#jordan dun

[pantaloonwarrior]

[bebe-benzenheimer]

even when pretending to be nonplussed/grumpy Jenna and Jordan are so pretty I can't stand it

[artist-issues]

I may have already sent you this, forgive me if I have but I've forgotten, but before The Line comes out I need to know your Top Ten music videos from them and why. because :)

Well go down from 10 because it’s More Climactic.

10. At the Risk of Feeling Dumb

I like this music video for 4 main reasons. 1) I like the concept that the stakes are getting higher as the song goes on. That’s a reason to check on your friends—time heals nothing. As it goes on, unchecked, assume things are getting worse for people who are in a bad head space, not better, and talk to them about it. Because the heights and depths and extremes in their minds are getting greater, not smaller. So we start on a dinky little haybale, we move to a skyscraper in Ohio. Plus, Josh’s setups on the drums are super jank. It’s just like wedges of wood cobbled together on a shed-roof. I’m sure that was to get the video done in time, but Mark is also a great filmmaker, so I am equally sure that Josh being on such rickety setups works together with that theme of “this person is up high, not being careful, with less and less regard for their own wellbeing.”

2) I love that Tyler sings into the mic while it’s upside-down. That means that a) you’re trying to communicate but you’re doing it all wrong, b) there’s a high chance nothing is transmitting and “getting through” to the audience c) uh, that’s not how a mic works, so you’re communicating your heart out but you look dumb.

The song is about trying to check in on a friend and convince them you care—it’s also about calling friends out for not checking on their friends. So either way, it’s about trying to communicate something that’s hard to communicate to a friend. Something that’s not easily-received. And you might not be thanked for it, and you might feel dumb. But do it anyway.

It’s worth noting that during the more calm second verse, where Tyler starts with, “If I’m being real, man,” which sounds like a “please hear me out,” very open and transparent start to a hard conversation. And at that point, he’s not even holding the microphone. He’s just looking up at the person who’s in a dangerous place, giving the illusion that he’s trying to talk it out from a one-on-one, normal spot, not screaming it urgently through a microphone.

3) Every time he sings the lyric “nothing you can do this time” he’s lying on the ground. It cuts to him lying on the ground after jumping and falling. So it’s the thought that there’s only “nothing you can do” if you’re too late and the person has already dropped. Any time before that, and the phrase “nothing you can do” is untrue. Or, it could also be saying, “I feel like I’m already on the ground, so it’s too late for you to talk me down.” Both work, both are genius.

4) I love that neither of them hold anything back while performing in this music video. Josh could fall, doing all that cracking down on the drums, but he doesn’t look like he’s being cautious—he’s hitting the drums as hard as he would if he were perfectly safe. And I love that Tyler is actually screaming. I would bet money that he’s actually screaming the song, even though it’s a music video so he could’ve lip-synced it. But he throws his whole body into it. I love that. I love that they always work as hard as they can.

9. The Outside

I think this one is great because of a combo of how much work that’s put into it, (like how cold that must’ve been, filming on set, and how much animation also had to be paid for and edited in, and the different costume changes, and the difference in time of day and lighting and set and props, and the amount of characters shown.) how much story it packs in, and sheer performance from Tyler and Josh.

Plus the editing is really great. The fast cuts with the knives and the Bishops when they assassinate Keons without it actually showing any gore, the blurry vision first-person perspective from Clancy as the Torchbearer walks up, and the expertly-done cuts between Tyler’s dance and Keons’ to communicate that he’s E.T.-puppetting him (seizing.)

But the performance though. I know Tyler’s not known for being an actor, but he really went for it. He drags himself out of what must be freezing cold seawater like he actually survived a shipwreck. He maintains the continuity by stumbling around behind the torchbearer as if he can’t keep himself up. And that dance? The seizing dance? There’s nothing more magnetic to watch. It doesn’t look normal. Doesn’t look like it’s borrowing from a freestyle or any other dances. It looks 100% original, like you’re watching something supernatural, a display of some superpower, happen. And it’s hard to make a dance look that cool-scary-intense-interesting, instead of just “funny.” Joaquin Pheonix wishes his little Joker dances were this indicative of a psychotic superpower.

I’m not biased and I’m not pre-disposed to think everything Tyler does is genius, what do you mean

8. Heavydirtysoul

This one’s awesome because it’s fascinating.

But first, more props for all the hard work. It’s cold. Josh is wearing no sleeves and his drums are on fire. And Tyler has to make sitting in the back of a car look interesting even though he also has to remain in glum-character and can’t get up and do all his eclectic movements with his full body.

And they do a great job.

Plus they film it in a way where it convincingly looks like the car is falling apart as Tyler sits in it, cutting quickly between the roof ripping off and Tyler looking up at it with light growing, then cutting in line with the action to the roof flying backward down the street. Great tricks, good job!

I really don’t know exactly what this video means, but it’s clear that a lot of thought was put into the meaning, and I can see that, for some reason I just don’t get it. It seems like progression is an important part of the video—it’s all framed around how long that car is going to last and whether or not Josh is going to get hit—but if progression is important, why end it where it begins, with Tyler in the backseat of an intact car, eyes shut, as if Josh in the road was all in his head?

I guess it could be that that’s the point—is progress being made, is someone from the outside breaking down the dark car he’s in, or is that all in his head?—but this isn’t a music-video-analysis post, it’s a music-video appreciation post!

I like how Josh’s drums are on fire at the same time as the car, and how they manage to sync some of the beats to the car losing it’s doors, it’s wheels, etc. Makes it feel as if the music is what’s breaking down the car—but the music is breaking down, too. Because the drums are also on fire. Anyway, I like all of that, even if I don’t understand what it means yet. I have a rough idea that “music is a great distraction, kind of like driving wildly, but both eventually break down.” You know, a “mortal rotting piece of song.”

7. Jumpsuit

I think this one’s on the list because of how I felt watching it, when it came out. Like, “they’re back! I thought they weren’t coming back, but they’re back—and there’s more for me to dive into than I thought any band could create, holy—“

I also just think whoever storyboarded it is awesome at their job. Because the vibe, especially of the petals falling in slow-mo, and the ramped-up tension into the last chorus, is really really well done. And if you think about it, Jumpsuit was sort of the pitch of the story to the fans. It had to be the elevator-taste of “bishops, banditos, trench, seizing, dema” when none of us had much context or idea that that was coming, yet.

So as an introduction, it’s great. You feel like you’ve been dropped into a weird world that you have to figure out just by observation—and guess what, that;s exactly what Tyler is acting like he’s doing from the moment the video opens. Waking up in a creek. Looking around all confused. Walking, looking over his shoulders, stopping to see the banditos. But there are cuts back to the Heavydirtysoul setting, too, so that we know this is all still coming from the band we love and the themes we started with.

I guess to sum it up, this is one of their best music videos because it’s so brave. They had an idea (the story of the next album), they couldn’t know for sure that anyone was going to get it or respond well to it, it was 100% original, and it had to stand or fall on it’s own merits…in a song that used the word “jumpsuit” but clearly that didn’t mean “jumpsuit.” And they did it anyway. All the risk and the ways it could’ve fallen flat, and they worked hard and did it anyway. Bold. I love them.

6. Lane Boy

Lane Boy isn’t one of my favorite songs but it’s one of my favorite music videos. Because of the Fame-and-Success hazmats in a gas mask characters, and what they do with that.

I think it’s pretty obvious why that’s genius and I know I’ve said why in another post, but I’ll just add here—in this music video, music is the thing that could gain Tyler and Josh Fame & Success. But the gas mask characters representing those things wind up being controlled by the music, during a filmed live show. So that’s great. Subversive.

Plus if you look closely, you’ll see Josh Dun playing drums in the video.

5. Car Radio

This music video is so high on the list because it’s another great idea that’s hard to do—but they did the work and made it happen anyway—but that’s more impressive because of where they were as a band, at the time. Back during my first couple years knowing and loving them, when they weren’t major yet. So they were probably figuring a lot of this out and going out on a limb with much higher stakes, all on their own dime and ability, too.

I mean, he had to shave his head during filming—that’s hard, because if you think about filming it, if he shaves part of his head but then they don’t like that shot or they need to switch to a better angle or the lighting is bad, then how do you go back and re-shoot? Can’t glue the hair back on to maintain continuity. Hard to do, but they do it well. And it’s worth it, because shaving your head is symbolic for getting rid of something you’ve made a lot of visible progress on—and it’s been attached to you. Apply that to thoughts, or habits you’ve formed. Which is what the song alludes to. Thinking through who you are, what you should be versus what you are, how to get there, and what works—faith?

Then also to get the crowd involved without the crowd messing up? When you’re a band that’s not “made it big” yet? They got it done. So impressive.

4. Fairly Local

Take what Jumpsuit was for Trench (introduction to a new idea, a new concept, that was going to have to maintain it’s impact and grow throughout the album) and that’s what Fairly Local was for Blurryface.

This music video introduces the idea of Blurryface with the most startling imagery. Tyler with those red eyes, opening up to you, but in a way that’s distorted and false, so it’s not really “opening up.” Which is the whole point of the character Blurryface.

Also, if you want to rate music videos just by the standard of “does it look the way it viscerally sounds?” Fairly Local is a great example of that.

It’s just cool, I don’t care. The eerie warehouse setting looks the way Tyler sounds when he’s doing that suspenseful “something-is-coming” vocalizing at the beginning. The microphone is a lightbulb, which is what literally illuminates the space, and lights up Tyler. Which is how any of us can “see” Blurryface—“the music brings him to light.”

3. Tear in my Heart

I’ll try to be brief.

It’s in a Chinatown setting—they’re not Chinese, they’re in the middle of a walking space, exposed, kind of out-of-place, opening the song with a language that they don’t understand. And the whole music video is about finding someone who can understand and see the real you. So, setting? A+

Tyler is in full Blurryface paint, meaning he’s really showing off the character and how insecure he is. Everything about the editing helps the paint to stand out. Makes sense, because again, this music video is about nobody getting you, something Blurryface would love for Tyler to believe.

Tyler’s acting. He looks around very nervously but very insistently the entire song. Whenever he tries to make eye contact, it freeze-frames—like in Screen “freeze-frame, let me paint a mental-picture-portrait,” and then in Screen he goes from freeze-framing to explaining himself, right? Well, in this music video, after the freeze-frame, he should be able to show part of himself to the person in the freeze-frame, that he’s making eye contact with. He’s trying to connect with someone. And every time? The person’s eyes warp and twist around. They can’t connect. That other person can’t even see Tyler. They’re all blurry—they’re not what they seem, or he’s not, and Tyler very clearly communicates that with his uncertain “I’m weirded out” face after the freeze-frames.

Jenna’s acting. I love the part when she sings the lyrics at Tyler and then when he sings them back, she stops and stares and they both have matching “oh” faces. And then she beats the tar out of him, and I love how she goes for it.

They go all in. This concept could’ve been poorly received and misunderstood by silly over sensitive people. But it was a genius concept—the person who can see the real you, no blur, has access to your weaknesses, and that can hurt—but real love really hurts, because the person who knows you and still chooses you, but also wants what’s best for you, is not going to let you sit in the clutches of the worst parts of yourself. Even if they have to beat it out of you. So she beats him up, but it ends with a kiss! They’re married and stuff. It’s wonderful.

2. UG Studios Session: Addict With a Pen

I don’t care if this doesn’t count. This one is important to me. I can feel the way he appears to feel, in this one. (And good, good for him, good for both of them, that they were vulnerable enough to make that happen in this kind of setting, where there’s no live audience, even though that is their usual weapon-of-choice. )

1. Holding Onto You

This one does everything I said the others do. It just does it the best out of all of them.

A) Hard Work - Makeup, editing, physical workout/discomfort, and I think in this one more than others, working with others, is all a testament to how good this music video is.

B) Performance - Look at how he says the line “and I’ll be holding onto you,” no matter what circumstance he’s in. A bunch of hand all over his face, standing in the seething mass of dancers, standing alone with the camera only focused on him, etc. Didn’t matter where. He perfectly communicated the desperation and resolve in that line, and always directed it upward. Like, at something he can’t see, but that’s why it takes so much resolve to hang onto it—and resolve is the resounding theme of the song. That’s all in his face, because that’s all in his words, that’s all him! Honest, genuine passion and intentionality.

C) Looks Like the Song Sounds - Starts with abrupt movement after apparent sleep, just like the build-to-bark sound of the beginning lines of the song. When the vibe changes on “remember the moment you know exactly where you’re going,” so does the regular camera angle—now we’re over top of Josh but whaaat, Tyler’s in a different plane? Then the pretty piano break before the bridge, and suddenly we go from crowds and fast-cuts to long, isolated shots of a lone, graceful dancer in mist. Then when the drums build and the piano joins them it’s Josh and Tyler back-to-back? The direction, production, and editing perfectly makes this music video look the way the song sounds, and that’s incredible in a song that changes shape three times.

D) The Concept - The fact that Tyler and Josh are “dormant and left in storage” in the opening, but then when he specifically starts talking about getting back in control instead of letting the flesh drive, the sheets are taken off. But guess what, just because he’s resolving to do the right thing doesn’t mean the flesh actually vanishes. Death-imagery, and flesh-imagery, in the form of those skeleton dancers, is right there all around them from the moment they “wake up.” That’s the point. Resolve in the face of the thing you’re resolving to quit, all around you, chaotic and uncontrollable and scary. And all over you. The fact that the moment he says “swat,” which should be when he’s kicking a skeleton-representing-the-flesh in the teeth? Instead, that’s when they mob him and force him to sit down. Right when you resolve to do the right thing, the temptation to do the wrong thing is all over you. You can’t do it. But he never looks at the flesh. All those hands touching him and pulling at him and he keeps his eyes fixed upward. Because THAT’S THE DANG POINT. The fact that he puts a noose around himself, and the flesh has the other end, which would be a bad thing, because it has suicidal-connotations—but it’s not a noose, remember, it’s a leash, and maybe the flesh is on one end, but he’s pulling on the other. And where’s he pulling? Upward, toward the same direction he’s been looking when he sings “holding onto you.” But he’s crawling, it’s not easy, it’s hard. The second he moves toward whoever he’s holding onto, though, they fall. The fact that during the versus he does the Gesture of Benediction, subtly, with his fingers, which represents the Holy Trinity, and uses that to mime mapping out a story, then pointing toward his own temples, while he’s singing, “and now that I write and think about it and the story unfolds, You should take my life, You should take my soul.” The fact that he and Josh die. They become skeletons, too. But it’s after the “entertain my faith” line. Which, by the way, is demonstrated by the graceful-pretty version of a skeleton-dancer, Death, getting the spotlight. And after they become skeletons, too, then they can use music to control the skeleton dancers—because the skeleton dancers start moving in time with the “lean with it, rock with it,” bridge. It’s the Christian life in a song. You try to defeat the flesh on your own, you can’t, it’s got you covered, but you have to hold on to God and remember that He defeated your flesh, and you have to move toward Him instead of focusing on the flesh and death, and die to yourself, and He’ll handle the rest.

That’s the best music video. Also, they look great. Skeleton makeup, spine-dress-shirts, suits.

[s4pphic-sh3nan1gans]

honestly I wish I could inject "a sem ti povedal" into my veins. it's not enough to just listen to it, I need to live and breathe it so I can ascend to a higher state of being.

[lithuaniaseye]

I just know that you would love ride the cyclone (musical)

Never seen it, but I might go soon enough!

[pedroias]

The Rangers' starting rotation crashing Nate's interview

[unable2sitstill]

hate watching baumgardner restoration cuz I bust the canvas on my $25 art festival piece and my brain gotta say "I could fix that with a lightweight bridge patch of similar linen fibers, a heat treatment to impregnate the glue and reduce surface distortion, and then touch up any lost paint (maybe after placing some fill in medium)"

dude, that would cost $3,000.00 and a college degree in art conservation

[divinefemmexx]

Mars Nakshatras And Their Partners 💋

*Disclaimer- These are just observations you may not think this applies to you or the people you know and that’s ok✨ please be kind and if you don’t agree or like this post just ignore it.

Martians relationships can be super hot. They may also like to get all dressed up with their partner. Their partners can’t keep their eyes and hands off of them, they are not shy when it comes to PDA either. The love they share with one another can be very magnetic. I did notice these Nakshatras and their partners can be involved in scandals or their secrets getting exposed. A couple that is prone to being gossiped about a lot. The martians are usually the dominant one in the relationship more than likely likes to take charge. They may attract partners who want to humble them (this usually happens to the women). If they end things on bad terms I notice their partners are quick to speak ill about them. Overall, Martians can’t be tamed and doesn’t want a partner who will try to…but rather one that will come along for the ride!

-Olivia Rodrigo (Chitra Moon, Mrigashira AK) & Louis Partridge

-Maggie Lindemann (Mrigashira ASC) & Jordan Clarkson

-Doja Cat (Chitra Sun, ASC) & Joseph Quinn

-Cardi B (Chitra Sun) & Offset

-Kim Kardashian (Chitra Sun) & Kanye West (Mrigashira Sun)

-Kyle Kuzma (Mrigashira Moon) & Winne Harlow

-Megan Thee Stallion (Dhanishta Sun) & Pardison Fontaine

-Debby Ryan (Dhanishta Moon) & Josh Dun (Mrigashira Sun)

-Chad Michael Murray (Mrigashira Moon) & Sophia Bush

I just noticed Martians love a sunglasses moment lol

*Note- a couple of the celebrities have unknown birth time*

Yours Truly,

divinefemmexx 🖤

[sweetliss55]

I was just walking around the this popped into my head

"Hi I'm jeremy jordan, and I play Jack Kelly and now your watching newsies on Disney channel "

DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNN

*he does the thing*

Then ben fankhouser calls out

"Jeremy, hurry up!"

Like fr I wanna see this

[pantaloonwarrior]

[bebe-benzenheimer]

because I noticed I occasionally have a type...

If you're not attracted to men, idk, just roll a d3.

[tomdeocampooo]

Guimaras Loop

Day 1, spontaneous, low-cost, tour around Guimaras

The first stop of our Guimaras loop was Charle's Floating Cottage in Jordan. We ate sinigang na hipon (pasayan in Hiligaynon) and beef teriyaki for lunch. It was only 12 noon, so of course, we also drank beer.

We mostly talked about the difference in the languages and dialects of Panay, and my friends were surprised to learn that Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a are languages contrary to what most people think. "Wala na akong pera para pumunta pa doon" translates to "Waay dun ko kwarta para maadto pa tuya" in Janiuay and "Wara run ko kwarta para maadto pa rigto" in Miagao -- both Kinaray-a speaking municipalities. Cool, right? :)

We didn't plan for our trip. We said if it ever came to a point where we couldn't find an affordable resort to spend the night at, we would just sleep in the car. We bought just enough food and drinks and drove northward to Brgy. Lawi in Jordan.

We discovered this gem of a resort at Sitio Lusay. It was like a paradise at the end of a bumpy trail because we had to leave the car and walk for 10 minutes through a steep and pebbly terrain while carrying all our things to get there.

My friend cooked inihaw na baboy, while my other friend and I were busy taking pictures. I then realized we forgot to buy rice probably because we were too busy buying alcoholic drinks. Luckily, the resort manager cooked for us.

After dinner, we swam in the beach and talked some more about our senior high school years. The night ended with empty bottles and discussions about Christianity, abortion, and how working out can give you a new direction in life ("oo na, ito na, magwo-work out na nga").

#guimaras #spontaneous #beach

[cl0ckworkqueerness]

pinned post 📌

hi my name is jordan or robin, i don't really have a preference but i typically go by jordan offline and robin online

my pronouns are he/him ONLY, and please only use typically masculine-based terms (i.e. "man", "guy", etc) for me. you do not need to know the details of my transition or my body.

(this section has been updated) i am a transgender man, and i identify as intersex due to an edge case condition that impacts me significantly enough to alter my life and how people perceive me. i, however, am not a reliable voice for every intersex experience, and do NOT speak on behalf of others. rather, i use my position to learn about the experiences of other intersex people, especially those who were forced into corrective surgery

I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL THEORIST OBVIOUSLY i'm just some guy in his early 20's who's throwing his hat into the ring so please don't blindly accept my opinions as fact. or anyone's opinions, for that matter. but especially that of a guy who's just now learning things and sitting solidly upon Mount Stupid of the Dunning-Kruger graph

i'm here to learn more about and give my thoughts on gender studies, as well as develop my own hypotheses, theories, and opinions. i would love people's input on their experiences, especially if they don't match mine. i want to learn as many sides as i possibly can to get a big-picture grasp on the concepts of gender, sex, and everything else that may be discussed here

this blog will be entirely focused on subjects relating to sex, gender, gender discrimination, trans people and issues, intersex people and issues, queerness, and occasionally sexual and romantic orientation. any other subject matter will be addressed as it relates to any of these topics (for example, how black trans people face intersectionality of transphobia and racism, or how neurodivergent people often do not have their gender taken seriously)

i am not going to critically engage with bad-faith arguments. if i am going to engage with them at all, then it is going to be public mockery or using a bad-faith argument as an opportunity to learn or speak about something related to it. if you step into my ask box, especially if you're going anon, you agree to whatever i may say in response to it being posted publicly even if that means making fun of you. if you do not want this, do not send an ask

i will NOT tolerate, under any circumstance, any kind of prejudice, e.g. transphobia (including, but not limited to, transmisogyny AND transandrophobia), interphobia/intersexism, or any other kind of prejudice, even if it is not relating to gender. yes, this includes androphobia, which very often comes with gender essentialism. i am NOT an anti-feminist MRA, so fuck off if you want to strawman me and say that i am

i will primarily be talking about my own firsthand experiences, which may include more mentions of transandrophobia than transmisogyny. i will do my best, though, to emphasize the equality of these struggles, because neither are worse than the other and they are both severe problems that must be addressed with serious attention, especially if either are coming from inside the trans community itself

under the cut are a few of my general beliefs. if you don't want to read through the rest, that's totally fine and i understand, this post is long enough already lmao

- * - * -

first of all, any of these beliefs may shift or alter over time. if that is the case i will regularly check this and make sure no edits need to be made, and if something conflicts with a post i made, please refer to the original post rather than this list

and also, all of these are opinions that i hold. if you disagree with anything, we can talk about it

with that in mind, let's begin!

to me, gender has no categories or boxes to fit everyone into. rather, gender is sort of an internal perspective of the self, which may or may not change over time, and is different for everyone, much like an internal fingerprint. you cannot tell someone's exact gender by their self-expression, nor simple descriptive words like "non-binary" or "man" or "woman". there is nothing prescriptive or inherent about any of these labels, and these labels are not and can never be "categories", and thus by nature are difficult to define. the closest i've gotten is describing a sort of "core" of a person which these words can describe, but everything connected to it can be of any nature so long as it supports and upholds the core. but this idea is very underdeveloped as of right now and i'll need to think about it

the presence or lack of gender dysphoria in someone has no bearing on someone's transness. that is to say, you don't need it to be trans, and you don't need to be trans if you have it. gender euphoria is an experience most powerfully felt by trans people, so if i were to explain what makes someone trans in very simple terms, it would be "experiencing intense gender euphoria with certain words, phrases, aspects of presentation, activities, or other stimuli". i believe there's more to it than this-- the idea that cis people may experience some form of gender euphoria is on my list of ideas to flesh out-- but generally speaking this is the belief i hold. this also means transmeds get fucked lmfao

bioessentialism (assigning inherent attributes based on sex) and gender essentialism (assigning inherent attributes based on gender) are always bad no matter for what purpose(s) they're used. no exceptions. this means i will not be seeing eye-to-eye with most radfems-- yes, even trans-inclusive ones-- unless they can actively challenge the notion of anyone having any inherent traits because of their manhood, womanhood, femininity, masculinity, or anything of the sort

sex, much like gender, is not binary. there are multiple different characteristics that don't just come down to chromosomes, and to define sex as purely chromosomal is beyond stupid because human bodies are more complex than that

gender as most see it in western society today is a social construct, however to me, gender is tied to one's sense of self that is built upon social interactions and culturally-constructed ideas, concepts, etc. that is to say, gender is who "you" are, constructed by how you interact with society

gender as most see it in western society today should be deconstructed and replaced with the idea that, basically, you can be whoever you want forever. anyone should be able to incorporate anything into their gender that makes sense for them, yes, even "weird" or unconventional things, including any and all pronouns that you use

everyone regardless of gender is hurt by discrimination based on sex, gender, etc. which means yes, men are hurt by misogyny too and the only way to eliminate systemic and social misogyny is to eliminate all systemic and social sex and gender discrimination

cant believe i have to say this. transandrophobia is a real thing. androphobia is a real thing. men can suffer in ways different than women but those ways are still very real. discrimination, prejudice, even bigotry are not exclusive to one, "most oppressed" group. it is not the fucking oppression olympics, get your head all the way out of your ass. baeddelists can fuck right off

all ideas that borrow from gender critical theory, gender essentialism, bioessentialism, or any other ideology that is exclusionary towards one or more types of trans people should NOT be portrayed as "progressive", nor should they be adopted by anyone who actually gives a damn about making a change for a better and more inclusive future. basically, do not sit at the TERF table if you don't wanna get called a TERF

people should be believed for the labels they define themselves with, because even if they're liars, what good does it bring to risk gatekeeping a real person with real experiences. this goes for sex, gender, sexual orientation, romantic orientation, so on and so forth. this also applies to everything else in my mind but for here i'll mainly be talking about it in relation to these things

some people's definitions of themselves might not make sense to you, and that's okay. there are some things that don't even make sense to me yet. but i choose to live and let live, and i think pretty much everyone would benefit from others doing the same. sometimes, what people say about themselves isn't really supposed to make sense to anyone but themselves. the human experience is a complicated mess in every other regard, so why is this any different

i'll probably end up adding more as i continue to think and process my own ideas. until then, that's basically everything i can think of right now

good-faith debates and challenges are welcome, although i might not respond to everything. i will try my best to keep on top of education and information, but i promise i will get some things wrong. in those cases, i wish to be better informed so that i don't perpetuate misinformation or poorly-supported ideas

and finally, in case you haven't seen my banner:

i believe that's everything! thanks for reading all this way, and i look forward to this experience

[blindrapture]

SATURDAY MAY 28TH, 2011 (Cipher For A Million Years)

7:10 AM MISTRESS, HOW ARE YOUUUUU? Um.. yeah, kinda.. bad time! don’twakeupdonniedon’twakeupdonniedon’twakeupdonnie "You made it to Blackpool, and in such record time! This is a nice town, isn't it? Have you been on the front yet? There's still loads of souvenirs, and no one to charge you money for them. There's even a working candy floss machine. Maybe I'll have you make me some sometime. Maybe later." It.. it is a nice town, yes! "I'm here to give you important information. There's a marketplace I want you to go to, you'll find it on your own, you'll know the place. I want you there on Tuesday, at 8 PM. I have a job for you." Oh.. okay. "See you, cutie." And she's gone. o_o That was.. particularly awkward for me, as Donnie's hugging me in her sleep. Goddamn, Jordan. You're either very lucky, or very unlucky. I have no idea anymore.

10:07 AM Had breakfast. Going for another walk. I asked the tropers about any nearby marketplaces, and there's a very prominent one nearby. Gonna check it out, see if there’s anything today.

10:45 AM The marketplace is quiet, no zombies anywhere or anything. There are countless stalls littered around, and very few are empty. …free stuff. :D

10:51 AM Ohhhh my god, CDs.

10:54 AM There was actually some good stuff there. Got Bonnjo Vjönsped’s Cipher for a Million Years (part one: Beacon and Forty Knights of Some Sort of Fluffy Texture) and some David Bowie.

10:59 AM ..huh. A poster. “MAY 31 @ 20:00 TVTROPES MEET-UP HERE” A troper meet-up. May 31st is.. I’m pretty sure that’s Tuesday. 20:00’s 8 o’ clock. Mistress was right. Shit. This is interesting.

1:12 PM Back at the house. Brought up the troper meet-up. Tropers 1 and 2 didn’t know about it. o_o

2:38 PM We're all sitting in the living room, drinking tea, eating crumpets, reading newspapers and books. Like nothing ever happened to the world. This.. pretty much is exactly why I wanted to come up here. It's about survival, but it's also about safety. Donnie's thankful to have somewhere safe, she gets it! And she's thankful she joined me on such a long journey. uwu If I can just.. deal with Mistress... then maybe this can be the new life for us? And if I can deal with her, then surely the governments and stuff can deal with the rest of it? ...Donnie's crossed her leg over mine. God, I've always wanted that.

4:40 PM During a lull in conversation about the places the tropers would have liked to have shown us if the town still worked, I asked what the others know about the rabbit holes. “They’re gateways to somewhere. Sometimes people come back from them.” That’s all they knew. I didn’t want to mention what Mistress told me, about how they caused this whole mess, how they’re growing. They’d wonder how I knew this. Donnie would, too. I can’t spill my secrets. In retrospect, I should probably be careful what I write, as well. But no one's trying to read my journals. I think people just.. assume it's The Thing I Do.

7:12 PM Blackpool's never this quiet in the summertime, it's a tourist town. Just goes to show how much a week of monsters changes. The internet’s finally gone down. I suppose that’s why there’s a troper meet-up going on here.

10:00 PM It’s hard to believe this apocalypse has been going on for over a week now. I just realized that.

10:27 PM You know what I’m in the mood for? Awake. Dream Theater. Specifically, “The Mirror.” >w>

10:28 PM DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. DUN DUN DUN. Puppies on Acid, motherfuckers.

10:45 PM Whoa, that was a loud noise.

10:46 PM THE ZOMBIES BROKE THE FRONT DOOR DOWN

10:48 PM EAT GUITAR CONTROLLERRRR

10:54 PM THEY’RE EVERYWHERE FUCK FUCK FUCK

10:55 PM They’re not even doing anything. They only attack when I do. They move when I do.

10:59 PM These zombies look really freaking creepy. Most of them don’t even look dead. Just.. high. They look brain-dead.

11:00 PM Wait, what. They’re leaving.

11:03 PM Each one is gone now; the house is completely deserted besides us living folk.

11:09 PM ..troper 2. Where’s troper 2?

11:11 PM We’ve looked all over, but he’s nowhere. I wish we knew where he was.

11:13 PM Donnie spotted him. He’s outside with the zombies. I’m gonna get him. I need something to do.

11:18 PM The zombies are all staring at me. They’re standing still, only turning to continue watching me as I go past. Troper 2 is stuck. He can’t move.

11:19 PM Fucking ropes or something, cable, something, wrapped around his leg. I’m gonna try to untie his That’s not around his leg. That’s in it. fuckmore of them in his arms torso head ZOMbies WAKING UP

11:30 PM Fuuuck goddammit. I’m in. Troper 2’s not; he vanished shortly after the zombies ‘woke up.’ I need to keep a record of this. The more we have written down, the better, right? Troper 2 was struggling, he said he couldn’t move. I checked it out and he had…. some.. things, like.. cables or something digging into various parts of his skin. Then the zombies woke up. They just all said “How do you do.” And next thing I know, they all raised their hands forward. Like.. like you expect zombies to do. They all reached for me. Fuck, that was very weird.

11:42 PM Donnie wants me in bed. Her exact words were “I want you to come to bed with me.” I don’t know if she’s just too tired to watch her words or what. I guess we’re gonna find out!

(Attached: “The difficulty of parsing a question mark in the spoken-word depends wholly on the speaker’s inflections and on context. For phrases commonly taken rendered as statements, the speaker needs to raise her or his inflection at the end of the phrase in order for a listener to infer an inquisitive nature. All of this is irritating enough without considering ambiguous or even cryptic phrases, a trait ridiculously common to we the lonely wanderers. Not normally common to Salmacis, but I guess at this point it had her hands full already. Join us next month for the episode on complex pronoun systems!”)

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