#but it's people like these that make the entire community look weird

[nakedmonkey]

I'm gonna say something about Gavin Newsom, since at the moment he's being passed around the internet like jack antanoff at a Grammy's after party. He's probably going to run for president in the near future, and he's probably going to win.

The narrative around this dude right now is, he's trying to protect the state, wow he loves his constituents so much, he cares about lgbtq issues etc etc., but I'm gonna BEG you to look at the people passing around this info. it's mostly white Californians, and it's mostly rich white Californians. POC in California are struggling. Unhoused people are struggling. Music venues and sports stadiums are being built in low-income neighborhoods primarily populated by brown and black folks, which means they are being pushed out. It's happened before. Neighborhoods in LA like Echo park and Silverlake, formerly largely inahabited by Mexican and Black residents, are maybe 90% rich hipster transplants now. It's happening to Frogtown, Boyle Heights, Korea Town, and slowly but surely, the san fernando valley, which was not very long ago, the most uncool place to live in LA, according to many many people. Gavin Newsom has gone out of his way to displace entire communities of unhoused people with infamous "sweeps". He has been on a rampage since it was announced the olympics would take place here. Unhoused people have been pushed out of "up and coming" neighborhoods, and into the deep valley. The LAPD is in local news CONSTANTLY because they've murdered some poor innocent person, and yet their funding gets more and more generous every year. San Francisco is basically unaffordable...

I guess it's early to start thinking about it, but maybe you should look into him and how the way he's been running things is affecting non-white, non-industry, non-rich people in the state of california. Also maybe look into the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping because his relatives were involved and you should have a clear idea of the privilege he comes from and so we're all prepared to make demands for those who are often overlooked and who need the most help.

I guess I'm also saying that this trend of turning politicians into memes and social media stars is fucking weird, dangerous, and counterproductive. These people literally have our lives in their hands and we forget we call the shots. Research your local politicians and make sure they're doing their job right, ask what their plans are for the next administration, ask how they're gonna do right by you and your neighbors.

[chancedarling]

As Darcy natters, chatters and chirps next to him, Chance just lays there staring at the almost cloudless sky turning over all the potential and possibility inherent in Darcy's ability. Astounding... To be able to dematerialise in one shadow and step right out of another. He's trying to calculate the distance - she fell a fair way, but from mid tower to the ground - had to be a good eighty to a hundred foot? He'd have to come back with some more accurate measuring tools to try to gauge.

-- What was her range? -- How deep or dark did the shade need to be for her to make use of it? -- Was it specifically absence of light (more potential and therefor opportunity at night), or was it a shaded area in daylight or a combination of both. -- Could she only transport herself? Could she pull someone else through? Could she carry larger objects?

A hum of infinite possibilities reeling through his mind. Now all he has to do is figure out how he can use it... Her... To his advantage.

As she holds up her palms, he turns his head to look. A wince in sympathy at the rust covered bitten skin. Blood mingling with the deep brown and red flakes of the railing. It mush have been like holding onto broken glass. Perhaps he's even slightly more impressed that she'd dangled for so long. And at that - he does have to admit - this little revelation makes him rather glad that she didn't become the human equivalent of a bug on a windshield.

"I'll see if I can snag some antiseptic from the medicenter. Dont want that getting infected. Tetanus and... Stuff... I dunno - but better safe than sorry, huh?"

Better safe than sorry. That's a laugh. Safe would have been staying away from this damn tower. Safe would have been Chance walking away when she'd first blipped up there. Safe would have been heeding the clear warnings that were sprayed on the walls...

S a f e was fucking boring. This was so much more fun. And rewarding.

"It was probably a stupid idea."

Chance mumbles softly. It wasn't stupid. It was a fucking genius idea. And lets be honest, really the only thing that had come to mind at the time.

"I'm just glad you're safe."

Chance the humble. But he's entirely milking the moment.

She rattles on a little more about the tower and whatever mysteries or secrets may lay within. Chance is entirely in agreement. He HAS to know what's inside. And if he can use Darcy as a buffer between himself and any overt harm, then he'll encourage her curiosity.

As she hugs him though (...weird. Odd... Physical contact had been so absent here, that he'd hardly noticed he'd missed it until now)... Chance just pats her arm. Turns his head again and headbutts her softly in return. If he allows himself to enjoy the closeness and her presence and tactile offering, he'd never tell...But maybe he does. More than he'd like to admit to even himself.

Lingering there for the span of a few breaths, it's almost a wrench to move. But he does eventually sit up. Carefully taking her hands in his and examining them more closely.

"C'mon then you little astronaut. No more boldy going for now. We'll figure this place out another time. Maybe with more people. And a big arse ladder - just in case."

Standing, he jerks his head in the direction of the little commune.

"Secrets are secrets for a reason, Darcy."

He offers a quick wink and a grin.

"And that reason is for us to find them out."

Chance came to stand over her, face concerned and shocked and Darcy knew that she probably looked like somebody insane lying on the ground laughing, but she just couldn't help it, her entire body needed to release the adrenaline she accumulated in the last-- what was it? Maybe two minutes? Three? Couldn't have been longer than five, even though it felt like five whole lifetimes while she was holding onto the ledge at the top of the tower.

"Yeah, it was me. I just-- While falling I felt the same tug. Something changed and I just-- I followed it and then I was here." It was sheer luck and she was painfully aware of it, but still, it didn't truly sink in, or not yet anyway.

"But I think I'm okay. My palms--" Darcy held up her hands, looking at her palms - several of her nails broke off, both of her palms were full of scrapes and scratches and both of her hands felt extremely fatigued and unusable at the moment, but it felt like a small price to pay for what actually happened.

"Well, it'll heal," she said, showing her palm to him too. "I survived worse." She really did.

Chance lied down next to her and she turned her head towards him as he explained what he was doing right before her fingers gave up, the reality of what actually happened sinking in. "You-- It was you. You asked me if I did it, but really, I couldn't have done anything without you. The birds, they were what provided the shade that I needed," she breathed, her voice full of awe as she did.

She never would have thought of something like this. She wouldn't have even known how to actually help if their roles were reversed, really.

A wave of gratefulness washed over her as he suggested no more exploration for today, and another set of laughter bubbled out of her, one that was much more genuine, much more relieved and true. "Yeah, I can get behind being done for the day."

Darcy couldn't help but add, though, "But what I found up there-- Chance, somehow we have to find a way to get inside. Sure, not the way I tried, but what happened just proves that something important is in there. That it could be the key to understanding so many things in here."

A pause, and then she moved and as they lied there, she reached over and hugged Chance - a little awkward, little weird positioning due to both of them being on the ground, but Darcy didn't care. "Thank you. Thank you so much for the help, I wouldn't be here without you and the birds. I am so so grateful, truly. I owe you one."

[imvu-isms]

I got invited to a pool room

❓: Hello there, how are you today? Sorry for the random invite Me: I'm alright, yourself? ❓: Not too bad. Was just starting work Me: Ah, nice nice ❓: Yeah, I'm a pool cleaner Me: i see ❓: *she shrugs* Yeah. It's honest work. I wear a dorky uniform for it, but most people leave me alone and don't make fun of me for it ❓: some do though Me: I mean, someone has to do it ❓: Yeah. I usually end up working for rich people. So they feel like they have some sort of dominion over me. Me: ah ❓: she shrugs Oh well. I could put my uniform on if you want. I do look kind of silly in it Me: Up to you ❓: It's a conversation piece at least she laughs ❓: *she goes to the back to change. After a while, she waddles out, tugging at her suit and wiping her goggles* Here it is. Sorry if the breathing's too loud. Me: Hold up, I didn't consent to a roleplay lol ❓: oh ❓: Sorry, roleplaying is what I do. Me: Normally you have to ASK if people want to rp ❓: oh. Well, would you like to RP? Me: No. Goodbye.

[redysetdare]

Maybe making jokes about "Invading" countries while we have multiple devastating wars that have massive invasions going on isn't the best look you guys.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Some fantasy traveler inventory details (like what they would carry in their bags), based on two of the recent costumes I did.. love finding random little scraps and items and putting them together lol

[contagious-watermelon]

it's kind of like insanely isolating that literally every aspec or "ace & aro" space I've found has been in actuality, solely for aces. perhaps arospec aces or aroaces who entirely prioritize their asexuality could also find company there, but even as an aromantic person who is also asexual, they're really not intended for me. so I can only imagine how isolating it must be if you're aromantic and allosexual

[s-soulwriter]

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[stjohnstarling]

Alright, so: I want to explain a little more about this connection between the Twilight fandom, Fifty Shades of Grey, and seemingly, the self-publishing industry as a whole. It's a lot, so I'm going to have to chip away at it a bit at a time, and I think the best place to start is by describing the scene in late 2000s Twilight fandom.

In 2009, Twilight was one of the biggest fandoms in the world, although it was nearly invisible to outsiders because it

Was about a straight couple, while most other fandoms were predominantly gay, and

Was conducted almost entirely on fanfiction.net among a group of people who had little other background in fandom. (x)

That meant for many Twilight fans, Twilight was fandom. It was all they knew, and many had no path out. That also made it a corked champagne bottle with the pressure building.

Because of these community dynamics and the declining quality of the Twilight books themselves, Twilight fanfiction evolved to be mostly AUs so alternate they were more-or-less original romance novels that used Bella and Edward as broad character templates. (x)

Seriously, Twilight fandom got really crazy big for a few years there. It was not totally uncommon to get multi-million clicks on a semi-popular story. It's weird looking back on it and calling it "Twilight fandom" because it was really more like "Romance Novel fandom". For real, for a period there, calling a Twilight fanfic author a 'Twilight fan' would be the ultimate insult. But they never stopped writing about Edward and Bella! It's so weird. (x)

If you were in 2000s era fandom, you're probably aware of the phenomenon of Big Name Fans and the various social-climbing dynamics that happened around them. The Twilight fandom took this social power game another level:

This wasn't even just an author thing. There were Big Name Authors (BNAs) but there were also Big Name Readers. These were basically like... full-time rabid fans of a BNA. They devoted so much of their time to helping out the BNAs, reviewing their chapters, making them fanart, promoting their fics, kissing their asses with cringe-worthy intensity, you name it. Which is why you saw what looked like BNAs having 'employees', such as Moi, tby789's Director of Marketing. (x)

It became apparent that these power games weren't just for fandom clout. The fandom was proving that that social power could be translated into real-world dollars. You see, the Twilight fandom used to organize charity auctions where big name authors would auction off custom fanfiction, and the money generated was substantial:

Mostly authors would auction off stories. So if you donated in my name, I'd write you 10,000 words of porn in my Tattward universe, or something new, etc. That's how it worked. The 2009 auction raised $80,000. The 2010 auction raised $140,000. The 2011 auction raised $20,00. [NOTE: this is likely a typo] (x)

A lot of these dynamics were not unique to the Twilight fandom, but it was the combination that created a perfect storm of opportunism. This would end up changing not just fandom dynamics but the publishing industry as a whole.

[kyntypes]

"I'm a therian, but even this is too much!"

"This is clinical lycanthropy..." (is a video of a child crying, saying she wishes she were a cat. Literally not related to clinical lycanthropy whatsoever.)

"I'm a therian, but we don't act like that!!!"

"I may be a therian, but..."

SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP.

I have lost every ounce of respect for you as a creature. You should be ashamed of yourself. They don't deserve your rudeness, you deserve it. There's no way you used your identity to try to "look better" by acknowledging someone else is "weirder" than you, and therefore more credible for being the "better weird one". You're nothing but a bully. You're nothing but just like the people you claim to hate (anti-therians). You are JUST like them. No excuses.

Fun fact, you are NOT better than the therian that does quads simply because you claim "quads are too weird lol!111!!!1!!!!" You are NOT better than the therian that has a common theriotype. You are NOT better than ANYBODY for being what you are as a nonhuman.

In my eyes, you are anti-therian if you don't support all therians and how they experience their identity. Point-blank. I don't care. You're just an anti-therian. How can you say "I support therians!" yet make fun of another therian for wishing they were their theriotype??? Nonhuman bullies try not to piss me the fuck off challenge.

This is in heavy regards to the young therian I saw on my timeline crying about not being the same species as her pet cat. I am so sorry that the world, especially the internet, is so cruel to you. Even if you never see this post, I still see you for what you are. You are a cat to me. Even if everyone else says otherwise, you. are. a. cat. I see what you truly are. Your body doesn't match, but that doesn't change what you are. I feel so sorry for her. I'm so sorry that you are so young, and are experiencing such terrible lashings from bullies. You are a valid therian, and you aren't "crazy", "messed up", or delusional. You are being yourself, and people can't handle that. I'm so sorry.

Edit: Found out it was satire, and now I'm a bit more peeved. I can't believe I fell for that (it was convincing, at least to me, not going to lie). Looks like I'm just going to be blocking myself entirely out of the TikTok side of the therian community for my own sanity. You can't even tell who's acting in good faith or not.

[emporium]

How did you find tumblr?

I really enjoy talking with tumblr users so I thought I'd try posting more prompts to get some conversations started.

I was in a nostalgic mood this week and was trying to remember how I first came to tumblr. It got me thinking that it would be cool to learn other's origin stories. I'll go first.

Even though I'm a big nerd who loves Star Trek (DS9 4 life) and Anime (Fairy Tail forever) it was WordPress that brought me to tumblr. Back in 2010 while in college I worked part time for a WordPress theme shop called Obox Themes. They were looking for new markets and decided that tumblr themes would be a good area to get into. I fell in love with how easy it was to modify my digital home and how there was a whole community of people hacking and releasing themes. Creating a WordPress theme from scratch would have been impossible with my skillset then but with tumblr I could do anything with my handy CSS guide and a few energy drinks.

Over the years what kept bringing me back was the themes. They were funky, weird and sometimes a little broken but who cares. It seemed like the entire web was trying to be grown up but tumblr was Toys R Us, they said it’s ok to be a kid. I loved that. Whenever I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere else I’d come back to tumblr and make a new theme (https://www.tumblr.com/themes/by/nick). I use to love clicking on the installs and seeing what kind of fun folks were using my stuff. What kind of people liked the weird stuff I did. It's your turn. What brought you to tumblr?

[nothorses]

"the public education system is intently evil and all teachers are abusive because it was the worst experience ever for me personally"

guys, look, I'm legitimately sorry that happened to you. that's fucked up. it shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't be allowed to happen again to you or anyone else. I'm sorry.

public school was hard for me too, at times, and I'm still suffering the consequences for the harsh grading, the arbitrary deadlines, the hours of completely useless-to-me homework. I could name a few teachers who have been pretty fucking terrible. the fact that nobody considered getting me evaluated for ADHD has had an impact on my self image and academic success that I can't erase.

and also.

I grew up in an area where education, in particular, is incredibly progressive-leaning. educators are working really hard to create and try out education philosophies and practices that prioritize kids and their learning, rather than teachers and what they think kids should learn.

My sex ed was comprehensive, and came entirely from school. My gay sixth grade teacher taught me about HIV/AIDs in a useful, accurate way. In high school, I learned about the way orgasms work & I was prepared not to feel shame for normal stuff.

I learned that Communism was not what the USSR actually practiced, and what it really means. I learned about atrocities and, specifically, the genocide of indigenous people committed in/by the US. I learned about the military industrial complex, the school-to-prison pipeline, and I learned about manifestations of racism specific to my local area. I learned about Stonewall, and the intersection of the civil rights movement with gay rights and disability justice.

My creative writing teacher taught us about LSD, and the real reasons we shouldn't do it, after a hilariously ineffective assembly run by some local cops. He spoke gently, carefully, and emphatically about his friends and his own experiences. Later in the semester, he read us a story he wrote about two gay men finding each other in a deeply homophobic environment.

My sci-fi teacher made me feel safe & seen as a kid with "weird" interests. My US History teacher helped me research and put together a 10-page paper on the modern relevance and mission of Feminism. My government teacher made me feel appreciated for the work I put into the class, and the thought I put into what I said in it, even though he disagreed with a lot of it. My sixth grade teacher bought me books to read with his personal money, whichever ones I asked for. My third grade teacher made me feel safe. My science teacher in middle school made me excited for and passionate about science, and saw and nurtured the effort I put into her class.

A lot of stuff sucks, absolutely. But I am seeing new teaching methods being tried out all the time, and I am watching teachers get really excited when I teach their students about the roots of modern graffiti in US black history & to question property laws, and just...

There's hope. there are so many people doing so much work to make things better. so many people agree with you on what education should be, and are trying so fucking hard to put that into action, and so many public schools- not just teachers, but whole schools and even districts- are really doing that work. so much is getting better.

I had more to say, about necessary childcare and trusted adults and outside contacts and time away from abusive family. But like. Please just sit down and listen to more people on this, and please talk to educators and education professionals about what's really going on in this big huge world of philosophy, science, and practice.

[audliminal]

It's just a game, right? Pt 1

Masterpost

"I just don't see how sitting around is gonna do anything!" Dash argues, face to face with Sam.

"Well, if you have other ideas you're more than welcome to offer them, but we can't just take out the giw. They have more manpower than us, more equipment, and the new agents actually seem to be competent in fights! And we are a bunch of high school students!"

They are all, ostensibly in English Class right now, but even Mr. lancer has forgone the illusion of normal classwork. He assigns books and hands out reading assignments every week, but nobody really cares whether they get turned in or not. The city, after all, has a much bigger problem.

"I don't know! But sitting here-"

"He's not entirely wrong, the longer we wait the more likely they figure it out, just like we all did." As Valerie finishes speaking, the room temperature drops noticeably, and the kids all glance nervously over at Danny who's head hasn't moved from it's spot on his desk. He almost seems dead with how still he is. Beside him Tucker stares at his PDA, the only one who hasn't reacted to the temperature change.

"Should I even ask what you're messing with?" Sam asks, walking over while the others stare nervously at Danny.

"Actually, yeah." Tucker easily shifts so they can both see the webpage displayed on the handmade tech. "I got something through."

"I thought getting stuff through wasn't really the problem?"

"I mean, yeah, they're letting Everything Is Normal posts through, but this wasn't. That. I was, um, kind of fucking around with ciphers and shit? Not saying anything relevant, but just seeing whether they'd flag any old weird shit, you know? And um. I got a video out."

"Okay, but how does that help us?" Valerie asks.

"It helps because if they let a cipher through then means if I encode shit well enough, then it'll also get through."

"But if it's, like, that hard to figure out what it says, then won't it be useless on the outside?"

"The chances of it getting into the hands of someone who could crack it do seem, uh, improbable."

"Not if we stack the deck."

"Wes-"

"No, listen, I know you're all still mad at me, but like. If you can attract a community of codebreakers? Then eventually someone will crack the code on what you need them to!"

"If you have an idea then just fucking say it, Wes," Sam snaps.

"Make an ARG. We can even have like, the base level be completely United to anything real, just make up a story about, i dunno, space travel? And then bury the actual info beneath that. Eventually somebody will crack into the real stuff, and if it's popular enough by then, and the GIW tries to suppress it? That'll be even more suspicious-looking, and just make them dig harder."

"What the fuck is a ARG?" Dash asks, pulling his gaze away from their definitely-just-sleeping classmate.

"Augmented reality game. It's like an unfiction thing. Make a story but the story is interactive and people have to decode shit to figure out what's going on." Tucker glances over to Wes. "And actually not a bad idea. If we all work together, we could probably make something cool."

"You could treat it as a class-wide project." Mr. Lancer says, making everyone jump. "That way I can back you up if anyone starts asking questions."

"Make it about black holes," Danny says, finally pulling himself up from his desk. "We can base it in wormhole theory, and distract the GIW with all the theoretical science."

"What, so like we make videos that seem like they're being sent through a black hole?"

"Fuckin. Sure, why not? As if shit couldn't get any weirder around here."

"Star, please try to refrain from swearing in front of me. I know the situation is - difficult - but I am officially still your teacher."

"Sorry, Lancer."

[grubloved]

i think finnstr is delightful to me because in a lot of ways he is single handedly reintroducing everybody to being a transvestite as like, a thing. to cross-dressing as a lifestyle. nobody could look at this guy and tell me he's not a little bit queer -- he's definitely not standard model -- but our modern taxonomy doesnt have a spot for him: he isn't trans (in its current definition), but he also isn't really cis.

it's interesting because it was only relatively recently that transvestitism got shoved out of the official rainbow flag. our modern definition of trans as just "transgender" is a reduced capacity of what it was just ten years ago, when "trans*" was often used to mean "transgender, transsexual, transvestite, genderqueer, nonbinary, etc".

i think the main "party line" of the marriage equality movement being "we should be allowed to be weird because we were born this way, we don't have a choice" did some major damage but one of the most significant was definitely the removal of people who do "have a choice" from the "community" entirely. transvestites got kind of entirely booted, and people fight about whether bisexuals or asexuals should be allowed because they "have a choice to blend in". finnstr does have a choice, but he keeps making it. why should that preclude him from being queer?

[infiniteglitterfall]

I do realize this is a real niche post but I cannot tell you how many damn times over the past 10 months I've seen gentiles tell Jews some version of, "Your own holy book SAYS God doesn't want you to have a country yet!"

And it's such an incredibly blatant and weirdly specific tell that they're not part of something that grew from progressive grassroots, but something based on right-wing astroturfing.

1. Staying in your own lane is a pretty huge progressive principle.

Telling people in another group that their deity said they couldn't do X is, I think, as far as you can get from your own lane.

2. It's also very clearly Not In Your Own Lane because I've never seen anyone actually be able to EITHER quote the passage they're thinking of, OR cite where it is.

It's purely, "I saw somebody else say this, and it seemed like it would make me win the debate I wasn't invited to."

3. It betrays a complete ignorance of Jewish culture and history.

Seriously? You don't know what you're referencing, its context, or even what it specifically says, but you're... coming to a community that reads and often discusses the entire Torah together each year, at weekly services... who have massive books holding generations of debate about it that it takes 7 years to read, at one page per day....

And saying, "YOUR book told you not to!"

I've been to services where we discussed just one word from the reading the whole time. The etymology. The connotations. The use of it in this passage versus in other passages.

And then there is the famous saying, "Ask two Jews, get three opinions." There is a culture of questioning and discussion and debate throughout Judaism.

You think maybe, in the decades and decades of public discussion about whether to buy land in Eretz Yisrael and move back there; whether it should keep being an individual thing, or keep shifting to intentional community projects; what the risks were; whether it should really be in Argentina or Canada or someplace instead; how this would be received by the Jews and gentiles already there, how to respect their boundaries, how to work with them before and during; and whether ending up with a fuckton of Jews in one place might not be exactly as dangerous for them as it had always been everywhere else....

You think NOBODY brought up anything scriptural? Nobody looked through the Torah, the Nevi'im, the Ketuvim, or the Talmud for any thoughts about any of this?? It took 200 years and some rando in the comments to blow everyone's minds???

4. It relies on an unspoken assumption that people can and should take very literal readings of religious texts and use them to control others.

And a sense of ownership and power over those texts, even without any accompanying knowledge about what they say.

It's kind of a supercessionist know-it-all vibe. It reads like, "I know what you should be doing. Because even if I'm not personally part of a fundamentalist branch of a related religion, the culture I'm rooted in is."

Bonus version I found when I was looking for an example. NOBODY should do this:

There are a lot of people who pull weird historical claims like "It SAYS Abraham came from Chaldea! That's Iraq!"

Like, first of all, a group is indigenous to a land if it arose as a people and culture there, before (not because of) colonization.

People aren't spontaneously spawning in groups, like "Boom! A new indigenous people just spawned!!"

People come from places. They go places. Sometimes, they gel as a new community and culture. Sometimes, they bop around for a while and eventually assimilate into another group.

Second: THE TORAH IS NOT A HISTORY TEXTBOOK OMFG.

It's an oral history, largely written centuries after the fact.

There is a TON of historical and archaeological research on when and where the Jewish culture originated, how it developed over time, etc. It's extremely well-established.

Nobody has to try to pull what they remember from Sunday school for this argument.

[daybringersol]

as someone in the aro community (and i think this is also applicable to the ace community, which is why y’all are included), i think there is something to be said about people trying to find a moral explanation to their repulsion. in a some situations, it is helpful and there is a conversation to be had about it but in a lot of others, it’s just recycled purity culture, i’m going to be honest.

before you send a post about how you think it’s actually exhibitionist to kiss in public, or predatory to talk about people you want to sexually pursue with your friends, please ask yourself first if there is genuinely something wrong morally going on there, or if it’s just something that grosses you out. it’s completely okay if it’s something that grosses you out. you don’t need to make up a moral reason behind it. you can just say ‘it grosses me out’ and find a way to remove yourself from that situation, for exemple, by looking away, or asking your friends to not talk about those topics around you (if they refuse, that’s another problem entirely and you should get better friends).

it is as unhealthy for allo people to repress their romantic and/or sexual attraction than it is for us to repress our aromanticism and/or asexuality. this isn’t like an theoretical extrapolation, this is a proven phenomenon, we’ve seen it with the catholic church. i understand and empathize with the fact that it feels like all of this is forced upon us, because it is, but there is a difference between someone telling us ‘i like this’ and someone telling us ‘you’re weird/broken if you don’t like this’.

anyways, sorry for the rant, i keep seeing posts in the aro and/or ace tags that try to justify their repulsion with morality, and i don’t want to single out anyone so i thought i’d make this post. there is no issue with posting about repulsion itself, for the record, it’s the moral justification that i think is unhelpful.

you don’t need any justification for your repulsion, you can just be repulsed. that’s fine.

[eipkyt61066666]

𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡❤︎

Note: fanfic includes Sae Itoshi, Barou Shouei, Bachira Meguru, Shidou Ryusei, Alexis Ness, Michael Kaiser. No reposts please!!!!!!

𝑆𝑎𝑒: He isn't really communicative and doesn't show much affection but there are momentd where he'd walk behind you and place a peck on your cheek while holding your waist. You appreciate the uncommen gesture he does for you because it proves that Sae cares even though he doesn't communicate it often.

𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢: He is deffinetly possessive and cares for you deeply. Barou isn't the romantic type and expresses through trough love. He'd wrap an arm around your shoulder and move you to the other side of the street or wrap an arm around your waist in crowded places to protect you. Barou would warn you to keep careful and pull you closer to tell his lover.

𝐵𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑎: He is always excited and doesn't shy away from showing his love. Sometimes Meguru is confusing and you can't quite get him, which makes you laugh.

Example: "Your smile is soo sparkly today( you have a nice smile)"

He would give you weird compliments and hold you tight almost squizzing you until you can't breath.

𝑆ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑜𝑢: Ryusei doesn't care about people's opinion and is touchy with you, whenever he feels like it. Grabbing your waist or literally putting his entire body weight on you is something he'd do often. It can get annoying with time but yk it's just a sign he loves you.

𝑁𝑒𝑠𝑠: Ness is really loving snd gentle with you. He loves fantasy stories and likes to imagine you as his heroine. Your boyfriend would hold your hand or rest his head on yours while rubbing his chin on it. He loves eye contact since it gives him reassurance and overall loves to look at your face while being all lovey dovey.

𝐾𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑟: Michael isn't the type to do anything in public exept meaby hold hands or wrap an arm around you. He has a habit of touching people's head soo expect him to gently rub the top of your head or pull it during love-making to see your face as you cry from what he is doing.