#but in human culture while it's accepted it's still not the norm

[inexplicably-spookified]

diversity win! this witch is bi... lingual?

[ilovedthestars]

A thought I’ve been having: While it's important to recognize the long history of many current queer identities (and the even longer history of people who lived outside of the straight, cis, allo “norm”) I think it's also important to remember that a label or identity doesn't have to be old to be, for lack of a better word, real.

This post that i reblogged a little while ago about asexuality and its history in the LGBTQ+ rights movement and before is really good and really important. As i've thought about it more, though, it makes me wonder why we need to prove that our labels have "always existed." In the case of asexuality, that post is pushing back against exclusionists who say that asexuality was ��made up on the internet” and is therefore invalid. The post proves that untrue, which is important, because it takes away a tool for exclusionists.

But aromanticism, a label & community with a lot of overlap & solidarity with asexuality, was not a label that existed during Stonewall and the subsequent movement. It was coined a couple decades ago, on internet forums. While the phrasing is dismissive, it would be technically accurate to say that it was “made up on the internet.” To be very clear, I’m not agreeing with the exclusionists here—I’m aromantic myself. What I’m asking is, why does being a relatively recently coined label make it any less real or valid for people to identify with?

I think this emphasis on historical precedent is what leads to some of the attempts to label historical figures with modern terminology. If we can say someone who lived 100 or 1000 years ago was gay, or nonbinary, or asexual, or whatever, then that grants the identity legitimacy. but that's not the terminology they would have used then, and we have no way of knowing how, or if, any historical person's experiences would fit into modern terminology.

There's an element of "the map is not the territory" here, you know? Like this really good post says, labels are social technologies. There's a tendency in the modern Western queer community to act like in the last few decades the "truth" about how genders and orientations work has become more widespread and accepted. But that leaves out all the cultures, both historical and modern, that use a model of gender and sexuality that doesn't map neatly to LGBTQ+ identities but is nonetheless far more nuanced than "there are two genders, man and woman, and everyone is allo and straight." Those systems aren’t any more or less “true” than the system of gay/bi/pan/etc and straight, cis and trans, aro/ace and allo.

I guess what I’m saying is, and please bear with me here, “gay” people have not always existed. “Nonbinary” people have not always existed. “Asexual” people have not always existed. But people who fell in love with and had sex with others of the same gender have always existed. People who would not have identified themselves as either men or women have always existed. People who didn’t prioritize sex (and/or romance) as important parts of their lives have always existed. In the grand scheme of human existence, all our labels are new, and that’s okay. In another hundred or thousand years we’ll have completely different ways of thinking about gender and sexuality, and that’ll be okay too. Our labels can still be meaningful to us and our experiences right now, and that makes them real and important no matter how new they are.

We have a history, and we should not let it be erased. But we don’t need a history for our experiences and ways of describing ourselves to be real, right now.

[theunfortunateplace]

"I was thinking about a neteyam x fem!human!reader. Reader is a short girl, maybe 4'11 (1.48) and Neteyam takes advantage of it and corners her to the wall..."

This was my request. Sory for misunderstanding

oblivious

Paring: Neteyam X Fem!Human!Reader

aged up Neteyam(26) Reader(22)

Word count: 5K

Synopsis: You’ve been sent to Pandora as a researcher. Constantly having your head in the books, swabbing cultures, and learning more about the world you’ve been sent to. Grace would occasionally mention the different Na'vi, but you had no clue who anyone was. Little did you know someone had been watching you this whole time. 

word bank: Lawr=melody

Warnings: no use of Y/N, smut, Dom!Netyam, semi-oblivious reader, size kink, teasing, slightly possessive Neteyam, P in V, cock warming, creampie, breeding kink, hair pulling, male receiving oral, 

a/n- This definitely took longer than I thought it would, but I finally got it done. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy.

“Can you get that for me?” You asked while letting out a sigh accepting your defeat. Grace raised her brow and shook her head. “You know there should be some sort of high requirement for these job positions.” You playfully rolled your eyes and took the stack of books from her. “If they did that it would be discrimination! And thank you.” 

“Mhm, you’re welcome.” She started walking away but turned back on her heels. “Oh, Neteyam and Lo’ak are stopping by.”  You placed the books next to the microscope, looking up with a confused face. 

Grace scuffed. “Do I need to make a damn PowerPoint for you? Come on quark!” You rolled your eyes at the nickname she gave you. It was the name used once protons and neutrons are broken down. Making them the smallest particles. 

“Are they the ones that come in here with spider?” She nodded her head and lit her cigarette.  You weren’t too familiar with the Na'vi… You tried to speak the language but only managed to grasp a couple of words, phrases, and some sentences if you were lucky. 

But most of the time when the men came through you just minded your business and stayed to yourself. 

“Yes with Spider… seems like he’s the only one you remember?” 

“Weeell he’s the only one who’s here often.” She shook her head “What are they stopping by for?” 

“Not sure. Anyway, I’ll be in the village.” 

You’ve seen pictures from when Grace was in her human form but that was many years before. She talked about the war many times and it still shocks you how she survived….how anyone survived. 

You nodded my head and started pulling out the necessary agar dishes and instruments for culture dishes

Many scientists passed by not paying you any mind. It wasn't until you heard Norm logging on his tape recorder that you finally looked up from the microscope.  He noticed he was looking and waved while finishing up.  “Hey, how’s it going Quark?” You let out a sigh making him chuckle.  “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but you have to admit the name catches on fast.” 

‘At least it wasn’t an insulting name I’ll give Grace that’ you thought. “Yeah yeah yeah. I heard Spider and his f-

“ NORM! What’s going on!” You turned your head quickly hearing his loud voice bounce off the walls of the lab.  “Never mind it seems they have arrived.” You said 

Spider looked at you and instantly ran almost tackling you! “Umph… dude, we talked about this! I’m not a damn target stop tackling me like I’m a runaway!” 

“Shit- I’m sorry” he pulled away and fixed your hair…. Well, I attempted to fix it. You swatted his hand away and properly fixed it. The other scientist always would comment how you two were meant to be siblings with how you interacted with each other. The two Na'vi men were in the back watching the whole thing. 

“Spider is that your girlfriend? You sure ran to her like she was.” 

Spider spun around and gave the slightly shorter one the finger while the tallest one watched the two banter….until you felt his eyes on you. Your breath hitched causing a smirk to appear on his. You watched as he looked away and walked towards Norm. 

“Oel ngati kameie olo'eyktan.” Norm said while bringing his hand up to his forehead and extending it. This was a common greeting they used but of course, you struggled with it.  The really tall one returned the gesture and began speaking the language you struggled with the most. 

“What’s this you’re working on?” Spider asked causing you to jump. You’d been so caught up in staring at the man you forgot the name of to notice Spider was next to you along with the other man. “Shit! Spider, you have to stop doing that!” You clutched your chest and let out a huff of air. “And it’s swabs from the animals on Pandora…then once they are incubated properly I’ll be able to see the different bacteria that live on them.

The pair chuckled. “He didn’t do anything you were distracted by my brother.” You raised a brow and looked back between the one talking to Norm and the one standing next to you. 

You hummed and nodded your head. “ I see the resemblance.” 

He scoffed and shook his head while fiddling with the various books on your table. “Resemblance my ass! You’ve met us about a dozen times yet forget what we look like and our names.” 

You huffed and placed your hands on your hips. “Well, I’m sorry smart ass I have things to do and complicated names that I have to remember for reports…..and I do remember now you’re Lo’ak you always come in here and talk rather loudly if you ask me.” 

He scoffed and knitted his brows together mimicking your hand placement. “ I do not talk loudly you should see a doctor if your ears are sensitive you mouse.” You gasped and picked up one of the books getting ready to throw one at his head. 

“Oh, so you want to throw insults at my height?” 

His eyes widened “ n-no no that no-“

“Listen here you damn giant take another jab at my height and I’ll make sure to knock some inches off of you!”  You went to go throw the book as his mouth opened again but you were stopped by a large hand. You looked up to see the man called Neteyam smirking down at you. 

“Looks like you got yourself in some trouble brother.” He let out a deep chuckle sending chills down your back. The Na’vi accent was very thick on his tongue but you understood him clearly. Neteyam looked down at you again and let your hand go. You slowly let your hand drop and he smiled. 

“ I’m sorry Lawr, my brother tends to make trouble everywhere we go.” He said softly while squatting down. I took a step back surprised by how close he was. “Allow me to make it up to you…. I’m hosting a party well it’s more of a celebration for a hunt we had earlier this morning.” 

‘A celebration? How…what would I even wear’ you thought. “ I-I well I don’t really-“ 

“Bro look at her she can’t even speak properly,” Lo’ak said. You knitted your brows together gripping the book, and swiftly threw it at his head. Of course, he didn’t see the coming so it got him right above his eyebrow. 

Lo’ak let out a loud yelp and held the injured area. “ I have several more books if you want to keep talking ass hat!” Everyone started laughing and I turned back to Neteyam. 

“ I’ll take you up on that invitation thank you… Is there anything I should wear?” He smiled giving you a once-over. 

“You can come as you are or you can wear something nice, but I think you look beautiful as is.”  He smiled, making the heat rise to your cheeks. “Gosh ha-well I’ll wear something nice. It’s a celebration I don’t want to look raggedy.” 

I let out a small chuckle and sat back on my chair causing him to do another once over. He smirked before my attention turned back to Spider. 

“So no candy?” Spider chuckled and dug into his pouch. “If I didn’t bring any I’m sure you would have thrown a book at me.”  You playfully rolled your eyes as he placed the candy in the drawer on your research table away from your swabbing one. “No that’s only for people who have smart mouths.” You said taking a jab at Lo’ak who was still rubbing his forehead.  You heard Neteyam chuckle as he stood up. 

“Well, I will leave you to your work. I have duties to tend to until later….I’ll see you then lawr.”  You bit your lip subtly noticing his eyes not leaving you. He smiled before walking away.  You felt a little jab to your arm and it was Spider. You looked over to him and shook your head as he winked and wiggled his brows. 

“Will you stop? Now go, I’m sure Kiri needs help with something!”  Lo’ak gasped bringing your attention to him.  “So you remember my sister's name but not mine!” You laughed as you pulled out more agar dishes for swabbing. “Yes, because she is nice and I enjoy when she comes in!” It was the truth. Kiri truly was nice to have around and occasionally would bring little snacks. Most of the stuff on Pandora you couldn’t eat but some stuff you could. 

“You’re ridiculous you know that right? Am I not nice to have around?” You looked up at him and got up from your chair, you couldn’t help but feel a little bad for throwing the book at him. You went into the first aid freezer and grabbed one of the ice bags. 

You walked back over and handed it to him. “Here… and yes sometimes when I don’t have work to get done and you're not being loud.” He hesitantly took it and muttered a thank you before putting the ice on his brow. 

“Hm, maybe I’ll consider being quieter…or maybe you can take a break from work and come back with us.” 

You hummed while sitting back on your stool. “ I’ll think about it.” Is all you said he accepted the answer and nodded his head. They said their final goodbyes and you finally could go back to work…well at least you tried to but all you could think of was how intense Neteyam's gaze was.

-

After many hours of working you finally made your way back to your room to get ready for this ‘celebration'. This was the first time in months you’d gone to any sort of party so you were going to go all out and by all out it meant putting on some lipstick and mascara. You let your hair drop to your shoulders from its previous hairstyle so there was no need to spend unnecessary time with that. Especially when it was already curly.

“Maybe this is too much?” You said while looking in the mirror adjusting your outfit. You settled on a hip-hugging long skirt and the matching tube crop top that was practically a bra on you. Maybe it was too much especially with you putting your belly piercing back in. Maybe it was too much or maybe you were being super self-conscious knowing Neteyam would see you. 

You bit your lip and shook the unwanted thoughts from your head. “No! I haven’t been out of the lab in months I’m going as is!” You turned off the light and marched out of your room, only to be followed by a loud whistle from Norm who was now in his avatar form. 

You looked up and shook your head. “What are you doing here?” He chuckled and gestured for me to start walking. 

“ Neteyam insisted I be here to walk you to the village and sent his apologies for not being here instead.” You looked up shocked by what he just said but only nodded your head and hummed in response. ‘Hm he’s a gentleman I see.’ You thought 

“Also I’m sure I don’t have to give you the talk… but it’s best you don’t… how do I put this? Lo’ak tends to mess around so just a heads up.” You let out a loud laugh and shook your head. 

“That’s hilarious that you think I would even let him try something. I’m sure he got the message earlier today.” Norm chuckled and ducked as he walked out the building. 

In the past exopacks were needed for humans to breathe but after the war Grace and some of the other scientists developed a shot that would make it possible for you to breathe Pandora's air. That’s not your specialty so you had no clue how they did it but it was cool. 

With norms help it wasn’t a far walk and the music could be heard for a distance you’ve never been to one of these events before. A smile

 appeared on your face seeing grace in the distance dancing with other people. A sight you’ve never seen before. 

Kiri spotted you and instantly walked over with a wide smile on her face. “You made it! You look fantastic.” You did a little dance while turning around showing her your whole outfit.  “Come come let’s dance we can’t let this outfit go to waste!” 

Your eyes widened ‘Dance?’ You thought. You had no clue how to do their dances much less if they would look good on you. “ I-“. Kiri chuckled and leaned down to gently push you to the dance floor. “ I’ll show you now, stop worrying.” 

You looked around seeing couples dancing rather sensually. You hadn’t realized the music changed… and of course, you’d danced to similar music but it was nothing like this. You took a deep breath and followed Kiri’s lead and once you got comfortable you followed and put your own twist on it.  

You lost track of time with how many drinks you consumed and the music flowing through your body. You didn’t notice Neteyam watching you all night. But anyone who he conversed with sure noticed how his attention was elsewhere. 

It wasn’t until you managed to wander off that you were taken away by the various glowing flora. “Gosh, I should have brought my kit. I have to come back out here and get samples.”  You said admiring the plants, letting a gasp out seeing a strange animal fly up from below. 

“Not without me I hope.” A low familiar voice said causing you to jump. He let out a deep chuckle and held his hands up. “ I didn’t mean to scare you lawr” You tilted your and continued walking. 

“So you were following me?” You said as your hand grazed one of the flowers you passed by. “And what does that word mean?” 

The sound of the music was growing faint with every step you took but the further you walked the more things around you were illuminated. “You could say that yes. What kind of leader would I be if I left someone like you alone? And it means-“You spun around and knitted your eyebrows together. 

“ What is with you and your brother commenting on my height? I already know I’m short, okay!” You huffed out 

“ I can’t speak for my brother but I find your shortness cute.” You rolled your eyes letting out an annoyed grunt shoving his hips back in the process. But of course that was the wrong move on your part. The devious smirk on your face slowly faded as you watched his face morph into something you’d never seen before. 

It was as if your feet forgot how to walk forward and instead walked backward. The cold rock wall against your back caused you to let out a gasp. ‘When did we walk into a cave?’ You thought. It wasn’t until now that you realized the details in his face let alone his body. You bit your lip trying to look past the groin that was rather close to your face. You exhaled deeply and tried to move to the side but his hand pushed you back up against the wall. You looked up to find him staring down intensely. You watched as his head tilted. 

“Now what would happen if someone were to corner you like this?” He slowly lowered himself and you tried reaching out to trace the glowing dots on his abdomen but your hand never reached. “Someone as little as you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself against someone like me.” His hands grazed your cheek causing you to lean into it. “But you're not a wild animal or-” You felt his hands grip under your arms and swiftly pick you up pressing you back into the wall. 

Your breath hitched by how close his face was. “You clearly lack skills that would be vital to protect yourself out here.” He said, looking dead straight into your eyes.

“And how would you know?” He chuckled sending chills down your back. “Because I’ve been watching you ever since you started working here. I never saw one of your kind so small before.”

“ I didn’t know a leader could be a stalker.” He raised a brow.  “If stalker is what you call it then I guess but could you blame me? You had me intrigued,” he said with a smirk on his face as he moved closer to yours. Making your heart beat faster than ever. ‘What is he going to do? Is he going to kiss me?’ You thought. “We should get back.” He said pulling away from my ear and setting me back down.

“ hu-what?” He chuckled and gestured for you to walk in front of him. “ I said we should get back I wouldn’t want anyone thinking you got lost.” You felt his smirk burning in your back and all you could do was walk back to where everyone was with a frazzled mind. ‘What was that? I could have sworn he was going to kiss me! Then he pulls away. Get it together why the hell would he kiss me? I’m sure he’s betrothed to someone.’ And it didn’t help having those thoughts race through your mind. 

You felt his hand graze you back causing you to look up at him looking down at you. You gasped feeling one foot make its own decision to stop mid-motion. You yelped feeling the impact hit your knee. He cursed and swiftly picked you up. Not sort of wines coming from you. “See… I think it’s best I carry you.” He said turning in a different direction. “Maybe the second bowl of alcohol was too much…” you said gripping onto him. You heard him scoff. 

“No the first bowl was enough matter of fact. You shouldn't have drank any at all. I’m surprised you are still talking.” He said in an amused tone as if the alcohol was something not to be messed with. “And why is that? I can handle my liquor quite well!” You huffed.

He laughed and shook his head “Well my ass! You just fell and hurt your knee.” You rolled your eyes. “Yeah because you touched me!” He didn’t say anything but kept walking… It was like that for a while. He said nothing and you stole long glances at him. You gripped onto him tighter feeling like you would fall. Making your face accidentally end up in the crevice of his neck. You cursed to yourself, smelling the addicting aroma coming off of him making you look up. He looked down briefly muttering something you couldn't understand. “Where are we going?” you asked resting your head on his chest. “Back to my place I need to examine your cut.”

He pulled back the flap on the door opening and sat you down on the woven carpet. You looked around as he walked off somewhere. It was lowly lit but lit enough so that you could see all the little details. ‘He's neat....and it doesn't smell in here. Well, why would it smell? He obviously knows how to clean especially himself. Gosh, he smelt so good. Did the Na’vi have cologne?’ Once again you found yourself distracted by all these questions and thoughts. You didn't notice he was sitting in front of you until his large hand touched your leg. You let out a gasp and he chuckled. “And you're easily frightened…I’m not letting you go out there alone.” You rolled your eyes and he let out a surprised scoff as he applied whatever it was on your knee.

“You know you have one hell of an attitude in you.” You grunted, “ especially someone for your size.” You reached in front of him and pushed his leg. If he wasn't so tall you would have pushed his chest. “See, my point is proven. Now sit still before I make you I need to finish doing this.” You raised a brow and looked him in the eye. “And why would I do that?” He let out a chuckle removing his hand from your knee. “Because I said so now don't move.” You huffed and stayed still until your eyes leaned back on his chiseled abdomen. Every part of his body had a different stripe. Without realizing your hand inched closer to touch the ones near his belly button. 

“If you keep touching me like that Lawr I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back.” He said jokingly but deep down you wanted it to be real. Unknowingly the sexual tension that had been building from this morning had come to a violent boil, and truthfully, you wanted him to do dirty things to you.  You looked up doe-eyed “Then don’t.” He looked shocked for a moment but smirked your comment off. “ I don’t think you know what you're talking about.” He said lowly 

He moved back now finished with your knee you bit your lip trying to decide what to do next.  You felt his thumb graze your lips dragging you out of your thoughts. “Don’t do that I’ll have another thing to fix.” He said but this time he wasn’t joking. This time his eyes were locked on you and his finger still pressed against his lips waiting for you to release the hold. 

But you didn’t instead you parted your mouth slightly letting his thumb fall in and swirled your tongue around it. Imitating what you would do to him if he would give you a chance. 

He let out a deep grunt when sucked on it but eventually let it go with a pop. “Please”, you asked, lust lacing your voice. You reached down at his loincloth waiting for him to protest and say no even looking up for approval. But the only look on his face was a smirk. “What are you waiting for my little Lawr? Put that mouth to work and show me how much of a good girl you are.” You bit your lip moving back to his loincloth swiftly untying it. 

You let out a gasp once faced with his large thick uncut cock. Your mouth was just watering at the sight ‘Gosh I need this in my mouth right now! Is this even going to fit in me?’ You thought as you took him I. Your hands bringing your mouth closer. 

You licked up the dripping pre cum on his tip making him let out a groan, bringing his hand to the back of your neck.  ‘There's no way this is going to fit in my mouth’ you thought as you quickly tried to figure out how to tackle it. You looked up and he let out a chuckle. “Is this your first time?” He asked in a rather cocky tone. You rolled your eyes. Took the tip of his cock into your mouth doing what you could do in the position you were in. 

A slew of curses spewed from his mouth as you tried to take him deeper but to no avail you were a coughing gagging mess. He huffed out as his hand caressed your cheek. “You gotta relax your throat, pretty girl. I know it’s big but if you want to take me you gotta relax it.” His smooth lust filled voice made you clench around nothing.  He suddenly let out a low grunt as his hand wrapped back around the back of your neck.  causing you to look up while still sucking on. 

He pulled you back by your hair. Making an unexpected moan to escape your mouth. “Enough of that on your back now.” He ordered. Without a second to spare, he picked you up putting you on your back. Your breath hitched feeling his fingers graze your clothed clit. He let out a mischievous chuckle. 

Resulting in your skirt getting yanked off along with your top. Leaving your chest exposed and your panties, which did a horrible job concealing how turned on you were.  Before you could even reach to cover your breast his mouth was already latched onto your nipple. “Fuck” you moaned out bringing your hands up to his head. You could feel him smirk against you. You gasped hearing a rip causing you to lift your head up in surprise only to find your panties ripped and thrown across the room. “Neteyam!” he chuckled. “You don’t need them anyways”, he towered over you revealing his cheeky smirk as his braids fell over his face. He took his cock in one hand stroking it slowly, clenching his fist as he rose to the tip. You watched yearningly, “Are you going to jerk off to me all night or are you going to fuck me?” You cursed out feeling him tap the thick head of his cock suddenly on your clit. “This is what you want?” he asked teasingly while looking at you wholly overtaken by lust.

You whined gripping his forearm as he lathered your wetness on his cock. “Yes” you finally spoke. He teased your entrance slowly trying not to hurt you, but it was hell holding back from plunging deep inside you. “You’re gonna need to breathe for me Lawr and relax. I can't do it if you don't do that for me,” he said softly. You nodded your head lazily still gripping onto his forearm, and as soon as your breathing became someone regular he began to enter.

 It was a burning pain at first that had you clenching your eyes shut even letting a few stray tears slip. “ I know I know I’m sorry Lawr it will feel better soon- fuck I promise.” He planted sweet kisses all over your face while whispering comforting words in your ear but soon the bearing feeling faded and your grip lessened. It was as if someone flicked a switch and now all you felt was pleasure. “Please” you mewed out as he started to properly thrust into you. He looked down wiping the stray ears from your face and smirked at your newfound pleasure. “See I told you… All you had to do was trust me.” He let out a deep gruntal moan as you clenched around him. 

It’s a shame he couldn’t fit all of him inside you. But that was okay because as the seconds passed inch by inch he was filling you up almost knocking the air from your lungs as he pounded into you. You bit down on his forearm moaning into him. 

He let out a breathy chuckle while rutting into you. “Marking me already hm?” He brought his hand down massaging your swollen clit. “You don’t have to worry I’m not going anywhere I’m yours.” You couldn’t process what he was saying or even begin to translate it. All you knew was that with the way his hips were moving and how much he was stretching you out you wouldn’t last long.  

He pulled out suddenly flipping you over, and pulling your hips up. “Wa- what’s going on?”  He leaned down kissing your back making your head droop low. “ I’m sorry I can’t hold back anymore.” He said in a tone you weren’t familiar with.  Your head spun around to see him lining up, but before you could ask what he was saying he dove back in making a scream of pleasure rip right through your throat. 

His grip on your hips was sure to leave a bruise the next day, but it was worth it. It was all worth it. You were ass up face down with Neteyam plunging deep in you. With your pussy relentlessly cleaning around him trying to pull him in deeper.  “shi- FUCK, you drive me crazy. You know that  fuck I’m gonna cum if you keep clenching around me like that!” The tears that were once on your face from pain were now replaced with tears created by pure bliss. 

No man has fucked you like this before. The orgasm that was brewing deep within you was fast approaching and if his brutal pounding didn’t put you on your ass by the end of the night the orgasm sure would. He reached under rubbing your clit again causing you to try and crawl away. He let out a chuckle yanking you back. “You’re not going anywhere. Take this fucking cock like the good girl you are and finish what you started lawr.” You cursed out as he continued to massage your clit not granting you any mercy. “No no no FUUUUU-“your screams fill the room around you as your orgasm ambushed its way to the forefront. 

A strong gush of fluids soaked the ground below you. “Good girl, look at you”, he cooed as his thrust got sloppy. He moaned out resuming the hold he had on my hips. “I'm gonna cum- fuuck I’m gonna fill you up so good. Is that what you want? Hm” you whined at the thought of his cum spurting into you.

 Despite you just cumming you clenched down on him hard. “Shii- I'm gonna fill you up- breed you so good. Make sure it fucking takes and if it doesn’t don’t think for a second I won’t have you bent over again.” His voice was strained. You turned back locking eyes. “ I want you to cum in me.” You mewed out. You watched as he came undone, feeling his cock twitch in you as his hot seed filled you up. Flooding your pussy to the point it was spurting out while he was still deep in you 

“Fuck.” He let out a breathy chuckle while rubbing your back. Your head dropped pressing against the floor, but he refused to let your body fall. Spinning you around and laying you on his chest as his back met the floor instead all whilst making an effort to keep his cock stuffed in you. “We have to get back to the-” he chuckled softly rubbing soothing circles into your back. “I'm sure they knew from the moment we left we weren't coming back.” You lay there on his chest believing every word he said, even if it wasn't the truth. You were too tired to question it and way too cock drunk to care

[therealvinelle]

Why does Edward use his "old fashiodness" as a reason not to have sex before marriage bc people in the 1900s totally fucked

Yes they did, they also did other things they weren't supposed to.

Sex outside of marriage and promiscuity has been stigmatised since marriage was invented, and remains so in many cultures in the world today. Anthropologically, marriage has been a tool for men to own women and ensure heirs, and for women to be provided for (And for this reason is tied to the concept of property).

It is only recently in the West that this changed (and even then promiscuity remains a looked down upon trait), and that change is closely related to the financial liberation of women: if Elizabeth Bennet can find herself gainful employment and earn as much as any man, there is no need for her to be married and Mrs. Bennet doesn't mind not having any sons. Likewise, women can't leave relationships if they'll be out on the streets: the steep rise in divorce rates in the 20th century was a direct result of women's financial independence.

Edward lived in a world where women were not financially independent, and if a woman had a child outside of wedlock, both her and the child would live in shame. It's not even long ago, when my great-grandmother was little there was a girl staying at her aunt's house who was pregnant and who lived there, cooped up in a single room until she had the baby, so the people where she ordinarily lived wouldn't find out she'd been pregnant. This was in the 1920's. There were also women's houses (I don't know what you would call them in English) were pregnant unmarried women would come to live until they'd had their children, at which point they returned to wherever they'd come from and the children were adopted out. This meant their lives didn't have to be ruined. My grandmother remembers such houses being prolific even in her childhood, and that was in the 1950's.

The men were not looked well upon either, because if you don't marry the woman it usually means you were already married, or you simply didn't want to take on responsibility: either way you thought a woman getting pregnant, losing social standing and prospects and endangering her health (childbirth mortality rates only began dropping in the West around the 1930's) because you wanted to get rocks off was an acceptable quid pro quo. It's not a good look. (However, the father is not the one stuck with the nine month pregnancy and human child, so a child outside of marriage still had worse consequences for the mother.)

Edward having a deep rooted refusal to sleep with Bella without marrying her first isn't something I'll fault him for, especially not when Bella immediately got pregnant, proving that these things do happen when you least want them to. If I lived a hundred years I imagine there would be deep rooted notions my much younger peers would consider archaic that remained with me as well. Maybe I will be saying "Well when I was young, we kept our cats indoors!" while people just stare because there are no cars on the streets and the birds all died, let the damn cat enjoy the grass. Or "Well, in my day I took one shower each day! And sometimes- I took two! All of it in drinking water, hahaha!" will be a wasteful and shocking statement that appalls and embarrasses the children.

Culture and norms change when society changes, is what I'm saying. This can be for the worse and for the better (and I'm always slightly terrified when people assume that the world will continue to change for the better through some natural default. We in the Western World have been on a positive trajectory in terms of civil rights for the past century, that is great, but societies have made progress before and seen that progress be lost), in terms of women's sexual freedom it has been for the better since Edward's time.

Financial independence, abortion, and tireless feminists fighting for social change are what we have to thank for marriage no longer being socially required for women who wish to be sexually active, and even then I have to wonder - say the next United States election is won by a certain someone who seems uninterested in preserving the democrat process in the country, and the House and Senate majority is Republican. Abortion rights would not be strengthened in that scenario, but more likely further gutted, and recovering them would be very difficult if the concerns about the Republican candidate's antidemocratic alignments should be correct. You could also start getting worried about things like sexual education. Say ten, fifteen, twenty years go by. How do you imagine that's going to change the reality of young women who have sex outside of wedlock and got pregnant, and now can't abort the child? And what ripple effects do you think this might have?

To put it this way, looking at a different civil rights issue - I'm young, I'm under 30, yet I remember growing up barely knowing what "gay" was, just that it was a schoolyard insult (where the insult worked because the boy being bullied also didn't know what "gay" was, and tentatively said "... yes?" when asked if he was gay), and now schools draw rainbows and participate in Pride. Culture has changed tremendously, it's a very happy change, but I won't presume gay rights have come to stay and can't be taken away (just look to what's happened in Poland), nor will I presume these changes can't happen quicker than one would expect. I similarly will not presume women's rights are iron clad.

And should things go very awry, then men like Edward who don't have sex with women unless there's a wedding ring in place will be the good eggs.

In other words I'm very "But why were they different?" about things that were different about the past.

(Also I do not want to fearmonger. So, to be clear: I don't think The Handmaiden is becoming reality in the States tomorrow if the Republican side wins the US Election, I don't think we're all being shipped off to the gulags. I do however think that the belief civil rights gains are ironclad and a done deal is a terrifyingly naive one, and betrays historical and contemporary ignorance. Society will change, that's inevitable, and complacency risks that chance being for the worse.)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

One massive difference between the western vs JP TWST fandoms that I haven't seen anyone else talk about is that the Japanese fandom seems to dwell in "grimdark" territory while the western one tries to see the best in these characters. From my glimpses into the Japanese fandom, they seem to see these character's darkness as the main appeal. That's reflected in their fanworks, since yandere works or things that dive into their dark sides are more popular there. While there is plenty of yandere content in the west, it seems more like a niche than the most popular way to portray the characters in fics where as in Japan that seems to be the norm on Pixiv. The JP seem to LOVE their grim dark fan theories WAY more than the western one. The western fandom seems like the opposite. Works seeing their humanity, them being decent partners, etc is the norm. Thought?

“I can fix him” vs “I can make him worse”—

Mmm, I have many thoughts on this but before I get into them I want to clarify some things. This is so everyone reading is running with the same definitions and thus can better understand (and perhaps contribute to) the discussion.

Firstly, “grimdark” can refer to any and all materials which people may find disturbing, amoral, and/or violent. Grimdark is NOT just yandere content. Although yandere content is an example of grimdark, not all grimdark is yandere.

Secondly, I want to dispel the notion that “grimdark” and “seeing the best in the characters” are opposites. They are actually not mutually exclusive; it is entirely possible to have the two overlap. For example, it is common for assassins to be after Kalim’s life (which is dark). However, Kalim himself is very cheery despite being cognizant of this (which is not dark, he is able to see the nest of this situation and is often praised for being a spot of sunshine in the cast). There are also much darker takes while staying true to Kalim’s caring nature, such as fandom works which portray his big heart (a strength) as a detriment, causing him to fall into deep paranoia and/or guilt. For the purposes of this discussion, I will still refer back to those two original viewpoints, just be aware that they are not truly “opposites”.

Lastly, the ask is phrased such that it suggests that dark content is “the norm” in Japanese circles. In actuality, the content you see is dependent on personal biases and what the algorithms feed you based on your likes and communities. While it’s true that perhaps Japanese fandoms have more dark content than the western fandoms, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is “the norm”. It is still considered niche, it is just that the fandom culture of Japan is more open-minded about these depictions, as well as fans’ choices to filter out dark content if they do not wish to encounter it. Western fandoms are very different in this regard. Rather than ignoring content they dislike or find disturbing, western fans tend to adopt an attitude of openly renouncing that which they dislike and, at times, calling out those that do enjoy that kind of thing. It is this social stigma and pressure within western fandoms which creates a less welcoming space for dark content to exist and to be publicly shared. Rather than saying one type of content is “the norm”, I think it’s more accurate to say certain types of content are deemed as being “acceptable” or “unacceptable” depending on the fandom culture.

Now then, as to why the western fandom in particular tends to favor works that show the TWST characters in a favorable light rather than focus on their darker aspects? There are many possible explanations for this:

Cultural differences in fandom spaces. I already mentioned this in the opening paragraphs, but it warrants repeating here. Japanese fans are much more reserved in how they express themselves and tend to keep quiet relating to content they dislike or don’t care for. Western fans are more outspoken and may actively “call out” what they dislike. This is typically observed in collectivist vs individualist countries, as conformity with the group/not causing disruptions to the group harmony and standing out and being one’s own individual are opposing ideologies and values.

Japan’s culture is one that stresses the importance of politeness and being proper. The country has strict social expectations of people and especially women (which makes up the majority of TWST’s fanbase). It is only in the realm of fiction where Japanese women are able to freely express themselves and to explore subject matter deemed socially inappropriate, however dark it may be. Fandom is their creative outlet. Meanwhile in the west, it’s the opposite. Overt uniqueness is more acceptable overall, but there is also a present effort of policing online content, often in the name of social activism and inclusion. This makes sense for western countries, many of which sport much more diverse populations than Japan.

Going in with the certain expectations of the game. Many western fans mistook Twisted Wonderland for a dating sim when its marketing materials first released, maybe due to a language barrier. This set them up for the wrong expectations about romancing and potentially “fixing” a villain, even when the game finally came out (due to residual feelings; I know for a fact there are still a handful of fans who want TWST to have a dating sim spinoff or wish the game had been a dating sim from the start).

Changes made in the localization.

I’m not sure what the ratio of westerners playing EN to JP, but the official localization made several changes which “blunted” some details or changed the context of some characters’ stories. For example, Jamil is no longer a “servant” but an “employee”, Kalim is his “employer”, not “master”, and Jamil complains that his parents will be “so mad at him” when he is asked why he doesn’t rebel against the Asims whole the consequences are made much more explicit in JP (his family will be thrown out onto the streets). Cater, Floyd, and Idia have also notably gotten a lot more memey dialogue that was not there in the original. These softened versions the characters may make western fans more likely to see the a less severe backstory or have goofier interpretation of certain characters.

Popular western media’s interpretations of villains. A lot of western media nowadays tries to redeem the bad guys. For example, in many young adult and adult romance fantasy novels, the love interest is often presented as a misunderstood bad boy that has a change of heart because of the protagonist. Disney themselves is also guilty of “softening” many of their more recent villains and giving new backstories to older villains to make them more sympathetic (Maleficent, Cruella, etc). Compare this to “classic” era Disney villains, who are just evil for the sake of being evil. These will naturally inform the general public’s views on villains. (It is also to be noted that Disney villains and specifically their evilness are extremely popular in Japan. They are adored for being fun characters, not necessarily admired for being bad.)

Disney’s reputation, especially in the west. The company is closely associated with fairy tales —and, more importantly, with magic and happy endings. This, too, may contribute to western fans wanting to look on the “bright side” of things and wish for happy endings for characters that are, in fact, part of the Disney brand. The Disney message is perhaps strongest in the west due to having its origins there:

The age differences between the Japanese and the western fandoms. The western TWST fandom skews young overall whereas the Japanese TWST fandom is older (which is why a lot of TWST merch you’ll see is expensive household goods and fashion; this is to appeal to working Japanese women). As I mentioned in the previous point, this means younger audiences in the west may mostly encounter media which presents villains in a more sympathetic light, or at least much earlier (which leaves a stronger impression). This makes them more inclined to view other media in a way which is more flattering for the villains even when they are dark or morally ambiguous in canon.

Younger fans may also be not as informed and thus lack some perspective, which means they may have more limited views. A 15 year old wouldn’t have as much life experience as a 20 year old—that’s not a bad thing, it’s an objective truth that has an impact on their perspective. They may see things more simplistically or see easier solutions to complex problems. Younger fans may, for example, be able to identify circumstances as being traumatic or unfair (such as the case with Jamil’s past and Leona’s desire to introduce new technologies to his home country) but may not understand the full ramifications (ie why Jamil cannot just leave or have Kalim to speak with his dad about it, how difficult Leona’s plans would be to implement as well as the social pushback due to the harm the advances could pose to the environment). This leads to more of a lean to positive content, as dark content would inherently mean problems are much more difficult to resolve and have more factors to them than what was originally considered.

I want to also point out that younger fans are especially concerned with what their peers may think of them, and so they may feel too embarrassed to dabble in darker content. Some dark content may also not be perceived as appropriate depending on the fan’s age. Alternatively, some fans may just not feel comfortable exploring those ideas (and that’s totally fine!).

Western fans project onto/relate to the characters they love. I’m not saying that Japanese fans don’t do this, but I feel like western fans tend to do this to a VERY strong and sometimes parasocial degree (which has its roots in comfort character and kinning culture, things which largely do not exist in east Asian fandoms). Like… western fans can relate to a character so deeply that any criticism of that character can feel like a personal attack on them, the fan. Likewise, if that character is presented as having flaws or doing questionable things (even if it is canon), the fans that are strongly projecting onto the character may feel that they themselves are flawed or somehow “bad” too. This can lead into trying to defend or justify the character’s flaws or actions. Maybe a fan that has shared trauma with a character sees them as a proxy and want to see the character (and thus, themselves) in a positive way or in good situations. In eastern fandoms, it is more appropriate to consider the character a separate entity rather than relating to or projecting onto them.

The western rise in moral justification for the content one consumes. This is a big one, and it has been alluded to in some of the other points. There is this belief circulating in western fandom spaces that “the content you consume reflects your real world values and morals”. So… if you believe that (or are in a social space where it is believed) and happen to like evil or morally grey characters, what does that imply about your own character? Does that mean you are morally bankrupt or that you condone bad things? Personally, I don’t think so but I understand why this way of thinking could make people feel ashamed. They may avoid looking at “dark” interpretations of a character and instead focus on wholesome feel-good content so that the content they consume reflects “well” on themselves. In other cases, fans may try to twist the bad points of a character to make it “morally okay” to like them.

That’s everything I could come up with off the top of my head!! I hope this was interesting to read and maybe helped you see the international TWST fandom from a new perspective. With that, I’ll leave you with this relevant Wreck-It Ralph quote: “I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

[loveforneteyam]

❝i heart you❞ ( jake sully )

summary: jake suli brought many traditions from earth, including one he calls "valentine's day". pairing: jake sully x navi!reader wordcount: 1.4k contains: just short and sweet :) notes: i wanted to post a quick little thing for valentine's day and why not for my fav?? i apologize if this is a bit late, hope you enjoy! and i love spelling "sully" like "suli", idk why blah

masterlist

If there was one thing about the dream walker, it was that he was a complete marvel to the entire Omaticaya clan. Even his scent was foreign--like metal and strange chemicals. Your people were both fascinated and disgusted by him.

You were the only daughter of your family, so there was a heavy expectation on you to find a mate. Before doing so, however, you would train to become a healer. Under the tsahik's guide, you studied the will of the Great Mother and the way of the forest. You were regarded as so intelligent and skilled that it wasn't surprising when you were chosen to train Jake Suli instead of your best friend, Neytiri.

It wasn't like she wanted the job anyway.

At first, you acted with complete bias. You knew the Sky People to be destructive and ignorant of any culture but their own. Why would this alien be any different? You hardly felt guilty to admit that it was amusing to watch him stumble and lose his balance in the trees. But over time, you felt the strings in your heart play a different way.

His hands and feet grew tougher, his legs and arms became stronger, and his eyes opened to more than just the physical elements of your world. Jake Suli was learning to see.

As he learned more of you culture, you began to learn more of his. While he struggled to learn the Navi alphabet and pronunciations, he also managed to teach you more English than you had previously learned. "This is right up my alley," he said the first day you showed him a bow and arrow.

You cocked your head. "What does that one mean?"

Jake, who thought your cluelessness was adorable, chuckled. "It means, uh," he laughed at himself. He must've sounded stupid compared to your wise words. "It means I'm good at this sort of stuff."

There were other moments where the English language was unnecessarily confusing. "If it is pronounced like 'kernel'," you pondered to yourself. English was even more illegible when it was in Jake's messy handwriting. "Then why is it spelled with an 'l'?"

He had been teaching you the names of the humans who worked back at the RDA. You knew Grace Augustine well, you thought Norm was a funny name for a person, and you refused to accept that the word 'colonel' was pronounced so strangely. Jake deeply chuckled, "I'm not sure why, honey."

You also misunderstood his seemingly unnoticeable pet names for you. Honey, as you had learned, was a sweet food for humans back on Earth; you thought it strange that Jake would call you it, although you never complained...

──

There were very few days where you were not instructed to train Jake. Instead, he would follow you through your training to be a healer. He would often watch as you read the many scriptures written throughout the years, your fingers delicately tracing the writing. Sometimes, you would read it out loud to him and his ears would gently twitch at the sound of your voice.

It was winter in Pandora, which hardly seemed any different from the other seasons to Jake. The sun was still warm on his skin, the plant-life still flourished. You were already studying in your tent in the morning, wondering why Jake had still not arrived.

Mo'at, who had come to recognize Jake's admiration for you (and your admiration for him), examined you as you completed your small, morning tasks. "Where is Jake?" You asked politely, searching for him. "I have not see him yet."

You didn't see her slightly smirk. She knew what it was like for someone to anxiously await their lover, even though you would never call him that. "It is early in the morning, child," Mo'at noted. She watched your shoulders slump as an idea popped into her mind. "Wait for him, he will arrive soon."

For what felt like hours, you continued to wait for the dream walker. Mo'at was amused at your impatient behavior, how you'd frantically stand up every few minutes and check outside to see if he was there.

"It is very rude to keep someone waiting," you said to Mo'at as you sliced through a handful of herbs and leaves.

Mo'at smirked again behind her book. "Oh, yes, very rude."

Finally, Jake's figure appeared with the morning sun behind him. He had a childish smile, the braids in his hair completely disheveled, and he was holding a small basket from when you'd taught him to weave. He cleared his throat, "Tsahik, (y/n), oel ngati kameie."

You and Mo'at collectively greeted him back. Jake took a seat across from you, setting the basket down next to him. "What're you working on today?"

You ignored his curiosity and began to harshly slice the leaves, leaving small marks on the wooden cutting board. "You took a very long time," You didn't look at him, but if you had, you would've been met with wide, fascinated eyes. "Where were you?"

Jake chuckled and pulled the cutting board away from you, your knife nearly coming down to meet his thumb. You looked at him furiously with wide eyes, but he only warmly smiled. He replaced the board with the basket. "I figured you're always teaching me about this," he motioned to the forest around him. "Why can't I teach you something about my home?"

You were intrigued but refused to show it. "Your home?"

"Yeah," he smiled. Jake enjoyed seeing you try to hide your excitement. "Here," he opened the basket and pulled out several pieces of red paper and a small canister of paint with a brush. "In my home, we have something called Valentine's Day."

You repeated the word silently to see how it felt coming off of your lips.

"It's a little holiday, nothing crazy." Jake handed you a piece of paper. You cautiously watched him fold his piece in half, unsure of whatever he could be doing. "It's supposed to be, you know...about love and whatever."

You always found it enjoyable how Jake could never explain something very well. He often stumbled over his words, like the thought was in his head but came out his mouth in a different way. "Fold yours like mine." You did so and pressed the paper so there was a crease down the middle. "Now, watch what I'm drawing."

He took the brush and dipped it into the paint canister, gently tapping it against the sides so any excess dripped off the bristles. He swung the brush over the paper with a slick curve. Jake was surprisingly smooth with the brush. "Your turn."

Jake handed you the brush. You mimicked him, dipping it into the paint and tapping off any loose drops. You tried to copy the shape he had painted onto his paper, except your lines were slightly more jagged. "Good!" He smiled, a hint of pride in his voice. "Then we take this," he grabbed a small blade from the basket. "And follow the shape."

He retraced the shape on his paper with the blade so it sliced the paper clean. He then unfolded his paper. "And you have a heart."

You cocked your eyebrow and eagerly grabbed the blade from his hand, cutting over your shape and removing the remnants of the paper. "This is a heart? It looks nothing like one."

"Well, it's not like the heart in here," his fingers gently touched your chest where your heart sat. He laughed, "It's different, I know. I guess this type of heart is prettier."

You looked at your paper heart inquisitively. You did like how simple it was...you would even say it was cute. "What is the point of this?"

Jake smacked his lips, "Uh, well..." He was at a loss. "I guess there's no real point to it. It's just supposed to be for love."

"What do you do with it?"

"Well, you can do almost anything with it. Throw it in the garbage if you really wanted to," he looked down at his paper heart, tracing the soft edges with his thumb and smoothing out the crease that ran down the middle of the paper. "I think you're supposed to give it to someone."

"Why?"

Jake shrugged, gently smiling at how you already began to fold another piece of paper and reach for the paintbrush. "To show love." You started to draw out the shape of the heart again on half of you paper before you noticed Jake holding his heart out to you.

The corners of your lips softly grew upwards, a pink hue falling on your cheeks.

[blood-orange-juice]

About Childe and his weird gender again, expanding on this post.

I think it has a lot to do with how gender is constructed. Male gender has very clear-cut prescriptions, mostly it's everything that is considered "good" or "human" in current culture. The expectations it places on a person may not be realistic or achievable but they are very clear. Great importance is also placed on separating itself from Everything Female. Things That Are Too Much. Things that break the current culture meaning-making procedures.

Women, while having quite a few prescriptions of their own, also deal with whatever falls through the cracks. Someone needs to ensure the world still functions and reality is never completely covered by whatever official model of the world we currently have.

So women deal with the things men have the luxury not to notice. Mostly bodily and psychological aspects and societal injustice that are not supposed to exist in the ideal picture of society men have imagined. (to be fair, it happens to anyone oppressed and othered. the task of not letting the oppressors meet with reality is delegated to them. I'm just talking about women specifically in this post. but there's a reason oppressed minorities always have ties to supernatural in folklore)

In a way, feminine women are very scary. Walking semiotic horrors.

And I explain all this to say that Childe can be perceived as feminine in two ways.

First, with his disregard for all and any societal norms he just doesn't follow the normal gender prescriptions. He plays a superhero/knight role because it's shiny and it reminds him of the stories he loved as a kid. He doesn't suppress his love for his family because it brings him joy. He looks pretty because looks are a weapon too. He does all these things that would be either stereotypically masculine or painfully unmasculine for anyone else who cares about what society thinks, but he doesn't really see any difference between them. He truly, genuinely doesn't care what others think.

Second, he's also painfully aware of the dark and insane parts of the universe everyone else has the luxury to ignore. He also knows no one cares so he dances around the things a normal guy would never have to deal with (it's such a stereotypical female experience. sometimes I wonder if that's why women rarely like Lovecraft. it's not scary or exciting to them, it's just Tuesday).

But that's just our perception, a trick of light. These are not necessarily gendered.

He also gives an impression of someone extremely vulnerable, yes, but I don't think he handles his vulnerability in a feminine way. He just doesn't hide it and we are used to labeling everything vulnerable as feminine.

He also doesn't really do anything feminine-labeled in a characteristic female way. He isn't really in contact with his emotions (despite having a lot of them), him caring about people takes the form of "protector and provider". his cooking... have you seen his cooking? He doesn't look for support and doesn't try to build things that last. He doesn't accept his vulnerability. If anything, he's trying to pretend he has no vulnerabilities and maybe no psyche at all. He's self-sacrificing in a very male way too. Because he was there and because he could and because it's a cool thing to do.

So he's just that. Himself. Someone outside of gender.

(or rather his gender is knightcore)

If we perceive him as feminine it says more about how our culture perceives gender than about who Childe is.

Also, quoting my previous post, it's a part of him being full of contradictions. For every thing that he does he also does the exact opposite, and this holds for gender too.

Yes he lives the male power fantasy. He also does it in an incredibly feminine way. I think this was Hoyo's original intention and then it blossomed into this human disaster we see.

And to end up on a joke, surely you all have seen that leaked art that is theorised to be Skirk but could have also been an early design of Childe before Hoyo decided to make him a guy.

[hyperlexichypatia]

do you have any thoughts on "antitheism"/"religion abolition"? some leftists in a server im in were talking abt it and as a religious person who otherwise agrees w the vast majority of their ideals it rubbed me the wrong way

Yeah, I have a lot of problems with “antitheism”/“religion abolition.”

I mean, at the most basic level, I support cognitive liberty, which includes absolute freedom of thought, which includes absolute freedom of belief, which includes religious belief. At the fundamental philosophical level, I’m never going to be okay with restricting or controlling what people are allowed to believe. 

But in addition to that… 

What is the method of implementing or enforcing this that isn’t horrifyingly authoritarian? Are you going to ban books? Search houses? Arrest people? I know that people who advocate religious abolition but think of themselves as anti-authoritarian think it’s as simple as “If we just Educate People about The Truth, they will logically give up their False Beliefs!” but, well, what happens when that doesn’t work? What happens when someone has heard your “education” and still disagrees? What do you do with them? 

Religious uniformity in a population isn’t something that occurs naturally. In any religious group, there’s splintering, factioning, dissent, splitoffs. When a population seems religiously homogeneous, that’s a pretty big red flag. It’s very, very unlikely that every single human just happens to agree – on religion or anything else. So where are the dissidents? The most optimistic explanation is that they’re keeping their thoughts to themselves to avoid making waves. The more pessimistic explanations are… worse. 

Even if you accepted the premise (which I don’t!) that religion abolition is an ethical goal, what’s the ethical mechanism to accomplish it? 

Furthermore, many people experience religious identity as central to their culture, community, family, and sense of self. Even if it were possible and ethical (it is neither) to make someone give up whatever religious beliefs you don’t think they should hold, and whatever religious practices you don’t think they should do, you would be forcing them to sacrifice their identity. This is literally a form of cultural genocide. 

Finally… while it is theoretically possible to be an antitheist or religion abolitionist without also being neurobigoted… overwhelmingly, antitheist arguments rely on the concept of religious believers as “mentally ill” or “delusional” or “traumatized” or “brainwashed.” That religious people are somehow not competent to make their own choices, or that they need to be “rescued” or “healed” from their own choices. Even if you reject this overtly neurobigoted rhetoric, the dividing line between “religious experience,” “spiritual experience,” and “neurodivergent experience” is inherently a vague one. Like, a common antitheist argument is “If someone claims they hear God talking to them through a toaster, we consider them crazy and lock them up, so why is it okay if they claim they hear God talking to them without the toaster?” and my answer is “Exactly! Both should be equally accepted! No one should be ‘considered crazy’ or locked up!” (there’s also a lot of erasure of minority/polytheistic religions in monotheist-normative/Christian-normative antitheism, like “Since someone would be considered crazy for believing that Zeus and Hera are real, they should also be considered crazy for believing that Jesus is real!” – first of all, once again, no one should be “considered crazy,” but second,  in real life, there actually are Hellenic polytheists who believe in Zeus and Hera; that’s not a weird hypothetical). 

Now, if someone is an antitheist and just wants to make their case and try to persuade people, that’s fine. If religious people have the right (as they absolutely should) to make and distribute little pamphlets encouraging people to join their religions, then likewise, antitheists should also have the right to make and distribute little pamphlets that say “Actually Gods aren’t real.” That’s fine. That’s your choice. But when you cross over from persuasion to coercion or discrimination or pathologization… that’s a problem. 

[teslacoils-and-hubris]

that fucking. slasher movie but the slasher is a vampire hunter post has it's grip on me and I need to get it out of my system so I can get shit done

I can see the plot going two ways, one a more traditional slasher plot and one a more modern take on the genre

In the more traditional version, our final girl character is a human who was brought into the vampire's nest to be the night's meal. She's your traditional good girl who's friend (a newly turned vampire trying to prove their worth to the group) has convinced her to come party with all their new weird goth friends. The final girl has no idea that the goths are vampires, but there's some hints for the audience. We see a few vampires get picked off by the hunter while the tension is building with the main group, with the head vamp trying to get final girl to like do drugs or strip or something before killing her. The hunter gets into the main area and starts killing vampires in front of the final girl, who has no idea whats happening and still doesn't know the goths are vampires. In the climax when the hunter has the final girl trapped, he does something to test if she's a vampire and when it comes back clean he just. leaves her alone with the corpses of all the vampires confused and alone. Sure the hunter saved her from the degenerate goth vampires, but the final girl never really understood what was happening. This is your classic teens are punished for having sex and drinking type slasher, where the final girl is both spared from death because of her 'innocence' and is saved from the degenerate life of vampirism by the killer. The sort of movie where the intended twist ending was that the slasher was the good guy all along

The more modern take would have the final girl being a freshly, accidentally, turned vampire as the rest of the group tries to welcome her into her new life. We are shown the group as good people who just happen to be vampires (still visually goth though this is important to me) and therefore othered by society. They drink blood but they don't kill people. They're just trying to survive, you know? In this version the killer represents how society punishes those it deems as others, as the hunter comes in and destroys this little community. We see the hunter as representative of the normative, dominate culture punishing the vampires for something they can't control. In the end the final girl gets control of her new vampire powers, the culmination of her arc as she struggles to accept and control them in the start, and kills the hunter. Which both turns her into the monster the hunter thinks she is (in normative societies eyes) and proves that no matter how hard society(hunters) try to wipe out the marginalized other(vampires) they will never be victorious.

really feeling that last one tbh might design some characters for it when I have some free time

[cobainqueer]

Reclaiming the Past: was Kurt Cobain trans? By: Daniel Rowley

Queer identities have frequently been erased from history, but we have always existed.

For sexuality, this is easier to evidence without causing a stir — we accept that men fucked men and women loved women in Ancient Greece, though it says much of the modern heteropatriarchal understanding of gender that we understand these relationships in these terms.

By viewing sex as enforcing power imbalance, and love as something separate and pure, the assertion is that ‘cultural differences’ mean these relationships are not queer. The academic equivalent of ‘No Homo’.

However, queer people see themselves in these examples through history, and there is nothing to say these people would not see themselves in us too.

Our current culture centres labelling and coming out as core experiences, and thus the metric by which it is appropriate to call someone gay or trans, whether they say or do something relatable to that experience or not. But this is grounded in the experiences of the living — living people must be given space to come to their own conclusions about their identity and disclose it on their own terms.

The dead do not have this luxury.

Whether they would have eventually come out or not, we only have textual evidence to go off when asserting whether someone from history may or may not have been gay or trans, and it does no harm to use modern terminology to do so. It allows new generations to feel less alone if we describe such people in ways relatable to them, and when we do not our culture assumes an identity as the default regardless.

This is where we come to Kurt Cobain.

There is a wealth of textual evidence for the fact that he experienced gender dysphoria in his published journals and other personal accounts. These journals were largely written between 1989 and 1990.

In interviews, he spoke of being confused regarding his sexuality because of how deeply he related to girls:

“Yeah, I even thought that I was gay. I thought that might be the solution to my problem.”

The mistaken belief that femininity would mean he was gay makes sense within the strict view of gender norms when he was growing up, and the way he rationalises it in the 90s has not evolved much. It is a part of him he has tried to make piece with but is still more intimate than external appearance.

“Throughout my life, I’ve always been really close with girls and made friends with girls. And I’ve always been a really sickly, feminine person anyhow, so I thought I was gay for a while because I didn’t find any of the girls in my high school attractive at all.”

Imagery around birth seems to fascinate him in both his journals and lyrics. The male seahorse giving birth is something many trans feminine people will relate to through the gender dysphoria around wishing to experience pregnancy.

The song Been A Son includes the lyrics ‘She should have been a son’ and the way it repeats has striking similarity to the later song True Trans Soul Rebel by trans woman Laura Jane Grace, instead reflected at the self — ‘you should’ve been a mother, you should’ve been a wife, you should’ve been gone from here years ago, you should be living a different life’.

You Know You’re Right? similarly contains the lyric, ‘She just wants to love himself’.

Many of Kurt’s songs appear to be conversational between ‘male’ and ‘female’ persona’s with the male aspects taking on more negative qualities.

“I definitely feel closer to the feminine side of the human being than I do the male — or the American idea of what a male is supposed to be.”

He always refers to himself as ‘male’ not ‘a man’, and also writes about wishing he had breasts — the most obvious sign of gender dysphoria within his writing:

Here he mentions his breasts lactating, and adds that he continued to enjoy playing with dolls while his peers were undergoing puberty:

We can never truly know how he might have identified. Which is fitting with the quote:

“I’m not a man, I’m a miserable pile of secrets.”

Though it should be seen as just as bad to assume someone is cisgender as to assume they are trans. It is only speaking ill of the dead if you believe transness itself to be bad.

I am not asserting that he was trans. This is merely an analysis of his own words through a queer lens — one many trans people find deeply relatable to their own experiences and see a form of kinship in.

[sol-consort]

The relationship between humans and turians just as a collective always has frothing at the mouth because there so much potential. Humans and turians are the type of opposites that perfectly complement each other, the types that fill in the gaps the other has. Order and chaos are perfectly balanced concepts and one cannot exist without the other.

Both species believe in service over self, but humans understand that you have to take care of the self a little too. We understand that a little selfishness is okay and healthy even.

And type of public service humans value are the small things like feeding your neighborhood, watching someone’s kid for the night so they can have time to themselves, picking up trash in the public parks, building community gardens, the tiniest action of putting your shopping cart in the corral.

Humans have the ability to show turians how to be individuals and turians can in turn show humans how to be a better collective. Match made in fucking heaven imo

It's a beautiful sentiment, but both species should be allowed to keep their flaws and make mistakes. Humans will be humans, and turians will be turians. Time after time history proves that it is a flat circle and each lesson must be relearnt.

Species don't have to balance each other out into a semi-symbiosis . Turians shouldn't attempt to fix humanity's impulsiveness and egotistical strives, humanity shouldn't attempt to change turian's militaristic lifestyle just because we don't get its appeal and view mandatory military training as a dystopian concept.

It's not the turians job to discipline us or make us a better collective. Neither is it our job to get them to ease up or teach them how to be individuals. If Turians only want to indulge in humans for fun, so be it. If most humans only go after turians out of intrigue and curiosity for the unkown, why stop them?

Radical acceptance of each other is far better than attempting to change one another, that's just the synthesis ending with extra steps, isn't it?

Could different alien species get along if they were alike and learned from each other? Yeah duh, of course they could when they are so similar.

But could they get along while holding drastically different values? The core idea of humanity is that you can not put humanity into a perfect mould or fit it into a box, we are far too different from one another. A human might relate more to an alien than another human. Atypical becomes the norm.

The core idea of turians is that the betterment of their species is above all.

And maybe that's okay? to be different and still get along or not get along, people can just mind their business. Because turians and humans aren't two random people that can kiss and make up, those are two entire civilisations.

Human civilisations themselves hold very different and often opposing beliefs, yet you don't see people attempting to get them to learn from each other. Because that's not the point. We shouldn't be trying to become like one another; we should embrace our differences.

What's "better" for each species is far too subjective. Where do you draw the line? How will you ensure that we don't just end up gentrifying turians into humanity 2.0 because that is the only point of reference we have for how a species should behave. We—humans—do not even behave like that. It's a fantasy, an idealised version of the perfect species.

Most of your thoughts—my thoughts, everyone's morals and beliefs—are a byproduct of our time-period and environment. Who knows how these values will hold up 1000 years into the future? Hell, who says they'll still be relevant 100 years from now.

Every utopia is another's dystopia, extend decency and respect to different culture and things, even if you don't understand them, even if they might contradict your own beliefs. To get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Plus, turians and krogans work better as opposing forces ngl. Now that is true order and chaos. Humanity just happened to be the one to strike the turian hornet's nest and get most of the heat. We're far more similar than we think, much like we are similar to krogans as well, asari and salarians too! Even drell and hanar at times—because that's the point. We are the most diverse species, we can connect to everyone on some level, jack of all trades, master of none.

[yakultii]

Can a friendship also include sexual intimacy ? - a sociological perspective

Friendship is often considered the freest of all human associations due to its dynamic and informal nature (Blatterer, 2016, p. 62). Unlike kinship and romantic relationships, friendship is not structured by institutional norms and systems (Byron, 2016, p. 488). Instead, it is fundamentally characterised by voluntary trust, equality, reciprocity and justice (Blatterer, 2016, p. 66). While varying degrees, most friendships entail some level of intimacy (Blatterer, 2016, p. 64). Giddens (1993, p. 94) defines intimacy as not being absorbed by the other but knowing his or her characteristics and making one’s own available. Sexual intimacy introduces a physical dimension to this connection, related to sexual practices and relations (Byron, 2016, p. 486). While non-sexual friendships may develop into sexual relationships, this raises the question of whether they are still considered friendships and socially acceptable within society. Using the sociological imagination (Willis, 2011, p. 72), this essay will argue that whether sexual intimacy can be included in a friendship is dependent on historical, cultural, and structural norms. This essay will begin by comparing past and present time periods to argue that historical context differently shapes societal acceptance of sexual intimacy in friendships. This will be followed by examining religious and secular cultures’ values of sex and friendship, to contend that cultural norms play a crucial role in varying social conceptions of the relationship between sexual intimacy and friendship. Next, the essay will highlight the patriarchal norms of compulsive heterosexuality and gender stereotyping, in contrast to the ways political institutions challenge these norms and facilitate diverse relationships through endorsing queer culture, to illustrate social structures’ role in shaping differing societal attitudes toward sexual intimacy within a friendship. Finally, this essay draws the conclusion that whether a friendship can also include sexual intimacy varies, as it is contingent on social context.

When comparing the Victorian age with the contemporary social media era, it is evident that meanings of both friendship and sex is constructed differently over different periods of history, influencing differing societal conceptions of the relationship between friendship and sexual intimacy. During as the Victorian era, there were more traditional understandings of friendship and less liberating sexual pursuits. Traditional friendships, now commonly distinguished as “close” or “true” friendships (Blatterer, 2016, p. 65), were largely understood in terms of platonic love. Male friendships were typically confined to marginal activities such as sports, leisure and shared participation in war, while female friendships were constructed around fulfilling the personal and social needs that were unmet within their marriages (Giddens, 1993, p. 43). Therefore, the traditional role of friendship was relatively predefined and exclusionary of sexual intimacy. This aligns with the context of sexual pursuits during this time, as many women entered marriage with little or no knowledge of sex, based on the fact sexual activity was reserved for after marriage (Giddens, 1993, p. 24). On this basis, it is likely that during this historical period, there was a clear distinction between friendships and sexual life, illustrating a general lack of social acceptance toward friendship also including sexual intimacy.

On the other hand, in contemporary society, and the age of social media, friendship semantics are multifaceted, while sexual pursuits are more frequently online and liberal (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2014, p.74). The modern age retains the traditional meanings of a friendship, while broadening its dimensions to adapt to the emergence of new kinds of relationships stemming from social media and sexual freedoms. For instance, social media connections, like on Facebook, are understood as “friends”, despite possibly having never met in person (Blatterer, 2016, p. 63-5). While this kind of friendship may be distinguishable from traditional friendships due to lacking emotional depth (Blatterer, 2016, p. 64), it is arguably still considered a friendship based on its foundational characteristics of trust and reciprocity (Blatterer, 2016, p. 66), in its mutual agreement of connection in the online space. When then considering the context of modern online sexual pursuits, it is not unusual for social media platforms to be used as a tool to freely explore sexual opportunities (Hobbs et al., 2017, p. 274). Intimate sexual connections are generally socially accepted within these kinds of friendships, and based on sexual freedoms (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2014, p.74), do not necessarily require development into a romantic relationship and, therefore arguably remain a friendship. This illustrates that based on the flexible and expansive semantics of friendship within the context of sexual liberation and social media during this period, it would be considered socially acceptable for a friendship to also include sexual intimacy. Therefore, based on differing conceptions of friendship and sex over time, whether a friendship can include sexual intimacy varies according to historical context.

When examining religious and secular cultures it is evident that cultural norms surrounding sex and friendship play a significant role in influencing varying social conceptions of the relationship between sexual intimacy and friendship. In many religious cultures, premarital sex is frowned upon, as sex is expected to develop out of romantic love after marriage (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2016, p.38). Therefore, sexual intimacy cannot be included in a friendship, unless using “friendship” as a metaphor for the intimacy of one’s marriage (Blatterer, 2016, p.65). However, even this understanding is unlikely based on religious conceptions of friendship. A religious understanding of friendship is an equally inclusive relationship to all human beings, therefore, engaging in sexual intimacy conflicts with its definition, through forming exclusivity (Rusu, 2018, p.6-7). Consequently, if a relationship were to become sexually intimate, it would no longer be considered a friendship according to religious cultural norms. Therefore, a friendship cannot include sexual intimacy within some religious cultures.

In contrast, secular societies with individualistic cultural norms, are accepting toward sexual choice, including sexual partnership (Blatterer, 2016, p.62). The normalisation of both premarital and casual sex in secular societies reflects the belief that sexual activities are not confined to marriage or romantic relationships (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2014, p.74). Instead, the view of personal desire as a legitimate ground for sexual choice, liberating individuals from strict rules and routines, and allowing for the pursuit of sexual pleasure without religious knowledge is encouraged (Rusu, 2018, p.8). This detachment from romantic exclusivity facilitates the opportunity to engage in sexual intimacy with friends. A common concept of erotic friendship is “friends with benefits”, which aims to address each other’s sexual needs through physical connectivity, rather than the emotional connection of a romantic relationship (Blatterer, 2016, p.72). Additionally, due to the cultural normalisation of sexual expression, another form of sexual intimacy in friendship is through sharing intimate details of each other’s sexual lives (Byron, 2016, p.491). Therefore, based on differing cultural values, while including intimacy within a friendship can be normalised in multiple forms in secular society, it cannot be within some religious cultures, demonstrating that whether a friendship can also include sexual intimacy depends upon cultural norms.

Social structures play a significant role in shaping differing societal attitudes toward whether sexual intimacy can exist within a friendship. This is evident when examining the patriarchal norms of compulsive heterosexuality and gender stereotypes, in contrast to the ways political institutions challenge such norms and facilitate diverse relationships through their support of queer culture. Patriarchy is a social system in which men dominate society (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2017, p. 100). This dominance is sustained through performances of hegemonic masculinity and heteronormativity (Lynch, 2008, p. 411). A key manifestation of hegemonic masculinity is compulsive heterosexuality, where men assert their masculinity by sexualising and controlling women’s bodies (Pascoe, 2007, p. 86). This behaviour fosters the belief that men cannot be friends with women without thinking of them sexually (Flood, 2008, p. 345), which reinforces stereotypes about gendered relationships. These stereotypes categorise homosocial pairs as ‘friendship’ and heterosocial pairs as ‘love’ (Blatterer, 2016, p. 69). Consequently, platonic friendships between men and women are viewed as rare (Flood, 2008, p. 342), and if sexual intimacy occurs, it is likely not considered a friendship. Therefore, patriarchy restricts the nature of both friendship and sexual intimacy, leading those adhering to these norms to view sexual intimacy in a friendship, particularly among heterosexual friends, as generally incompatible.

Conversely, despite persisting patriarchal influence, political institutions in many societies actively challenge patriarchal stereotypes by endorsing acceptance of queer culture, which helps foster an environment where diverse relationship dynamics can flourish. This is evident from the legalisation of same-sex marriage in many countries (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2014, p.1), which not only undermines the traditional necessity of heterosexual relationships but also directly challenges the gender stereotypes that rigidly categorise homosocial relationships as platonic and heterosexual relationships as inherently romantic (Blatterer, 2016, p. 69). Political and institutional support of queer culture and relationships dismantles these binary distinctions, thereby creating space for new and diverse kinds of relationships. Queer culture itself, particularly among lesbians exemplifies this fluidity. Research has found that queer individuals often navigate and redefine the boundaries between friendship and sexual intimacy. For example, within lesbian communities, relationships often transition fluidly from friendship to sexual partnership, and even back to friendship once the sexual relationship ends (Dempsey & Lindsay, 2014, p.44). This flexibility in relationship roles reflects a broader acceptance of sexual intimacy within friendships, challenging traditional patriarchal norms that confine sexual relationships to romantic contexts. Thus, political institutions’ support for queer culture facilitates the reimagining of relationships, promoting a greater social acceptance of sexual intimacy within friendships in some societies. Therefore, comparing the social influences of patriarchy and political endorsement of queer culture reveals that attitudes toward whether friendships can also include sexual intimacy vary according to the prevailing social structures in society.

In conclusion, the sociological analysis presented in this essay demonstrates that the inclusion of sexual intimacy within a friendship is profoundly shaped by historical, cultural, and structural factors. By comparing past and present historical periods, the essay reveals how evolving conceptions of friendship and sexuality over time influence societal acceptance of sexual intimacy in friendships. Additionally, the examination of religious and secular cultural norms illustrates the significant role that cultural values play in shaping differing views on the relationship between sexual intimacy and friendship. Further, the exploration of patriarchy and the political endorsement of queer culture uncovers how prevailing social structures impact diverse attitudes toward sexual intimacy within friendships. Consequently, it is evident that whether a friendship can also include sexual intimacy varies, as it is contingent on social context.

[yet-another-heathen]

[ Answering in a new post because I don't like Tumblr's "no edit" ask glitch. Thank you so much for sending this one in, @venusski! ]

---

The ifrit have a specific custom of naming through laqabs! For example, Yeezumon's full name:

Yeezumon al-Taasharaih ibn Ramnawa bint Khesha bint Modreya al-Quasim

...is more than a random jumble of middle names and surnames. I know it looks incredibly overwhelming, but do me a favor. Read it once more, slowly. Sound it out in your head. Actually follow every single word.

Yeezumon al-Taasharaih ibn Ramnawa bint Khesha bint Modreya al-Quasim

This is more than a name. It's history—of so many people more than just him.

The rough translation:

Yeezumon the Star-Mapper; son of Ramnawa; daughter of Khesha; daughter of Modreya the Divider

Yeezumon earned the honorific "the Star-Mapper" through his lifelong dedication and renowned skill as a navigator. There isn't an easy way to impress on you just how profound that title is. Not only did Yeezumon learn to read and write (as exceptionally few ifrit or humans in this time do), but he has charted every single star in the night sky over his centuries as a navigator. And, in a time where doing so is both incredibly challenging and dangerous, he alone has mapped out huge swaths of the desert and its surrounding "coastlines" where greenery and life follows the winding rivers at its edge.

It is because of him, and the few other people like him, that sandships are able to transverse the deserts at all.

Yeezumon's great grandmother also has an honorific that gets carried along in his name. There was a massive famine during Modreya's lifetime (just after the ifrit were freed from Solomon), and she was the city official whose responsibility was to divide food rations amongst her people. "The Divider" was a title given to her in honor of her dedication to making sure EVERY person, regardless of poverty or class, had enough food to survive. She was incredibly well loved, and her name is still remembered to this day, almost three thousand years later.

After their honorifics, something else might stand out; ifrit bloodlines are solely matrilineal. There are a great many reasons for this, but the biggest is how common polyamory is in their culture. True monogamy is almost unheard of among ifrit, and relationships that even come close are exceptionally rare.

"The Husbands" earned their title because it is outright bizarre for two ifrit to have been together as long as they have. When you live to be a millennium old, it's accepted that the people you're closest with will eventually grow and change so much over the centuries that you're no longer compatible. And there's nothing wrong with it! That kind of growth is seen as a good and completely natural thing, and animosity between ex-lovers is far from the norm. People stay together for as long as they fit, then make their own way apart when they no longer do.

That being said, Yeezumon and Ifyaa are weirdos. Not only have they been together for most of their lives, but these two literally get married to each other over again every time they come across a culture that does it a different way. They've been married about thirty times and counting, with no plans to stop. Even THEY aren't monogamous in the modern sense—they still have other partners both alone and together. [Sorry Nadi, you're still out of luck.]

But lineage is matrilineal because frankly, not only would be it nearly impossible to keep track of who the sire may be, but to the ifrit? It simply doesn't matter.

Ifrit have such an impossible time conceiving children that when one is born, entire cities erupt into celebrations that last for DAYS. Every child is raised with their entire community as a family. While they'll travel with their mother if she ever moves to a new city, the need for more detailed lineages just don't exist. After their mother, they belong to the People as much as to their sire. And on that note....

Ifyaa's full name follows the same pattern:

Ifyaa al-Mantiqi ibn Aisara-Qshek ira Yareya bint Watlai

Ifyaa the Healer; Son of The People; heir to Yareya, daughter of Watlai

Though the ifrit don't have an equivalent of such a word, Ifyaa was more or less what humans would consider an orphan. His mother left when he was a very young boy, and the people of his city all took him in as one of their own. The entire city became his family. He carries their name in reverence, and will often shorten his own name to Ifyaa al-Mantiqi ibn Aisara-Qshek unless the need otherwise arises.

---

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to go into this! I truly love the world and culture building of An-Nadr, and I'm delighted every time I get to scratch the surface.

[strawberryys-stuff]

Hi!! Can I request an avatar!reader x lo'ak where she tries to make him feel better and not an outcast? Locking fingers (they both have 5 fingers) and such maybe, i think it'd be cute 😭 thank you!!

thank you for your amazing request :)

a/n: had this in my drafts for a while, also i'm sorry for any grammar mistakes

i also chose to add a bit of a background to the story, so enjoy

...

With one quick glance, you could tell the youngest son of the Omatikaya Olo'eytkan was struggling with some kind of body dysmorphia.

Living with the features of an avatar in a strict clan affected his self-love to the point where Lo'ak would tape his little finger to his palm or borrow light blue paper from you that never matched his skin tone to cover the thin eyebrows he shared with his dad at a very young age.

It was a painful sight for you because you were his best friend. You were supposed to be his anchor when other people judged him for his appearance, but how could you? You were also an outcast in their eyes, you had demon blood according to some Na'vi clans and let's not forget that you were a human, a disabled human.

Your paralysis was always an obstacle and made daily chores difficult.

Your mother called it a miracle. You, on the other hand, saw it as a message from Eywa. With your and Na'vi DNA, the scientists, including your father, managed to save your soul.

You were given an avatar, a five-fingered human-Na'vi hybrid, you grew to love more than your disabled body. You were freed from the struggle of surviving in the facility where you couldn't socialize with people your age. The only teenager who was trying to keep you sane was Spider, but then, Norm introduced you to the Sully children.

Your relationship with them was blooming every day, especially with Lo'ak. He felt seen when he noticed the similar features you had. And you felt accepted by his kind ever since the day he convinced you to visit their new Hometree where your avatar didn't receive any judgmental glances.

Your happiness was short-lived, unfortunately.

Your condition worsened and you could tell your human body was slowly drifting away from you. Your parents begged Mo'at, prayed to Eywa for your acceptance among the Omatikaya Gods. Mo'at used the Tree of Souls in hope of connecting to your nervous system and permanently transferring your mind to your avatar.

Lo'ak was glued to your side, squeezing your tiny five-fingered hand gently to show you he was still there. The thought of losing you scared him to the core, so, he prayed. He prayed for you to come back to him and his siblings in your healthy and much more stronger form.

His prayers were heard and he was one of the first people to see your yellow eyes fluttering open. The view of them sparkling underneath the Tree of Souls with admiration was stored deep in his heart.

It was definitely a sight he never dared to forget about.

After your successful transfer, you began to learn the Omatikaya culture in detail and abandoned your depressingly-looking bedroom in the facility.

You were a Na'vi, and you had to act like one if you wanted to survive in the wild.

Thanks to the Sully family, you managed to get a couple of scratches when Quaritch and his squad captured Lo'ak, Kiri, Tuk, Spider and you.

The argument between your biological parents and your adoptive ones seemed never-ending. When you and Lo'ak overheard his father call himself and his family a threat for the Omatikaya people, you knew. You knew you had to choose.

Stay with your parents and occasionally visit the Na'vi or convince Jake and Neytiri to let you tag along.

It pained you when your mother announced that she was disowning you, just because you wanted to stick with your best friend.

The journey to the Metkayina clan was unpleasant and exhausting, but you were put through much worse - for example, flying with Lo'ak on his banshee among the Floating Mountains.

Demon blood - all they saw were your differences.

Ronal made sure to point out the extra finger and the weird shape of hair above your eyes when she was walking by Kiri. Her son, Ao'nung, and his friends saw the opportunity to tease you, Kiri and Lo'ak for your appearance and took it without sparing a second thought.

You were growing tired of it.

Ao'nung would purposely target you with his remarks, knowing that Lo'ak couldn't stand the way he was feeding on your insecurities. He also noticed how you managed to soothe the youngest son's mind with your words, or just your presence and took advantage of it.

Roxto, Ao'nung's best friend and partner in crime, was keeping you busy in front of your Marui while the rest of your bullies were drowning Lo'ak in nasty teasing.

"Look! Isn't his tiny tail adorable?"

"Oh, and what about his hands?"

"He's a freak, just like the other two."

"Roxto," you sighed and pinched the bridge of your flat nose, fighting the urge to throw your politeness away. "Can you please leave me be? I'm trying to do my-- oh, hey, Lo'ak."

"Move," he pushed you out of the way without mercy and stomped inside your Marui, leaving you outside speechless with a smirking Roxto.

You apologized to the Metkayina boy with a forced smile and before he could get a word in, you were out of sight.

"What happened?" you inquired, approaching your pacing best friend. Your gaze softened when you noticed his finger fidgeting - a habit of yours that you cannot seem to unlearn. "Lo'ak-" you put your hand on his shoulder just for it to get swatted away. "Talk to me-"

"I'm tired of this fucking crap!" he exclaimed, holding up his little finger with tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. With flickering ears, you reached out for his hand, but he didn't let you grab it. "What is it? What so disgusting about this?"

"Lo'ak-"

"Is this why others see me as an outcast and nothing else?" he continued to stare at his extra finger, sight becoming blurry. "I didn't ask for this," he scoffed, his braids caressing his forehead.

"No," you disagreed, hating how easily negative words can manipulate someone's mind. You reached out for his hand once more, your fingertips brushing against his bright blue skin. "You're not an outcast-"

Lo'ak opened his mouth to protest but you locking your fingers with his took him by surprise and within seconds, his words melted on his tongue.

"You are valid, Lo'ak," you stroked the back of his hand with your thumb, narrowing your eyes at your intertwined fingers. They reminded you of puzzle you used to solve with your father. "This," you tap his pinkie, "is beautiful. This doesn't define you. It never did and it never will."

The boy glanced down and exhaled deeply, his cheeks darkening under your sharp gaze. You pulled your interlocked hands to your lips and kissed his extra finger tenderly.

"You're special, Lo'ak, and that's not a bad thing."

[aroaceconfessions]

cw: religion, specifically purity culture in evangelical Christianity and the miserably inadequate sex ed that comes along with it

Being an aroace teen with no libido in the midst of purity culture is WILD, because the youth pastor will be going off about saving yourself for marriage and only dating fellow Christians and not looking at porn and whatever, and meanwhile I'm just sitting in the back of the room drawing on notebook paper and wishing I had more snacks.

Like??? In hindsight it's GLARINGLY obvious that I am and always have been aroace. But back then I legitimately didn't understand how anyone could possibly feel romantic or sexual attraction. I never felt "broken" or anything -- I thought other people were the weird ones. I thought that having crushes or being sexually attracted to someone was largely made up for the sake of adding drama to books and movies, and that people couldn't possibly be that way in real life, because I wasn't that way and I was totally normal, right? I just kind of assumed that one day I (afab) would fall in love with a man and we'd get married and have kids and ride off into the sunset together, because that's the picture the church always painted for me.

I'm an adult now. I've deconverted from my parents' religion. I've accepted my identity as a childfree aroace person who may or may not be cis (still working on that part). I've actually EDUCATED myself about other peoples' sexualities and gender identities, as well as things like basic bodily hygiene and pregnancy, which nobody ever taught me about in any meaningful amount of detail. Fuck the system that kept me ignorant and made it easy for me to judge other people for having basic, perfectly natural desires. I feel like I've FINALLY woken up to the fact that I am an individual, who's allowed to have opinions and interests and wants and goddamn emotions. I can be an ally to my queer friends and use their correct names and pronouns and such without feeling like I'm sinning or betraying God or whatever bullshit that religion wanted me to believe. Literally just finding that one little label for myself led me down a path towards FEELING LIKE AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING. And while I've definitely still got a ways to go, I am so incredibly grateful for all the progress that I've made so far.

Education on these topics is so fucking important. For EVERYBODY. And I desperately hope that someday it'll become the norm, so that no more kids are failed as badly as I was.

Submitted July 8, 2023

[radical-community-care]

How would you describe the middle class and how would you identify someone belonging to that demographic liek what are some tell tale signs besides being pretty and white with nice teeth and patagonia jackets and $7 chai lattes?

I might not be the best at defining the middle class, but for the purposes of this blog, this is roughly what I mean:

middle class is a loose group of people who don't necessarily think of themselves as having much in common with each other, plus they like to either deny their privilege and/or aspire to higher status, depending on what benefits them most in each situation.

they are of course first and foremost an economic class, but that doesn't mean that they all have a specific amount of money, possessions (like houses or cars (and definitely not superficial stuff like brands and coffees)) or income. there is some sandwich discourse here where the more factors are met, the more likely someone is considered to be middle class and act like it and be treated like it and function like it in the broader systems of power, hierarchies and oppression. Just like two slices of white bread with pb and j are more likely to be considered a sandwich than a burrito.

middle class, as the name implies, is somewhere between lower/working class and upper/ruling class. often they see themselves as "the backbone of society", as the norm/normal, as the "everyday person". they also derive quite a lot of entitlement from this view.

typical "ingredients" of the middle class sandwich are: being an employee, middle management, small/medium business owner, doing desk/office jobs that still make enough money to not have to worry where food and shelter will come from. being suitably educated and knowing how to talk, dress, behave "politely", expecting it from others.

you can see, there are lots of exceptions and edge cases already. middle class is also a very wide range, from people who do struggle financially or are actually poor for a while, to people who are rich and go to elite schools but still aren't ruling class.

and of course there are other axes of marginalisation or privilege. so, no, not all middle class people are white and the assumption that BIPOC can't be middle class is racist. that's why I often specify "white middle class" when talking about that particular (racist) mindest that we white middle class (or ex middle class) ppl have as part of our background noise. being marginalised in some way or in several ways does not mean someone's middle class privilege is irrelevant.

having a particular political opinion, like being anticapitalist or anarchist, also doesn't erase middle class privilege.

I do want to talk about middle class culture though. I feel like that's often overlooked while at the same time being at the root of a lot of problems. it starts with a mindset that puts following rules and often unspoken rules, especially rules about social hierarchies, above pretty much everything. to a truly ridiculous and illogical degree.

it's a particular set of values, that comes through in how they talk and act and in pretty much everything they do, especially in how normalised and entrenched discrimination is. discrimination really is a core part of it.

middle class culture is berating a two or three year old for asking for food when they're hungry because they didn't say "please and thank you".

it is dismissing a Black person's right to live in peace and free from attacks, because they got angry or were using "bad" (ie Black) language when under attack.

it is getting offended at people wanting to be seen as and connect to you as a living human being instead of as the subservient kind of being their lower status marks them as.

it is holding form over substance. like when it is acceptable to say the most vile racist or otherwise inhumane shit in polite language and a calm tone but absolutely scandalous to argue back against that in "improper" ways.

it is denying someone basic human decency, looking down on them and mistreating them (usually in superficially nonviolent ways or by having someone else do the physical violence like cops) and subconsciously seeing them as less than human, or not seeing them at all, acting like they don't exist, for being lower on the social hierarchy.

this is very context dependent. it hits other middle class people in some contexts, often hits working class people and lumps entire groups of people together as below the threshold of consideration. those outside of society or below working class, sometimes called the lumpen proletariat (including sans papiers, beggars, sex workers, homeless ppl, drug dealers and certain users, thieves and others doing illegalised work or coping strategies or activism (unless it's white collar crime)).

it is having immense double standards without a shred of self awareness.

it is practically worshipping hypocrisy and insincerity. that's what all the double standards and respectability bullshit boils down to. you can't mean what you say and can't say what you mean, that would be rude and uncultured, childish, threatening, embarrassing, confusing, stupid, uncivilised etc etc etc.

honesty is, in effect, a hindrance to being heard, accepted, supported our even allowed to exist in that culture.

just imagine going up to your middle manager and showing them what you really think and feel. or teacher. or your bigoted or just plain annoying relatives. or anyone middle class when you are trying to be accepted by them or are even dependent on them.

and by showing how you think and feel, I don't just mean talk calmly. that can already be dangerous. but expressing feelings includes things like crying, shouting, having trouble speaking up, being choked up, struggling for words, rambling, laughing shrilly or raucously, stimming, putting on a hood and earphones, running and jumping and fidgeting, sitting down on the pavement, dissociating, refusing to talk, refusing to listen, refusing to shut up, demanding answers, refusing to apologise when you don't think you should have to, demanding action.

demanding action, or just acting for yourself, is I guess the main thing that all this hypocrisy is meant to stop.

you're not meant to change the status quo. you're not meant to just do what's right and reasonable and just and necessary. because that would dismantle class. it would dismantle injustice and inequality. it would mean actually redistributing wealth and things and houses and land back to those it belongs to (actually belongs to, NOT legally!) or who actually need it. it would mean holding white collar monsters accountable.

it would mean protecting Black and all BIPOC people and disabled and crazy and queer people and women and children and fat people and all other oppressed people from harm, including economic exploitation, being unhoused, displaced, locked up, starved and denied their needs. or being molded, pressured, manipulated, forced into narrow acceptable boxes of how to be and how to look and act.

I could go on, but this is already long. I think one thing that I almost forgot as a now lumpen person who was never close to the upper class is the relation middle class has to the upper classes. there is envy but also mockery and disgust. the essence of middle class is to be subservient to the upper classes and being simultaneously drawn to them, wanting to be them or like them, but also knowing one's place and rejecting the idea of being like them.

we're not decadent and frivolous like them rich people! we hate billionaires! but we also love celebrities and in some places literal nobles and monarchs.

to your last point, no, I would not try to identify someone as belonging to the middle class or look for tell tale signs. what would be the point of that?

it's a CLASS. which means it's not about individuals having or buying certan things.

I don't judge people based on stuff they have little control over or on irrelevant things. I judge people based on the impact their actions and words have in context. and yeah sometimes I get super frustrated with middle class bullshit!!!

not because of white teeth or expensive beverages, but because of patterns of harm, discrimination and oppression that middle class people are part of and further and do and support to exist into the future (perpetuate).