#but we also have unique issues and experiences that need to be addressed in there own specific ways

[staff]

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[markrosewater]

I appreciate your patience in listening to the people mourn what's currently being decided right now. If I can contribute something as well: I am also a UB fan, and I agree with the mechanical uniqueness and the awesome designs and all that.

However, the mantra being spoken before has been "maybe this product isn't for you," and while that was far from easing my concerns about some decisions, now that ub is going to be at every level of competitive play, wotc has taken away the ability for competitive players to opt out of an experience they don't want to partake in. If you want to win, you HAVE to get Sephiroth and Green Goblin, etc.

I like UB as an opt in choice, but the current decision feels malicious towards those who expressed their concerns before who were abated by consolations that wotc has rolled back. It does feel like a cynical money grab at the cost of many of the most dedicated players.

It’s not a “cynical money grab”. It’s us responding to two big pieces of feedback from the players.

1) Straight to modern sets were speeding up the flux in Modern. Metagames are influenced by how many new relevant cards enter the environment, and having a bunch of straight-to-Modern sets was creating unwanted flux. Modern players enjoyed that archetypes lasted longer than in smaller formats. It was a loud compliment often made here on Blogatog. This change is made to address that.

As a corollary to that issue, because we had less experience with making straight-to-Modern cards, our ability to balance them wasn’t as efficient as premier sets. This change also has the vast majority of cards going through the same system and power level, one we have years of experience with.

2) Players who were entering through Universes Beyond (and there are a lot of them - it’s a primary strength of UB sets) that wanted to play competitively were thrown into Modern. That’s just a bad entry ramp into tournament Magic, and it was a common complaint we were getting from newer players.

Universes Beyond’s greatest contribution to the long-term health of Magic is as a conduit to introduce new players. Learn the game system with a property you love, and then once you see what a great game Magic is, become a lifelong Magic player.

To accomplish this we need to have a “softer” landing spot, and we believe that is Standard. Note this is in addition to a lot of other work we are doing to return Standard to prominence.

I know it’s easy to want to attribute malice to a company’s decisions, but we really are trying to do what we feel is best for the longterm health of the game

[nickeverdeen]

Hi could you do a five hargreeves x female!reader where reader is normal and doesn't have powers but she's a genius and basically has a photographic memory, and she meets five and he's a bit mean and snarky but eventually he starts to fall for her

I also think it would be funny if she was kinda best friends with Klaus and he kinda teases her about five, but you don't have to include that

Guns And Brains | Five Hargreeves x genius fem!reader

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x fem!reader, Klaus Hargreeves x fem!reader (best friend)

Warning: None

PS: Sorry for the unoriginal title

———————————

You were used to being the smartest person in the room. It wasn’t arrogance; it was simply a fact. Your photographic memory allowed you to absorb and recall information with an almost eerie accuracy. In school, you never needed to study, and in life, you rarely encountered a problem you couldn’t solve. You had grown accustomed to the bemused looks and occasional irritation that came from people who found your talents either intimidating or annoying.

Yet here you are, standing in the middle of an ancient-looking mansion, face-to-face with a boy who exuded an air of superiority that rubbed you entirely the wrong way. Five Hargreeves—if you remembered correctly from the vague mentions in tabloids about the dysfunctional Umbrella Academy—was a strange, prodigious enigma. He looked like a teenager, but there was something in his eyes that suggested he was anything but.

From the moment Klaus had introduced you, you could sense the tension brewing. It wasn’t just the way Five had narrowed his eyes at you, or the clipped tone he used when addressing you. It was the challenge in his gaze, the unspoken assertion that he was smarter, quicker, better. The way he practically dared you to prove him wrong.

“Who’s this?” Five had asked, his tone flat and disinterested, as if your presence was more of an inconvenience than anything else.

“This is Y/N,” Klaus had said cheerfully, apparently oblivious to the storm clouds brewing between them. “She’s got a brain like a supercomputer—remember everything she’s ever read, seen, or heard. Thought she might be able to help us out.”

Five’s eyes had flickered with something—annoyance, skepticism, you couldn’t quite tell. “We don’t need help,” he’d said brusquely. “Especially not from someone who thinks they can waltz in and solve problems that are far beyond their understanding.”

And there it was—the gauntlet thrown down. You had felt your spine stiffen, your own competitive streak flaring up in response. You didn’t like the way he assumed you were just some book-smart outsider with no practical experience, especially when he hadn’t even given you a chance to prove otherwise.

“I’m not here to solve your problems,” you replied, your tone sharp. “But from what I’ve heard, you could use all the help you can get.”

Klaus had tried to mediate, sensing the tension. “Alright, kids, play nice. We’re all on the same team here.”

But you had seen the look in Five’s eyes—a mix of condescension and irritation. He clearly didn’t think much of you, and that was something you weren’t about to let slide. If there was one thing you despised, it was being underestimated.

The first few days in the mansion were… interesting, to say the least. Klaus had introduced you to the rest of the siblings, all of whom had their own unique quirks and issues. Luther was stoic and serious, Allison was kind but guarded, Diego was intense, and Viktor was quiet, almost withdrawn. They were an odd bunch, but in some ways, you felt more at ease with them than you did with Five.

Five, on the other hand, seemed determined to make you feel unwelcome. Whenever you offered a suggestion, he’d shoot it down without a second thought. When you tried to engage him in a discussion about the theories he was working on, he’d dismiss your opinions with a wave of his hand, as if your thoughts were nothing more than background noise.

It was infuriating.

At first, you tried to stay calm. Your reminded yourself that you were here to help, not to butt heads with a stubborn man who had likely seen more in his lifetime than you could ever imagine. But as the days passed, you found your patience wearing thin.

The breaking point came one evening when you were all gathered around the dining table, discussing the latest anomaly that Five was trying to unravel. He was pacing back and forth, spouting off calculations and theories at a rapid pace. The others were listening intently, but you could see the confusion in their eyes.

“Maybe if we adjusted the parameters slightly,” you suggested, your tone measured, “we could account for the temporal flux and—”

Five cut you off with a snort. “That’s a ridiculous idea. Adjusting the parameters would only destabilize the entire equation. You clearly don’t understand the complexities of time travel.”

Your jaw clenched. “And you clearly don’t understand the value of listening to other people’s input. Just because you’ve traveled through time doesn’t mean you know everything.”

Five stopped pacing and turned to face you, his expression cold. “I’ve spent decades—decades—working on these equations. You’ve been here for a week. Don’t presume to know more than I do.”

The room went silent. The others exchanged uneasy glances, but you didn’t back down. You were tired of Five’s arrogance, tired of him treating you like you were some naive child who had wandered into his domain.

“Maybe I don’t know more than you,” you said, your voice steady. “But I’m not an idiot, and I’m not going to stand here and let you treat me like one. If you’re so confident in your theories, then why not test them? Or are you afraid that someone else might actually have a better idea?”

Five’s eyes narrowed. “Fine,” he said, his tone icy. “Let’s test it. And when it fails, you can stop wasting our time with your half-baked theories.”

You didn’t respond. You simply nodded and turned your attention back to the problem at hand, determined to prove him wrong.

The next few days were tense, to say the least. You and Five worked together, but it was clear that neither of you were happy about it. Every interaction was laced with sarcasm and thinly veiled insults. Yet, beneath the hostility, there was a grudging respect forming, though neither of you would admit it.

Despite his arrogance, you couldn’t help but be impressed by Five’s intellect. He was brilliant, there was no denying that. His mind worked at a speed that rivaled your own, and his knowledge of temporal mechanics was unmatched. But he was also infuriatingly stubborn, refusing to consider any idea that wasn’t his own.

For his part, Five found himself both annoyed and intrigued by you. You were smart—smarter than he’d initially given you credit for. Your insights were often sharp and on point, even if he was loath to admit it. But what bothered him the most was how you challenged him, pushing back against his authority in a way no one else dared to. It was unsettling, and yet… he found himself drawn to it.

One afternoon, as you were pouring over another set of calculations, you suddenly spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking,” you said, not looking up from the paper in front of you.

“Dangerous,” Five muttered under his breath, but there was no real bite to his words.

You ignored him. “You’re right about the temporal flux destabilizing if we adjust the parameters too much. But what if we didn’t adjust them directly? What if we introduced a stabilizing agent that could counterbalance the fluctuations?”

Five paused, considering your words. It wasn’t a completely ridiculous idea. In fact, it was… interesting. But he wasn’t about to let you know that.

“It’s a long shot,” he said instead, his tone dismissive.

“Maybe,” you conceded. “But it’s worth a try. Unless you have a better idea?”

Five scowled, but there was no real heat behind it. “Fine. We’ll try it your way. But don’t get used to it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” you replied, a small smirk playing on your lips.

As you worked together, there was a noticeable shift in the air between you two. The barbs were still there, but they were less sharp, the insults less cutting. It was as if you were beginning to acknowledge each other as equals—rivals, perhaps, but with a mutual respect that was slowly, begrudgingly, forming.

Weeks passed, and the initial tension between you and Five began to ease, replaced by a rhythm of sorts. You still bickered, still challenged each other at every turn, but there was a camaraderie in it now. A strange, twisted camaraderie, but camaraderie nonetheless.

The others noticed it too. Klaus, in particular, found endless amusement in your interactions, often teasing you about your “little crush” on Five.

“Admit it,” Klaus says with a grin. “You two are just one good argument away from kissing.”

You roll your eyes, brushing off his comments, but you couldn’t deny that there was a certain… tension between you and Five. Not that you would ever admit it out loud. The last thing you wanted was to give Five the satisfaction of knowing he got under your skin in more ways than one.

But the turning point came one evening, when you were working late in the mansion’s library. The room was dimly lit, the only sound the soft rustle of papers as you pored over your latest set of equations. You were focused, your mind fully absorbed in the problem at hand, when you felt a pair of eyes on you.

You looked up, only to find Five watching you, his expression unreadable. For a moment, neither of you spoke. There was something in his gaze, something that made your heart skip a beat.

“What?” You asked, your voice softer than you intended.

Five hesitated, as if weighing his words carefully. “You’re not as annoying as I thought you were.”

It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but coming from Five, it was close enough. You felt a small smile tug at your lips. “You’re not as unbearable as I thought you were either.”

Five’s lips quirked up in the faintest hint of a smile. “High praise.”

You fell into a comfortable silence after that, the tension between you two shifting into something else. Something neither of you were quite ready to name.

[queerstake]

Good morning, Queerstake! Thank you to everyone joining us for our community fast and letter writing campaign in response to the 2024 Church Handbook update with regards to transgender people. The policy update has shaken all of us. It is exclusionary and degrading. But we will find strength in each other as a community and courage in our efforts to effect change in this church that belongs not only to the General Authorities who authorized this policy update but also to all of us. Change in the Church happens from the ground up. Harmful policies have been issued and redacted before in our own lifetimes! We deserve to be treated with respect.

Today, we will fast together as a community that the Lord softens the hearts of the First Presidency. We will also write and send letters expressing our grief. Please don’t be quiet about your feelings today. Share your heartbreak with as many of your fellow ward and Queerstake members as you feel comfortable doing. Please post your feelings as well so we can inspire and uplift each other as we write our letters. It’s important that our grievances are heard.

Please send physical letters to:

The Office of the First Presidency

47 East South Temple Street

Salt Lake City, UT 84150

If you are unable to send a paper letter to Salt Lake, because I was not able to find an appropriate email, please instead email your letters to me at QUEERSTAKEONTUMBLR@GMAIL.COM. I’ll print and mail them myself.

Edit: @nerdygaymormon found an email address! Please feel free to send email to lgbt@churchofjesuschrist.org. However, you are still more than welcome to send them to me to print. In fact, why not do both!

A quick word of caution: Of course, no one can guarantee the type of responses we might receive for these letters. In fact, I urge you to consider using a pseudonym in order to avoid potential church discipline. Please take care to note what legal name or return address might be associated with your membership records. I don’t want to scare anyone, especially because we’re doing nothing wrong, but it’s always good to be very aware of what might make it back to your bishop.

Thank you again to everyone for joining. I’ve always felt so supported and uplifted by Queerstake. I know that our Heavenly Parents love us just as we are and that they don’t want us excluded and humiliated in our wards. We have unique and valuable testimonies to share. We don’t go unheard by our Heavenly Parents.

I’ve included a few sample letters and templates below the cut for people who might need a shortcut for one reason or another. You are welcome to send them verbatim or modify them.

#1

Dear First Presidency,

I'm writing to express my grief and concern over the 2024 handbook policy update on transgender people.

I believe that Christ invites all to come unto him and that as Christ's church, we have a responsibility to embrace people from all walks of life. No other demographic within the church is being treated with such severity as our transgender siblings under this new policy. I fear our transgender siblings in Christ will feel excluded and degraded, and we will lose many great members.

I believe it's of the utmost importance that we express Christlike love and charity even to people we don't understand. There is no excuse for asking transgender youth to leave activities with their peers as though they are a danger. There is no excuse for not allowing transgender people to work with children or humiliating them in our bathrooms. This is a demographic of people who have suffered in our society and Christ would want us to reach out to them with open arms. I humbly and respectfully ask that you reconsider these policy changes with regards to the doctrine of unconditional love that the church espouses. I beg you to consider the church experience of our transgender siblings in Christ and to prioritize their feelings over the feelings of people that wish to hurt them.

Thank you for your time.

#2

Dear First Presidency,

I feel deeply grieved by the Handbook update on transgender people. As a transgender member myself, I am doing everything I can to remain in the church and exclusionary policies like these make me feel deeply unwanted and deeply unloved.

I understand very well the church's position on gender, but I hope that despite that position that I might still be able to feel Christ's love at church. Our Heavenly Parents put me on this or Earth as a transgender person. I am not a danger to children and I am not a predator in bathrooms. I am your sibling in Christ. I want to serve in church. I want to serve in teaching positions. I want to serve the youth. I believe that we attend church with the purpose of uplifting each other and studying our religion together as a ward family. I want to be edified and I want to edify.

President Hinckley said every member needs a calling, a friend, and the word of God, and if I'm treated this way at church, I'm not receiving any of those things. If I can't have a real role to play within my ward, then I have no responsibility. If I am treated as an outsider and an enemy and a predator by policy and by my fellow church members, then I don't have a friend. If I can't also receive Christ's gospel through the love of the people around me, then I'm not receiving the real word of the Lord.

I seriously urge you to reconsider this policy update. I beg you on behalf of myself and my transgender siblings in the church to not hate us and to not exclude us.

Thank you for your time.

#3

Dear First Presidency,

I felt ______ when I heard about the new policy update to the handbook about transgender individuals. I believe we should treat our transgender members with the love and respect they deserve as our siblings in Christ.

I urge you to reconsider this policy update because ______

Thank you for your time.

#4

Dear Leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,

I'm writing to express my grief and concern over the 2024 handbook policy update on transgender people, which I have been made aware of due to the negative impact it is having on my [friend(s)/family/loved ones].

The reputation of love, kindness, and family values that your church fosters with its programs, teachings, and community outreach is undermined by your continued exclusion of LGBT+ members and specifically with this policy change of your transgender members.

My [friend(s)/family/loved ones] have expressed _____ in regards to the August 19, 2024 changes to the handbook that relegate transgender members of your church to second-class citizens within the organization, and deny them the full capacity of worship and belonging within your church; all because of something so insignificant to their capacity to worship and belong to a community as their gender being different than the gender that they were assigned at birth. This decision _____ me/ negatively impacts my view of your church.

Thank you for your time.

I believe that there is no excuse for asking transgender youth to leave activities with their peers as though they are a danger. There is no excuse for not allowing transgender people to work with children or humiliating them in your bathrooms. This is a demographic of people who have suffered in our society and I believe that every person needs to reach out to them with open arms. I respectfully ask that you reconsider these policy changes with regards to the doctrine of unconditional love that the church espouses. I beg you to consider the church experience of your transgender members and to prioritize their feelings over the feelings of people that wish to hurt them.

[lenaboskow]

I can agree if there isn't a clear break in the finale fine. But honestly I'm tired of Buck Tommy shippers for one reason

I have been in this house for 6 years. Shipping a groundbreaking couple. 2 "straight " men. From similar but not similar family backgrounds and military backgrounds. Do one of the most masculine jobs out there. Coming out later in life. Raising a child together. Similar but also totally opposite personalities. The first slow burn queer couple that doesn't end in kill your gays.......

And I'm going to get lectures from Buck Tommy shippers that they are the groundbreaking ones. Please, you have been in my house for 2 months. Not to mention I can see Tommy's POV about his earlier behavior if they actually addressed it. Not in one conversation where he almost outs Buck but blames everyone else. Give him a decent back story to it and really apologize.

But sure.. It's me, hi I'm the problem it's me.. Not you guys who come here having watched one season and think in any way Tommy is superior to Eddie in Bucks life.

you're completely right.

watching the show since s1 and seeing all the bucktommy stans jump ship just because tommy showed up and kissed buck within two episodes is such a unique and frustrating experience and i--

i haven't said this in a while, but we, as a fandom, need to not settle for some half-baked ship who doesn't have any chemistry and where one emotionally harassed two out of the main five 118 members during the probie years, and has yet to have a proper redemption.

i know they get mad at us calling tommy a plot device, but tim himself called him that, so i have no issues with it. tommy is/soon to be was the method that they chose to give us bi buck, because eddie obviously still has a long way to go before he's ready to be with buck, and they knew the relationship wouldn't work if they were both struggling with figuring themselves out. tommy's just here to help buck understand himself better. i hope for buck's sake that it ends amicably and not with tommy getting mad because buck realizes he misunderstood his feelings.

[they-them-that]

The Complex Misogyny Enacted by Queer Men

Call outs: James Somerton, Trixie Mattel, Katya, Le'Ron Readus, The Roundtable, Rupaul, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce and Gabana

With the James Somerton scandal, although I only watched some of his videos in passing, it has definitely made me make sure to be more vigilant about the content I consume and how they source.

I also want to address James' misogyny, something that tragically isn't unique to him. The "straight girl" scapegoat many queer men target has bothered me for a long time. They try to frame it in a way that is "punching up" at the privileged but their problem is entirely against them being women. Trixie Mattel has a habit of complaining about "straight" girls that has put me off, especially when her complaints are incredibly presumptuous and small minded. We wouldn't know random women's sexuality yet we choose to assume they're straight so we can openly ridicule them. Even if these women are straight, the problems queer men levy towards them doesn't so much call out any discriminatory behavior as it is shaming women for what they think is "shrill", "annoying", or just for sharing a space with them.

I recall an episode of UNHhhh where Trixie and Katya said how straight people are guests in queer spaces and in the same way, they can be "uninvited". Even though they use a gender neutral term here, we know that the bulk of straight people who attend queer events are women. In the same way that queer spaces are a safe space for gay men, it's also a safe space for women who want to avoid sexual advancements and sexual violence. Gay men overlook women's issues and needs when they find their presence inconvenient despite women posing little threat to them.

I've also seen the way queer men target queer women when they feel like they've been benefiting more than them. James Somerton, La'Ron Readus, and Tom from The Roundtable have all argued how the ratio of wlw representation in media compared to mlm is due to favouritism towards wlw relationships. This is a pure assumption, at the point they made this argument, we never heard of a canon mlm relationship being shot down by TV or movies and the accusers provided no examples of such, just that wlw representation has been making a breakthrough at the time thanks to the vehement pushing of its writers and show creators. It has nothing to do with preferences for wlw relationships as these studios have tried to stop it and still push back against it to "appeal to a broad audience". It just so happens that the queer creatives who have made waves for representation wanted to represent queer femmes, most identifying closely with sapphic experiences. To underestimate the amount of discrimination these queer creators got for getting wlw representation out there by assuming they have some type of privilege over queer CIS men is grossly ignorant. Although mlm representation is important, it's upsetting to see queer men look at wlw representation and respond with jealousy, unknowing of how queerness already centralizes them. RuPaul's Drag Race, for example, was only allowed for CIS men before trans women were recognized as legitimate drag performers, many of the "CIS" contestants turning out to be trans women. Drag kings still have not made any appearances on the show and are still overlooked and undervalued in the Drag community.

Even though queer men cry for their turn when it comes to something like queer representation in the media (even though it exists, they just have a problem with women having more than them), they don't bat an eye in the way queer men dominate places like the fashion industry that heavily discriminate against women (Karl Lagerfeld and Dolce and Gabana being infamously misogynistic). They also wince at gay shipping culture and mlm representation when it's created by women, accusing them of fetishism, something I've been guilty of in the past. Although, there's an understandable desire for mlm content that is also written by queer men and discomfort about women being voyeurs in gay fiction, we're also assuming these women aren't queer themselves or that they even identify as women. Love Simon's author, Becky Albertalli was forced to come out as bisexual after years of scrutiny for being a "straight woman profiting off of queer romance".

"I legitimately didn't realize. I'm thirty-seven years old. I've been happily married to a guy for almost ten years. I have two kids and a cat. I've never kissed a girl. I never even realized I wanted to. But if I rewind further, I'm pretty sure I've had crushes on boys and girls for most of my life. I just didn't realize the girl crushes were crushes."

There is an oversight on how many people divulge in queer fiction in order to explore their sexuality and gender long before they even consider that they could be queer themselves (I know that was my experience). But even with straight women, many of them are actually drawn to gay fiction because it subtracts women from the equation. Female characters are subject to sexist tropes and many of their romances are imbalanced and toxic. Gay fiction has been a way for women to enjoy romance without feeling the weight of patriarchy through femme-presenting characters.

All this to say that misogyny is still fervent in the queer community and queer men do not get a pass on how they talk about and treat women. I noticed that the most privileged of the queer community, that being White CIS gay men, are the ones who act the most entitled in the queer spaces they enter, not the "straight" women they constantly antagonize. Queer men still struggle with what all men struggle with and that's acknowledging their privileges. Even if they swear their problem with women is because of their sexuality, it really ends up coming down to their gender.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Mane Kara-Yakoubian

Published: Dec 13, 2024

A review published in Biology Letters highlights that harm toward women is perceived as more severe than similar harm toward men, a disparity rooted in evolutionary, cognitive, and cultural factors.

Maja Graso and Tania Reynolds explore this “feminine advantage” in harm perception, examining how societal responses prioritize harm against women while often minimizing harm against men.

The authors trace this bias to evolutionary pressures. Women’s reproductive roles historically made their survival critical for group continuity, fostering norms that prioritized their protection. These norms persist today, shaping moral judgments. For instance, experiments reveal that people are less willing to sacrifice women than men in hypothetical moral dilemmas, particularly when the women are of reproductive age. This tendency diminishes for older women, reinforcing its evolutionary roots.

Cognitive biases, such as moral typecasting, further reinforce the asymmetry. Typecasting associates women with victimhood and men with agency, making women more likely to be seen as vulnerable and men as perpetrators. This cognitive shortcut leads to systemic blind spots: male victimization is often ignored or trivialized, while female perpetration of harm remains under-recognized. For example, women’s use of indirect aggression, such as social exclusion, is perceived as less harmful, while male victims of intimate partner violence are frequently dismissed or ridiculed.

Cultural shifts, including feminist movements and the push for gender equality, have heightened societal sensitivity to harm against women. While addressing critical issues like workplace harassment, these changes have also perpetuated an imbalance in harm perception. For example, men face harsher judgments for workplace misconduct, even when the behavior is identical to that of women. Similarly, judicial data reveal that men are more likely to be convicted and receive harsher sentences for comparable offenses, reflecting stereotypes of men as aggressors and women as victims.

At a broader level, societal concern is more readily directed toward women’s challenges. For instance, underrepresentation of women in male-dominated fields like engineering is often attributed to discrimination and addressed through intervention, while men’s underrepresentation in female-dominated fields like nursing receives less attention. This disparity reflects assumptions that women need protection and support, while men are expected to endure harm with resilience.

Graso and Reynolds emphasize that these biases are context-dependent, shaped by historical, cultural, and psychological forces. However, failing to address them perpetuates harm against men in areas such as legal systems, workplace dynamics, and social support structures.

The authors call for a balanced discourse that acknowledges the unique challenges faced by both men and women. By addressing existing asymmetries and generating discussions, the authors aim to reduce gender-based conflicts and promote a more holistic understanding of harm perception.

The paper, “A Feminine Advantage in the Domain of Harm: A Review and Path Forward,” was authored by Maja Graso and Tania Reynolds.

--

Abstract

Despite well-documented disparities disadvantaging women (e.g. discrepancies between men and women in salaries and leadership roles), we argue that there are contexts in which disparities disadvantage men. We review the literature suggesting harm to women is perceived as more severe and unacceptable than identical harm to men, a bias potentially rooted in evolutionary, base rate, stereotype-based and cultural shift explanations. We explore how these biases manifest in protective responses toward women and harsher judgements toward men, particularly in contexts of victimization and perpetration. Our review aims to complement the existing literature on gender biases by presenting a balanced view that acknowledges men and women face unique challenges. By understanding these biases, we hope to foster a more equitable discourse on gender and harm, encouraging empathy and validation of suffering irrespective of gender. This holistic approach aims to de-escalate gender-based conflicts and promote effective interventions for both men and women.

--

By the same authors:

Abstract

Scientific and organizational interventions often involve trade-offs whereby they benefit some but entail costs to others (i.e., instrumental harm; IH). We hypothesized that the gender of the persons incurring those costs would influence intervention endorsement, such that people would more readily support interventions inflicting IH onto men than onto women. We also hypothesized that women would exhibit greater asymmetries in their acceptance of IH to men versus women. Three experimental studies (two pre-registered) tested these hypotheses. Studies 1 and 2 granted support for these predictions using a variety of interventions and contexts. Study 3 tested a possible boundary condition of these asymmetries using contexts in which women have traditionally been expected to sacrifice more than men: caring for infants, children, the elderly, and the ill. Even in these traditionally female contexts, participants still more readily accepted IH to men than women. Findings indicate people (especially women) are less willing to accept instrumental harm befalling women (vs. men). We discuss the theoretical and practical implications and limitations of our findings.

--

Also:

Abstract

Little is known about implicit evaluations of complex, multiply categorizable social targets. Across five studies (N = 5,204), we investigated implicit evaluations of targets varying in race, gender, social class, and age. Overall, the largest and most consistent evaluative bias was pro-women/anti-men bias, followed by smaller but nonetheless consistent pro-upper-class/anti-lower-class biases. By contrast, we observed less consistent effects of targets' race, no effects of targets' age, and no consistent interactions between target-level categories. An integrative data analysis highlighted a number of moderating factors, but a stable pro-women/anti-men and pro-upper-class/anti-lower-class bias across demographic groups. Overall, these results suggest that implicit biases compound across multiple categories asymmetrically, with a dominant category (here, gender) largely driving evaluations, and ancillary categories (here, social class and race) exerting relatively smaller additional effects. We discuss potential implications of this work for understanding how implicit biases operate in real-world social settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

==

Those who claim to champions of "equality" somehow manage to simultaneously deny that this is a problem at all or insist that it's essentially self-inflicted, using presupposition, denial and circular reasoning that would make any evolution-denying creationist proud.

Here is a practical example.

https://apnews.com/article/mexico-migrants-killed-bus-crash-ec24efef78ae7aa1caed3a1b4b53829e

MEXICO CITY (AP) — At least 16 migrants from Venezuela and Haiti died early Friday in a bus crash in southern Mexico, authorities said.

Mexico’s National Immigration Institute originally reported 18 dead, but later lowered that figure. Prosecutors in the southern state of Oaxaca later said there had been an overcount due to some of the bodies being dismembered, and that the real death toll was 16.

Both sources said the dead include two women and three children, and that 29 people were injured. There was no immediate information on their condition.

That's a weird way to say, "11 men died." Here's a tip: when a report says "people," it means mostly - or exclusively - men.

[tenapricots]

My thoughts on Lemuria (warning for spoilers):

Probably my favorite world yet. I’m glad to see that KI is taking the game in a new direction story-wise. This is definitely the most engaged I’ve ever been with the storyline and dialogue

First of all, DASEIN. I’ve only known him for like 4 irl days, but I already love him so much! “Or am I indelibly stained by what I have done?” Oughhh!! I’ve never felt this attached to an NPC before, he is so darling. And as a general note, I’m glad that we’re getting more focus on characters as the game progresses, instead of it being generic NPC gives us quests for one area and then we forget about them forever

I also really loved the exploration of heroism and morality in Lemuria. Both Dasein learning about what is good/bad and the heroes themselves. I think there’s a good parallel between Dasein and the heroes, where all are greatly shaped by the Old One (Dasein physically looking like him, the heroes designed by him), but that doesn’t mean that they can’t develop independently from him and ultimately reject his ideas

It’s also really interesting that the final dungeon, which is usually when we defeat the big bad of the world, is actually us stopping our own allies, the heroes, from using the world synthesizer to decide the fate of the whole Spiral by themselves and robbing everyone else of their agency

The whole world seems like a critique of powerful figureheads in general, whether their intentions are immoral (the Old One, who conducted deadly experiments on a whole world in order to remake a better Spiral through eugenics) or benevolent (the heroes, who wanted to remake the Spiral but without everything the Old One stood for, but were still shown to be wrong), which is a very interesting angle for the game to take, considering that we have been a powerful figurehead (savior of the Spiral x3) for arcs 1-3. I really wonder how they’re going to expand on this for the rest of arc 4 and future arcs

Also this is why imo Heap >>>>> Marleybone, I loved the contrast/dialogue between the Shadoe and Dog Tracy and that more systemic causes of crime are mentioned. Whereas in Marleybone where we basically just show up and beat people up to address the gang/crime issue, occasionally helping individuals with their problems but hardly doing anything to fix the class/species discrimination, the Shadoe actively challenges this approach, criticizing us for doing just that (just showing up and beating people up), teaching us that we need to help and understand the people who live in Heap in order to address the underlying issues in the community

I’m glad to see a more sympathetic approach toward a downtrodden group and that the prejudiced viewpoint is rebuked (clearly the Old One is wrong for using Heap as a dumping ground for those he saw as too degenerate for his eugenicist vision). On the other hand, questing through Marleybone is so bizarre because I feel like KI makes the discrimination issue quite clear, so the game is pretty self-aware. But then somehow we spend time helping racial profiler Abigail Doolittle and following the orders of cops who have arrested innocent people (technically the first one is a side quest but still)

Additionally the badges for this world are so unique (“Desperately Seeking Lemuria”, “vs. the Volcano”). “Accomplished…Something” is my favorite though, it’s the one I currently have equipped. I really hope Dasein’s arc gets a good resolution in Wallaru (I know basically nothing about it story-wise because I’m still midway through Novus. This poor man is getting colonized and having a breakdown about it, somebody please help him)

[techtow]

Understanding Transgender Rights: A Beginner's Guide

Introduction:

In recent years, the movement for transgender rights has gained significant attention worldwide. As awareness grows, it becomes increasingly important for everyone to understand the issues faced by transgender individuals and the rights they are advocating for. This article serves as a beginner's guide to understanding transgender rights, exploring the history, legal framework, and importance of these rights in today's society.

What Does Transgender Mean?

To begin, let's clarify what “transgender” means. Transgender is an umbrella term that refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This includes people who identify as trans men, trans women, non-binary, genderqueer, and many other identities along the gender spectrum. It's essential to respect each person's self-identified gender and use the pronouns they prefer.

Transgender Rights Are Human Rights:

One of the central messages of the transgender rights movement is that trans rights are human rights. This means that transgender individuals deserve the same fundamental rights and freedoms as anyone else. These rights include the right to live authentically, free from discrimination and violence, and access to healthcare, education, employment, and housing without fear of prejudice.

The Origins of the Trans Rights Movement:

The modern trans rights movement traces its roots back to the activism of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals who have long fought for recognition, equality, and justice. While transgender people have always existed, organized advocacy for their rights began to gain momentum in the mid-20th century. Key events such as the Stonewall riots in 1969, led by transgender women of color, sparked a broader movement for LGBTQ+ rights, including transgender rights.

Trans Joy and Resilience:

Despite the many challenges faced by transgender individuals, it's essential to acknowledge and celebrate moments of trans joy. Trans joy encompasses the happiness, pride, and sense of community that many transgender people experience. It can be found in personal achievements, supportive relationships, and moments of self-expression. By highlighting trans joy, we honor the resilience and strength of the transgender community.

Understanding Transgender Rights:

Transgender rights encompass a wide range of issues, including legal recognition, healthcare access, protection from discrimination, and safety from violence. 

Let's explore some key aspects of transgender rights:

Legal Recognition: Transgender individuals often face significant barriers to having their gender identity legally recognized. This includes obstacles to changing their name and gender marker on identification documents such as driver's licenses and passports. Legal recognition is essential for affirming a person's gender identity and ensuring their rights are protected.

Healthcare Access: Transgender people deserve access to healthcare that is respectful, affirming, and inclusive of their unique needs. This includes access to gender-affirming medical care such as hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries. However, many transgender individuals face discrimination and barriers to accessing quality healthcare.

Protection from Discrimination: Transgender individuals frequently experience discrimination in various aspects of life, including employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. Transgender rights advocates work to pass laws and policies that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Safety from Violence: Transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, are disproportionately targeted for violence and hate crimes. Ensuring the safety and well-being of transgender individuals requires addressing systemic issues such as transphobia, racism, and misogyny, while also providing support services and resources for survivors of violence.

Trans Rights Laws:

Several laws and policies have been enacted to protect the rights of transgender individuals, although there is still much work to be done. Some of these include:

Anti-Discrimination Laws: These laws prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and expression in areas such as employment, housing, education, and public accommodations.

Hate Crime Laws: Hate crime laws enhance penalties for crimes committed against individuals based on their gender identity or expression.

Healthcare Access Laws: Some jurisdictions have passed laws to ensure that transgender individuals have access to gender-affirming healthcare without discrimination or barriers.

Trans Rights Quotes:

Throughout history, many individuals have spoken out in support of transgender rights. Here are a few powerful quotes:

"Transgender rights are human rights." - Hillary Clinton

"We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference, and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity." - George Takei

"We must ensure that trans people are treated equally under the law and are not discriminated against in any way." - Bernie Sanders

Conclusion:

In conclusion, understanding transgender rights is essential for creating a more just and inclusive society. By recognizing transgender people as valued members of our communities and advocating for their rights, we can work towards a world where everyone can live authentically and freely. Trans rights are human rights, and it's up to all of us to ensure that they are upheld and protected.

Through education, advocacy, and allyship, we can contribute to positive change and create a more equitable future for transgender individuals everywhere. Let's stand together in support of trans rights, now and always.

[militantinremission]

The Difference between The Black Agenda & The Reparations Movement

Reparations Commissions are popping up across the Country, but none of them come close to addressing the true spirit of Reparations. There are several reasons for this:

Neither Democrats nor Republicans in Congress have a real interest in discussing Reparations; let alone dispensing anything tangible.

Minorities involved in these Reparations Projects have either tried to include their demographic into the discussion, or they have been against it.

Infighting amongst members of the ADOS, FBA, Freemen, & Indigenous Community have weakened the overall message of Reparations. The Masses don't realize that they are All THE SAME LINEAGE GROUP. This division weakens Our collective argument, but has allowed some to eat well over the past few Yrs.

Organizations like The NAACP, The Urban League, The National Action Network, NCOBRA, NAARC, & other like minded Groups have promoted a Trans Atlantic Reparations Agenda that ignores CARICOM. In effect, it 'Centers' Black Immigrants (including Afro Latinos) in the Black American Experience. Most arrived at least 10Yrs after Jim Crow ended- how do they qualify for American Reparations?

The recent kerfuffle over San Francisco NAACP President Rev. Amos Brown's rejection of that City's Reparations Proposal spotlights the problem w/ letting Our (so called) 'Established Leaders' drive the Reparations Bus. They drove the Bus into Our current situation, why should We expect anything different from them? Many of these individuals chose Corporate Donations over Black Community Development. They arent 'Leaders', they're Corporate Lobbyists. These are the Same People that let HR- 40 rot on the 'Social Action vine' for over 30Yrs; If they REALLY wanted Reparations...

Another issue, are the individuals & Organizations narrating 'The Black Agenda' into the Reparations Argument. They are separate & distinct. The White Noise of their rhetoric has confused The Masses, which weakens the magnitude of Our Fight. For the sake of clarity, I want to point out the difference between The Black Agenda & The Reparations Movement.

The Black Agenda, is an All inclusive Program for Black & Afrikan Americans, regardless of their Country of Origin. This includes Africans, Caribbeans, Afro Latinos, & Afro Asians. All of Us share in the current experience of being Black in America. It is an experience that is unique to Us, & is also what unites Us.

The Black Agenda is about Equity. America loves to promote 'Equality', but equal measure doesn't guarantee that Everyone will somehow end up on equal ground. We have been collectively marginalized in America, so it's only fair that they level the playing field. 'Rising Tide' Programs, like those offered by The Democratic Party are on the right track, but NONE take into account the fact that Black America needs an extra scoop of whatever they propose.

The Black Agenda deals w/ the issues of Community Development: Residential & Commercial/ Business Property Ownership, Job Development, Training & Employment Opportunities, Health Care & Mental Health Solutions, School Reform, After School Programs, Youth Empowerment, Visual & Performing Arts Programs, Daycare & Pre- K Programs, along w/ the necessary Community Boards needed to present these & other Community related issues to Local & State Agencies. The goal, is to improve the overall Quality of Life in Black Communities- up to the level of Every Other Community.

The Reparations Movement, is a specific call for American Society to pay their long overdue debt to American Descendants of Chattel Slavery. This Movement is about Indemnification. While Black America collectively deserves legislation, American Descendants Of Slavery deserve much more. The problem w/ EVERY Reparations Program offered so far, is they All ignore the fact that Reparations is a debt owed. They All read like Politicians are giving Blackfolk a hand out. These Programs also fall short on what is really owed.

A lot of numbers have been thrown around over the years, but I have consistently said that Final Reparations numbers will depend on WHO is held liable. If the U.S. Government alone is held liable, Reparations will probably be in the $18 Trillion- $22 Trillion range. If Corporations & Individual families are included, that number could reach $64 Trillion. That should give a clue to the extent of Exploitation, Theft, Terrorism & Oppression that Black America endured over the last 246Yrs- 400Yrs. American History is a chronicle of Anti- Black sentiment. Reparations Naysayers point out the impossibility of dispensing Trillions of Dollars, but a Multigenerational Reparations Program is an easy solution.

The Republican Party's outright refusal of, & The Democratic Party's attempt to graft Feminist & LGBTQ... rhetoric to Critical Race Theory (CRT), are attempts by both Parties to keep Mainstream America away from Our Nation's cruel & bloody past. They obviously fear divulging this history, because it will quell the Argument 'Against', as it strengthens the National Argument 'For' Reparations. The Immigrant Argument of 'I wasnt Here' becomes embarrassing, when We consider 2 facts:

It was Black American Labor that built America up & made it attractive (i.e. The Land of Milk & Honey) to Europeans, Asians, Latinos, Caribbeans, & Afrikans looking to start a New Life.

Black America is responsible for motivating ALL of the Immigration Initatives over the last 150Yrs; especially those since 1965.

It's only fitting for Immigrants living their American Dream (at another's expense) to pay tribute to the people who made that dream possible. I like the analogy of 'Inheriting an Old House'. The New Occupant didn't cause the wear & tear on the house, but that doesn't change the fact that they will have to invest the Time, Work, & Money needed to restore & maintain it. THAT, is the price of Occupancy.

Another thing to consider, is the fact that most Black Americans are descendants of Indigenous Americans or American Indians (Coppertoned Aborigines); not to be confused w/ 'Native Americans', who migrated from Siberia. Less than 10% of Transatlantic Slaves landed in North America. Our Ancestors were Prisoners Of War, that were forced into Indentured Servitude, & later Chattel Slavery on their Own Land. Census Records reveal the effort to hide Our lineage.

Starting w/ the 1790 Census, Indigenous indentured servants were reclassified as Negro & Colored. By the 1900 Census, Indigenous People were being punished for identifying as 'Indian'. They were forced to identify as Negro, Colored, or Mulatto. By the 1970 Census, We were designated 'Black'; & on the 1990 Census, We were labeled 'Afrikan American'... Out Of Afrika Theory is not only Culturally false, it now appears to be a ploy to get Us off of Our Land. We're looking to Afrika, while the Blood & Bones of Our Ancestors fertilize This Land. Our success in agriculture isn't an accident- We were Here for millennia!... I guess that adds an extra wrinkle to the Reparations Discussion.

It's Time for Us to link the moving parts of Our Lineage into Black Voltron, so We can get on w/ The Work. -Just Saying

[cyle]

I see where you're coming from, and I see why Tumblr feels a need to expand, to chase that unsustainable infinite growth. My friends who don't use tumblr don't use it because they don't have an existing community there, and I'm not enough to sway them over. It's a blogging platform at it's heart. I don't think trying to ape current trends in design is going to help. All it is going to do, has done so far, and historically has done is alienate your existing userbase, and fail to draw in new people. In fact, I'd argue that you're making your biggest competitor here. Cohost, is becoming a viable competitor of the back of Tumblr constantly implementing features that make the website more difficult to use and that frustrate and alienate it's userbase. Historically speaking, let's look at other social media that tried to pivot in this way? Myspace was Myspace, and then they tried to pivot to chase the trends of the industry, and it bombed. DeviantArt has been going through this for a while. in 2017 the site refresh launched to make it more similar to other websites, and it was frustrating for old users, removed features people liked, and didn't supplant that with anything new worth sticking around for, so it bombed. And it virtually killed the site with it, it's a shell of its former self. Do you remember twitter stories? Google Stadia, Hangouts, Duo, Bulletin, etc? New Coke?

yeah i'm extremely aware of all of these things, i've been using and studying this internet thing since MSN and AOL chatrooms were the only "social" features of the web. some people i work with have been at this since Usenet was the "social" part of the web. the rise and fall of different platforms are lessons we're always referencing and learning from and trying not to repeat, and learn the best from.

that's why i keep saying that there's a balance at play here between what makes tumblr unique and wonderful and different, which are values of the product, versus what the actual mechanics of the product are. some of the examples you're citing were "bombs" because they didn't have any core value to begin with, just a useful mechanic. or the core value wasn't understood, so it was easy to lose. some of them are cases where they changed the wrong mechanic and it broke the value, and there's no recovery from that.

the balance is successful when the mechanics are working to get new people to realize those core values quickly enough to offset those who don't realize them, or don't resonate with them. because the core values of tumblr aren't for everybody, we wouldn't be different otherwise. like you say: there's no community for them, but why is that? is there a mechanical reason why not? a perceived reason?

this is really difficult stuff, and we're trying as best we can to get it balanced. it's requiring us to try and experiment with some changes that feel really weird to me, as a long-time tumblr user. i hope the benefits of this become more obvious over time. i'm also hoping that some of the very obvious quality of life issues we're trying to address offset the fear that we're just "copying" other sites while ignoring everything else. there's a lot more to come.

[rayssyscourse]

I'd like to clarify, when I say I am anti-endo, that doesn't mean I hate every endo system, etc. My issue lies not necessarily in the existence of non-traumagenic plurality, but the way it is presented.

The OSDDID community has the unique, and often extremely difficult, experience of having the brain forcefully cut itself off from itself (forgive the strange wording, lol) due to severe stress/trauma, and we live with heavy dissociation, amnesia, and many other trauma responses. It is a very difficult disorder to live with. That's not to say that endos never struggle with their plurality, but they do not have the experience of struggling with this disorder. OSDDID spaces and communities were created to support people with the disorder, to give them a place to talk about the rather unique struggles of having it, to share resources to help manage it, to bond and help each other with it.

Endogenic systems have come into our communities claiming to be the same as us, and that they should have a place in these spaces, despite not sharing the fundamental issues that the spaces were created to address/help with. Because of this, it has become increasingly hard--sometimes impossible--to find spaces where we as a traumagenic system can talk about these experiences solely to people who understand and can relate. These days, in most spaces traumagenic systems cannot talk in too much detail about the disorder and its (often scary or upsetting) symptoms, because the science and experiences aren't 'inclusive' of endos.

And yes, these spaces still exist. But they have become much fewer and farther apart, and are more and more likely to be put under fire and called exclusionary for restricting to just OSDDID systems. It has become absurdly difficult to find a space where we can talk about our disorder without censoring ourselves, and when those spaces do exist, there is a constant worry of being harassed for being exclusive just for talking about our struggles.

I would also like to add that I've heard every form of "not me though" when talking about this. If you are endogenic and you do not go into OSDDID spaces, this is not about you. I take issue with the community as a whole, because I feel it has become a general community-wide problem, but as I said in the beginning of this (stupidly long) post, I do not hate, or even really take much issue with, many individual endos.

I will say that the word endogenic has gained a connotation of being one of those who invade/impede on OSDDID spaces. So, I will take slight issue with people who align themselves with that terminology, because it implies that one agrees with, or is at least tolerant of, the actions generally associated with the word/the community it describes. The separation of systems into "traumagenic" and "endogenic" also implies that they are the same fundamental thing, just with slight differences in origin. However, I completely understand that a label does not define anybody's beliefs entirely, so that's not really a main problem in my eyes.

In my ideal version of this, endos would have their own community, defined as separate from the OSDDID spaces. I believe that the terminology should be more distinctly separated from that of OSDDID systems. There needs to be the understanding that endo and traumagenic systems, while sharing some similarities, are on a fundamental level different experiences. OSDDID systems should not have to be associated with the idea that they could/may have been formed without trauma or without the distress that the disorder causes, and likewise endos should not be associated with those aforementioned struggles.

I am not saying I think we need to completely divide ourselves or cut each other out. I see no problem with different types of plurals interacting with shared spaces or relating to/with each other. But the situation as it is right now causes harm to many traumagenic systems as it muddles the definition of who we are and puts less weight on the struggles we face, and takes away spaces that many of us take great comfort in. So, when I say I am anti-endo, I am saying not that I take issue with the concert of the existence of non-traumagenic plurals, but with the current community's idea that they are equatable.

I personally do not see how non-traumagenic plurality could work, because there is no science to it the way that there is for OSDDID. HOWEVER, research on plurality is still in its infancy, so that opinion is subject to change as more research is done. Most importantly, whether scientifically proven or not, I will not tell anybody that they are not experiencing plurality, endo or not, because I don't get to tell people about their own experiences. I will respect endos as long as they respect me, but right now, the situation is such that I feel the endo community as a general group is disrespecting us, so while I can respect individuals, I cannot fully respect the community as a whole.

Sorry for how long this got, lol. Thanks to anyone who actually read it all. Have a lovely day, everyone :)

[dykesynthezoid]

The talk about gen alpha kids being uniquely terrible students always confuses me bc on the one hand I’m not denying that the prevalence of screens and technology in our everyday lives has had a huge impact on kids, but on the other hand when people talk about how uniquely disrespectful or violent or entitled gen alpha kids are I’m like but are they actually??

I honestly think class might be part of it, bc I’ve both tutored and taught afterschool activities at public schools that were specifically in working class areas and that was not my experience at all. I mean yes there were absolutely kids who were disrespectful or difficult and could even be aggressive, but the underlying causes of those issues was always really clear to me. I could spot a kid who needed more support than they were getting really, really easily.

Every student who was really difficult with me very obviously had something going on that I just wasn’t qualified to help with (usually a learning disability or behavioral issue that stemmed from a specific neurodivergence that wasn’t being addressed, often exacerbated by issues with their homelife or economic situation).

The 5th graders could be especially snotty, but that feels par for the course frankly. Older kids approaching puberty tend to act out more bc they’re testing out the development of their own autonomy and personal freedom in a way younger kids haven’t quite reached developmentally. It’s a messy process just like actual adolescence is.

At the same time, so many of those kids of all ages were so sweet and so genuinely wanted to do well and socialize and improve their skills. And a lot of those kids also had some really difficult and heavy things going on. Most of them did have some kind of personal device at home like a phone or iPad, but I rarely had to tell students off for being on any sort of personal device. The kids who brought their phones with them were usually pretty good at keeping them put away. And the ones who weren’t were also ones who, again, had other underlying issues that had nothing to do with their technology use.

I’m sure there are plenty of terrible entitled iPad kids out there but to act like gen alpha students are all some doomed generation of little monsters is just really weird. I don’t think that reflects reality at all. I think we can have conversations about parental neglect and access to technology and entitlement without acting like children have never even approached being this difficult before. As if educators weren’t saying the exact same thing about Gen X 40 years ago! It all seems very silly to me. Like yeah educating kids has unique challenges these days but also maybe people who work with kids wouldn’t suddenly be convinced that gen alpha is uniquely terrible if they also had some actual support and decent pay. Maybe we’d be able to take a step back and see the bigger overarching patterns. Idk

[wowie-zowie-art]

Warrior Cats bloat and character lifelessness;

(A kinda guide I made on a whim for fun, written as if I was addressing a writer!)

Are you struggling to read through the endless pages of allegiances? Being confused when characters seemingly pop up out of no where, or disappointed that a cat you got attached to didn't have any lines?

Or perhaps your a fanfic writer, and want to rewrite the books or write within their canon, and you end up floundering with the excess background cats and not know what to do with them? Are you tired of all the INBREEDING?

If you are a fan of warriors in any capacity, you have definitely run into this issue before, or at least have seen people complain about it. I've definitely have!

Obviously we can't control the books and get rid of the actual problem, but we can come up with solutions on how to deal with the bloat for if you need to make a family tree, au, fanfic and more!

Now I had a goal in mind; reduce bloat and make the additional cast feel more life-like. But how would I go about doing that?

So in my quest to brainstorm some ideas, I decided to list down every single modern Thunderclan cat in the most recent book; The Elder's quest!

KC = Kate Cary/Old team

NT = New Team

Leader: Squirrelstar (KC)

Deputy: Ivypool (KC)

Med.cat/s: Jayfeather (KC), Alderheart (NT)

Warriors:

Whitewing (KC)

Birchfall (KC)

Mousewhisker (KC)

Bayshine (NT)

Bristleclaw (NT)

Poppyfrost (KC)

Lilyheart (KC)

Nightheart (NT)

Wafflepelt (NT/fan submission)

Bumblestripe (KC)

Cherryfall (KC)

Molewhisker (KC)

Stemtail (NT)

Cinderheart (KC)

Finchlight (NT)

Graywhisker (NT)

Blossomfall (KC)

Eaglewing (NT)

Dewnose (KC)

Stormcloud (KC)

Hollytuft (Both technically)

Fernsong (Both technically)

Honeyfur (NT)

Sparkpelt (NT)

Sorrelstripe (Both technically)

Twigbranch (NT)

Finleap (NT)

Shellfur (NT)

Fernstripe (NT)

Plumstone (NT)

Flipclaw (NT)

Leafshade (NT)

Lionblaze (KC)

Spotfur (NT)

Queens:

Daisy (KC)

Sunbeam (NT)

Thriftear (NT)

Myrtlebloom (NT)

Elders;

Brambleclaw (KC)

Thornclaw (KC)

Cloudtail (KC)

Brightheart (KC)

Brackenfur (KC)

Kits:

Moonkit (NT)

Shinekit (NT)

Goldenkit (NT)

Hazelkit (NT)

Sunkit (NT)

(Sorry if I accidentally missed anybody!)

As you can see, this group is massive! With 31 cats created by the new team, and 25 cats created by the old team kicking around, leaving us with a total of 56!! Many of these characters barely get get screen time, and if they do become important, they are often discarded right after they are used. There's also the issue of characters that are given personality being killed off, and the fact that there are very few deaths overall leads to a over full cast.

So, what to do about the bloat?

Here are some very simple ideas that I came up with, many of which are ones that other people have used or continue to use! I no way am trying to say that I am fixing warrior cats or I am super original, but I wanted to try a fun thought experiment, and if this turns out useful to some, then that's great!!

(Also I apologize if I come off as condescending or patronizing, that was not the intention!)

Idea 1; Keep the large cast, but give everyone at least two individualized personality traits, and a few cats that they have UNIQUE interactions with that aren't their direct family members and aren't related to hunting, patrols, or training. Make use of this cast to diversify everything, which will make the characters feel more alive. This method can even apply to former main characters. To go along with this, everyone should have at least one major line so they don't get lost in the crowd.

(Obviously this doesn't apply to major or main characters, and you should pre-plan their traits and their relationships so their isn't any inconsistency. You can even give them their own motivations and reasoning if your feeling spicy!)

(Ex; Bristleclaw is talented and snooty. Mousewhisker avoids Lionblaze and Poppyfrost because they are xenophobic towards him, despite being from the same generation. Thriftear, her mate Bayshine, and their close mutual friend Plumstone, have a few lines each discussing recent gossip they obtained from the gathering from Shadowclan. Wafflepelt hates birds because he finds their songs annoying, and complains about it to his former mentor.)

Idea 2; Kill off your characters more frequently. This can be done in between arcs, before the story itself starts, to drive the plot forward, what have you. The killed character could have a major personality, could not if you don't really care. This most important thing with this method is to make the deaths memorable, and effect the cats around them. This allows the cast to be smaller, add drama to your story, and raise the stakes. Having cats grieve also makes it feel like the relationships of the characters are more real and deep, even if we don't see them all that much. However, don't kill off your characters all the time, especially if your doing it for shock value. It'll lose weight after a while, and potentially could drive readers away.

(Ex; Stormcloud dies in a similar storm that killed his brother, making their deaths an echo of each other. Cherryfall feels conflicted over his death, as they had a weird complicated romance going on that was never resolved. Sparkpelt, his best friend, is in deep distress about it because it reminds her of Larksong. Molewhisker is glad he's gone. Sorrelstripe, Stormcloud's former apprentice, is sad but quickly recovers.)

Idea 3; Add an age ranking system on the allegiance list, or at the very least give some of them reasons to be listed so high on them. Mess around with the allegiances in general actually, have more cats retire, more cats as queens. This is the closest you can get to modifying the allegiances without adding new roles if your not into that sort of thing! You can have have the younger warriors and the older ones sperated by giving them titles like "Senior" or "Fresh-paws", you can even include a middling rank for cats in between the two. Make sure to explain why some cats are in these categories despite their age or experience. Is it due to special talents or skills? A highly respected family? Are some lower down because they are disgraced and have done something wrong? What are the qualifications of these ranks? Play around with it, there's a lot of ideas to explore!

(Ex; Whitewing and Birchfall are currently the eldest clan warriors, so they rank on top of the senior rank. Shellfur is rather young, so he's a Fresh-paw. Graywhisker ranks pretty high because of his parents, Stemleaf and Spotfur, despite being younger than Shellfur. Thornclaw refuses to retire.)

Idea 4; If your stuck, running out of traits and relationships to give a character, or you feel the cast is a bit TOO big for your liking, than you can always combine characters. This method works great if you have big litters, or characters that are too similar to each other. This'll massively help reduce bloat because not only can you remove at least one kitten from every big litter, but it'll also allow you to give everybody more attention and how their relationships might change because of this combined character! You can do this with any kind of character, including main ones!!

(Ex; Combining Leafshade and Honeyfur together. Or Fernsong with one of his siblings.)

Idea 5; Similarly to the method above, you can just remove a character from the story or books entirely. You can even save them for later to use if you need them for a generation that's looking pretty sparse! It's always good to have backups!

(Ex; Removing Eaglewing for later use.)

Idea 6; Keeping track of everyone's familiar relations to prevent a "super couple" from producing too many litters, and then those litters having even more children, and etc. Having a tree or recording down character's family will make so the clan isn't entirely related to each other, allowing more complex relationships and believable romance, and help everything feel a little more clean. You can even adjust your cast even further if your still not happy with it's size. However, if you still want to keep the litters, try to stagger them a little so everyone has a chance to develop.

(Ex; Cinderheart and her mate don't need so many kittens. Brightheart and Cloudtail's second litter is swapped to someone else. Myrtlebloom's litter's sire is unknown.)

Idea 7; And finally, give the characters routines and special places you can find them on the territory, either in camp or around landmarks. This method could make the characters feel less like NPC's who only react to things or the plot in camp, and again give them that smidge of extra personality. Having the chance to randomly bump into somebody on the territory through the eyes of our POV could allow us to explore those background characters more and depth and evaluate what their interests are. This is something applicable to patrols too! Who wants to go with whom what pair or trio work best together? Who shouldn't be put on the same patrol as each other and why?

(Ex; Brambleclaw often goes to stomp around the forest randomly in anger because he's an elder, Squirrelstar tries to steer clear of him when this happens. Flipclaw likes to climb around on rocks near the territory outskirts, sometimes joined by his mother Ivypool or his little niece Moonkit and her parents. Sunbeam and Finchlight are super chatty when paired together, but are really good at duo hunting in exchange. Stemtail doesn't like eating with other cats, and sits in a secluded corner in camp. Brackenfur loves to sleep in a sunny spot in front of the Elder's den.)

Now with all of those ideas in mind, here's an allegiance list constructed using most of those concepts, baring the ones that aren't applicable on it;

Leader; Squirrelstar (Temperamental and passionate)

Deputy; Ivypool (Level-headed but avoidant of personal problems)

Med.cat/s; Alderheart (Anxious and sensitive)

Senior warriors;

Thornclaw (Crotchety and stubborn)

Birchfall (Dependent and easily impressed)

Poppyfrost (Calculated and cold)

Bristleclaw (Talented and snooty) (young)

Mousewhisker (Submissive and quiet)

Middling warriors;

Bayshine (Jolly and upbeat) (young)

Lilyseed (Lily + Seed, grandmotherly but prone to panic)

Dewnose (Reserved and thoughtful)

Blossomfall (Gossipy and rude)

Hollytuft (Snappy and pessimistic)

Cherryfall (Flirtatious and non-committal)

Spotfur (Justice-oriented, righteous) (young)

Stemwhisker (Stem + Gray, pressured and longing) (young)

Sunbeam (Helpful and a people pleaser) (young)

Sparkpelt (Energetic and adventurous)

Young warriors ("Fresh-paws");

Twigbranch (wise and knowledgeable)

Shellfur (rude and abrasive, but learning to be kinder)

Flipear (Flip + Thrift, silly and scatterbrained)

Honeyshade (Leaf + Honey, passive-aggressive and patronizing)

Finchlight (A problem solved and a thinker)

Plumstone (Popular and friendly)

Nightheart (Whiny and entitled)

Apprentices;

Wafflepaw (Endearing and naive)

Goldenpaw ("Golden child", and attention-seeking)

Shinepaw (Confirmative and indecisive)

Moonpaw (Weird and a daydreamer)

Queens;

Daisy (Stern and compassionate)

Sorrelsong (Fern + Sorrel, sweet and nurturing)

Fernstripe (Creative and talkative)

Myrtlebloom (Blunt and honest) (young)

Kits;

Sunkit (Myrtle's, undecided traits)

Oak-kit (Myrtle's, undecided traits)

Hazelkit (Shell's and Fern's, undecided traits)

Elders;

Brackenfur (Responsible and dutiful)

Cloudtail (Sassy and hot-headed)

Brightheart (Elegant and poised)

Brambleclaw (Irrational and bitter)

"Missing" warriors; Jayfeather, Whitewing, Stormcloud, Molewhisker, Bumblestripe, Cinderheart, Eaglewing, Finleap, Stemtail, Thriftear, Fernsong, Leafshade, and Lionblaze.

The cast is now down to a nice 40 instead of 56! (unless I did my math wrong somewhere or forgot somebody which could definitely be the case.)

Obviously the personality traits wouldn't actually be included in the alligence list, but I provided them to be used as examples! I'm really happy with how this turned out, and I hope some people try these methods out for themselves!! It's honestly very fun!

This list is also free for public use, so have fun with it! :)

If you've made it all the way down here, thank you for clicking on this post, and reblog it if you'll liked it! I put a lot of time and effort into it!

[vynegar]

vyn rainy pickup SSR, part one & two

it’s been far too long (almost a year and a half!!) since my last vyn translation :’) so i figured i should live up to my blog name again. also, it feels fitting to pick this card to translate, since in some ways it reminds me of his RRG card that i translated.

disclaimer: this is a fan translation and i am not fluent in chinese, so keep in mind that there will be mistakes. feel free to let me know if you have questions, concerns, or comments.

do not repost without explicit permission. if you want to quote this or reference parts of the translation, credit and link back to me.

check my masterlist for more translations.

timestamps go along with the card video here. it’s not mine, please support the uploader Sherry’s Game Notes by liking/commenting/subscribing.

Title: Downpour (雨漫驰想)

[PART ONE]

[0:01] Bedroom

In the dark night, the slender stem and leaves of the potted plant on the windowsill swayed with the evening breeze. Vyn stood up to close the window, then shifted the plant further inside the room. The worry in his expression was clear as he looked at the yellowed edges of its leaves.

MC: The sutang flower still hasn't gotten better?*

Vyn: No... First its flowering period was delayed, now its leaves are starting to yellow. I worry that if we do not find the reason soon, this flower will wither.

Not long ago, Vyn obtained a precious sutang flower. It was an ornamental plant with flowers that glow silvery-white at nighttime due to a luminescent substance contain in it. The higher the price of the sutang, the more dazzling it is when it blooms. That should have also been the case for the one that Vyn obtained...

Vyn: Earlier I asked some botanist friends of mine, and they all said that there is no issue with how we are caring for it. Currently... I cannot think of any solutions either.

MC: (Is that really all we can do..)

Vyn had been putting so much effort into growing the sutang that I couldn't bear seeing him disappointed. A familiar address suddenly flashed through my mind. An idea struck me, and I subconsciously grabbed Vyn's sleeve.

MC: How about we ask a master florist to take a look?

Vyn: A master florist?

MC: That's right. They may not have as much theoretical knowledge as botanists, but from their years of experience growing plants... They might be able to find the key to why our sutang flower is unwell.

Vyn looked down at the sutang flower, his fingers gently brushing the yellowed leaves. He hesitated for a bit, but finally nodded.

Vyn: Alright. I will have someone find...

MC: No need! I know where to find one.

I winked at Vyn, purposefully keeping him in suspense. He gave a helpless smile, then played along with a puzzled expression of his own.

Vyn: Where is it?

MC: Four-Gate Loop Marketplace.

[1:37] Four-Gate Loop Marketplace

The next day, Vyn and I brought the sutang flower with us to Four-Gate Loop Marketplace.

MC: It's so lively...

The entire marketplace encircled an artificial lake in the center, forming the shape of a ring. At each of four sides was a large gate. Near the entrance, a number of shops had stalls set up along the path. The wide road seemed to be packed with crowds of people moving back and forth.

Vyn: I think I have guessed why it is called Four-Gate Loop Marketplace.

MC: Pretty unique, right? This used to be a really famous florist market, but now it’s become a marketplace for all kinds of things.

Vyn: Have you been here before?

MC: No, I've only heard of it. Afterwards, we can take this chance to browse around. But is it always so lively here... Ah!

Someone pushed past me from behind and caused me to stumble for a moment. Fortunately, Vyn was quick enough to catch me. That person turned back to apologize then hurried away. Vyn frowned slightly, pulling me in closer to him.

Vyn: Are you okay?

MC: I'm fine...

I was interrupted again by a burst of enthusiastic applause from the side, which I couldn't help but look toward. It turned out to be a stall vendor who was attracting customers. He had drawn in a number of people, making the path even more crowded.

MC: This is too much...

Vyn: There are too many people here. It will not help if we are stuck here. Fortunately this method of attracting customers does continue for very long, so the crowds will begin moving again soon. Come here –

Vyn tugged me, and I followed him up onto some steps. Having finally freed ourselves from the throng of people, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Vyn: Let us take a break. We can continue later.

MC: Okay.

Even though the temperature in spring wasn't very high, we were already covered in a thin layer of sweat. I handed a tissue to Vyn. After wiping his sweat, he crumpled the tissue in his fingers, rubbing it subconsciously. That sheet of tissue was twisted until it was all wrinkled, then quickly smoothed out again – a motion that Vyn kept repeating.

MC: (What's up with Vyn? Come to think of it, he rarely comes to places like this... Is he not used to it?)

Vyn: What are you thinking?

MC: Oh! …Nothing, just curious what that group of people is looking at.

Vyn: We can take a look at it when we walk past.

As he spoke, Vyn turned slightly, his face impassive as he avoided the person getting up onto the steps next to him.

MC: No it's okay, let's just find the florist.

--

Once some of the people had moved, we crossed the path to the entrance and finally got inside of Four-Gate Loop Marketplace. The florist area was right nearby. It was the most brightly-colored place in the whole market, with various plants organized and arranged by type. My gaze was drawn toward several white flowers.

MC: Vyn, aren't these sutang flowers? They seem to be growing pretty well.

I plucked a flower from the bucket and handed it to Vyn. He glanced at it and nodded.

Vyn: It is indeed a sutang flower. However, these flowers have not been grown carefully enough.

MC: Huh? Why do you say that?

The unique scent of sutang flowers was in the air. Layers of white petals swayed, some speckles faintly visible on them, their outer edges gently curling outwards.

Vyn: Because there are almost no speckles on the petals of these sutang flowers.

MC: Speckles?

Vyn: Yes. Those are the luminescent substance of sutang flowers, as well as the source of their nighttime glow. Providing a favorable environment and ample nutrients... Meticulous care can help sutang flowers accumulate this luminescent substance and ultimately create the effect of the silvery nighttime glow.

MC: I see.

???: ...

A young woman chuckled nearby. Vyn and I turned to see the shopkeeper watching us with an expression full of amusement.

[END PART ONE]

--

[PART TWO]

[4:48] Four-Gate Loop Marketplace

The shopkeeper sized us up, her gaze landing on the sutang flower in Vyn’s hands.

MC: Is something the matter?

Flower shopkeeper: This gentleman knows quite a lot about sutang flowers.

Vyn: My apologies. We are growing them too, so I could not help but talk about it.

Flower shopkeeper: That's alright. Everything you said was true.

Vyn: I heard that because sutang flowers are difficult to grow, many flower shops do not sell them.

Flower shopkeeper: That's right. Cultivating the bioluminescent substances is of course very challenging. If you don't focus on that though, the costs of growing this flower aren't particularly high. In addition, unlike that single sutang flower you're holding... The sutang flowers that we sell come from a field. The flower growers there aren't able to put painstaking care into every flower.

Vyn: I just thought it was a bit of a shame. After all, the value of a sutang flower is reflected in its luminescence.

MC: Still, these flowers are blooming with such vitality, look...

I took Vyn's wrist and pointed towards the sutang flowers, whose white petals were shining a pale gold under the warm spring sunshine. The petals that were ordinary in the shade became especially showy in the sunlight. Vyn didn't reply, only giving a noncommital smile.

Flower shopkeeper: Yes, these sutang flowers have been growing very well. It seems like your girlfriend really likes them. Why don't you buy her a bouquet?

Vyn: Buying her flowers...

Vyn slowly twirled the stem of the flower as he seemed to consider the shopkeeper's suggestion. Feeling the silent atmosphere, I took the flower from Vyn and put it back, then waved my hand at the shopkeeper rather apologetically.

MC: There's no need, we already have a sutang flower. Also, we still have other things to do.

A look of surprise flashed across Vyn's eyes. I snuck a wink at him, indicating that he didn't need to worry. The shopkeeper nodded in understanding and didn't try to sell any more.

MC: Oh right, do you know where we could find an experienced florist nearby?

Flower shopkeeper: That would have to be Master Zhou. Look, he's right over there.

We looked in the direction the shopkeeper was pointing at and saw a wooden door. After thanking her, Vyn and I left the flower shop.

[6:37] Cabin

A little while later, we found Master Zhou, who warmly welcomed us into a small room. Vyn placed the sutang flower on the table. Its stem was drooping, still not showing any signs of improvement.

Master Zhou: Ah, a sutang flower. It's in good condition, it just looks a little dull and lifeless. How do you guys normally grow flowers?

Vyn: With air humidity at roughly 73% and nine hours of low sunlight every day. However, we mainly use a grow lamp in place of natural light. Also...

Master Zhou: Alright alright... I think I get it.

Master Zhou interrupted Vyn, his expression slightly mystified. He turned the flowerpot left and right, carefully studying the plant's condition. Then, he took a pinch of soil and rubbed it between his fingers.

Master Zhou: This soil seems different.

Vyn: Yes, it is artificial soil for growing. This improved soil has the exact proportions of nutrients that plants need, to be more conducive to their growth. I specially switched the soil in order to help the sutang flowers grow better.

MC: Yeah, we've tried using this artificial soil when growing other plants and it's very effective.

The more Master Zhou hears of our explanation, the deeper he frowns.

Master Zhou: Hold on, isn't that the problem?

Vyn: What?

Master Zhou: You guys are growing the flowers too carefully. These luminescent sutang are precious, but they're not delicate. They'll grow great in their natural growing conditions, with just a few essential nutrients added in. Forget about anything else. Just follow my advice, switch this soil.

Master Zhou straightforwardly listed out the problems without giving us a chance to interject. I snuck a glance at Vyn, who was silently staring at a bit of mud staining the edge of the flowerpot.

MC: Master Zhou, we...

Vyn: Then we shall switch the soil. Master Zhou, do you have regular soil here?

Just as I was about to explain, Vyn interrupted me. I looked at him in surprise.

Master Zhou: Of course we do. Hold on, I'll go get it for you guys.

Vyn: Thank you very much.

--

Once Master Zhou left the parlor, I shook Vyn's arm.

MC: Why did you suddenly agree to switch the soil? I know that's what Master Zhou said, but the soil might not be the issue.

Vyn: Because I suddenly remembered a characteristic of sutang flowers that is often overlooked.

MC: What characteristic?

Vyn: They typically begin producing new flower buds in the winter, surviving and sustaining new life in the bitter cold. Just as Master Zhou said, they are not delicate. I wanted to let it avoid all possible dangers, and perhaps because of that, they lost their former immunity. Changing the soil is not a bad thing. I want to try it.

MC: Then later, should we ask Master Zhou about how to care for them?

The warm yellow light in the parlor concealed the yellow at the edges of the sutang leaves. At first glance, they were green and full of vitality. Resting his hand against the edge of the wooden table, Vyn thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Vyn: Master Zhou prefers to go with nature, only giving plants the necessary nutrients and care. That is fine for normal sutang flowers... But for luminescent sutang, human intervention is needed. I will not give up on that part.

MC: I see...

Vyn: Relax. I’ll adjust its care depending on the specific circumstances. I guarantee you will see their nighttime glow.

MC: Okay, I trust you.

As we were talking, Master Zhou returned to the parlor with the soil.

Master Zhou: I've brought the soil.

Vyn: Let us switch it.

--

With Master Zhou's help, we successfully switched the soil.

MC: Thank you so much, Master Zhou.

Master Zhou: Don't be so formal! If you have any problems in the future, feel free to come ask me.

Vyn: Alright. We shall be taking our leave now.

Vyn was about to pack up the sutang flower, but Master Zhou stopped him.

Master Zhou: Aren't you going to browse around here? These few days just happen to be the annual spring gathering. It's not normally this lively.

MC: Spring gathering?

My interest was piqued, but I quickly remembered how Vyn looked, twisting that ball of tissue, and I hesitated.

MC: Nevermind... There are too many people here today.

Vyn: It is fine. Thank you for your kind invitation, Master Zhou. We will browse around.

Master Zhou: That's right, now you two go on and enjoy yourselves.

Before I could react, Master Zhou stuffed a visitor's map into my hands and pushed us out of the room.

[END PART TWO]

[PART THREE]

*The flower in this card is called a 素棠 (sùtáng) flower, which as far as I can tell is fictional. The first part of its name probably refers to its white color, the second part is a character that appears in plant names such as 海棠 (hǎitáng, Chinese flowering apple)

or 棠梨 (tánglì, birchleaf pear).

[curiousitycollective]

more thoughts on the "traumagenic spaces are needed because traumagenic systems have unique experiences" things as a traumagenic collective that had very few if any of their experiences represented or respected in those spaces

i think part of the issue is there's a huge sample bias going in a lot of these discussions where those who did find those spaces helpful don't seem to grasp that those who didn't find them helpful won't be in that space and thus going "well everyone here finds it great" doesn't actually address what's being said.

and yes an argument can be made that those spaces won't change without people sharing their experiences, however when we are looking for support if there's a space where we need to preface everything we say and educate everyone around us and one where people already know the basics and don't constantly tell us to do things that increase our dissociation we are going with the latter

because if we are looking for support we don't have the energy to be fighting for respect and also it fucking sucks to have a space become something where you're an educator on your basic existence when you are trying to get support for your mental health and fucking trauma disorder.

none of this means that traumagenic spaces are bad or shouldn't exist, but people who find those spaces helpful need to understand that it's not a universal experience among traumagenic systems, and that when they talk about these spaces like the experiences in them are universal they are excluding and alienating many traumagenic systems.

-smile/Wren