#but if you need more resources like where to go for this and that

[paragonrobits]

It was an honest question, and not meant in mean-ness or disrespect. So Auxillary Arch-Sciencewretch Bongo paused, a cup of tea up to his mandibles.

He gently put the cup down and folded several of his arms together, contemplating how to proceed. First he wondered if it was important to correct the ambassador on the mistake of referring to him as human. He decided to dismiss it; there was generally a growing period for species new to the galactic community where they were prone to thinking of broad, species-based groups. The error of species-as-society. In time, they'd adjust to the idea of a society being bigger than a single species, of forms of identity on a shared cultural basis in a way different than they might be used to.

He was not human in a technical sense, but as the humans had begun what was generally called the Pansolar Coalition, an interplanetary governing body and representative democracy of many species, it was pretty common to conflate humans with the group as a whole.

And to be fair, his own species had been made on Earth; uplifted arachnids, and he was among those who had chosen to go about piloted a humanoid robotic chassis to interact with larger beings, which also looked like a big humanoid spider-thing because he had an aesthetic and by God he was going to STICK TO IT.

The ambassador was a robot; not an organic being using a chassis or a voluntary cyborg, nor was he a sapient artificial intelligence installed into a robotic platform. His kind were naturally occurring robots; Bongo wasn't sure how that happened, but there they were.

Bongo said, carefully, "That question is more delicate than you may realize."

"How so?" The ambassador's optics flickered in a way conveying genuine puzzlement, so Bongo chose to take things easy on him.

"Well, is not terraforming something done by your people?"

"Ah. Yes, but not as much as you; we don't need to adapt a planet to suit ourselves to it, we just adapt ourselves."

"Indeed. Well, I am afraid the majority of my... well, not my species exactly, but my kind, or rather the fellow kin among the Coalition, we can't adapt as easily as you. And there's ethical concerns."

"Ethics? In what, exactly?"

"Tell me. What do you know about the religious concept of stewardship?"

"Hrm. I think I had a briefing about it. Isn't the idea of sapient beings given a charge by divinity to protect and care for the world as they know it?"

"Quite so."

The ambassador hesitated. Bongo gave off the impression that it was self explainatory, but it seemed a mystery to him. "I'm not sure I follow?"

"As being with the ability and power to do so, we feel it is an obligation to care for our worlds; we have hundreds, yes, and that is because we are prepared to spend so much time and resources caring for a single world, and we apply that to all our worlds. Great damage has been done in the past, during a more thoughtless age. Now we are wiser, and we understand that it is our duty to care for the worlds."

The ambassador was quiet.

Eventually he said, "So its like gardening, I think?"

"Yes, that's a way of looking at it. We're not seperate from the garden; we're a part of it. We're all part of a vast and flowing network of life and death, birth and rebirth. We cannot be seperated from it, and so it is bad, to us, to exert power over it. If we spend many resources to do just that, it is simply our way."

The ambassador was quiet, again, this time for a while.

"I think," he said carefully. "I still don't quite understand, but I think I would like to."

There were some who disputed that the ambassador's people were ready to join the galactic community. But in the ambassador's words, Bongo saw hope for the future yet.

"You humans have hundreds of planets under your control, so why do you waste so many resources trying to make that Earth planet habital? I genuinely don't understand."

[genericpuff]

Looking back on it, Rachel really should have called Lore Olympus something else. It really doesn't seem to want to focus on 'lore' or 'olympus' and would rather be a romance with her self insert and celebrity crush. So many plot points and characters got thrown away for her two characters. It reminds me of Twilight having interesting background characters (Rosalie deserved better) and an interesting supernatural world. Yet Stephanie just focused on the dry ass romance of Edward and Bella.

I mean, the title totally worked in the beginning, the comic just lost the plot after its first season and became more like what you're describing, a weird May December romance about a girl who's only empowered enough to wait until marriage with the first guy she ever crushed on before having sex 💀

And yeah true that, a lot of fantasy dark romances like Twilight suffer from the issue of getting too hyperfocused on the main couple doing stuff and not paying enough attention to the actually interesting stuff going on around them. Though I will say, in Twilight's case, a lot of the "interesting stuff" was grossly misrepresented from Indigenous tribes and beliefs so... maybe it's for the best Stephanie didn't expand too much on it all in the end LMAO

Of course, the same can be said for LO, there were some really interesting plot hooks happening around H x P, but by the time S2 rolled around, all of those hooks got shoved under the bed until it was time to hastily wrap them up for those of us who were waiting to see them resolved. I think the Hera and Echo plotline was one of the worst culprits for that, you can tell in S2 she had an idea for some kind of "double agent" story with Echo where Echo would slowly come around to Hera's side and have to choose between her and the job Zeus clearly hired her for (to spy on Hera) - but then it just wound up skipping all that so we could watch Hades and Persephone play golf with diamonds, go shopping, and fuck around in the Underworld, until Rachel had to suddenly wrap up the entire Hera x Echo story in the most rushed, confusing way possible just a handful of episodes before the end.

LO had a lot of interesting concepts and ideas especially with the added benefit of it being based off myths that many readers were already familiar with, but unfortunately they were in the hands of a terrible writer working for a terrible company that didn't provide her with the resources she needed and could have really benefited from to tell a better story. It clearly needed a more involved editing process, more drafts to work through and scrap and work through again, more time to really plan out the full skeleton of the story, but what we got instead was more like a rushed first draft that spent more time on the bland uninteresting DDLG couple because they were clearly the easiest things Rachel could write about - fantasy shipping scenarios of them talking romantically to each other, making out, and having sex, boom, plot 🥴

[librarycards]

Jenny Odell: I sometimes feel that in an individualistic culture, people get freaked out by the idea of being tied down or responsible for anything. Thinking about a gift economy, they might say, “I want the gift part but not the accountability part.” Lately, I’ve been volunteering in this native plant restoration group, and one of the most surprising parts has been how enlivening it is to help keep something else alive (I’ve never had a garden before). Sometimes I truly can’t tell whether I’m giving or getting. What are some ways that you see participation in a gift economy changing the participant’s sense of herself and her place in a network? In other words, is participation itself part of the gift?

RK: Yes. Exactly. Participation is part of the gift, where giving and getting meld into one another. A garden teaches you that every day. Gifts and responsibilities are always coupled to each other.

Of course, you’re right that given our hyper-individualistic culture, many people are not eager to embrace responsibility. Its often confounded, I think with the notion of “obligation”. Obligation feels to me like an involuntary demand on our time and energy, imposed from outside without the assurance that you’ll benefit in return. I’m sometimes reluctant about that, too. But, responsibility is an invitation to respond to need, an opening to reciprocity in which the benefits flow both ways. The benefits of participation in a gift economy are not only flowing to the gift recipient but the giver as well. Working on your restoration project, or any other gift exchange strengthens your own sense of agency, doesn’t it? It awakens care and compassion, builds relationship and nurtures your own identity as a person of capacity, of having enough abundance in your life that you can share it. I think it contributes to a sense of purpose, which we know is good medicine. It reminds you that you matter, that you’re part of something. That’s a big reward.

I find that some of the times that I feel most fully alive are in experiences of shared physical work in community with others. Like an old-time husking bee or shared planting. We’ve lost so many of the opportunities for that and gift economies provide the opportunity to work in common, to satisfy the need for belonging. And when that work is on the land and the benefits flow into our neighborhood of many species, the benefits are multiplied beyond the boundaries of ourselves.

JO: There is a really beautiful analogy you draw between the economy of nature and the human gift economy. Asking what in the gift economy functions as the “sun”–the constantly replenishing source of energy–you speculate: “Maybe it is love.” Reading this, it occurred to me how love is in essence a surplus, the force that gets things going. Could you speak more to the emotional and practical role that things like love and gratitude play in a gift economy? And how do they change the way we see “resources”?

RK: The fundamental currency of a gift economy, is relationship, not money. I suppose it’s what some people call “social capital”, but I’m not fond of that term. Participation in a gift economy could create a whole continuum of relationships, from the warmth of being cared for or an expanded sense of justice to just plain neighborliness. This can create a sense of security because mutual reliance grows from gift exchange. There is a sense of satisfaction in being able to give, and a sense of kinship in being able to receive, when we share the mutual acknowledgment of human vulnerability. For me, that continuum of relationships includes the possibility of a currency of love and gratitude that motivates the gift exchange, which is the source of the flow, between people and between people and the earth as well.

Gift-giving is a way of saying “I see you.” I see what you need and I see what I have to share. My well-being is tied to yours and yours to mine. It develops a trust that when I am in need, there will be abundance shared with me. The giver and the recipient are honored at the same time. That seems a lot like love to me.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, interviewed by Jenny Odell, Gift Thinking. [emphasis added]

[38sr]

same anon that asked about shadows ! , i have another question , how does different budgets for different animes change the way it is drawn , animated etc , like how does it go from average to ultra quality like demon slayer for example ..

Ah so with anime it’s a very nuanced topic. Firstly, I want to preface that what I am about to say is strictly from my experience working in anime for three years now and even then I would highly implore to study the Animator Dormitory Project to learn from animators who are PHYSICALLY dealing with the imbalanced system that is the anime industry. ALSO, it is important to clarify more money does not equal better art visually. More money means more time and resources. How you use said resources and time is what determines the quality of art (as well as the quality of work environment for the people making said product). If we were to follow the logic that more money equals better art, that would mean the average Family Guy episode should look like an average Demon Slayer episode. That is simply not the truth because 1) every production is different therefore their needs and overall artistic vision will differ 2) you’d be surprised on how the money is actually spent versus what you think it should be spent on (ie American animated films choosing to do celebrity voice casting which eats up a shit ton of the budget when that could have gone to the production crew’s schedule and needs). So with that, please understand money does not play in the ways you think it does (ie if it makes the drawings better) but it cannot be denied it’s one of many factors. Alright?

Basically, anime is funded through production committees which are a group of investors (such as manga publishers, merchandise manufacturers, tv broadcast executives, etc). In America, we have a similar system known as the AMPTP however unlike America where an investor can invest in cross industry projects (ie. Mattel can invest in toys and film entertainment) in Japan they can only choose one industry. This leaves budgets for anime to not become incredibly inflated like we have here in America (ie most blockbuster movies nowadays). BUT because of this rule along with the rule of budget caps, the actual budgets of full seasons of animes have not changed much since maybe the 1960/70s. To bring it back to Family Guy, the average episode of that show from script to final broadcast has been reported to cost anywhere between $1-2 million PER EPISODE. If you multiply that with the full episode order (let’s say 13 just to match the average season of anime), you’re working with $13-26 million FOR A SEASON.

Anime, specifically TV anime, is not seeing that. Shinkai’s Your Name was reported to have $4.5mil for actual movie production (not including the advertising budget which would make it 7.5 or roughly 8mil). $4.5mil. For an anime film.

$4.5 million is a good (and rare) budget by American TV animation standards for PER EPISODE. Unless you’re like, Disney or something you can afford to do that but most average American TV animation is anywhere between $1-3 million per episode. And the average anime is seeing that $1-3mil PER SEASON due to budget caps. So if we do the math of dividing that $1-3mil across 13 episodes (and I’m gonna do this evenly because this is a hypothetical and in reality some episodes do have more money put into for more TIME and RESOURCES)…that would mean your average anime episode, from script to final broadcast, is only seeing a couple hundred thousand dollars unlike here in American where we have a couple million.

And so at this point you’re probably thinking, “Wait, this doesn’t make sense. How can Your Name look like the way it is if that’s what America could spend on a single animated episode? Why is there such a wide disparity between the actual budget versus the final product’s visuals?” And that, my dear Shadow (sorry if that came off weird) is where we have to talk about communication. You see, even though Demon Slayer might not be seeing the same episode budget like we do in America what Japanese studios have in spades that American studios spent over 2 DECADES eradicating is in house layout and animation teams.

The reason why anime looks the way it is on such smaller budgets is quite honestly because they are communicating with each other in real time. In America, we ship our storyboards to a studio overseas (usually Korea, Philippines, India, etc) where we are basically playing a gambling game of whether or not the overseas studios produce the desired work we want. And spoiler alert: it hardly ever truly happens because of language barriers and these overseas are often not given enough money (remember that means time and resources) to actually succeed. Hence, you go into retakes which cost money and spend it back to overseas which cost money, and then it comes back and retakes are still needed which cost money yet again and I think you’re beginning to see why this system in American studios is awful.

Because the amount of money you spent doing that back and forth with retakes and shipping with an overseas studio who was not set up for success could have been spent on having an in house layout and animation team like they do in Japanese studios.

As someone who has freelanced on animes as well worked at vendor overseas studios for American made productions, I cannot understate how having that instant communication (as well as cultural understanding) can drastically change how things get animated. Being able to talk to your director about their intent for a scene at an instant is much more productive than waiting 6-8 months for a Russian roulette bullet. So my point is, the direct communication Japanese studios have within is the true unsung hero as to why 1) visually beautiful shows like Dandadan or Demon Slayer exist 2) they are able to have such a wide variety of visual styles under the anime umbrella because Japanese studios do value auteurship just a tad bit more than American studios who as of late is homogenizing our media cause it’s “safe”.

Also, another component that can factor into why anime looks the way it does despite smaller budgets is because Japan as a society heavily values reputation. On one hand, it’s cool that artists are willing to come together to bring the vision of an artist they admire to fruition. But on the other, it is often used to exploit these artists into very shitty work situations (ie me when I worked on JJK). It’s such a hard thing to talk about because as artists we do tend to sacrifice our well being for the sake of art but I could understand why someone on the outside might feel confused (or frustrated) that we would choose to put ourselves in a poor situation. Sometimes, you’re just willing to take a lesser pay and tighter deadlines to work on a project that speaks to you creatively. And it really do just be that. But for the case of anime, it is often because these artist want to work with a person they admire so who I am to judge them when I’ve done the same haha. But my point being, because Japanese studios have that in house communication and are more open to artist auteurship there’s just more room to have visually distinctive episodes, animated sequences, designs and so on despite the budgets not being the greatest (if we’re going by American standard of living because it is objectively true that Japan is not as costly as places like NY and LA).

I could go on and on about this but I think this answer has become way too long haha. But in summary, Japan isn’t seeing as big as budgets as you think you are from an American perspective. Anime budgets virtually have not changed that much for decades despite it being mainstream and incredibly profitable. I will add that studios like Kyoani and Ufotable have the advantage of potentially self funding their projects, which allows more creative power to the studio itself rather than having to comply to the production committee’s whims. But those studios are like….rare gems ‘cause they chose to nurture talent and be selective with their art over time as opposed to Mappa who is spreading the talent and production crew super thin by adapting too many shows. What makes the art in anime look that way is more so a result of passion and respect for the craft (as well as they’re just open to a lot more versus American execs who are risk-adverse). It would be great if they were given more money so they weren’t producing episodes on such tight schedules (usually a handful of months before official broadcast) but it’s really a testament of how they effectively allocate the money where it’s needed as well. It’s truly an amazing balancing act in a system that’s equally imbalanced.

Phew, that was a long one but I hope I answered your question. And with that, always remember kids that money does not equal better art. Money means more time and resources and how you use it is what determines the overall artistic vision of a production.

[olderthannetfic]

"People worried about ao3 must be privileged to have no other worries right now" is…a very, very, very bad-faith assumption. First of all, if it annoys you when people lambast anyone that dares donate their money to ao3 instead of social issues, you ought to see why it might annoy people when you lambast them for being concerned about ao3 "instead of" social issues, particularly because money is a limited resource, and when it comes to donations it ACTUALLY IS "this $20 is going to ao3 INSTEAD OF my local homeless shelter" (even if you also donate $20 to your local homeless shelter, you COULD'VE donated $40 and didn't, which is fair and fine, but point is, money is a limited resource) and concern is NOT a limited resource. It's not "you're worried about ao3 INSTEAD OF queer people and people of color and women." I'm sure a lot of them ARE worried about queer people and people of color and women! They just want the opinion of The Fanfiction Blog about whether ao3 will be affected! Which leads me to my next point: second of all, y'all, this is the fanfiction blog, about fanfiction, where we discuss fanfiction. You know, the fanfiction blog? It's become a forum for every topic under the sun, but it remains, at its core, a fanfiction blog, about fanfiction, where we discuss fanfiction. Someone worried about whether ao3 will be affected doesn't need to add on "oh, and also, here's all the other issues I'm worried about right now." There's a chance they've sent a separate anon about that. Because most of us are on anon, and you can't assume you know whether someone is affected by more "legitimate issues," or even assume they've never mentioned more "legitimate issues" ON THIS BLOG before, from one anon. And even if they haven't...it might be because this is the fanfiction blog, where we discuss fanfiction. Doesn't mean they're not engaging in discussions about more "legitimate issues" elsewhere. And lastly, censorship remains a social issue. It cannot be cleanly separated from other social issues, particularly queer issues. The fact it's unlikely the new administration can touch ao3, or even cares enough to attempt it at all, doesn't mean it's dumb or privileged to be worried about ao3. Antis have used the "you're not being oppressed for your smut" line in response to our criticisms of censorship before. & I'm also just sort of tired by "don't worry about whether the new administration will do XYZ, that's illegal." It's like telling someone "don't worry about being robbed, that's illegal." I know we're attempting to mitigate fatalism and that's fair and good, but even if the new administration doesn't come for ao3 in particular, we might have to contend with increasingly bold attempts to censor and even criminalise sexual expression, and expression considered sexual (ie queer expression). It's a leap to say "THEY'RE GOING TO COME FOR AO3, A FANFICTION SITE MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN KNOW EXISTS," but I can definitely sympathise with the worry behind that leap. A lot of us are panicked right now, and panic famously doesn't encourage rational thought. Apologies for the wall of text, I'm not capable of being terse. I need to emphasise about THE FANFICTION BLOG, dammit!

--

Why does no one send me knitting questions?

[isaiahking]

Isaiah smiled softly at Violet’s playful teasing. He knew her better than most, and it wasn’t lost on him how much she carried with her—the weight of loss, the need to keep moving, the way she masked her vulnerability with humor. She was tough, but beneath that tough exterior, he knew there was a tenderness that only those closest to her ever got to see. "Don't think I haven't noticed how much you hold it together, Violet," Isaiah said with a hint of admiration in his voice. He raised an eyebrow when she asked about him and Leo, knowing exactly where this was going. "Oh, we’ve done it in every room, alright," he teased back, his tone light, matching her playfulness. "But you already know that. Leo and I are... resourceful," he added, his grin widening. As she shifted the conversation to more serious matters, Isaiah’s expression softened. He was used to seeing her juggle everything in her life, the mix of grief and love, the way she poured her heart into everyone around her. It had always struck him how deeply she loved, and how much she cared about making sure others felt supported—even when she was struggling herself. “I’m glad you’re going to talk to Reign,” he said with a small nod. “It’s not easy, but it’ll make things clearer. You deserve to be able to just be—without all the secrets, or feeling like you have to hide. You know he’ll understand." He paused, eyes meeting hers with that same quiet understanding he always gave her. Isaiah’s gaze lingered on her as she asked about Leo, and his smile faded just a little, replaced with something more earnest. He’d been through hell, but Isaiah had always believed in Leo’s strength. "He’s doing better. Slowly, but better. There’s a lot to rebuild, you know? But with the talk of our future , and with me by his side, we’ll get there." He paused, then added, “You’re right, Violet. He’s lucky to have me. And I’m damn lucky to have him.” When she shifted the topic back to making soup, Isaiah’s mood lightened again. Cooking was one of those small joys he shared with her, a way to reset after the heavy conversations. He grabbed the apron she handed him and slid it over his head with a grin. “Healthy and fun, huh? Alright, I’m on it,” he said, already reaching for the knife to start dicing the chicken. “Let’s make it a soup even Ayiden would approve of.” As he chopped, Isaiah stole a glance at her, feeling grateful for their easy companionship. As they worked in comfortable silence, the rhythm of chopping and stirring filling the space, Isaiah glanced up with a thoughtful look. "You ever think about how much life has changed, Violet?" he asked, his tone quieter now, more reflective. "We’re not who we were a few years ago, are we?"

violet felt like she lost a piece of herself when ayiden, her brother, died. he was the one who truly understood her, the glue that held their family together. now, everything felt scattered. she only saw her parents a few times a year—they were okay, but things would never be the same. they hadn’t been thrilled when she named her son after ayiden, but when he was born, she couldn’t help herself. it felt right, like her brother had sent him as a gift when she was at her lowest. she’d promised herself she’d be there for her son in a way she hadn’t been able to for her brother, even though his death wasn’t her fault. “i won’t make out in the kitchen, at least not while we’re cooking, i can promise you that,” she said with a smirk, shaking her head. what was the point of pretending it wouldn’t happen when she knew it probably would? she wasn’t going to say no to reign. “but don’t act all innocent—are you really going to tell me that you and leo, the most hyper couple i know, haven’t done it in every single room in your place?” she raised an eyebrow at isaiah. “admit it—you have,” she teased, her grin playful. she leaned against the counter, looking at her best friend. he was right, as usual. maybe she should talk to reign about telling the kids. maybe it would make everything feel more natural and less like sneaking around. “you’re so wise, isaiah king,” she said with a small smile. “i’ll talk to reign, and then we’ll tell them. you’re right. it’s time.” she felt a little lighter having shared that with him—he always had a way of making her feel less lost. “yeah, i definitely don’t want ayiden catching us sneaking around. i don’t want to scar him for life,” she laughed, shaking her head. “and don’t get all emotional on me right now, or i’ll cry,” she warned him with a playful look. she was so ready to see isaiah and leo’s kids. ready to be the aunt who spoiled them, loved them fiercely, and made sure they always felt supported. she’d give their kids the same unconditional love they gave her ayiden, and the thought of that warmed her heart. “i’m glad leo’s back. is he really better?” she asked softly, her voice full of genuine care. she adored leo—he’d been through so much, and all she wanted was for good things to come his way. he was lucky to have isaiah, just as isaiah was lucky to have him. “amazing,” she said with a bright smile. “ayiden said he wanted soup, so let’s make soup and…” she paused, glancing around the kitchen. slipping on an apron, she handed one to isaiah. “maybe chicken or something? the soup’s easier, so you want to dice some chicken?” she asked, heading to the fridge to grab the meat. “we’re going for healthy but fun.”

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

*tries to organize my thoughts*

*remembers i'm not in school and therefore beholden to neither heaven nor hell nor any man's grading system*

*joyously shredding & tossing all my carefully arranged 3x5 mental notecards into the air like so much beige confetti. raising my arms in victory, cheering raucously until i accidentally inhale bits of homemade confetti*

(*coughing up itty bits of paper like a cat evicting a hairball with a firm understanding of tenants' rights*) wait wat happens next

[verygayandverytired]

i want to live in the world where dragon age inquisition got to have the in-depth strategy / political organization sim elements bioware obviously wanted it to have where your decisions in managing the inquisition actually meant anything for how it operates and had effects on the game world. sadly we live in the universe where art needs to make profit

[boag]

sorry this is a weird question but i’m panicking. what should i do if i feel extremely suicidal? i don’t want to be but it’s so intense because none of my friends are free or picking up and i refuse to force them to be around me by saying i’m about to kill myself. i don’t think calling the helpline would do anything and i’m so scared

I know how u feel :( for me I sometimes just text the helpline anyway and even though it’s not super helpful it’s a good distraction combined with like music or anything else to put my attention on. U can also message me if you want !!!

[altruistic-meme]

it is every time without fail. maybe there IS an underlying issue here (<- the underlying issue is severe social anxiety, unfortunately)

[plushipaws]

Anyone know like a neocities website template that has multiple pages and like a nav bar with buttons that have like drop down lists? Im talking about the format thats common on a lot of sites, i see it on petsites a lot like.

Something with a main button that says something like 'User' and when you click on it it has sub buttons like 'inventory, pets, shop'

Basically I want a layout that can make it comprehensible to navigate the site if there is a whole lot of pages, I want to make one for my system and let every alter have their own page but that will be over 40 pages so i want to organize by catagories so its easier to nav and the alters people are most likely to talk to are separated out so people who only want to read a few pages know which pages are most useful to read

[dullahandyke]

Films good movies good banshees of inisherin was good

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/767420735500271616/so-the-thing-with-content-is-that-is-literally?source=share

The thing that makes the jellyfish hat content is that it is an object containing paper mache, fabric, cardboard, and the assorted accoutrements of jellyfish hat-making (the optional but popular add-ons go listed here in your head).

and implies that the container is more relevant in this specific context than the thing contained

No. that's not an implication. That's a thing you're making up in order to have an excuse to get angry about someone using a word you don't like, but it's not true. If I say, "I dumped open the contents of the box onto the floor", it is very easily discerned by most readers I am looking for something specific that is within the contents of that box. It is insanity to insist that the word content = the container being the most important thing on Earth. If I write "he opened the small box, revealing its' content: a single, small wedding ring" and you think the box is the focus, I just flat-out don't know what to tell you.

Setting that aside: holy shit, please calm down. I'm a bit busy with organizing resources for my local trans community at the moment but I promise you, there are worse problems than someone using a word you don't like. There was an election this year - don't know if you noticed - that impacts real people. Looking at all your anon and off-anon replies, the thing I keep thinking is, "Holy shit, who fucking cares? There are actual issues going on in the world right now!"

The fact that something I sent in during a ten minute snack break at work and quickly forgot about lives rent-free in your head to this degree days after it was said is highly, highly concerning. I cannot convey enough to you how much I did not mean to set off an episode in you, and at the same time, I am also very genuine when I say this may be a hill you're willing to die on, but it's not a hill I'm willing to kill you on. I kill people on important hills and jellyfish hats ain't it, chief.

It's wild to spend my time IRL trying to help people figure out what to do if our state makes it illegal for them to get HRT in-state and then pull up my phone and see someone this pressed about the word "content". Surely your life also has an important issue you could spend time on? No one is having a particularly good time right now. Maybe focus on a thing with literally any relevance to your quality of life whatsoever? I know that sounds glib. However, having had manic episodes where one thing someone said to me sent me over the edge, I'm not being glib. I really mean it when I say that redirecting your focus onto something important helps snap you out of it. It's how I got myself out of it before I was able to get medicated for my Bipolar Disorder. I take zero joy in seeing someone forth at the mouth because one person said one word and that made them spiral. I really do apologize, and I can see that this panic is a very real, valid emotion on your end. But 'valid' here is used only in the sense of 'I believe you when you say you feel panicked', not 'the panic is a logical, proportionate response to the trigger'. (As a side note, after this many anon and off-anon messages indicating fixation and extreme emotional overinvestment, I don't want anyone saying I misused the word trigger. This is not a proportionate response to someone using one word you dislike.)

The jellyfish hat contains materials needed to construct a hat. It doesn't need ads or legal agreements in order to contain cardboard, paper mache, etc. You are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Likely, you are taking your anger at something that actually matters and redirecting it onto this, a thing that does not matter. I'm not saying that in judgment - we all do it - but I am not going to be replying to this further. You may have a desire to use other people's words as an excuse to spiral but you'll have to find someone else to use the reason you're losing your shit.

The hat contains the materials needed to construct a hat. It's not that deep.

--

[shallowrambles]

So I've been thinking. It's funny how enjoying meta is somewhat embedded with trust.

Like, if you're "friends" and have followed a person for a long time, you have more a sense of their values, and it's easier to read their difficult meta because you trust more that they're being charitable/nuanced.

If you don't know them, it's harder to trust that they're not funneling difficult topics into rationalization of liking/supporting gross shit.

[faggling]

I love taking care of people omggg 😍😍😍

[tsukasalover]

(credits to ssruis)

This song is the only thing keeping me going I do not play about mr showtime 😞 nothing ruined me (made my life better) the way this song did

(Sendn. Me songs to do this with in my ask box… sniffle…)