#academics describe the exact same issue

[hotsugarbyglassanimals]

online brainrot and academic brainrot are the exact same thing to me. in my opinion

[literaryvein-reblogs]

15 Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

in response to:

1. Develop a reading habit. Reading is the most effective way to build your vocabulary. Read books, magazines, and newspapers that cover a wide range of topics, and pay attention to unfamiliar words. Look up their meanings and try using them in context. Vocabulary building is easiest when you encounter words in context. Seeing words appear in a novel or a newspaper article can be far more helpful than seeing them appear on vocabulary lists. Not only do you gain exposure to unfamiliar words; you also see how they’re used. In fact, 15 minutes is recognized as the ideal time for students to see positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day improve the most.

2. Utilize word lists. They are incredibly flexible tools that can help you organize your learning in a variety of ways. For instance, vocabulary can be grouped into small, easy chunks that can be revisited for maximum learning benefits. Research shows that a word needs to be seen up to 10 times before we really learn it, and researchers believe that staggered repetition is the best way to learn new vocabulary. Word lists help keep vocabulary terms in manageable chunks that a student can come back to as they gain mastery. I have posted some word lists HERE and will continue to add to this in the future.

3. Use the dictionary and thesaurus. Online dictionaries and thesauruses are helpful resources if used properly. They can jog your memory about synonyms that would actually be better words in the context of what you’re writing. A full dictionary definition can also educate you about antonyms, root words, and related words, which is another way to learn vocabulary.

4. Keep a vocabulary journal. Making a vocabulary journal is a great place to collect and interact with words you hear or see in your reading. Each page should be dedicated to a singular new word, including its definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. Review the journal regularly to reinforce your learning. 

5. Choosing appropriate vocabulary. It’s important to use words and expressions that fit the context so your meaning is clear. For example, different audiences for your writing will require different levels of formality: the vocabulary you use in an academic essay may not be effective for a blogpost targeting a popular audience. Consider the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate words for your audience and purpose:

a. What’s the exact meaning of the word? Words may be broadly similar in meaning but differ in important aspects of that meaning. Consider the difference between ‘the fragrance of flowers’  and ‘the odour of rotten eggs.’ Both words refer to the sense of smell, but fragrance has a positive core meaning while odour has a negative one. If you don’t know what a word exactly means, check it in a dictionary. b. Is the word attached to a feeling? Compare the two sentences: ‘The freeway snakes through the town’ and ‘The freeway meanders through the town’. In this example, snake indicates negative feelings about the freeway while meander doesn’t. c. What level of intensity does the word show? Many words with similar meanings describe different degrees of the same quality or action. For example, ‘comical’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘side-splitting’  show different degrees of funniness. Think about the intensity of what you want to convey when choosing words. d. Is the word formal or informal? Go for formal words and expressions in business communication and academic writing. In the following examples, the second expression in each pair is more formal than the first: (1) come up with / create (2) one after another / at regular intervals (3) huge / considerable (4) enough / sufficient e. Is the word polite? Words which describe negative qualities or sensitive issues too directly can be offensive. Good communicators consider the feelings of their audience. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, it’s more appropriate to use ‘children with weight problems’ or ‘children of an unhealthy weight’ than ‘fat children’. f. Is the word specific or general? Use words with specific meanings whenever possible to make your message clearer to your audience. For example, avoid overusing general verbs such as ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘get’, especially in academic writing, as they don’t accurately convey specific ideas. It’s better to use a more specific verb or verb phrase to strengthen your message. Compare the impact of the verbs in these sentences: ‘To be successful, learners need to have high-level literacy skills.’ ‘To be successful, learners need to develop and demonstrate high-level literacy skills.’ g. What other words does the word often go with? Some words are frequently used together and therefore sound more natural in combination. This is called collocation. For example, we say ‘fast train’ not ‘quick train’, but ‘quick shower’ not ‘fast shower’. Similarly, it’s more natural to say ‘highly critical’ rather than ‘deeply critical.’

6. Play word games. Classic games like Scrabble and Boggle can function as a fun way to expand your English vocabulary. Crossword puzzles can as well. If you really want to be efficient, follow up rounds of these word games with a little note-taking. Keep a list of the different words you learned while playing the game, and then study that list from time to time.

7. Use flashcards. A quick way to build a large vocabulary is to study a number of words via flashcards. In today’s digital age, a wide array of smartphone apps make flashcards convenient and easy to organize. Aiming for one new word a day is reasonable. You can always go for more, but it may not be reasonable to assimilate dozens of English words every single day.

8. Subscribe to “word of the day” feeds. Some web platforms will provide you with a word a day—either on a website, an app, or via email—to help you expand your vocabulary. You can add these words to running word lists.

9. Use mnemonics. A mnemonic device is a form of word association that helps you remember words’ definitions and proper uses. For instance think of the word obsequious which means “attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.” Break down that word into components: “obse” is the beginning of “obsessed,” “qui” sounds like the French word for “yes” (oui), and “us” is like the word “us.” So you can think of that big word obsequious as “obsessed with saying yes to us”—which is kind of what it means!

10. Practice using new words in conversation. It’s possible to amass a huge vocabulary without actually knowing how to use words. This means you have to take it upon yourself to put your personal dictionary into use. If you come across an interesting word in your reading, make a point of using it in conversation. By experimenting in low-stakes situations, you can practice the art of word choice and, with a little bit of trial and error, hone in on the right word for a particular context. Furthermore, speaking to native – or non-native – speakers of English (or any language you are learning) will guarantee you the chance to learn new words. Anyone who has ever wondered how to develop their vocabulary will know that the most important thing is putting your vocabulary to use and hearing what people say in return. This is how language works, and before long you’ll be finding ways to work those new words into your everyday use of the language.

11. Watch movies and TV shows. This simple activity can expose you to new words and phrases. When watching TV or a movie, pay attention to the dialogue and note any unfamiliar words. When the TV show or movie is done, look up the meanings of the new words and try to use them in context.

12. Build a story. Learning vocabulary words outside of their context is difficult, so why not create context with some creative storytelling? This can be an individual writing activity or you can do this in a group. A sample group activity: Choose a word list and determine an order in which your students or friends will take their turn. Every person gets to choose one word from the word list. You begin by writing the first sentence of a story; each student then uses their chosen word in a sentence to build on the story. This gets learners comfortable using the words in sentences, and putting those individual vocabulary words into a broader context. This is also an activity you can do via text, chat window, or email, which makes it perfect for remote learning.

13. Draw it. Sometimes the best learning activities are ones that don’t feel like a learning activity. This can be an individual activity but can also be used in group settings. Here’s a way to turn vocabulary acquisition into a game: Ask each student to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready, and tell them you are going to be playing a drawing game. Using the private chat feature of your remote learning software, choose one student and give them a word from your vocabulary list along with its definition, and tell them that they have 20 seconds to draw it. While the student is drawing it, make sure that you make their screen the main screen of the software. You can do a countdown to keep up the momentum, or play music while you wait. At the end of the time, the student shows their drawing to the other students: The first student to guess which vocabulary word has been drawn is the next student to draw. This activity is not only fun, but also benefits students who are visual or tactile learners.

14. Be aware of idioms. Idioms are commonly used word combinations or expressions. These have very specific meanings that are not obvious from the words they contain, e.g. ‘a piece of cake’, ‘get the hang of it’, ‘an Indian summer’, and ‘after a fashion’. Many dictionaries list and define idioms if you look up the component words. For example, try looking up ‘Indian’ or ‘summer’ to find ‘Indian summer’. Idioms are generally more appropriate for speaking and non-academic writing.

15. Practice, practice, practice. In many ways, vocabulary is like a muscle – it will get stronger the more you use it. The key to building a strong vocabulary is to use it regularly. Try using new words in your conversations, writing, and everyday life. The more that you use them, the more they will become a part of your everyday vocabulary.

Sources & other related articles: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[reading-comp-posting]

Have you ever considered using AI tools to assist with writing your responses?

Well no, because I'm doing this blog for fun. I'm enjoying writing out reading comprehension questions for posts, so why would I automate that away?

But let's say that I saw myself as some sort of arbitor of reading comprehension who needs to post as much as possible to enlighten the lowly tumblr masses. Let's say that I'm interested in upping my output of questions by any means necessary.

I opened up chatgpt and input a certain request, which would hopefully make it write questions about the last post I responded to:

Write reading comprehension questions about a Tumblr post, written by a user named "echoeyee," that reads as folows: "my take on shipping aromantic characters is that if you're aro you get to do whatever you want and if you're not you have to write me a three page essay 12 pt font times new roman double spaced explaining in detail why you believe entering a romantic relationship would be an interesting and worthwhile storyline for the character and how you believe their aromanticism would affect the way they experience said relationship"

And it certainly did write a lot of questions about it. Let's go through them, one by one.

1. What is the primary stance expressed by the Tumblr user "echoeyee" regarding shipping aromantic characters?

This one is good. If you look at the set I wrote, my first one is basically the same, just with different words and a less formal tone.

2. According to the post, what conditions must non-aromantic individuals fulfill if they wish to advocate for romantic storylines involving aromantic characters?

Again, this one is good. It's basically my 3rd question but, yet again, more formal.

3. Describe the format and specifications outined for the essay mentioned in the post.

This is the part where the questions get bad. The exact details of the essay are irrelevant, other than the fact that they imply a formal, academic setting.

4. In your own words, explain the user's perspective on the autonomy of aromantic individuals in contrast to non-aromantic individuals when it comes to shipping characters.

This question seems to genuinely be a product of chatgpt pissing on the poor. The purpose of the post (and specifically the essay within) is to ask people who ship aromantic characters without being aromantic themself to consider said character's aromanticism instead of erasing it.

Meanwhile, chatgpt seems to think that the OP thinks that people who aren't aromantic should be forced by law or something to write an essay if they want to ship an aromantic character.

5. How does the Tumblr post reflect the user's views on representation and storytelling in relation to aromantic characters?

I think that this one is a bit too speculative, but it does actually relate to the OP's intended takeaway.

6. Discuss the potential implications of the requirements set forth in the post for writers and creators in the realm of fiction and fanworks.

This one is just a bit confusing. Chatgpt seems to be going off the assumption that OP is issuing a decree as the emperor of the world.

7. Reflect on whether you agree or disagree with the sentiments expressed in the post and provide reasons to support your viewpoint.

This could have been a "discuss with a mutual" question, and I actually did initially write a question like this one, but I ended up removing it.

Aromantiscism is already controversial enough and I fear that a discussion of whether OP's take on shipping aromantic characters is valid could quickly devolve into discussion on whether aromanticism itself is valid.

8. How might the user's approach impact discussions and representations of aromanticism in media and popular culture?

Yet again, chatgpt is taking the essay thing way too literally. Yes, forcing every single writer who isn't aromantic but wants to ship an aromantic character to write an essay about it would most likely lead to a decrease in people erasing their identities, but the essay isn't the point.

9. Consider the broader societal and cultural context in which this post is situated. How might prevailing attitudes towards romantic relationships influence reactions to the user's perspective?

Obviously historical context is important to keep in mind when you're reading/listening to/watching/whatever a text, but this question has almost nothing to do with reading comprehension. You need to understand the post to imagine how people would react, sure, but understanding how people would react to the post doesn't help you understand this post very much.

10. What insights can be gleaned from this post regarding the importance of diverse and inclusive storytelling in media and creative works?

This could be a discuss with a mutual question. The issue is that it's a bit to broad of a topic.

[moralesmilesanhour]

Every time i think about atsv and its themes, my mind keeps going back to the scene with Miles and his parents in that college counselor’s office, and what its purpose is.

It establishes the strain that being Spider-Man has put on their relationship, yes - it also establishes that Miles feels trapped and limited, yes - but a lot of fandom discussion overlooks the important parallel that that scene sets in motion between racism in academia and Miles' rejection from Spider Society.

By now, everyone has already figured out that the issue with the 'Canon Event' theory is that it assumes that trauma - specifically experiencing the "right" traumatic events - is what makes a Spider-Man, and it is wrong for Miles to be required to accept this. It isn't enough that he had his uncle die, his father must die also because then he will have sacrificed "enough" to keep the canon intact. No one questions why arbitrary sacrifice is required at all.

The concept of the personal statement being required for college applications, I would like to argue, has the exact same issue.

Miles even says so in the beginning of the movie: "Having 'a story' in the first place sounds gross" (notice how Miles vocally critiques elite academia contantly and has been from the get-go. He is not an apolitical character like some might portray him to be).

It is not enough that Miles is an exceptional student with a variety of interests (art and science), he must have the appropriate traumatic "story" for white academic institutions to find him interesting enough as an applicant, even if the story they want him to tell is not actually his story (no, he is not from a "struggling immigrant family". They own an apartment floor and PR is in the United States). Just like the "Canon events" that Miguel describes are not Miles' story, and Miles does not want them to be because it requires the preventable deaths of innocent people.

In a similar way that has been touched upon more in wider fandom, Rio gives Miles a speech telling him not to let the people in these overwhelmingly-white spaces that he will be entering tell him that he doesn't belong. That speech, as we all know, ends up being a direct parallel to the way Spider Society treats him: he is simultaneously a charity case and a threat just by his mere presence. His very existence is disruptive to the canon: The spider wasn't "supposed" to bite him, he just got lucky. There is a reason why the visual of the ball with Miles' lottery number is constantly paired with the number on the spider that bit him; they are one and the same.

(Side note: this is also what makes Hobie's function as a character so interesting - The idea that you can just simply quit. You do not HAVE to be in these privileged spaces if they don't have your best interests in mind. You don't have to prove yourself to these people to be who you are. But that's a post for another day)

The reason I've been thinking about all this is because I feel like no one really touches upon why Miles' character exists. Like, on a thematic level. Yes, he's there to show that "anyone can wear the mask", but there's a lack of specificity in that statement that I wanted to address with this post.

Miles is a love letter to every black kid that's been told that they're only in the spaces they're in because they "got lucky". He's for every black kid that's ever looked at a college app and been told that they have to take their trauma and put it on display for some white admissions officer to shed a tear over. He's there to argue that you don't have to bend towards any of society's attempts to make a spectacle or a serviceable machine out of you, and that you can just be.

TL;DR: it was never just about the mask MWAH 🫶🏾

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: JLCederblom

Published: Apr 30, 2024

One of the most basic errors you would expect to be caught in peer-reviewed academic literature is plain data errors. They require no real expertise to catch and tend to be trivial to fix. It’s simply part of regular proof reading that any serious article of any sort should undergo.

So why are papers on transition regret rife with ridiculous errors, such as inventing thousands of people out of thin air? And why do those errors occur in the first place?

Let’s have a look at the latest in a long line of peer-reviewed garbage: “A Systematic Review of Patient Regret After Surgery- A Common Phenomenon in Many Specialties but Rare Within Gender-Affirmation Surgery” by Thornton et al.

This piece self-identifies as a systematic review, which it simply isn’t, but that’s rather technical (and, dare I say, academic) compared to the grievous errors in the paper, and will require some back-and-forth with the journal. Going over all of that in detail will take time and isn’t that interesting — although if the paper does get corrected or retracted, it’ll likely be due to such procedural issues rather than overarching problems.

While many individuals report satisfaction and improved measures of mental health after undergoing gender affirming surgery, there is a small but vocal minority who experience regret after their procedures.⁴ De-transitioning, also known as continued gender transition, has been exhaustively covered in the mainstream and conservative media and is an emerging area of study in gender affirming care.

The paper also has a rather noticeable disdain for the subject matter and a clear agenda with the goal of minimizing transition regret as a niche, “exhaustively covered” issue, championed by a “small” but unnecessarily “vocal” group.

Let’s have a look at the sources the paper cites for the rate of regret.

* * *

First up: Wiepjes et al., 2018.

A study performed in Amsterdam retrospectively examined 6,793 patients who attended a gender identity clinic in Amsterdam from 1972 to 2015 and found 0.6% and 0.3% of transwomen and transmen reported experiencing regret after gender affirming surgery, respectively. The authors noted that reasons for regret could be divided into three categories. True regret was defined as regretting having GAS. Social regret involved losing touch with loved ones or being fired from a job because of GAS. Lastly, some participants reported feeling non-binary and no longer feeling satisfied with their surgical result. Average time to experiencing regret was 130 months (more than 10 years) post-operatively.³⁰

This is simply erroneous. The authors make the claim that Wiepjes et al., 2018, measured reports of “experiencing regret after gender affirming surgery”. This is false, as the study first required hormonal detransition, the cessation of cross-sex hormone treatment and going back on your natal sex hormones, at the same clinic. Every time the authors describe this as only measuring “experienced regret” they are not being truthful.

In addition, the number who were investigated for this rather specific definition of regret was not 6,793 but 2,627. I’m not sure what the exact purpose of putting the number of people who visited the clinic, including those who never transitioned whatsoever, is but it certainly inflates the number.

You might ask yourself how it’s possible that the authors read Wiepjes et al., 2018, but did not manage to understand what was investigated, nor how many people were looked at. The most likely answer, to me at least, is that none of the authors, peer reviewers, or editors, actually read the paper.

* * *

Next up: Bustos et al., 2021. If you need a primer on this, I’ve written about it before.

In 2021, a systematic review and meta-analysis was completed which assessed 27 studies, including a total of 7,928 transgender individuals. One third of the included individuals underwent transmasculine procedures, while the remaining two thirds underwent transfeminine procedures. Of the 7,928 individuals included in the analysis, 1.0% expressed regret. The most common reason for post-operative regret was “difficulty/dissatisfaction in life with the new gender role.” Another common reason was failure of surgery to achieve their aesthetic surgical goals. The authors hypothesized that the rate of regret established by this metanalysis was lower than a previously established rate from 1993 due to increased rigor in the selection process before gender affirming surgery.

Bustos et al., 2021, pulls together all the greatest hits of gender pseudoscience: erroneous data, fraudulent methods, zero peer-review, irresponsibility (or perhaps hostility) from the journal, and more. It’s a paper where the factual error count is in the triple digits to this day.

However, after wrangling the arms of the journal editors a bit, they put out a partial correction (where they actually introduced some new errors as well as fixed a handful). The lowest possible bar you could hold the authors against in this 2024 paper is that they used that 2022 “correction.”

Of course they didn’t.

An inability to even copy and paste numbers is what we’re dealing with here. From the entire chain, authors through editors. It ties into the previous paper as well—if Thornton et al. had read Wiepjes et al., 2018, they would be entirely equipped to see through Bustos et al., which makes the exact same nonsensical mistakes they did.

I would provide an exact number instead of 7,928 here, but it’s not actually possible to do that because one of the included papers reports contradictory numbers, which Bustos et al. didn’t mention or, more likely, even notice. Another provides an estimate rather than exact figures. They also included papers which did not investigate a regret rate in the review, which is just bizarre.

Either way, out of the claimed 7,928 people, at least 3,400 were not investigated for regret in any way. As previously mentioned another 2,627 had a requirement that you had to hormonally detransition in order to count as regretful. Another didn’t measure regret at all, simply legal sex marker reversals. If you go through the papers and add up the number of people who were explicitly asked about regrets (in any way) you get around 1,300. With unknown loss to follow-up, often very short follow-up, and no uniformity to the way they were asked.

Which apparently to Thornton et al., the peer-reviewers, and the journal editors, is enough to conclusively state that we know the rate of transition regret.

* * *

Next up is Narayan et al., 2021, which was a combined survey and systematic review. See if you can spot the sleight of hand.

Another study surveyed all surgeons registered for the 2016 World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the 2017 US Professional Association for Transgender Health. Most respondents practiced in the United States and had surgically treated at least 100 transgender or gender-nonconforming patients. Of the 30% of surgeons that completed the survey, 61% respondents had treated at least one patient who experienced regret or requested reversal of a procedure. Overall, the calculated rate of regret after gender affirming surgery was 0.2%-0.3%. Of the 62 patients that respondents reported had sought reversal surgery, reasons for reversal included surgical complications, continued evolution of their gender identity, rejection or alienation from social support, and difficulty in romantic relationships.⁵

An anonymous survey of WPATH or USPATH conference attendants with 70 percent non-respondents (fairly catastrophic given the population), asking them to estimate the number of patients they’ve surgically transitioned (somewhere between 18,125 and 27,325) and how many patients they’ve “encountered” (meaning what?) who “regretted their gender transition” (open for a wide range of interpretations) is not a very serious approach.

The paper sometimes treats “regret,” “reversal request,” and “detransition” as the same thing, sometimes not. The authors (both Narayan et al. and Thornton et al.) seem very confused about what the respondents were actually talking about. Usually, when you’re confused, the right thing to do is to slow down and work it out. Not to take the decision to treat 62 patients seeking surgical reversal as “the regret rate”—which is absurd, and reveals the authors’ intellectual, or rather emotional, bias towards presenting as low a number as possible.

* * *

Next up is Bruce et al., 2023.

Recently, research from the University of Michigan demonstrated low levels of regret after gender-affirming mastectomy in a cross-sectional study. On average, respondents underwent surgery 3.6 years before the survey. The median Decision Regret Scale score was 0.0. Further, of the 139 respondents, zero requested reversal procedures.³²

The respondents certainly reported low decision regret. Of course, 3.6 year mean follow-up is less than most studies put the average time to regret at, and a 40 percent non-response rate is… an issue. It’s also exclusively following mastectomy, and that this often provides (at least) short term relief from breast-related distress seem highly plausible.

If Thornton et al. was a systematic review rather than a literature review with a (very poor) systematic search, these issues would be explored and Bruce et al. would take its rightful place as low quality evidence for potential short term benefits. Presenting it as evidence of a low regret rate, however, is ridiculous.

On a side note, Bruce et al. also cites erroneous data from Bustos et al., this time regarding follow-up times rather than sample sizes. It truly is the gift that keeps giving in terms of academic misinformation.

* * *

The final thing referenced is the 2022 USTS Early Insight report.

In February 2024, the 2022 US Transgender Survey Early Insight report was published, providing data from 92,329 binary and nonbinary transgender people. This report noted that 97% of respondents who had undergone gender-affirming surgery reported that they were “a lot more satisfied” or “a little more satisfied” with their lives.³³

This was an anonymous online survey recruiting participants via advocacy groups, and described as “a survey for trans people, by trans people.”

When Thornton et al. describe it as “92,329 binary and nonbinary transgender people” they actually get that wrong as well, as the report describes it as “38% nonbinary, 35% transgender women, 25% transgender men, and 2% crossdressers.” This may seem like nitpicking, but it actually describes the inconsistencies of the worldview that Thornton et al. champion.

Other than poking fun at them, there isn’t much more to say here. The Early Insight report doesn’t discuss regret, which is why they didn’t claim it did. Which would make it odd that they put it under the heading “Regret After Gender-Affirming Surgery” if you’re operating under the assumption that Thornton et al. are writing an academic paper, but that’s clearly not the intention.

* * *

Human writing has many purposes. The most obvious is communication, to convey thoughts and ideas to others. But we also do it for fun, or to assist ourselves, to organize our thoughts, all sorts of ways. Academic papers of this sort, however, are supposed to have a single purpose: to inform others.

When people write falsehoods, figuring out why they do so is interesting. It tells us something about them. For example, when Thornton et al. repeat erroneous data about papers, it tells us that they didn’t care. Despite using emotive language about regret, it tells us that they don’t care enough about the reality of regret to even read a six page paper (a very low bar), but they were happy to write a paper about it.

So why did they write this paper, despite not caring about the topic?

Research on regret after gender-affirming surgery poses unique challenges, as patients may fear that their regret could be weaponized against the transgender community. Those who seek to limit access to GAS often use regret as a key element in their arguments and in proposed legislation.

The aim of Thornton et al. appears to be to muddy the waters and push their own narrative, as the errors are not random but rather all go in the same direction. They are concerned with the consequences of regret, not regret itself. They simply aimed to distract people, and to breathe some new life into old misinformation, and they accomplished that.

There’s a steady stream of blatant garbage flowing through journals in this field. It’s not the replication crisis of science at large, or publication bias, and it’s not about large scale matters out of control—although structural vulnerabilities in the publishing process of journals is of course an issue.

In the end it comes down to emotionally driven choices by the individuals involved allowing falsehoods to be printed. The paper is a thinly veiled ideological document masquerading as science, but whether it highlights the complicity or just the illiteracy of the peer-reviewers and editors is yet to be determined.

*This article was originally published on JLCederblom’s blog on Medium.

==

They don't care about protecting people, they only care about protecting the cult. The point is to portray the cult as infallible, that the dogma and the doctrine is never wrong, it's only the members following the doctrine and dogma that are wrong. They don't have enough faith. They were never a true Scotsman. All the usual stuff.

[gwemmieee]

I've just figured out some big things, and... yeah. It's not fair or sensitive to hold everyone to the exact same standard. Some of us have suffered a lot more than others, and the more you have suffered, the more you deserve grace when you're so exhausted that you slip up in your overwhelming and obsessive effort to be good to everyone.

I love giving space to anyone who's being honest about the ways they've been hurt. But once they've personally hurt me, or if the systemic issues they're describing have an even greater effect on me, I should not be held to as high a standard of perfection in how I speak and express my feelings. I should just be heard. Failing to treat me this way... I think that is the true definition of one-upping another's trauma.

From now on, I'm gonna be wary around masculine people who specifically only want to talk about their pain without giving me any space for mine as a very feminine woman. And similarly for cis people as a trans person. And wealthy people as a poor person. And neurotypical people as a neurodivergent person. And abled people as a disabled person. And parented people as an emotional orphan. And etc.

And from now on, if someone who is intersex, or BIPOC, or not white passing, or homeless, or less non-mad-passing than me, or more disabled than me, etc., is wary of me specifically because I unnecessarily forced them to have to silently process their own oppression just to be able to hear me, I'm gonna understand and respect that. It's so obvious to me now. Their oppression is not my fault, personally, but that doesn't mean they don't have completely valid reasons to find my presence actively exhausting. I'm not gonna be able to make that go away. I can either be sensitive to that or miss out on maximizing what connection with them I actually have access to.

And that doesn't mean I have to always turn the other cheek when someone is being just plain nasty to me, because I don't have to throw myself under the bus to be sensitive, and being sensitive doesn't mean I don't have my own limits.

We're honestly lucky to have all these academic and grassroots social justice discussions just a web search away. It's usually so fucking hard to ever know for sure whether another person has had it so hard that it's a struggle to be any better, or is just presenting that way to manipulate you. It's still really hard now. But our modern education and dissemination of marginalized groups' collective experiences shines a huge light on so much of it, and that gives us so much more opportunity to REALLY connect with folks from very different perspectives.

This feels like real feminism to me.

[binders-and-beanies]

Studying the dsm for school n it was so cool to get to the dyspraxia part :) I wish our section was more than 3 pages when other stuff gets 10+ and it’s def incomplete like there are some essential things not mentioned but at the same time u cannot explain dyspraxia in one book no matter how many hundreds of pages it is. N it obviously aligns w the way I was diagnosed bc those doctors studied it the same way but it’s cool to see it even briefly mentioned in my grad school curriculum esp in a way where it’s like. So many people who just don’t believe me abt so many things are proven wrong in just 3 pages.

You can cover your ears all you want but the people who actually work w this subject understand it and the more educated a professional becomes the more accurate their understanding of dyspraxia is. I appreciated how it explained in what situations it’s appropriate to also be diagnosed w an intellectual disability and it described my exact situation (no shit, that’s what I’m diagnosed w and these are the criteria they used) and how it talked abt joint issues and pain as well despite it being a book abt the brain. I would love to find ways to incorporate it into my work in this course and I feel inspired to like. Use my voice more as a dyspraxic academic

[inked-out-trees]

Ok!

12 for Trevor

13

And I think 18

ok!!!! :)

sorry i rambled a lot so i'm readmoreing this LMAO

12. Character + Dialogue (Trevor)

“I’m putting up a sign. If your name is Annie Twilloil or Francis Beaumont, fuck off. Rabid cat inside. Or whatever.” Trevor waves a sleepy hand in the air. “Something something I’ll bite you.” (Chapter 2)

13. Talk about your growth from your first fic to now.

oh boy. it's been almost eight years. or maybe it has been eight years. you're sending me back to wattpad, buddy, i don't know if i can forgive that (fully joking).

i started writing my first real fic (for academic purposes we are talking about the first thing i posted, not all my elementary school flights of fancy) in junior high, mostly in spurts on the bus or back and forth on a shitty little usb drive that also carried my schoolwork. i'm pretty sure the main document was password protected and in a folder labeled something totally innocuous because i was thirteen and painfully embarrassed about writing supernatural fanfiction as though anyone else would ever use my memory stick, like, ever. flash forward to today where the writing folder on my laptop is 90% fic and i Do Not Care Anymore! but still with weird titles because that's just how these things go.

(but also shoutout to my first fic, which according to wattpad is still #939 in supernatural fic after alll these years. it's got a little medal next to it and everything. fuck yeah!)

when i read it i see a lot of things that mark a young writer - mostly characterisation issues, things that could be portrayed better, I hadn't gotten the hang of internal monologues yet so it's quite painfully objective (in comparison to my current taste and style). but, like, honestly? not bad. not bad at all. full respect to thirteen-year-old me for sticking through and writing, like, a full 50 thousand word thing without even realising it.

("alright, i did the math and, with various author's notes included because i wasn't going to put any more effort into this than what wattpad gave me, our wordcount for this fic was... 52,385. my third longest fic to date" -from a conversation with a friend a couple months ago, timestamp almost 2am. moral of the story: wattpad give us word counts please)

ANYWAY. aside from the, you know, wattpad stuff, what propelled me forward on that particular fic was both the existence of a full story in my head (and then some. rest in peace to the abandoned sequel) and some pretty cool folks to share it with. not stopping - and, indeed, writing more spn stuff before finally metamorphasis-ing into a theatre kid - was prompted through friends. so. friends are the reason for everything. another reason for everything was my move from wattpad to ao3, which happened somewhere in my move from junior high to high school (very symbolic i know) and subsequently allowed for such things as: greater audience! a comment section! sophistication! all the cool kids use ao3!

and, like, even ao3 era onwards. from 2016's newsies works to now there's like. improvement in plotting and planning! character voice and internal monologue! fun with structure! music! all these funky fresh things that i'm always so excited to work with. i don't even really have words to describe it anymore i just think it's fun as hell. it's just like. i will keep writing and i will keep getting better and these things are perpetual. and in several years with even more work under my belt i will be able to look back at what i've been doing the past couple years and do the exact same thing.

but all my love remains to the password-protected word docs that hold those supernatural fics from an earlier time. some of them saw the light of day and some of them straight up did not. all of them are still in my heart.

18. Share a line from a fic you'll never finish.

("cornley time travel au: is significantly better written, stronger interpersonal relationships, i actually know what i'm doing / supernatural OC apocalypse fic: written when my hubris knew no limits, has demons in the story. oh and em-dashes. i only started using em-dashes in like 2017" -same conversation as above)

remember how i wrote a sequel (threequel) to the lookout mmnis? i was also fully prepared to write a sequel to flat pack attack. rest in peace to flat pack attack: homeworld which will probably never see the light of day. the idea was good and a kid can dream

SAMPSON: You ever heard of… (reading from a page) a tailsman?

DELTA: Is it a talisman you mean?

Sampson squints at the page.

SAMPSON: No, this says tails. Like a monkey.

He sticks a hand near the base of his chair and does a tail approximation.

oh and secondary shoutout to another abandoned newsies au that drew on my experiences with high school theatre tech, aptly named welcome to hell - its namesake was something like:

He catches a glimpse of the whiteboard once again before he leaves. Someone, probably Jack again, has wiped out most of the letters in HOTEL CALIFORNIA - now it just reads WELCOME TO H EL L.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

I hope this doesn't sound confusing, but is there a way to strike a balance between using "simple" words and "complex" words? Like, trying to write something that isn't too simple or too verbose.

I think context is the keyword here.

What I do is I just write using my current vocabulary, so that I'm able to convey what I mean as accurately as possible. And if I want to sort of elevate my writing, that's when I might swap out some simpler words with more "complex"/poetic words, or maybe even phrases. But I make sure I'm using the appropriate vocabulary. How do we do this? I'm just going to copy and paste here an excerpt from this writing resource to answer this question:

It’s important to use words and expressions that fit the context so your meaning is clear. For example, different audiences for your writing will require different levels of formality: the vocabulary you use in an academic essay may not be effective for a blogpost targeting a popular audience. Consider the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate words for your audience and purpose. a. What’s the exact meaning of the word? Words may be broadly similar in meaning but differ in important aspects of that meaning. Consider the difference between ‘the fragrance of flowers’  and ‘the odour of rotten eggs.’ Both words refer to the sense of smell, but fragrance has a positive core meaning while odour has a negative one. If you don’t know what a word exactly means, check it in a dictionary. Also look up sample sentences that use your "complex"/fancy word, and see how it is actually used. But, once you truly know what a word means, wordplay can be your friend. b. Is the word attached to a feeling? Compare the two sentences: ‘The freeway snakes through the town’ and ‘The freeway meanders through the town’. In this example, snake indicates negative feelings about the freeway while meander doesn’t. c. What level of intensity does the word show? Many words with similar meanings describe different degrees of the same quality or action. For example, ‘comical’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘side-splitting’  show different degrees of funniness. Think about the intensity of what you want to convey when choosing words. d. Is the word formal or informal? Go for formal words and expressions in business communication and academic writing. In the following examples, the second expression in each pair is more formal than the first: (1) come up with / create (2) one after another / at regular intervals (3) huge / considerable (4) enough / sufficient e. Is the word polite? Words which describe negative qualities or sensitive issues too directly can be offensive. Good communicators consider the feelings of their audience. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, it’s more appropriate to use ‘children with weight problems’ or ‘children of an unhealthy weight’ than ‘fat children’. f. Is the word specific or general? Use words with specific meanings whenever possible to make your message clearer to your audience. For example, avoid overusing general verbs such as ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘get’, especially in academic writing, as they don’t accurately convey specific ideas. It’s better to use a more specific verb or verb phrase to strengthen your message. Compare the impact of the verbs in these sentences: ‘To be successful, learners need to have high-level literacy skills.’ ‘To be successful, learners need to develop and demonstrate high-level literacy skills.’ g. What other words does the word often go with? Some words are frequently used together and therefore sound more natural in combination. This is called collocation. For example, we say ‘fast train’ not ‘quick train’, but ‘quick shower’ not ‘fast shower’. Similarly, it’s more natural to say ‘highly critical’ rather than ‘deeply critical.’ Additionally, be aware of idioms. Idioms are commonly used word combinations or expressions. These have very specific meanings that are not obvious from the words they contain, e.g. ‘a piece of cake’, ‘get the hang of it’, ‘an Indian summer’, and ‘after a fashion’. Many dictionaries list and define idioms if you look up the component words. For example, try looking up ‘Indian’ or ‘summer’ to find ‘Indian summer’.

But if you have a wide vocabulary that people have difficulty understanding you, maybe you can do the opposite of this and swap out the too complex words with simpler ones, haha!

Lastly, when you read through your work whilst editing, ask yourself: Does this sound natural? Does it sound like your literary voice? Do you recognise yourself in this written work? Or do the simple/complex words you've inserted sound too unfamiliar?

Hope this helps, dear Anon. But if anyone has a better answer for this, do let us know.

[language-gender]

Medical Definitions of Gender and Sex

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are both well known health organizations that provides health information and guidelines for treatment across the U.S. and the world. Both provide definitions for gender and sex on their websites that can be found through a quick Google search.

On the WHO website, they define gender as being “the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time.” The website then describes sex as “biological and physiological characteristics  of females, males, and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive organs.” (Gender and Health) The website then goes on to clarify that “gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth.” (Gender and Health)

The CDC’s website describes gender as being “the cultural roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes expected of people based on their sex.” They also include definitions for gender expression and gender identity, “how an individual chooses to present their gender to others through physical appearance and behaviors, such as style of their hair or dress, voice, or movement,” and “an individual’s sense of their self as man, woman, transgender, or something else,” respectively (Terminology). The CDC defines sex as “an individual’s biological status as male, female, or something else. Sex is assigned at birth and associated with physical attributes, such as anatomy and chromosomes.”

Both the WHO and the CDC have clearly defined what "sex" and "gender" mean within the context of the medical field. Though each website does not use the exact same language to define both words, the overall convey the same meaning. The inclusion of definitions for "gender identity" and "gender expression" also highlights how gender is fluid and change change. While these definitions are clearly outlined, this does not mean that these words are utilized as they are defined. This is not the case in other professional fields. Within academic writing, sex, gender, and gender identity are often used interchangeably (Bamberger 252). This interchangeable use of gender, sex, and gender identity further perpetuates the issues and confusion around what each word means. Defining these words and how they should be used needs to occur not just in the medical field.

Overall, while the definitions and information that the websites were conveying information that could be complex, they both broke down the information and interconnections into verbiage that is easy to understand. By examining the definitions presented by the WHO and the CDC, it is evident that these governing bodies have a clear stance on what gender and sex are. They also make clear that the fluidity of gender is normal. This is important because in order to make change within the medical field, gender and sex need to be clearly defined, especially by organizations that influence practice within the medical field. These definitions highlight the recognition and need for gender inclusive care within the medical field. Though sex and gender have been thoroughly distinguished by the WHO and CDC, members of the LGBTQ+ community still face discrimination at the hands of providers within the medical field.

Sources:

"Gender and Health." The World Health Organization, www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1. Accessed 24 April 2023.

"Terminology." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/terminology/sexual-and-gender-identity-terms.htm#:~:text=Gender%3A%20The%20cultural%20roles%2C%20behaviors,dress%2C%20voice%2C%20or%20movement.

Bamberger, Ethan, and Farrow, Aiden. "Language for Sex and Gender Inclusiveness in Writing." Journal of Human Lactation, vol. 37, no.2, 2021, pp. 251-259.

[columboposting]

Honestly not even the last fifteen years — try since the 1990s. A lot of the language we use to talk about social issues today comes from academia, and it is language that has been in use in academia for far longer than it’s been in vernacular. “Social constructs” and the ways in which texts produce/subvert/question them have been, broadly speaking, the primary concern of literary scholarship since the ‘80s. The third wave of feminism started in the late ‘80s; Kimberlé Crenshaw coined “intersectionality” in 1989, and very soon after it gets picked up by a lot of literary critics. Edward Said’s Orientalism, which is pretty much the starting point of postcolonial theory, came out in 1978. By the year 2000 Queer Theory and Gender Studies are flourishing. Fuck, I was so busy talking about those guys I almost forgot to mention that Marxist lit theory has been alive and well since the fucking ‘70s!!!! If you go back and read a piece of literary theory from 1998 you will probably be surprised by how much it sounds like it could have been written yesterday. But that’s because many of the ways we now describe gender and race and sexuality were invented by academics — queer and female academics, academics of color, other marginalized academics — thirty-forty years ago. 

Obviously, criticism from the early/mid-20th century is, to generalize a little, going to suck for all the reasons you think it will; back then, most critics had this idea that a text had one objective correct meaning, and the critics deciding on that meaning were overwhelmingly wealthy straight white men (that said, we even owe some things to those nerds — mainly close reading, looking at a paragraph or a sentence of a work and examining its form and content and using it to draw conclusions about the work at large, AKA what’s happening in 90% of tumblr media analysis). But since the 70s literary criticism has been primarily post-structuralist, and since the 90s that post-structuralism has primarily turned its attention to examining how a text understands structures of class, race, gender, sexuality, culture and society at large in very nuanced, intelligent ways. There are a lot of fantastic scholars doing a lot of fantastic work!!! Post-Colonialism, Gender Theory, Queer Theory, Feminist Theory, Critical Race Theory, and New Historicism are all doing quite well at the moment — within the past fifteen years or so you can start throwing Ecocriticism into the hat, if you want to see people talking about how literature treats the natural world. By dismissing “scholars,” you’re ignoring the fact that there are a lot of really cool literary critics you could be learning from RIGHT NOW!!

And this is a little beside the point but I do really want to note that also: you’re neglecting the fact that YOU are doing scholarship, even if you’re not “scholars”!! Like, I hate the people who invented close reading, but holy shit close reading is the foundation of like every piece of tumblr media analysis ever!! Furthermore: Frankly, if you’re talking about the latent meaning hidden within the text you are probably also doing a little bit of psychoanalysis because that’s where we get that idea about reading literature (sorry, fellow Freud haters). If you’re talking about the emotional reaction the text provokes, if you’re interested in how the serialized nature of dracula daily changes the experience vs reading it as it was published — congratulations, that’s Phenomenology, the study of how people experience a text!!!!!! Plus there are (as previously mentioned) all the ways that we get our vocab on gender and race and class and social constructs from theory. Your blorbo analysis post is a form of literary criticism that is deeply, deeply indebted to both modern post-structuralist theory and earlier 20th century ideas of close reading and psychoanalysis, even if you don’t know it. In that respect, and in the fact that modern criticism is going to be working under many of the exact same methodological and ideological influences as you, I promise literary scholarship is worth your time. 

since I'm paying more attention to drac daily stuff this year I'm seeing a lot of posts saying "scholars always get the book wrong" and guys, ya gotta read better scholarship. poke around on jstor and google scholar for publications from the last ~15 years. see if you can find queer / feminist / postcolonial centered journals with online public archives. find a writer you agree with and see who else they cite. I prommy that academics are not your enemy and a lot of them are in their line of work precisely because they're just as not normal about their blorbos as you are. hashtag don't turn this into another "historians will say they're just friends."

[percabeth4life]

Why is it a problem that Rick's portrayal was so inaccurate? (I know why but I'd love to see your view on this)

Rick's portrayal of the myths is a problem for various reasons, not all of these people really care about.

In terms of irl: a lot of people take what Rick says and quotes it as facts. Like genuine discussions on the myths have Rick cited as the source for stuff they say (not academically but publicly). It's something baffling and spreads innacuracies

In addition, the portrayal of the Gods as cruel, selfish, and petty (almost exclusively) causes various pagans to get hate. Some of my followers may remember the times I've gotten asks telling me the Gods are actually cruel and Rick was right, it's upsetting. Now, this is a common thing, not exclusive to his books, but his have the habit of portraying the myths as if those are facts even while mixing in fantasy, so it's hard for people to know what's the fantasy and what's properly sourced.

And on that note, the issue in book canon with inaccurate myths is... We don't know what's canon or not.

Rick changes myths, he makes some myths up, he uses characters from the myths and makes them good or evil as he feels like.

Calypso's myths are at least somewhat true, but the myths show that she r*ped Odysseus (describes him unwilling and crying). Is that the truth? She only released him in the myths because the Gods interfered, the Gods interfered with Percy too, did that save him from that fate or is she kind now? Or was she never cruel? We don't know!

He pulls only parts of the myths and ignores the rest, and when you're basing major parts of your stories on the myths that creates questions and holes because we don't know what's fact and what's not as far as the books are concerned.

Medusa who was born a monster came first, and yet the Medusa they met was the one made a monster, are they one and the same? Or different?

There are specific Roman Centaurs so I'd imagine theres and Roman and Greek Medusa, but he treats the Roman one as Greek.

The myth of Arachne is Roman, it's written by Ovid, does that mean that all children of Athena are also children of Minerva for the grudge on them? Or are Minerva and Athena viewed as the exact same to everyone despite how much the books insist on them being different?

Its just... If you know the myths his actions mean... We don't know what the myths are in the books. He changes too much, he gets facts outright wrong, he makes stuff up. Its not just filling in holes with interpretations like me and Izzy do, he outright makes up Apollo bullying Harpocrates, that's not a thing! He did it solely to make Apollo look worse.

And he doesn't know how the myths were read back then either. He acts as if Apollo punishing people for breaking oaths was bad of Apollo, and not them breaking an oath to a divine being after getting their end of the deal. That's a big no no guys.

So yeah, not using the myths accurately or not just sticking to making stuff up (one or the other) causes a lot of confusion for what is their history in PJO, he pulls from the myths but doesn't use them properly.

[sebastiankeepsbustingmyballs]

This is another redo.

I’m 21, go by she/her, and I’m straight.

I’m around 5’5 at least, and I’m a brunette (fairly long, fine, wavy hair) with what I’d describe as (though in my case, they’re kind of sunflower eyes) basically green eyes with a brown ring. I have fairly pale skin and bluish glasses. I kind of have hooded eyelids, though I don’t take much note of that, if any. I also have a bit of a baby face according to my family (I was mistaken for a 17 yo at age 19). In regards to my body type, I don’t know my exact body type, but to give you an idea, I’m not skinny but not exactly chubby either. I’m not exactly sure how feminine my body is, but that’s ok. I have a few birthmarks scattered here and there on my body and a few moles, but only like 2 of them or so are particularly visible (the one on the right side of my forehead isn’t too big, but it sticks out). I’m half-Mexican (mom’s side) and half-Chilean (dad’s side), but have some Sephardic ancestry on my mom’s side, so maybe that’s where it comes from lol.

I’m an ISTJ, a Scorpio (year of the dragon), and a Ravenclaw.

I’m generally very patient and easygoing, which makes me very easy to please (the downside of that is that it can make me fairly indecisive sometimes). Like, I’m that person who will order mashed potatoes at a restaurant but will still eat the food if I get fries instead. I’m introverted but I can kind of handle a large group, though I do prefer to be alone or with a small group most times (and yes, family and friends are part of that small group). I’m generally quite soft-spoken, so I don’t yell much. I’m very much a homebody, so I prefer to be close to home. I don’t typically indulge in fashion and makeup-related affairs, but I’m at peace with that. Reading (more often than not digitally), however, is among those things I do enjoy. As for what genre, most are generally fair game, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen being a few examples. I also like swimming when the weather permits it. I’m also a huge opera and musical theater nerd, but I like any genre of music. Of course, I have sensitive ears due to me being on the autism spectrum, so I usually like to have things like noise-canceling headphones on hand. Also, I’m rarely in a bad mood according to my family. Also, I rarely ask for anything. Of course, I should also mention that I am staunchly pro-choice but I’m still in favor of the idea of having a family of my own at some point. I generally like to assume the best of people according to my family, which may cause some issues. Also, I can be a bit of a mom friend.

Some things I’m good at include singing, playing musical instruments (piano and flute, but I’m open to learning others), sewing (my mother jokes that I sew like a Victorian lady-in-waiting), possibly writing (my professors have said I write good essays), academics, and taking care of animals (I’ve volunteered at the same vet clinic for a number of years and I’ve learned a lot) I’m also multilingual (I speak English, Spanish (due to growing up in a Spanish-speaking household), and French (due to me taking lessons in high school)). I’ve also been said to be good at puzzles by my family. If needed, I’m fairly good at comforting people (according to family members). As for dancing, I’m decently good, but a bit rusty since I haven’t danced in a long time (I usually like ballroom or Latin dance styles). I’m also decently good at doing voice impressions (accents included). According to my parents, I actually have quite a good memory, which may be both a blessing and a curse in a relationship. I’m also good at giving massages, according to my family.

Of course, I do feel that I have to give you warning of a few drawbacks: For one thing, with me being on the spectrum, I struggle to directly address what I need (still working on that). It takes me a few tries to say what I want to say sometimes. Furthermore, I have some issues with social skills, so I need a gentle nudge in the right direction once in a while. According to my mother, I have something of a lack of a social filter (she knows me better than virtually anyone). On top of that, I process things slower than most, so that may cause some issues. Also, the hearing thing means I don’t take the best to yelling.

Now, in regards to my sense of style, I don’t wear dresses much, if at all, so I have mostly shirts and shorts/pants, sweatpants and nice pants included. This also extends to me wearing my brother’s shirts if they fit me well enough (I’m a size medium). I reserve dresses mostly for special occasions, like recitals. Occasionally, though, they may see some use if I travel abroad. For example, if I travel to Cancun or Monterrey, one of the two Puebla dresses I have may see some use. This is dependent on timing as the Puebla dresses I have are short-sleeved and thus best for summer.

As for what I seek in a man, when it comes to looks, I’m not really picky. I don’t mind if he’s shorter than me or if he has some unusual features of any kind. For me, the first thing I notice about a guy is his voice. Like, if I like his voice, that attracts me to him further. Tying into that is accents. If he has a unique accent, that is a bonus for me, whether it’s Cockney, southern, or something else. If he can sing, that’s even better. Of course, even if he can’t, I’ll still love him anyway. As for his personality, I usually like gentle, patient, caring guys. Bonus points if he’s good with kids on some level. Also, it would be nice if my future s/o had a sharp mind. Like, they could discuss things like philosophy and psychology (I’m open about being on the spectrum) with me. In regards to cooking, I don’t mind doing it if needed, but it would be nice if my partner could too. Of course, while all this is good, at the end of the day, I mainly want my would-be s/o to be caring, patient, and faithful. I’m not a jealous woman, so I’m not going to pry too much into his business. I may ask questions out of curiosity but that’s it because I want to go into this trusting my future s/o. As for what kind of a relationship I’m looking for, ideally, something solid and long-term. Also, I would want my would-be s/o to feel loved, so I’d dote on him as best I could if he liked.

I hope I’m not asking too much, but sweet J e s u s, I’ve said a lot! I am so sorry. You’re doing amazing You’re doing amazing by the way; have a nice day/evening/night/whatever it is in your time zone!

No worries. Thank you for the request and the kinds words and I hope you’re doing well too.

Notes: I’m doing two characters depending on if you’re reading the manga or not and I apologize that I did not add everything.

Snake!

Snake cherishes friends and those who he views as family so having someone who is similar in that sense will make him very grateful. He’d love that you’re a mom friend too as it would really make him feel loved and appreciated. As for your beliefs, I feel like Snake would have the same or at least similar views so you won’t have to worry about any disagreements. He’s new to a lot of things so having someone patient in his life would help a lot. He’d be very understanding of you being on the spectrum and if he ever doesn’t quite get something then he’s completely open to you explaining things. Your intelligence and love for animals will get him falling in love with you all over again too.

Now, Snake also struggles with social skills which will be difficult for you both but I see the possibility of the two of you slowly but surely working each other out of your shells though you may feel as though you both aren’t going anywhere which is where both your and Snake’s patience will be tested. I don’t think he’s too fond of loud noises either so if you two ever find yourselves in a situation that is too overwhelming then either Snake will give you as much comfort as possible wether it be getting you and him earmuffs and holding your hand (if you’re okay with it) or finding you both a quieter place to relax depending on the situation. He wouldn’t mind your sense of style at all (despite what other people in the Victorian era would think) and would find your overall appearance charming. This man will love how talented you are but he will also have moments due to how much he’d care for you where he may get insecure so reassurance is key with him. Snake speaks for his snakes so you’ll get rather used to multiple voices and accents when it comes to being around him but he’d definitely be more open about just talking to you himself. He’s so incredibly gentle as a s/o and would treat you with the upmost respect.

Blavat Sky!

Where do I even start? Blavat has would take great interest in you as a whole. Your intelligence to your musical talents, to your powerful beliefs and love for discussing psychology and philosophy. Blavat loves it all and though he may be a bit odd and out there, he’s certain to be a very understanding and caring individual. Although he may tease you for being the mom friend, he doesn’t mean any harm and he’s honestly such a sweet and hardworking guy too (which counts in relationships.) You being on the spectrum won’t trouble him and he might even ask questions only out of curiosity and interest. You being good with kids would be amusing to Blavat and I can see him loving you all the more because of that.

You needing someone to help nudge you into being social bit by bit would be Blavat’s honor and although he may not seem like it sometimes, he’s very observant and understanding so he’ll notice if you get a bit too uncomfortable. Your indecisiveness will annoy him just a tad which could result in a few arguments but he would always want to try and understand so talking about it will help but brings me onto another thing, the difficulties you have with communication can be troubling for both of you though Blavat wouldn’t blame you as it’s more of him struggling with how to help you with this but again, he is very observant and also good at reading people so he’ll also be able to figure out anything that might be difficult to bring up. Although he hasn’t been animated yet (he needs to be), I headcannon Blavat with a really soothing and nice voice and I feel like he’d enjoy reading with you so the thought of him with that beautiful voice reading Pride and Prejudice would be a literal dream. He is into spirituality so he’d definitely be into reading your fortune but only if you’re comfortable with it. I honestly think he’d find your style and overall look adorable and would genuinely respect you for how knowledgeable you are with writing, knowing so many languages and singing (he’d definitely ask for you to sing for him too.) All in all, Blavat would be a very calming, intelligent and supportive partner but let’s not forget teasing as well.

Other matches are Wolfram Gelzer and Sebastian Michaelis.

[duggardata]

Anna and Mary Maxwell Might Be Attending [Bible] College.  (Wow!)

Recently, an eagle–eyed Anon spotted the 2 Youngest Maxwell Girls, Anna (28) and Mary (25), in the absolute last place you'd ever expect—a college campus.  It's all on Facebook... Anna and Mary appear in a photo posted by Appalachian Bible College to its official Facebook Page, along with caption: "The first day of classes. That's something to smile about!"  (Permalink.)

Why Are We So Surprised By This?

Ordinarily, two young women attending college wouldn't be at all shocking, but the Maxwells are not ordinary.  Anna and Mary's Parents, Steve + Teri Maxwell, are openly anti–college.  Steve thinks that state–run education, including higher education, is "a godless, promiscuity–promoting, humanistic environment," and that it traps young people in debt. ��He is wary even of Christian colleges, since he believes they cause children to rebel.  He’s proud of his sons' lack of higher education, and praised them for "avoid[ing] the influence and cost of college." Teri is, sadly, just as opposed to college—especially for women.  Back in 1999, she wrote an article speculating that college may undermine a woman's ability to be a good and godly wife.  Her article laments—

"As far as our daughters go, I wonder how many of us developed independent spirits during our college or working days. Has this made it more difficult for us to submit to our husbands in the meek and quiet way we would like?"

Finally...  Anna and Mary's views on this topic seemed to be aligned with their parents, until now. According to Steve + Teri, all of the Maxwell Daughters had planned to be Stay–at–Home–Daughters until marriage.  (See Also.)  (And all 3 Daughters seemed to be doing so, since none had moved out.)  What is more, in 2010, Anna described college as "silly," and said that she thought attending would expose her to unsavory influences, and possibly hold her back from her ultimate goal of "be[ing] a stay–at–home wife and mother."

So, yeah...  This is quite a surprise!  And, while neither Steve + Teri, nor Anna or Mary, has actually confirmed that they’re enrolled at Appalachian Bible College, their appearance on the Facebook Page is definitely suspicious!

Tell Me About Appalachian Bible College.

TL;DR   If you just want to know how conservative and restrictive Appalachian Bible College is, skip down to “Student Life.”

Appalachian Bible College (ABC) is a tiny (~250 Students), insular bible college, located on 150 Acres in rural Mount Hope, West Virginia.  (The Maxwell Family hails from Leavenworth, Kansas, which >800 Miles Away.)  It self–describes as a “non–denominational and fundamental” institution, primarily associated with “Baptist and Bible churches.”  Unlike many so–called “bible colleges,” ABC is nationally and regionally accredited.  (Hurray!)

A lot, lot more information...  After the jump.

Admissions—

ABC requires prospective students to submit an application; transcripts from high school or home school; ACT, SAT, or CLT test scores; and two reference letters, one from a pastor and one from another mentor, e.g., teacher or youth group leader.  A high school diploma or GED is required, unless the student is homeschooled.  In that case, a detailed homeschool transcript is needed, and standardized test scores are “especially important.”

As part of the application, prospective students must attest that they agree w/ the college’s Doctrinal Statement.

Academics—

ABC offers four degree programs—Bible Certificate (1 Year), Associate of Arts (A.A.) (2 Years), Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (4 Years), and Master of Arts (M.A.).  In addition, it runs an online program for degree–seeking or non–degree seeking students.  (But, Anna and Mary were spotted on–campus, so they don’t seem to be in the online program!)  Anna and Mary haven’t gone to college, so they almost certainly aren’t in the Master’s program.  Let’s just look at the rest...

(Sidenote—Before we go on, just want to point out...  All ABC graduates must, in addition to completing academic requirements, show that they are members of a church and that they possess good Christian character.  If they don’t, they won’t give their diploma!) 

Bible Certificate—ABC describes the one–year program as an “opportunit[y] for you to dig into Scripture and build your life on its unchanging truths.”  The program has two tracks—Bible + General Education and Bible + Ministry.  As the names suggest, both tracks’ core curriculum is the Bible and Bible study.  Both also require three courses in ministry—Foundations of Ministry, Biblical Theology of Missions, and Personal Evangelism & Discipleship.  Where they differ is is what else they require...

For the Bible + General Education Certificate, students must also take four ‘core’ classes—English Composition, Speech, Physical Education, Music, and “Success Seminar”—plus, an elective of their choice.  (This curriculum also mirrors the first–year curriculum of ABC’s A.A. and B.A. Degree Programs, so students can easily continue their studies, should they decide to do so.)

For Bible + Ministry, ‘core’ classes are waived in favor of extra theology.  Students take Principles of Biblical Interpretation, along with classes on Systematic Theology (2 Classes), the New Testament (Survey Class + 2 Classes), and the Old Testament (Survey Class + 2 Classes).

Associate’s Degree (A.A.)—ABC also offers a 2–Year A.A. Degree in Bible + Theology.  (That’s the only major offered.)  For this degree, the curriculum is a 50/50 split between General Education and Bible + Theology courses, plus a few ministry classes and electives.  All students take the following courses—

General Education   English Composition (2 Classes), Speech, Physical Education, Music, Biblical Worldview, and Ethical Issues in Ministry

Bible + Theology   Principles of Biblical Interpretation, Survey of the Old Testament, Survey of the New Testament, Matthew to Acts, Genesis to Deuteronomy, Paul’s Letters (2 Classes), and Doctrine (2 Classes)

Ministry   Theology of Missions, Foundations of Ministry, Evangelism & Discipleship, and Homiletics I (Males) / Bible Teaching (Females)  

Additionally, students must take a history class, a science or sociology class, and an elective.

Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.)—Finally, ABC offers a 4–Year B.A. Dual Degree in Bible + Theology and in Ministry.  Each student completes General Education classes.  Beyond that, each student is also a “double major.”  Everyone’s first major is Bible + Theology and everyone’s second major is ministry–focused—but, not everyone has the exact same Ministry Major.  (More on that in a bit...)  As far as curriculum, students must complete the General Education, Bible + Theology, and Ministry courses required for the Associate’s Degree, plus the following additional core classes—

General Education   Health, Psychology, Sociology, Finance, 2 History Classes (History of Western Civilization and American Church History), and 1 Science Class (Earth Science or Biology)

Bible + Theology   Joshua to Esther, Hebrews to Revelation, Isaiah to Malachi, Job to Song of Soloman, Doctrine (2 Additional Classes), and Bible Capstone 

Ministry   World Religion and Cults, and Homiletics II (Men) / Women’s Ministry (Women)

Finally, students must also pick a Ministry Major and complete its mandatory coursework.  At ABC, there are seven ministry majors to pick from—some of which have concentrations.  Here’s the list of Ministry Majors, with additional concentrations or sub–specialties listed in parentheses—

Biblical Counseling  (Youth & Family or Women’s Ministries)

Camping Ministry 

Elementary Education

Missions  (Biblical Languages, Foreign Language / Spanish, International Studies, Nursing, or Teaching English)

Music  (Pedagogy, Performance, or Worship)

Pastoral Ministry  (Biblical Languages or Youth & Family Pastoring)

Interdisciplinary

The Pastor Ministry Major seems to be limited to male students.

Click the links to check out the coursework each Ministry Major requires.

Student Life—

So, yeah...  ABC is not a progressive place.  At all.  They’re upfront about it, though, which is nice.  Their Student Handbook is online, available for all to read.  Here are some highlights...  (All italics are mine, not in original.)

Discipline / Consequences—Students who break the rules face discipline in the form of “a verbal or written Carefrontation, a fine, a work assignment, a temporary room or dorm confinement, a social [or] ... campus restriction,” or “some other determination.”  Egregious offenses may result in the student being “suspended ... , asked to withdraw from the college, or dismissed.”

Dress Code—There’s a detailed Dress Code, with different different activities requiring different standards of dress.  Perhaps surprisingly, pants are allowed for female students for all but the fanciest standard of dress.  (For that, they’ll have to wear skirts or dresses.)  Here are a few of the rules...

“Earrings may be worn by females only,” and “all other body piercing is prohibited.”

ABC students are prohibited from getting new tattoos.  If a student has an old tattoo, they may be required to cover it at all times if the Dean of Students deems it “offensive.” 

Prohibited Activities—ABC says that, “in order to remain above reproach,” students are prohibited from the following “questionable activities”...

Consuming “alcohol as a beverage,” tobacco in any form (including e–cigarettes), or drugs for non–medicinal purposes.  (Penalty for violating this rule is dismissal.)

Serving alcohol to others, even if done in the course of a student’s off–campus employment.

Gossiping, or engaging in “other forms of impure speech.”

Listening to, viewing, or reading “unwholesome” media or literature, or accessing websites “that do not promote godliness.”  (See Prohibited Media and Prohibited Music.)

Attending “commercial movie theaters.”

Gambling.

Dancing.

Prohibited Media—Per the ABC Student Handbook, ABC students shall not consume “any media (including social media) that features vulgar or obscene language, sexual innuendo, nudity, immodest clothing, or ... a blatantly non–Christian message.”  Additionally, students may not—  

Watch movies rated PG–13, R, X, or NC–17, or shows rated TV–MA.

Play video games or use apps rated A, M, or RP.

... and, they’re strongly cautioned to avoid media that promotes “unbiblical definitions of love”; endorses “witchcraft or the occult”; mocks “law or law enforcement”; denigrates “marriage and the traditional family”; or contains “excessive violence.”  Students are urged not to consume media made by people—e.g., actors, producers, directors—“known for their stand against Christian values.”

Prohibited Music—Students are banned from listening to music “that includes God–dishonoring language, anti–biblical messages ... , a prominent resurfacing beat, pulsating and driving or dance rhythms, or sensual overtones in the music itself or in the performance.”  They’re specifically cautioned to avoid...

Rock—Because the “lyrics may be unacceptable” and “[t]he beat of the music may become the most prominent element.”

Country—Because the “lyrics may be unacceptable” and the underlying “music may be connected to a heavy rock beat.”

Folk—As “[e]xistentialism, humanism, or hedonism may be propagated through the lyrics.”

Jazz—Since syncopation may be “extensive[ly] use[d],” and “a sensual performance style may be employed.”

Contemporary Christian—Since “a sensual performance style may be employed,” “a beat may be overly prominent,” and the “lyrics may be theologically incorrect or existential in their emphasis.”

Relationships—

“The Bible restricts sexual activity to marriage between a man and a woman.  Thus, fornication, adultery, incest, sexual abuse of a minor, homosexuality, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, and other such activities are forbidden.” 

“[N]o display of affection through physical contact (including holding hands) on the part of non–married couples, on or off campus.”

Dating students are forbidden from sitting together in class or chapel.

No male–female pair, dating or not, may be alone together in anyone’s home or residence, on– or off–campus.

No male–female pair, dating or not, may socialize off–campus without a chaperone, unless they’ve been at ABC for at least 4 Semesters.

Divorced students “shall not be permitted to date other ... students.”

According to ABC’s Student Handbook, all these rules apply to all students, at all times, on– or off–campus.

All in all, it’s great if Anna and Mary are attending college, even if it’s a super–duper conservative one, like ABC clearly is.  The fact that they’ve possibly left home and are out there, living on their own...  Crazy to even think about, given Steve’s apparent iron grip on his household.  It can only be good from them to venture out on their own, even if it’s just to a slightly less stifling place.

[mueritos]

so glad people are realizing these ideas of “rationality” or “logical arguments” (whether this applies to any sort of “discourse” but here I mean on the topic of transmedicalism”) are all rooted in white supremacy and the patriarchy. And I don’t mean using logic to discuss glucose cells or bouyancy, im talking about the concept that we must approach complex human issues in the most rational way possible to remove all biases. Transmeds like Kevin Garrage and Blaire Racist like to parade themselves as The Most Logical Trans people, even though all of their content is emotionally charged reactionary content that’s mostly seen in conservative spaces, and to make it worse, the content they make spreads harmful misinformation about marginalized communities.

Patricia Hill Collins’ “The Social Construction of Black Feminist Thought” sums up this violent separation of understanding and advocating for your own community in spaces of knowledge and discussion. I highly recommend reading her paper, because while she focuses on the self-knowledge of Black woman, a LOT of what she speaks about can be applied to other marginalized groups. BIPOC in fields of academia and discourse are forced to produce thought and knowledge under a system that advocates for knowledge by and for the dominant group (White/cis/het/abled-bodied/etc), therefore, when many marginalized people enter academic spaces with the goal of studying their community, they’re forced to separate themselves from their community to “reduce bias”, reduce the radicalization of their thought so as not to provoke the established dominant group’s structure of knowledge and thought, and also reducing the radicalization of their knowledge in order to even get published/funding. Collins writes it here best: “Since researchers have widely differing values, experiences, and emotions, genuine science is thought to be unattainable unless all human characteristics except rationality are eliminated from the research process”, and here “Emotion indicates that a speaker believes in the validity of an argument. Consider Ntozake Shange’s description of one of the goals of her work: ‘Our [Western] society allows people to be absolutely neurotic and totally out of touch with their feelings and everyone else’s feelings, and yet be very respectable. This, to me, is a travesty. . . I’m trying to change the idea of seeing emotions and intellect as distant faculties’.”

Transmedicalism is rooted in the idea that there is a sort of irrationality related to being trans. That there MUST be a logical reason for the way someone’s gender is the way it is, and if it is not the way transmedicalism dictates it should be, then it is wrong. Gender in itself is inherently irrational, it is a social construct upheld by white supremacy, the patriarchy, and colonization. Nothing about gender makes sense, we have all been socialized to believe it should be this way due to Western society pushing these ideals of what a man and a woman should be. Even globally you cannot find the exact same ideals or manurisms that we typically associate with men and women in the West.

Transmedicalism serves a purpose, and that is to take something that is as confusing and weird of questioning your gender and being transgender and reduce it down to something understandable. This is why you see the common experience of younger trans people or trans people who are just starting transitioning to fall into the transmed blackhole. The truth is, personal experiences with gender, with life, with society, with the self are all credible. Feelings and emotions DO have their place in academia and in life, and the idea that they don’t just contributes to the violent idea that we do not belong in these spaces of study. We are taught that our identities must be accommodated to the dominant culture, because if we truly let trans people exist as freely as we should, it would cause the dominant group’s power to begin to crumble. It’s also important to mention that even if feelings were disregarded when it comes to letting trans expression be free, trans people have existed for CENTURIES in nearly ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD and have been documented throughout history with complex gender structures, expression, and spiritual values (Two-Spirit, los Muxes, etc). History in itself is a fact, and by disregarding the historical identity of trans folks by assuming dysphoria is a byproduct of transness when it actually is a byproduct of colonization is further colonizing trans identities.

As trans people, we simply do not owe anyone an explanation for why we exist and why we do the things we do or why we express ourselves a certain why and why we use these words to describe our experience, etc and etc. Your experience is credible. Your feelings are credible. Your transness is real, and somebody else’s transness will never take away from your own. You do not owe cis people validation, you do not need to make your transness palatable to cis people, and you are not an embarrassment to the trans community for expressing your gender in a way transmeds do not understand. You are not the reason why transphobia exists, your transness is not ugly, weird, unnatural....

Your transness is your own, and that is what makes it wonderful. To transmeds: Kill the colonizer in your brain.

[stitched-mouth]

Yes, hello. I would like to request a Black Butler matchup, if that’s not too much trouble. May I please? I’m looking to other people’s matchups as a reference for my own.

I’m 21, I go by she/her, and I’m straight.

I’m around 5’5 at least, and I’m a brunette (fairly long, fine, wavy hair) with what I’d describe as (though in my case, they’re kind of sunflower eyes) basically green eyes with a brown ring. I have fairly pale skin and bluish glasses. I kind of have hooded eyelids, though I don’t take much note of that, if any. I also have a bit of a baby face according to my family (I was mistaken for a 17 yo at age 19). In regards to my body type, I don’t know my exact body type, but to give you an idea, I’m not skinny but not exactly chubby either. I’m not exactly sure how feminine my body is, but that’s ok. I have a few birthmarks scattered here and there on my body and a few moles, but only like 2 of them or so are particularly visible (the one on the right side of my forehead isn’t too big, but it sticks out). I’m half-Mexican (mom’s side) and half-Chilean (dad’s side), but have some Sephardic ancestry on my mom’s side, so maybe that’s where it comes from lol.

I’m an ISTJ, a Scorpio (year of the dragon), and a Ravenclaw.

I’m generally very patient and easygoing, which makes me very easy to please (which may result in a slight touch of indecisiveness at times, but this is thankfully quite infrequent). Like, I’m that person who will order mashed potatoes at a restaurant but will still eat the food if I get fries instead. I’m introverted but I can kind of handle a large group, though I do prefer to be alone or with a small group most times (and yes, family and friends are part of that small group). I’m generally quite soft-spoken, so I don’t yell much. I’m very much a homebody, so I prefer to be close to home. I don’t typically indulge in fashion and makeup-related affairs, but I’m at peace with that. Reading (more often than not digitally), however, is among those things I do enjoy. As for what genre, most are generally fair game, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen being a few examples. I also like swimming when the weather permits it. Bike riding is also up there, especially if there’s a reward involved (I have a major sweet tooth). Horseback riding will also be in here bc I kinda miss it. I’m also a huge opera and musical theater nerd, but I like any genre of music. Of course, I have sensitive ears due to me being on the autism spectrum, so I usually like to have things like noise-canceling headphones on hand. Also, I’m rarely in a bad mood according to my family. Also, I rarely ask for anything. Of course, I should also mention that I am staunchly pro-choice but I’m still in favor of the idea of having a family of my own at some point. I generally like to assume the best of people according to my family, which may cause some issues.

Some things I’m good at include singing, playing musical instruments (piano and flute, but I’m open to learning others), sewing (my mother jokes that I sew like a Victorian lady-in-waiting), possibly writing (my professors have said I write good essays), academics, and taking care of animals (I’ve volunteered at the same vet clinic for a number of years and I’ve learned a lot) I’m also multilingual (I speak English, Spanish (due to growing up in a Spanish-speaking household), and French (due to me taking lessons in high school)). I’ve also been said to be good at puzzles by my family. If needed, I’m fairly good at comforting people (according to family members). As for dancing, I’m decently good, but a bit rusty since I haven’t danced in a long time (I usually like ballroom or Latin dance styles). I’m also decently good at doing voice impressions (accents included). According to my parents, I actually have quite a good memory, which may be both a blessing and a curse in a relationship. I’m also good at giving massages, according to my family.

Of course, I do feel that I have to give you warning of a few drawbacks: For one thing, with me being on the spectrum, I struggle to directly address what I need (still working on that). It takes me a few tries to say what I want to say sometimes. Furthermore, I have some issues with social skills, so I need a gentle nudge in the right direction once in a while. According to my mother, I have something of a lack of a social filter (she knows me better than virtually anyone). On top of that, I process things slower than most, so that may cause some issues.

Note: I’m what you would call “double jointed”, so that means I’m actually decently flexible, but that unfortunately comes at a price: One, I bruise kinda easy, and two, knee problems have been a thing with me in the past.

Now, in regards to my sense of style, I don’t wear dresses much, if at all, so I have mostly shirts and shorts/pants, sweatpants and nice pants included. This also extends to me wearing my brother’s shirts if they fit me well enough (I’m a size medium). I reserve dresses mostly for special occasions, like recitals. Occasionally, though, they may see some use if I travel abroad. For example, if I travel to Cancun or Monterrey, one of the two Puebla dresses I have may see some use. This is dependent on timing as the Puebla dresses I have are short-sleeved and thus best for summer.

As for what I seek in a man, when it comes to looks, I’m not really picky. I don’t mind if he’s shorter than me or if he has some unusual features of any kind. For me, the first thing I notice about a guy is his voice. Like, if I like his voice, that attracts me to him further. Tying into that is accents. If he has a unique accent, that is a bonus for me, whether it’s Cockney, southern, or something else. If he can sing, that’s even better. Of course, even if he can’t, I’ll still love him anyway. As for his personality, I usually like gentle, patient, caring guys. Bonus points if he’s good with kids on some level. Also, it would be nice if my future s/o had a sharp mind (he doesn’t have to; I’m just saying it would be nice). Like, they could discuss things like philosophy and psychology (I’m open about being on the spectrum) with me. In regards to cooking, I don’t mind doing it if needed, but it would be nice if my partner could too. Of course, while all this is good, at the end of the day, I mainly want my would-be s/o to be caring, patient, and faithful. I’m not a jealous woman, so I’m not going to pry too much into his business. I may ask questions out of curiosity but that’s it because I want to go into this trusting my future s/o. As for what kind of a relationship I’m looking for, ideally, something solid and long-term.

I hope I’m not asking too much, but sweet J e s u s, I’ve said a lot! I am so sorry. You’re doing amazing by the way; have a nice day/evening/night/whatever it is in your time zone!

Hey guys, please read my match ups rules before submitting a match up. They can be found in my description.

Also reminder that all match ups and general requests are slow because of my Stranger Things Love Letters series.