#and where are you keeping your ID?

[california-112]

Is Mulder allergic to suit jackets this season?

[pokimoko]

Hello!! i just discovered your blog and firstly i wanna say that your art is gorgeous! <33 and secondly, if youre still taking requests could i get a lesbian/non binary cheetah? /nf

Thank you! Cheetahs be upon ye!

[xxplastic-cubexx]

what is your favorite thing about charles and your favorite thing about erik? separately, as in what you like most about their characters :]

a devious question this one is, my friend!!! it's hard enough for me to explain my thoughts cohesively, but having to pick ONE thing i particularly love is difficult. with characters like charles and erik, theres been so much done with their characters over the decades and so they have so many components to them that make them so interesting and fun to observe. BUT I TRY FOR YOU TODAY. under the cut i kinda ramble and the size of this text box makin me anxious

i think if i were to be simple and broad, what i enjoy most about charles is his determination to help others, even if he isn't really thanked and/or if people don't even like him. ofc, this isn't to say he hasn't done wrong- to be honest, the fact he does wrong/questionable things at times is another aspect of him i really enjoy, maybe because- broadly speaking- he's meant to be altruistic (intent vs outcome and all that). i don't know if that's super exciting to most people, but it is for me

as for erik, my reason for liking him is easier to explain tbh. To Be Simple And Broad, his progression from villain to antihero over the decades has been fun to observe (as much as i have so far anyhow) and analyze. i think to be a bit more specific, him using his rage and pain as justifications for his villainous actions is definitely what compels me the most: hurt people hurt and the sort, an idea i've always found interesting (something something vicious cycles and the like). yet now, he recognizes this wasn't really. A Just Thing To Do and is beginning to change that, which i enjoy

[vse-kar-vem]

together in every universe. or something

[pictureday2005]

i dont need therapy or medication i need it to be 2007. i need it to be my full time job to learn and explore and be curious about the world around me again

[puhpandas]

the sense that cassie would knock into tony

[littleseasalt]

"forever is a bad dad to richa-" SHUT UP!!!!!

[nerdy-hyperfixations]

I think the really sucky part is I don't wanna leave here. Like I somewhat grew out of my "I hate America" phase. I said I'd stick around and I could be the change. I mean so much progress had been made over the last 100 years here, and this place is the place I grew up. I love *my* culture as an American, and I wouldnt rather be a foreigner somewhere else, but unfortunately my country is shifting to hate everything about my existence.

I would shock those "we have all our rights, what are we even fighting for?" Gay people when I'd tell them gay marriage was only legalized in 2015 and that gay marriage IS important because it meant loved ones got to be there for each other when they were injured or going to die. It also meant they got to make the choice of what to do with the doctors instead of their immediate family who might've disowned them for being gay. This. Was. Important.

Gay marriage in America is about to have its 10 year anniversary. I don’t know if I'll get to celebrate its 15 year.

And it's awful because I wanna stay, but I also don't want to live my life in a place that's destroying itself. I don’t want to be in Rome when it falls when I can foresee the cracks in the pillars.

[skunkes]

might sound weird to say as a person with a couple ocs who have Big Horrible Event(s) in their backstories or as a person who has like 3 ocs total bc he sucks at writing and as a person who hopes their ocs arent too Boring with [the thing im about to mention] but the thing about writing [characters] and [people] is that like.

any little thing a person experiences can take up their whole existence... its actually something "fun" to experience as i meet new ppl and do more things. My friend had something happen that she'll be talking about forever. I had several things happen last year that ill never stop talking about, some of which other ppl think werent that bad actually. In the same way I'll forever remember about the way my sister accidentally insulted me almost 10 years ago, it's really interesting and Fun to find and assign smaller things like that to characters...its really Real. some people's dealbreakers are other people's solvable problems etc etc

[puppyeared]

who up seeing their disorder in a fictional character but feel like its not their place to put a name on it

[ultimateyakazoo]

i know it's not the way the game was formatted but it would have been so cool to see the characters in danganronpa get more disheveled and tired as the game went on

like the idea that they started with a closet of identical outfits but as time goes on they neglect appearance and start to forgo ties/ jackets, haircuts, little things to show the passage of time and the growing distress

[innalheid]

Feeling very Ascension by Gorillaz ft Vince Staples at 2:18

[acaciapines]

rotating noelle around in my brain. i need the dess raises kris au to be real RIGHT NOW.

please talk to me about the dess raises kris au i think im gonna explode. also start writing it this summer maybe :3333

[butnotbubblegum]

using the tags to vent my current emotional state into the void bc ig story feels like a bad plan for this, read at your own risk.

[kweenkatsuki-main]

i keep fucking having these moments of "Damn I am really fucked up..." and not gonna lie guys it's starting to get to me frfr.

[hexastitchimera]

Hey folks, got another something to consider here, especially in regards to the safety of minors in adult spaces.

Let me preface:

I started off with having computer access as early as 4 years old. Granted, it was purely on the children's games my parents would set up for me on the living room computer, and I didn't even know how to click because all the games required was you hovering over your choice with your cursor.

However, because I was thick in the nest of neglect- what with one of my parents working constant, back-to-back overtime, the other unable to give a damn- this set me up for catastrophe.

To play Devil's Advocate, both of my parents were immigrants who still, to this day, struggle with their own Internet usage because they just don't understand the severe consequences and ramifications of putting things online. Their home cultures didn't even HAVE the kind of tech Americans in the 70s-90s had, due to war, poverty, and manipulated economy.

It was only when they immigrated that they realized computers weren't exclusively for Westerners, and for the few scientists/politicians in their countries lucky enough to be entrusted.

However, there is no denying that, without parental supervision nor adult attention, I sought out what I needed elsewhere. What was more convenient than having that at the push of a button?

Just like them, I didn't know better.

Unlike them, it was because I was a child.

Because I was a child, unfortunately, I was ripe for the picking. You name it, I lived it. All the way down to almost being trafficked, by the same person who had been thick in primary school when I wasn't even born yet.

Thankfully, times are different now, and awareness of these issues has never been more prevalent. There are helplines, in-school education on Internet safety and abuse, and then some.

In addition, many adults- myself included- don't feel comfortable engaging in minor-targeted spaces, let alone with minors period.

Whether it's out of respect, out of traumatic experience, or other reasons, it doesn't matter as long as it isn't a harmful one (i.e "I hate kids", which yes, IS considerably harmful, as someone who heard such constantly as a child and thus felt less safe to tell adults about the abuse).

This leaves us adults to create our own spaces, where we often do and say things that are adult-oriented. Again, this is perfectly fine, as long as there is no harm coming from it.

What is not fine is how- despite the abundance of awareness and caution- there are minors who will sadly undergo a repeat of the cycle in our spaces. All despite the prevalent messaging of "keep minors out of adult spaces," and how many of us adults have some form of "Minors DNI" on our pages.

Again, having been there myself, I completely understand that neglect of ANY kind can make one look to the outside world instead of further into their unreliable inside group. Being alone, or even isolated/sheltered, is an inherently anti-social experience that our social animal brains cannot handle without succumbing to dissociation, "acting out," etc.

As children especially, we are wired to rely on adult attention for survival, and we do experience extreme psychological distress when that necessity isn't met.

Nevertheless, it truly is imperative for minors to understand the following:

Adults on the Internet will NEVER be a safe replacement for your own parents, families, guardians, teachers, etc.

Even if an adult is well-intentioned and otherwise on their best behaviour, there is no guarantee that their friends are the same. Digital abuse can, and does, often start by proxy, especially in fandoms.

We created these adult spaces to keep YOU safe. It is not an exclusive club that we are gatekeeping you from. You can join of your own accord once you're 18 or over.

This isn't to victim blame, nor to shame minors for seeking out what they should have been given since they were born.

There is a reason why it's up to adults to check ages, to make sure their age-restricted servers are watertight (which they never can be, so long as someone out there is being dishonest about their age/ID), and to avoid privately messaging minors period.

All the same, it's also up to minors to learn how to keep themselves safe. Not to the point of paranoia- you too will be an adult one day- but to the point of being able to protect yourself as both child and adult.

After all, predation doesn't stop once a fawn has grown into a deer, and adult protective services exist for good reason.

So, instead, minors ought to:

Seek out well-moderated spaces that are curated for minors with the safety of minors in mind (note: avoid self-proclaimed youth cults like the plague).

Learn what makes a safe friend and an unsafe one (i.e learn about the signs of abuse).

Never be afraid to block anyone who gives you The Ick (i.e gut feeling), especially if they're an adult or otherwise age ambiguous.

If someone makes you feel unsafe, tell a moderator ASAP, or simply block + report them. If you aren't taken seriously, escalate to their supervisor, and even go straight to the top if need be.

And 5., the most important:

If someone has committed a crime against you, DO NOT POST IT ONLINE, EVEN TO WARN OTHERS. REPORT TO YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY ASAP.

If you do so and THEN go to the authorities, you will either not be taken seriously due to perceived ulterior motives on your part (ex. your post gaining significant external attention), or you could get into legal trouble yourself if failure to report and/or smear laws exist in your country.

As well, if you do report it- whether or not you're taken seriously, they have to make a case file by law and you must enforce your right to as much- the authorities will pick up on the pattern if ANOTHER victim makes their own report, and will hopefully escalate the situation then.

You can still denounce the actions and inactions of your local authorities, and use their services in a time of duress because they are the ONLY authority that has the resources to do something about it. You are not a hypocrite for keeping yourself safe and alive, and it's not your fault that alternative options do not exist.

-

Though it always is up to adults to be responsible around minors, only YOU can curate your own Internet experience.

The block button is your bestest friend.

Use it well and use it often.

Cheers, thanks for reading, and be safe. 💜