#We Are The 74

[roboticchibitan]

I remember when same sex marriage was legized in my state (3 years before obergefel vs Hodges which legalized it nationwide). It won by a very narrow margin.

People who had taken care of me when I was young, people who were like second parents to me, (along with half the other people I knew) were saying it was the end times because I could now get married. And I couldn't help but wonder... would those people have protected me, cared for me, let me play with their children, if they had known I would grow up to be queer?

I came out in 2011. I was lucky. My parents were accepting. My mom was clearly uncomfortable at first but she made it clear she loved me no matter what.

Except.

My dad didn't care if I was queer and assured me that didn't mean there was anything wrong with me (in a speech I didn't need to hear but I think he needed to say). But he still said "that's gay" and "that's faggy" anytime my little brother showed vulnerability.

And I was a lucky one. My father used homophobic slurs around me regularly. He turned the word gay into a slur with his homophobic mouth. And I was a lucky one.

When I came out publicly, my grandmother stopped speaking to me for a while. I'm lucky that she changed her mind. I'm lucky that my grandparents let me bring my girlfriend with me when I went to visit them in October. October of 2022 and I still consider myself lucky that my grandparents let my queer partner into their house. My other grandma likewise visited with us, and was polite and friendly, but she still refused to call my gf anything other than "your friend." Still lucky. Incredibly lucky.

People don't understand just how bad things were as much as ten years ago. When I came out at school, I was lucky. No one bullied me. No one shoved me into lockers or called me slurs. They all just stopped talking to me. I became invisible. I went to a small school. I was the only person who was out. Exactly one person talked to me the rest of the year. And I was a lucky one.

When I was in middle and highschool, the go to insult was "that's gay." I heard it constantly. Every day. Sometimes people said it to me to insult me, long before I even knew I was queer.

I was lucky because the worst that happened to me was social isolation and people using slurs around me or turning my identity into a slur. No one called ME faggy. No one beat me up behind the school bleachers. I was incredibly lucky.

I have experienced the word "gay" used as a slur far more than I ever heard the word "queer" used as a slur. Young "queer is a slur and only a slur" people need to know the world you live in is not the world the rest of us live in. Why is "queer" a slur but "gay" isn't? My homophobic father thought the word "gay" conveyed just as much offense and disgust as the word "faggot." So why is queer the horrible word that can never be reclaimed but people say "that's gay" as a compliment now? The loneliest I have ever felt was in a room full of teenagers who thought my identity was the height of insults. So why is gay fine but queer isn't?

I am a fat butch queer and I do not hide that. My shoes have a pride flag on them. I have a masculine haircut and wear men's clothes. I look queer.

And I am afraid. I dress like this anyway, because I want other queer folks to know I am a safe person. I dress how I do partially because I like it but also partially so any queer person in the room, no matter now closeted, can see me and feel a little bit safer. Because I will protect other queer people with my life if need be.

Because I am openly and visibly queer and live in a world where being queer can get you killed. Because it can. Gay bashings still happen. The alt right are getting bolder in their violence, and that includes homophobic/transphobic violence. There are organizations in the US that are actively pushing to make homosexuality punishable by death in Africa. They know they could never accomplish that here. But they would if they could. People want us dead.

Young people need to understand that. And they need to understand that the people who did the most work to free us from criminalization were queer. They identified as queer. And they weren't the perfect law abiding queers toeing the line of what's acceptible. Because being queer itself was illegal. You could end up on the sex offender registry for being gay. In fact, there are queer people who are STILL registered as sex offenders just because they were queer in 2001. Pride wasn't a permitted parade with wells Fargo floats. It was angry queers illegally marching down the streets, screaming "We're here. We're queer. Get used to it."

Being openly queer is a radical act. It is still a radical act.

I did not live through Windsor vs the united states, the referendum 74 debate, my father punishing my brother for being human with homophobic slurs, and the pearl clutching fearmongering about "the gay agenda" (that was a go to phrase for 2012 homophobes) for some LGBT kid to come at me with TERF bullshit they got off tiktok about how my identity is a slur and I'm a horrible person for using it.

I was a lucky one and I'm still saying "no, absolutely not" to this bullshit.

Queer is more inclusive. Queer accounts for any possible fluidity because people change. Identities change. Queer is there for people who know they're Something Different but are not sure of the details yet. Queer is intentionally vague. When you're young you want everyone to know exactly who you are but as you get older you realize actually my identity is none of your business. In fact, sometimes when you tell someone your identity, you're handing them a bludgeon for them to hurt you with.

If you have trans classmates, you do not understand the world the rest of us grew up in. Trans people were not a public topic. They were not even acknowledged as existing by most people. I didn't know what being trans was until I was like 17. I'm nonbinary now and consider myself trans 10 years later.

And I didn't even have it that bad. But you know what? It still sucked and it was still hard and I can't imagine what it was like to grow up a decade before I did. I had it easy compared to most people.

If you can jokingly say "that's gay" when someone expresses queer love, then you can fucking handle people using the word queer as their identity.

The infighting and policing each other has to stop. You're oppressing queer people with this bullshit. It does not matter what words queer people use to describe themselves when there are people actively killing us. What are you doing? For fucks sake look at the bigger picture. Direct all that rage at our oppressors and the people who mean us harm. Queer people and he/him lesbians and bi lesbians and people who use neo pronouns and whoever else is the discourse of the day do not deserve this kind of treatment. Punch a homophobe and maybe you'll feel better.

[egophiliac]

ch 5 is coming in twsten ch5 is coming in twsten ch5 is coming in twsten (we gon die it's been a YEAR since I saw some clips and I have not emotionally recovered from the incredible deliveries by Silver's seiyuu because holy fuck) EGOOOOO ARE YOU READY TO SEE EVERYONE DESCENDING INTO MADNESS AGAIN (and a pool of tears??? MINE SPECIFICALLY)

YESSSSSS I AM SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE ON ENG, chapter 5 is some of the most PEAK Diafamily content imo. 🤌 it's definitely my favorite part of episode 7 so far! (though 6 is pretty close...)

some (mostly) non-spoilery advice: on the hex maps, check out the non-required story cells, especially in the later parts! some are basically just throwaways, but there's some real good scenes hidden in there too that are potentially missable. 🥄 (it shows which cells you've cleared on previous attempts, so if you're low on resources and/or super impatient like me, do just the required ones to get through it, then when you're ready go back and restart as necessary to get to the others. enjoy! >:)

[devildomwriter]

“We’ve come to take you back, Raphael. It’s about time you woke up, don’t you think?”

“… …I was hoping to stay asleep a bit longer.”

— Lucifer rescuing Raphael from his dream (Chapter 74-17)

[queerhoodies]

oppenheimer and barbie bfs

[enter-the-bear-circle]

I saw someone do it last year and it worked wonders so

[castielsprostate]

FUCK de PVV en FREE PALESTINE!!! dit is ware onderdrukking van de vrijheid van meningsuiting.

NU artikel

[magicalgirlmascot]

I like the idea of Ahkmou developing a crush on Takua and just having a little crisis of sexuality at home, and Makuta's just like "Yeah, sure, can we focus on the task at hand, please?"

Ahkmou just pacing around his room agonizing over whether or not he's into boys and Makuta watching him like "oh he is definitely tearing himself apart over this way worse than anything I could do to him I'm just going to let him stew"

A couple years later Ahkmou is talking to Takua and casually drops "yeah I had a crush on you when we were kids haha thanks for helping me figure out I like boys" and Takua goes "oh I'm actually not a boy anymore" "MAN C'MON I JUST GOT THIS BISEXUAL SHIT FIGURED OUT"

[holybatgirlz]

The benophie girlies now that we finally got Benedict confirmed as the next season lead

[ifindus]

Norwegian events so far in 2024:

Northerners mocking Southerners for not dealing well with a huge snow storm

Southerners mocking Northerners back after they get a storm with wind with hurricane strength

Everyone else in Norway being baffled after absolute legend trønder Åge Aleksandersen sells out a football stadium for his last ever concert in september 2025 within 10 minutes and then selling out the extra concert in 4 minutes with over 20 000 people still waiting in line and not getting a ticket

[its-no-biggie]

"if it's for you, i don't mind being trapped in this endless maze for all eternity" i can't fucking do this anymore

[maddy-ferguson]

zionists love the pinkwashing angle so much you would think israel has the most queer-friendly policies on earth but they don't even have gay marriage there

[strawberrybyers]

i wake up, listen to taylor swift, think about byler, contemplate the capitalistic structures that humans have been forced into when really we should be planting flowers and eating berries and looking at the beautiful scenery earth has blessed us with, eat the same thing i eat almost everyday, watch a movie or tv show, reblog on tumblr, watch youtube and tiktok, go to sleep. repeat.

[lacallemojada]

Marina Winter Cheers - SOULMATE(S)

[wysteriaisapenguin]

I swear I'm the best dad ever

[shiro-s2e2-erukinzu]

Anime only watchers and people who aren't caught up with the Manga, BEWARE... Cuz I'm about to discuss Spy X Family Mission 74... You have been warned...! 👌

[SPOILERS AHEAD FROM THIS POINT ON]

Oh man, I can't believe this...

THIS CHAPTER WAS INSANE!!! 😵😵😵

So let's start with something that everyone's been wondering about... Yor wondering where Anya is and why she hasn't come home yet...:

And boy does she find out that something's amiss...!

Then, after a month of waiting, we finally find out Anya's plan to stop the bus from being blown up is...!! And, well...:

ANYA, YOU ABSOLUTE MAD LAD...!! 🤣

But then, she says this:

Which was similar to what Billy's daughter, Biddy, once said to him...! And in turn, it reminded Billy of Biddy...!!

And after a few more back and forths between Anya and Billy (some of which were absolutely silly ☺), we get another flashback about Biddy and the kind of person she was:

"Be a giver, not a taker." "Help each other up, don't hold each other down."

Those words really warmed my heart because Billy was the reason why Biddy was the way she was...! 💗

And so, Billy decided to give up...

But the bus driver, Vadim, wasn't going down without a fight... So he started driving the bus, tried to get away, eventually crashed it, and TOOK ANYA AS A HOSTAGE!! 😱 (Which was actually something that I thought Billy was gonna do originally, but I digress...!)

But then...:

MARTHA SAVED THE DAY!!! 😆 SHE WAS THE TRUE MVP THIS CHAPTER...!!! 👏😁

(But, I would also give the MVP honor to Mr. Henderson for jumping in the way of the gun pointed at Anya...!! 😎)

And so, The Red Circus was finally stopped... But what's gonna happen now...? 🤔

And that was Mission 74, a great chapter to start off this year's Spy X Family content!! 😄 I don't know if everyone will be pleased by the out come of this chapter, but I really enjoyed it and that's what really matters to me at least...!! 😊

I honestly have no clue what's gonna happen next because Endo is an absolute mad man that loves to pull the rug from under our feet! He is the literal personification of "Never let them know your next move"...!! 👌😎

But, before I go... I just wanted to let y'all know that last week was a pretty rough one for me, hence why I didn't post or reblog anything for a whole week... Everything's a lot better now, but it was still a very scary experience... Maybe one day I'll share what happened, but for now, I'll just leave it at that...

Anyway, I hope that you all have a wonderful week and I'll see you all in the Mission...!! 💗 Take care and be safe out there...!! 👋😊

[a-gay-little-cat]

(This drawing got way out of hand but. I'm attaching it to the OC interview anyways!!!! Thank you for tagging me @mail-me-a-snail!!!!) OC interview thingy under the read more :]

Name?

“Vito.” Nothing special or out of the ordinary here really. Though he doesn’t like giving people his surname. Scan him for it if you are so nosy.

Nickname?

“The Red Scorpion.” "...." “That’s a joke, it’s V.” His name is short enough to not warrant a nickname really but V is what he likes to use for business related stuff, keep it formal, keep it anonymous. Though I do think Red Scorpion is the name for his bike. And also the symbol he wears on his vest. He just really likes scorpions and any other desert critter.

Gender?

“Male.”

Vito is trans, has been for a good chunk of his life and he couldn’t be happier with it.

Star sign?

“Scorpio, much to my delight. No idea what it means though. Don’t really care for that kind of stuff.” Fun fact I was so close to making the joke of having Vito be born on the day the Arasaka Towers got blown up but then his age wouldn’t have aligned quite right. He’d have to be 53 during the main story but… still a joke in the back of my mind, might adjust it JUST to be funny, maybe not.

Height?

“Last I checked it was 5’8.”

It’s a pretty good height all things considered. He might appear a bit taller though thanks to the bit of heel on his boots as well as his hat he wears most of the time. He has no complaints about his height though.

Orientation?

“Whoever strikes my fancy.”

Vito is bi and doesn’t really have a preference. Just kinda lets himself be taken wherever his heart desires. (Sometimes that can be horrible ex-corpo men who have something really wrong with them. Shoutout to Lucian. What is wrong with him.) Though he usually doesn’t look for more than a fling. Not actively looking to date or find anything long term. (Lucian was kind of an unexpected case.)

Nationality/ethnicity?

“Born and raised in Mexico. Lived there a good while too.”

His parents likely still live there, he wouldn’t really know. Cut ties a long time ago and has kinda moved from city to city looking to follow his ambitions.

Favorite fruit?

“Hm… don’t have fruit a lot these days but peaches have always been my favorite.”

I can only imagine fruit is just kind of rare to come by, if not expensive. Vito’s never had a lot of money to his name all things considered.

Favorite season?

“Fall. It’s just right.”

Listen he may be used to hot climates but all that leather is probably a nightmare during the summer. And no he will not sacrifice his looks.

Favorite flower?

“Flowers? In this year and age?” He doesn’t know shit about flowers. He might like ones that bloom on cacti but… it’s not really his scene.

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?

“You can’t go wrong with a nice tea.” He’ll always pick tea over anything else. Coffee is… okay. But he doesn’t get the appeal. Vito especially likes any sort of red/fruity tea but he’ll give anything a try at least once.

Average hours of sleep?

“4…. 5… depends.”

And that’s on a good day. Especially in the height of everything with the relic he is lucky to get one or two hours of sleep. Pain is one hell of a bitch keeping him up. Very hard to get comfortable at all. But once that’s all over and he’s settled down it’ll probably end up closer to an average of 8 hours, at least.

Dog or cat person?

“Reptiles.” “...” “But if I have to pick? Cats.”

Vito isn’t one to really care for pets. He doesn’t hate them and will pet a dog or a cat if someone he knows owns one but that's about it. Doesn’t really need a pet of his own.

Dream trip?

“Not really looking to travel.”

As a guy who has moved from place to place, Vito doesn’t really… plan for trips. Most of his traveling was out of necessity and not because he was looking for a vacation spot. Somewhere outside of NC could be nice but he just doesn’t really think about it. Busy with other stuff. Also he would want to travel with Lucian and well……. who knows how that would go down.

Favorite fictional character?

“Pardon?”

Vito reads a lot but he’s not like… crazy about the characters or even really involved, it's just to pass time and relax.

Number of blankets you sleep with?

“.....2.”

He gets cold in his sleep and it's a nice weight. One hell of a fight to get out of bed in the morning though.

Random fact?

Vito loves putting together little models of things if possible. Doesn’t always have the time for it but… it’s fun and relaxing :)

Don't really know who to tag but hey whoever wants to do this with their guys feel free to go ahead!