#gen alpha teenage things

[squintsintwink]

I think bands would’ve been a cooler addition to high school years than thrifting, and bubble tea

[ibelieveinunicornz]

I just realized that 2024 to gen alpha is going to be the equivalent of what 2014 was to us.

[olderthannetfic]

One thing I wish more people would just absorb into their worldview is the difference between an age demographic and a generation.

Gen Z do dumb teenager stuff because they're teenagers. Every generation did dumb teenager stuff when they were teens. The zoomers will stop doing dumb teenager stuff as they age out of their teens, and that niche will be filled by gen alpha. Dumb teenager stuff is eternal, and is an age demographic.

Gen Z had their education disrupted by the Covid-16 pandemic. This is going to shape their thoughts about and behaviours around illness, education, careers, and social life. It's a significant event that happened at a formative time in their lives, and it will continue to influence how they think and act until the last zoomer dies of old age in like 2140, and that will set them apart from younger generations who have no real memory of the pandemic, and from older generations who were established in their adult lives during that time.

Zoomers will outgrow being teenagers, and they will not outgrow having came of age during a global pandemic. These things are not the same. Both of these things are worth talking about, and for now we can use "Zoomer" to mean both the age and the generation, but that's a temporary coincidence.

Zoomers are not inherently dumber than Millenials or any other generation. They're just seem dumber because they're teenagers. For now.

--

[lexirosewrites]

I want to see more alpha!Steve and omega!Eddie. So, to be the change I want to see, here's a little modern, college au ficlet:

Steve is in college, taking his gen eds and trying to figure out what he wants to do. His parents are paying, proud of their alpha son and willing to be patient with him figuring things out. He's mostly walking around campus, drinking coffee, hanging with Robin, just being a chill dude.

Eddie is in college, double majoring in English and Music with a minor in education, busy constantly, still working on the side so he can afford food and rent, calling his uncle, playing guitar.

Eddie is an omega and has had a rough life: poor, abandoned by his parents, bullied, etc. He has never trusted anyone enough to court or share a heat. He's not a virgin but he's never really had a long term relationship.

Steve has had flings and a few long term relationships, he's openly pansexual (alpha, beta, omega, male, female, or other) and he knows he wants stability and love and a big house full of pups probably right after college and finding a good job.

They meet at a study group and while Steve is immediately down bad, Eddie doesn't know Steve enough to trust him. It takes weeks of study group before Eddie even gives Steve his number.

One day, Steve is assigned to be a weekend tour guide for a group of potential students at the college (Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Will, El and Max, plus Erica tagged along too even though she's just a freshman).

Steve basically adopts these kids and when he finds out that most of them play the same TTRPG as Eddie he rushes them over to wherever Eddie is at the time and introduces them.

Eddie sees how good Steve is with these random teenagers and starts to fall for him (Steve is still a chapter ahead, Steve has already been looking for apartments so him, Robin and Eddie can room together next semester).

Steve keeps in touch with all the kids, they have a group chat, plus Eddie and Robin.

Over spring break, Steve gets dragged away by his parents on vacation and Eddie stays back to work and study. The whole vacation Steve is talking about Eddie and his parents are thrilled: a smart, hard working omega who their son adores? Sign them up. They ask Steve when he's going to start the courting properly and lovingly try to prod him into doing so, even taking him shopping for gifts.

Eddie, meanwhile, misses Steve all week. He keeps himself busy but he's still texting Steve the whole week.

When Steve gets back, he's dead set on courting Eddie. He's bought enough gifts for weeks if not months of courting.

Steve rushes to find Eddie and ask his to court and give him the first courting gift. He finds Eddie and Robin having a discussion about how Eddie is scared because he doesn't get good things and Steve is kinda the best thing and Robin going "Dingus, you know he adores you, you don't have to be scared" and Steve bursts in, hugs Eddie and gives him his gift and begs him to court with intent to mate.

It all works out in the end.

Sorry if this is all over the place, I wrote it while making breakfast and chasing the puppy to see what was in her mouth (ink pen).

i love this!

[maxdibert]

Agree with your last post. I'm so annoyed by people putting Pandora with Regulus, Barty and Evan or Dorcas with the Slytherin gang or idk what else. Like Pandora was Luna's mother, why are they making her to be friends with canon death eaters? Dorcas was killed by Voldemort personally, why are they making her to be so young? Idk it's making me sad that people don't even try to respect the canon story and its characters and expand upon that. Instead they completely butcher it. I understand having fun but these headcanons have completely overshadowed the correct information we have and people now pretend like they have some canon merit.

Pandora is Luna's mother, and that's all we know about her. At what point does she magically end up being the same age as the Marauders? Why turn her into a Rosier? Where did the ridiculous idea come from that she was best friends with Barty Crouch Jr.? Like, hello? She's not Luna's mother; she's just an OC someone made up to fit their narrative, and they justify her existence by saying she’ll eventually become that Pandora. End of story. Like everything they write and do. Their Marauders aren't the real Marauders. That's not James; it's some random guy they invented and slapped his name on, and the same goes for the rest of them. What even is a Dorcas Meadowes? Is that something you can eat? And what's a Marlene McKinnon? Nobody cares—they're not real characters. We don’t care about them, especially if you only include them to hit a lesbian target audience or so the stories aren’t overwhelmingly male-centered and ridiculously problematic because the female presence and relevance don’t even hit the minimum gender quotas from two decades ago, like…

They say "fuck canon," but only to have an excuse to whitewash psychopaths and portray them as twink icons. It makes no sense. I insist: they could create their own lore within the Harry Potter universe. Take all those OCs, remove the canon names of characters they have nothing in common with, give them original and unique names, and create a new category on AO3 for the lore you've created. You wouldn’t be the first to do it, and it’s totally valid. And stop setting the stories in the '70s because all those OCs with canon names act like Gen Z kids—or even Gen Alphas—living in pre-Thatcher Britain, like, what the hell?

The best thing about the First Wizarding War universe years ago was that the CANON was unexplored, and you could create fascinating things. But always based on the CANON. Because no, “fuck canon” doesn’t work, because if you say “fuck canon,” then you're just talking about characters you don’t like. You say you’re a fan of Sirius Black, but you’re not a fan of Sirius Black. You’re a fan of an original fanfic character with traits that have nothing to do with Sirius Black, but you slapped his name on it—why? Sirius Black was the tallest, most handsome, and most masculine and violent of the Marauders in canon. He wasn’t a girly, whiny twink. Rowling spends the ENTIRE saga CONSTANTLY emphasizing how masculine, how macho, how handsome, how masculine, how handsome, and (again) how masculine Sirius Black was. Over and over. The only other character Rowling insists so much on describing physically is Snape, but only to constantly point out how ugly he is and ironically assign him FEMININE traits. Snape, who is canonically unattractive but also canonically not masculine by patriarchal standards, is someone super macho types like Sirius mocked precisely for that.

I think the problem with this fandom is that they want to be the protagonists, the cool kids, the main characters everyone admires. But the reality of the canon is that both the Marauders and the pure-blood Slytherins of the era would have hated, mocked, and marginalized people with the characteristics fans assign to these characters in fandom. That Sirius the fandom adores wouldn’t have lasted half an hour with the real teenage Sirius Black, who would have bullied him immediately for being “weird.” The fandom’s James would have been ridiculed by canon James, who would’ve seen him as a total loser. Fandom Barty? Canon Barty would’ve Crucio’d him to bits. Canon Regulus would’ve paid someone to drown fandom Regulus. And yes, that Severus fandom invented—a sort of rapist or something—would’ve disgusted canon Severus, who didn’t even dare say anything to Lily. But honestly, who’s that fandom Lily? Because canon Lily didn’t know what feminism was and was dying to have a traditional family before 20 with a rich guy who could give her financial stability. Like, seriously, xD.

I’m sorry, but your OCs wouldn’t last half an hour in '70s Hogwarts because both sides would tear them to pieces. And in the end, all the “fuck canon” rhetoric is just a way to deny that they need to project themselves as protagonists, but they know they never would be in the Marauders’ lore because, in that context, they’d end up as bad or worse than Snape. And that’s precisely why they hate Snape so much—because that character constantly reminds them that, in fact, the Marauders were bullies. And they were bullies to those who didn’t have the looks, social class, appearance, or clothes deemed acceptable. Snape is actually the closest thing to themselves that fans of the Marauders will ever find, and that reminds them that in that universe, they would’ve been the nerds, losers, and outcasts of the class.

I’m sorry for being so harsh, but it’s true. They’ve invented characters in their own image, slapped canon names on them to feel important and central, but the reality is that the actual canon characters would’ve bullied them so much they’d have ended up the same or worse than Snape.

[themonotonysyndrome]

Shaw Pack headcanons, except it's actually involved the rest of the Wolves

Because they deserve the love & spotlight too and I'm tired of seeing headcanons just about the cash cows 😤

-

Brooker

Surname: Montrose

Freestyle with acoustic guitars like a pro, though he only feels comfortable playing either in private or around those closest to him.

Always get confused by outsiders with Brooks. He took it in stride.

Nearly choked on golden mushrooms once and was saved by Christian and Linda. They never let him forget it.

After the Inversion, he continues working with Shaw Security to keep an eye on Miguel and ensure he's ok.)

Is romantically seeing a Misery Demon after his grief attracted him. At first, they made a deal: He allowed the Demon to feed from him and in return, the Demon taught him a healthy coping mechanism and introduced him to several therapists. They got closer after that.

Once it's official, he brings his new boyfriend over during Thanksgiving and introduces him to Christian and a few others, although not the entire Pack.

He's one of the wolves that bullied Milo and thinks that Asher is unsuited to be Beta. But after seeing Asher gift Christian the watch and them slowly mending bridges and how the Inversion went down, he became the second one to step forward, apologised to Milo, and accept Asher as Beta.

Has no idea what Darlin's issues are. He tried reaching out to Darlin' when they were teenagers, only to be rebuffed constantly. Getting the message, he left them well alone. He still does so after learning about the whole Quinn thing, not wanting to be involved in their dangerous drama.

Leshaun

Surname: Vance

Has a raspy, sexy growly voice whenever he speaks or sings! (Think Steven Rodriguez) If Brooker plays the guitar, expect him to sing on the fly.

Linda wants him and Brooker to perform during her wedding.

Aro-Ace, though, gives the best love advice.

Always consult with Christian first about anything that might involve the Pack before going to David because he sees him more as an Alpha first than a friend.

Instead of dipping hot French fries into his vanilla sundae, he dumps them all into the bowl of ice cream and eats them with a fork.

A damn good cook that can give David a run for his money.

Loves off-road dirt biking. He'll race with a shifted Linda, Arden and Kelsey sometimes.

As a teenager, he had a crush on William Solaire, and whenever his soccer practice ended late in the evening, he'd make a stop at a cafe, hoping to see him again. He grew out of it eventually.

After the Inversion, he quit working for David and took some time to heal before working with the Department.

His favourite sparring partner was Amanda, and he helped her move her stuff to South Dakota in Christian's stead.

Understand Gen Z lingo from scrolling through TikTok. Fear him.

Very much into retail therapy and tend to buy basketball shoes.

Linda

Surname: Matvienko

Her father is Ukrainian, while her mother is American. She can curse you out in both languages until your head is spinning.

Her family joined the Pack when she was a toddler.

The best tracker in the Pack, as her nose is sensitive even in human form.

Wears a small diamond bracelet that she has saved up for years. The only jewellery she has.

Has a collection of Ukrainian books that she loans to Brooks.

As a wolf, her coat is lighter in colour, and that makes it hard for her to hide and blend it. Amanda, Kelsey and Arden like to ambush her.

After the Inversion, David told Angel that she had told him she was undecided about remaining working for Shaw Security, but he suspected that she actually had; she just didn't know how to tell him.

Her confidence shakes after the Inversion until she meets someone - a visiting Old Blood who came to Dahlia for the Summit.

They met and hit it off right away.

He helped her regain her lost confidence, and she helped him recover the simple joys in life.

They eventually got engaged, and that's why she decided to leave the security gig.

She announced it in the Pack's group chat, but it was quickly drowned by Darlin's text, stating that they were bringing Sam over for the Solstice party, and then Asher and Angel started teasing them.

It's alright, though. Christian, Arden, and the other wolves close to her threw a celebration and got to know the new Vampire House.

Although she's being treated as the queen she is, she now works as a security consultant for her fiance's clan.

Their wedding would be a small one at the beach at night, attended by a few wolves and Vampires.

David only realises she's married when William makes an offhanded comment that an Old Blood constantly returns to Dahlia with a wolf spouse.

Miguel

Surname: Romero Iglesias

His family came from Argentina, and he joined the Shaw Pack when he was a pre-teen.

Can't stand the cold, so he very rarely attends the Pack's Winter Solstice party and instead treats himself to a little vacation somewhere warm. Christian keeps him informed, though.

A good marksman since he enjoys spending time at the shooting range. Has an impressive collection of guns in his locked basement. He's thinking of creating a Youtube channel about it.

Always has to recharge his social battery before attending a Pack event because he gets uncomfortable among large, noisy crowds and Asher. The Inversion was utter hell for him.

After the Inversion, David mentioned that while he's still working for Shaw Security, he's more active in the administrative field, which suits him just fine.

He and Christian were classmates together and was the first one to know that he and Amanda were sleeping together. He had hoped that they would be mates because she made him happy.

Speaking of Christian, he understands that he's painfully awkward when conveying emotions and would check him if he's becoming too much of an asshole. He feels guilty that he couldn't stop him from bullying Milo. He apologises to him, nonetheless.

Can't seem to hold a romantic relationship for more than 2 months so he has FWB outside of the Pack instead.

A homebody so his friends would hang out at his place whenever he takes leaves from work. They would watch movies and just drink beer and crash for the night.

A smooth talker when drunk.

Doesn't hate Sam but thinks he's standoffish. He would nod and greet him, but that's about it.

Brooks

Surname: Solace

He is a natural heartbreaker among men and women, though he never cheats on any of the relationships he's been with.

He has the highest body count in the Pack, lol.

Milo likes to think that he's the best-dressed wolf in the Pack, not knowing that Brooks is way ahead of the game. He just lets Milo keep the title because...

"Have you seen Milo? He's pretty proud of wearing that combo today - silver tie with red blazer. He keeps telling Asher that it's the rage among men's fashion this month. Does he know 'cause you wore it for Vogue magazine?"

"Probably not but hey, he looks adorable strutting for that Stealth. Anyway, you're coming to Paris with your Vamp this weekend, Lins?"

After the Inversion, he quit the security gig and got snapped up by an unempowered modeling agency. He's enjoying it so far.

Because of the nature of his job, he constantly travels in and out of Dahlia and often skips Pack events.

Also, he's one of the wolves that bullied Milo and thinks that Asher is unsuited to be Beta. But after seeing Asher gift Christian the watch and them slowly mending bridges and how the Inversion went down, he became the first to step forward, apologised to Milo, and accept Asher as Beta.

While he's not as close to the trio, he would often be seen with Leshaun, Brooker, Christian, and the rest whenever he's around. Always keep in touch with them and send them VIP tickets during fashion week.

A bit of a polygot as he has a habit of learning the languages of the places he visits.

Hates how Leshaun eats his fries and ice-creams and always steals them away from him whenever his back is turned.

He has the loudest howl in the Pack.

The only social media he uses is Instagram; even then, he only posts pictures of scenery.

Amanda

Surname: Remington

Enjoys watching mukbang videos whenever she eats. It helps her unwind.

Has a type and it's jerks with a heart of gold.

Parents divorced when she was 12, but before that, she always hung out at Christian & Arden's house to escape her bickering parents.

Realises that she had feelings for him after they slept together for the first time but only confesses to him after the Inversion.

Road rage whenever she drives. Do not get stuck in traffic with her.

A damn good fighter, both in human and wolf form.

Shifted during late puberty. Was very anxious about it.

Her wolf form is on the bigger side, though.

The only mobile game she plays is Tetris. She likes the repetitiveness of it.

Keeps every present that the Pack gave her. Even when the perfume bottle is empty.

After the Inversion, she stays with Christian, Arden and Kelsey as she can't stand being alone.

Her guilty pleasures are Turkish soap operas.

Once she settled in South Dakota, she entered the Unempowered workforce.

Although she attends the same school as David, Asher, and Milo, she has her own clique.

Always want to do ballroom dancing and wear pretty dresses.

Quick to anger but also quick to forgive.

After Christian tentatively tells her he's seeing Alexis, she's more worried than jealous.

Whenever she visits Dahlia, she first visits Arden, followed by Christian and then the rest of the Pack.

Kelsey

Surname: Lennox

Doesn't play video games but watches playthroughs, but only the complete playthroughs.

Her favourite Youtuber is Ironmouse.

Loves riling people up on social media. She's a bit of a troll.

One of the fastest wolves in the Pack.

Listen to metal bands and would annoyed Christian by blasting a song outside of his door before making her dramatic entrance.

Is currently seeing someone but she's not telling.

Used to do ballet but stopped after she graduated from high school.

Can't stand spicy food. Like, even the mildest of spice would have her crying.

Hardcore fan of Epic the Musical. She always dragged her friends to her place for a karaoke party. Her favourite song is 'Ruthlessness.'

After the Inversion, she did her best to care for her cousins and Amanda, burning herself out. Christian and Arden took care of her in return.

In a fight, she's the one who rushes headlong first, giving everything she has so that the worst is dealt with.

Always dressed as a popular slasher during Halloween.

She's the one you want to go clubbing with, as whenever she's on the dancefloor, everyone wants to dance with her.

Whenever Brooks steals Leshaun's fries & ice cream abomination, she buys him a new one.

First crush is Starscream from the old Transformers cartoon.

Arden

Surname: Novak

Has an insane amount of good luck. Gatcha players in the Pack always ask her to pull for them.

Has a pet tarantula for years. It used to freak Christian out until he got used to it and helped her take care of it.

First crush is Jessica Rabbit.

Had an Emo phase and will absolutely smother Christian with a pillow if he brings out the picture.

Has been in a poly relationship for 2 years now. The only people who knew about it were Christian, Amanda, Kelsey and a few Pack members.

Loves to gossip and share the tea.

Although she doesn't outwardly defend Christian, she instead trashes their belongings, and no one ever suspects a thing. Asher may or may not lost a couple of items growing up. Hey, it's her duty as the older sibling to defend her baby brother, even if he's a jerk.

However, she was severely disappointed that he had bullied Milo.

It took her a long while to warm up to the idea that Christian and Alexis were secretly dating.

Good in oil painting and takes commissions. She likes painting for her loved ones.

She always puts on performances when she does deep cleaning around the apartment with noise-cancelling headphones on.

Serial maladaptive dreamer. Expect her to walk around the apartment listening to TikTok edit songs.

A vicious and pragmatic fighter. The kind that aims straight for the jugular at the first opportunity against enemies. It's why she has the second Shades count beside David.

Can't stand wasabi and will prank Christian whenever he swaps her favourite mint ice cream with it.

She also tried befriending Darlin' when they first joined the pack but was disheartened when they ditched her for the troublemaker group at school.

Likes binge-watching classic animes like Perfect Blue and Ghost in the Shell.

Christian

Surname: Novak

Secretly a fan of K/DA. For a while, his phone's home screen has been Evelyn.

Has a sweet tooth and always has a homemade jug of Thai milk tea in his fridge.

Kelsey dared him to get a tattoo when they were in high school. He got a tiny one of a wolf's jaw but then actually liked it. Currently, his entire back is tattooed. It's one of his proudest investments.

Met Alexis 3 months after Amanda moved away. They met at a wine store, fighting for the last bottle of their favourite brand. They had a push-pull relationship but nowhere near as bad as Darlin' and Quinn despite Alexis being... Alexis. As of currently, neither of them confessed, but they're often going on sexcapades outside of Dahlia. Only the ones closest to him know about it.

After nearly losing a leg during the Inversion, he struggles with physiotherapy. Often despises using the cane to help him walk. During his treatment, he hates leaving his apartment. It's the help of Arden, Kelsey, and a few others that got him to use it.

Doesn't realise that most of the older wolves (like, a year or two) look at him and how he interacts with David, Asher and Milo and follow suit. It's why most of them started questioning too when he blatantly questioned Asher becoming a Beta.

Speaking of which, like Leshaun, they would talk to him first for advice and stuff before going to either David or Asher, as they're closer to him than the two.

Good with kids, but he pretends to grumble and complain about it. The younger cubs think it hilarious, while the teenagers count on him to get the heat off their backs and keep them away from Asher and David if they do something they aren't supposed to.

Amanda was supposed to be his proper romantic relationship, but it's turning out to be Alexis.

He and Alexis enjoy arguing, but they care about each other, too, in their own awkward way. He calms her down while she gives him a good fight whenever he's spoiling for one.

After the secret's out, Darlin' confronts him about how much Alexis hurt Sam. Christian had to hurry and drag Alexis away because she couldn't stop laughing at how pissed off they looked.

A switch in bed.

Hates horror movies with a passion and always blames Arden for traumatising him with the first Hellraiser movie when she forced him to watch it with her when they were 12.

Took a long time apologising to Milo because of his ego, pride, awkwardness and shame.

-

This was fun! Here's a google doc that I compiled what I can find about the side characters. Feel free to fact check them if I missed anything. AND THANK YOU @thegoldenlittlerose FOR HELPING ME COMPILED THE INFO AND YOU TOO @moonandstarlightsposts FOR HELPING ME FLESHED OUT THE THE CHARACTERS!

[lord-of-the-margins]

Recent thoughts on Transgenderism

Tumblr, I think it’s time we approach the gender talk.

I’ve been very angry at liberals since about 2022. Before that (2019-2021) I was terrified of them. I grew up as a liberal in a very liberal area. I knew one moderate conservative. All I’ve known is liberal perspectives and ideologies for most of my life. I went to Evergreen State college for years (super senior). I lived in the epicenter of woke.

I’m not going to be a liberal ever again. Being around a lot of liberals, like in a city, makes me nervous. That’s how bad things have been in my little world. All the bridges have been burnt and every knife has somehow found its way into my back. I’ve since taken them out and re-calibrated my expectations.

Still, I have gender issues. They’ve gotten a lot better. And gender shit is still consuming society for no real reason other than to spread misery it seems.

Because of how horrifically poorly liberal society handles the issue of transsexualism and transgenderism, I’m scared to share the new insights I’ve made regarding gender dysphoria. The way the left fetishizes and commodifies mental illness is truly disturbing. The teenage impulse to commandeer and mimic mental illness for attention is never discouraged at any point. Not even in fully grown adults.

If I tell you what I’ve discovered, I’m afraid you will destroy yet another portion of the DSM in a misguided attempt to validate me. It is not validating. You are harming people. I needed the DSM to figure out what was happening. I needed psychologists to push back on my impulses. I’m glad they did. They can no longer do so without fear of being slandered as transphobic.

I look at the work you’ve done on behalf of the trans community and it reads as a collection of demons trying their best to fix society.

So yeah.

I like Tumblr for reasons other than politics. I don’t really want to talk about politics on here all that much. But this national gender dysphoria the younger generations all seem to have is hard to ignore. It can also be offensive. I’ve felt as offended by Zoomers and Alphas trying to be inclusive as I did from Gen X trying to hurt my feelings. So that’s been a fun little discovery I’ve made about myself and the world. Maybe you just can’t escape it. It’s part of life either way. And if you’re fucking around with gender, it’s inevitable. Maybe constant offense needs to happen just to make this demented form of self-expression that less attractive. Because a trans identity is not an attractive endeavor. It doesn’t make for attractive men and women. If you must do it, you need a thick skin just to look at yourself in the mirror let alone to hear what anyone else has to say about it. It’s signing up for a lifetime of disappointment and can only be explained through mental illness.

To conclude, what I found behind the mental illness was even more mental illness. Given liberals’ inclination to celebrate, imitate, and capitalize on mental illness, I don’t think it would be wise for me to tell you about what I did to make the pain of gender dysphoria go away.

What I will tell you is that I had to recognize that I suffered incredible abuse growing up. Truly exceptional abuse. I’ve been studying books on the matter on and off for about four years now. I had to learn a lot of new things and it was very overwhelming at first. It changed how I saw myself and even how I view reality. It’s been quite a journey.

None of the resources I used were made by anyone in the trans community. None whatsoever. All the people who helped me wrote their books in saner times. Your big gay trans social justice movement didn’t help me one bit. Just like feminism has never really helped me personally. Because exceptional people don’t need a parade to get their foot in the door.

Whenever I get close to woke people, I get nervous. I’ve gotten better at sensing that malevolent energy. Since I grew up with it, it took some time to suss it out. It took a massive fuck up, followed up with sticking to my convictions, to feel about fifty knives in my back before it finally sank in.

A lot of damage has been done and yet there are people under the left’s banner I could still care for. People who make uplifting art that has truly helped me. If I hadn’t found them, I wouldn’t have bothered writing this. So I guess this is for the innocent, the clueless, the kind.

I would only consider seriously talking about gender dysphoria with the public if and only if the DSM once again recognizes transsexualism and transgenderism as mental illnesses and the American Psychological Association allows its practitioners to discourage transitioning.

[emostudent]

TEEN WOLF BRAINROT

so, i've been rewatching teen wolf bc apparently netflix hates us europeans and it will be removed on may 31st and here are a few of my opinions TM

scott is actually a very good main character. listen, i got into this fandom when i was older, so i probably don't understand why there is this trend of hating scott, but he's a valid MC! he shows an example of positive masculinity that is honestly so refreshing to see in modern media: he's kind, compassionate, always optimistic but not stupidly so, has an amazing relationship with his mum AND his friends, he's not afraid to show emotions and cry. honestly a very healthy, albeit traumatised, young man. yes, he did stupid stuff for the girl he liked, and yes he misjudged a few situations, but please, remind me, how old is he supposed to be? 16? 17? 18? yeah. i did worse things at his age.

scott and stiles come from working class families!!! they have money problems!! it's honestly so refreshing to see teenagers discuss money in a supernatural/fantasy tv show. it doesn't usually happens and I've found it refreshing because it's something that usually happen between irl teenagers.

i don't get sterek. really, really don't. maybe it's bc i've watched the show through a gen z lens (meaning the media and the culture (read: THE INTERNET) when i watched the show were influenced more by gen z than millennials' values) but i really don't get it. and the age difference makes me uncomfortable. (same thing with parrish and lydia, SHE'S A MINOR DUDE, there's a reason people don't like cops istg) SOMEONE EXPLAIN STEREK TO ME PLEASE

in fics stiles and scott's personalities are often swapped: stiles is the caring one, the pack mum, scott is the one with homicidal tendencies. like, my dudes, the fact that scott is a GOOD person through and through is the reason he's a true alpha. also the reason we, as viewers, like stiles is bc he's sarcastic and more morally ambiguous than scott (not really, but you get it, he cares more about himself and his immediate friends, the others can die, scott instead want to save everyone period), it's like taking away the thing that makes stiles stiles

malia and stiles were SO cute, i didn't expect to like them so much, but when they broke up my heart shattered

stydia is everything i want in a ship and i will not accept any criticism on it, it's literally one of the only straight ships i like. you have the slowburn, the malewife x girlboss trope, the he fell first but she fell harder, the mutual pining. it literally checks all of my boxes

isaac was such a cool character and he and scott had an amazing dynamic, like come on, they had something going on between them

kira is a badass. that's it, that's the comment. i like her so much

derek's development is one of the best. i couldn't stand him in season 1, but in s4 he became one of my favourite characters. but i think this has more to do with the fact that they aged him up? he was supposed to be in his early 20s in s1, but then they aged him up in s3? well, anyway, i liked how he literally wised up, stepping into the role of a teacher and guide instead of a leader, it suits him so much better (and i'm sure it's less stressful)

peter is such a charmingly evil bastard. i hate him, but i love him at the same time.

thiam is the best ship in the show, i don't care if it's canon or not. i've read airplanes, it's canon to me

we would've liked (simped for) s5 theo more if he had the same haircut he had in 6b. he was just stupidly hot.

allison and lydia should've kissed and so malia and kira. give me my wlw couples.

[animentality]

Thinking about how a popular Tiktoker was filming two complete strangers and they rightfully got pissed and told him to fuck off, and all of his comments were fucking teenagers calling them "Karens."

Filming people without their consent is such a fucking twat thing to do, and calling any woman who tells you to leave them alone a Karen is such an ugly trend for gen z and gen alpha to inherit.

That's not what a Karen is.

[solar-sunnyside-up]

I am a teenager. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal if I wasn’t worried I’ll never anything but. I seriously feel like I’m watching the entire world crumble around me. It doesn’t seem like any system in society actually works, there has been a new crisis seemingly every five or so years of my life, with the last four years just being a long chain of constant crises, the world seems like it’s actively worsening and I haven’t even been given the chance to participate in it.

I live in the Netherlands, which is currently going to shit bc some assholes thought it was a good idea to vote for the guy with a campaign plan that was rendered impossible by our literal bill of rights/ constitution (both works, I guess). Like, a bunch of his ideas are just straight up illegal. It took about ten or so months for our cabinet to form and the only things they’ve done by now is try to bypass our democratically chosen representatives, fuck over non-cow based farmers and ruin the livelihoods of refugees. I honestly don’t think that I’ll ever get to be a functional adult with the way the world is going. The 2020s are not a fun time to go through major developmental changes socially and gain class consciousness. I guess this is a bit of a whiny statement. I feel so childish complaining about how the world is getting scary when there’s definitely worse places to be a teen in than the cozy, peaceful Netherlands. However I’m also a literal child, so I think I’m allowed to have a few ‘childish’ fears. I think that we all get to be whiny by now, with how millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are all getting fucked over by the decades of extreme capitalism.

I wanna start this by saying no matter where you are in the world, it's pretty shit. Yea of course there's war zones and famines and stuff all over but that doesn't diminish your pain and suffering. Globally there is this swing to fascism. And a constant denial of the reality we as a younger generation are forced to live with. You have never lived in a world with normal Temps, without a war being shoved down your throat, with the economy on your side. That alone allows you to feel gross and dispair.

It's like how we have over 80 yrs of proof that UBI works and eliminates poverty and yet??? Not a single country to my knowledge has actually gone with it. It's so frustrating watching the answer sit there, covered in dust, just bc it has a fake currency that the older ppl refuse to let go of.

You deserve rage, you deserve fear, you deserve sadness.

But the brighter side is, idk if you've seen in the last day or so. But your not alone in this not even the only teen!

The universe cannot be uncaring bc I care. And bc you care, and bc every other anon who's sent in their sadness and fears cares about each other and the planet. Your not alone. I won't let you be.

[prettygirlgerard]

do you think gen alpha is going to make posts someday like I wish I was a teenager in 2019 when stranger things season 3 came out…getting slurpees and going swimming and watching horror movies not a care in the world… sigh…

[m4thu1n]

My Introduction!!<3

Name:Mathúin / Mazikeen!! Mazey 4 short.

Age: Unlabled because of weirdos,, but I'm a teenage girl lol.

Likes: Art, poetry, biology, anthropology, Lana del rey, Amy Winehouse, 1940-1950's jazz / music in general, coquette dollette aesthetic, and collecting trinkets!!

<------------------------------------->

I have a collection of rocks and crystals, and I dabble in withcraft every now and again. My patron godesses are Hecate, Persephone, and Aphrodite. Hellenistic pagan (?) ...unsure.

Dislikes: Avocados, broccoli, annoying people who refuse to shut up, prolifers, aggressive christians, gen alpha slang when used excessively, and men.

DNI: P3d0s, comshippers/darkshippers/whatever the fuck you guys are, unironic haters, anyone who's not a girls' girl, misogynists, bigots, transphobes and homophobes, and all that jazz.

You WILL be blocked if you interact with my works. This is a safe space for those that are hurting, and those that have healed over time.

Things I'd love to see: Music recommendations!! Art links for inspo, or just art that you're proud of. Poetry, of course— maybe a bit of mythology mixed in. Lastly, support. We all gotta stick together, alright? No matter how bad the world gets.

[thewadapan]

In light of the good news, I've finally sat down to watch skibidi toilet. It's pretty good, not too surprisingly! Absolutely no wonder that Michael Bay seems to have such a genuine fondness for it, considering how much of a love-letter it is to his work on Transformers and how dedicated it is to just producing spectacle above all else.

The first-person-POV of the cameramen in the show is easily its most inspired element, giving an intuitive structure to the episodes (about 50% of the time the episode ends because the cameraman gets fucking bodied). As it escalates in scope and ambitions, you see the device being used in more impressively inventive ways towards narrative ends, as cameramen and TV men are used to diegetically transition between subplots. But it's also used in more subtle ways, with different effects or overlays, or simply in how the cinematography itself can communicate the emotions of the cameraman doing the recording.

Moreover, the whole thing is very video-game-y, isn't it? Not even just in terms of the assets, but in terms of the action, the beat-to-beat plotting. It's a lot of sneaking around open-level environments, picking up new weapons from dead enemies, encountering new types of enemies or bosses with their own attack patterns and weaknesses. It instantly transported me back to being a teenager, fucking around in Garry's Mod, playing Team Fortress 2 with my mates, getting through Half Life, and all that. The SFM-filmmaker aesthetic isn't just a mode of convenience—although obviously the fact that DaFuq!?Boom! has managed to maintain a pretty prodigal output can be partly attributed to the fact he's using software and assets he's clearly very comfortable with—but rather, it informs everything about the storytelling.

People love to performatively (or ignorantly) act like skibidi toilet is some incomprehensible, unprecedented "brainrot" that the kids are into, but it's nowhere near as absurd as everyone likes to pretend. I feel like I've seen something very similar to it before, but the closest thing that comes to mind is the old trend of stick-figure fight animation borne out of Newgrounds. Or if not that, then yeah, the Transformers films! It's like the entire back half of Dark of the Moon depicting this huge guerrilla war in occupied Chicago—that's clearly the main touchstone.

It's a crime that the most absurd (and often disturbing) part of the show, the SKIBIDI DOB DOB DOB YES YES earworm constantly being repeated by the skibidi toilets, has seemingly been copyright struck, resulting in many portions of the official uploads suddenly just going silent for multiple seconds. It actually incenses me that someone, or some organisation, has been able to do this. I don't really have an ethically-consistent model of how copyright should work, but in cases like this, it seems like obviously a net negative for the world. For whatever reason, the Shorts versions of the episodes seem unaffected, but they're unideal for their own reasons.

The main thing is that past a certain point, the Shorts clearly become cut-down extracts of the main widescreen episodes, which presumably have the intended aspect ratio. Some of the longer uploads have what the content-slop lore freaks describe as "secret scenes", added-in, revised, or unabridged, often containing more of the long-term plot points. The idea that these might be "secret" from the perspective of anyone just watching the Shorts is really funny to me. Also, the fact that the episodes are being collected into "Season" compilations is hilarious to me in its own right—in what attention-deficient world can 20 minutes of a show be described as a full season? Gen Alpha is so cooked bro.

Thankfully, I was able to find a Google Drive where somebody's managed to archive the full series so far with uncensored audio. But then I was checking the YouTube uploads, and I realised some of the newer ones actually have closed captions for certain lines of dialogue! As in, the reversed speech of the cameramen etc, or even what some of the skibidi toilets are saying! These subtitles are missing from that Google Drive archive, meaning it's not a perfect way of watching the show either.

But the thing is, I also think adding subtitles to the show is a huge misstep on DaFuq!?Boom!'s part. One of the things I found most surprising about skibidi toilet is that, for the most part, it actually requires the viewer to be paying pretty close attention in order to follow any of the "plot", insofar as there is one. You have to be able to tell apart all these near-identical and often silent appliance-head guys. Sometimes the POV will be some random cameraman, but other times it'll be a recurring character, and noticing that will add something to the viewing experience. Most of all, the lack of speech (and lack of expressions) for most of the characters forces you to constantly be interpreting their body language to understand what they're communicating to one another.

The subtitles stand to ruin this aspect of the show. Also, the dialogue itself is poorly-written, bro. It's nice that the writer does have something in mind for everything they're saying to one another, but it's a complete mistake to actually present that as part of the text. Frustratingly, I can't even commit to just watching future episodes without captions, because what if he decides to seriously start putting load-bearing plot stuff in them?

(According to DaFuq!?Boom!'s word of god, all the skibidi toilets can understand all languages, they just choose to speak their superior skibidi language. God I love that.)

The main completed arc of the story, set in and around a bunker, is honestly fantastic, thrilling stuff, with some individual (rudimentary) character arcs and tons of great setpieces. My favourite episode of the show, in the immediate aftermath, delivers a legitimately great twist in a brilliant way. I'm excited for the next episode to drop, but moreover, I'm on the absolute edge of my seat waiting to see how skibidi toilet transforms itself for the mainstream media of TV and/or film.

[netscapenavigator-official]

In my opinion, generational hate comes from the same place as toxic youthfulness worshiping. As in, the same insecurity that convinces people that wrinkles are a bad thing is the same one that is currently convincing people that Gen Alpha's slang is something worth "worrying" about.

To put it more bluntly, I think Gen Z got so used to being the "young" and "cool" and "radical" teenage generation that, now that they're starting to age out of that zone, they don't know how to cope. Blaming themselves would be accepting the unstoppable progression of time and one's own mortality, which most people aren't emotionally mature enough to do, in a meaningful way, so the only other option is to blame Gen Alpha.

Gen Alpha is starting to introduce the world to a younger, cooler, more radical generation, (as successor generations tend to do) and Gen Z sees that as a personal attack on the only identity they've ever known (because they're in their fucking 20s). The only difference is that Gen Z, as opposed to prior generations, has a particularly unhealthy relationship with youthfulness. As a result, they have this internalized belief that, after their 20s, there is no hope for forging a new generational identity, so they're digging their claws in, instead of letting go.

And the reason other generations are following suit is because they thought that way too. Specifically, Gen Z has been put on this pedestal by Progressives because of their abnormal participation in politics making the world lean further left than it ever has. So, when Gen Z says "this new generation is a problem," the older generations don't question why and blindly follow suit in dehumanizing them before they've even had a chance to be adults.

And while Gen Z's hatred is becoming rather volatile, rather fast, I don't think this logic is exclusive to them. I think every predecessor generation hates their successor generation(s) for the same reason: At one point, they were the cool, new, radical generation. When that was no longer true, they failed to cope with the identity change, and they blamed their successor generation for pushing them out the space that was formerly theirs, despite the successor generation doing nothing but... aging.

In their eyes, they were made "old" by the successor generation, and being "old" is a "bad thing," so most people just blame their successors because that's easier than making peace with the runaway train that is time, aging, and mortality.

[disast3rtransp0rt]

I am a long-term high school substitute atm. which means I'm getting a peek into the system without actually having to play by all the same rules (very cool position imho); and I am learning A LOT about the Youths today. But what I am learning is painful.

They have endless curiosity but nowhere to funnel it. They're forced to learn the same dry subjects we were forced to learn but now with constant parental censorship that prevents teachers from actually doing their mcfucking jobs (teaching them facts/discussing potentially controversial material). It's denying them the chance to develop strong critical thinking skills!

They have quick access to information but no idea how to sort truth from advertisement or propaganda. And before anyone gets mad, this isn't an "every gen z/gen alpha kid" statement, but a generalization based on sweeping observation and personal experience. Not an accusation, but a realization that - as a kid who played outdoors and made grass potions and skinned my knees well into my teenage years climbing trees - things have been overdigitized to an extreme.

Like shit, guys, this new generation of kids aren't being given the chance to challenge themselves. They want to know how to engage meaningfully but are denied the opportunity at every turn.

So Dear Teenagers: Y'all are far from dumb. Your generations can do things I could never dream of understanding. That being said: There's a kid in my class who knows how to work the crypto market but can't tell "which" from "witch". We're supposed to show them Schindler's List but we can't read any articles about gender or else the world might end.

You guys need to educate yourselves on the HOW and WHY, or if you can, find an adult you feel safe with and ASK THEM MEANINGFUL QUESTIONS. Some of us really really wanna answer them.

[glngrbred]

OK, so gen alpha is doomed, We can all agree on that, in the US specifically kids on average are not doing well (academically and behaviorally), and on top of that there is a growing mental health crisis in kids the age of my younger brother, like kids 10+. kids younger than that are doing better, that's not even weird to say. The issue is probably a combination of really small children post 2010 having consistently unregulated screentime, and also covid breaking up developmental patterns for kids, and sorta giving kids a habit of being on their devices for 18 hours a day. that's causing social issues and behavioral issues since their parents ALSO HAVE UNREGULATED SCREEN USE 24/7 and are NEGLECTFUL. if your kid is spending 10 hours a day on screens YOU ARE ENABLING THAT AND NEGLECTING THEM! Kids are literally not capable of regulating screen use on their own!!!!! and teenagers are BARELY able to, like if your teenage son has a learning disability like i do, they probably don't know how to regulate their screen use. the point is, people in the US are doing a disservice to the kids by completely ignoring issues that break up typical development. Like, being on a phone for 10 hours a day prevents you from making/building meaningful in person relationships, especially if that time is spent binging entertainment (or to a lesser extent playing video games). If 90% of kids in the Us spent 10 hours a day in their bedroom laying on the floor face down, it would be a national health crisis. being on your phone, just rotting, is barely better than that. Like, unless you are spending 10 hours a day doing regimented research on social media, like watching an entire crash course or something, you are not gaining any skills. Period. Like, you are just straight up losing your life to entertainment, friendships breakdown, your health goes the same way, your mental health is statistically probably doing the same thing, you are rotting.

If you are a parent, do a screen detox for real this time, get a therapist to help you, and find a way to spend time with your kid in a way that will benefit them in the future, help them study, take cooking classes, teach them some skills from your trade, Anything. Just please for the love of god help them find something to do that won't be exhausting, and WONT NEGLECT THEIR NEEDS!!!

-Sincerely, a barely adult who is just barely not rotting anymore <3