#how to spot a secret terf

[lettersiarrange]

hey are you a terf ? you've been reblogging stuff from radfems ...

No, I'm not a terf, I support trans people 100%. Also terfs are uncomfortably cozy with the alt-right and that's uhhh... a whole other layer of awful.

But I think I may be following a secret terf? Tumblr keeps showing me these posts that are like "liked by someone you're following!" And I follow 4k people so I'm not like. Keeping track of anyone but my mutuals. And some of the posts tumblr shows me are obviously terfy which makes me go HMMMM but then some of them seem fine? So it's hard for me to tell the difference between "posts tumblr reccomends me that are normal and in line with the regular leftist and feminist things I'm into" vs like "posts tumblr reccomends me because they're liked by whatever secret terf I'm following and have suspicious undertones that aren't immediately obvious to me". I'm certainly not intentionally following any terfs or following anyone who publicly identifies as a terf* or puts terf shit on my dash but I'm apparently following someone who doesn't blog about terf shit but LIKES terf shit (and I think it might be a fandom blog so that makes it harder to identify) and then those likes show up on my dash and it's not always obvious that it's terf shit or from a radfem blog-- it's just a random posts from a url I don't know. And sometimes the posts themselves are fine on the initial read.

So pls let me know what the radfem blogs in question are so I can identify and remember them if they pop up on my dash again

*caveat that I've been on this website for 10+ years and follow 4,000+ people and it's theoretically possible that a blog I followed multiple years ago that I never see on my dash now publicly identifies as a terf, but I'm not gonna go through all 4k of my following to try and find out if any of them have become publicly shitty in a way that doesn't affect my dash in the years since I've followed them. People get unfollowed as they bring shitty views to my attention. Hence the conundrum with the undercover terf bc they don't post terf shit, they just like it.

[lostloveletters]

One of Those Nights (Sonny Corleone x Reader)

Summary: You’re Sonny and Sandra’s go-to babysitter, and when Sandra’s out of town for the weekend, Sonny needs all the help he can get.

Note: College-aged female reader, but no other descriptors are used. I listened to Donna Summer while writing this lol. Anyway, my first Godfather reader-insert fic! Do not interact if you're under 18, a terf or radfem, or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 1.8k

Warnings: Implied age gap, power imbalance, cheating. Sexually explicit content involving unprotected sex and Sonny's canonically huge cock. A little bit of praise kink. Do not interact if you're under 18.

Your eyes fluttered open from your half-asleep stupor at the sound of the front door’s locks clicking. Sitting up on the couch, you quickly smoothed out your blouse and skirt. You just barely made it into the kitchen when Sonny got in.

“Sorry I’m back so late. I wanted to be home to put the kids to bed—“

You shook your head, smiling. “It’s fine, Mr. Corleone. Frank and the twins are already asleep. There’s some sausage with peppers and onions in the icebox if you haven’t eaten. I can heat it up quick on the stove for you.”

“Jesus, you’re already doin’ us a favor staying the weekend while Sandra’s outta town,” he said, shedding his tie and undoing the first few buttons of his shirt. “And how many times do I gotta tell you, you can call me Sonny.” He playfully pinched your cheek. “I’m not that old yet, am I?”

“No,” you giggled. “Sorry, Sonny.”

The kitchen's layout was almost second-nature to you at that point, having done plenty of cooking for Sonny and Sandra's sweet kids when you babysat them. You grabbed a frying pan, setting it on the stovetop and pouring in a few drops of olive oil before turning on the flame. By the time you got the plate you saved for Sonny out of the refrigerator, the oil was sizzling, and the scent of sweet peppers and onions filled the kitchen again when you’d scraped the contents of the plate into the pan. 

Sonny was quiet behind you, save for him tapping his freshly lit cigarette against the porcelain ashtray on the kitchen table. You knew the sound well. His gaze burned through your back to your rapidly beating heart as you became increasingly aware that you were alone with him, the man who you lusted after in quiet guilt, because he was married and you were his children’s babysitter, for Christsake. 

After a few minutes, the sausage with peppers and onions appeared thoroughly reheated, and you transferred the meal back onto the plate. You grabbed a nearby loaf of crusty bread, cutting a piece for him and placing it with the rest of the food.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Sonny said, grabbing the plate from the counter.

“Anytime.”

You returned to the living room, tuning the radio to the station that was broadcasting Lights Out, a late night horror show that always sucked you in no matter how hard you tried to remind yourself it was only a radio story. At least it’d get your mind off of Sonny, out of the gutter–or into a different one at least. You sat on the couch, fidgeting with your hands as you let yourself get lost in the host’s voice as he told the latest tale of terror.

You nearly screamed when Sonny appeared in the living room with his plate of food and asked, “You listen to this garbage?”

“It usually scares me into staying awake.”

He snickered to himself, taking the spot on the couch next to you. “For what?”

“My roommates and I play it in the dorm during finals to keep us up when coffee doesn’t cut it.”

“How’s college goin’ anyway? Straight As, right?”

“I made the dean’s list last semester.”

He shook his head. “Smart and beautiful, whatever lucky guy ends up with you is gonna have his hands full.” He glanced at your chest, his eyes lingering on your breasts for a moment before going back to his food. “Your cooking might be a little better than San’s. Don’t tell her I said that.”

You smiled, keening at his compliment. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“You didn’t have to stay up for me, you know.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

“Why’s that?”

You faltered. “I just wanted to see you.”

He smiled, amused by your answer. “You’re sweet. Gonna give me a toothache if you keep that up.”

“Is that so bad?”

Sonny shook his head as he set his plate down on the coffee table. “‘Course not.” He got up to turn the radio off, the sound of his voice engulfing you in a warm haze, “Don’t get a chance to be alone with you enough.” He placed his hand on your knee when he sat back down, rubbing his thumb against your stocking-clad leg, the feeling frustratingly electric as the thin fabric was all that lay between the skin-on-skin contact you craved from him.

Your lips parted, trying to conjure up a response, but only managing a shaky breath and a weak nod of agreement. 

“We don’t gotta do anything you don’t wanna do, doll,” he whispered, his voice low.

“I want you, Sonny,” you assured him. 

He kissed you with a passion you swore only existed in movies, not the hesitant or sloppy handling you’d experienced from past boyfriends, but the certainty of a man who knew exactly what he wanted. Heat rushed over your skin at the confirmation that he wanted you, his hands on your body, sliding up your skirt as he grabbed your ass, pulling you closer to him so that you were practically straddling his lap. You steadied yourself on his biceps, giving them a squeeze, letting yourself feel him, acknowledge your desire for him that had been latent until then.

You moaned into his mouth, his tongue capturing the sound, claiming your expression of desire as his. And who else would it be for? You’d always found him handsome and charismatic, always were a bit too curious about what was behind each vaguely flirtatious comment or sly wink he’d send your way when no one else was looking. 

“Sonny, where–where should we–”

“We can do it out here, but you gotta be quiet. You can do that for me, right?”

You nodded eagerly.

Hunger glistened in his dark eyes as he smiled wolfishly. “Attagirl.”

A whimper escaped your lips at his praise, the way he made you feel naked with just his gaze. You unbuttoned your blouse, letting it slip from your arms and tossing it aside onto the floor. Sonny pulled you onto his lap, burying his face in the crook of your neck while he kneaded your breasts through your bra. Soon, that wasn’t enough, and he pulled them from the cups, his hands on your soft skin as he squeezed. His thumbs brushed over your nipples. You gasped. You wanted his hands on you like that all the time, had imagined–secretly hoped, even–that he’d do it one day while you were in the kitchen or in the narrow hallway to the bedrooms, that he’d grope you, kiss you, do something to make you stop feeling so crazy about him. In that moment you realized getting what you wished for only made you want him more.

His lips burned deliciously against your skin, and you groaned at the gentle bites he left on your neck and shoulders. You rocked your hips against his, feeling his hard cock straining through his pants, desperate for more friction against your pussy. 

“You feel that? You feel what you do to me?” he murmured against your tender skin.

“I need you,” you whined. “Please, Sonny.”

“Alright, doll. Lay back for me, alright?”

You did as he asked, shifting off of his lap to lie back on the couch. You watched intently, hungrily, as he unbuckled his belt, pulling his cock free from his pants, slowly pumping his length in his hand. You nearly choked. Sandra had made jokes about Sonny’s size before, ones that made your face heat up in embarrassment at her talking so crudely about him, but you’d always thought she was exaggerating. 

“Oh my god,” you breathed, silently wondering if he could even fit inside you, an almost morbid curiosity only further fueling your desire.

A tender concern spread across his face as he searched yours for any sign of hesitation. “You sure you’re alright with this?”

You nodded. “I’ve wanted you in a bad way for so long.”

“How bad?” he asked, his voice husky and low.

Your lips nearly touched his as you whispered your answer. “Shameful.”

He kissed you again, this time with an intensity that nearly knocked the wind out of you. His fingers dug into the waistband of your panties and stockings, pulling them down so you could kick them off, ending up with one leg hanging off of the couch, exposing your wet pussy for him. You buried your fingers into his hair, the kiss desperate and wanton, your mouth open for him in a soft gasp as his pushed his tip inside you. 

It wasn’t enough, the primal part of your brain screamed. You needed more. Digging your nails into his scalp, you lifted your hips, taking more of him in you.

“Don’t hold back, Sonny. I can take it,” you said.

He licked his lips, staring at you for a split second before determining you meant what you said. He filled you, your pussy clenching around his cock as he thrust into you, finding a rhythm that would’ve been painful if you weren’t already wet for him. 

“Y’know, I used to get off thinkin’ about this,” he grunted, “bending you over the kitchen counter or up against the bathroom door.”

“Sonny–I–”

“You know how long I’ve wanted you? Now I’ve got my pretty college girl coming apart for me.”

“Oh my god–fuck–Sonny–” Your heart was pounding in your ears, eyes struggling to stay open as his thrusts became deeper, more erratic. He was close, his cock twitching inside you, hitting that spot you’d only ever reached with your fingers before. No faking it, no having to do the heavy lifting yourself. 

He had to put his hand over your mouth when it hit you, white hot pleasure bursting in your brain, pulsing through your pussy as you grabbed at him, digging your fingers into his arms to ground yourself, feeling as though you’d lose control of your body otherwise. Your moans were muffled, incoherent nonsense as he fucked you through your climax to reach his. With another hard thrust, he came inside you. Overwhelmed by the sensation, your hips bucked and your pussy clenched hard around him, milking his cock as he came.

“Look at you, takin’ it all–fuck–” Sonny hissed out through gritted teeth, trying to maintain what little self-control he had as to not make too much noise. “So fuckin’ good for me–”

You whined at that, your overstimulated, fucked-out brain going into overdrive. You wanted to be good for him. You were good for him. 

You weren’t sure when it got so still, so quiet, but the only sound in the room was your and Sonny’s heavy breathing. He pulled out of you, your pussy feeling achingly empty. You looked at the ceiling, mildly aware of Sonny staring at you.

“How're you feeling? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked.

“I’ll be lucky if I can walk tomorrow,” you said breathlessly. “But that was great. Really I–I don’t know what else to say.”

He caressed your cheek, bringing your attention back to him. “I’m gonna get you a towel, alright, sweetheart?”

You nodded, smiling a bit when he kissed your forehead before disappearing down the hall to the bathroom. And there were still two whole days left before Sandra got back. You smiled wider.

[indigos-stardust]

Four Keys: Buwe (Blue)

(reblogs appreciated)

This is Buwe! (pronounced similarly to Dew), he's this au's Blue! Buwe's people, Selkie Folk, live in different communities on arctic Islands that rely on fishing seasons to survive.

Unfortunately, a horrible sea ice witch threatened them. She threatened to freeze all the sea, the sea that gave them their fish and their life, unless they paid. With wealth or manpower. Their tribes are like brother and sisters.

Paying her, it would have debilitated them until there was nothing left. It would kill them. Going against the other tribes would kill their souls. It was a trap to let her get more power. With the walls of ice surrounding them, and air so frigid no messenger bird could be sent, there would be no help to free them.

Buwe decided, that if she wanted a warrior, he would give her one. One that would take the breath from her lungs as he strangled her. No sick child of his home, his tribe of Kunae, would die again, because of her. Coughing blood and becoming brittle.

He found a weak spot in her ice walls and after nights of hard work in secret, he left. Filled with rage, knowing he'd never survive making it to the other tribes, he decided to go straight to the mouth of the beast. Her little hideout, hidden in the ice, under the freezing water.

He's never seen a place so beautifully sculpted, yet so revolting. Patterns of swirling ice with windows to the wide ocean outside, columns fashioned with utmost care. Icy statues of figures posed beautifully appear along the walls. The bones of children as adornments. Red stained fabrics, draping down the entrances.

It's nothing like the castles he's learned about from books, its far too small and the design itself is far too close to home. But he knows that's just now, she wants to expand this. She wants more. She'll build it out of pearly white bones if she has to.

He catches her by surprise, while she's tinkering with some sort of map. Planning for the attacks she'll lead them in, when they all crack and serve her in their grief. When they let her take control of their very minds with a binding oath made of pure dark magic.

She's amused at first. She knew how great of a warrior, and determined a man he was. She reminds him of her offer. To be hers. Only the finest would be hers, after all. He's sick. This monster, the way she talks, the way she watches him. It's nothing but a freaking game.

"No? Pity, Kunae man, but I don't want to kill you ,you know... Such a wasteful thing, yes?"

He stands in silent fury. He's ready to fight, to end this.

"Fine then, you can be, another one of my... perfect sculptures. My favorite one, in fact. That way, you could stay by my side forever, hm?"

She steps to him, closer and closer. He will not be afraid.

"Even back then... So brash and brave, when I came, I just adore you..." her hand caresses his face, he's tense, " That's the face I want to keep for myself forever."

His dagger lurches into her gut, but not before a thin blast of ice blasts off forcing them apart. Buwe moves, the end is near. The end of suffering, or the end of any chance of hope. The end of her, or the end of him.

Buwe nearly dies in that fight. He was fighting, on her terf, already weakened, with his own ability already diminished from the hunger. But the rage fuels him on, and he knows he will End Her even if it only happens during his last dying breath.

She gives a final attack of defense, he got too close, his grand tactical mistake made out of desperation. Her eyes say the words he can't hear. It's the blessing of a curse. He can feel his legs freezing over, the ice in his bones spreading and paralyzing reaching itself tendrils outward. The sound of her cracking neck is nearly mute in the water, an endless abyss of the dark. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever heard. The light leaves her eyes.

He tries, Buwe really does, to transform again into a selkie, to let him swim to the surface, and maybe reverse her curse just long enough to see his home again. Just the walls and the glistening shining snow, that the children would soon play on again. He manages to transform, but it's too late. Every thought slows, muffled and pained. He will be lost, but he won, for them. That's all that matters. The world is deafening, as he sees the blackening ocean turn icy white. The world is dark again.

@slaingelo @vamqiredove @shadylink enjoy lol, it gets worse probably

[catgirl-kaiju]

i'm saying this as a trans man and someone who has watched this infighting that seems to be brewing for a long while so don't think i want to continue it further by dragging you in the mud of it all especially after seeing that you already get targeted by terfs i for one don't even follow genderkoolaid and have a lot of bad takes but i know that their good ones do circulate in my circles for things like databases for trans man hate crimes and what have you things that are invaluable to trans people to have as support in the community the baggage behind a lot of these words that get thrown around like "transandrophobia" just leave a bad taste in my mouth and i feel like if they will have any validity in academia and social justice all the theory will get ironed out in the next few years and so i just don't see any use defending THE WORD let alone THE SLUR THAT MANY USE but i think that it needs to be understood that the word """"transandrophobia"""" is not a organized school of thought with everyone attached to some discord group that has secret infighting targets and takes pot shots at trans women all i ever see is people using the word, talking about WHY THE SLUR IS A SLUR, and wanting to talk about problems trans men face without always having to use the word "misandry" because it is deeply upsetting that in so many ways we are born women, we live as women, and will never escape womanhood i feel like not being able to escape the things people perceive you as and the assumptions and fears (especially the fears people think are justified when they are very much not) are a universal trans experience and so it really hurts to just see people spot a basic word like "transandrophobia" being used in a post and deem an entire group of people bigots i see trans mascs and intersex people do the same for "tme/tma" where they just totally avoid anyone who uses these terms its tearing the community apart and making it harder to remember how much we have in common and bigots want us to be alone and defenseless like that... sorry that this was long winded, i'm sure you've heard all of this before i just felt i needed to vent because its really not about the blog its about the general way people navigate in fighting genderkoolaid is not someone i'm really willing to defend, let alone the other blogs that get tossed around that have been in heavy water so i hope i've made that clear here at the very least

hey i don't really follow what you're saying here. i'm not sure what slur the slur you're referring to is, and i'm very unclear what your point is abt transandrophobia. i'm also confused abt which intersex people u are referring to that don't like the terms tme/tma. i'm intersex and use those terms, and i've seen other intersex folks actually prefer those terms for discussions about transmisogyny because of how it shifts the focus away from very binary way that sex is talked about in the AGAB model.

this is, in general, confusing and makes me uncomfortable in ways i can't really articulate atm. i think chief among them is a kind of "but, what about me" vibe i'm getting from this at a time i am being more vocal than ever abt how transmisogyny affects me and other tma folks.

although i'm not sure what your stance on the term "transandrophobia" and the ideas behind it are, i can say that very much disapprove of it for reasons others have articulated so much better than i could. i think issues that uniquely affect trans masc folks are worth talking about, but i think the framing of conflating those issues with the way transmisogyny functions is just the wrong way to go about it. much like how "misandry" is not really a helpful way to talk abt the ways that cis men are affected by patriarchal systems, as those issues are not equivalent to the way misogyny functions. very telling that before the term "transandrophobia" was used, the same ideas were being described with the term "transmisandry"

[vexillologyisenjoyable]

dimension 20 seasons that I’ve watched, ranked(spoilers obviously):

A starstruck odyssey, without question my favorite. Basically every character in this went hard. The plot was fun, the hijinks were delightful, there were the moments that just hit the spot(the house always wins, ‘how did you know there was going to be a plinth in this fight’, beating up a guy and being like oh. that didn’t really do anything but we beat him up, snake eyes, and so many more), just the whole vibe of the season was off the charts.

the seven. I’ve probably laughed the hardest in my entire life while watching this season. It is second to starstruck simply by virtue of not being an intrepid hero season.

mentopolis. A city in a mind. The whole season takes place in about a minute or two. Dan FUCKS. Conrad Shintz, who is so sad and so funny. The fix, with his… fun… facts. Imelda Pulse, with a very high class air who will do the stupidest shit on a whim. Anastasia Tension, who has the most indescribable vibe. Hunch Curio, who will get into a fight with Fight itself. A conspiracy, a philosophical thing, a stolen birthday cake, truly this season had everything.

Misfits and Magic. I probably wouldn’t like this season if I was British, but I’m American so it’s funny when they make fun of British people. Nice how it works like that. The story about how friendship is a stronger tether than dark magic(where have I heard that before?), a story made in the setting created by a transphobe, where they proudly proclaim ‘fuck terfs’. Brennan plays a pc. Aabria dms. All is right with the world.

Burrow’s end. An all around fantastic season. An amazing cast. Brennan pc. Aabria dm. All is right with the world. They play stoats, hats are an important subplot, there’s meta themes about imperialism and colonialism. Also Shiobhan and Izzy play siblings.

fantasy high. With two and a half seasons, it’s one of the most well known. Freshman year is a solid 7/10. Sophomore year is a solid 8.5/10. Junior year isn’t finished yet, but so far it’s going strong. Some incredible bits came out of those seasons.

Neverafter, some cool themes were hinted at but never came to pass, most of the characters were good, but some didn’t really hit the mark, overall a decent season.

a crown of candy. King Lou! This season was good, I can see why other people might like it, but it wasn’t for me personally. Saccharina wasn’t the turn off, to be clear. She was a fine character and Emily deserved none of the hate.

unsleeping city. I know some of y’all really love it but idk it just isn’t that great. Sophie is an incredible character. Ricky Matsui my beloved. Very ok season.

also I didn’t finish acofaf but I got a couple episodes and and it was incredible. The secrets! The lords of the wing! K. P. Hob! I based on of my pcs on Hob, that’s how good he was(flint if my irl friends see this). Rue! Andhera and the duel between him and hob was so good. “Me, the slippiest boy?” Followed by just being yoinked. I would put this in the top three if I finished it, which I don’t intend to. I do consider it worthy of a top three spot, but i haven’t finished it so I’m just putting it down here as a footnote.

[pooks]

okay, so i don't really advertise this because frankly, i do NOT agree with a fucking terf's ideas and therefore, she tainted a beloved book series she wrote and ultimately destroyed my childhood

but then i decided "fuck it, it's a fanfiction and she doesn't have any say in what i wrote or even make money of it"

also i made it gayer. so take that!

anyho, this is my HP/TMA 90s AU fanfiction that turned from a stand-alone story into a flippin series.

so imagine this; canon divergence happens in pre-OotP, Percy doesn't take Fudge's promotion offer (partly because that is sus, partly because web-related shenanigans) so he gets fired instead and what does our lovely ginger nerd find instead? the magnus institute.

so Elias takes a look at this boy and is like "yes, he will do nice for an Archivist" and hires him on the spot.

(and if case you're wondering, this is a TMA where it's set in the 1990s instead of the 2010s)

so we get an archive crew with four assistants and an archivist who has no idea what he's even doing, but he is determined and he needs to keep his wizard status as a secret

that's how this was created;

https://archiveofourown.org/series/3516304

ps. the second season-story is in progress. ;)

pps. i cannot stress this enough, but i DO NOT support the author in anyway and she can throw herself into the sun, for what i care. also i treat the characters better and i made it all better and gayer, because i can.

[canismajorly]

OKAY BUT LIKE. I need to expand upon this lore and tell you all that this was invented by adults on Toontown, actually. How do I know?

My mother was an avid Toontown player and started a Toontown guild.

If you used to play during like, the heyday of Toontown, you might remember the Cog Factories and how it was really difficult to do the Cog Boss Battles because organizing MMO raids is already difficult enough when you have in-game guild infrastructure, but Toontown didn't even have that because it was meant to be for children.

So my mom (playing a blue horse named AJ that my brother made when he was 4 before quickly losing interest in the game and having his account co-opted by my depressed stay at home mom) and a bunch of other terminally online adults who adored Toontown for some reason founded this thing called "The Cold Callers Guild", which was basically an online forum and schedule where you could check to see when the next planned guild-wide run of one of the 4 different (I think there were only 4?) 8-player boss battles was going to occur.

And like, these things actually had a scary large turnout! there would be dozens of Toons cramming against the elevator to get a spot on the next wave in, since everyone who plays Toontown knows that the way you start a instanced fight was always to load on an elevator and wait for friends, but only one group could board at a time so the boss lobby would just be full of chaos while you waited your turn to board. And it was cute, watching people run around buffing each other with the power-up phrases and jumping back and forth.

Of course, people who found the CCG online were able to post and receive secret friend codes from other members via the forums, making it easy to communicate during boss battles and ultimately improving the win rate of players dramatically. But eventually, guild members realized that it was hard to explain to other people in-game unfamiliar with the guild or the strategies to win difficult battles what was going on, what the group was, and that anyone was free to join, so they started doing the covert friend code communication tactic that this post was about. And from there, the trend probably spread to the rest of the Toontown community.

Anyway, this all took place between my ages of 7 and 10, and nowadays my mother uses her terminally online knack for coordinating humans and social clout to TERF post. :(

Positive swinging end note:

I felt nostalgic about my days playing Toontown as a kid with my video game addicted parents and looked it up; it turns out the guild still lives today! I have no idea who runs it anymore (definitely not my mother, who has moved on from children's video games to angry political blogging), but if you play Toontown Rewritten and want a community to raid with, check it out:

https://www.mmocentralforums.com/ccg/

i want to fill you guys in on some lore for disney’s toontown online 

[meadow-brook]

FinClan Tales - Chapter 2 The Starstone - part 1/3

“Do you recognize where this might be?” Olivepelt asked. She was sitting on one of the dusty floors of the ship in the area Finstar had chosen as his den, with the book open in front of her. The large pointed stone protruding from the center of the ship had destroyed most of its interior, though the flat stone nuzzled next to it allowed for a nice ledge for future Clan meetings. Still, the two rocks did not leave much room for shelter. Finstar decided to make his private quarters in the front of the ship, where a big gap in the roof allowed him to use the boulders and smaller rocks as steps into the floor below. There was not much shelter if it rained other than a small overhang of wood, but Finstar had decided he could cover the hole with bramble and foliage if he must, and if he had nine lives, he could spare a few in the cold anyways. Chestnutback had mused that he wasn’t taking his new job seriously, but Finstar had dismissed her with a nonchalant flick of his tail.

Now, Finstar and Olivepelt were alone in the den. Olivepelt could hear Currentkit mewling for Firebird on the floor below them in the nursery, but even if the cats could hear them, this information wasn’t particularly secretive. Olivepelt was pointing a claw at the inky image of a large stone, flecked with what she assumed to be stars. It looked as if it were on top of a pile of boulders, or perhaps a hill or mountain, but it was hard to tell from this single image. The word “Starstone” was scribbled above it. The only other useful information was the drawing of an unknown silhouetted cat, who seemed to be resting underneath the stone with their nose touched to the surface.

“Oh, that’s a tough spot,” Finstar mussed, and Olivepelt gave him a confused look.

“Is it hard to get to?”

The pale tom shook his head. “Every cat who lives around here knows about that place. I’ve never heard it called the Starstone, but it’s unmistakable. Over that way,” he vaguely pointed along the shore with his tail, “is this huge stone, on top of a pile of boulders. It’s so shiny and smooth, it reflects the light of the stars.”

“Oh that’s great then! We can head before nightfall and—”

Finstar cut her off with another wave of his tail “It’s not just known for its beauty. Below that hill of boulders is a series of tunnels that run under the stream from the sea. A bunch of loners live there. Rogues, I’d call them, with how vicious  they are. They never let any cat step paw on their terf.”

Olivepelt bit back a wail. “But we have to go. It says here,” Olivepelt tapped the book with her claw, “a leader cannot lead without nine lives granted by StarClan.”

Olivepelt studied the older tom’s face, noticing a hint of skepticism amongst the concern in his heather blue gaze. She guessed these rogues weren’t the only reason Finstar was hesitant to visit the Starstone, though she wondered if they were part of the reason the original Clans left their territory. How could warriors connect with their ancestors if they were blocked from their only meeting place?

“Why don’t we go talk to them,” Olivepelt suggested.

“Not everything around here can just be solved by talking, Olivepelt. Your kittypet roots are showing. Life is never that soft.”

Olivepelt dug her claws into the wood underneath her. “We have to at least try. If we leave late enough, we might be able to sneak onto their borders anyways. And if we do run into rogues and can’t get to the Starstone itself, maybe we can find something nearby as a substitute. You have to share tongues with StarClan. Otherwise, you’re just as vulnerable as the rest of us.”

Finstar studied Olivepelt for a long moment and then sighed. “Fine. But we need to take one other cat with us, just in case. I’m assuming the Starstone needs to see the stars for it to work, yes?” Finstar continued when Olivepelt nodded. “We’ll leave at sunset. It isn’t terribly far.”

[lettersiarrange]

Since I just checked my ask box for the first time in a hot minute:

Just a note that tumblr doesn't tell me when I have new asks or messages and I rarely check my notifications. Helpful corrections of misinformation/any messages in good faith are appreciated (though it's possible I won't see them until weeks later, sorry), but if something I reblog angers you enough you feel the need to get hostile in my askbox on anon, I reccomend the unfollow button.

I'm also not comfortable posting asks asking for any sort of donations/directing people to your blog for donation purposes, sorry :// I just don't have time to vet asks like that

[jacobseedisbabygirl]

Far cry 5 characters react to their s/o eating shredded cheese at 3 Am in the morning:

I was watching TikTok when this idea popped into my head, enjoy! ;)

{Pro-shippers/racists/TERFS/LGBTQIA+Phobes DNI}

Joseph Seed:

C o n c e r n

"Dearest. Why are you eating shredded cheese at 3 am in the morning?"

Almost convinced you're being possessed because 3 am is "the witching hour"

He had woken up to an empty bed, worried as to why you weren't there with him.

He made his way downstairs, still barely awake, only to find you standing in front of the fridge, eating a bag of shredded cheese

He manages to bribe you to come back to bed, promising to buy more later

Jacob Seed:

Just stands there, face palming.

The two of you stare at each other for a hot minute.

"Pup.. What the hell are you doing? It's 3 am." He sighs.

You tell him you were hungry, making him burst out laughing.

"I'm dating a goblin." He states.

He goes over, cuddling you in the spot as you munch on the cheese.

John Seed:

Babe wtf

"Babe. Out of everything you could eat, you chose the shredded cheese?"

He gives you a playful, judgmental glare.

He just goes over and picks you up, ignoring your protests

"Sweetheart it's shredded cheese. You'll live."

Faith Seed

"Baby?!"

She just stands there, laughing at the sight.

She actually joins you before you eat all the cheese.

As it turns out, Faith Seed has a secret gremlin side

Pratt

"Deputy. Light and love of my life. WHY?!"

He breathes, concerned.

He rolls your eyes as you flip him off, continuing to eat the cheese

He goes over and hugs you from behind

"How can I convince you to come back to bed and stop fucking inhaling shredded cheese at 3 am in the morning?"

Sharky

This man would be so damn dramatic about it

"Without me?! Traitor!!"

He pouts before you go over and share the cheese

The two of you sit in the middle of the kitchen and eat shredded cheese, laughing with each other

End!

[hollowboobtheory]

ok i guess we need to have a talk

this is the lipstick lesbian flag

the creator was known to be transphobic and believed in butch privilege, among other stuff. it was inspired by the bear flag.

we removed the lipstick mark in order to create some distance from the original creator as well as to be inclusive to all lesbians, including butch and trans lesbians.

however, many butches didn’t feel represented by the flag, so eventually this version was made.

now as you can see, it’s a recolor of the previous flag. it’s not a different design, just a recolor.

next we got this one. are you noticing a pattern?

lesbian flag of theseus.

the point is why are you out here thinking that one of these flags is so awful and hateful, here use this recolor of that same flag instead. hell, even the creator of that last flag frequently gets hate and accused of being acephobic (she made like one comment as a teenager that she apologized for)

When will we be sufficiently distanced from the original? after the next tweak? after five more? because lbr, these are all the same flag. yeah, even the bear one. same flag.

Idk maybe don’t waltz in and start berating lesbians for the flag situation. maybe just shut the fuck up. maybe stop hyperscrutinizing everything a lesbian does. Maybe stop treating lesbians like either proto radfems who are moments away from going mask off at any moment or poor ignorant beans who must not know anything.

I get it, you don’t want to examine the fact that you’ve fully internalized the “lesbians are unhinged man hating sjw feminazis” stereotype.

Maybe just shut up about the flag situation. Shut up. Just shut up.

No, there is no secret terf symbol. Do the work to learn what transmisogyny is, how it works, and how to spot it.

Waltzing into someones inbox unprompted and telling them they’re using the wrong flag is condescending at best. And I’m not vaguing a specific person because this has happened numerous times to me. But I am gonna start blocking people for doing it.

This is not very eloquent or detailed because I’m tired but just. Shut up.

[dementedmk]

I think another big challenge with dogwhistles is that if you’re on the outside trying to spot them they’ll drive you insane. Is that mildly swastika-shaped desk arrangement a hidden message, or someone not thinking it through? Is the fantasy world featuring gold-obsessed goblins intended to be antisemitic or was it made by some kid who has no idea what that word even means? Is this person with an otherwise innocuous username ending in 88 a Nazi or are they 34/35? Is that kid making that gesture to say OK or to be offensive on purpose? Did Wingdings contain a secret antisemitic message? Is your coworker into European military history because thats their hyperfixation or because they’re obsessed with Nazis?

The more energy you spend trying to parse these things and their nuances the more frustrating the whole thing is. And all of those are just a subset of common antisemitic ones, not to mention anti-Black dogwhistles (13/50, etc), all the race realist bullshit, the millions of other racial hate messages designed to slip past censors, or the dozens of homophobic, transphobic, and sexist ones (traditional family values, innate biological differences, the endless “I support you but ___ goes too far!”). It’s enough to drive you out of any adjacent conversation.

For fascists/racists/hateful people of every other type, this is a bonus. Terfs don’t want trans people to be comfortable in conversations about biological advantage in sports, because an informed opponent can show that once someone’s been on hormones long enough it doesn’t make much difference how they were born (for most sports). “Race realists” don’t want informed opponents to debate them because informed opponents can point out the flaws in IQ tests and the systems of oppression that influence education and, thus, test scores. Fascists want you to leave as soon as they start talking about an ethnically pure country, because that way nobody discusses the cultural and social benefits of diversity. The religious right wants you to leave the second they bring up Jesus and America in the same sentence, because they don’t want you to point out that several of our Founding Fathers weren’t convinced of God’s existence in the first place.

I don’t have a clever conclusion, even if I wish I did. Just, fuck these assholes and their racist secret codes, and fuck how paranoid they’ve made the rest of us.

The thing with dogwhistles is that they are extremely effective at both communicating to the intended audience of bigots and at driving those outside of the audience utterly up the wall. It’s like an inversion of gaslighting and sealioning combined.

See, if some musician comes out and says, point blank, “I like Hitler”, there’s no ambiguity. There’s no shield of deniability. His defenders have to stretch to try to ascribe his actions to his mental state or other issues, because there’s no defending those words.

But an effective dogwhistle? So long as there’s the barest veneer of ambiguity, it’s completely deniable and dismissable to anyone who is looking for a reason.

Trump-era ICE posts a 14 word mission statement and gives statistics in counts of 88? Oh, they’re not Nazis, you’re just being paranoid!

Someone goes on a tear about “Reptilians running our government” isn’t being antisemitic, no! They’re just dehumanizing the elites out of frustration, stop being paranoid and seeing things where they aren’t!

A major streaming service puts a movie poster with a Jewish character with horns behind his head? Oh, that’s just the bull from Wall Street, they’re not making an allusion to an ancient and famous piece of antisemitic belief! You’re just seeing things!

“Reject modernity, embrace tradition” is just a meme, it’s not a fascist slogan! Stop trying to ruin people’s fun and police their language! You’re just looking for things to be offended by!

That stage was just arranged that way by accident, and the resemblance to a Nazi rune is just a coincidence. Trump has done enough bad shit that you don’t need to go grasping at straws to try to make him look worse.

…and so forth. And if you know how white supremacists, fascists, and other authoritarians communicate to each other, with that sort of coded language, if you know that they do this on purpose… it is enough to drive you to tears out of frustration at how people don’t care, and don’t want to listen.

But they use them because if they were open about their beliefs, like Kanye, they would get the same response.

And that gives them a hell of an incentive to hide it, don’t you think?

[ashekirk]

Sliders Fan Fics

So, anyway, here's my master list of Sliders fics I've been writing for the past 6 weeks or so.

Basically nobody is reading them but I caN'T STOP WRITING THE DAMN THINGS WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ME why do my brain go brrrr over this instead of things that matter adhd sure is a harsh mistress

The links below are to my AO3 versions, but all are also available on my personal site, which uses an accessible reader I developed myself. It allows for adjusting text size on the fly, switching between four different fonts including OpenDyslexic, and also has a night mode toggle. It's tested on both my phone and PC browser. And you have my full permission to rip the code to use as you want.

Sliders: Season 6 Fan Scripts

Episode 1: Conjoined Quinns, Part I

Over twenty years have passed since the events of Season 5. Mallory and Maggie are married with a child. But Mallory's not well - no matter how much sleep he gets, he is still always exhausted to the point of waking hallucination. Meanwhile, in another world, a new sliding machine is being built by a familiar face.

Episode 2: Conjoined Quinns, Part II

The gang attend a fateful concert. Mallory learns to adjust to his new arrangement. Cole really wants to scan some brains. With old friends being reunited, it seems like things are all falling into place at once. But who could have expected who shows up next?

Episode 3: Identical Quinns

Unexpected visitors create new hope for Quinn. Rembrandt goes out for a steak dinner with Diana. Cole gets to scan more brains. The basement gets a visitor. Love rekindles. A ghostly apparition may hold answers to the mystery of the group's recent string of unlikely events.

Episode 4: Mandela Effect

With the newly found note as evidence, it seems like there are no coincidences to the recent good luck. But now, everything seems to be coming apart as some of the team ends up in a world where a strange symbol is carved into their hands, and things around them keep changing.

Episode 5: Quarantine

In their efforts to rescue Colin, the slider gang (original generation + Alt Wade) winds up on a world where a pandemic is ravaging the world and it seems like America is incredibly divided on the seriousness of the virus. Meanwhile, Quinn is mistaken for some actor named Jerry, and the Professor might be in a spot of trouble after failing to properly socially distance.

Episode 6: Gender Police

(Here's where they really start getting fun, if you were wondering)

After Quinn gets caught up in a military incursion of the basement, a team of Wade, Maggie, Diana, and Cole attempt to rescue him, but are instead flung to an Earth with a strict patriarchy and literal gender police. When Cole is arrested for attempting to use a Women's bathroom, and subsequently rescued by a resistance group, the cis women of the team wind up involved with a rival group - with a secret. Content Warning: This fic explores the difficult and timely subject of transphobia and TERF rhetoric, and while the fic explicitly condemns it, it may disturb some readers.

Episode 7: Quinntuplets

Quinn is recruited by a crack team of three other Quinns all working out of a high budget military facility. Almost like Stargate, they've built an impressive catalogue of worlds, and established a wide network of embassies, sharing their tech while absorbing tech from other worlds. But, there's someone in a holding cell that's got a bone to pick with Quinn Bravo.

Episode 8: Oops! All Quinns

Quinn's never seen a city with so many handsome devils before. Old and new acquaintances await in the futuristic city of Quinn Francisco (a tribute to Rick and Morty). Meanwhile, Quinn Alfa awakens to a smashed timer and a family not his own.

Episode 9: Quinnternational Incident

Things come to a head with the Quinn Squad, but Bravo is no ordinary enemy to outwit. Will Quinn be able to rescue his brother, escape the facility, and prevent the annihilation of Quinn Francisco, all in one night? Or will everything fall apart when his plan fails to get the results he needs? How far can Bravo push Quinn into his own dark side?

Episode 10: Family Reunion

(This one largely exists to tie up loose ends, but is ideal if you want the feels more than the action)

In a double length finale, the whole family has gathered for the Mallory-Welles wedding. Well, maybe not quite - there's one person missing. Maybe they can be found before the big day? But as one couple ties the knot, another marriage is on the rocks. Can Maggie and Mallory find a reason to stay together? Hearts are poured out and lives are upended, as everyone reaches a natural crossroads. Where do they all go from here? And what of Missus Mallory, who's living on borrowed time? p.s. Apologies for the on-the-nose reference. If you get it, you'll know.

That's not all.....

More fics

The Bravo Diaries

A spin-off of my Sliders Season 6 series, following Quinn Bravo after what happens to him during "Quinnternational Incident."

It's a series of ongoing diary entries. If you haven't read the source material, it should still work, as the main character in this starts out knowing very little as well (though it'll totally spoil Quinnternational Incident for you). Just be aware that the MC is a Quinn Mallory double, living on a world outside the mainstream Slider-verse.

Quinntum Leap

(My current hyperfixation, shut up)

Something of a novel I'm writing, Quinntum Leap is a 2-part series crossover of Sliders and Quantum Leap which explores the familial relationship between Maggie and Sam Beckett. This is ongoing as of this post (I'm nearing the conclusion of part 1, which will end up somewhere around 25,000 words. Part 2 may end up longer).

Still in development:

"Support Group", a one-shot short story about the first meeting of the slider support group assembled during Family Reunion.

NOW TAKING IDEAS FOR MORE QUINN-BASED PUN TITLES. All the "slide" based puns from the canon titles are played out lol

Other

If you want to use my AO3 Work Skins, just ask and I'll share. The screenplay one is complicated, but the prose one is easy. A version of it is also up on Stylish if you want it, under "Easier Reading Ao3"

[malibumiu]

[Shy stud Makoto AU]

for @makoto-naegi-ultimate-stud contains naejunko this one is just fluff

----

Makoto sighed as he leaned back against the grass, he adjusted a few times just to get settled on the ground normally he would use his blazer as a thin blanket of sorts but thanks to his new size. (which remind him that he needed to go to town this weekend to hopefully grab a new one he might have enough if not...maybe sex counts as payment right?) The blazer made use as a makeshift pillow if balled it up enough so if was fine. 

He was a secluded corner on the grounds of school, well it was a bit more in the reserve course territory but none of them really came over to this spot since it was so close on Ultimate’s terf. It was the same Ultimates too close to the reserve course. Which was fine by the stud, it was a place that he found rather sacred even now with his new form, he was away for now at least. From horny classmates and staff, semi-aggressive and overly-obvious jealous guys it was just him and nature. With the soft chirping of birds and gentle winds whispering to him, he closed his eyes and ignored the world around him.

Junko hummed as she trotted around the courtyard, but she wasn’t doing this for a leisurely stroll no no! Junko Enoshima was on a mission for a big guy with a equally big stupid heart, with as big as he was it was a surprise he managed to slip out of any of his peers eye sight. So now she knew at least half of the girls were on a scavenger hunt to find the stud even her own bitch of a sister was. But unlike her and many of those other hussies, she had an ultimate that could even surpass the ultimate detective, she was the ultimate analyst. She could predict anything, and find infinite ways to do said things, but when it came to Makoto even when she first met him she couldn’t predict him. Not him, not his cycle, not anything there was no telling what Makoto Naegi could do despite his average looks. But this time it seemed she was at an advantage.

Taking a turn the fashionista scanned the environment around her, the difference in the area could be told, as one side appear more greener, prestige and well kept compared to the other side of the invisible line where there was particles of discarded items and the grass was more brown and dying she predicted that it at least has week or 2 left before it died completely. ANYWAYS! There was a point where said invisible line ended at the end of it led to a small field that connected to the woods. The grass there was combined making it taller along with the seasonal flowers and fallen leaves and branches scattered about. She walked closer, having a sneaking suspicion that the herbivore man was over here (he was even in a herbivorous habitat how convenient) her suspicion was right as after treading through the grass for a bit she came across his slumbering body indented in the grass. She could make out the outline of his pecs and abs from his tad too tight n’ thin dress shirt, his chest heaving up and down, she wonders if the button straining on his uniform will hold. Muscular arms relaxed as they were situated behind his head, he looked rather peaceful even a bit boyish. His ahoge appeared to be slack for once bobbing along to beat of the wind, she scoffed in amusement. 

She was tempted to just to climb on top of him, maybe surprise him or his manhood both perhaps and maybe worked up enough to the point where he could pound her ass into the ground-.

“Mmm..Junko?” 

A yawn escaped Makoto’s lips as shifted around, his hazel eyes lazily focusing on her. She gave him a smirk as she lowered herself down onto him directly on top of his zipper, she shivered a bit she could already feel his bulge though he was flaccid it wouldn’t be for long beginning to move her hips rubbing herself on him. “The one and only babe~” 

“O-Oh mm” He mumbled letting out another yawn, “Do you wanna join me?”

She stopped, “Huh?” 

“Like for you know a nap you models do take those right?” 

She wacked his abs earning a small yelp from him repositioning herself, legs on either side spread open giving him a nice view of her blacked laced panties she wiggled her hips to try and entice him.  

“Of course I do but~” she wiggled again more aggressively this time, “ Wouldn’t you rather spend some time in me instead?” The image of her getting savagely pounded into the ground with the slight possibility of someone passing by and witnessing their shameless interourse...Ooh just the thought made her tingle with excitement.

“Mmm” Suddenly she felt big hands around her waist suddenly she felt her head squish against something rather soft. The hand moved up from her waist and gently patted her head which felt...rather nice.

“You trying to feel me up with your own chest you hunk?” she teased, rubbing against him her own bosom was rather large, easily overfilling one or even two hands any normal man would be 

practically drooling at the sight of them. But as normal as Makoto claimed to be he didn’t get all blushly or stuttering mess or anything..well not right now at least. 

“W-Wha? Nooo Junko come on just relax with me…” he muttered again, tightening his grip on her waist sealing her fate. 

She let out a dramatic sigh, but still snuggled closer to the man, she had to admit the tight grip he had on her wasn’t an uncomfortable one in fact it was rather comforting…(I-it's not like she liked it or anything!!) She was honestly a little disappointed when he stopped patting her head, she knew the big oaf was probably dozed off into stupid lala land with one of those other bitches. (but she ugh HOPED that it was her, after all it would be rude not to the dream about the fucking hot model laying on him!!) 

“Hey Junko..” His voice came out more timid than normal, more like when she first met him it was so weird to hear it now. “..Thank you for deciding to relax with me and...not alerting everyone.” Junko blinked and slowly went to stare up at him, her usually electric blue eyes were flat and blank with an expression he couldn’t really read...it scared him a bit did he say something wrong? Oh god should he have just done something else? Should he have gone back to his fantasy- A soft and more cheerful sounding laugh filled his ear, Makoto nearly thought to look around because a laugh like shouldn’t have come from the Junko Enoshima but it did! They didn’t even fuck and somehow he broke her!

“Geeeeez Big mac you’re soooooo sappy sometimes it's gross,” She said a sickly sweet voice “Are you that drained from us completely?” ‘’Us’ hah... Us and seemingly every other girl and milf that comes within a mile radius of me.’ It's not that he really minded the stares he got though it took sometime to get used to it. But as much as he enjoyed the girls and their endless endeavors of seduce him which leads more often not to them fucking even he valued his alone time (after all his balls did need to restock, his sperm wasn’t completely everlasting you know.)  

“No! No! It's not that and you know that!..” He sometimes wonders why Junko seems to like to play these kinds of mind games (and why he falls for them), being the Ult Analyst and all but then again a bored Junko often becomes scarily mischievous Junko so its better to entertain her ideas than ignore them. 

“Phuhuhu.. Don’t get a knot in your cock peasant! Of course the court knows why~.” The haughty tone in her voice already told him all he needed to know ‘Of course she knows she always does Makoto.’ 

He rolled his eyes before nuzzling his head back into a comfortable position, letting the sun’s rays beat down the heat making him drowsy. He could feel Junko squirming around before settling down. A comfortable silence formed between the two, the only noise being that of the air around them, for just even a moment it was peaceful in the fields of Hope’s Peak.

“Hey Makoto…” Junko called out softly almost like a whisper, “Don’t get the wrong fucking idea but maybe...could we do whatever the hell this is...sometime…again?” A beaming smile as bright as the near sun in the sky had formed one the stud’s face, how dare it made her sadistic little heart race?!

“O-Of course Junko! Just let me know-” A finger forcefully pressed itself up against his lips, her red pointed nail touched the tip of his nose.

“Shut the fuck up!” she hissed, “Someone might hear us! The last thing I need is those damn hussies trying to steal this away from me!” After whipping her head from side to ensure she saw no one she let out a sigh and repositioned herself yet again, this time laying directly on top of the stud. Their chest squished together she lazily fiddled with a stand of his hair, a neutral expression her face the latter took this as a moment to speak again. 

“I’d be happy to do this again with you Junko, and don’t worry..” he gave her a wink, a twinkle in his eye. “I can keep a secret.”

“Hmph! You better,” she muttered, “Look what you did all that yelling got me worked up! You're going to repay me by being my body pillow!”

“Wha-”

“Let's pop these titties free bitch!” hastily she ripped off the two straining buttons from the top of his shirt, his pecs now somewhat free. She had to move a bit to lay on them more comfortably without her own breast getting in the way but once she got comfortable she found herself dozing off, the soft beating of his heart music to her ears. 

‘Man… girls can be strange.’ (He thinks as a girl types out this line)

Without another thought the stud closed his eyes again, this time there were no interruptions just him, Junko and the sounds of nature around. And in that time n’ moment that's all he cared about.

[bazwillendinflames]

Gravity Falls/LIS2 AU

The last place Sean wants to spend his Summer is in a weird town in the middle of no where, Oregon, reconnecting with a Mother who hadn’t wanted to see them in years in her weird tourist trap. But Daniel is determined to go and his Dad gives Sean little choice but to babysit him.

But soon it becomes clear there is more to Beaver Creek than meets the eye and the strangeness of the town soon unlocks some family secrets and strange abilities. Maybe their Summer won’t be so boring after all.

AO3 

“Lyla, I will die of boredom.” 

“It can’t be that bad,” she replied, her voice a little tinny still. The bad reception was just one of many reasons that Sean was having an awful time. (In the week and a half since they had arrived, he’d already made a list.) 

“Nope, it is exactly as bad as I’m saying.” 

“I mean, come on, you’re Mom’s there. What’s that like that?” 

Sean scowled. “Number one on reasons this place sucks. All she talks to us about is all this weird mystic stuff she likes. Her store is so weird, it’s all crystals and bad poetry.” 

Lyla snorted. “Really?” 

“Yep. Not to mention this is the whitest town ever.” He glanced out the window, where Karen was smoking, notebook in hand and ducked his head before she could spot him. “There are no cool people.” 

“Come on, you have Danny.” 

“I get enough babysitting at home thanks.” He glanced outside again, wondering exactly how long he could bitch on the phone for and call it a break. “Anyway, this place is just making Daniel weirder. He’s convinced this place is magic or something.” 

“That’s sweet. Hey, we used to play witches when we were kids, remember?”

“Hey, you were the witch, I was a manly wizard.” 

That time Lyla actually laughed. “Sure dude. I’ll believe it when I see it.” 

“Anyway, we were into the Harry Potter books, you know before terf-face ruined them. Daniel is into the ancient runes and fake spell cards Mo- Karen sells.” 

“That’s adorable.” 

“Ugh, only you could find him adorable. That’s only because Daniel doesn’t kick you in your sleep-” 

“Did Lyla call me adorable?” 

Sean sighed as Daniel barged in. Not much had changed since home tehre at least, apart from the fact they now shared Karen’s attic room. (Bunk beds, making the being kicked in the shin at night thing even more annoying.) 

“Hey, I’m kinda on the-” 

Daniel yanked the phone and rolled on the bed. “Hiiiiii Lyla. Do you miss us?” 

“Give me that back.” 

He wiggled out of his grap. “Did you know Sean talks in his sleep, it’s so weird-” 

“You would know about weird,” he grumbled, snatching his phone back, only to find the shitty signal had finally cut out on Lyla. “Dude.” 

“Sorry.” Daniel grinned at him. “Hey, I’m helping Mom restock, can you help me reach the top shelves?” 

He checked the time on his phone. He had almost managed a whole brother-free hour. 

“Guess I should I get back to work.” 

“Cool.” Daniel followed him downstairs, bouncing with energy. “Hey, Sean what does terf-face mean?” 

  Sean was stuck behind the register, although the store was still empty. He wasn’t sure why Karen insisted on such early opening hours when no one else showed up. 

He rubbed his eyes, the early start not helped by the fact Daniel had been reading with a torch all night. He had picked up a weird book from the store or something. Of course he would pick up a late night reading habit once they were sharing a room. 

“I brought you guys some toast.” Karen balanced the plate on the top of some unsold art books. (Her organization was as great as her parenting.) 

“Thanks Mom!” 

Sean poked at a black spot under a thick layer of peanut butter. “Yeah, thanks.” 

“I gotta do some inventory but I’ll be back up for lunch.” 

“Can we go to the cool diner? Chris says the milkshakes are great.” 

Karen smiled. “Yeah. Does that sound good Sean?” 

He grunted in response and her grin flickered. 

“Right, work. You boys got this.” 

“We’re not your boys,” Sean muttered, although she didn’t hear. 

“Why are you so mean to Mom?” Daniel asked, his mouth full of toast. “She’s always nice.” 

“Right, she’s been real nice the first nine years of your life.” 

Daniel looked up at him with big eyes. “Sean…” 

“Fine, I’ll try. Put those eyes away Bambi.” 

He smiled. “So, I was thinking the strawberry milkshakes are Chris’ favourite but I like chocolate more so you could get one and we could share?” 

“Huh, yeah, sure.” Sean had only been half listening, distracted by the newest customer. Waking up early suddenly had its appeal. The girl had matted purple hair, an arm full of tattoos and a guitar strapped to her back. She caught him looking and winked. 

“Are you okay Sean? You just went really red and-” 

“What? No. Shut up.” Sean moved into a more casual position, his eyes still fixed on the pretty girl. His elbow knocked the tip jar and it fell off the edge. “Shit-” 

“Here.” Daniel put it back. “Woah…” 

“Good catch Enano.” 

“Yeah. Catch! I totally caught it.” Daniel smiled a little suspiciously. “Hey, you said a swear, you owe me a dollar.” 

“A dollar? It’s only a quarter at home.” 

“Now we’re away from Dad, you’re supposed to be a good influence.” 

“You get a quarter.” Sean dropped the coin in his hand. “Be cool.” 

“What?” 

“Hey boys.” The purple-haired girl leaned against the other end of the counter, an easy smile on her face. Her voice had a faint Southern tang. “So, I come to this town every Summer and I don’t recognise either of you cuties.” 

“I- we- um-” 

His brother beat him to it. “I’m Daniel.” 

Cursing his stammering, he finally managed to introduce himself. “I’m Sean.” 

“Why hello. I’m Cassidy.” 

“Hi. Um, cool guitar. You play?” (Internally, Sean cringed: You play? Why else would she have a guitar?) 

“Yeah, funnily enough. I’m actually here to hand out flyers for my band’s show. Could you hang it up?” 

“Yeah.” Sean took the flyer. “Your show is this Friday?” 

“And every other Friday. You wanna come?” 

“I’m invited?” 

Cassidy laughed. “Yeah sure. It is a concert. You’re lucky you’re cute, City Boy.” 

“City boy?” 

“It’s on your sweatshirt idiot,” Daniel whispered. Seattle Track Meet, 2015. He was frowning in the general direction of Cassidy. “We’re busy Friday so-” 

“No. Nope, I’m not busy. Ignore him.” Sean flattened his hair. “I’ll be there Friday.” 

“I’ll look out for you City Boy. Nice to meet you.” 

Sean waited until Cassidy had left before pumping his fist. “Yes! She called me cute Dan!” 

“You’re the worst.” 

“What?” 

Daniel pouted. “You promised you’d take me camping in the woods Friday. I already brought us marshmallows and walkie-talkies.” 

“Hey, there is plenty of time to camp in those freaky woods. But I only have one chance with a girl like Cassidy.” 

“Wrong, you have zero chances with any girl.” Daniel stomped off to the corner of the store. “You’re the worst.” 

“Dan- come on.” His brother went back to ignoring him. Sean crossed his arms. “Fine. Be like that!” 

There was the only sound of a raspberry in response. 

  “Nope, I’m totally with Danny. That was a jerk move.” 

“What? Lyla, you’re supposed to be my hype man- er woman. You’re always trying to set me up on dates.” 

“Dude, three weeks ago you were so into Jenn.” 

He sighed. “And Jenn was into Derek Anderson. We had ice cream and everything.” 

“Dude, don’t fuck up your relationship with Danny over a dumb Summer romance.” 

Sean buried his head in his pillow. “You sound like my Dad.” 

“Go to this hippy girl’s show next time. You Danny will do the face.” 

“The Bambi face?” Sean groaned. “I have been facing the Bambi face all week.” 

Lyla scoffed. “Is there anything else to add?” 

“Fine. I’ll go camping. But only for the s’mores.” 

“Okay, brother of the year.” 

“Thanks jerk.” 

Lyla blew him an exaggerated kiss. “Aw, love you too.”

Sean grabbed his backpack, moving to shove in his hoodie and torch. Daniel had already shoved one of the walkie-talkies inside. 

“Calling little wolf, we are back on for camping.” 

There was nothing but static on the other end. Sean pocketed the walkie-talkie and headed downstairs, calling his brother’s name. There was no one in the kitchen and only Karen sitting in the living room, chewing on the edge of a pen. 

“Hey, have you seen Daniel?” 

Karen looked up. “Oh, I thought you already left? Daniel passed by twenty minutes ago with the sleeping bags.” 

“That little-” Sean wasn’t panicking, but he was maybe sweating a little more than he had been before. “Um, right. I just forget a…” he scanned the room and grabbed Daniel’s weird book, “scary story. Classic camping right?” 

“Oh. Have a nice time then.” Karen hesitated. “I know you’re not thrilled to be here. But I hope by the end of the Summer we can understand each other better. 

“Me too.” Sean tried to look as un-guilty as possible. “See you tomorrow Karen.” 

  “Daniel!” He yelled, running head first into the spooky mass of woodlands beyond their store. “Dan, I’m sorry okay. Quit hiding!” 

No answer. Sean went digging for the walkie-talkie, now glowing an eerie blue. 

“Dan?” 

The walkie-talkie crackled again- “Sean?” 

“Dan.” He let out a shaky breath. “Hey, I’m sorry I ditched you-” 

“Sean, help!” 

He was clutching the walkie-talkie so hard his knuckles went white. “What’s wrong? I’m coming okay. What’s happening?” 

“Creature- help- monster- ahh!” 

Sean scanned the trees around him, suddenly aware he was lost too. Daniel had been the one eager to explore the woods but he had said it was too creepy and now it seemed he was being proven right. 

“Sean- book- monster-” 

He dug around to find the weird book Daniel had been carrying around all week. He had assumed it was from one of Karen’s displays but now he was looking at it, the journal seemed too real to go with the modern witchcraft bullshit she was trying to sell. The cover was dark blue and the pages thick with drawings and polaroids. 

“Dan, I have the book, what do I need to look for? What is this thing?” 

“Page- tree- monster-” Daniel was breathing heavily. “Hear?” 

“I can hear you,” he said comfortingly, “I’m coming.” 

He held the torch in his teeth, flicking through pages until he came across a few marked with Daniel’s doodles and writing. He seemed to be studying telekinetic powers, complete with a superhero sketch: SUPER /DUDE DAN/ WOLF? ask Sean for name ideas

He finally came across the page that looked like a bush drawn with yellow eyes. 

Dangerous 

camouflage shape shifters 

Hard to photograph shush ma-

Likes dark 

Under the original writing Daniel had added his own note: babies in woods. 

“Hey,” Sean held up the walkie-talkie, “is it these moss creatures? What well?” 

“Sean!” This time Daniel’s voice was clearer, his voice steadier. 

“Dan. What happened? Please tell me you had a good reason to go into the woods alone without telling me or Karen.” 

“Come on, that’s it? Can you yell at me when I’m not being chased?” 

“Okay. I’m coming, where are you?” 

“Where are you?” 

“By some trees. There’s a sign for a lake?” 

“Go to the lake, I’ll meet you there.” Daniel was cut off by some more static. “Hey, stop chewing that Mushroom!” 

Sean followed the signs, hoping Daniel at least would know a way out. How did he know the woods so well already? Was Sean that much of a shitty brother he hadn’t noticed him running off into these haunted-ass woods? 

The lake slowly came into the view but it was empty. 

“Daniel? Dan?” 

The lake was weirdly normal, just muddy water and a few droopy looking frogs. Still, Sean was still on edge, swinging the heavy torch from hand to hand. The faster they got home, the better. 

His relative peace was interrupted by the rustling of tree branches and heavy footsteps. Daniel came barging through the trees, a small bundle of something wrapped in his checked shirt. Something was chasing him and fast- Sean barely had time to move out the way as Daniel crashed into him. Something big and fast ran past. 

“Sean!” Daniel threw himself into his arms. “I’m sorry, don’t yell at me.” 

“I’m not mad. But you did scare the shit out of me.” 

“Sean-” 

“Fine, you get a dollar, let’s just go-” 

“No, look.” 

Sean turned slowly, met with amber eyes and a large face of bark and weeds. The creature sniffed at him curiously. 

“Um-” 

Daniel hid behind him. “Any ideas?” 

“You have the stupid haunted book!” The creature snorted, blowing hot air in his face. “Wait, the book said-” Sean slowly moved for his pocket, finding Dad’s lighter. 

“Dan, on three, we run.” 

“One-” he reached for a branch, “two-” he flicked the lighter on, “three!” Sean held the flaming branch up the creature’s face, dragging Daniel out the way as it squirmed. “What, the light should have scared it off.” 

“Remember when you said you weren’t going to get mad?” 

Sean turned to him, as Daniel revealed the squirming mass of moss in his arms. 

“You stole it’s kid?” 

“I always wanted a puppy! She’s called Mushroom-” 

Seeing it’s child, the larger creature started inching slowly towards Daniel. 

“Put it down! We can’t keep this weird monster-baby!” 

“We bonded!” The larger creature nudged its nose towards the smaller one, poking his chest with a spikey horn. “Okay, I’ll give her back.” 

Daniel held out his arms, placing the small creature on the floor. It wiggled a loose vine that could almost be a tail and followed its parents into the woods. 

Sean punched him in the arm. “That’s for trying to adopt an actual monster.” 

Daniel rubbed his arm. “Ouch.” 

Sean pulled him into a hug. “And that’s for scaring the shit out of me. I’m glad you’re okay though.” 

“Me too.” Daniel smiled. “Hey, now you owe me two dollars!” 

  After all the excitement, the brothers’ settled on camping in Karen’s yard. 

“So, you found that spooky book in a tree and didn’t think to tell me?” 

“You were being the worst!” 

Sean laughed. “Okay, I deserve that. But, next time you find a weird monster thing, tell me. We’re in this together.” 

“Okay promise.” Daniel threw another marshmallow at him. “Sorry I made you miss your concert. I guess Cassidy wasn’t that bad.” 

“Hey, I saved your butt, that’s more important.” Sean took a bite out a s’more. “Hey, there isn’t anything else you’re not telling me right?” 

“Actually,” Daniel held out his hand, a marshmallow hoovering a few inches above his palm. “Surprise?” 

(A boring Summer suddenly looked so much more appealing.)

[star-anise]

hi! hope you’re doing well :) I wanted to ask you a question on something. I identify as a lesbian, and I have noticed that there seems to be...a lot of hate towards the ace community from tumblr lesbians (or at least the ones I follow). I’m curious as to why because seeing that kind of thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Anti-ace rhetoric reminds me of terf rhetoric, and I was curious to see if there is some sort of overlap between the two somehow. Thanks!

Hi! I’ll try my best. As a disclaimer, I’m coming at this more as a student of LGBT exclusionary movements than someone who experiences a ton of aphobia, so I’m coming at this by trying to pick apart the underlying philosophies, not someone who spends a lot of time reading the shit aphobes pull out of their asses.

I think, way deep down, the question is: How do we, the oppressed group, feel about people who we do not think are part of our group?

Exclusionary hatred of asexuality, much like TERF thought, comes from the basic idea that there is Us, the Oppressed, and Them, our Oppressors. Our groups have no overlap and are fated to be enemies forever and ever. There is no hope of peace between us. The best life We, the Oppressed, can hope for, is one in which we have completely eradicated our Oppressors from our lives.

Therefore, any hint a blurring of the boundary--a person who might be thought of as the Oppressor existing in the space of the Oppressed, claiming community there--is fundamentally dangerous. They are not able to not be Oppressive; surely they must be there for secret, dangerous reasons, perhaps to infiltrate and destroy this sacred haven.

People who see the world this way can therefore be easily persuaded to believe that trans women aren’t women, that aces and aros aren’t LGBT, and a lot of other things that basically translate to, “They’re not Us, they’re Them, and their very presence here is dangerous.”

This isn't why many lesbians will say they don't like asexuals. The reasons they actually provide are far more scattered and idiosyncratic, and you have to read between the lines. There's the poor fit between many radical feminist models of sexuality and desire and the asexual movement’s not-actually-paradoxical intersections with the sex-positive movement, or the feeling that asexuality “dilutes” a lesbian’s commitment to the Lesbian Community, or the contention that aces are "stealing" resources from LGBT people. 

But none of these seem to explain the deep visceral level of hatred and revulsion that comes with this topic. There are honestly as many radical feminist arguments for the concept of asexuality as against it, and asexuals and lesbians have incredibly strong historical links. To me, the emotional core of Us vs Them is much more important than the intellectual debates through which it manifests. Once you learn to spot the underlying dynamic of “They are not Us, we shall not be fooled, we shall cast Them out as the impostors and frauds and double agents and saboteurs which they are!” you can turn that lens on any community.

There are a lot of reasons Us and Them dichotomies are so frequently terrible guides for communities and activism, but I’ll limit myself to three:

1. Oppression doesn’t actually separate people into Good Blameless Victims and Bad Evil Oppressors. Oppressed groups get rewards for how much they buy into oppressive symptoms--Patriarchy rewards women who follow its rules and withholds those rewards from women who rebel. Capitalism rewards workers who sacrifice their wellbeing for the cause of profit more than those who seem uncommitted to the system. Cissexism rewards trans people who adhere to the gender binary and put a lot of effort into their appearance. Therefore, the first step of dismantling oppressive systems is often unlearning the mental systems by which we oppress ourselves, and then changing the social systems by which we oppress each other. Just because nobody in the oppressor class is around, it doesn’t mean a space will be free of oppression. We have to focus more on how we behave than who we admit.

2. People who want to focus entirely on how they’re oppressed tend to be terrible about caring about the oppression of anyone else. They’re especially bad about checking what privileges they might have and worrying about their potential oppression of people further down society’s ladder than them. There are so many ways society can discriminate against someone. By sex or gender or sexuality, sure; but also by race, and by class, and by disability, and by education, and by immigration status, and so much more. A lot of the acrid taste of single-issue groups is the toxicity they let themselves get away with because they don’t care where their own shit will wash up downstream.

3. It really is possible, even in this fallen world, for people in privileged categories to want to do better and stop oppressing people. I believe that people can stand together in solidarity and alliance, even if their individual struggles are different. The LGBTQ+ community didn’t become a thing in the last century because the oppressions we faced suddenly popped into existence. Rather, the revolutionary moment was that after centuries of oppression, we decided to work together to fight it. The hate we face is literally less important than our decision to back each other up in the face of it. So as disappointing as allies can sometimes be, as imperfect as solidarity is, that isn’t a reason to give up on them. It’s a reason for all of us to try harder to be there for each other.