#Thought-provoking Discussions

[personalgrowthoasis]

Why I'd Like To Do This Activity

Hey, it's Vladimir! Curious about my dream activity? It's all about the universe's mysteries! Check out my latest blog to discover yours too. Don't miss it!

Hey folks, it’s Vladimir! Today, let’s talk about something that tickles our imaginations: the activities we most desire to do. If you’ve been following my posts, you’ll know that I dabble in a plethora of interests—gaming, Muay Thai, philosophy, and more. However, if I had to pick one activity that I would most like to do, it would undoubtedly be contributing to advancements in science,…

[womenclature]

The Ultimate List of 100 Questions

Lighthearted and Fun Questions

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

What’s your favorite TV show that you can binge-watch over and over?

If you could travel anywhere on Earth, where would you go and what would you do?

What’s your guilty pleasure song that always gets you dancing?

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only one item, what would it be?

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor, and do you prefer it in a cone or a cup?

Who’s your celebrity crush, and what would you say if you met them?

What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever tried, and would you eat it again?

If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future, and why?

What’s your favorite way to spend free time on the weekends?

Getting to Know Each Other Better

What’s your favorite book, and how has it impacted you?

What was your dream job when you were a child, and is it still your dream?

What’s your biggest pet peeve, and why does it bother you so much?

Do you have a favorite family member, and what makes your relationship special?

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

What’s your love language, and how do you prefer to receive affection from friends?

What are three things on your bucket list that you want to accomplish?

What’s your favorite season of the year, and what do you love about it?

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?

If you could live in any fictional world, which one would you choose and why?

Deep and Thoughtful Questions

What does your perfect day look like from start to finish?

What’s a personal goal you’re currently working towards?

How do you handle stress and maintain your mental health?

What’s the most meaningful conversation you’ve ever had with someone?

What do you think is the most important quality in a friendship?

What’s your biggest fear, and how do you confront it?

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

What’s a significant life lesson you’ve learned recently?

How do you define success, and do you feel successful?

What’s something you’re passionate about that you’d like to share with others?

Fun and Random Questions

If you were a character in a movie, who would you be and why?

What’s the strangest dream you’ve ever had?

If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be?

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re feeling down?

Do you have any hidden talents or skills most people don’t know about?

What’s the last time you laughed so hard you cried, and what was it about?

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Questions About Life and Experiences

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and who gave it to you?

How do you handle difficult situations or challenges in life?

What’s a skill you’d love to learn, and what’s holding you back?

What does happiness mean to you?

How do you stay motivated when pursuing your goals?

What’s a cause or issue you’re passionate about and why?

Have you ever had a life-changing experience? What happened?

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from a mistake?

How do you balance work, personal life, and hobbies?

What role does faith or spirituality play in your life?

Questions About Relationships and Emotions

What’s your love language, and how does it affect your relationships?

How do you express appreciation for your loved ones?

What’s one thing you wish people understood about you?

How do you deal with conflict in relationships?

What’s the most important quality you look for in a friend or partner?

How have your past relationships shaped who you are today?

What makes you feel most supported and cared for?

Do you believe in soulmates? Why or why not?

What’s your biggest relationship deal-breaker?

How do you maintain strong connections with family and friends?

Fun Hypothetical Questions

If you could have any animal as a pet, regardless of practicality, what would you choose?

What’s a superpower you wouldn’t want to have?

If you were a superhero, what would your name and costume look like?

Would you rather be able to speak every language or play every musical instrument?

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d do?

What’s a fictional character you wish you could meet in real life?

If you could live in any era of history, which one would you choose and why?

What’s a food combination that sounds weird but you absolutely love?

If you could teleport anywhere right now, where would you go?

Would you rather explore the depths of the ocean or outer space?

Questions About Favorites and Preferences

What’s your favorite movie of all time, and what makes it so special?

Do you have a favorite podcast, and why do you enjoy it?

What’s your favorite place to relax and unwind?

What’s your favorite thing about your best friend?

Do you prefer reading books or watching movies, and why?

What’s your favorite kind of music or artist?

Do you have a favorite quote or saying that inspires you?

What’s your favorite holiday, and how do you like to celebrate it?

What’s your favorite season, and what do you enjoy doing during that time?

What’s your favorite way to stay active or exercise?

Questions About Personal Growth and Goals

What are your top three personal goals for the next five years?

How do you measure personal success?

What’s a habit you’d like to break or develop?

What motivates you to keep pushing forward during tough times?

How do you approach learning new things?

What’s a career or field you’d like to explore more deeply?

How do you stay focused on your long-term goals?

What does self-care look like for you?

How do you handle criticism or feedback?

What’s a challenge you’ve overcome that you’re proud of?

Thought-Provoking and Deeper Questions

What do you think is the meaning or purpose of life?

How do you define true happiness?

What’s a question you’ve always wanted to ask but never had the chance?

Do you believe everything happens for a reason, or do we create our own fate?

How do you cope with the uncertainties of life?

What impact do you want to have on the world or those around you?

How do you handle feelings of doubt or insecurity?

What’s one thing you think people misunderstand about you?

If you could give one piece of advice to everyone in the world, what would it be?

What legacy do you hope to leave behind?

Source Link

[starleska]

just saw Heretic (2024) and am delighted. without spoiling anything, regardless of your religious conviction or lack thereof you'll be challenged on your faith, morals, and the question of whether or not belief constitutes reality, and whether the answer to that matters at all. please go and see it!!!!

[dragomfry]

Discussion on Doumeki’s Current Treatment of Yashiro

(And what it means for the story’s mature themes + Tangent on Romance and BL as genres and how I interpret Saezuru)

This continues the conversation from @nanayashi-agenda’s reply. Thank you for replying, you’ve given me lots to think about. It seems my views on Doumeki’s treatment of Yashiro are similar to yours. Speaking to all: I’m always open to hearing the diverse opinions of others and broadening my own views, so please, keep giving your honest thoughts on the story and what it means to you. I think it’s wonderful that we can interpret this story in a multitude of ways; it’s what makes the story so compelling to me.

Disclaimer: I’m going to be very harsh on Doumeki in this post. In no way am I trying to take away from anyone’s enjoyment of the story, and if you interpret it differently than me, that’s cool! I’m just giving my opinions in this post, and we can agree or disagree. Please, if you’re sensitive to a harsh look at Doumeki’s actions or your reading of the story is more idealistic, I kindly suggest you move past this post. But if you’re open to a critical reading of Doumeki’s actions, this post has a ton of thoughts that I hope are interesting.

Just to be clear, I believe he’s a very well-written character, and I still like him. But he is very flawed, just like other characters. Even though I understand his actions, I don’t believe they are the most moral. Basically, this post analyzes and aims to understand the complicated why and how of Doumeki’s actions, and I give my opinions on them while being as understanding as possible.

TW for themes of sexual violence and abuse

Full disclosure: I am of the opinion that the first time they *made love was non-consensual and almost every sexual act Doumeki has made on Yashiro after the timeskip has been dub-con at best… and rape at worst.

I mentioned this before, but I think Yoneda-sensei is the only writer that can make me acknowledge the apparent toxicity of the relationship yet still have me actively wanting the characters to get married. Never before have I encountered a romance that is hindered by such realistic, unavoidable barriers and misunderstandings that it makes complete sense for both partners to act and feel in the controversial ways they do; therefore, the drama never feels unnecessary or gratuitous for the sake of the audience. Based on my interpretation, the slow burn and controversial drama exists because anything else to advance their relationship would be antithetical to their characters. And all while we understand the complex reasons for their actions, it seems Yoneda-sensei never attempts to romanticize the toxic behaviors, either. If there are any other stories or authors that do this, I wouldn’t mind some recommendations…

Sorry for the slightly related tangent in the next 4 paragraphs within the lines. You can just skip those if you want to jump right away into the topic of discussion. My thoughts overwhelm me a lot, too…

———————————————————————————

Ig there is quite a bit of context as to why I asked for your thoughts on this topic in the first place. This tangent is related to my general views about how I interpret Saezuru as a whole and what that means for this topic.

Let’s just say I was not all that interested in romance as a genre. I have nothing against romance (and I should probably read more of it to get a better idea on the genre as a whole), it’s just that I’ve always associated it with contemporary issues, not much conflict, and a predictable structure that typically ends happily with a stereotypically heterosexual couple getting together, which doesn’t interest me too much. Why read a romance when you already know how it ends? Rhetorical question, it’s the journey, but I like many of my journeys to have substantial bumps in it and at least some food for thought, yknow? Anyways, I didn’t think BL would interest me at all for a similar reason. Furthermore, I’ve heard many negative traits about the genre. That it romanticizes abuse, depicts gay people unrealistically, and is just gay porn with no substance. Also I heard rape was such a common backstory trope that it became banal… which is just awful to me, especially with how it mostly isn’t given the same sensitive treatment as I believe it is in Saezuru. Rape should never just be something to add to a story for worthless drama. With all this, it’s almost like BL would be anathema to me… until I found one that surprised me with its themes (which I’ll write a review for), and then found Saezuru. Saezuru is just different from the others (I sounded like Doumeki there, huh), and I believe it’s an anomaly in terms of the romance department and storytelling generally. I could quite literally talk about this series for hours and not get bored. Apologies, my blog is basically all those random thoughts… tl;dr: Saezuru seems to defy its genre conventions, critique them, or give a nuanced perspective on them, where others have failed to do so, which makes the story infinitely more interesting to me.

In terms of “ships,��� I personally cannot ship anything unless there is substantial evidence in the canon to suggest the couple can exist realistically. Also, I try to look at characters as objectively as possible. I try to understand the characters for what they’re written as, not as my own interpretation or to reduce them to just a ship. This is why it’s so hard for me to read fan fiction. I can’t read or mentally accept stories of the characters when they don’t act like themselves.

So anyways, these views are why I can’t help but be critical of Doumeki’s actions and words towards Yashiro. I feel, in being able to view Doumeki as a sex offender and Yashiro as a victim, I can derive a more meaningful interpretation of Saezuru’s story and not have rose-tinted glasses when I pair the two together. I suppose we’ll have to see what Yoneda-sensei has in store for the ending to see if she really aligns with my interpretation of the story’s themes, but judging by how she’s managed to so delicately handle many of the controversial themes she presents (and how she clearly cares about her characters, how she handles rape, and how she wants to deliver a satisfying end to the story), I have reason to believe she could pull it off. I am cautiously optimistic.

Jeez I went overboard

———————————————————————————

After having binged all of Saezuru from chapters 1-58 in like a week, my thoughts were going haywire. The main thought on my mind though, was this: Why was Doumeki treating Yashiro so callously when he loves him and treated him so gently beforehand? Turns out, this is quite the loaded question, so I broke it down into 3 parts below.

I stumbled upon this old interview and was even more confused when I considered this quote from Yoneda-sensei:

When I was thinking about whom I should pair Yashiro with, this is the kind of character that turned out.

Doumeki is a character originating from Yashiro.

It's like he started functioning because Yashiro existed.

…So the two are literally made for each other, but now Doumeki is sexually abusing Yashiro? How can that be his ideal partner? Why can’t he just let the poor guy sleep??

Well, I reason that it’s because of the super complicated tangle of emotions and effects of the upbringings of Doumeki and Yashiro that this is their situation in the story. I also think Yoneda-sensei is giving some concrete commentary on rape culture.

I believe that Doumeki’s actions are based on a large mix of what you said.

Here are the questions I’m tackling:

Why does Doumeki treat Yashiro that way?

Why won’t Doumeki abide by Yashiro’s requests to not have sex?

Why hasn’t Doumeki questioned the morality of his actions?

1.) Why does Doumeki treat Yashiro that way?

The conversation with Nanahara and Doumeki’s takeaways are still very mysterious, but it’s undeniable that it influenced his views and behaviors towards Yashiro now. Sidenote: did we get to see Doumeki’s reply to Nanahara at the end of the extra yet?

I agree with your statement here:

he thinks that "kind" and gentle treatment is what made yashiro leave. doumeki's main concern now is not letting him "run away" again. […] and by that logic, cruelty and sex are the best tool

Adding on, I think there are 2 main reasons in Doumeki’s head that he uses to justify the cruelty and sex: 1.) Doumeki does not want to hurt Yashiro again by treating him gently because Yashiro perceived that as rape (which is a belief I will tackle later), and 2.) he still believes Yashiro hasn’t changed because of Yashiro’s words and his sleeping with Inami/other men. The second reason in itself, oh my, is another entire post on how the misunderstandings in Saezuru are actually realistic and compelling and not stupid for the sake of relationship drama, but I digress.

Ch. 43 (top) and ch. 46

Because “Yashiro hasn’t changed,” he still thinks Yashiro doesn’t like serious relationships. He still thinks Yashiro will only have sex with men who are rough and don’t care about him (Inami, Kido) because that’s Yashiro’s coping mechanism. So, to not hurt Yashiro with gentleness, to prevent other men from hurting him, to be as close as possible to him, to keep him from running away, and to appeal to his coping mechanism, he uses cruelty and sex.

It’s very backwards. Hurting to prevent hurt... Similarly, being hurt to prevent hurt…

Doumeki and Yashiro’s fortes. These two are the best worst match, truly.

I didn’t even mention the slut-shaming, but I believe that lies in his jealousy, possessiveness, and hurt from being tossed away mostly.

2.) Why won’t Doumeki abide by Yashiro’s requests to not have sex?

doumeki assumes with confidence what yashiro wants and needs, and then acts on those assumptions.

Agree. It doesn’t matter what Yashiro says he wants Doumeki to do or not to do, Doumeki will act the way he does so he “helps” Yashiro realize what he “actually wants and needs” because he thinks Yashiro isn’t capable of that.

To Doumeki, he thinks Yashiro wants what he says he doesn’t want. I believe this is what he realized on the rooftop with Nana.

It always puzzled me why Doumeki didn’t take into consideration that time Yashiro told him he got raped by his stepfather in his realization of… something… after Nana told him this. In ch. 4 we are aware that Doumeki knows about how Yashiro’s stepfather raped him (“This man went through the same things as my sister”), so surely he should have considered that part of his past’s effect on his twisted perception of sex??

But now, I think my interpretation—that Doumeki is acting deliberately against what Yashiro says he doesn’t want because, on the rooftop, Doumeki concluded that that’s what Yashiro actually wants—makes sense as to why that scene isn’t considered here, when it really should have been.

Upon this false realization, he is willing to ignore Yashiro’s protests for the purpose of getting him to realize what it is he desires. He’s forcing him to admit his feelings for him, so that he can accept love. He isn’t wrong that Yashiro is in love with him and has trouble accepting Doumeki’s love and realizing his own feelings of love, but that doesn’t mean he can choose when Yashiro should accept these feelings. That is Yashiro’s choice to make.

My thoughts are the same as yours here:

there's the well-meaning read on this of course, about how doumeki simply wants to protect yashiro from "other men", make sure he doesn't seek them out by satisfying his, as always assumed, needs. and sure, i won't deny that protectiveness is part of it. i don't think it amounts to much, though. this isn't how you help someone you love. nanahara compared yashiro having sex with men to smoking, and he's right. here's the thing: forcibly taking away someone's cigarettes (or "cigarettes", you know), disregarding their personal autonomy, shaming them for their habit and making them feel like shit without addressing the underlying issues doesn't really accomplish much. yashiro starts smoking immediately after doumeki leaves in ch 57, and seeks out inami and kido "despite" his needs supposedly being satisfied for a reason after all

I also read his actions as him partly trying to protect Yashiro from other men by satisfying his sexual desires, but I don’t condone this at all. You can’t sexually abuse someone you love because you think others will. And yes it is very telling how even though Doumeki is there to take away his “cigarettes,” Yashiro still “smokes.” Even though Yashiro’s body seems to enjoy all their sexual encounters, his mind knows there’s something wrong. He knows he doesn’t want sex with Doumeki in these instances, and Doumeki should have respected that.

It’s important to point out how rape victims can still have their bodies “enjoy” the sex, but they really don’t.

We saw this theme at the very start of the story in volume 2… It’s when Yashiro gets raped by his stepfather. His body enjoyed it, but we clearly know it is NOT what he wanted. There was both blood and cum depicted in those panels for a reason… And these contradictory feelings—the crux of Yashiro’s character—cause rape victims to feel worthless and guilty when it was NEVER their fault. This is EXACTLY what Yashiro was feeling at the end of ch. 57. Doumeki needs to realize this…

What makes his actions so messy and you can argue morally gray is that there has been progress, in terms of getting Yashiro to realize things about himself. But I don’t condone his actions and argue Yashiro could definitely have realized these things without the sex. I’m sure that even if Doumeki didn’t make love with Yashiro the first time, Yashiro could still realize and eventually accept that he wanted gentle affection through non-sexual acts. In fact, he was starting to, with liking and eventually loving Doumeki when he was impotent in the first place. Yashiro is perfectly capable of realizing his true wants and needs. To think that he isn’t, is a huge flaw. To think that rape victims can’t figure out what they really want by themselves makes you infantilize them, ignore their voice, and grossly disregard their autonomy. But because Doumeki escalated to sex that first time, and now his discovery of Yashiro’s impotence with others proves to him that he did something that changed Yashiro, he keeps using this same method… believing it will cause him to change again.

This could also explain why he asks about when Yashiro became impotent in ch. 56. He wants to see if Yashiro’s impotence with other men was his doing, so he can prove that he means something to Yashiro and that his current method of using sex has caused Yashiro to change, so that his actions weren’t worthless and he can absolve his own guilt.

most of his actions after the time skip revolve not around trying to understand yashiro, but rather trying to get him to say or admit what doumeki has already assumed

Again, I agree. It’s as you said, Doumeki is self-centered and thinks he knows best, and I’ll address this flaw in my answer to the last and imo most important question.

3.) Why hasn’t Doumeki questioned the morality of his actions?

Surely his actions should remind him of his father in some fucked up way? And surely this would mean that he should realize that and stop treating Yashiro so horribly?

I believe his persistence with the way he currently treats Yashiro stems from, besides the reasons said above, this false belief that he has yet to properly confront: that it wasn’t his fault for Yashiro to consider the time they made love as rape, it was Yashiro’s fault because of his trauma. What he fails to understand is that he actually did rape Yashiro, and it was his fault.

This false belief stems from how he wants to absolve himself of guilt.

he struggles to understand other people's feelings, and sometimes doesn't seem to even consider them in the first place

Yes, it seems this character flaw has been evident ever since we first saw it with Aoi. Because he is self-centered, he can’t understand the feelings of others nor consider them, and he feels guilty when that lack of understanding results in those he loves getting hurt. He then blames himself. It’s an uncomfortably realistic flaw… It’s too hard for him to accept being the one at fault. What’s most important is how he tries to deflect this guilt from himself. With Aoi, he couldn’t understand her crush on him and ignored her, and when he found out what his father was doing, he blamed himself for ignoring her all those years and became impotent. As a result, he vowed to never be like his father to absolve his guilt. This way of absolving his guilt plays directly into how he views and treats Yashiro now.

With Yashiro, he wanted to express his love to him by having sex, but Yashiro never consented to it and was traumatized by both the non consensual aspect and the realization that he never liked cruel treatment to begin with. It broke Yashiro, and Doumeki felt horribly guilty for that. But Doumeki only considers the latter aspect and not the first. The first is too hard to accept for him. It would mean he is like his father, that all his efforts to prevent becoming like his father were for naught, that he is trash who’s barely worth living. But…

…after ch 25, after the damage is already done, but there is still hope for the answer to "am i like my father?" to be "no" (i hope i don't need to say what that question actually stands for, what doumeki actually asks in ch 32, and why it matters that yashiro takes note of it but doesn't answer one way or another).

You refer to this part of ch. 32?

I see what you mean, with not wanting to point out the question. Yes, what Doumeki implicitly asks here is the uncomfortable question, the question both of them already know the answer to. It’s the ugly truth.

“Did I rape you?”

“Yes.”

But Yashiro didn’t answer.

Both of them are willingly denying something here, and these are both of the things I believe they must accept in the end. They must accept these facts in order to truly heal and, if Yashiro wishes, develop a stable romantic relationship between them. Doumeki must come to terms with the fact that he is like his father in that way, and Yashiro must come to terms with the fact that he is a victim.

Even after these dark realizations that they can’t yet accept, this scene occurs…

They just can’t help but want the other.

God. They’re so fucked up…

———————————————————————————

In the end, I reallyyyyyy hope we see this side of Doumeki again. I really want him to wholeheartedly apologize in the end and make up for the wrong things he did. I really want him to forgive himself enough to start properly loving Yashiro. And when Doumeki accepts this, I want Yashiro to slap the shit out of him.

*When I refer to the time they made love, I mean chapter 24/25. I use this term rather than “have sex” because it was emotionally deeper than the more clinical approach Doumeki is taking now. This article explains why I chose the term “make love” and makes the distinction between making love and having sex, while also acknowledging the two terms’ changing connotations. I used the phrase “make love” to simplify the term “emotionally connected sex” and apply the positive connotation, without disregarding the non consensual aspect of the moment.

[mariuspompom]

I am going to be a killjoy and choose violence again but I did not like the spectacle of Marie Antoinette holding her decapitated head in her arms in the olympics, at all. I don't give a shit about Marie Antoinette the person, she was a traitor in the context of a war and she would rather betray France than give away her privileges. This is what happens to traitors in that context and she absolutely had it coming. I won't shed one tear for her, sorry if that bothers people.

However. The executions of the Terror are not something to make a spectacle of, they are not something to mock. They were an inevitability, a historical necessity yes, but they are not an esthetic, nor a pop culture reference. They were inevitable, even necessary because of the revolutionary context, because it was the people of France who demanded those executions, and when I say the people of France I mean the working class, the peasants, the sans culottes, people who lived in extreme poverty and misery. This was not just a civil war, this was a class war. Centuries of class inequality, oppression, hunger, injustice, needed a release and that release was inevitable, but the factors that led to it, the structural inequality, the privilege, the injustice, they are still relevant today. Those people, the people of France, did not ask for the king and queen's head so that, two centuries later, the political and economical elites of this world can sit comfortably in the seat they paid hundreds or even thousands of euros for, and mock and have fun watching Antoinette's decapitated head in a spectacle that cost around 300 millions, the same political and economical elites that are right now funding genocides, that are right now maximising their profit off the Olympics, that are right now destroying the welfare system and impoverishing the people of France, who are unemployed, homeless, and stuck in ghettos. But it's alright I guess, because we have democracy now so these people can still watch the spectacle in their TV (if they have a TV) from their 9 square meter apartment in Sarcelles or Seine-Saint-Denis that takes 80% of their salary. If they have an apartment. They must feel really lucky they don't have a king or queen anymore and all their problems are solved. What a fine mockery. I don't think the Jacobins would be impressed with this turn of events, I don't think that's why the french revolution happened because the french revolution is not an esthetic and the social struggles that led to it are still here, very much present.

I would advise people to leave Antoinette's head alone because she's dead and has been dead for 250 years. There are a lot of heads that are far too comfortable in their class privilege, right now, in 2024.

[ickeoresteia]

i hate you apolitical readings of antigone!! what a way to misread a play

[alicenpai]

i kind of want to get back into drawing fma......... every october i see the fanart and it blasts me back to when i was 11 and discovering fma for the first time, it shattered my worldview..

[pengucolas]

I APPRECIATE PEOPLE LIKING EMIL BUT IDK WHATS GOING ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sheltoner]

i forgot had services to go to today and i woke up at 10, immediately realized i was supposed to be at my synagogue, and proceeded to rush through my morning routine to get there as fast as possible

[charbroiledchicken]

monster in the closet - flash fiction by charbroiledchicken

My brother used to tell me a monster hid in my locked cupboard.

Right at the back.

Cushioned and cosy halfway between the ugly sweaters Nana gave me and Narnia.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, it knocks on my door.

Once. Twice. A dagger scratching tallies into the wood. Counting.

Knock back, my Mamma used to whisper, smoothing down my fringe with those slightly icy hands. I used to love those hands. Now they remind me of corpses. Monsters. Knock back, make loud noises, scare them. Before bed, I would roar into the smooth wood until my little voice grew hoarse.

But now I’m older, but only in numbers. My fingers spindly and voice gravely like Mamma. And for the first time, I open the cupboard, brush past the sweaters, and grip empty air where the back should be.

There, a little kid was sleeping in their bed.

[pinestripe37]

I was curious, out of all the false religions that exist, which one would you say is the worst?

Like, let's say that Scientology is pretty bad. A science fiction writer who said he wanted to get rich by starting his own religion suddenly writes a book about alien ghosts getting blown up in volcanos, and some people are dumb enough to believe this. And it's basically a pyramid scheme with extra steps run by crazy Hollywood celebrities.

But like, is that actually the WORST one? Personally, I would vote for a made up religion that basically exists here on Tumblr called "Queerstake". First, you need to be gullible enough to believe that a known scam artist used his allegedly magic rock to translate an Egyptian manuscript into an entire book that bears no resemblance to the original manuscript. Then you have to overlook that the same scam artist also had 30+ wives. Next you have to overlook that the successor of said scam artist was a racist. And assuming you manage the mental gymnastics to get past all of that, then one day you decide that you are actually super-duper extra gay, and you start a whole new mental gymnastic routine to rewrite the racist scam artist religion to remove the parts about homosexuality being a sin. And naturally Tumblr is the only place where people are pathetic enough to do this! 🤣

Like, take for example this r4cs0 blogger and his lemuel-apologist side blog. This guy says he is going to organize a queer jump humping orgy to protest capitalism!

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ Lord Jesus; John 14:6

There are many wrong ways and only one Right Way.

And while it's true that false ways hold various sins, various degrees of harmful ideology- in the end what is the same among all false beliefs is that these people don't know the Savior.

People who follow false ways are lost, hurting, and in need of prayer. We're not commanded to make fun of those struggling but to have compassion and keep sharing the Gospel in hope that souls will come home to the Life that is found in the True Lord alone.

All falsehood is ultimately rooted in absence of Truth- Truth either not being embraced or not understood.

I believe that the worst lie is simply the absence of faith in the Truth, who is Jesus.

God has been teaching me to leave judgement to Him -for He is the Righteous Judge- and focus on compassion.

I'm not called to compare the wrong ways but to keep embracing and following the True Way and praying for the lost to come home to Him and receive the graciously offered Life.

[nasty-black-orchid]

@labsbian gave me permission to post this publicly, and a couple other people have asked similar things. It's related to this post about not identifying as a radical feminist anymore. For anyone reading this, please keep in mind that I'm autistic and have brain fog, and ask for clarification instead of assuming bad faith. My thoughts on this are evolving as we discuss it, too.

First off, I do consider myself aligned with radical feminism. I may not call myself a radical feminist because I truly don't think I adhere to enough of the basic tenets to call myself one, but In conversation, I'll say something like "I'm pretty much a radfem," or "I agree with radical feminists on this topic." I'm not rejecting the concept of or affiliation with radical feminism; my post relates more to online communities like radblr than irl activism, where mostly no one cares about your specific label so long as you're helping (at least in my experience).

Now, there are two separate answers for me to give here. The first is about my personal beliefs and where they do and don't clash with radical feminism. The second is a broader reflection on radical feminism as a viable political movement. I'm going to address the second part first. This gets very long, as a warning!

I've done a lot of reading on radical feminism and spoken to many women who are dedicated radical feminists, and in my opinion, female separatism is the ultimate goal of radical feminism. It's the most thorough way of challenging patriarchy at its root. If you (general you) are a radfem who disagrees with this, I get it; everyone will have a slightly different interpretation of what radical feminism is. But IMO, if you look at the stats and theory, and believe that the personal is political, separatism is the most logical conclusion to patriarchy.

But the problem is that many (most?) women aren't going to become separatists. Lots of them are going to be super resistant just to interrogating how misogyny infiltrates their personal lives, even as they acknowledge structural sexism - either because they don't want to really think about the horror of it, or they dislike the concept of the personal being political, or they just don't think it's that deep. Some women will interrogate the misogyny in their lives and choose to have relationships with men, either romantically or platonically. Is it the wisest choice? Often not. Is it going to be the most common one? Yeah, I think so. (For transparency, that is the choice I've made, and yes, I've thought about it a lot.) Ultimately, I think that the choice to keep males in your life is not compatible with radical feminism.

There is a gap between radfem theory and practice, and the opinions and beliefs of many women. I truly cannot see a widespread 6B4T movement happening in the USA in my lifetime. (I'm focusing on the US bc that's where I live, and I don't know enough about other places' feminism to make sweeping statements.) I think it's vitally important to bridge that gap. Yet it seems like most radfems online see the gap as insurmountable, or not worth focusing on. I really, really disagree with that. I think it's counterproductive to the advancement of women's rights and status in the world. That doesn't mean I think the "more radical" feminist goals on the radfem side of the gap aren't worth pursuing and supporting. I just don't think they're going to cause material change for the majority of women, not yet. I personally would prefer to put my energies toward working with libfems, choicefems, normie women, and male allies to reduce harm toward all women and find compromises between radfem beliefs and their beliefs. It seems to me that the goal of radical feminism is less about outreach and more about making strong communities of politically involved, likeminded women. There is a need for both subcategories of feminists and room for both of us in the broader feminist movement.

I want to emphasize that this relates mostly to online communities. IRL relationships or close online ones allow for much more nuance than radblr or its Twitter equivalent. So honestly, maybe this take is just terminally online! I do spend more time here and less time touching grass than I would prefer due to my disability. I've also been talking with some women who strongly believe that someone in my position should still call herself a radical feminist, precisely so there is variation in the movement that can be more accepting and...idk, open-minded. I'm letting that thought percolate right now.

As for my personal beliefs and radical feminism, I can actually summarize those in bullet points, as opposed to the rest of this post lol.

Radical feminists tend to ignore the nuance of gender and sex dysphoria, writing it off as reactions to misogyny which can be fixed, or just straight-up privilege. I'm skeptical on that. I think it's more complex. Some women might find some level of transition to be the most practical solution. Sex dysphoria may have a neurological, endocrinological, or neurodevelopmental component that genuinely requires medical intervention. We just don't have enough research to know. I think people need to do what gets them through the day, and if presenting as the other sex (without denying your own female sex) is what that is....then so be it. The important thing is to figure out what is best for you, and that's a process for sure.

I 100% agree with radical feminists on the sex industry and the beauty industry. However, I do have sympathy for people of both sexes who genuinely never thought about the inhumanity of the sex industry; it seems so obvious to me now, but I totally bought the "sex work is work" line for a while and I know other radfems who did too. I also understand why quitting porn can be difficult because orgasms are a powerful conditioning tool, and when you subconsciously associate orgasms with porn, it can be hard to override that association. I have zero sympathy and complete contempt for people who are educated on the crimes of the sex industry and just carry on with their lives, though. Or for men who quit porn ~for themselves~ after they learned about the hell women, children, and some men go through.

I think men can be allies and can be educated on radical feminism. I do not think men are hopeless or inherently destructive. Male socialization is destructive, yes. Far too many men in general are destructive. Individual men can be fine. I guess that's #notallmen but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And as I said above, I think radical feminism is fundamentally not flexible enough to be practical on a broad scale. That's truly my biggest issue.

Happy to elaborate further if anyone is interested.

[bookwyrminspiration]

hello, it is i, culture anon

so i said that i couldn't find the post where you sort of talked about the elves being all basically white culturally despite looking for it, but later that day after sending the ask i found it *facepalm*

it's the prentice post in your pinned post or here's a link: https://www.tumblr.com/bookwyrminspiration/649904488057044992/share-le-thoughts-on-prentice

found it completely on accident after sending that ask lmfao sorry for annoying you again but here you go. here's the post that inspired that very long ask lol

Not annoying me at all! It's quite helpful to have my own words in front of me so I know better where you're coming from--and a jarring reminder of my incredibly neglected pinned post/masterlists...

Thank you for the link! And for the discussion topic :)

[daydreamerdrew]

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #268 and #272

[domistique]

I think any of the really tall drivers (Este Hulk Galex) it's like 50/50 if they stay stocky forever or if they gain some weight a little like DC did I think. mainly goes to the hips. especially este and hulk I see being more hip focus shaped (?) with post retirement weight gain idk. alex I could see stocky forever but George maybe...

that's what i was thinking too.... men with thick hips are so hot UGHHHH. i can see estaban with a belly definitely.

george i see being a forever twig but i will gladly be proven wrong

[sangitasthings]