their relationship. Enjoys pinching Wufei's bum to wind him up. But holding hands with someone like Wufei makes it all a bit Serious so while Duo is a Hand Holder by nature, he's a bit wary of crossing one of Wufei's many lines. Wufei's quite tense about being seen as mushy and touching is a bit embarrassing and vulnerable to him where other people can observe it. So when Wufei does hold his hand out and about, it is a Romantic Moment (tm) and makes Duo a bit weird and emotional. Behind closed doors, Wufei is different. He's still not mushy or huggy per se but he definitely makes a lot of space for Duo in his personal space, and not-so-secretly quite likes it when Duo cosies up. Definitely returns a butt smack that's owed for a goose and is more playful with fewer eyes on himself. Also more likely to put his fingers in Duo's belt loops, but mainly to catch him before he scuttles off after being naughty.

17) Who is more protective?

Wufei without a doubt. He's lost a lot and once he's invested, he's IN and it's a whole-ass big deal. He's a good anchor for Duo in some ways, but a bit too harsh and stifling in others, because Wufei lacks chill at times. It's a little selective though. Breaking traffic rules? Just don't get caught and if you wreck the car, you're paying the damages. Eating nothing but shit day in day out, hell no. Throwing yourself blindly into something dangerous? Get lectured, idiot.

21) Who cuts the others hair?

Duo wields the scissors. He trims his own hair because it's a private thing that Wufei has some idea about but at the same time no real clue, and also Duo doesn't want a melt down between them if Wufei accidentally cuts too close to Duo's arbitrary thresholds of 'too much' so it's better for them both that Wufei looks but doesn't touch.

On the other hand, Wufei hates going to the barber and the thought of going to a salon gives him hives, so his hair gets long and then he bitches and also hates cutting it himself because getting the back even is annoying as hell. Duo is quite a dab hand at getting it about right, and doesn't know that Wufei also is a bit secretly sweaty about having Duo do hair things for him, because to him it's quite intimate and bonding. Besides, it's a big trust thing letting someone near his neck with sharp implements.

[daydreamodyssey]

This ended up being longer than I planned, so I'm sorry beforehand. It was about a whatever video of a girl using heightism, saying something stupid but possibly insidious, and me reflecting on our culture toward smallness, particularly with men and how it deals with gender.

(There's a fun present for those who read the whole thing, I promise!)

I saw a tiktok of a girl candidly and cheerfully saying she'd never date a short guy (5'8 or below, she was 5'2) because of a Napoleon complex.

Standard stuff, though still crossing into prejudice.

But then she goes off, in a chipper mood, about deleting them. That really stuck with me.

Best scenario, she just means deleting them off dating sites. Which is still crass and wouldn't fly if she said something similar about other attributes.

Worst scenario, which wouldn't be the first time I heard it, she means literally and physically delete them. She was talking to a guy out on the streets too, so this isn't done terminally online jerk. A lot of women saying they want men dead isn't cute or funny.

I hope people understand that having a preference or having a bad history with whatever group are different than this rhetoric. Even if that person can control something, as opposed to the near permanence of height, it shouldn't mean this group is inherently bad. The issue is the personality, not how long your limbs are or what genes you have. It's a really weird bioessentialism that says if you look different than your gender norm, you are a suspect and a creep in waiting.

There's also this other connection with many men smaller than (the US) average being men of color, which can have a racist and nativist tone. And since height can be affected by the environment, along with making many short people less likely to have high paying jobs and roles, there's probably a classist element, too. A lot of trans men are also short if you want to include transphobia, who already get barely any acknowledgement about how they're treated.

With a lot of women saying "it's in our genes or brains," and one I saw saying for short men to Stay In The Gym, there is this unspoken rule that men MUST be large and dominant or they're not seriously men. With the whole obsession over genetics and strong men, there is a dangerous overlap with trad and fascist ideals, especially with how radical right wing propaganda works (in the 30s/40s and now with the Chad Trad shit).

I don't think a lot of people, men or women, consciously think about this stuff. They could just be shallow assholes. But smallness is almost always seen as infantilism or criminality with no nuance in humanizing, let alone respect as lovers and workers. Maybe there's some taboo part of our private brain that still latches onto "big = strong against predators and rivals" and we don't want to admit and question it like with women and how we judge their looks.

When people say Napoleon complex, it's always vague, like it can mean anything from being aggressive to just being confident to someone taller. It doesn't mean anything and it just causes a Catch 22; you either accept your place on the arbitrary social ladder or you're insecure and in the spotlight. You can't win because you're not supposed to win.

For every short jerk, there's also a tall jerk. A tall jerk who has popularity, fans, girls, money, and literally more weight to throw around. Am I surprised there's a preference? No. I can still be upset about it because I'm human and I'm naturally going to be mad at things that feel unfair and need leverage. And I'm going to be upset when it feels ignored or derided because people don't want to admit they have biases that are more socially acceptable. I'm going to be upset that I and others who are around my height or even shorter have to push limits every day just be treated equally. I can't imagine having dwarfism and seeing these videos or hearing others on the street.

I hear pretty much everything from "short men are rapists for wanting women to be attracted to them" to eugenics and wanting us just dead. There's definitely other traits that compound the toll on a person (weight for myself) that can be greater or lesser, but it's definitely consistent and I've been seeing it rise over the years after some acceptance in the mid '10s.

We need to have honest conversations and reflections about our relationship with size and what it means to be a man. If you want to abolish the patriarchy but still insult a guy because he doesn't look as big and strong and dominant as other men, then you're playing the same side as the men in power or manosphere chuds. The amount of radfems I see hating short men is honestly funny. Like there's no tall misogynists or abusers out there.

If short men, or just A short man messed you up, I'm sorry you had to go through that. But it wasn't like he was infected with the Small Virus, he might've been just a jerk, the same way tall people might be jerks. Just understand that you're overlooking many people because of a bad experience and how dangerously close that mentality is when applying to other people, or toward yourself.

If you read long enough, I congratulate you, and I offer you this one hell of a title I saw in a flea market the other day.

[wodenscild]

OKAY SO I HAVE BEEN SWIRLING THIS IN MY MIND FOR A WHILE BUT I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF A LIL FAILED LOVE STORY THROUGH THE AMAZING DEVIL'S SONGS!!

Pruning Shears: Our two lovers first cross paths. One seemingly so tied up in the social expectations of life, and the other having putting that all behind themselves. The song breaks the former out of their shell, trying to that they are adequate, and have no need to live up to the expectations of love and dating that society deems (being well dressed, fancy, well off, etc.). Afterall, love is a game with lots of arbitrary rules, rules that can be broken, and made into something of our own. The former is seemingly stuck in a mind tho, planning so many steps ahead, but the latter pulls them back "Come back / come back / we don't have time to fuck a(round)". We see the former is caught up in the slipping away past, trying to catch something. The latter is not as much so, always wanting to live their way, and if this person can't do that, then they can fuck off.

Farewell Wanderlust: I like to imagine that this is a sort of reception or afterparty for where the two lovers have met. Here, we glimpse the insecurities of our lovers, but it also is a sign that this situation is gonna be something that haunts them for a long long time to come. It is the wanderlust of these two that caused their paths to cross, and by the end of this they are gonna HURT- because some people, no matter how deeply loving they are in the mo, sometimes it just doesn't last- be it cos of situation or subtle incompatabilities or what not. But- we don't know that this is the case til we throw ourselves out there. We aren't broken cos of our pasts tho, we are more than that, and we've so much to offer! For the former lover, this is something that is salient, and ever stays in their mind, but for the latter lover it is something they try to move on from and try to forget...

Secret Worlds: and so, after the reception, they part the bar together. Hopt up on adrenaline, alcohol, and the moment, they leave aside all inhabitions and love hard and love fast. They dedicate their entire passion, their fire, their hearts to this moment- because the former doesn't want another person to slip by, and the latter wants to play this game, live in the moment, and forget the past that led them here. They saw each other as the dirty rascal to the other's king, always having their backs in this moment, and ignored the advice of those warning them that this is gonna hurt them hard- for the lovers called the onlookers liars, or just did not pay attention... But oh gods should have they listened to them...

The Calling: following this fling, the lovers have gone their seperate ways. The latter lover is now left realing- broken and exhausted after all of this. No longer dauntless, their fire burnt out, and their liver heavy. They look at themselves, no longer recognising themself. This- was different. A love so deep and vapid has changed them, awoken something within them, and now... what is this? Hope? Love? But also exhaustion- burn out- mayhaps even dependence... and in this swirl of emotions, the rain pours down. They recognise that this is not a good situation, but they feel alive. They are "between that just-one-more / and drank-too-much-again", love is intoxicating them, and are on the brink of breaking themselves- mayhaps like what may have made them wanted to play love to forget their past in the first place? "And when I think I'm fine, you'll visit / and then you happen to me, you happen to me all over again"- this... this is scary, they wanna be back to their old selves. But alas people can change us-

Blossoms: and so now we have the former lover's point of view. The latter opened up to them, saying that this is unsustainable and that they need space- and the former doesn't quite take this well. Taking on the philosophy of the old latter lover, the former tries to move on, trying to find a new love to help them forget this. But, it is clear that they can't- this split has hurt- and it is clear this coping that the former is about to go along will only lead to more pain- they didn't take the time to heal, they didn't have the care to see the rot in the rungs of the ladder, burning up in all of this, and having a miserable time all round, just trying trying trying to be reborn and move on from the relationship... but that just aint how this person works, they need time to heal. They- feel as tho they don't have this time but, so they pick up their phone, all broken, and call the latter lover... and it is clear that this is not gonna end well again... [by the by! I FEKKING LOVE THE USAGE AND REFERENCE TO A SAINT OF NEVER GETTING IT RIGHT, I JUST AAAAAAAA]

Drinking Song for the Socially Anxious: After that call, they are meeting up again, to try to get this right again. It is clear both are really nervous about this. The former has clearly been running through tonight over and over again in their head, and the latter has become all closed off, deflecting others with jokes and kindness. But tonight, this party, it is too much for both of them. Neither of them are ready here, this isn't right. But they put on a vainer of being alright, making the other think they are doing a okay rn but tbh they aren't. As the night goes on, this vainer weakens, and they start talking on a more close level, and the theme of being yourself and flipping off expectations is back again, and on the surface level, these two peeps seem amazing for each other. And after this moment, in a moment of rapture and relief, they give this thing a shot again...

Wild Blue Yonder: and now, we flash forward again, and the fatigue is showing. It is clear that these two would give a lot to keep this going, but this is simply not sustainable. At the end of the day, they have a lot to work through on themselves, and putting the resources in this relationship is gonna destroy them... but why do they keep together? Because, since the first time in a long long time these two have found some sort of comfort in another person, and the idea of breaking of completely is scary, because being without the other is scary. And so, they see this as the best as they try to grasp onto whatever is left within them.

That Unwanted Animal: And now, we have reached the end result of this drain, where they are just together for the sake of being together, and none of them are finding this fulfilling one bit. They are going through the motions now, doing things out of habit. When the latter becomes privy to this, they start realising how unfulfilling this all is, how dead this all is. This is no longer love, it is something else... it is at the very least destroying the latter lover, and the former just now using them for some sort of empty satisfaction, faining as a lover. There is no love left here, it is all burnt up. And the plates are starting to smash, and the latter is crashing and burning...

Battle Cries: and now, here we are at the end of the story. An emotional dawn, and a breathe of fresh morning air. They have come so far on a fiction and an ideal but it is no longer tenable, and it has left them with emotional rubble and wrinkles, and it is time for them to truely split, and become privvy to all of the flaws in a love they thought they both wanted and needed. The former is trying to keep the latter, but these plates keep smashing sliding off of the shelf, there is no reason to stay- but that doesn't mean that this hasn't mattered, and that also means that this isn't all for naught. They have changed, they are forever linked, whether is be in life or in memory... sure they can keep facing their problems head on but alas... for this isn't just a break up, it is a season finale. This relationship is the dollops of paint on a new work of art. And it is only by moving on, that this art can become more developed, and the next season of our life can begin

I am sure this isn't perfect, but gods- I feel like this all fits into something and so so sooooooo much more can be said on this, more songs can be incorporated into this. Like we can have Ruin at the end to show that they are gonna keep coming together and go through all this heart break again. AAAAAAAA I love TAD and their songs all of their songs just- HIT and HAVE A PUNCH and the fact they can link together to tell a story is just- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GREAT AMAZING :3

[thenamesblurrito]

I’m not sure if this has already been touched on, but I noticed that blackarachnia/blurr/predaking is listed as an Amica pairing, and was curious about it? Like is it a post canon thing or something that happens before their identities are revealed :] and basically what their relationship dynamic is like

you're right i did list them and yet i've BARELY talked about them AUGH i haven't decided everything exactly, there's more i want to work in but don't know when/how, but this is most of it. they're so important to me... i've sort of infodumped. everything here. um. long post, including post canon spoilers

(friendly reminder that this AU uses Amica Endurae as platonic life partners/spouses, just as culturally significant and legally recognized as romantic Conjunx Endurae)

Predaking and Blackarachnia happen to be roommates (along with notable problem-causer Deadlock) and end up clicking pretty well. Blackarachnia's biting sarcasm and droll defensive wit plays well with Predaking's stubborn independence and thoughtful deliberation. more importantly, Predaking is, down to his core, a protector, and subconsciously took on the role of being stalwart for Blackarachnia when she clearly has some uhhhhh not great family history that's given her baggage. the two of them are the edgy, aloof kids that stand in the corner, arms crossed, visibly judging everyone else in the room together while trading muttered comments about how stupid the adults' arbitrary rules are, and their weaponized back-and-forth has been known to make would-be bullies cry. they settle into a friendship pretty easily and make a great homework team.

enter Blurr, local dweeb, nerd, dork, or whatever assortment of other insults springs to mind. i wouldn't say he's quite a magnet for bullies, but he gets picked on more than his fair share, either for his stutter or his intelligence, depending on who's targeting him. it's not good, obviously, but he brushes this off easily most of the time unless cornered. so when Sentinel, irritated that the skinny little off-planet racer is skimming through textbooks in the library in half the time it's taking himself, starts mocking Blurr with the most cliche and boring bullying possible (calling him four-optics because of his glasses), Blurr just rolls his eyes and doesn't stop reading.

a voice from the back of the study area drawls, shouldn't you be saying that to me?

this is, of course, Predaking, looking at Sentinel with the most unimpressed expression and gesturing to his actual four optics: two in his face, two in the beast head currently on his chest. sitting next to him, Blackarachnia doesn't even look up from her work with any of her four facial optics or eight beast optics as she says, acidly, don't let him get a look at me, i'm not sure he can even count to twelve.

Sentinel, having been verbally eviscerated by these two before, multiple times (he's bad about learning his lesson), sputters and glares and ultimately leaves. Blurr blinks at his retreating back, then at the two who have gone back to their own homework with no further comment, and goes. Huh.

it's not so much an introduction as it is just a quiet, spontaneous moment of solidarity. and it sort of keeps happening, little instances around school. Blurr will hand Blackarachnia her dropped stylus when it rolls over to his table, Predaking will sit a table down from him and glare at an idiot being mean, they'll comment constructively on each other's projects in class, the three of them pass in the hall and sort of do that wordless chin-raise acknowledgement at one another. Blurr is pretty sure they don't know his name, and don't care enough to find out. it's that weird threshold of not-quite-acquaintance but still friendly, not-quite-stranger but i really don't know you. and yet. it's like an unspoken routine. it feels like having allies.

when given the choice to take up relics, Predaking and Blackarachnia go into it together, knowing exactly what kind of risks they're taking, but knowing each other and their priorities well enough to realize that they both want to defend themselves and other hurting people with more than just the witticisms of an angry teenager. they're very good at teamwork and slide right into cooperating with Sixshot very well too. and, extremely importantly, Predaking knows Blackarachnia well enough to spot that her behavior is, um, getting concerning as Airachnid. there's something different about her when she's powered up, and it might not be her calling the shots all the time.

Blurr's talent for snooping gets him the opportunity to take up a relic himself, and it's an extremely disorienting experience at first. he's never been a beastformer, he's not even from a planet that produces beastformers, and it's a whole new host of senses and feelings to deal with! and while he's a staunch Autobot who pretty immediately steps up to be Abominus's default battlefield rival, he has no real enmity for the Predacons and targets him mostly because he knows he's fast enough to mitigate any damage. in fact the two are pretty cordial to one another, that is when Cheetor isn't taking advantage of physics to send Abominus careening several blocks with transferred momentum. so when he discovers he can speak with mechanimals, it's both confusing and exciting, and naturally he wants to ask the only other beastformer heroes around about this. he doesn't know this is something of an offensive stereotype and is chewed out pretty soundly by them, shocked and angered that a fellow beastformer would so pettily play into framist nonsense.

that, he realizes, is something he sorely needs to be educated on. so while as Cheetor he shuts up about speaking to mechanimals and takes a new, delicate, sensitive approach to the media and general publicity where it concerns his frametype, Blurr starts doing research about beastformer experiences in a way he couldn't have learned back home on Velocitron. and perhaps, just maybe, he could screw up his courage to ask his fellow students? one of the first real conversations he has with Blackarachnia and Predaking is one day asking them haltingly, anxiously, if they could clarify something in this article about beastformer statistics he's reading, or if that would be offensive to assume they'd be willing to talk about it just because of their frametype.

it's a gradual acquaintance, one Predaking still latches on to quickly with that same protector's instinct as soon as he realizes how painfully earnest Blurr is. Blackarachnia is kind of amused by the way he nervously self-edits over and over to not say anything wrong, but still calls him out on overcorrecting from ignorance to hyperawareness. she's a person, not a checklist of morally correct conversation choices, at least treat her with the basic decency to act like it. just being around them is extremely valuable to Blurr, but he gets so caught up cataloguing the experience as learning how to not reinforce bad stereotypes as Cheetor that he sort of misses the fact that Predaking and Blackarachnia have come to think of him as something of a friend instead of their local curious nuisance. they notice when he's gone, when he's tired or preoccupied, when he's grappling with something that he never explains. clearly, they think, he's skittish, but could be coaxed over time.

they don't just pass each other in the hall anymore. Blurr asks them nervously if they're alright after the Shockblast debacle. Blackarachnia beelines to safety speaking with Blurr instead of engaging with Tarantulas when he stops by for a visit. Predaking gives his condolences to Blurr when he hears that strange shattered universe had left behind the corpse of a bot who might be his counterpart (Blurr doesn't tell him he killed his doppelganger with his bare hands. he's dealing with it, okay?) at the same time, Cheetor is noticeably more cautious when speaking to the media, subtly steering away from framist assumptions, vocally speaking up about beastformer equity. Abominus doesn't necessarily agree with the Autobots, but he at least feels like one of them is listening. Airachnid spends more and more time ignoring some suspicious changes that occur when she powers up.

and then Airachnid murders someone.

it wasn't premeditated. probably. she dreamed about it for years. they had it coming. no one would believe her. it's sickening. it's liberating. she didn't want to do it. Blackarachnia didn't want to do it. something else decided otherwise.

it's bad. bad enough she doesn't even tell Predaking, her best friend now, instead electing to find a quiet corner somewhere and fall apart. alone. this doesn't quite work out since ever-curious Blurr comes sleuthing into her spot, of course startled and concerned and asking if she's okay, and Blackarachnia snaps at him quite meanly. even so, somehow she still thinks of Blurr as safe enough for her to cry to. she's been emotionally fending for herself for so long, is it wrong to be weak?? to want to be taken care of instead of doing the dirty work herself?? and Blurr, sweet overwhelmed Blurr, does his best to be comforting, but says she should probably be having this conversation with someone she trusts. it's unexpectedly exactly the kind of respect for boundaries that Blackarachnia needs to go tell Predaking everything.

as heroes, the factions are starting to be less standoffish, working (slightly) better with one another when needed. on one of these occasions, Cheetor gets a few tidbits of vital information from, of all sources, a handful of scraplets. try as he might to speak to them surreptitiously, Abominus and Airachnid notice, and are dumbfounded to see he wasn't lying. it's one more small cross-faction bridge of trust.

while things might be improving interpersonally, everything else is worsening near the end of season 4. after a horrific and terrifying event that makes it unsafe for them to be in hero form, the factions retreat, gathering amongst themselves as kids, some meeting without the masks of their relics for the first time. poor Blurr, always the one to feel inferior and alone, has already figured out who most of the other Autobots are as kids, but somehow can't bear to reveal his own identity to them. standing among heroes, not as Cheetor but just as himself? he runs before they even turn to ask him. this time, it's Blurr having a breakdown in a quiet corner and Blackarachnia who finds him. she's not exactly a nice person, but she can still repay the favor and comfort him when he needs it.

in the middle of [finale spoilers] when everyone's identities are revealed to everyone, the only thing keeping everybody working together is an impending apocalypse. in the middle of so many revelations and personalities and high emotions, Predaking and Blackarachnia are actually doing pretty okay. they're unfazed by the surrounding drama and already solidly work well together outside of hero form. so when Blurr, almost cringing away from everyone else in a poor attempt to hide, nervously tries speaking up about something he's figured out, Predaking is the first to notice and step in to support his ideas. there's not exactly a lot of time to talk during the end of the world, but they come to an understanding. it feels like having allies again, except tangible and backed up with skill and force. there's steady certainty there in the midst of so much chaos.

it doesn't get super deep or "official relationship" in SNAP itself, mostly because their high school years aren't actually the most important period of their relationship. but it sets up an extremely important foundation for them that continues post-SNAP. Blurr still gets anxious and skittish and feels like he can't say anything right, what is he doing here he should just slink away and hide—but Predaking picks him up by the scruff of the neck and shakes some sense and affection back into him. Blackarachnia struggles with depression and self hatred for a long time, but Predaking and Blurr staunchly refuse to leave her lonely, sticking with her even in her dark times. there are times when Predaking prioritizes doing work over developing relationships, thinking that his work will of course help those he loves, but Blurr and Blackarachnia don't let him get away with it. not to mention how devastatingly effective the three of them are at Judging anyone trying to be an idiot in their vicinity, lots of would-be Karens get shut down by nothing more than their triplicate unimpressed glares .

of the three of them, Predaking is the one who first and most easily thinks of the other two as his partners, even if he doesn't say it out loud. he doesn't want to scare Blurr off, nor put pressure on Blackarachnia when she can barely stand herself, but he knows what he wants. he is quietly and enduringly devoted to them. Blackarachnia has felt like she's had to be strong, be clever, be quick and defensive and biting for herself her whole life, and yet these two consistently do that for her. she feels safe to be weak around them, and she knows she's taken care of. anxious Blurr still feels kind of like an outsider sometimes, an imposter third wheel on their already solid partnership, but then Predaking will wordlessly shuffle over to invite him to sit, or Blackarachnia will drop a snack in his lap exactly as he's getting hungry, or the two of them will be discussing something and automatically turn to ask his opinion. he doesn't need to be invited in to a relationship he's already part of.

as is pretty typical for him honestly, Predaking says something first, and does so by (as is also pretty typical) jumping right in with no warmup. it's during a conversation they've had many times over, an exercise in hope Rung recommended they try to help Blackarachnia. instead of letting her sit in the dark alone and spiraling, Predaking and Blurr sit with her, speaking aloud a good future, practice for envisioning a world that isn't under fire and themselves happy, healthy, and safe. Predaking's imagined futures have never not included them. with Blurr curled up in one of his wings and an arm over Blackarachnia's shoulders, he muses about a nice simple job rebuilding shelled cities, surely raising roofs only takes a little practice. he wants to see the sunrise over his hometown Helex again, with his favorite den siblings there. of course he'd take Blurr and Blackarachnia along, it wouldn't be right without the people he would have as his Amicae. Blackarachnia scoffs, but her spark isn't in it. Blurr freezes, anxiety already trying to convince him that he wasn't included in that statement. but Predaking just keeps talking, gently stitching together a future where they're okay.

on a practical level this is more of a proposal than simply asking them out, but it's also low pressure. nothing needs to change until they're all comfortable with it. they're already life partners in many ways, it's easy to slip a little further into it once acknowledged. the day Blurr's feeling of exclusion ends for good is when Blackarachnia casually muses about opening a clinic on Velocitron so the three of them can have a home on Blurr's planet, and he's struck by how she's doing good enough to plan for the future again, specifically a future where they even leave Cybertron to follow him.

their marriage is quiet. Blurr squares away the paperwork, double checking every detail is correct with Minimus. they let their friends take them out to a nice dinner in lieu of any ceremony, where Arcee generously only tries stabbing Blackarachnia once before giving her congratulations. Frenzy tries arranging a gag honeymoon trip for them but is too drunk to do it right and accidentally books himself a week at the spa instead. Hot Rod brings fireworks, which would have been a nice touch if he'd known he was coming to a wedding, but really he just wanted a party where he'd have the opportunity to set off colorful explosions around large numbers of people. Wheelie may have picked the pockets of everyone in attendance but he refuses to admit it. Skywarp and Predaking are the last ones who haven't swanned off or fallen asleep and in their exhausted drunken camaraderie, when bad ideas seem just brilliant, they end up going on a time travel heist to get Predaking some sick tattoos (and they're lucky it goes off without a hitch).

it's an absolutely perfect wedding.

it's not a flawless happily ever after, of course. Predaking grapples with being the only survivor of dozens of tragedies. Blackarachnia is permanently changed by a monster, and struggles with alcoholism for a long time. Blurr is personally targeted by a terrifying creature with a grudge and enough wit to outsmart him, in a rivalry that would cost many more lives than just his own. it's hard, and they live in dark times. but they support one another through thick and thin. after awhile, when they're more stable, they actually end up adopting Dragonicus, a little dragonformer like Predaking, and then later Lightspeed, a tiny thing almost as fast as Blurr.

they live. they love each other. they're good.

[sburbian-sage]

I'm a Seer of Stage and I'm trying to maximize my predictive capabilities. Having a bit of trouble though.

At the start of the session, I looked for info on what the best predictive equipment is. You know, tarot cards, magic 8 balls, futomani kits, and so on.

Stage likes constants, stability, and rules. But, most divination methods rely on randomness. I can't be drawing cards from a randomized deck and expect that to play well with Stage. Like, yes, Stage CAN put up with a little randomness, so long as it adheres to rules and patterns, but it's *better* if I find a method that's low-randomness to begin with.

Enter: numerology. It's perfect. I love it, Stage I think loves it as well, match made in heaven. Numbers have specific meanings, and you can learn shit by analyzing them. Great premise, 10/10!

So I alchemized a numerology handbook. And I've had some success with it. But it was a little clunky to use, so I started working on upgrading it.

Some stuff was simple enough. I've &&'d it with a computer and some other stuff, and now I don't need to manually flip through the pages anymore because I can just say a number and it'll bring it up, I can easily cross-reference numbers with other numbers because it just pulls up relevant ones automatically, etc.

But upgrading it for ease of use is one thing. I'm not sure how to upgrade it in ways that actually make it more *accurate* or *powerful*, without it doing things like, you know, CHANGING WHAT IT SAYS THE NUMBERS DO. Which is basically the polar opposite of what Stage wants.

Of course all this shit is arbitrary, numerology isn't real, it's my Stage powers making it work. But Stage doesn't care if it's bullshit, so long as it's *consistent* bullshit. But every time I try and mix in a magic wand or other divination tool or whatever, it just changes the entire nature of the thing, and makes very little attempt at keeping the book's contents consistent. It doesn't just re-write each number's entry to be more specific or whatever, it'll make it say totally different stuff.

I'm wondering if I should just... apply a bit of my aspect to the alchemizations? I know fucking with the alchimiter is usually a BAD idea, but is it really so dangerous to force something like raw consistency and stability into it?

...Well, I checked with my numerology book, and according to various relevant numbers (number of lines in the symbol on the alchimiter, total alchemization performed so far, etc.) it says yes, it would be dangerous.

So... any other ideas? Cuz I'm fresh out.

Mixing Aspects and Alchemy isn't inherently bad. We say that an item produced through Alchemy that was infused with an Aspect has an "Aspect Charge" (as in Aspect Charge is the unit of measurement), and indeed it's quite useful at all stages of the game. You only need to worry about the following when it comes to Aspect Charges in Alchemy.

The item will of course take on characteristics associated with the Aspect, so don't make a Doom-Charged Medkit or something stupid.

Mind Charges provide infinite energy for an item, with the downside that it might "surge" and fry your computer. Or cause it to explode, depending on the size and whether or not it is in fact a computer, because computers tend to do that in this game. I've always had good luck when it comes to this though.

Blood Charges create a living item. It's usually best for the Blood player to handle that kind of thing, especially if you're the type to get philosophical about it.

Void Charges just erase the item, and all the Grist that went into it.

Never eat Aspect-Charged food. You WILL die, the question is in what way, how painfully, and how long it takes. This is true of Life and Blood too. You shouldn't even be eating Alchemized food in the first place because it all tastes like shit and basically provides no nutrition, either use the Crystalanths, start a garden, or get your hands on a Cookalizer and Alimentator like a civilized person.

And this isn't about Charges but don't ever use Blood to make your Alchemiter, or any Alchemy-related items come to life. What happens next is The Sorcerer's Apprentice meets Videodrome. You're also likely to get a Saccharine Doppleganger situation, in which case add Carebears and Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the list.

If your numerology says not to modify your Alchemiter, or Stage-Charge it, then by all means, don't. But also... Do you have to upgrade your book? You need to alchemize stuff like weapons or armor for the stat boosts, but I don't think there's any meaningful "stat boosts" differentiating an early-game grapple launcher from a late-game one, if you know what I mean. If the numbers mean what they mean, then it seems like "the computer tells me what the numbers mean" is the height of efficiency and you necessarily can't improve from there.

There are three possibilities. Option #1 is accepting that you've peaked in this regard. Option #2 is seeing if those "upgrades" do provide any unique benefits, and if so, if it's possible to create an upgrade that beats out any inconsistency penalties. Option #3, it seems like anytime you alchemized something "magical", it randomized the numbers, but a computer kept it consistent. So maybe focus more on the tech-side of things, becoming a technomancer divination wizard, or turning your Numerology Book-puter into a supercomputer. If the superbookputer grows too big to carry around, you could turn a room in your spire into a Seer's Den. In addition to looking very cool, that's heavily resonant with your Class and will provide a bountiful RP boost.

[candiid-caniine]

yes I have a new interest in stepping aside and in denial. Even trying it out makes me happy. but I wanted to consult you because I don't know what the rules are.

hey friend! there are no rules, is the short answer. here's the long answer:

everybody's body is different. some people thrive on permanent denial. some people see ruins as rewards (me), others see them as punishments. some people can't go more than 3 days at a time without denial suddenly being not-fun anymore. the rule in this case is: if your body is telling you it's too much, it's too much. be mindful. if something makes you drop, you start to feel depressed, or real-life responsibilities are compromised, pull back.

everybody's relationship is different. some partners don't feel comfortable being in charge of another person's orgasms. some partners feel hurt or insecure if they aren't able to make you cum every time. other partners love denial, or are open to trying it to make you happy, and communication is key. edging on your own might be okay, but they might need you to cum during sex in order to feel close to you, desirable, and fulfilled. if that doesn't make YOU feel close to them, desirable, and fulfilled, that's a sexual incompatibility. just communicate a lot if you're trying this with a partner!

everybody's motivations are different. if you're not partnered, you have to motivate yourself somehow, and it can be as simple as "I like the way it feels"! it can also be something you reward yourself with, or use to earn rewards (see my last ask). you're saying trying it out makes you happy, so...keep trying it out!

i've been doing denial for over 5 years now, in various forms. in the beginning, i just edged every time i wanted to cum, setting an arbitrary limit for myself. i experimented with online play partners who made me wait to cum and tease myself. then i dabbled with it when i met my partner, who wasn't familiar, but was interested in learning, and at first it was too much. i was too clingy, too absorbed, and couldn't figure out how to compartmentalize when i was horny all. the. fucking. time.

and i couldn't go longer than a week at first. that took a long time to get over.

all this to say, your mindset on edging is as fluid as any other part of sexuality. if you have goals, try to reach them; if that doesn't work, try adjusting your expectations and go from there. one problem at a time: we solved my compartmentalizing, i learned to be more independent when it came to my denial, and i'm presently working on keeping myself from dropping at the end of a session (fingers crossed!)

you'll get there. take it slow. listen to your body!

[pikagatogirltits]

We've been mutuals long enough that I hope I can properly convey that the following questions come from a genuine place of trying to understand each other. But I have two main questions for you:

1) Why is it WotC's job to create a no UB format? Mark's entire stance here is "WotC doesn't believe there's enough players interested in a no UB format to justify pouring resources into making one." He's also stated in response to separate asks that if fans did create a no UB format that caught on and became popular enough WotC has no issues with giving that format official recognition. Magic has a long history of fans carving out their own ways to play, so I don't see why suddenly it's WotC's job to create this theoretical format.

2) However, I also want to know why other people get to police what's in my deck. I hate Phyrexians, I am not a fan of body horror and there's a lot of Phyrexian art that majorly squicks me out. I do not include cards with art I find uncomfortable in my decks. I don't like the advanced technology in Kamigawa Neon Dynasty. It's not all bad, but there's some cards that I find look too "sci-fi" by my own deeply personal and arbitrary tastes. I don't run any of those cards in my decks. The sci-fi tech of Neon Dynasty does more harm to my personal suspension of disbelief than any UB cards because at the end of the day UB cards aren't canon and have zero bearing on the lore...but cards like Circuit Mender and The Reality Chip are canon to the lore and do have implications about the setting that I now have to reconcile.

But I also would never for a moment presume I have any right to demand that my opponents don't run those cards in their decks. I feel like I would rightly be called out as being unreasonable. So why is there an acceptable double standard if the cards involved are UB cards? My Alesha commander deck has three whole UB cards (four if you count the fact that I'm using the AC printing of Reconnaissance because that's the version I happen to own.) My deck already contains a long dead trans woman warrior from Tarkir, a haunted doll from Duskmourn, a zombie merchant from Theros, and a dwarf barbarian from Faerun. Why does me adding in a hobbit, a nazgul and one of the Doctor's companions suddenly cross the line?

I don't know, I fear I started to get ranty there at the end but I'm frustrated. I want to find a proper middle ground where people like me who like UB cards and want to be able to play them in the formats we already play are happy, but the players who don't like them can still find places to play. I don't think the solution is trying to split existing formats into UB and no UB versions, nor is the solution forcing people to have to constantly rule 0 every casual game they ever play. I do think that if all the no UB players could get together and decide on a single no UB format to make and play so they have some kind of outlet, it might do a lot to improve people's experience.

I just also wish the anti UB crowd would stop with all the talk of how UB is "killing Magic" or "ruining the game." It makes me, someone who likes UB cards, feel like I'm the problem, that the way I like to play is "wrong." I feel like I need to constantly defend my continued enjoyment of the game.

Hey Mark, with Universes Beyond becoming legal in every format in 2025, can you shed some light on what wotc plans to do to facilitate play for new and old players who will not use Universes Beyond products and do not wish to take part in games with it, without them having to rely on others accepting to rule 0 a casual game?

I try to be honest on this blog. We’re not doing anything to facilitate that. We did the market research and found a very small percentage of players refuse to play with Universes Beyond. And if that changes over time, we’ll adapt.

There are subsets of cards that different groups choose not to play with. For example, there are people that have a real problem with horror imagery. We’re not doing anything to facilitate that group either.

Magic’s core natural allows players to choose what they play with. If you really dislike something, don’t play with it. You also can choose your play group, so if you find like minded people, you can avoid whatever you want.

And limited formats exist for players that don’t want to play against opponents playing components they don’t like, but don’t want to limit what they can play with.

[wolvesandpetals]

Loki x Sylvie Post-Finale Fanfiction (Angst, Rated Teen) Part 2 of 2

Part 1 is here:

She never knew it would hurt this much when the person she loves is right in front of her, but she can't reach out and touch him; when she is still her, he is still him, but everything else has changed, like an invisible lever in an old theatre changing the scenery in the background, bringing them both to the part of the play where they are hopelessly lost.

[[MORE]]

All it took was one single moment, one single decision, and everything feels irrevocably broken now. It makes her contemplate on the true nature of relationships, how fragile they are, and how easy it is to shatter them- and her.

The smoke is slowly clearing, and all that seems to be left is a man who is doing his best to keep his distance from her, physically and emotionally.

She can tell from the way he stands with his arms crossed, or his fists clenced when his hands are by his side, that he really doesn't want to hold her hand. How can something so simple as the touch of his fingers be so vital to her existence that it feels like something has been ripped out from inside her?

She wants to reach out and touch him, but she is scared that if he pulls away outright, any hope of reconciliation that she still has left will shatter into pieces.

And she really needs this hope. It's the only thing she still has left. It's the only thing that keeps her going.

---

He looks like a man with a mission.

They spent quite a long time together, running from the TVA, running towards the citadel at the end of time, hoping to achieve their goal of bringing down the one behind the curtains.

But that was her mission, and he was there for her. She was the one behind the wheels, he was the one keeping the sails afloat.

Now it's different. Now he has a defined goal, a glorious purpose.

She's seeing him in a whole new light now, and not just because he has switched to Asgardian leather and metal armors.

As far as she is concerned, she is better off doing it all alone. One woman army, nobody to get in her way, nobody to screw up her plans. Nobody to blame her if it all goes to shit.

Or so it was, until two months ago, when Mobius decided to enlist her help in fixing the multiversal madness.

She has never really worked with people before, and it's weird, to say the least. She never considered herself a team player, but she is finding herself hating the idea less and less lately.

And she swears it has nothing to do with him. Not the fact that they are working together, and seeing his face first thing in the morning brings her a sense of calm that she quite can't explain. Or the fact that their rooms are next to each other and it makes her feel secure enough to finally get some rest at nights. Or that this whole arrangement has kept them on talking terms, when they had gone their own separate ways otherwise.

Nothing to do with that at all.

---

Humans are stupid, and the biggest evidence of this is how they decided that two extremely powerful Gods skilled at magic, enchantment, and defeating an evil extra dimensional cloud that swallows everything it touches, should be delegated to the role of research. "You're clever. You're good at reading people. You can put yourselves in the shoes of the bad guys, no offense", they said, but really, what they meant was, "We can't trust you out in the field much." She knows it, he knows it. She just doesn't know why he's complying.

That's how they find themselves researching every single day.

She likes to think he's not the only reason why she's studying in the library instead of in the comfort of her room, but that'd be a lie.

At first, he chooses to sit at a separate table. But she keeps going over to his to "get his opinion" on something in the file she's reading, and finally, he gives in. Their current arrangement consists of him sitting in the chair in front of her, to the left, prim and proper, while she hoists her feet up on the table.

He falls asleep on the desk one night, face smacked against a file, the tiniest bit of drool forming at the corner of his mouth. It would be a hilarious sight, if her heart wasn't feeling what she can only describe as longing.

They should probably talk about it, like mature adults, but neither of them know how to do that.

All she can do right now is gather the courage to run her fingers through his hair. The touch is hesitant at first, as if one wrong move would make him wake up and push her back to square one. Slowly, she relaxes, letting her fingers dance on his scalp.

He stirs in his sleep. "Please Sif. I'm sorry. Don't cut off my glorious locks, please."

Now this is a story she must hear when things are better.

If things are better.

---

Doctor Strange joins them very briefly, very rarely, but the tension between him and Loki is hard to miss. It's worse than the current situation with her, and that's saying something.

"You don't really like Stephen, do you?"

Something inside him seems to shift, but he masks it behind a non-chalant look immediately and just arches an eyebrow at her. "He's Stephen now, is he?"

"Well, that is his name." She shrugs. "What do you call him?"

"Strange", he spits the word out with an amount of irritation that indicates there definitely is a story there. "That is his name", he mimics.

She can't help the smirk that spreads across her lips. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing", he lies, ignoring the horrifying flashbacks of thirty minutes of endless falling. Not a single soul must ever know a mere human got the best of him. "What can he do to me? I'm a God among those mortals. He just irks me because he is so pompous, and arrogant, and he ceaselessly uses magic to toy with others."

She pretends to think deeply. "Now where have I seen that before?"

He scoffs. "You mock me, but I am nothing like him. For one, I am not rude."

"He seems fine to me", she declares decisively.

It's the first time in months that he gives her a cheeky grin. "That's because you're rude too."

---

They are still just containing the threats to their world, instead of finding a way to fortify the barriers between worlds and stop the threats from coming.

"Shouldn't we have a plan to seal off the other worlds from ours?" She asks him one day.

"They are working on it." He tells her, and then with a look of worry, adds, "I hope."

There are debates on what to do at the Avengers tower and at the TVA. Nobody seems to agree on what the best course of action is, but everyone seems to be following the general instructions of Doctor Strange.

During one such meeting, a Minuteman makes the mistake of voicing out loud how she wondered if things would be better if they were running according to their old boss's plans.

Sylvie feels the guilt wash over her once more.

"No", Loki tells them all firmly. The determination in his voice takes her completely by surprise. "Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary. The definition’s blurred." She catches him steal a glance at her direction. "We couldn't have left a dictator in charge just because it's convenient. Listen, I'm the bad guy. I've done horrible, unspeakable things. I thought humans needed to be ruled. I wanted to rule. But even I know that it's not right to take away a person's life completely. These are innocent people. You are innocent people. You have families back home, parents, children", a pause and a softening of his features, "-love. A whole past, a whole future. That man had no right to take it away from you."

His powers of persuasion are foreign to her, and it's mesmerizing to watch. Her enchantments cannot hold a candle to how he is able to just talk people into doing what he wants, thinking what he thinks, seeing what he sees.

"He who remains had a plan. One, singular plan, from one, singular man." There is absolute conviction in his voice. "It's not the only way. We'll find another way. A better way."

She has never known what it is like to have someone see you for who you are- broken and flawed, and defend you- even your well-intentioned actions that yielded different results than what you expected and hurt them in the process. She suspects it has been the same for him, a lifetime of not having anyone have his back.

The warm feeling inside her is brand new. What is the name of this? Comfort? Relief?

Happiness?

---

This will be their first time out in the field in a long time, and she feels a little sick to the stomach.

He notices. "Are you alright?"

The concern in his voice tugs at her heartstrings. She nods. She has faced way worse, she shouldn't be so nervous about this, but she is. "I've never done this before."

"We can always just kill him and blame it on the Chitauris", he suggests with a serious face.

"I heard that", Peter yells from the other room, where he is doing whatever it is that teenagers do to prepare for battle.

She shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe we're babysitting."

"I've done this before", he assures her, and it surprises her to picture him being entrusted with such a serious task. "The trick is to conjure up illusions that keep them distracted enough to not cry."

She laughs. "You're thinking of infants. This one is a little older."

"I'm over a thousand years old, Sylvie. They're all infants to me."

Peter joins them, mask covering his face so that he doesn't reveal his identity. "So what do I call you? Loki and Loki? That's confusing. How about Loki and Lady Loki? Or is that offensive? I'm not suggesting women are inferior, because they're absolutely not..."

"Does he come with an off switch?" She whispers in horror as Peter rambles on.

Loki grins. With one wave of his hand and a flash of green, Peter's own webbing shoots out and seals his mouth shut.

---

Things are fine but not fine at the same time. He's right there beside her, but not there at all. They have their banters, they have their stolen glances, but they haven't had a meaningful conversation since that first day when she got back. She's been putting it off for a long time, but she knows they really do need to have the talk.

She corners him in his room one evening while he's tinkering with a temporal collar. She takes a seat in the chair next to his bed and rests her hand on the table, leaning her head against her palm, before switching position and crossing her arms and legs. Everything about her posture screams uneasiness. If he notices- he probably does- he doesn't say anything.

"You defended me that day."

He briefly looks up from the task at hand and gives her a soft smile. "Of course."

She blinks. "I don't understand." Her hands involuntary rise up to rub her temples. "If you can justify my actions to them, then how can you still be mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you", he says without missing a beat.

"Rubbish", her words come out angrier than she intended. This frustration is the result of the months of status quo they have had. She has to know now, one way or the other. "You're distant. You're guarded", she accuses. Then her voice breaks, as she feels a part of her break all over again with her next words. "You don't hold my hand. Why? Tell me."

He abandons the collar and focuses his full attention on her. Staring straight into her eyes, he answers her. "You know why."

"I wouldn't be asking if I did. Look, if it's because I chose the mission over you-"

"-Of course it's not that." He says decisively. Then a sad smile clouds his face. It's the same look he had when she accused him of conning her to gain the throne. "Do you think I'm the type of man who would want a woman to abandon her life-long ambitions just because she has met someone?"

She knows he isn't. But it still doesn't answer why he is so cross with her. "What is it then?"

He pauses for a moment, trying to decide whether he wants to bare his soul out to her once more or not. There are two ways he can go from here- choose to not let her in again and save himself from the hurt, or trust her again and open himself up to potential pain.

Who is he kidding? Pushing her away- keeping her away- doesn't hurt any less.

There were a thousand things that had to go wrong to bring two Lokis from two universes together. A connection like that, it doesn't just happen.

And it doesn't just go away. The pain is constant, it's a part of him, pounding like a second heart every second he has to stop himself from reaching out for her hand.

This has to come to an end.

He takes in a deep breath, bracing himself. "You didn't have to send me away, Sylvie. I wanted to stop you from making the same mistakes I did. But in the end, I didn't care what you chose. I just wanted us to do it together."

She never even imagined this could be the reason for his hurt. All these months spent thinking he hates her for her choices, and now it turns out he is hurt simply because she chose to do it alone? "I'm sorry." She says sincerely. "I just wanted you to be safe."

"And I just wanted to be there with you till the end." He confesses. His eyes shimmer with the emotions he has kept bottled in for so long. "You go, I go."

She doesn't know what to say to that. She has never been good at articulating her feelings. Tears stream down her cheeks at the realisation that even after everything, he is still there for her.

She didn't cry even back at Lamentis when they thought they were going to die. She doesn't let anyone see her cry when she is sad or scared. That's all she has known her whole life. She's used to it by now.

This is new. These are tears of relief. Comfort.

Happiness.

Tentatively, she crosses over to the bed and sits by his side.

It's quiet for a few minutes. But unlike the months of tension so thick she could cut it into splices with her daggers, this is comfortable silence. The kind they had before it all went wrong.

"Did you even miss me?" He whispers.

"What kind of silly question is that? Of course I did." Her shaking hands grab his, and oh how she missed this.

He intertwines their fingers. His eyes draw closed. Bliss. That's the only word for this feeling.

He opens his eyes again and studies her. She's staring back at him, teary-eyed, but with a hopeful smile. "Really? Because you have a really unique way of showing it. You didn't even come looking for me."

"I didn't know how to face you", she tells him honestly. No tricks, no enchantment, no treachery. Not with him. "I didn't know if you even wanted to see me." Her voice grows quieter, dropping to a timbre that perfectly encapsulates her deepest fear. "I thought you hated me."

"Hate you?" He is shocked that she thinks that is even possible, specially after seeing him these last few months. "Sylvie, I'm working with the Avengers. The Avengers. Do you know how much I hate them? They are my nemesis. They're self-righteous, condescending, and so completely dull. Every second with them makes me want to rip their hearts out. Why do you think I'm here with them?"

She thinks she knows. But she needs to hear it anyway.

"It's because of you." He lays it all out on the table. All cards on deck, win or lose. "You've been running away. I have been the one who has been here, trying to hold down the fort, working to fix everything. Because that is what one does when one loves-"

Shit. The word slips out before he realises it.

Their eyes go wide in unison.

"Sylvie, I-"

"-Don't you dare take it back now." She warns him. "I-" She doesn't know how to say it either. They make such a great pair, both equally daft at saying how they feel, like they are teenagers, not Gods who have lived for centuries. "I've been running because I didn't think I could bear the burden of knowing I found you and then I lost you. I don't want to lose you. Not now, not ever."

He kisses the back of her hand, before letting it go. He cups her face, gently caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "I don't want to lose you either."

She leans in closer, until their foreheads touch. She can feel his breath on her face, warm and soft. That is exactly how she feels inside. "You won't", she promises. "You go, I go."

---

(Quote on Lesser Evil from The Witcher. Thanks for reading!!)

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

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DID HE LOSE HIS MORAL COMPASS?

Where was his sacrifice during this pandemic?

It’s hard to accept People Who Haven’t Experienced Adversity Or Tragedy mockery the virus 🦠 in uncertainty times. What he does with this presentation is to embarrass Feeding America and Food Banking both good cause charities, but let's have some honour and be truthful about his leadership. He tries to protect his brand with a fake idea, in this case, it’s inappropriate, he ought not to be part of this if he doesn’t believe or understand the message.

Playing on emotions from COVID-19 with meditation pose and a “voice over” creating melodramatic story that he doesn't think in it to sell a product. If we look at this is the same man who mocked the disease during a global pandemic and flouted COVID-19 rules is not wise enough to be rewarded. His selfish behaviour careless during this crisis was disappointing the long pity rant after was discovered his golden Holiday in Hawaii 🏝🏄 in the middle of a pandemic with catastrophic consequences for the world 🌎 this disaster was more apparent for his selfish behaviour, without regret or apology.

Never forget that it's all was real!

SH crossed the line, he saw a chance to gain some advantage of this Pandemic crisis for his campaign. He is an opportunist man who shows up when he needs something. 'He didn't do the right thing, and he failed’.

@cloudsinmycoffe Responding to @cloudsinmycoffe, everyone is welcome to my blog to take part in our conversation appropriately. But the use of the term “hate” is deplorable. She/He has mistakenly used this term to describe anyone who disagrees with this actor. Should look up in the dictionary definitions of hatred and disrespect. They are both emotions but have different meanings. SH may gains attention, but he lost respect. You don't hate him, just lost respect for him. It's a big difference. Its crucial follow Coronavirus Guideline. This is an international crisis, and we are in a national emergency.

His Hypocrisy on pandemic rules contributes to his cynicism. He violated UK Government public rules and guidance during COVID-19 and the emergency state messaging in a foreign country. But the mismatch between his words and versus his behaviour contributes to his public cynicism. Here, he certainly doesn’t help himself this is his factual basis. His one-man rule is arbitrary decision-making and was subsequently escalating flouting the rules. "Is it one rule for him and another rule for everybody else” He's blatantly disobeying and broke the law (his fans, friends still cheered him) lack of conduct and manipulation? Does he need to do better? It’s also important to recognize that talk is cheap; He was never in the front line of Coronavirus Pandemic, and now He is the voice of COVID-19? He is not an example during this emergency. Thousands of people around the world suffer during this crisis in opposition to Sam's selfish antics. In hard times, makes a person realize who he is. He must realize that if it weren't for a good deal of luck, he wouldn't be where he is now.

Cannot allow cynicism blind to the fact that this pandemic is far from over.

The problem is he is to have to do this on purpose, which is a bad thing to be doing. Being destructive is not where power is. Power is in making things better. He's very confusing.

[cybercrew]

Nmap Defcon Release! 80+ improvements include new NSE scripts/libs, new Npcap, etc.

Fellow hackers, I'm here in Las Vegas for Defcon and delighted to release Nmap 7.80.  It's the first formal Nmap release in more than a year, and I hope you find it worth the wait! The main reason for the delay is that we've been working so hard on our Npcap Windows packet capturing driver.  As many of you know, Windows Nmap traditionally depended on Winpcap for packet capture.  That is great software, but it has been discontinued and has seen no updates since 2013. It doesn't always work on Windows 10, and it depends on long-deprecated Windows API's that Microsoft could remove at any time.  So we've spent the last few years building our own Npcap raw packet capturing/sending driver, starting with Winpcap as the base.  It uses modern APIs and is more performant as well as more secure and more featureful.  We've had 15 Npcap releases since Nmap 7.70 and we're really happy with where it is now.  Even Wireshark switched to Npcap recently.  More details on Npcap can be found at https://npcap.org. But Windows users aren't the only ones benefiting from this new Nmap release.  It includes 80+ cross-platform improvements you can read about below, including 11 new NSE scripts, a bunch of new libraries, bug fixes and performance improvements. map 7.80 source code and binary packages for Linux, Windows, and Mac are available for free download from the usual spot: https://nmap.org/download.html If you find any bugs in this release, please let us know on the Nmap Dev list or bug tracker as described at https://nmap.org/book/man-bugs.html. Here is the full list of significant changes since 7.70: map 7.70 source code and binary packages for Linux, Windows, and Mac are available for free download from the usual spot: https://nmap.org/download.html If you find any bugs in this release, please let us know on the Nmap Dev list or bug tracker as described at https://nmap.org/book/man-bugs.html. Here is the full list of significant changes: o [Windows] The Npcap Windows packet capturing library (https://npcap.org/)  is faster and more stable than ever. Nmap 7.80 updates the bundled Npcap  from version 0.99-r2 to 0.9982, including all of these changes from the  last 15 Npcap releases: https://nmap.org/npcap/changelog o [NSE] Added 11 NSE scripts, from 8 authors, bringing the total up to 598!  They are all listed at https://nmap.org/nsedoc/, and the summaries are  below:  + [GH#1232] broadcast-hid-discoveryd discovers HID devices on a LAN by    sending a discoveryd network broadcast probe. [Brendan Coles]  + [GH#1236] broadcast-jenkins-discover discovers Jenkins servers on a LAN    by sending a discovery broadcast probe. [Brendan Coles]  + [GH#1016][GH#1082] http-hp-ilo-info extracts information from HP    Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) servers. [rajeevrmenon97]  + [GH#1243] http-sap-netweaver-leak detects SAP Netweaver Portal with the    Knowledge Management Unit enabled with anonymous access. [ArphanetX]  + https-redirect detects HTTP servers that redirect to the same port, but    with HTTPS. Some nginx servers do this, which made ssl-* scripts not run    properly. [Daniel Miller]  + [GH#1504] lu-enum enumerates Logical Units (LU) of TN3270E servers.    [Soldier of Fortran]  + [GH#1633] rdp-ntlm-info extracts Windows domain information from RDP    services. [Tom Sellers]  + smb-vuln-webexec checks whether the WebExService is installed and allows    code execution. [Ron Bowes]  + smb-webexec-exploit exploits the WebExService to run arbitrary commands    with SYSTEM privileges. [Ron Bowes]  + [GH#1457] ubiquiti-discovery extracts information from the Ubiquiti    Discovery service and assists version detection. [Tom Sellers]  + [GH#1126] vulners queries the Vulners CVE database API using CPE    information from Nmap's service and application version detection.    [GMedian, Daniel Miller] o [GH#1291][GH#34][GH#1339] Use pcap_create instead of pcap_live_open in  Nmap, and set immediate mode on the pcap descriptor. This solves packet  loss problems on Linux and may improve performance on other platforms.  [Daniel Cater, Mike Pontillo, Daniel Miller] o [NSE] Collected utility functions for string processing into a new  library, stringaux.lua. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] New rand.lua library uses the best sources of random available on  the system to generate random strings. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] New library, oops.lua, makes reporting errors easy, with plenty of  debugging detail when needed, and no clutter when not. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] Collected utility functions for manipulating and searching tables  into a new library, tableaux.lua. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] New knx.lua library holds common functions and definitions for  communicating with KNX/Konnex devices. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE][GH#1571] The HTTP library now provides transparent support for gzip-  encoded response body. (See https://github.com/nmap/nmap/pull/1571 for an  overview.) [nnposter] o [Nsock][Ncat][GH#1075] Add AF_VSOCK (Linux VM sockets) functionality to  Nsock and Ncat. VM sockets are used for communication between virtual  machines and the hypervisor. [Stefan Hajnoczi] o [Security][Windows] Address CVE-2019-1552 in OpenSSL by building with the  prefix "C:\Program Files (x86)\Nmap\OpenSSL". This should prevent  unauthorized users from modifying OpenSSL defaults by writing  configuration to this directory. o [Security][GH#1147][GH#1108] Reduced LibPCRE resource limits so that  version detection can't use as much of the stack. Previously Nmap could  crash when run on low-memory systems against target services which are  intentionally or accidentally difficult to match. Someone assigned  CVE-2018-15173 for this issue. [Daniel Miller] o [GH#1361] Deprecate and disable the -PR (ARP ping) host discovery  option. ARP ping is already used whenever possible, and the -PR option  would not force it to be used in any other case. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] bin.lua is officially deprecated. Lua 5.3, added 2 years ago in Nmap  7.25BETA2, has native support for binary data packing via string.pack and  string.unpack. All existing scripts and libraries have been updated.  [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] Completely removed the bit.lua NSE library. All of its functions are  replaced by native Lua bitwise operations, except for `arshift`  (arithmetic shift) which has been moved to the bits.lua library. [Daniel  Miller] o [NSE][GH#1571] The HTTP library is now enforcing a size limit on the  received response body. The default limit can be adjusted with a script  argument, which applies to all scripts, and can be overridden case-by-case  with an HTTP request option. (See https://github.com/nmap/nmap/pull/1571  for details.)  [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1648] CR characters are no longer treated as illegal in script  XML output. [nnposter] o [GH#1659] Allow resuming nmap scan with lengthy command line [Clément  Notin] o [NSE][GH#1614] Add TLS support to rdp-enum-encryption. Enables determining  protocol version against servers that require TLS and lays ground work for  some NLA/CredSSP information collection. [Tom Sellers] o [NSE][GH#1611] Address two protocol parsing issues in rdp-enum-encryption  and the RDP nse library which broke scanning of Windows XP. Clarify  protocol types [Tom Sellers] o [NSE][GH#1608] Script http-fileupload-exploiter failed to locate its  resource file unless executed from a specific working  directory. [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1467] Avoid clobbering the "severity" and "ignore_404" values of  fingerprints in http-enum. None of the standard fingerprints uses these  fields. [Kostas Milonas] o [NSE][GH#1077] Fix a crash caused by a double-free of libssh2 session data  when running SSH NSE scripts against non-SSH services. [Seth Randall] o [NSE][GH#1565] Updates the execution rule of the mongodb scripts to be  able to run on alternate ports. [Paulino Calderon] o [Ncat][GH#1560] Allow Ncat to connect to servers on port 0, provided that  the socket implementation allows this. [Daniel Miller] o Update the included libpcap to 1.9.0. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE][GH#1544] Fix a logic error that resulted in scripts not honoring the  smbdomain script-arg when the target provided a domain in the NTLM  challenge.  [Daniel Miller] o [Nsock][GH#1543] Avoid a crash (Protocol not supported) caused by trying  to reconnect with SSLv2 when an error occurs during DTLS connect. [Daniel  Miller] o [NSE][GH#1534] Removed OSVDB references from scripts and replaced them  with BID references where possible. [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1504] Updates TN3270.lua and adds argument to disable TN3270E  [Soldier of Fortran] o [GH#1504] RMI parser could crash when encountering invalid input [Clément  Notin] o [GH#863] Avoid reporting negative latencies due to matching an ARP or ND  response to a probe sent after it was recieved. [Daniel Miller] o [Ncat][GH#1441] To avoid confusion and to support non-default proxy ports,  option --proxy now requires a literal IPv6 address to be specified using  square-bracket notation, such as --proxy [2001:db8::123]:456. [nnposter] o [Ncat][GH#1214][GH#1230][GH#1439] New ncat option provides control over  whether proxy destinations are resolved by the remote proxy server or  locally, by Ncat itself. See option --proxy-dns. [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1478] Updated script ftp-syst to prevent potential endless  looping.  [nnposter] o [GH#1454] New service probes and match lines for v1 and v2 of the Ubiquiti  Discovery protocol. Devices often leave the related service open and it  exposes significant amounts of information as well as the risk of being  used as part of a DDoS. New nmap-payload entry for v1 of the  protocol. [Tom Sellers] o [NSE] Removed hostmap-ip2hosts.nse as the API has been broken for a while  and the service was completely shutdown on Feb 17th, 2019. [Paulino  Calderon] o [NSE][GH#1318] Adds TN3270E support and additional improvements to  tn3270.lua and updates tn3270-screen.nse to display the new  setting. [mainframed] o [NSE][GH#1346] Updates product codes and adds a check for response length  in enip-info.nse. The script now uses string.unpack. [NothinRandom] o [Ncat][GH#1310][GH#1409] Temporary RSA keys are now 2048-bit to resolve a  compatibility issue with OpenSSL library configured with security level 2,  as seen on current Debian or Kali.  [Adrian Vollmer, nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1227] Fix a crash (double-free) when using SSH scripts against  non-SSH services. [Daniel Miller] o [Zenmap] Fix a crash when Nmap executable cannot be found and the system  PATH contains non-UTF-8 bytes, such as on Windows. [Daniel Miller] o [Zenmap] Fix a crash in results search when using the dir: operator:    AttributeError: 'SearchDB' object has no attribute 'match_dir' [Daniel    Miller] o [Ncat][GH#1372] Fixed an issue with Ncat -e on Windows that caused early  termination of connections. [Alberto Garcia Illera] o [NSE][GH#1359] Fix a false-positive in http-phpmyadmin-dir-traversal when  the server responds with 200 status to a POST request to any  URI. [Francesco Soncina] o [NSE] New vulnerability state in vulns.lua, UNKNOWN, is used to indicate  that testing could not rule out vulnerability. [Daniel Miller] o [GH#1355] When searching for Lua header files, actually use them where  they are found instead of forcing /usr/include. [Fabrice Fontaine, Daniel  Miller] o [NSE][GH#1331] Script traceroute-geolocation no longer crashes when  www.GeoPlugin.net returns null coordinates [Michal Kubenka, nnposter] o Limit verbose -v and debugging -d levels to a maximum of 10. Nmap does not  use higher levels internally. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] tls.lua when creating a client_hello message will now only use a  SSLv3 record layer if the protocol version is SSLv3. Some TLS  implementations will not handshake with a client offering less than  TLSv1.0. Scripts will have to manually fall back to SSLv3 to talk to  SSLv3-only servers. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE][GH#1322] Fix a few false-positive conditions in  ssl-ccs-injection. TLS implementations that responded with fatal alerts  other than "unexpected message" had been falsely marked as  vulnerable. [Daniel Miller] o Emergency fix to Nmap's birthday announcement so Nmap wishes itself a  "Happy 21st Birthday" rather than "Happy 21th" in verbose mode (-v) on  September 1, 2018. [Daniel Miller] o [GH#1150] Start host timeout clocks when the first probe is sent to a  host, not when the hostgroup is started. Sometimes a host doesn't get  probes until late in the hostgroup, increasing the chance it will time  out. [jsiembida] o [NSE] Support for edns-client-subnet (ECS) in dns.lua has been improved by:  - [GH#1271] Using ECS code compliant with RFC 7871 [John Bond]  - Properly trimming ECS address, as mandated by RFC 7871 [nnposter]  - Fixing a bug that prevented using the same ECS option table more than    once [nnposter] o [Ncat][GH#1267] Fixed communication with commands launched with -e or -c  on Windows, especially when --ssl is used. [Daniel Miller] o [NSE] Script http-default-accounts can now select more than one  fingerprint category. It now also possible to select fingerprints by name  to support very specific scanning. [nnposter] o [NSE] Script http-default-accounts was not able to run against more than  one target host/port. [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1251] New script-arg `http.host` allows users to force a  particular value for the Host header in all HTTP requests. o [NSE][GH#1258] Use smtp.domain script arg or target's domain name instead  of "example.com" in EHLO command used for STARTTLS. [gwire] o [NSE][GH#1233] Fix brute.lua's BruteSocket wrapper, which was crashing  Nmap with an assertion failure due to socket mixup [Daniel Miller]: nmap:  nse_nsock.cc:672: int receive_buf(lua_State*, int, lua_KContext):  Assertion `lua_gettop(L) == 7' failed. o [NSE][GH#1254] Handle an error condition in smb-vuln-ms17-010 caused by  IPS closing the connection. [Clément Notin] o [Ncat][GH#1237] Fixed literal IPv6 URL format for connecting through HTTP  proxies. [Phil Dibowitz] o [NSE][GH#1212] Updates vendors from ODVA list for enip-info. [NothinRandom] o [NSE][GH#1191] Add two common error strings that improve MySQL detection  by the script http-sql-injection. [Robert Taylor, Paulino Calderon] o [NSE][GH#1220] Fix bug in http-vuln-cve2006-3392 that prevented the script  to generate the vulnerability report correctly. [rewardone] o [NSE][GH#1218] Fix bug related to screen rendering in NSE library  tn3270. This patch also improves the brute force script  tso-brute. [mainframed] o [NSE][GH#1209] Fix SIP, SASL, and HTTP Digest authentication when the  algorithm contains lowercase characters. [Jeswin Mathai] o [GH#1204] Nmap could be fooled into ignoring TCP response packets if they  used an unknown TCP Option, which would misalign the validation, causing  it to fail. [Clément Notin, Daniel Miller] o [NSE]The HTTP response parser now tolerates status lines without a reason  phrase, which improves compatibility with some HTTP servers. [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1169][GH#1170][GH#1171]][GH#1198] Parser for HTTP Set-Cookie header  is now more compliant with RFC 6265:  - empty attributes are tolerated  - double quotes in cookie and/or attribute values are treated literally  - attributes with empty values and value-less attributes are parsed equally  - attributes named "name" or "value" are ignored  [nnposter] o [NSE][GH#1158] Fix parsing http-grep.match script-arg. [Hans van den  Bogert] o [Zenmap][GH#1177] Avoid a crash when recent_scans.txt cannot be written  to.  [Daniel Miller] o Fixed --resume when the path to Nmap contains spaces. Reported on Windows  by Adriel Desautels. [Daniel Miller] o New service probe and match lines for adb, the Android Debug Bridge, which  allows remote code execution and is left enabled by default on many  devices. [Daniel Miller] Enjoy this new release and please do let us know if you find any problems! Download link: https://nmap.org/download.html Cheers, Fyodor

Source code: https://seclists.org/nmap-announce/2019/0

When more information is available our blog will be updated.

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[skin-slave]

US AoC laws, esp Romeo & Juliet laws, are so disjointed.

In 20 states, you can get married before you can consent. In 39 states, you can consent if you're married tho, even if you're under the age of consent in that state. But 8 states that fit into the first group don't have exceptions, so you're cool to get married, but if you fool around with your spouse, it's a crime. That makes no damn sense.

Some states recognize consent at any age, as long as the partners are close in age, which can be anything from 2 to 7yrs difference (up to 15 yrs if you're both minors). Some states will see a couple of teens and decide it's still illegal, but it's a misdemeanor. In Massachusetts, if you and your partner are 17 and get caught in your smalls, the crime is so severe that you could get life in prison, even for the first offense (and even tho, in the same state, you can marry a girl off at 12, or a boy at 14). But in 9 other states, an adult and a minor can date and stuff as long as the adult isn't too old, which, again, varies. That also makes no damn sense.

Delaware doesn't even have a solid AoC. Maybe it's 16, maybe it's 18. It depends on how old your partner is. So a person can have sex in the morning as a consenting partner, then have sex in the afternoon and be a minor who can't consent. That also makes no damn sense.

Kinda seems like it would make more sense to take the specific situation into account, instead of trying to set arbitrary, often conflicting, rules that really don't help at all. I mean, I get it. It's simpler to be able to say, "this allegation of abuse can't be represented in court as consensual contact, bc this person cannot consent, period." That seems very good.

But then you have a situation where consensual contact can be prosecuted as abuse if, for example, someone's parent or landlord disapproves. You have a situation where someone can be autonomous enough to choose a spouse, drive a car, get a job, maybe own a gun... but not autonomous enough to consent to being felt up. You have a situation where a person's ownership of their own body changes as they cross state lines. That, imo, makes the least sense of all.

Also uh in the US many states have something called romeo aand juliet laws that protect up to 3 year age gaps between minors and those over 18?? So like even in the US theres still some wiggle room when it comes to it, because it's not black and white

antis are allergic to nuance

[quailpower]

The reason it's upsetting when a stranger misgenders you is because a stranger is viewing you in 2D (more on this below).

They are categorising you as X, Y, Z and that is all you are to them. An X, a female, a gay.... etc. And we can't stop people doing that because it's part of being human, we authority automatically categorise things, we see patterns. But that doesn't mean we have to accept it, humans are as Terry Pratchett described fantastically as the:

"place between the falling angel and the rising ape."

We are physical, biological creatures with innate, illogical behaviours and urges. But we are also intelligent, sapient beings. We are aware. We should recognise and accept these biological hangups without guilt (and without denying they exist in the first place), but we also need to accept that we can be better and strive to be better. We are enlightened and we need to start acting like it.

Bit of of a long winded explanation but stay with me. I like to imagine humans as gemstones. We come in an endless multitudes of shapes, sizes and colours. And while some stones seem to have worth greater than others, it matters what you do with them. An uncut diamond won't catch your eye, but even common garden quartz can steal the show if you present it right.

Over time we change ourselves or are changed by our environment. The facets cut into a stone are the aspects of our personality, or personas.

Some people have multiple, elaborate 'public faces' and switch between them rapidly, some will have one that never comes off, even when they are alone. It rarely reflects who or what they truly are.

We maintain a 'public face' to get us through the day, it's an essential part of our social structure. We *all* create a 'public face' or some variation thereof. Maybe it's because the job requires it, or we need a certain type of face to get ahead. Maybe it's not safe where we are; to show our 'real faces'.

Strangers can see the only see the one facet of you; your public facing persona. The flat surface and edges they can see give us shape, a face. The problem with this is that they then make an assumption based on this limited information and semantics.

The behaviour and mannerisms we use for our 'public face' is more often than not a learned behaviour not truly us (for a whole bunch of reasons). Strangers use this limited information, plus visual signals from things like clothing, to subconsciously categorise us.

This particularly is wildly inaccurate as there is no universal rulebook for being human, everyone has their own set of arbitrary rules. You might think the semantics of your outfit clearly say one thing, but someone from a different environment / generation / area / culture would read it completely differently.

For example, nail polish on masculine people. If you're under 30 and from a relatively liberal area; and you see a masculine looking person wearing nail polish you wouldn't automatically assume they were female. You might look for other signs and signals if they were dreased neutrally. But a person over 50, nail polish on masculine persons would probably land you in one of two three categories: female, gay or deviant. Because the additional options of 'just likes nail polish', 'gender neutral', etc didn't exist when they were growing up and learning about social signalling. And therein lies the root cause of many cross generational issues.*

Like the facets of a gemstone, shape that the stranger sees isn't a true reflection of its actual shape. They might see a triangle outline and assume you are therefore, a pyramid. Not realising or even really caring that the flat surface is not the sum of your parts.

A friend views you with understanding of other dimensions. Even if they don't actually know, they are more informed. They might have seen some of your other facets, in different social situations. They might have known you long before you started to carve out and polish your faces. They might know what you strive to be, and are helping you get there. They might even see themselves in you, and recognise some shared line and angles.

A friend is not judging you or reducing you to a label. They know you. You are a person to them, and a cherished one at that.

To stranger you are a thing. Your identity is reduced to the descriptor they choose, completely out of your control. A descriptor which will affect how they treat you. And when there is an imbalance of power, how they treat you can have devastating social, physical and psychological effects on you.

*Current Cross Generational Issues

Humans never stop learning. If we did, we wouldn't have such fantastic, adaptive brains as adults. And particularly so if you believe in God rather than evolution; God apparently created us in His image; a creator. He did not make us to be obedient sheep, for that he made actual sheep. He made us, to make things, to change the world, to be greater than the animals.

Society changes. We are not supposed to be static. We are made to improvise, to adapt, to overcome (sorry). Previously change has been gradual steady progression, but now we have gone through huge technological and sociologial changes in less than 2 generations. Humans have always walked the knife edge of creativity, too much and they are dangerous and shunned, not enough and we stagnate and fail to thrive.

The consious mind delights at innovation and progress and marches for change the monkey brain is afraid. The monkey brain is afraid of change, of things being different. Because in biology, different is dangerous.

You can see that behaviour in older generations. For one, being old was an achievement, you beaten the odds and as such you had a certain status. But now, living to old age isn't an achievement, it's the default. So we no longer hold the older generations in such high esteem, and they feel cheated. They saw their parents and grandparents treated that way and want the same. They feel entitled to the 'respect', without actually earning it.

Secondly you can see examples of this biological fear of 'the other' in things like xenophobia, racism and strict social structures. Here's a fantastic article on why we are afraid of people being different. And why we, as enlightened humans have responsibility to recognise the fear and move past it. It's a psychological, biological response that is no longer useful or relevant.

You can see it's more subtle influence in the rigid, homogeneous society of our parents generation and beyond. From overall social expectations to do X, Y, Z. Eg. Get a job, get married, get a house, have kids, die mad. Down to 'keeping up appearances'. Everyone will have had the same pointless argument with their mothers and grandmothers at some point; you have to do X because what will other people think? It was important that you presented yourself in a certain specific way. Being different was frowned upon.

We embraced the monkey brain because we thought we needed it. Times were scarse. The great depression was a strong cultural memory. And we were afraid of not having enough.

But now we have no excuse. We are in unparalleled times of plenty. And it's our responsibility to change accordingly. We have no reason to be afraid, to enforce strict societal standards. We have no reason to be greedy and hord resources. An intense need to have things and to keep them, is the monkey brain talking.

I wish people understood that nb people gendering themselves and playing around with gendered terms and letting their friends gender them is like…. Different than a stranger gendering you. Because with a stranger, I have no idea how you’re navigating my gender, other than that you’re calling me by limiting terms and judging me based on those limited terms. Whereas with myself and my friends like….. I know them calling me a queen or king or boy or bitch or whatever… They Get It and they Know what I am so they aren’t limiting me, they’re playing in the space that is gender. So, I guess bottom line is: if you’re a stranger, stop assuming you can gender and label people who you don’t know.