#I THINK SOMEONE WILL RECOGNISE A TEMPLATE

[laxietindy]

venom: i wanna fuck u so bad

eddie: why r u so damn horny?

venom: idk i wasn't loved on my planet

[swanimagines]

The Umbrella Academy: Imagine being part of Klaus Hargreeves’s cult and him falling in love with you.

requested by anon

Note: nowadays all requests are done straight to asks, this is my old template of posting and I no longer have their asks!

Your life had never been anything glamorous. It felt as if luck had decided to abandon you the moment you were born — your parents leaving you at the doorstep of a chapel shortly after birth, being taken in by nuns in a monastery, having to deal with beatings whenever you dared to question what God supposedly said. Everything was sin, you were expected to devote your life to the Lord without no one asking what you wanted.

When you were a teenager, you couldn’t take it anymore, and you ran away in the dead of the night. You successfully stole clothes as no one would suspect a nun to commit such a sin. And then you just… drifted around, doing work where you could be taken in, sleeping in the backroom of your current workplace, trying to avoid customers the best you could in fear someone would recognise you.

But one day, you met Klaus, and he just… managed to make you feel like you had finally come home for the first time, his demeanor just glowed with hope and safety. Something in him just pulled you in, and before you knew it, you lived in his manor, sitting there with other “children” and listened to this man preaching about the world and its state.

But the shadows of your past found you eventually, and one night you woke up in cold sweat, heart racing, frantically expecting one of the sisters standing there at the doorway, ready to beat you with the Bible. But then the familiar, musky scent of the bedroom filled your nostrils and you sighed, trying to calm down. You still got up from your bed and tiptoed outside, wandering into the small gazebo by the pond and sitting down. You listened to the grasshoppers, the rustle of trees as a gentle gush of wind blew through, and you slowly felt at peace again.

Then, footsteps. You whipped your head around to look and saw your leader slowly making his way towards the gazebo, a soft smile on his face.

“You couldn’t sleep either?” Klaus asked, taking a seat across from you. You shook your head.

“Nightmares again,” you mumbled, rubbing your knees. “They just seem to follow me everywhere.”

He sighed, before slowly shifting and making his way to sit beside you. “You’re my favorite from the family, you know.”

You turned to look at him, your eyebrows shooting up. “Oh? Why is that?”

He smiled at you again, before taking your hand. “You’re amazing, clever, loyal, and I… I sense you will do great things in the future.”

You couldn’t help but scoff and let out a little laugh. “Are you sure it’s me you’re talking about?”

He wasn’t laughing, rather his smile disappeared. “Don’t you dare think anything less of yourself than you are.”

You squeezed his hand gently, before shaking your head as tears began forming in your eyes. “I’ve been ridiculed and belittled all my life. I’ve been broken and torn apart for so long, how could I possibly mend myself together to go out there and do something good, something that matters?”

He was silent, and you pulled your hand off his hand to wipe your eyes before you closed them and took in a shaky breath, squeezing the bench.

Klaus looked at you for a moment. Ben had left his side now, understanding the delicate situation that required you two to be alone. A moment ago, he had been teasing Klaus for being so lovey-dovey the moment he sat beside you, and Klaus had tried to remind himself not to swat him, or rather the air through him. But now, there were actually just the two of you, sitting there in silence. Klaus waited for you to speak again for a moment, but then he just couldn’t wait anymore and cupped your cheek, guiding you gently to look at him. 

“You’re broken, that’s true. But,” he whispered and wiped a tear away from your cheek, “you can heal, even if it doesn’t feel like that now. And one day, you will thrive again. Our whole family believes in you here.”

And I believe in you the most, because I have grown to feel deeper for you, to love you, he thought, but left it unsaid. If you wouldn’t return his feelings, him just slapping his feelings at you could, and likely would, ruin the moment. And he wanted nothing more than to bask in hope, establish a stronger bond, and wait that maybe one day you’d return his feelings or at least gave enough signs that he would be confident enough to take the jump.

He felt so much, for the first time in years he could feel happiness and euphoria without drugs. Feeling like his “children” were fond of him, but honestly he’d give it all away for you. If his family ever disbanded, he would be happy they went to spread the word of peace to others, but he just hoped you would stay with him. This timeline, being in the middle of the Cold War, being afraid of Russians… it was different. Different atmosphere, even when he knew nothing would happen. Him being able to “predict” some things had gathered the first batch of the family, which had then slowly grown. He would have never believed that one of the people joining his family would be someone like you.

And now, looking into your eyes, his eyes wandered around your face. Your lips.

He took in a breath and retreated from you, before doing anything drastic. “We should go back to sleep.”

He stood up, but you grabbed his hand before he could start walking. “Klaus?”

He turned, meeting your eyes again. Your lips widened into a careful smile as you stood up too and you bit your lip. “Thank you.”

He nodded, offering you a smile as well, and you walked back to the mansion together, and Klaus went to sleep grinning like a schoolboy, knowing Ben was following him with a smirk. And when he took off his slippers and the bathrobe, Ben’s voice chuckled from the darkness. “Well, well. Looks like it went better than you thought.”

Klaus sighed dreamily, sitting up against the headboard of his bed and looked at Ben. “They’re wonderful, the angel in the darkness, the flower in the middle of a burned field…”

Ben laughed, cutting Klaus off. “Yeah, I figured. Your face when you look at them, I wish I could use a camera. Or that we even had a camera, I’d—”

Klaus interrupted him, clearly not even listening. “They’re wonderful, Ben. Simply wonderful. I wish I could marry them on the spot.”

Ben chuckled again. “Well, this is a cult—”

Klaus immediately scowled. “This is not a cult, how many times—”

“This is most definitely a cult.”

Klaus sighed and dramatically slid to lie down, turning his back on Ben and pulling the blanket over him like a child. Ben huffed and shook his head, taking a seat on the armchair by the window and waiting until the morning. He couldn’t wait to see how desperately in love Klaus would grow out to be as his interactions with you would continue.

---

Requests are open! FANDOM LIST | PROMPT LIST(S) | RULES (READ!!!)

[sweetsunshinedarling]

Posted this on Twitter, but kinda wanna post a longer more detailed version here. Might at some point write up other theories and readings for YBG on here too, but we will see~

Long ramble on a theory I have had for a while (2021-22ish)

Your girlfriend game (abbreviated to just YGG from this point on) is actually going to take place before YBG. Twist will be TK was the Y/N of that game. Perhaps canon ending being they got out by divesting themselves of you the player & running away to where they work now. (kinda hammers home that you the player are one of the antagonists of the story to have an ending where they do that too. Like YBG having the hints and YGG spelling it out for you in case you missed it).

TK says at one point they know first hand what it's like dealing with creeps & seem to have move to a dead end job/bad neighbourhood despite having a loving & supporting family. Were they running away from someone? (Sarah?) Plus they pick up on Peter real quick. Could that be from having a very similar experience?

Other possible twist. Peter has a cameo in YGG. Real brief though. We're talking shows up at Sarahs home uninvited to get something. Maybe they have an argument that you can vaguely overhear but at first you can't even see him. Then she brings him in to get the thing. He sees you, all out gawks for a bit saying very little and she kicks him out again.

Basically he see TK/Y/N aka YOU, so he actually has the first feeling of falling in love for the very first time ever. Something he previously didn't think he was ever going to experience. (but he doesn't recognise what that is as never had it). And him finding you miles away was him trying to track down TK/original Y/N sometime after the events of YGG once he realises what it was.

But by the time he caught up TK was already divested from YOU the player & was by rights their own person, so he ended up finding the new Y/N instead. (all planned by the creator of course since they like to see themselves as an evil mastermind) He never connects the dots neither does TK as they would both look very different by this point/first time they meet it was brief.

The majority of the game, perhaps even most endings you wouldn't know it's TK. Maybe the Peter cameo could even be in some routes but it would be a great way to tie the games if YGG ever gets made lol.

I just think it would be an explanation as to why TK seems a bit different than the other 3? + them dying the hair green as a way to customise themselves in a way is a cool thing. Like making themselves their own person. Since Y/N is like a blank template. TK also shares somethings in common with Y/N. Being none binary, having or had to deal with a creep.

Plus, by different than the other 3 I mean they are the only one that hasn't been written to do anything untoward towards Y/N (lol wording). If anything they can ONLY be helpful. Don't really need to say anything about Peter but the other 2 aren't exactly innocent. Spoilers and these are things that the creator could change or go back on but Don has apparently been taking photos of Y/N and being creepy with them. Plus Lucy's sex scene could be read as just non con or dubcon. When you are very vulnerable she gets you drunk/high and then the next minute is on you when you don't actually have the option to consent. TK doesn't get a single hint that their inclined to do anything creepy toward you. They instead go out of their way to assist, kinda like they've been through it before and want to lessen the burden for you.

I feel like it's important to note that all 4 of them know they are in a game. Below image for evidence and to be honest I feel like I could post a whole discussion about the below too. Worth noting that my read of it is the 4 know they are in a game but Peter is the only one that doesn't reset ever and is therefore basically tortured by the game and may have even changed the game in small ways.

I think the games evolved and changed overtime, which is natural for any game in development. And while I believe YBG was more fully imagined first, I can see as it was becoming a more solid concept that YGG would get built up too. Giving the other 3 sentience opens it up to the idea that they could get up to shit too. So, the idea that TK was a Y/N that kinda said fuck this and bounced and made a place for themselves in this weird fake world isn't all that crazy.

Also cool take on self aware AI being like no fuck this narrative but then getting condemned in a different way because these are horror games after all.

Example of TK as a Y/N that I drew in 2022 when I first put down my thoughts on this being a possibility to show the vision lol. They would work well colour scheme wise as they could very easily use the opposite colours while maintaining a bland enough base for you to project your character on to. Not that Y/N has a model in game, only ever art outside of the game, but you get what I mean lol.

I like them having their beanie instead of the cap! Plus them keeping it for a bunch of possible reasons. Remind them where they came from, or as a comfort thing. And the glasses work well in place of eyes and having th Y/N wording on them while still mixing up the design so that there is a definite divide between the two games and the Y/N despite being a vessel for the player still feels like their own character.

I also wonder if the candle tattoo is a hint to them having been a Y/N?

Side note lol: Worth noting TK didn't always have freckles & still doesn't in game but I like to think of them & the tattoo as ways in which they have made themselves their own person. Same with the piercings and green hair. I can't be sure but I think the candle came a fair bit after too, as the creator was ironing out their own stories.

Tattoos can have meanings and a quick google search of a candle tattoo (which another side note, since they have no other visible tattoos and a candle is so fucking specific I feel like it HAS to mean something to the creator to give them it in the first place)

Possible meanings found when googling:

More than the sum of it's parts. Candles are just wax and wick and yet they are capable of producing light etc. In my reading TK gave themselves this as a reminder that they are more than just a Y/N, more than an empty vessel for the player. They have made themselves a person with just a little light (power) from their own actions.

A light in the darkness. Something people might get that have dealt with bad times in their life, they have managed to get through and found the light for example. Links in with something bad happening to them before the game as discussed earlier. Something that keeps them going. It being on their back does also show that they are literally leaving it behind them.

Or admittedly, it could solely be to represent that they are the light for the player. Since they are always so helpful etc lol.

I just think if this was a thing it would be a neat twist that would better connect the games while also adding to the horror of it all.

[whispersinthedawn]

Concealed in the Coriolis ch 3

“Is this ... an assassination attempt?” the voice of the priest asked from behind him, sounding bemused.

Abruptly, rage filled Percy’s veins. The man had just watched Percy attack someone unprovoked and hadn’t even attempted to help – merely stood by as an indifferent observer unrelated to the happenings.

Percy whirled around. “Why, are you important?” he sneered.

He crawled a threatening inch closer to the man, willing to claw at his face and leave him as disfigured as the putrid nature of his soul if he wouldn’t lift a single finger to help a woman possibly dying right in front of him.

Lee would have never allowed any of this. This man didn’t deserve to share any resemblance to a boy who had unflinchingly rushed into battle with giants even knowing the consequences, who had once poured all his energies into healing a demigod until forcefully dragged away because the body in front of him had long since gone cold.

Galene could be slipping beyond the Styx. She could be dying inch by inch that very moment, even her sluggishly flowing blood not enough to rejuvenate cells deprived of oxygen for too long.

The priest didn’t even glance at Galene.

“I am Apollonius!” the priest growled out, flapping his cloak so that the winglike protrusions on it flared into view.

“Of Rhodes?” Percy scorned. “Because that’s the only Apollonius worth remembering.”

And that in itself was a comment about his lack of remarkableness since all Percy could recall was that Annabeth both admired and resented the man. Something about a talented poet with a habit of choosing deplorable topics on which to compose a poem. 

History would just have to make do with one less epic poet if this priest was Apollonius of Rhodes.

Apollonius barked a sharp laugh full of rage. “Do you think your status as a princess will protect you from my wrath?” he hissed. “You, who have already proven your inability to recognise your family, displayed a callous willingness to kill trusted retainers, and have fortuitously removed any witnesses from the room? Who is to gainsay me if I were to say you attacked me?”

The Iliad’s beginning ran through Percy’s mind. Sing, oh goddess, of Achilles’s rage. The tale of animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon, two of the greatest Greek warriors – and yet, was the anger of Achilles not incited by Apollo when he set plague loose on the Greeks? All because of a love for his priest, who failed to ransom his daughter from Agamemnon.

The God of Truth might discern the truth of his priest’s falsehoods, but who would dare risk divine wrath by harbouring someone who would harm a priest?

Percy clenched his teeth together, fuming, heartsore, but with the faint flickers of cold reason cooling his impetuousness. “She is not dead,” he said stiffly. “You may check for yourself.”

‘Not due to your lack of trying!’ Coronis accused him.

“I didn’t try to kill her!” Percy shouted at her.

He hadn’t, he hadn’t. Why couldn’t she just understand that and stop transmitting hatred, panic, and rage at him? Didn't she know he couldn’t think with her emotions running rampant through his head?

A moment of silence before Apollonius asked, “Who are you talking to?”

Coronis’s silver, translucent eyes widened. ‘Can you see me?’ she asked the priest.

Percy experienced a moment of mingled hope and terror, but Apollonius just studied him with cold calculation in his eyes. 

“Someone ...” Percy started before pausing. What guarantee did he have that this priest was not a gingerbread house built to conceal the cauldron to boil his flesh? Simply because he invoked a trust and longing that rightfully belonged to Lee? Was that not a tally against the sincerity of this illusion?

Someone who reminded Percy so acutely of Lee might as well have been built with the son of Apollo as the template. And Ixion – couldn’t that be the Triton Percy had hoped for in fanciful dreams he’d nonetheless half-convinced himself to be prophetic instead of the stiff, resentful merman who’d confronted him in Atlantis instead? There was even something of a resemblance.

Phlegyas – Phlegyas might as well be a Poseidon who had foresworn his wife and the gates of Olympus, or a kind-faced Paul who had raised Percy. And Cleophema the version of Sally who had never ruined her life to protect Percy’s, who had never torn apart every shred of her happiness to chain herself to Gabe and wasted her youth for Percy, who was queen of a prosperous kingdom, had a Muse for a mother who’d bless all her literary leanings, and a husband who’d stand by her side.

“You’re just an illusion,” Percy breathed out in relief. “You’re not real.”

‘You’re delusional,’ Coronis whispered in horror. ‘You don’t even think we’re real. None of us – you're going to just kill everyone because we aren’t alive in the first place.’

“Just because you’re not real doesn’t mean I’m going to kill everyone,” Percy protested. He wasn’t – he hadn’t even tried to kill Galene. Merely remove her from the way with the means at his disposal. Or would Coronis have preferred that he crack Galene’s head open just like her own had been?

Percy swayed with dizziness.

But Coronis wasn’t real either.

“Can you sit down, dear?” Apollonius asked softly, eyes pinched in wariness. “You look like you’re in pain.”

‘Don’t be taken in by him!’ Coronis shouted in warning. ‘He’s going to hurt you too!’

“I’m not going to hurt him,” Percy snapped, losing his temper. He wasn’t a monster lashing out indiscriminately at everyone around him. This was the priest he’d planned to obtain aid from.

But whatever glimpse of his intentions Coronis received from the river flooding their two banks instilled the deepest panic in her.

She rose to her feet, the caved-in side of her head with its matted strands on full display, and flung herself at Apollonius, shrieking, ‘You have to leave.’

She passed straight through the priest and crashed onto the floor behind him but Apollonius ... froze.

“What was that?” he breathed out, lips barely moving.

Percy stared at the spooked priest in shock. Had ... had he felt Coronis? Had a figment of Percy’s imagination experienced the healing rush, the cooling breeze, the eerie intermingling, with another figment of Percy’s imagination?

A crack appeared in the wall around Percy’s mind that he frantically shored up with wet sand and limp hopes.

“Did you feel something?” Percy asked in Coronis’s tiny voice.

Apollonius trembled.

Tentatively, uncertain yet unable to abandon all hope, Coronis swiped a hand through Apollonius’s bare calf.

This time the reaction was more prominent. Apollonius shivered and swivelled around in a panic, but try as he might, his wildly darting eyes failed to find anything. He backed towards the wall, suspicion settling into harsh lines on his face.

“What are you?” he demanded.

‘I’m Coronis,’ the dead spirit on the floor cried out.

“I’m,” Percy tried, instantly drawing Apollonius’s attention.

Coronis screamed – a high-pitched shriek that had Percy slamming his palms against his ears.

And threw herself at Apollonius.

The wall, perhaps spelled to repel spirits or perhaps it was merely a remnant of her soul’s belief that humans couldn’t cross ten-foot tall obstacles of mud and wood plastered with tiles, crushed her nose.

But for a few fraught seconds, Apollonius and Coronis shared the same space, breathed the same air, and might as well have been the same people.

‘Kill him, kill him, kill him,’ Coronis chanted.

“Who are you?” Apollonius whispered again, eyes glowing with the impending signs of a magical outburst.

“I’m, I’m Percy,” Percy stuttered. “And that’s Coronis. I just woke up in her body. And ... and I think she’s dead. She's dead and this isn’t real, and I just want to wake up.”

‘Kill him, he hurt Galene, he’s going to hurt everyone,’ Coronis pleaded.  

“An eidolon,” Apollonius concluded.

“No, this is a Mist illusion,” Percy corrected like a broken tape recorder.

He hoped this was an illusion.

The alternative was too terrible to contemplate.

“An illusion, you say?” Apollonius asked, voice a strange sort of dispassionate that made Percy wary.

“Yes.”

'Please, you must stop him. I can’t. I tried, but I just pass through him. It's my body but he keeps doing terrible things with it!’ Coronis cried out, lying without shame.

Percy glared at her, and indirectly, at Apollonius too. Percy had committed only one terrible act with Coronis’s hands, and even then, had he but known Galene was the shade of loyal who would let her mistress kill her, he would have simply insisted harder that she leave the room.

But he hadn’t known. Because he wasn’t Coronis. Even though he’d displaced her from her own body and replaced her with no one the wiser, which he supposed gave her ample reason to claim he’d committed atrocities.

He'd stolen her body.

Except this was an illusion so no one had stolen anything.

Apollonius blinked before his drawn-up shoulders relaxed into a loose-limbed fighter’s stance. He smiled. “Illusion, delusion, or displacement – there's a very simple way to find out.”

***

Because most of the comments on Coronis on AO3 seem to be how much people dislike her - as far as she knows, she got murdered so Percy could steal her body, seduce a god with her body, then cheat on Apollo so obviously that he kills her and sends her father to Tartarus. And, even if she were to withhold judgment because he doesn't particularly want to do this, Percy goes and nearly kills the woman who might as well be an aunt. Percy is the villain in her story, and if she must get her body made permanently beyond habitation, then that's what she will do. Because that's what heroes do. Sacrifice themselves to protect others.

***

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[yesmissnyx]

Dear Ms. Nyx,

(Asking on annon cause im nervous of ridicule)

I am a sub exploring kink with my partner and i have been reading your posts about how subs can stand out/interact healthily as part of the kink community. (I believe it was specifically about finding a dom but it had a lot on good healthy interaction too.) And the follow up ask from a dom adding their thoughts.

And i had a question. In both there was an emfasis on recognising thak kink is play/a game/a fantasy. (The ask also mentioned the red flag of subs who just want to be taken care of. Which feels related and linked to my point). And that is all understandable on some level. But not on others.

Like for me some aspects of kink are a game or fantasy that we engage in. (Bondage aspects, petplay and others) but some aspects for us are... lifestyle/relationship patterns? Like i have a praise kink and generally act pretty submissive in our relationship. So we will use praise and nicknames/petnames as a way of showing affection and connection. Or we both take care for eachother and account for each other's needs, but she often does it informed with the ways of care and being that we have explored in more explucitly kink and sexual spaces and takes the soft dominant aspects through other parts of our life together.

And i get how in sometimes it feels like play or a game but for the most part it just feels like here is love and kindness and what that means. And what a relationship means for us? Like its not a game or just a fantasy

Im just worried that i am doing it wrong or causing harm/ being unsafe.

(All of the interactions and dynamics i have duscribed have been talked over and negociated properly to be clear. We are pretty good at communication like that and well address when things go wrong(but again thats just normal relationship things its not a scene we aren't acting?))

Thanks for offering your thoughts.

Ooh, hmm! Interesting question!

I'd never thought that thinking of or referring to D/s elements as "play" or "fantasy" could feel potentially confusing or invalidating for some people.

While BDSM is often in the realm of RP/fantasy for many, that doesn't mean that it can't be Very Real and Very Much a part of a relationship. Especially a long-term committed romantic one! Not all D/s relationships have traditional scenes, or an on/off switch. Not all aspects of D/s feel like play.

That being said, you aren't obligated to think of it as "play" (read: Not Real) if that isn't what feels good for you and your partner.

Personally, I LOVE lifestyle dynamics. I enjoy D/s as a part of a relationship, all the time, 24/7. It's not necessarily play for me--sometimes it's just two people making each other feel loved and cared for in ways that are decidedly kinky.

On the note of the aforementioned red flags, it's only when a potential sub acts entitled to being taken care of, that it's a red flag. ESPECIALLY when they do so before any negotiation or communication, which is often the case.

(General sidenote: this is why the "uwu mommy breastfeed me" DMs to strangers usually don't get aspiring subs anywhere except with scammers, cum-and-go types, and abusers.)

THIS is why communication is key! I've known Dom/mes who WANT someone to be their useless little kittycat fucktoy meow-meow brat, but because everyone's negotiated, everyone's needs are being met.

But, back to the other part of your question! I think the fact that you're continually communicating and negotiating and listening to each other (I hope!) should help you navigate away from harm.

If referring to certain aspects of your relationship as "play" makes you feel bad, then it's worth having a conversation about it!

All in all, it's good to interrogate why you might feel different or weird about a common kink practice, but at the end of the day, your relationship is YOUR relationship. Everyone involved is an individual.

Think about what you learn, be honest and communicate. Luckily, there's no one template for kink relationships. (This is a good thing!)

Keep communicating with your partner, stay safe and hope this helps!

[scary-pixie]

LET'S DO IT: Send your letters to Netflix on FRIDAY 13th. Details below.

Shared (with permission) from https://www.reddit.com/r/1899/

What?

Send physical letters to Netflix. I saw the idea in this post and its comments. Time to do it, isn't it?

[If I have missed an initiative that is already trying to put this into action, let me know below.]

Why?

More tangible than a petition (even though I also love the latter). Ideally, it could be picked up by some media outlets. Highly symbolic, a perfect fit for 1899. It shows we are a committed fanbase that is willing to go to great lengths to renew the show and ultimately recruit new viewers/advertise the show.

As individuals, it will take us only a couple of minutes to prepare. As a group, it could have a nice impact.

When?

Let's aim to get them in the mail on Friday, January 13th, wherever you are. This will mean that many will arrive at the same time, while others will flood in later in waves.

Some people mentioned that this is too soon. I understand, but I assume that many people will manage. I think it is important to keep the momentum up and do it fairly soon. So try to do it on Friday, but obviously it's also perfectly fine if you do it at a later time.

How?

I'll categorise this into subpoints as it has many facets.

Send to?

Most people in the comment seemed to consider the US headquarters the best target. Makes sense.

If you can do so, please send it to:

Netflix Corporate Headquarters 100 Winchester Circle, Los Gatos, CA 95032 United States

If this is not feasible for you (too expensive, ...), consider sending it to

Netflix Services Germany GmbH, Friedrichstraße 88 10117, Berlin Germany

How to design the letter?

I think it should be as simple as possible while being immediately recognisable. It would make sense to have one common element, while individually one may add to the content of the letter.

My suggestion for the element common to all letters: Write...

"What is lost, must be found" [so they look similar to how they are in the series; "must" to connect it to the renewal request] and

"#save1899"

... on the outside (backside) of the letter.

Make it positive: Hating Netflix won't bring us far. No hate, just show your affection for the series and creators.

To lower the barriers for those who wouldn't know what to write:

just focus on the envelope. The slogans above could be enough. Regarding the content: Maybe someone can post a template (containing 3 sentences or so that everyone can write)?

someone in the comments suggested this: "Dear Netflix, 1899 has the potential to be one of your staples and an exemplary display of creativity in storytelling and visual arts. Baran Bo Odar and Jantje Friese have already proven their ability to accomplish a fantastic show with Dark. Please reconsider your decision to cancel 1899, and give it another chance! #renew1899 #save1899 "

Contact media outlets

Media coverage would be beneficial. To achieve that, we should contact some media outlets that have covered 1899's cancellation already. This would be a heads-up in the sense: There's something coming, please watch out and maybe write an article. Some of them were:

Variety

NME

Hollywood Reporter

Deadline

CNET

Daily Mail

Collider

Vulture

Inverse

....

What to do next?

Spread the word (friends, other social media platforms); prepare

Help me:

if you have time, look up addresses (or think about where to send it)

I'll edit the post to add your research from time to time.

make suggestions for the design

remember though that it should be easy enough to implement for everyone - that's why I think a simple common element on the outside is good, while you can put whatever 1899-related you want on the inside

lookup media outlets and contact them (let others know in the comments); tell them that they may watch out for this and cover the story

Check out this post for further updates

Anything to add to this post??

Moderators: Should this post be supported by many people, could you pin it until Friday?

On Friday 13th: SEND!

Send as many as you feel comfortable with.

[anonymous-character-tournament]

how serious should i be about non-guessability? your template has very specific facts about the character - i'm wondering, if i listed characteristics this specific, wouldn't a character be immediately recognizeable to those who know the source material? or is the goal only to keep the description vague enough so the people who knew them by osmosis only wouldn't guess?

I think it'd be very difficult to make it truly unguessable to fans of the source material. Maybe just try to make the character sound cool in a way that would conceivably get someone interested in learning more, and avoid the things recognisable by someone who's only heard of the source material.

I know I'm not being specific, but I feel it's a bit of a subjective thing. Maybe try using your bullet points to describe the character to someone you know who doesn't know them and see if they guess?

[kari-go]

Yes, hero names is something interesting to think of but also you often run into walls such as them turning too similarly made or a fitting name being already used. Having a grasp of a character's personality is often helpful still. (Like how in canon when they gave Nathalie the alias Mayura which is in Sanskrit, it established her as someone who is interested in Sanskrit and possibly ancient cultures in general, confirmed later when we learned she searched for ancient artifacts professionally)

Yeah, I have the repeating problem with Marinette and Lila, kinda (also with the actual suits, I have templates for the holders so most of the suits just start looking the same). Marinette needs her Ladybug persona to be recognisable and the name is one of the easiest ways to go. You hear Lady and go 'ah, that's Ladybug, it'll be fine.'. That's also why no one else has Lady in their name. It's her thing. Her other name system is a lot more.. Lax? There's a lot of space to be creative. Lila is just trying to appear cute.

Anyway, I really like Rena Rouge. Rena can be short for renard which is fox in French but it also means fox in Haitian-Creole which is just a nice hint of her identity while still not being telling.

Gato Noir is kinda similar to that. I got the name from the European Portuguese dub. I like it, it can be confusing about his identity since gato means cat in Spanish and most people's minds went to that instead of Portuguese. Chris also thought that he was Spanish until Gato corrected him when he called him Gatito.

[notthemothman]

Sexual Dimorphism in monster-fucking: What makes a feminine monster?

Recently, I saw an old meme from like years ago ragging on media for treating male and female monsters differently. The guys can be overtly monstrous, but the girls have to be the same standard "Sexy woman" template with different skin tones.

Personally, I like my monster-ladies to be far more monstrous than this, I think its too boring to call something a "Monster" and have it just be someone in body paint. Still, it got me thinking about femininity and masculinity, and how it translates into the monsters we create for the purpose of fucking.

In monster fucking circles, I will see loads of people thirsting over big, scary, monster dudes, and there's nothing wrong with that. What I can't help but notice though, is that they are monster GUYS, with overtly masculine features like wide shoulders, high musculature, and deep voices.

When these monsters are adapted into women (For a different audience or some other reason), frequently, they retain much of their masculine traits. A werewolf woman, just like a werewolf guy, will retain a huge stature, big muscles, and generally retain the features of her male counterparts, just now, she has boobs or whatever. (not complaining btw, I love big ripped werewolf ladies)

So, is masculinity monstrous? or is monstrosity masculine? I dunno.

What I'm trying to figure out now is femininity, how does one make an overtly monstrous, yet highly feminine monster? A werewolf lady, if we grant her certain visible characteristics, can be immediately recognised as a woman, but she is still built off of the masculine framework set by her male counterpart.

How does one build a monster from the ground up as feminine, but retain the fact that she is monstrous? For some reason, I'm leaning towards the Xenomorph... but I don't know why...

I'd love to hear what anyone else thinks, or if I'm being ignorant, someone let me know so I can stop making a fool of myself. A lot of what I've said is filled with blanket statements and I get that. Nothing of what I've said is supposed to apply to literally every single thing, I've just noticed these things, and want to know if anyone else has noticed them too.

[ccoocckk]

Since I’ve seen a few posts claiming resemblance of the caricature to the happy merchant, I figure I’d add my unwarranted views on why I think asking for others to not use this template for something like this is misguided:

- the green dude does not have any salient uses here on tumblr as an antisemitic caricature or dog whistle, at least to my knowledge. The only other instance I’ve seen this is the Descartes cogito one

- people who claim the guy resembles the happy merchant are justified, it absolutely does. However, that doesn’t make its use a dogwhistle of antisemitic sentiment nor a covert endorsement from unknowing people

- a dogwhistle has to have a recognisable meaning to some group of people who want to recognise each other’s attitudes towards some group they can’t outwardly express hate towards, but it’s difficult to see who that is in this case

- just think: how many people would be simultaneously gleefully antisemitic and possibly nonbinary (and able to admit to themselves) and hoping to find others who are the same?

- but there’s still reason to dislike the use of the guy. Given his resemblance to the happy merchant, it might cause some unwanted associations or mislead people into believing this signals antisemitic intent

- I don’t think that allowing symbols that resemble known hate symbols to be shared will necessarily spread the associated hate to people very unlikely to hold those views, once again, I haven’t seen this specific image used by antisemitic people for hateful memes

- the surprise people in the notes have to people pointing out its resemblance to happy merchant is indication that people aren’t attending to antisemitic content with this meme, and I think that’s because the salient point of comparison for a lot of people is the Descartes cogito one, from which it’s extraordinarily difficult to find antisemitic content or plausibly see that as having contributed to the spread of antisemitic sentiment.

- If anything, we find the meme absurd and accommodate the content of the text with the image.

- I think the recognisable meaning we have for this meme template is that it expresses mischief in someone’s uncertainty about a topic in a humorous way: either doubting that one exists by claiming they don’t exactly think in the cogito case, or doubting that one either is or is not nonbinary (a hint at dialetheism, or a nonbinary sentiment towards the truth value of propositions).

- Its pattern of use, then, is an expression of indecisiveness, and not obviously a hateful symbol.

- But that obviously doesn’t exclude the possibility that its original intention was hate, but that is simply unknown to us now, and it seems like people who accommodate the text in this case don’t see hate as an intention, most likely.

[rebellum]

Had a funny dream last night about someone leaving a dumb comment on one of my posts and I responded with a bunch of memes I made

It's like the angry white woman gif but the caption was like "me when someone tells me that gender is not the only oppression, nor even necessarily the primary factor of oppression, and that gender, sex, race, class, fatphobia, ableism, etc all intertwine in various ways to create unique experiences of marginalisation"

Thats the only one I still remember, but in my dream it was HILARIOUS.

I think the dream was inspired by how a few days ago I had someone leave a comment on a post calling me transmisogynistic for, uh... recognising that a trans woman who is white, skinny, and publically passes as a conventionally feminine and attractive woman experiences society and the queer community very differently than trans woc, than fat trans women, than visibly gnc trans women, and that that influences how valid their gender is seen and leads to them having horrible experiences even within queer spaces.

Wait no it just remembered another meme. It was the "is this a pigeon?" meme but it had a caption like "when a woman insinuates that a woman's "failed" presentation of femininity has no bad affect on her and people won't treat her as subhuman for not performing acceptable femininity, but you're pretty fucking sure she has intimate and personal experience with misogyny so what is she even TALKING about"

^yeah that one... the meme had dream logic. That caption with that template doesn't make sense in the waking world.

Okay there's another one on the edge of my memory. I think it was the angry white woman gif again but the caption was like "when trans people of colour tell me I should listen to them" ahagwhejtkgl I think that one actually really works well. I might actually make that one.

[torn2]

Screen Printing

My nemesis. The reason that I paid someone to shuffle up my brain from the pencilled, illustrated neat engravings. Photographic in detail (if not in context). I like precise, accurate, recognisable portraits. It’s not that I don’t like mess, but within rigid boundaries.

I must have done screen printing, but I’m pretty persuasive. I probably talked my way into another etching. Because I like things just so. All that detail is so relaxing.

Yet… I’m trying ways to get out of the box. To have just unreal smudged symbols, on mess, on children’s drawings, on detail. I need to research now I know the pattern I want.

I’m not a natural size/shape or clumsiness for balancing large heavy objects. But hey, what’s the worst that could happen? There’s the silk screen framed, the paint proof layer & the acetate print of my shape (artistic design). There’s the weird machine that takes the acetate and frame and magically leaves blank the area of the design. The ink, the acetate to print a template on to, then under the acetate a way to centre the image (or get it on the paper at all.

With the squeegee in one hand, paper in my teeth, frame held up by my head, ink… well in too many places acetate hanging down, trying to move things with my other hand, I’m so the novice.

At least others had face planted their frames too out of confusion. This is literally complex stencilling (posh ones not cheap). How am I juggling.

I love the group, they make me feel not alone, not (so) inept, not alone in my confusion and know where the scissors are.

So I printed on whatever I found. It wasn’t amazing. But other people seemed to luck out with some combinations. That’s the inspiration to think deeper.

I want both contrast and harmony maybe together, maybe in separate prints. I want continuity of theme and opposite of theme. I want flow and I want symmetry.

Who knows. Watch this space.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #584

Top Ten Star Trek Starships

After a week of MCU melancholy and a week of desperately trying to think of coronation scenes that weren’t “bad comedy”, today we’re going to be more optimistic, turning our gaze ever skyward beyond the farthest horizon. Today we’re going… to space!

So, Star Trek. It’s very good. It might not quite have the bombastic majesty of the other Star franchise; and despite the best efforts of some B-tier programmes and some C-tier movies, the other Star franchise probably remains a little bit cooler (you should have been here in the nineties, man; the difference back then was stark). However, Trek arguably has the gravitas and the smarts and a sense of scientific, humanistic optimism. Yeah, okay, quality has fluctuated dramatically over the years – but what long-running franchise can claim otherwise? At its core, though, Star Trek remains a really compelling vision of a future where we really do all work together with the best interests of each other at heart. When that vision is compromised or threatened, someone (quite often a bald man) comes along and gives a speech about why we should really be a little bit better, and everyone goes home happy.

I’m not really talking about that today though. Today I’m talking about spaceships.

Okay, starships, to give them their proper in-universe term of reference. I guess this differentiates them from the smaller shuttles and the like, because generally speaking these girls are huge; vast capital ships, often bristling with armaments, designed to be deep-space explorers, or the last line of defence, or just really frickin’ badass. And Star Trek, to its credit, has always had a unique and very specific sense of design; it’s really disappointing if a Trek ship ever looks like it could come from another franchise. They have distinct and easily-recognisable lines and shapes, and if something ventures outside that universal design template – like the Borg cube, say – it sticks out as being strange and uncanny. And it’s really impressive that in the sixty-year history of the franchise, they’ve consistently done a good job of keeping the ships looking great whilst sticking to the style guide. You could argue that in the post Next Gen era – and here I’m talking about things like Voyager and even the TNG movies, not just Discovery onwards – that there’s a similarity of thought that creeps in, making it harder to differentiate one ship from the next in the way that the Enterprise-D was distinct from the Enterprise-A. But on the whole they’ve kept refining and designing and coming up with new ships that look the business, whether it’s the future or the past, whether it’s Starfleet or some other nefarious space race.

So that’s what we’re celebrating here – the bestest ships in the fleet. Engage.

Enterprise-D (Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1987): I can’t deny that in my heart of hearts I remain a Next Gen man, and this is clearly the best Enterprise. The sleek curving lines, the contours, the gorgeously round saucer section, the pleasingly chunky nacelles; it’s got everything. The best bridge, being bold and bright, with a fabulous arching console behind the comfy-looking captain’s chair. Even the walls look nice, soft and inviting, like they’re made of leather. Yeah, okay, the colour scheme is maybe a bit dated; it does have a touch of the eighties department store to it. But even before we discuss the technical capabilities, or the holodeck, or the fact the saucer section can come off, or that time the ship had a baby, or that they literally have dolphin on board… before all of that, it’d just the business.

Enterprise (Star Trek, 1966): I umm’d and ah’d for a long time over which version of, for want of a better phrase, “Kirk’s Enterprise” to include. When I think of it, really I think of the Enterprise-A, as that’s the one they receive at the end of Wrath of Khan and use throughout The Undiscovered Country; the “movie Enterprise”, if you will. But I think the bridge from the series, with its lashings of military grey and spots of primary colour, is prettier. Likewise I prefer the round nacelles and retro curves of the hull. It’s iconic, is what it is. Also, I’ve made the decision – having referenced Kirk’s ship and Picard’s – to stop listing Enterprises, otherwise the list would be half-full at least of ships bearing the number 1701.

Borg Cube (Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1988): the Borg cube is so far outside the realms of what we expect as to be deeply uncanny and scary. It’s just a great big cube in space, basically; no visible means of propulsion, no visible entrances or bridges or even weapons. Just a weird box of gubbins, lit from within by spooky Disney Villain Green. It feels alien, the way Klingon and Romulan ships don’t, really; something utterly strange and possibly dangerous. And inside it’s a warren of tiny dark corridors, sleeping drones attached to the walls, ready to come to life like the cocooned folk in Aliens and scare the bejesus out of you.

The Bounty (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, 1984): where possible here I’m going for particular, individual ships, but when we talk about the bad guys that’s often not really possible as we just see “a ship” pop up in one episode. Here, though, we can be clever, because the first appearance of a Klingon Bird of Prey is in Search for Spock; but it’s also the ship commandeered by Kirk and co. to travel back to the past in The Voyage Home. So Birds of Prey: I love their predatory design, the high wings and neck jutting out like the head of a bird. They’re sleek and fearsome but they also look fast, raptor-ish. They exemplify everything you need to know about Klingons, including their dark, utilitarian bridge. And they have a cloaking device. Refitted by Kirk’s crew, the Bounty becomes more comfortable for humans and even has space to hold two bloody big whales. What’s not to love?

Defiant (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 1994): most of these ships so far have been huge cities of the sky, but the Defiant is more Starbug than Red Dwarf. Sure, it’s fairly big – big enough for crew compartments and the like – but it’s a closer, tighter, more intimate ship, more of a souped-up shuttle. It’s got a really interesting design, with its shuttle-like nose and the typical Starfleet saucer incorporated into the body of the ship. And that’s before we get into how tough it is, a veritable battleship, and the only Federation craft with a Warp Drive. I think it is the Starbug-y nature of it that appeals to me, letting the crew go off on close-knit missions together away from their huge regular base.

Warbird (Star Trek: The Next Generation, 1988): back to the baddies for the Romulan Warbird – which, I’m reliably informed, is actually the D’deridex class of ship. It’s a huge green winged monster, dwarfing the Enterprise-D. Viewed from above, it has a rather funky bird-like silhouette, wings rising from its tail to meet its neck. However, from the side – or front – we see the swooping arches of its wings and, prominently, a huge curved face, like the art deco wall of some immense space skyscraper gracing the front of the ship. Sure, it’s got loads of badass weaponry and a cloaking device and all that jazz; but you can’t deny the Romulans knew how to make a sexy ship. Pity their sense of style didn’t spread to their tailoring.

Excelsior (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, 1984): the Enterprise, I feel, is most recognisable because of its thin sweeping neck and the struts connecting the nacelles; it feels spaced out (no pun intended), and rather elegant and swan-like. The Excelsior is a squatter, tighter ship, but no worse for it. The body is lovingly curved, but with a more-or-less flat top; and everything feels tucked together just so. For some reason its this design of ship that feels most like the movies to me, despite the core crew dicking about on two versions of the Enterprise and a Klingon ship for most of the films. Gets extra points for being captained by Sulu and having Tuvok as a bridge officer.

Reliant (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, 1982): this one’s quite simple, really. Most of the Federation ships follow a similar design to the Enterprise and Excelsior – with the saucer section sitting above the ship’s body, and the nacelles protruding upwards from the body. The Reliant kinda inverts that, with the nacelles sloping downwards from a central column above the saucer. I believe this all came about because the film required the Reliant to do battle with the Enterprise and they wanted the two ships to be easily recognisable in space; regardless, it results in a very different style of ship. Perhaps not quite as iconic as the Enterprise but still really cool, and somewhat echoed in the Cerritos from Lower Decks.

Discovery (Star Trek: Discovery, 2017): oooh, a new one. Disco is probably the only large ship from the newer series to have anything iconic about its design (sorry, Titan). It is inspired in part by some prototype Enterprise designs, and the angular look of its body – as well as the separated ring around its saucer section – really makes it stand out against other Federation ships. And that’s before we get onto its USP: the trippy spore drive, that allows to blink in and out of existence like a 750 metre-long Nightcrawler. This is coupled with a great visual effect, as the ring around the saucer spins round. It’s cool and funky and I like it, even if the whole “mycelial network” thing doesn’t make a lick of sense.

Voyager (Star Trek: Voyager, 1998): I was torn between this and the “prequel” Enterprise from the show Enterprise (the “NX-01”); I do have a fondness for those old pre-Federation designs, with the bronzed finish and everything being kinda knobbly and retro. But I plumped for Voyager, because it’s another attempt to make a Starfleet ship look a bit different. It’s flatter and longer, the “saucer” elongated into more of an egg shape. And its nacelles lift up and down as it flies, which is the closest Star Trek will ever get to being “lock S-foils into attack position” levels of cool.

[charleetyger]

Body Ideals, Body Modifications, and Body Trends: What Can We Do?

As digital citizens, we need to be mindful of our thoughts and catch ourselves before we slip down that slippery slope of comparison on social media.

Have you ever seen a microcelebrity on your daily Instagram scroll and think, 'Wow...I wish I were them! They seem to have their life together—and they look *amazing* doing it!'?

I won't lie to you, I most definitely have. Especially when, in recent years, microcelebrities have made it so easy to do so.

A microcelebrity is a relatively new form of identity that is linked almost exclusively to online spaces. (Senft, 2012). It refers to a person with a large following that creates and maintains an online identity that resembles a branded good in order to gain status through visibility online (Marwick 2013; Senft 2012).

To be a 'microcelebrity', one has to create an amplified version of themselves that adheres to aesthetic templates* that are endorsed by microcelebrity culture that have been put in place often through product campaigns.

*are poses, accessories, props, and bodywork that are often used for commercial benefits. Editing photos, posing intentionally, and even getting work done on your body (i.e., lip fillers, BBLs, etc.), are all examples of how someone can adhere to these aesthetic templates.

(Disclaimer: there is nothing wrong with getting bodywork done—gif below is exaggerated for comedic purposes only. You are amazing either way. Okay, you get it. Continuing now.)

In workplace settings, workers enact aesthetic labour by embodying attributes that will resonate with customers for commercial benefit (Dean, 2005; Witz, Warhurst & Nickson, 2003). This involves behaviour such as dressing professionally, smiling with sincerity, and attempting to form relationships in these short interactions.

So, we can see the similarities between these workplace aesthetic templates and these social media microcelebrities aesthetic templates. Because, at the end of the day, customers want to buy things and employees want to sell those things to them.

This gif here below shows you how to behave if you DON'T want to work with those aesthetic templates in mind...

The beauty standards that these microcelebrities are portraying through their adherence to their own set of aesthetic templates have recently begun to impact the viewer's mental health as the beauty standard is seemingly unachievable for the common folk. Without the cash flow that these influencers/microcelebs are raking in, we aren't able to spend the thousands that they do on clothes, beauty products, bodywork, etc.

So, what can we do?! How do we combat the ever-presence that is social media influences?

I mean, body dysmorphia disease (BDD) is at an all-time high. Himanshu states that to help the disease, we need to start by recognising the 'the increasing incidence and influence of social media [and] there needs to be increased awareness among caretakers as well as professionals working with adolescents like teachers to promote positive body image' (Himanshu et al., 2020, p. 567-570).

Not only that, but we—as individuals—need to hold ourselves accountable. The body dissatisfaction that is the byproduct of self-comparison of those on the internet is unhealthy and by becoming self aware of what our brains are thinking whilst scrolling—we can put a stop to those unhealthy comparisons to microcelebrities and those aesthetic templates they adhere to.

Below is a video that further explains the impact of social media on BDD:

Body dissatisfaction is largely a social issue that has the potential to slow down if we all agree that a mindset change needs to occur.

If you find yourself comparing yourself to another—opt for a social media detox, for example. I know we always get told to 'go for a walk, it'll clear your head' or to 'go spend time with your family'. But those seemingly silly suggestions can help a tonne.

Versions of your face have been loved by plenty of generations before you—you should remember that the next time you feel down about yourself. (Gosh, I sound like an INstagram quote from 2010 like 'keep calm and carry on' LOL. Okay, again, enough...cya next time!)

References:

Dean, D 2005, Recruiting a self: Women performers and aesthetic labour. Work, Employment & Society, 19( 4), pp.761– 774.

Himanshu, Kaur A, Kaur A, Singla G. Rising dysmorphia among adolescents : A cause for concern. J Family Med Prim Care. 2020 Feb 28;9(2):567-570.

Marwick, AE 2013, Status update: celebrity, publicity, and branding in the social media age. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Senft, T 2012, Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In Hartley, J, Burgess, J & Bruns, A (Ed.), A Companion to New Media Dynamics, Blackwell, UK.

Senft, TM 2012, Microcelebrity and the Branded Self. In Hartley, J, Burgess, J & Bruns, A (Ed.), A Companion to New Media Dynamics, Blackwell, UK

Witz, A., Warhurst, C., & Nickson, D 2003, The labour of aesthetics and the aesthetics of organization. Organization, 10(1), pp. 33– 54.

[ofthefog]

1. Pattern-brained is a formation that evolved from the term "cumbrain" which means someone who is obsessed with sex such that it is a detriment to daily life. By invoking this formation, a surface level interpretation of the text would suggest that tumblr user apovivdic has chosen this to disparage tumblr user kata4a. However, given that the very term requires that one be a "pattern noticer" to understand it, this points to apovivdic invoking the term ironically. In the example of cumbrain, its usage is not limited to the asexual - rather it denotes an excess of a trait that is acceptable at other amounts. So, in the case of "Pattern-brained," what would this excess look like? Perhaps a tendency to "recognise" a trend which does not accurately reflect reality. In the case of recognising a license plate of a lyft driver, this clearly is a logical and easily verifiable pattern to notice. By juxtaposing this case with a theoretical one of real "pattern-brain" this suggests that apovivdic is refering to a belief that this is negative, but given the sparse input of two words, the chance that this referenced belief belongs to apovivdic or an other is unable to be determined.

As for myself, I believe that the ability to recognise patterns is ubiquitous, and thus has little implications on morality or desirability in and of itself. Conspiratorial thinking can of course occur, but its precise nature I believe comes from a lack of emperical data and and dismissal of counter evidence rather than a excess of patterns where there are none. The universe is fundamentally an ordered one, where this order is not necessarily understood by human beings.

2. The text in the image is a response to the surface level implication of apovivdic's reply. The argument disagrees that being "Pattern-brained" is negative feature because pattern recognition is positively correlated with intelligence.

3. The crying wojack mask image is used to suggest that someone is putting on a front after they have been bested. Though they may try to say something to obscure this fact, it is ( claimed ) to be a failure to do so. The fact that this image is being used to refer to herself is evidence that the surface level interpretation of apovivdic's reply is not the limit of her analysis. You can see this also in the formatting of the text - the usage of an image of text rather than copied text makes the references to studies a blatant appeal to authority rather than something that can be looked up and independently verified. The cropping, too, plays into this poor defence by implying it will continue and has been going in for some time, all inadequate to recover from the mere two word reply. The very intentional propping of oneself as the target of intellectual failure suggests that it is done in jest.

4. Meme images, especially image macros, rely heavily on pattern recognition. Memes themselves are a pattern that can be modified to fit particular circumstances. Aside from the specific usage of the crying wojack mask, the fact that a meme was used reflects kata4a's intent to play into the surface level interpretation of apovivdic's reply. Of course someone "Pattern-brained" would reply with a meme. By using it, kata4a implies ( within the bounds of a charecter and not necessarily herself ) that the real excess of being Pattern-brained is falling into these templates rather than being generative with, say, a novel, textual response.

oh hey, I recognize the license plate on this lyft from when I called a lyft a couple days ago

[revcleo]

There's a post which says that it's spreading a dog whistle to say "return to tradition reject" modernity and that's what fash want. I disagree, I think it's fine if people individually feel nervous about such things, but there's a massive difference between fascist usage and either parody or just straight up non fascist usage.

A similar thing is the little dark age meme, there's a big difference between one which is reminiscing of nationalised rail in the UK and one which calls modernist buildings inferior to classical architecture.

Neither of those are truly calling for a return to the politics of the past, but people who consider classical aesthetics superior to modernism is something which aligns with and draws people into fascist circles.

Abandoning a memetic style to fascists doesn't stop it from having plausible deniability, the dog whistle part is to appeal to people who don't even recognise the black sun.

The usage of various memes changes over time, in example: pepe, and the angry npc meme.

Pepe had innocent origins, then got big around the rare pepe ebay auction, then was adopted by various nerd cultures and most prominently by 4chan fascists, then it evolved into the only fascist groyper, but peepo also evolved from it. As it stands peepo does get used by some fascists but both peepo and pepe get used by a lot of twitch streamers. Inc lgbt streamers or otherwise harmless people.

This alarmed me at first, and there's still some emotes that I won't use amongst friends because they might be too alarming still, but I don't think that it's possible or correct to go around and say that pepe and peepo are off limits due to their fascist association.

The angry npc meme with the 4 panel version of the "reasonable" looking person who says something which turns an "npc" angry was doubly both a fascist meme in origin. Both the "npc" part, which is about implying people who aren't them are unable to think for themselves, and the angry meme, which was originally all about fascist talking points.

I was very alarmed the first time I saw someone post that meme outside of a fascist context, but I don't think that it's another thing to say it's been entirely tainted because I think it has the same or similar use of a lot of previous memes.

I don't think it's true that people posting memes which have a basis or have been well used by fascists either are spreading fascism or plausible deniability. Plausible deniability is a base feature of most fascist symbols. It's like saying pissing in the sea will raise the sea levels.

When otherwise harmless people do post memes of which the template is originated or founded in fascist spaces, it's alarming and worrying. It doesn't mean that all marginalised people have to be alarmed, or will be, maybe some are even posting the memes. You can calm yourself down, as I have, by checking who the person posting things is. Are they actually a risk? Is this someone you should preemptively block?

Humans love to pattern match, but this can result in jumping at shadows, I once made a joke in a queer server about my monkey brain reacting to something, and someone who had never posted and never did again, said how it triggered their trauma from being pushed out of a job by racists. Even though I am black and I was not talking about anyone but myself, they still felt threatened.

It is perfectly understandable how individuals may have a strong reaction to something, but that doesn't mean that either people who share the same marginalisations will or should feel the same way. Sometimes you need to take a deep breath and avoid the primal part of your brain which is shouting about a threat and reason whether that's true or not.