#hope light and truth!

[elixirofblues]

[cepheusgalaxy]

look guys i very strongly disagree with the "trans men hold privilege over trans women" point of view and i'm finally able to articulate why:

I think trans men don't hold privilege over trans women, because privilege is kind of a consistent thing.

Like, bear with me: I'm an abled person. I have privilege in relation to disabled people. Because, if me and a disabled person are in a Situation where this distinction is relevant in some way...I'm literally never gonna come out with the worst hand. Never. No matter what the situation is. This is a consistent fact.

Now, when we talk about different transgender identities, I think this gets more shady, because the "who has privilege in relation to who" is a relative statement. One example I saw of people explaining why in their view trans man have privilege over trans women is kind of like this: Imagine there are two passing and stealth trans people, a trans man and a trans woman, in a workplace. Then, it comes a coworker, being blatanly misogynist. Regardless of their views on trans people, in this situation, the trans woman is gonna get the worst of it, in relation to the trans man, because he will be viewed as a man.

It makes sense, and I don't think this hypothetical situation is inaccurate or anything, but I'd also like to point out why it doesn't work as a good point to why transmascs have privilege over transfems. Imagine we change about any variable in this situation. Let's say the trans woman is closeted as a guy, and the trans man is openly transgender. The misogynist coworker then would very much target the trans man in their points, especially if they are particularly transphobic. Now imagine both of them are out and openly trans, with the bonus that now both the man and the woman are gnc. Depending on other specifics, the misoginyst coworker might be bigoted to just one or both of them.

Like, do you see? In different situations, the different trans people have the worst hand. So that doesn't mean that because of the first case, trans men have it generally better. Because there are many kinds of trans men, and simply not all of them have privilege over trans women. In some cases, they might even have it worse precisely because they are trans man. So the privilege the trans man in the first example has is not a consistent thing over trans man! Maybe it's common, I don't know, but when we compare it with someone who has real privilege, like me, an abled person, I ain't ever encounter myself in a situation where I'm having it worse because I am abled in comparison to someone who is disabled.

That's why I think trans woman and trans men simply don't hold privilege over one another, simply because it varies. It depends on who the trans men and women are, it depends in what situation they are in, it depends on the people around them, it depends of so much!!! So saying that trans men have privilege over trans women sounds simply surreal!

I think that, also, the different patterns of the situations in which trans woman have it worse are important to be discussed, and that's why we have the word Transmisoginy, to discuss these issues pertinent to the nuanced oppression trans woman face (and on a similar note, that's why it's also important to have fucking words like Transmisogynoir, because a black trans woman's Situations will be different from a white trans woman's Situations and it's important to to recognize that). THAT's why I also think that we need words like Exorsexism and Transandrophobia, to identify the patterns of situations where trans men have it bad precisely because they are trans men and not something else or because nonbinary people have it bad precisely because they are nonbinary.

SO, in short, my opinion on the "trans man have it generally better than trans woman and that's why they have privilege" debate is that trans man don't generally have it better than trans woman, but some trans man in specific situations have it significantly better than trans woman and that in other situations trans woman have it significantly better than trans man and that is basically a case-to-case scenario and that's also why we need the specific words for different shapes and faces of transphobia to better understand these cases and why x happens with y at z situation. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

sulani: set sometime after this

cw: while i tried to deal with it in a light way (without trivialising the issue), this does allude to consent. nothing happens, everyone’s wishes are respected, and no one is persuaded/pressured to do anything. just in case the subject may understandably be triggering for some though.

(also while I did my best with @akitasimblr's leo harper - or rather my homebrand cc free knock-off - nothing he does is canon unless Ana says it is!)

* * *

"Looking good, Leo. Why, thank you, you handsome devil. Have to say, Ms. “I’ve done more mucking out than messing around” was not the contestant I was expecting this call from. But we all saw her in that bikini. I would hardly refuse."

It was at this moment, Araminta knew that she had fucked up.

(Oooh, he is going to hate me. And completely ruin my chances with Dodo, if not my entire reputation simply out of spite. I know his type too well. Still, Minty. An explanation is owed - and an apology. You come from two long lines of royalty, so you must have a spine somewhere. Find it.)

"I have to say, this was an unexpected surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Can I get you anything? There’s a chardonnay chilling that will knock your socks off. And a few other things too, but we can take our time with that."

"..."

"Uh, Minty? I assume we’re on pet name terms, or we’re about to be. If it’s the chardonnay, I can have something else brought up."

"... .... ...."

"Listen, between you and me, when you get us five star celebrities between the sheets? We’re just Some Guy. Well, some of us anyway. I have it on good authority that Thorne Bailey for example is the worst woohoo. Like not even one star. So don’t be nervous! Assuming that you’re nervous because it’s me." 

(cue Leo's own math lady meme moment)

"Orrrr are you nervous because you’ve changed your mind - and you don’t know how to tell me?"

(looks up at him hopefully)

"Well, I’m taking anything other than shoving me onto the bed as a resounding ‘no, I’m not into this anymore.’ Why don’t I check on that chardonnay, and you take a moment? If I end up having the entire bottle to myself, that’s okay."

"See? It was fine. You are fine. Pull yourself together, Araminta."

* * *

"I… didn’t mean to text you. Your profile pictures look exactly the same."

"Funny how that works. So, you thought that you were texting my brother? And in spite of having at your fingertips the hottest commodity in the entire Simsverse - ie. my own personal private number - you decided that you’d rather attempt a night of passion with that doofus instead?"

"Well... yes?"

(leaves unsaid that there wasn't even a decision to be made. also - ahem. dodo is not a doofus, thank you.)

"But Watcher, everyone knows that I’m the sexy twin!"

(tactful silence)

"I am so terribly sorry, Leo. And quite frankly, mortified. I’d tear up my contract right now if I could."

"Contracts don’t work like that, Princess. Trust me. Don’t sweat it. It’s nothing to leave the challenge over. I can’t promise that I won’t laugh at you later or bring it up on the show at some point, but apart from you being a boring do-gooder, we’re cool. Deep breaths."

"I did, er, bring some wine myself. It’s an aged Chestnut Ridge red from our cellar, and I had thought that Dodo-"

"Totally wasted on him. Give me that."

"Thank you, by the way, for being so nice about this."

"Nice? Ha. I thought you lived on some Henford estate, not beneath a rock. But I’m not a creep. If you don’t one hundred percent want to be here, then I don’t want you here. Period. Go downstairs and get a massage or something. It looks like you need it."

"I may do just that."

"Wait - let’s check that you have my brother’s number right. You may have picked the wrong twin, but there’s nothing wrong with your taste in wine. And if you and Dodo don’t work out, then I’m always happy to mentor a promising up-and-comer." (winks)

"I’ll, uh, bear in mind that generous offer."

"No you won’t. You’re just being polite. Now scram. I’d totally smack your arse on your way out, but the Watcher is too cheap for that pack. And if you ever tell anyone other than Dodo that I wasn’t a total dick to you, I’ll spread a rumour that you once drank white wine with red meat or some other shit that would totally ruin your good name within 'polite' society."

"Plum, she really was that surprised at me being cool with her not wanting to sleep with me. The bar for men is so low, it must be in fucking Selvadorada. Here’s to being the sexy twin. And to all my daughters hopefully being lesbians."

"Hey, this is really a nice vintage. Nice girl too, unfortunately. But I could have fixed her, Watcher..."

[queenlucythevaliant]

How do you believe Theistic Evolution interacts with other aspects of Christian morality and tradition? I mean, obviously the commands of God are the commands of God - but what new perspective do you think a Theistic Evolutionary viewpoint gives?

Oh my goodness, so many things! Broadly, though, I'd divide the implications into two groups: God's character and the unity of creation.

God's character

Theistic evolution is (I contend) the only framework for understanding creation that has an equally high regard for both Scripture and scientific empiricism; thus, it makes a very profound statement about God's trustworthiness, and about our confidence in him as the arbiter of Truth.

Seeing God's fingerprints in the creative process over the course of millions of years gives us a real sense of his patience and tirelessness. As Chesterton might say, he never gets tired of saying to the replicating cell, "do it again."

We also get a beautiful picture of God's sovereignty over creation: he is the God that knew, from the first time two organic molecules crashed together, that he was creating Man to glorify and enjoy him forever.

In the story of creation through evolution, we see a God who transcends time, but also works within it to bring about his sovereign will; who is endlessly patient, who is clever and inventive, who has an eye for beauty and a love for tangents and (ostensible) dead ends. What does it tell you about God that he spent millions of years creating the platypus? That he created dinosaurs at all? Through theistic evolution, we see a creator who plays across the vast landscape of time, creating endless forms most beautiful. Most importantly, we see a God whose wonderful works are faithfully recounted not just in the pages of Scripture, but in the very substance of the world he created.

Unity of creation

Knowledge of evolutionary history pushes us to think about our own embodied nature, our creatureliness, and our place within creation/the biosphere. We are united in lineage with all other creatures, both living and dead. We are embodied in the same carbon as every other living thing, deliberately, beautifully. This pushes back hard against the strains of "flesh bad" gnostic dualism that have run through our faith for pretty much its whole history. Heaven is not our "real home"; our destiny is the New Earth. God has woven us into its fabric.

Jesus stepped not just into the human lineage, but the lineage of the whole earth! In becoming flesh, he took on our place in the tree of life. Jesus shared DNA with Mary and her family, yes, but also with bacteria and brachiosaurs and banana slugs. While Christ died for the sins of humanity in particular, His stepping into the unity of life points to a future in which all living things are to be redeemed.

We must take the Biblical call to environmental stewardship very seriously then, if the rest of the biosphere is not merely our dominion but something of which we are an inextricable part. Evolutionary theory calls us to reconnect our theology and the created universe. In the same way that Scripture calls us to care for the world God created, evolution tells us of our direct relationship with the rest of creation, which implies a duty of care.

[httpschrys]

Henry shakes his head. “I would have lost my mind.”

“Oh, I did,” she says blithely. “But when you live long enough, even madness ends.”

[newty]

The Anatomy of Dion's Brain

listened to the battle of belanus tor song on repeat otw to work. had a vision. the brain doesnt work very well

i made another one for the light i hear dion

[starryvomit]

i have never been loved by a good man

but i believe i could get used to it.

[themuskrater]

It’s been awhile since I’ve drawn any superheroes. But I’ve really been thinking about him a lot lately, so here’s my

SUPERMAN

[orlandospride]

the twist of fate being that spain winning the world cup was, perhaps, exactly what was necessary to happen in order to clean up the rfef, because….

they got away with it. they were in the clear. they achieved their goals of ridding the team of the ‘problem’ players, and forcing the others into grovelling, humiliating, public compliance. they had the perfect “see? we were right all along. we’ve been vindicated!” playbook in their back pocket. they had a stable enough pr stance, and world cup to parade around in the defiance of any noise around them

but they literally just could not stop themselves from being absolute weirdos for one evening. it’s incredible. and frankly, a little scary

[theswordandtherosepoetry]

[daveyfvckingjacobs]

https://www.tumblr.com/daveyfvckingjacobs/747669470228676608/alan-and-robin-edwin-and-violet-maud-and-jack?source=share

pls explain i love this hc but wgy i want to hear your thoughts

-maudlover1123

original post for context here!!

I can absolutely explain because I’ve thought about this quite a lot so!! I will now become an unskippable dialogue option

alan and robin as the solider:

aside from robin’s genuine ability and willingness to be the fists if needed they’re - in their own heads - the pawns. the ones who are able to be sacrificed if needs must for a greater good (see robin threatening his own life to protect maud and alan’s sin eater beliefs). the oftentimes simple, dirty brute force, the soldiers following orders (both willingly and not) to get what needs to be done done for others, oftentimes heedless of themselves. in the vein of unwillingness is also the sentiment of alan being a soldier in how his hand is forced, very truly a pawn for the wrong side against his will but mostly focusing on the positives of it. “who carries a mighty sword” in how indispensable they are even if they’re less on the side of planning or brains

edwin and violet as the poet:

this is the most metaphorical, in being poets both in terms of brains, and of words and actions in general. violet’s feverish intensity, her theatrics and fluidity of her magic alongside edwin’s theories and whip smart intelligence: to me those are forms of poetry, in a sort of metaphysical way. they have their own form of arsenal that isn’t (usually) violent but is just as brilliant and useful. the way edwin experiments with magic, violet too a little: “he will slay you with his tongue”, having a reliance on something more precise and delicate alongside the significance of the arts and literature to them both

maud and jack as the king/ruler:

maud’s army. that’s it that’s the thinking. jack starts it as a sardonic comment but it becomes quite literal: she’s the leader on the lyric, a surprisingly brilliant, optimistic and uplifting force who holds everything together and practically forces them to stay on track. jack is also pretty self explanatory: an officer veteran, still shaking off a lingering army mindset, the one with a grim knowledge of reality and the ability to properly shepherd everyone in the right direction. he’s also a lord - authority comes naturally to him and always has, because why wouldn’t it when everyone else bends over backwards for him. they’re the leaders in different ways, but leaders nonetheless: the ones who are looked too first for options, ironically and not

[brionysea]

argyle called el supergirl + mike called el superman, but that scene was about his feelings and insecurities so the superman association is really tied to mike. superman and supergirl are cousins

[iniziare]

I'm stealing this from Min before I tackle a thread (cause I don't do enough silly little things [update: it wasn't... really short]), but here's random sleep thoughts for the ladies that come to mind with something to say about it:

— Yelan: Sleeps naked, because it's healthy, come on, and there's two phases in terms of positions that she sleeps in. Phase one is where she sleeps incredibly relaxed on her side, and the covers usually end up predominantly wrapped around her (like this, or the idea of this) so perfectly, it's as if it was intentional, but it's not, she just... ends up this way. Feet and legs are rarely covered as she gets warm as she sleeps, and she often stretches like a cat during moments of waking. It doesn't matter if someone's in the bed with her, this is just how it goes— the only way to stop it is if you lay on said covers. She's also a quiet sleeper physically, despite the covers thing. She doesn't move much, which is why her hair usually still looks 'peachy keen, jelly bean', in the morning. Phase two only happens when she can catch up on sleep and she lazes in bed in a half-slumber state until, as she states, well into and past noon. At this point, it's evident that she's been warm, and so she rolls onto her stomach, and pulls the covers down a bit, exposing a fair bit of her back. Ideally her pillow is still there, but if not, no issue, the mattress works just fine.

— Kafka: No, she's not about the 'luxury' for the sake of it, please get fanon out of here, there are no silk pillows or sheets needed whatsoever. But she appreciates comfort in the sense of good quality pillows (though not too thick as she regularly sleeps on her stomach, or in some magical 'in-between' position of stomach/side), but she'd like two of them. And then the duvet usually... serves as an extra pillow mid-slumber for her body. She likes to lay on something that has a shape to it, I don't like the word 'snuggle' nor does she do it out of 'security', but it's about something that is molded against and into the shape of her. See it as... the duvet almost works like a body pillow to a certain extent, except she'll remain covered, she's a woman of modesty, of course. And in shipping scenarios, the partner would likely come to replace the 'body pillow' concept— imagine her to cozy up at your side, head on your shoulder, leg over yours, or snaked through yours. But she'd not a 'facing each other' kind of cuddler in sleep. Man's gotta be on his back. She's difficult, I know. Oh and please don't think that Kafka wakes up looking flawless, she does not. Trust me when I say that her hair is disheveled, have you seen the length of it? But she's endearing, she's drowsy, has a bit of a drawl to her voice— almost kind of cute (but a mess).

Honorable mentions:

— Guizhong: A bed, you say? Hardly, you'll rarely find her in one due to, well, the fact she's not human (there's a higher chance in modern). She'll be passed out at a table, or desk in her workshop, usually with parchment stuck to her cheek, covered by her own sleeves. Of course, this has her slightly grumpy in the morning. Morax sure chose a nice one. Oh, on the note of him— if he's around in the same bed, there's a chance she's asleep atop him. — Seele: Absolute mess. Don't even go into that bedroom, you'll wonder where the sheets or pillows are, there may even be one on the other side of the room, because it wasn't comfortable and so she argued with it physically, throwing it across the room in her sleep. She's likely still mostly dressed because she was too lazy or exhausted to get changed. Seele is the kind who, like her mun, will say 'I'm just laying down for 5 mins' and wakes up 5 hours later. Horrendous.

[totheidiot]

all i can think about is that i am going as L for halloween. I AM GOING AS L FOR HALLOWEEN EEE.

[vorbarrsultana]

Don't close the doors, take me, While I still know you, Truth! Having fulfilled His Design, not knowing it's price, I thank you for opening up to me!

Maxim Rakovsky as Finrod Felagund | Finrod Rock Opera

[windydrawallday]

Now let's have fun with references and scribbled info dump for "The Lighthouse"! And today we start with merfolk Lockdown, which funnily he isn't the main protagonist but is usually a witness and driver of important scenes and plot points.

Here he is part of a small community of merfolk that lives near the shores of a growing town-city, specifically surrounding the old lighthouse and site of interest in these stories.

Our characterization of him is a mixture superficially in the start like the bastard version of Animated but a good bunch is more lighthearted and reluctant like his Cyberverse interpretation.

With his design (and of many others of the merfolk cast) I wanted to show in general how we interpret these critters in this setting: they have more monstrous appearances and behavior to point at how "alien"/strange they are to the human cast. They can't even talk or understand the "dry-land-walkers" babbling! But are fast learners and many of them will show visual traits and/or act very human-like. There are some who even care a lot for humans and even tried to interact with them! But that's a point to touch on in another post.

Still, they are not bad or good: like the elemental spirits in myths, they just have morals that follow nature's course instead of humanity's constructed (and sometimes arbitrary) moral codes. That's why they sometimes will act "wicked" in the eyes of the human cast. But in reality, they are just curious and often scared creatures that only want to guard their territories and explore what their little watery bubble of the world offers them.

Every merfolk has "mystical" abilities related to fast regeneration and/or curative "spells"... that depending on certain factors, don't always work perfectly. They are known too as "weather stirrers" by the townspeople, with folk stories about merfolk "shooing away" whole storms with their chanting.

Did I tell you they can attract land-dry-walkers with their chanting, too? And there are some obscure stories too about people in the town dreaming about them...

90% credit goes to my buddy @nine-tailed-grimm because he got such a fantastic mix of fish for Lockdown! I only put visuals to his idea x)