#it's especially frustrating to me when the topic is genuinely interesting and i want to see how you present it to me but you're wasting time

[radellama]

Picky but.. when watching a docco/docco style video, while it can be interesting to hear about how you ended up in contact with certain relevant people, or how there were plans to contact people that fell through, or that you couldn't get in contact with them... I hate when the filmmaker harps on and on about their 'investigative' process and try to dramatise it.

Sorry but. I don't really want a 15-20+ min detour of you lamenting over trying to get in contact with certain people when all that's happened is you sent an email and didn't get a reply.

[creature-wizard]

Sealioning 101

So if you don't already know, "sealioning" is a term for a type of bad faith behavior where someone repeatedly asks for information or evidence that they're not actually interested in. It's a form of trolling.

For example, a young earth creationist might go around saying something like, "Can anybody show me proof of evolution? I keep asking people, but no one will answer me."

Then well-meaning people come and and provide resources. The troll, who of course isn't actually interested in learning or changing their mind, will just keep acting like nobody's answering their question, and keep demanding answers. It's frustrating and exhausting.

A big sign that you're being sealioned is demanding information that's incredibly easy to find. Now of course, people sometimes genuinely just don't know where to find certain information that most of us take for granted, and sometimes people are just lazy and treat random Internet strangers like their personal butlers. (Having a pinned post with a FAQ will take care of most of these people, btw.)

What gives a sealion away is their refusal to accept and engage with provided resources, and their favorite lie, "I keep asking, but no one will answer me."

Think for a moment: how likely is it that someone went around asking a bunch of biologists or at least biology nerds for evidence of evolution, and no one gave them anything? Does it seem that likely that no one gave them any links or made any book recommendations? Does it seem likely that a bunch of people who really love talking about biology just suddenly clammed up around this person for no reason?

Trolls will sealion over anything, especially hot political topics. For example, they've been sealioning with JK Rowling's transphobia, asking for evidence that she ever said or did anything transphobic while claiming no one ever answers them when they ask. Trolls have been sealioning for Donald Trump for years now, pretending they just don't understand why people are so worked up over Trump, and that nobody they've asked will give them a real answer.

Again, ask yourself: how likely is it, really, that someone on Tumblr Dot Com can't find a single person who can tell them what these people have done and said that have so many people displeased with them? And do we think that this person who is supposedly soooo interested in seeing what all the fuss is about, never once tried Google or something?

Seems pretty unlikely, when you actually stop and think about it. In fact, it's a pretty obvious lie, because we know damn well that lots of people are more than happy to explain why they don't like Trump and Rowling, and any determined person could find the information they want in like five minutes on any search engine.

Sealioning is troll behavior. If someone is sealioning, they are a troll. It's that simple.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

I Knew Your Were Trouble When You Walked In 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, medical procedures including dialysis and chronic illness, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: Pete Brenner, short!reader

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

The clanging is enough to drive you crazy. You snap shut your laptop and let out a huff. A day where you can just stay home and get your work done and the landlord is doing maintenance. It has to be that day.

You check the time and rub your eyes. You look down at your pajama pants mournfully. You’re going to have to wear real clothes. You change into a pair of cords and a gray button up. You pack up your bag and shrug on a jacket as you step into your shoes.

You jingle out with your keys, locking the door behind you before quickly fleeing the echoing metalling thrums. You take the stairs down and tuck your chin down against the crisp autumn air. A tea will help with that, maybe something with a kick of caffeine to wake you up.

The cafe is only a block away. You order some ginger tea and take it to a table in the corner. You set up and hunker down to get through the last of your emails. You cup your chin as you lean your elbow on the table, entranced by the screen.

The rush of the cafe is almost soothing. The white noise helps you get through the overstuffed email sent by your supervisor. Check, check, got that done. You sip your tea as it cools and sit up to type your reply.

“You can have coffee?” The voice interrupts your frantic typing. You look up with brows furrowed. How on earth? “Genuinely curious,” Pete sits across from you, setting his paper cup down on the other end of the table, “with dialysis and everything.”

You blink at him and refocus on your laptop. You don’t want to know how he found you. Whether it’s cruel fate or something more sinister, you have more important things going on.

“You pack a real blow, you know that? I had a bruise and everything,” he complains, “not very nice and I’ll say I’ve been really nice to you.”

You continue to ignore him as you resume your response to Caroline. In hindsight, you would rather sit through the clanking of wrenches and pipes. You swallow your agitation, tuning out the silhouette just on the other side of your screen.

Suddenly, your laptop crushes your hands and your eyes pop up. Pete’s hand lingers on the cover as you snatch your fingers out from under it. You tilt your head in frustration.

“You look like a sweet girl,” he says, “but you’re not, are you?”

“Excuse me?” You hiss.

“Ah, come on, loosen up," he winks.

You shake your head and contemplate your options. You could pack up and go but you risk leading him back to your building. Telling him to go away isn't going to do too much and ignoring him only seems to encourage him.

"You like sweets? They got a great chocolate croissant."

"I'm not hungry," you insist and go back to typing. "I'm busy."

"Lonely too, by the looks of it," he leans forward, "let me buy you something, sweetheart."

Your eyes flick up and you give him a glare. You don't understand this man and he surely doesn't understand you. You're less than interested in any guy but especially not him. Your life has order and you value that. What little you can control, you hold close.

"You don't just come down to the cafe looking like you do and not want attention," he pushes on your laptop again and you stop it from closing. "I mean… how many dudes are gonna hit on a sick girl anyway? I accept you, babe, kidneys and all–"

"That's it," you snap, "get away from me. Now."

"Hey, it's a compliment–"

"Leave. Me. Alone."

"It's fine, we can move past this, I like a little fire–"

You flutter your lashes at him as your chest burns. You want to scream and cry at the same time. You look around, reminding yourself of your audience and take a deep breath.

"I'm asking you nicely…" your voice cracks, betraying you, "to go."

"I didn't do anything wrong–"

"There a problem here?" A deep growl has you shrinking further as Pete turns in his chair to look defiantly up at the man in the black apron.

"No problem. None of your business, bus boy."

The man with the black apron crosses his arms and scoffs, "big problem. I own this place so if you don't leave in the next fifteen seconds, I'll have you trespassed."

"Whatever, bro, me and the lady are having a chat–"

"He bothering you?" The man in the apron asks. You nod, breathless. "On your feet before I throw you on your ass," he growls at Pete.

"Like to see you try," Pete stands and puffs out his chest, "you're getting a one-star, bud." He crushes his cup into the man's apron, spilling the coffee down it, "coffee tastes like dirt anyway."

"Have a good day," the owner sneers, staring until Pete finally retreats, not without sending you a lecherous leer.

You watch after him and swallow, "I'm sorry–"

"You okay?" The man holds the dripping cup, foam on his name tag that reads 'Curtis'.

"Yeah, thanks," you murmur, "I didn't mean to make a scene."

"No worries, you need anything, just ask for Curt," he gives a curt bow and backs away, leaving your to wallow in a stormy rush of nerves.

[markantonys]

In the books Rand completely rejects his Aiel heritage. Jordan seemed to be going with telling the story of an adopted kid who decided only his adopted family mattered. But that's not the only way to tell that story so the show has the opportunity to do something different there if they want to. My preference would be not to have Rand reject his Aiel heritage but to refuse to abandon his Andoran heritage/Two Rivers upbringing. The Aiel canonically want him to become fully Aiel so for him to refuse to give up part of himself could be another way to frame it . They also resent the fact that Rand is only half Aiel and wasn't born in the Waste so they could do more of that imo

i'm trying to think of a useful response but my brain is too occupied by the sudden realization of the Bi Metaphor of rand being too aiel to fit in with wetlanders and too wetlander to fit in with aiel hahaha

anyway, from what i can remember, i don't know if i would say rand *completely* rejects his aiel heritage in the books (at least until the point when RJ himself shuffled the aiel off to the side in general because he wanted to play with the seanchan instead). i may be misremembering but i think rand DOES put in genuine effort to learn about aiel ways, but is just really bad at it and gets easily frustrated with trying to keep track of all the intricacies (which is completely understandable, especially since the aiel are making very little effort to adapt to HIS culture or meet him in the middle). and he IS curious about shaiel and janduin and is emotionally affected by hearing about them from the wise ones, even if he ultimately decides that tam and kari are his true parents (as he should! like you say, it's a great repudiation of the "blood family>adopted family" trope that is so prevalent in media and especially in fantasy where the Normie Adopted Family so often gets swept aside once the hero finds out about their Super-Special Secret Birth Family.)

and he knows that he needs to *be seen* adapting to aiel culture in some way in order to get the aiel's support, which is another interesting wrinkle in the whole situation, because his public behavior and his internal feelings are not necessarily aligned (i'm thinking of the alcair dal scene where i think all those lines about tam being his real father are just in his head as he's talking aloud to the aiel about being janduin's son). i'm not bothered by that sort of "i need to publicly buy into my aiel heritage but in my heart it's not who i am" attitude because i think it's pretty realistic for his situation. and maybe he starts shifting from "i just need to be seen doing this for political reasons" over to "i genuinely do respect aiel culture and want to learn about it, even if i'll never consider it MY culture" as he gets emotionally closer with aviendha and some of the other aiel.

but at the end of the day, while i like the aiel and find their culture interesting, i'm not nearly as invested in them as i get the sense many WOT fans are haha (see: me finding the glass columns sequence quite boring and being utterly bamboozled to discover that most readers list it as one of the best scenes in the series) and so i just don't feel very strongly about what route the show takes re: rand's relationship with aiel culture and his aiel heritage. and also probably have a fuzzy memory on a lot of the book details on this topic!

[yingren]

do you need music/noise to write or do you prefer silence ? / are there any red roleplay flags for you that make you back off immedately ?

munday questions.

there aren’t any immediate "red flags" that make me back away entirely, but there are certain things that tend to make me a bit wary when i come across them. i want to clarify that this isn’t intended to sound rude, mean, or petty - it’s just something i’ve noticed. before diving into this, i should also mention that it’s not exactly a red flag and it’s more of a pet peeve, something that catches my attention and makes me pause rather than outright deterring me.

the topic of female muses and the hypocrisy surrounding them. to start, i completely understand what it feels like to have your muse overlooked or pushed aside simply because you write a female character. it’s frustrating to pour so much effort into developing your character - her backstory, personality, and the overall world around her - only for people to ignore all of that in favor of interacting with male muses. it’s an issue many of us are familiar with, so i don’t need to elaborate too much on how this typically plays out. 

while i wholeheartedly agree that this behavior is both irritating and occasionally problematic, there are a few related issues that i find even more aggravating. first and foremost, the hypocrisy of those who advocate for better treatment of female muses but seem to only care when it’s their own. it’s disheartening to see someone preaching about how female characters deserve attention and effort, only to notice that their blog is almost exclusively filled with mxm interactions. moreover, i find it especially baffling when a female muse is written exclusively to interact with male characters. to me, it seems contradictory to advocate for female muses deserving more attention while not engaging with other female muses yourself. that inconsistency makes me less inclined to engage or follow first. 

second, i don’t entirely agree with the claim that there’s a "severe lack" of female muses in the community. sure, there might be fewer compared to male muses, but it’s not an extreme shortage. you don’t have to scour the ends of the earth to find others writing female characters. it’s more about whether people are genuinely interested in interacting with them. 

lastly, i find it baffling when people essentially lie about their interest in writing with female muses. if you’re not interested in shipping with female characters, that’s fine - just be upfront about it. it’s entirely valid to have a muse who isn’t romantically inclined toward women. but romance isn’t the only dynamic that exists. if you’re uninterested in other types of interactions with female muses, then perhaps it’s worth reflecting on why you feel that way rather than stringing writers along.

as a bit of an add-on to this rant-like thought, i want to say that it’s perfectly fine to have gripes with a muse or a specific portrayal as long as the issue isn’t rooted in the fact that the character is a woman. there are poorly written female muses out there, just as there are poorly written male ones. that’s simply a fact of writing in any community. however, if your problem with a muse stems solely from the fact that they’re a woman, that’s something i can neither condone nor even begin to understand.

[olderthannetfic]

An ask you had recently mentioned American-Centrism (which is it's own topic, and was just a jumping off point for my line of thinking here), and one of the comments on it talked about how people in the USA, Canada (and Australia and New Zealand, etc) will talk about their ancestry. We've all seen people say they're Irish, for example, before they say they're American, even though their family has been in the USA for several generations. Or Italian American, or a Canadian who's "German and Irish", and so on with other countries and other nationalities. It's a veritable plague in many ways.

I'm not saying it's wrong to be frustrated by this by any means--it's a massive pet peeve of mine. I'm from the Balkans, and while I won't get into my own ancestry, suffice to say my family has been living in the same area for centuries, and likely longer. There are buildings in my small town centuries older than the USA. We have rich traditions that the "New World" (so to speak) simply doesn't have. Hearing someone say they're as "Balkan as I am" is frustrating, especially when they try to lecture me about my own culture. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and in many cases the push back against these people is well deserved.

But I don't ant to ignore how complicated this all is either. "White American" (or Canadian, Australia, New Zealand, etc) is seen as a cultural void almost--just look at the jokes about people having no culture. But humans cling to ancestry and want to learn more about where they come from, as that's human nature. When your family has done everything to remove their culture and fit in with a new society, it effects you, and that in turn effects how these people interact with the culture they feel like they're missing. There's a reason why diaspora populations have their issues after all, and why those issues are so unique. Culture is entrenched in humans, but a lot of people don't have access to it in a way they once did. My country isn't rich. It's pretty shitty in a lot of ways, but you can FEEL the culture and entrenched traditions here. You can't in a lot of the places people who cling to their perceived past live (in my experience in moving for school and living briefly in the USA and through my area of study).

I have an aunt who moved to the USA in the 80's. She didn't teach her children her mother tongue so they could fit in, and did everything she could so that she, her husband, and their children, could fit in and have "American dream". And in some ways, they did and still do. But as we all know, the American Dream is hardly perfect. Seeing how desperate my cousins now are to have a connection to their culture, I think I can understand why people cling so hard to what they feel like they're missing.

I'm not saying that they're in the right, and I do think these people who cling to that whatever percent (insert ethnicity) need to sit down and fucking listen. They're showing themselves as ignorant more often then, and need to stop talking over others. That's a sure fire way to have everyone hate you.

Going back to the example of my cousins. One was horrible about this for awhile, and she's first gen. She grew up with people saying they were X percent this, and Y perfect that. So she parroted it. And I hated her for awhile. But she eventually (thankfully) grew up, and came to visit and asked to learn and to grow. That makes such a huge difference. Most people, in my experience, are happy to share culture when it's done in a respectful manner and coming from a place of genuine interest.

I know this is all incredibly nuanced, and I'm not expressing myself perfectly. The push back against American-Centrist is well deserved in many ways, but that doesn't mean there aren't other parts to the conversation. Maybe it's because my area of study is anthropology and human culture is deeply entrenched in my day to day research, but I find it both fascinating, and incredibly sad.

*note, I'm not saying there is no culture in America. But responding to people here and in the internet in general, and stating some general observations.

--

People are also just used to communicating with other locals.

In the US, me being a specific flavor of Irish/Scottish/English/German/Protestant French mutt is what distinguishes me from other white people. It's not weird to talk about your background in a context where a lot of people's families aren't originally from here. You're a such-and-such-American as opposed to some other kind of American.

It's just that when one goes online into a highly international space, local shorthand doesn't really work.

[thatgirl4815]

Side Character Roles/Functions

I've been thinking about the roles of side characters in this series and how they function as narrative devices. I have no specific point to laying them all out other than I think it's interesting to take a look back at what they've shown us about the main characters.

Yo & Plug - I'm putting them together because they're almost always in scenes together. To no one's surprise, I think they are intended primarily as a mirror to SandRay's relationship. What is first presented as a seemingly ideal relationship turns sour fast when Sand and Ray catch their breakup outside of the bar. Yo is afraid of commitment much in the same way that Sand is afraid of setting boundaries or rejecting people he cares about lest he lose them. In that way, Yo's behavior almost contradicts Sand's own--Yo is so afraid of losing someone that she opts to leave them first, while Sand is so afraid of losing someone even if they treat him badly. There are so many juicy comparisons to Sand and Ray's commitment to each other.

Atom - Also unsurprisingly, Atom functions as both a point of conflict for Boston and, more importantly, a turning point for Boston in his own self-reflections. What makes Atom different than Boston's other hookups is that Boston had established a genuine friendship with him prior. Not only that, but Boston was under the impression that Atom was 100% straight up to the point that Atom asked if he could try things out with Boston. Judging from Boston's reaction, the fact that this friendship leads to a sexual encounter is disheartening in that it once again affirms Boston's worth as coming from his body. This topic hasn't been explored in too much detail, but I like that the situation with Atom subtly hints at it. Additionally, we see Nick tell Atom that he knows what it's like to be in love with someone who doesn't love him back (right in front of Boston!) which is a poignant line for Boston to hear. Boston was already aware of this, but in light of his recent revelations, I think it hits harder to hear Nick say it in the interaction between AtomBostonNick.

Boeing - Boeing is here to ruin everybody's day. I think he serves multiple functions given that he is involved in multiple relationships (I'm sure he will have an important function in BostonNick's relationship as well judging from the Ep12 preview). For TopMew, Boeing is both another road block for them to move past and proof that though Mew wants to forgive Top, he still wants to take revenge against him. Boeing is a convenient way for Mew to take that revenge; Boeing even invites it. Mew deciding not to take the bait though is what allows him and Top to move forward. For SandRay, Boeing is a source of conflict that they must overcome too, but he also plays a very integral role in illustrating Sand's boundary issues.

April - April is here to be the unproblematic gf of the year. In my own personal opinion, I think she deserves better than Cheum. I do not think Cheum is a bad person, just like I don't think anyone in this series can be considered a bad person, but her behavior--especially with the Atom/Boston incident--frustrates me to no end. But back to April. I think her relationship with Cheum is important in that it remains fairly consistent even though it has its own issues. I'm glad they encountered some conflict to remain realistic and show the audience that not even the lesbians are safe from drama.

Moms/Dads - I won't go too deep into this since there are so many avenues (might be better-suited for a longer post), but moms and dads play an important role for many of the main characters, particularly Sand, Ray, Boston, and Mew (with variation of course). Contrasting the relationship that Ray had with his mom to Sand's mom/Mew's moms illustrates how Ray has been lacking in a familial support system for much of his life. On the other hand, Sand's father is an absent figure while Ray's father is only mostly absent, though he does care about saving Ray from his mother's fate. We also see small glimpses of Boston's father and Nick's father; Boston's father is an especially good indicator of the role of reputation, expectation, and even toxic masculinity in Boston's life.

[genericpuff]

I always enjoyed reading LO, though as of late I've gotten more critical of it and aware of the flaws in storytelling, art, pacing, etc (one can still like trash while recognizing it's trash, I guess), and it's been super weird being the only one in my friend group who's not seeing it as this perfect flawless comic anymore. Your retelling so far has been super refreshing and a joy to read, the art and character design is recognizable yet distinct and great on its own (I LOVE YOUR DIONYSUS SO MUCH HOLY CRAP HE'S SO GOOD), and like... I'm interested in where things are going! It's fun reading this! I still do enjoy LO (maybe it's the sunk cost fallacy, idk), but I'm invested in your version so much more now. So thank you for your work, it's really great :)

I know the story is focused more on H&P than the mostly cast of side characters, but are there any other myths that might get revisited as well? Eros/Psyche, maybe Ariadne since Dio is here...?

Absolutely, I say it a lot when the topic of "LO stans vs. LO critics" comes up but none of the criticism is meant to be persuasive debating, while it can be frustrating to voice our criticisms and be met with "yeah well that's just your opinion", we're also not criticizing the comic purely to convince you that it's trash, we're legit just engaging with the comic in our own way. The best way any LO fan can react to it is either to acknowledge the criticisms and move on, or not go out actively seeking the criticism in the first place if it's something that bugs them. But in the end, no one is talking about the comic in this way as a means to strong arm people into riffing on LO, we'll still be talking about it way past everyone's bedtimes regardless of whether or not you chime in and/or agree. I think a lot of people who enjoy LO have a hard time separating those two things because they love the comic so much that any criticism is automatically flagged as "they're trying to make a hater out of me". And yeah, maybe we are a little bit (because it's fun to riff on this comic and the crit community has genuinely some of the nicest and funniest and most creative people I've ever met) but for the most part it's not our goal to make you hate the comic, we can't take your enjoyment of it away from you, even if you do recognize its flaws yourself. By all means, enjoy LO if you want to, we won't try and tell you not to! Just don't think that gives you permission to tell the critics to stop criticizing because that's a double standard we just ain't gonna stand for LMAO

All that aside, I'm glad you're enjoying Rekindled! As for the other stories, I'm trying to reel in Rekindled's plot to focus solely on H x P because I feel like that's what it should have stayed as. One of Rachel's biggest mistakes IMO was when she stated she "wanted to include as many myths as possible" because it's clear it's resulted in her prioritizing low effort Google-level lip service and Marvel-esque nostalgia referencing over telling an actual cohesive story. I'm taking a lot of the additional myths that Rachel tried to do in LO and leaving them on the cutting room floor, but when Rekindled is done, I'm hoping to pick up what was discarded and do them as little side stories after the fact. I feel like that's the best way to do it especially considering so many of the myths Rachel included didn't happen until after Hades and Persephone were married (including Eros and Psyche). I'd especially love to tackle Orpheus and Eurydice, it's one of my favorite myths :) Dio x Ariadne is also one I'm hoping to tackle, though that one I'll probably work more into Rekindled itself as Dio plays a huge role in Persephone's character arc, we'll see !

[decepti-thots]

for so long I have felt like a weirdo for thinking that the jro pregnancy stuff is deeply unhorny. but I am going to say it now: it's only horny in the way that the alien franchise is horny: there are definitely people who are horny about it, but it's primarily about the non-sexy aspects of pregnancy. i get that it's a funny joke but a non-insignificant people genuinely act like it's "the writer's barely disguised fetish". birth is weird and scary and fascinating, even more so in robots. im probably more defensive about this than I should be but it's kind of upsetting to me that this is where the discussion always ends

I'll put this under a cut so as not to spam anyone's dash bc yeah I went off on this ask haha (positive).

I actually felt so insane about this very topic I ran a damn poll on my NSFW sideblog and the thing is: the majority of folks voting agreed no, it's not inherently, textually horny. (I would know; I know horny when I see it, ffs!) Which vindicated me! Because I agree it's so ridiculous a thing to unironically, sincerely insist is super horny, given the text, lmao.

Like, it's extremely obsessed with pregnancy, but this is not the same as 'a fetish', and tbqh I think the 'fetish' joke just shields any actually interesting discussion of what it's doing. I think the Alien comparison here is actually really telling; it's absolutely a visceral thing, a thing concerned with the body and how it functions, sometimes against our will. And it's not unconnected to sexuality or eroticism in how those things are discussed more broadly, in the sense it's talking about a thing that intersects with those elements in the abstract, but it's not. Like. It's not a "fetish" thing, and if the characters it involved weren't referred to as 'he' in text I think less people would be calling it that, and actually it kinda sucks that every time I bring it up I have to block people who see 'pregnancy mentioned' on my completely sfw posts as an excuse to go off on their personal fetishes in detail, or their desire to speculate on the imagined fetishes of the writer in equally graphic detail. (BTW, it's genuinely uncomfortable seeing people obsessively speculate on the imagined fetishes of a creator, I think. We should all do that a little less in public.)

I mean not to be a total killjoy or anything but like... treating pregnancy in itself, even in the most abstract way, as inherently fetishistic and inappropriate (the people reblogging my innocuous posts about pregnancy metaphors with fucking trigger warnings! 'mpreg trigger warning' being a normalized way to tag pictures that are just Trans Dude Who Is Pregnant!) is uh. I mean we live in a world where pregnant people are often massively marginalized by society period, and seen as somehow inappropriate for public life, and especially anyone who is remotely GNC. Like the idea that something is inherently obscene about a pregnant person is, shall we say, not apolitical. It is in fact a thing that people actually have to fight against in real life. I mean. Fandom doing this to a text that in fact is most notable for treating pregnancy weirdly neutrally in these terms is... frustrating! I think we all lose out when we refuse to engage with weird, funny texts that have things to say about these topics that fall outside our expected frameworks, like, say, 'this is A Fetish TM'. That's limiting! If we want to talk about what IDW1 phase two does with gender, we cannot do that properly if every time we talk about MTMTE we get weird about it doing sexless genderfree pregnancy metaphors, and instead make them funny mpreg jokes, tbh! IDK! Seems counter intuitive! And I genuinely think MTMTE/LL's bizarre approach to the thing is so interesting precisely because it's so odd and offputting. What if we actually examined it. I think we can find some good stuff in there, frankly.

And truly the especially frustrating thing is that the comic itself, for all it is objectively weird and hilarious and 'why the fuck is this even HERE' about it... is just never that. Like. I posted those excerpts because it IS weird and it IS wild and it IS quite funny in its way! It's alien robot body horror in a kids' cartoon franchise turned to an unexpected end! But you know what it actually manages, somehow, to never be? One: weird and misogynist about pregnancy. Two: weird and transphobic about it involving vaguely, ostensibly 'male' characters. Make all the mpreg jokes you want I guess, but MTMTE is many bizarre things but it never gives one single shit about the gender binary, and tbh I think it's genuinely kind of embarrassing the fandom saw a comic that did insane robot body horror pregnancy shit and was like. Okay well. But the mpreg tho.

Like. I've joked for years that I want to do a transmasc read of the pregnancy stuff Roberts did in TF seriously, same as I think a transmasc read of how Alien presents fears around "male pregnancy" in a trans context would be great. And for all my jokes, I genuinely would, actually. I think it's legit very interesting how Roberts manages to divorce the presentation of horror of pregnancy from gender in a way that mitigates the gendered subtext somewhat and gets at the loss of autonomy in a broader sense.

anyway it truly sucks that fandom is so fucking shitty about this. to give a little extra context, i talk about a particular transmasc humanformer AU sometimes that involves pregnancy and. i have had to Delete Some Fucking Asks about that thing, which. well that happens in normal regular real life and people talk about it like a fanfic trope (derogatory). so. i am a little sensitive to people getting Like This about the topic, aha.

sorry i went off on one anon, can you tell. i also find this frustrating. i relate. i am totally with you. god it would be so much less interesting to read it as horny so like, why is this the ONLY MODE we seem to have tbh

[dazedpuppydairies]

Sometimes I feel conversations surrounding ace-spec and aro-spec experiences are presented to monolithic. Of course I'm not referring to when people are specifically describing their own experience; however, when speaking about the communities as a whole I wish there was more emphasis on the diversity of experiences amongst ace and aro people. I'm not saying this is always an issue in ace and aro spaces, but it has negatively affected me personally. If this isn't something that you've noticed that's fair. Maybe this is a niche topic, not sure.

For example when people broadly say aromantic people don't date that generalization feels exclusionary to me. A lot of aromantic people myself included do date and even if most aromantic people don't date it doesn't make that generalization a good representation of the community as a whole. I have a similar issue when people broadly say asexuals don't have sex. My friend's old partner one time essentially harassed me in my own discord server for identifying as a sex favorable asexual because I was apparently misrepresenting the community. She also repeatedly told me it just sounded like I'm demisexual.

Though I don't personally identify as demisexual or demiromantic myself I do have the impression this issue is part of why demi people are often so othered. I've noticed this in the ace community especially, demisexuals are sometimes othered and seemingly seen as kind of separate from the ace community. I think this is also because demisexuality is a very misunderstood identity too. I just wanted to highlight demi erasure because I think it's a part of this conversation even though I'm not demi myself.

I think in conversations about asexuality and aromanticism it's sometimes forgotten the orientations describe having little or no sexual and/or romantic attraction. Having little or no attraction doesn't necessarily dictate your desires. Yes asexual and aromantic can also describe a disconnect from normative societal expectations, due to feeling repulsed by sex/romance, or being uninterested in sexual/romantic relationships, but they're not mutually exclusive. You can have little or no sexual attraction or romantic attraction and still be interested in sex and/or dating. You can want to participate in traditionally sexual coded and/or romantic coded things and still be asexual and/or aromantic. Both are valid experiences that should be equally represented while defining the community as a whole.

Rather than saying, "aromantic people don't date" if that person said, "a lot of aromantic people don't date" I feel simply including the "a lot of" part would make the statement so much more inclusive. I recognize that it's likely most asexuals don't engage in sex and it's likely most aromantics don't engage in romance as a part of their asexuality or aromanticism, but that doesn't change that there's still a chunk of ace and/or aro people who do.

I feel kinda bad making such a big deal of this, but again it is something that has genuinely negatively affected me. I understand do to amatonormativity not being interested in sex or romance can be an extremely alienating experience in our society and I want to respect that. I understand why it's so important emphasizing the validity of not being interested in a sexual or romantic relationship for example and I want to uplift aces and aros with that experience so I feel kind of shitty making a big deal out of this. I recognize because I do date for example in that way I fit more into amatonormative standards and I'm not trying to overlook that. At the same time as an aroace who does participate in sex, dates, etc I often feel like I don't exactly belong in either space which is very frustrating.

I just wanted to share my feelings on this and feel free to give constructive critique.

[eveninglakehomeworld]

long winded stream of consciousness rambling about my feelings on what devs have said about a certain character's sexuality

I wanna preface this post by saying I really hope this doesn't come off as me saying that I think this character shouldn't be considered demisexual because that's not what I mean at all! I'm really happy for all the people who are excited about this reveal! Also very few things I say in this post are actually inconsistent w him being demi, if anything it’s more the specifics of his experience level and of spite’s involvement in the relationship that I stray from “”canon”” on.

Also want to say I really sympathize with aspec people who are saying they do not feel like this representation of demisexuality has done right by them or that it feels like a "dumbledore was gay the whole time" style retcon. both are valid perspectives to have, obviously - you don’t need me to tell you that. I’m mentioning it because I’ve seen ace people express discomfort with the fact that saying this character is a hurtful stereotype of an ace person, if that’s how he’s meant to be read, for several reasons - there's a post that touches on some of that by an ace person who explores it more thoroughly and authentically than I could, and said post and all its notes are very worth the read for thoughts from ace ppl on this topic. 

I just thought that those were important things to address. It’s not fair to y’all to have lackluster, shoehorned rep. the writing of this game in general (and this character + his romance particularly) is just kind of all over the place and it can be deeply frustrating.

And now onto my own feelings... I personally don’t really care much about what the devs/writers have to say at this point, especially after that hot mess of an ama. I don’t think that anything haphazardly tossed out on a twitter post can or should be considered canon, especially when it directly contradicts what they’ve said before (MK originally said he was “written specifically[!!] to be a bisexual disaster” + other devs saying there are no asexual companions), and the evidence for it in the game is spotty at best and potentially even contradictory at worst (his romance w an npc), due to poor writing on their part.

Personally I am very attached to the “bisexual disaster” interpretation of him because… me too lol!! I must admit that I was the tiniest bit disappointed that that was kind of thrown out the window, but only briefly, because as I said, I don't care that much about anything the devs/writers say that they never bothered to actually explore in-game in a meaningful or thoughtful or tactful way. I myself don't see him as 100% inexperienced - I could see him having gone to a brothel at his cousin’s behest, after some incessant prodding about how he just needs to get laid to loosen him up. I also think he’s maybe participated in some tipsy hookups (I’ll be honest these two things specifically are just kind of based on a line in a fanfic I read and liked lol. I do genuinely think he’s not a virgin but the specifics of how specifically are truly just vibes based, as a disclaimer).

I think after having those Less Than Ideal [for him] experiences with sex, his one other known attempt at romance going poorly, and the fact that he just has other priorities and more pressing things to deal with, he decides it’s not really for him. he doesn’t really Get relationships based on his unfilfilling experiences or have interest in giving those things the time of day anymore when he’s got other responsibilities to worry about. I don’t think he’s some casanova Zevran 2.0, but I don’t see him as a virgin, or entirely inexperienced, either. I find this reading more satisfying and consistent w/ the Disaster Human impression I had of this character going in - that he has a sexual history, but it’s kinda messy and unfulfilling, so he just stops partaking because he’s got other things going on. 

then, he meets our character, who shows up for him again and again, insisting that they want to stand with him through everything even though he thinks he’s a mess. that is the point at which I think he comes to the understanding that he would actually very much enjoy emotional and physical intimacy, once he has that intense connection between himself and the other person. I’m gonna touch on a few things to help explain why I interpret him the way that I do.

so in the first coffee run with him, you can flirt w him by asking what drink a first kiss would be, if Andoral’s Breath is a last kiss. He responds with honey and lavender cream… sweet, intriguing - and he leans toward you as he says this - before asking you how you would describe a first kiss. If you say you may need a reminder - I did - he finds it very amusing, saying you must lead an adventurous life. Rook responds with “no more than you, I’m guessing,” and his response is “I’ve always thought that to live truly is to live fully.” Unexpectedly smooth for someone who allegedly doesn’t really know what he’s doing, and doesn’t really imply inexperience. I can see a few interpretations working well here, namely:

He’s not actually as skilled at flirting as he seems on the surface. He’s just imitating things he’s heard his cousin say word-for-word to get his feelings across, or maybe he’s had some seduction training that’s kicking in. He isn’t actually as experienced as his little line implies.

He’s not actually flirting at all and he really is just waxing poetic about drinks (v in character, tbf). When he says that he thinks “to live truly is to live fully,” he means it in a general sense and is just being polite.

I personally think he just genuinely knows how to flirt *when he’s really interested in someone,* despite claiming admitting that he doesn’t have his cousin's gift for it (if he’s faking it here, he’s doing a really good job… though I suppose that’s not necessarily beyond him, even despite his alleged inexperience. Like I said above, it’s just as feasible that he’s pulling some of his cousin's lines out of his ass or something, lol). But he follows this line of discussion up by explaining that his life’s never really been his own. To me, these few lines one after another imply that perhaps he’s had some experience, or at least interest, in sex and romance in the past, and he just hasn’t been able to explore that with as much attention and care as he’d like/in a way that’s been satisfying for him because he just has a lot of other shit going on. He says he’s always thought that to live truly is to live fully, which doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s actually gotten to live all that fully himself, despite potentially wanting to.

then we’ve got The Wall Scene. Again, there are many good cases to be made about why it plays out the way that it does. I’m not going to go into all of them because this post is actually getting long as fuck (oops) so I’m just gonna say what I think. I don’t think his faltering here is related directly to his sexuality, but I do still think it’s extremely important that this scene is immediately preceded by us assuring him that we aren’t afraid of spite, we don’t think he’s a mess, and we’re here for him regardless of his struggles. I think that’s a huge factor in why he’s able to strut so confidently up to us and tease us about this being a bad idea and calling back to us being an adventurous type that walks close to the edge. He feels empowered by the fact that we have shown and told him time and time again that we care for him deeply.

As for the reason he doesn’t follow through - I think he’s covering up the fact that he really does think this is a bad idea and is trying to give us an out because he’s afraid (think to the end of the game when he also says he was afraid to want us). I think he’s worried about taking this risk because he’s scared of what might happen to us - we could be put in harm’s way because of the Crows, or we could die confronting the evanuris, or any number of things. He’s scared to want and scared to lose.  When we don’t take the one last chance he gives us to back out, he takes it for us anyway, because, I think, he just realizes he hasn’t thought through what it could really mean to be with someone and therefore open himself up, not only to being vulnerable in general, but also to the possibility of loss. Again. Because he has experienced so much loss already. 

there are a lot of other good explanations for why he could be faltering here - maybe he realizes he doesn’t know what to do next, maybe he’s just not ready for this quite yet, etc. I just didn’t personally read it that way when I first got this scene.

also, the final romance cutscene, to me, doesn’t really come off as a first time? like, it doesn’t even feel like the first time these two characters in particular are having sex with each other? Especially if I'm supposed to read him as aspec. I think it could’ve been very tender and meaningful for there to be acknowledgement of it being his first time and his feelings about that, and maybe have some hesitations being eased with reassurances, because I think it’s natural and realistic for people to be a little clumsy and fumbling during their first time whether they’re aspec or not. It could’ve been very real and very sweet. Instead they just kinda. go for it. Lol. 

like, love that for them, but what bothers me about it is that it all really suggests, to me, that they just cut a bunch from his romance and never bothered to replace it with anything. it has the effect of feeling like a lot of romantic/sexual development happened, just… off-screen, where we didn’t get to see or have input. which is bonkers for a dragon age game, where typically more emphasis and time is dedicated to companion relationships and romance than this.

and don’t get me started on what they said about spite not taking part in their intimacy!!! I refuse to believe it. Firstly, there is simply no way I want to be in a relationship if the spirit (you know, a whole separate, intelligent, sapient, emotional being) that also inhabits my lover’s body doesn’t also want to fully(!!) take part. It’s all or nothing here, baby - if you don’t both want to be involved in every part of this, I don't want it. It’s spite’s body too, and his consent and comfort matters.

I also just simply don’t buy that he doesn’t care to be involved. Spite is so curious and intrigued and fascinated by us, and clearly cares about us very much - both of us. Also, I think it’s pretty clear based on what was, you know, actually in the game, that spite is an active and enthusiastic participant. In the final romance scene he fully envelops both of us in his wings. The man is down!! Quite literally a wingman in this scenario!! Also that one bit where you can walk into the pantry and you just hear “spite… mierda…” like… you can go wild imagining the type of things spite could be saying in that man’s ear, lmao. 

like, if you want me to read him as the inexperienced aspec person you said you wrote him as, either explore that in the actual damn game with tact and thoughtfulness, please - or be quiet. truly. because what’s there did not strictly read as that, to me. it’s vague and contradictory enough that you can make a good case for interpreting him several different ways, imho.

also, this is tangential, really, but… I have also noticed some people speaking about this character in a way that implies that having one’s sexuality deeply entwined with one’s emotions is, like, inherently at odds with the possibility of that person also having a… steamy side, which is… simply not true - ask me how I know! and to be clear, if you interpret this character as not having that side, it’s cool, because that’s one thing. I just don’t fuck with the general idea that someone who needs a deep connection and trust to desire/enjoy sex can’t also be a lil nasty once that connection is made. In fact, the implications of that are a little bit hurtful, even. people who fuck nasty have feelings too! sometimes even a lot of them!! just fyi!

overall it feels like a writer who vocally does not enjoy writing romance is making excuses and trying to cover her ass regarding what is widely agreed upon as the worst romance in the game, honestly!

[nerves-nebula]

Hello 👋 I love ur TMNT AU 💕 which is saying something because I usually avoid angst like the plegue. Especially with such heavy topics. I usually find that most AUs like this are just angst for the sake of angst with no other purpose except for shock value. But this AU is very well written, thoroughly thought out, and is very realistic in the interpretation of how abuse and violence effects children growing up. Other types of "angst" AUs and fics usually have me unreasonably angry and annoyed with how they practically glamorize abuse. While ur stuff has me feeling sick and disgusted (a positive thing really! Those are the feelings ur supposed to have when reading stuff like this.) because of how absolutely RAW everything is. Abuse is messed up and leaves its mark on u that'll effect u the rest of ur life. It fucks u up mentally, emotionally, socially, as well as physically. It is an ugly part of life that you quite elegantly bring to light with ur wonderful storytelling and art! Wonderful job! 💕

i mean you probably like it because it's not really an angst AU, if i'm honest. The point isn't that everything sucks or that people are in pain, that's just kind of a part of it? i dunno if that makes sense. I really appreciate that you like it, but I'm also kind of weary to put down other AU's.

I get where you're coming from with not really vibing with angst AU's, I don't really get into them much myself. they can seem gratitous nad pointless if you don't find them interesting on their own. But I think they're going for something a bit different than i am.

I think there's value in both creating and seeking out unrelenting trauma and horror and torture and pain in your fiction. Some of them can feel a bit stale or tropey at times but if those are the tropes you like then hey, you're probably have a great time!

I don't get bent outta shape about it cuz at the end of the day, it's just something some people do in their free time for fun and to express themselves. I like expressing myself with lame comedy about dark situations and bitter comics about not being allowed to die, haha. but if some ppl wanna draw gore and suffering then like, more power to them i guess!

THAT BEING SAID, I do genuinely find this flattering, that you like something that deals with dark themes even when you usually don't. it's like, AWWWW!! little old me?? and I don't want you to think I'm lecturing you or anything, I'm just giving a response I think is relevant. you're frustration makes total sense if you keep hoping or expecting one thing and getting another and it's just NOT what you wanted haha.

So yeah, thank you <3

[foxybananaaaz]

I know I'ma regret this. #9 for the angst prompt!

● Golden Thread ●

《 “Of all the times to tell me, why now?” 》

ANGST ONELINER PROMPTS FOUND { HERE } Send an ask with a number

Summary :: A conversation between Feyre and Elain doesn't go as planned.

Pairing :: SQUINT Elucien

Word Count :: 1k

Authors Note :: It's been so long since you requested! BUT I have been trying to figure out the right way to write this. I'm sorry you waited forever! But here we go!

“You aren’t who he would have chosen as a mate.”

Before the words had even fully sunk in, Elain had turned her head to her younger sister, only to see shock, mixed with frustration on her face. It wasn’t until the words, and their meaning, settled into her mind, that she fought, and failed, the urge to flinch back.

“That didn’t come out the way I meant for it to.” Feyre spoke up again, fully aware of how her original statement affected Elain, even though she wished it wouldn’t have.

Elain, proving to be more stubborn than either her sisters remembered, especially surrounding this topic, simply turned her head, and looked away. She hoped to give the impression that she did not care, nor did she wish to discuss him.

He was visiting, of course. Elains sisters only ever brought up the subject whenever he was around, but not near.

“He thought he had a mate, but the bond never snapped into place.” Feyre spoke, as though Elains dismissal of the topic had not happened.

Closing her eyes, she fought against the surge of jealousy that reared its ugly head. It was not hers, it did not belong to her. The emotion came from that thin golden thread that came from the deepest part of her being, and connected her to the red haired male. The emotion, though she knew what it was, and why it was there, was foreign.

“They loved each other so deeply, they genuinely believed they were mates.” Elains younger sister continued. She continued, ignoring, or just not knowing, the jealousy growing.

Elain hated it. She had no right to react this way. She did not wish to react this way. Yet here she was, jealous enough anyone who did not know the situation, might think that she had not ignored that thread.

“Clearly, they are not.” Elain clipped back. Her words, sharper, her tone, harder than she had planned. She hadn’t intended to respond at all, yet she could not help it.

“No. They aren’t.” Feyre responded, seeming to finally get a sense of where Elains mind was at. “It didn’t stop him from believing she was, even in the centuries after her death.”

Elain, as much as she loved to believe she was great at controlling her reactions, when it came to the golden thread, or him, she had a hard time keeping any reaction to herself, especially when she could not control it.

There was a small flicker of relief at learning this unknown female that he loved so much, had wanted to be his, had wanted the golden thread to tie him too instead, had no longer been alive. She couldn’t help it. She desperately hoped her face remained neutral. What kind of person had any sort of glee learning someone had died, no matter how long ago?

But there was one thing Elain could not figure out. This was not her sister's story to tell. She knew why her sister was telling her. Elain wouldn’t speak to him. But it still wasn’t Feyre’s story to tell.

Beyond that though, Elain was curious.

“Of all the times to tell me, why now?” Though she asked, she refused to look at her sister. Asking the question may have been too much, letting her sister think she was giving too much interest in him. Turning her gaze to her sister wouldn’t help Elain.

“I thought you should know, you aren’t the only one who found yourself in this bond, having had hope for a past love.” Feyre responded.

It was the first time anyone had mentioned, even though indirectly, Greyson, at all since the war. What he had done, had said to her.

He was the reason Elain had started ignoring the heartbeat she could still hear. Greysons cruel words, and the harsh way he spoke to her was the reason Elain would not look within herself, knowing she would only see the golden thread. The way Greyson had broken her heart was the reason Elain refused to look at the male with the red hair.

Refusing to listen to her sister any longer, Elain stood, and walked out of the room, without another word.

She was tired of everyone expecting her to do something about her situation. She couldn’t even try to distract herself, like Nesta could, without this situation ruining it.

Maybe she hadn’t done anything because maybe she may want to be happy like her sisters one day. But that day kept getting pushed further, the more her sisters brought up the topic like she should take pity on him.

Elain hadn’t realised where she was walking, hadn’t caught the flash of red through the window, hadn’t heard his laugh as she turned the corner. She wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.

Yet, when Elain had entered the town house, thinking she might be free of the entirety of him, she ended up face to face with him, barely registering his human friends.

He still had the laughter in his eyes, though it was quickly dying, as he realized that it was Elain who stood in front of him.

Elain couldn’t help the longing, the pain, the sadness upon seeing how quickly his laughter and joy died. She did that to him. And this was the worst part of this bond. The guilt, seeing his expression fall, anytime he saw her.

Though, now, her mind had something new to supply, seeing the fallen joy. Even though her sister hadn’t meant it in a way to be painful, her words came back, which added more uncontrolled, and unwanted pain in Elains chest.

‘You aren’t who he would have chosen as a mate.’

Without saying a word, Elain turned on her heel, and walked back out the front door, completely forgetting why she had come to the town house to begin with.

The only thing on her mind was how Lucien Vanserra’s face always fell, whenever she came into the room, and how it was probably because she wasn’t who he wanted.

THIS, is the first thing I've written in a while! It's short, sorry. But also, tried to keep that angst. Hope I did well?

[cartoonkitten]

Going insane because what the fuck is that remake/remix/cover of Where Is My Mind in The Inseparables /pos

I typically HATE pop/modern remixes/covers/remakes whatever the hell of classic rock songs, but imo, The Inseparables version of Where Is My Mind fucking slayed, devoured, ate and left no crumbs. It's majestic and I love it to pieces. Nearly started crying when I heard it. THAT'S HOW MAJESTIC THAT STUFF IS

Really fits with Don's whole "you are a toy, you can't fly" moment where his whole reality and imagination was shattered and smashed to bits, especially considering the song's abt being high and dissociating or being out of it in general. And DJ's lines/quotes telling Don that it's all in his head fit so well, almost rap-like (at least in spanish lol) and i was like WHATT HOLY SHITTT

Once more, sorry for the sudden ramble, I just HDKSJSHSH I FUCKING LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SILLY MOVIE

NOO BECAUSE LITERALLY ITS SO FUCKING GOOOODDDD. LIKE THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT I WAS LIKE NO FUCKING WAY PUGGY IS REMAKING THAT PIXIES SONG. puggy is already iconic with several other of that studios films, cause they made the soundtrack for the bigfoot movies (which were also directed by the same guy as the inseparables btw!) and the score for chickenhare and likely will be scoring chickenhare 2. AND LIKE, FOR THIS MOVIE THEY LITERALLY MADE EVERYTHING SO PERFECT, AND THIS????? LIKE THIS SONG MAKES ME FUCKING CRY TOO

AND LIKE OH MY GOD HIS WHOLE REALITY CHECK MOMENT IS SO HEARTBREAKING CAUSE LIKE. all he wanted was to find a way to use his creativity for something better, to not be confined to one thing all the time (especially one that gets him picked on), and of course, to gain some respect. ending up contradicting himself on every goal he was initially after and thus developing a tunnel vision of one conforming dynamic, like before, but different. he wasn’t wrong for committing heroism for others, but in the process he started forgetting to not just respect the couple people that actually try to respect him, but also forgetting to respect himself— which he realized in the beginning but completely lost track of after vaguely loosing his mind. AND THE FAKE CASTLE SCENE SHOWING THAT HES CHASING AFTER NOTHING IS SO FASCINATING TO WATCH GENUINELY. AND THE SONG JUST ADDS TO IT.

ALSO THE ART OF IT ALL IS HOW IT TIES BACK INTO THE END. CAUSE LIKE Don doesn’t really need anyone to build him back up, he humbled himself, but still remembers what he intially promised and still believes what’s right. he goes in with more self respect and still holds in his heart how to use creativity to save others. allowing others to respect their own strengths as actors, because nobody should have to be seen as one thing

TANGENTIALLY RELATED TO THE MUSIC but i also really love how rap is represented in this movie. usually rap isn’t taken as serious as other music genres and it’s frustrating to see all the time. so having this movie value and even encourage it is actually very interesting to me

ALSO DONT EVEN WORRY YOURE SO GOOD I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YA!! i also tend to ramble a lot about it and it gets pretty off topic but i just feel like the music ties everything together so well, i swear i could write an essay on everything about this movie HA

[pjunicornart]

Hey there

I saw your post about Cornelius and Franny and your perspective on their relationship, and I just want to say that I think it's really interesting (in a good way!) that you don't necessarily care for them as a couple.

What I really love about Meet the Robinsons is that it's a lot of people's comfort movie for a whole plethora of reasons, and those aren't going to be the same for everyone. I love it because Lewis finally gets adopted by people who accept him for who he is at the end, and that's something I desperately wanted as a kid and never really got.

I also know a lot of people see a little bit of themselves in Lewis, and that's the character that they most relate to.

For me, Franny and Cornelius are my comfort ship because I just love the idea that they were really close best friends who just kind of fell in love and get married and live happily ever after. But I know not everyone is going to see that, and it's totally okay!

I actually really love your headcanon of them being best friends with benefits, at least in an AU ☺️ I just love imagining their friendship, even without any romantic aspects. It's okay not to ship them, there's not law that says you have to. Like I know a lot of people who think Benedict Cucumber (I can't spell his last name lol) is the sexiest man alive, but I genuinely don't see it. 🤨

I also want to say that, as someone with a kid who never listens, I can understand their frustration with Wilbur. I think Cornelius is just tired of his kid's shit since he's probably told him a trillion times not to touch his inventions 😅 But I understand that it's triggering to see stuff like that, especially in a movie that's all about acceptance and I hate that those aspects make it difficult to watch.

Anyway, I know this was really long and kinda came out of the blue, and I hope this doesn't come across in a negative way. Your artwork showing their relationship in a different light as well as your AUs is really sweet, and I hope you never lose your spark.

Also, can confirm the straights are not okay 😂😐😶🫥

Hey, thanks. I needed this. Sometimes I look at what other people are doing within this fandom and I feel like the odd one out because my headcanons all lead towards the dark and triggering side of things due to my own trauma. Then again... when am I not the odd one out? Heh heh heh.

On the topic of people seeing themselves in Lewis... He was actually me as a kid. Down to the leading with anger as an emotion because I was autistic and nobody taught me how to regulate mine. Dude, I even related to the parts in the montage where he was up teaching the class. I did that too, because I was reading middle school level chapter books when I was six.

Lewis' safe spot seemed to be the roof, and I related to that for... obvious reasons, if you saw my previous art post. That's why I developed the headcanon he thought about jumping off that roof a couple times. Some people may ask what the hell is wrong with me, but who are you to judge how I cope with my trauma? If that means making a fictional character suicidal, then all you gotta do is leave it alone. It doesn't affect your life in any way. Just mine.

Anyway, I'm happy to know someone likes my interpretation of their relationship. I'm definitely gonna do more with them, I already have some ideas I might spring for. I was originally gonna do "Ask Agoraphobic Lewis" as my new ask blog, but now I'm thinking I might do "Ask Bestie Lewis and Franny." We'll see on that one, heh heh.

Yeah the straights are never okay when we check up on 'em, huh?

[1yyyyyy1]

don't know if you're taking a break on this blog, but your posts have helped me a lot and there is – ironically, i am sure some would say – something comforting in your writing and in the ways you express yourself. you have mentioned multiple times about your decision to remove from your life women who do not add anything to it. my question is: regarding relationships with women (platonic or not), how do you deal with loneliness?

i have always been a very introverted person, partially because i always knew there was something wrong with this world, even before i could name it. the more i grow, though, and the more i learn, my loneliness grows with me. it really does feel sometimes like we're the only ones in the fucking planet. the chances of us meeting one another are almost insignificant. i always knew men were empty but now i have to admit to myself that also every woman i know, see and talk to is a walking corpse. i am not interested in romance (i am a lesbian but too fucked up about sex itself and its implications), but part of me still wants friendship, in a way that my younger self did not.

is this also a thing you feel, from time to time? something you have encountered before?

As always, I am happy to know that my writing is helpful or even comforting in some way :) I know that these are some heavy topics I talk about on my blog and proving that they are not necessarily hopeless is what I care about. I am not on a break right now and I have actually been writing a lot lately, it's just that none of it is enough to wrap up even a single answer and I have been very frustrated by that. I'm still working on answering the messages in my inbox, even if it is something that was sent to me months ago, so please be patient with me.

Regarding loneliness, the truth would be that I'm a very solitary person and I tolerate loneliness or even isolation extremely well, to the point where I'm hesitant to give advice on how to deal with it to someone who is only slightly more sociable. I would be lying if I said that coming to certain realizations about women did not make me feel alienated at first because it did, and I used to be heavily bothered by the fact that the number of women who I had the potential to get along with was much smaller than I had anticipated, but ultimately I felt great relief after allowing myself to recognize that most women were harmful for me to be around and that I no longer had to pressure myself into socializing with them. The more pressing issue I was dealing with at the time was a "certain" ideology making me feel like I was stuck up or bigoted for wanting to distance myself from something that was clearly damaging to me, especially anything that involved obvious abuse and coercion. "Stuck up" for maintaining boundaries, figure that... Shutting down this line of thought alone was enough for me to start getting better and to move on to building connections that were actually productive for me.

I think that dealing with loneliness starts with discerning whether it is a temporary thing for you or a personal quality. You already mention being introverted, but I would take it even further and really allow myself to consider that it could be a genuine preference. Being confident in your introversion is a big deal because I know how unwell the world can make you feel for not being outgoing and how much people pathologize it! I myself used to wonder if my reclusiveness was some kind of trauma response that would go away once I met the right company and was more at peace with myself, which made me feel and act desperate when I look back at it. Nowadays I get a lot of positive interactions on here and I am on much better terms even with people in real life because I no longer get as frustrated by their worldview, but I still find myself in my own company more often than not because not being overtly social is where I am at my best.

With that said, I would not be where I'm at without my current friend circle and I genuinely attribute my mental stability to the friends I've made over the past year. I used to feel extremely unheard and alienated due to my fringe worldview and, having met like-minded people, this kind of isolation is just not something I struggle with anymore. To answer your actual question, I resolved my loneliness by making friends online and by recognizing that my social needs are met through less outgoing activities, like playing multiplayer games or curating an online blog; I was not going to figure this out without acknowledging that I am as reserved as I have always thought myself to be first, which is why I mention making peace with your introversion in the previous paragraph. Even if you end up being discontent with anything other than a long-term real-life friendship, talking to people online is still a good starting point that will give you a general idea for what it is like to be around someone with a similar outlook. I did feel infinitely better after connecting with like-minded women on social media (actually messaging them and interacting with their posts, not just reading or liking them) and it is one thing I recommend doing.

How weak or strong your sense of isolation is really depends on how far you are into coming to terms with the reality of this world's dynamics and there is a very high chance that you will be inconsolable at first, even with the right people in your life. I remember feeling down well into newfound friendships simply because such a major worldview shift was a lot to take in and I suggest not giving up on building connections with people even if it feels like nothing is working out for you. All in all, I choose to build friendships with like-minded women on the internet while maintaining more impersonal contact (professional or otherwise) in real life and I prefer to keep it that way.