#like Queer Exchange specifically helped us do all of that

[fagrevolt]

I also highly suggest these Facebook groups, idk if me and my partner would've been able to make it work here without them:

Queer Housing Resources (Twin Cities)

Minnesota Queer Exchange ⭐

I can also super vouch for Family Tree clinic, I started getting my testosterone there while I was still homeless and they haven't charged me anything since Ive had no income and no insurance (you rack up a bill but don't gotta pay it immediately or anything). They have injection supplies you can buy for under $5 for a months worth, theyve never checked my weight at any appt (important note for those of us that deal w/ EDs amongst other things ❤️), they have free condoms and menstrual supplies in their lobby (again, rly saved my ass while I was homeless), and they have a range of services outside of HRT. The staff are fantastic and have always beem extremely kind and respectful, and I genuinely couldn't recommend it enough :)

Resources for trans refugees looking to relocate to/living in Minnesota (MN)

For trans folk in the Midwestern United States, or anywhere else in the country seeking refuge from transphobic legislature, Minnesota has shown to be a safer state than many in this geographical region.

Bill HF416 was passed in 2023 marked the state as a trans refuge state. This bill prevents out-of-state laws from interfering with the practice of gender-affirming care. This bill also prohibits trans children seeking medical transition being removed from their families, even if out-of-state laws would permit the removal of the child from their parents' care.

The sponsor of this bill is a trans woman and the first trans representative in Minnesotan Legislature. She publicly stated that anti-trans laws enacted or being proposed in other states are part of a cruel agenda to create a culture of fear in children, their parents and adults.

If you are the parent of a trans child, or are trans yourself and are worried about your children being removed from your care, this may be a good option for you. If you are already located in MN, these guides may also be of benefit to you, as the resource document is very extensive.

The Minnesota Trans & Intersex Resource Network have compiled these resource documents for folks who are interested in relocating, or for folks who already live in Minnesota:

Even if you are not planning to relocate, please spread this information so people who are, or are living in Minnesota, can benefit from this. Thank you for reading, and best of luck to everyone who is seeking refuge. We all deserve safety.

[pommedepersephone]

Buck up, Hamlet! or how Aziraphale and Crowley's blocking helps communicate the evolution of their relationship

Can we talk about the blocking?

Specifically, I have been rewatching S1E3, one of my favorites. I love how the development of the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley is shown through these little vignettes. There have been some great explorations of the costuming and dialogue, but what always strikes me is the BLOCKING. The way their placement and movements add such depth and tell the story of living as a queer person, having to communicate in coded language.

Through the episode, we get 4500 years of history - Eden, Mesopotamia, Golgatha, Rome and Wessex - to see Aziraphale and Crowley standing on their opposite sides. Aziraphale always on the right, Crowley always on the left. But after the Arrangement, their blocking changes drastically and becomes much more fluid and nuanced. Each scene after this is distinct but the scenes in at the Globe and the Bastille have the most development, and I find myself rewatching them A LOT. Here is what I see. 

All the World's a Stage

This is the first meeting we see that isn’t a chance encounter, though the two try to stage it as such. It takes place in a theatre - and they are acting, playing their roles as demon and angel. Even the humans are complicit in this performance, with Shakespeare stepping in to address the two "in your roles as the audience." Oh, delicious.

But once it's been firmly established for anyone watching that they AREN'T friends, they DON'T know each other (cough cough) the following moves are clearly choreographed and have been played out many times before. Crowley sashays to the right, opening the dance, and Aziraphale accepts the invitation to dance with: “What do you want?” 

“Why ever would you insinuate that I might possibly want something?” Crowley is just playing his role as cheeky demon offering up a temptation - but his position to the right of Aziraphale speaks to the fact that they are both very complicit in this performance.

“You are up to no good.”  “Obviously. And you are up to good, I take it? Lots of good deeds?” Just standard character establishment, here.

“No rest for the, well, good." Ah, this line, the inversion of the well known idiom. Because the line between good and evil (and between angel and demon) maybe aren't so distinct, and Aziraphale acknowledges this with his words. We are moving into negotiations now. "I have to be in Edinburgh at the end of the week. A couple of blessings to do, and a minor miracle to perform. Apparently, I have to ride a horse.”

“Ah hard on the buttocks, horses. Major design flaw, if you ask me. I’m meant to be headed to Edinburgh too this week. Tempting a clan leader to steal some cattle.” The way Crowley moves AROUND Aziraphale here, intimate but also careful, watching for his reactions.

“Doesn’t sound like hard work.” Said with a little sideways look, because Aziraphale can see where this is going. And he's open to suggestion temptation.

“That was why I thought we should… well, bit of a waste of effort. Both of us going all the way to Scotland.”

“You cannot actually be suggesting what I infer you are implying?” A little bit of pretense, because Aziraphale has to pretend to be tempted, right?

Crowley presses. “Which is?” Because he is willing to play the part of tempting demon, but only if it is clear this is a farce, that this is indeed mutually agreeable. He is making sure they are doing the same dance.

"That one of us goes to Edinburgh and does... both. The blessing and the tempting."

Yes, they are doing the same dance, and what is left is the formality of concluding the dance - a moment of Aziraphale expressing his concern for Crowley, the coin toss - they both know how it ends. It's a ritual, an act of give and take.

But if it were ONLY the Arrangement, a simple quid pro quo, it would have ended there. It doesn't. Instead, the two offer each other a more intimate exchange - "It'd take a miracle to get people to come and see Hamlet."

Aziraphale doesn't even have to ask with words, just a look, and Crowley happily agrees. That is the final part of the dance, a small acknowledgement that this isn't just about making their jobs easier.

A Free Man in Paris

Paris is something else. This is a HUGE step beyond making sure that audiences like a show your angel is particularly fond of. This is a stolen dangerous moment, an OUTRAGEOUS flirtation that takes place outside of time, conducted in clear view of others but beyond their understanding. Isn’t that how their entire relationship is now conducted, hidden in plain view and so clearly affectionate? 

And look, Aziraphale is BITCHY in this scene. Peak That Bitch. He's just purchased a bookshop, he's creating a very permanent place for himself here on earth - Aziraphale is feeling quite proud of himself. In fact, he's preening a bit that he has figured out how to exist, even in some small limited way, as himself within the confines of the system of Heaven. Buuuut he may have gone just a bit too far, and gotten himself in a spot of trouble. He has landed in a prison, threatened with "death" and stuck because he's already gotten a warning about being frivolous with his miracles. Oh jolly good that Crowley is here to save the day!

There is something raw being communicated here here, where both Aziraphale and Crowley are presenting themselves to the world in ways that are dangerous. Aziraphale's reaction tells us that Crowley's look is doing things to him, but also in a way that it is NOT socially appropriate. Aziraphale may have showed up in all the trappings of an English aristocrat, but here is Crowley as a French royal sympathizer. NEITHER of these are safe choices in the middle of a revolution. The costuming is so critical to fully appreciating this scene, so check out the amazing clothing overview with @cobragardens.

When Crowley arrives and stops time, he and Aziraphale find themselves situated facing one another, but angled so they aren’t facing straight on. Interestingly, from Crowley’s perspective, he is where he is supposed to be - the left of Aziraphale. But Aziraphale, from his perspective, is also to the left of Crowley. It was Aziraphale after all who initiated this situation, who put himself in danger by being too… Aziraphale. It’s dangerous to be yourself when you don’t fit into heteronormative social expectations, isn’t it? Still, the two keep up a very flirtatious banter as they discuss the situation, and Crowley maintains his very-intentionally-unbothered sitting position up until Aziraphale goes too far and thanks him for coming to his rescue.

While Crowley is also flirting with danger in the way he is dressed, he also didn't just pop over for a nibble dressed this way. And whatever he might have been up to was interrupted so he could rescue Aziraphale from the consequences of his own reckless authenticity. After removing the chains, Crowley pushes Aziraphale to reconsider his honest expression of himself in this exact place and time - for the sake of survival.

Aziraphale, willing to risk himself alone, rather quickly adopts a more acceptable appearance when it might impact Crowley. It is only after Aziraphale is safely disguised and returned to his proper place to the right of Crowley, ONLY then does Crowley restart time. They can go enjoy lunch now, with the proper precautions and masks in place.

For these two particular human-coded occult beings, this is also such an honest moment. They both showed up damn authentically - Aziraphale so fabulously ostentatious, focused on chasing down some pleasure (in this crepes) and Crowley wrapped in a clear protest against the current violence. Just as Aziraphale indicated with his "Oh good LORD" as he looked the demon up and down with obvious thirst, Crowley's request to Aziraphale to change his appearance and mask better is done in such a way that affirms that Crowley LIKES who Aziraphale is without the mask.

The scene is so playful on the surface, the body language and dialogue flirtatious. It's something so familiar to the queer experience, making light of the absolute danger that we must sometimes navigate just to exist. The more I watch it, the more obsessed I become.

A Spot of Bodysnatchin'

It is worth remembering that we didn't get this scene in S1.

I am going to go through it soon, because again they dance back and forth beautifully in this minisode, but suffice to say we all know... it didn't end well for Crowley.

No Walk in the Park

The moment in St. James Park is brief, and it wasn't until S2 and the meeting at Edinburgh that we got the full context for this meeting. But even without this, we can clearly see that things are weighing heavily on Crowley. The scene in the Bastille took place in a prison, with the threat of execution over their heads. The juxtaposition of this conversation taking place in a park - a place that is not only NOT inherently dangerous but looks lovely and welcoming - only highlights the change in Crowley's attitude. He still attempts to be playful, but he's afraid. Look at that paper, it's a bit crumpled, he's been carrying it around for a while.

They are firmly entrenched on their assigned sides for the entire conversation, both very stiff. It feels uncomfortable to watch. When Aziraphale refuses his request, and indicates whatever is between them is just "fraternizing" with the enemy, we get a glimpse of how fearful Crowley really is. In none of these flashbacks has Crowley ever spoken to Aziraphale with the anger we see here. When they part in anger, it feels wrong.

Take Me to Church

So there is a long break between meetings now. But then, ah, the church. The place Aziraphale realizes his feelings. (Look, if Michael says this is where Aziraphale realized he'd fallen in love, I am not here to argue.) What I love is that again we see Crowley and Aziraphale swapping sides. Crowley is here to save his wayward angel, AGAIN. Despite feeling the ill effects of walking on consecrated ground, Crowley is here to save his angel and defeat Nazis. It's definitely not remotely evil intentions.

It isn't like the Bastille, but some of the parallels exist - Aziraphale failing to grasp the risks of his actions. And the silliness of his little dance coupled with just how deadly serious this situation is harks back to their flirtations in the prison.

Crowley is to the right of Aziraphale from the time he arrives until the bomb drops. Then in the rubble, with the danger past, we see them on their assigned sides again. UNTIL Crowley hands Aziraphale the books he saved with a "little demonic miracle of my own." He then crosses Aziraphale, and we see the look of absolute adoration as the angel watches him walk away to the right.

Sweeeeeet baby Jesus, baby girl has it BAD.

Always Crashing in the Same Car

This extremely heartbreaking scene has been dissected, chewed over, breaking our little hearts with it's sharp pieces.

But it is purposeful that this scene took place in the Bentley. Being in the car is symbolic because Aziraphale is here making an offering to Crowley, in his space, something that he Aziraphale feels is WRONG which is highlighted by his placement to the left of Crowley. He is scared, acting against all his own desires, but he does it anyway because he cares for Crowley. It's simple, powerful placement. Need to hurt more? Yeah, thought so. Take a deeper look at the dialogue with @zionworkzs.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for sleeping with a 20 year old?

tw: mentions of potential grooming, age gap relationships, nsft/nsfw, vague discussions of sex

So, me (38m) and my wife (39f) are in an open relationship. Basically, we’re both bisexual and not quite ready to limit our sex lives to one person yet. So, we decided to allow friends with benefits situations outside of our relationship. No romantic stuff, no dating, just sex.

In January, my wife went to stay at her best friend’s (28f) house and have some fun together. I don’t mind at all, I was kind of glad to have our apartment to myself for a week. Now, there’s this queer bar that me and my wife frequent and it’s a good mix of all age demographics and identities.

There’s this one trans guy, I’ll call him M, that most people in the local community know because he’s very attractive. He reminds me of a very short Eric Draven mixed with Eddie Vedder. (Oddly specific, I know) Like, he has long-ish curly brown hair, big brown eyes, the sweetest smile ever and he dresses very well. A little grunge here, a little rockstar there. Good jewelry. You get it.

I always catch people staring at him when he’s at the bar with his friends. (We live in Europe btw, legal drinking age is 18.) In short, I find him very cute. He’s basically a micro celebrity among the community and he doesn’t even know it.

So, while my wife was away I went down to the bar and his friend group invited me to come sit with them. We started talking, he’s super funny and we began talking about Pearl Jam because of the shirt I was wearing. Found out he’s obsessed with the music scene of the 90s, specifically rock and grunge, and I happen to have a collection of merchandise of the big 4. I invited him to come check it out and he eagerly accepted. None of his friends wanted to come, so it was just us two. Showed him the stuff, he got super excited about it and I even let him keep one of my Soundgarden shirts and some CDs.

I offered to cook dinner, we ate and then had some weed brownies for dessert. We got posted on the couch, talked for a good while and he began confiding in me. I’m not gonna go into detail because that’s shitty, but he basically told me he’d never had a positive sexual experience up to that point. Apparently all of his exes were switches leaning submissive and he’s purely submissive, so things never really worked out and he never finished with any of them.

I told him about me and my wife’s arrangements and some other stuff about our sex life. (Don’t worry, my wife is 100% okay with this. Even in this context.)

Here’s where I might be the asshole, if not the creep:

Now, I was pretty high at that point and I joked about how I could give him a positive experience. To my surprise, he actually eagerly accepted. I was a bit hesitant because we were both buzzed, but he kept reiterating that he’s consenting and that he’s sure he wants this. So, I made sure he had a good night and he actually ended up sleeping over and we cuddled. It was super nice and he seemed genuinely ecstatic about it the next morning, it was adorable. I was honestly just happy that I was able to give him a positive sexual encounter.

We exchanged numbers, kept texting for two days and he ended up coming over again. Had some more fun together and he went to go sleep over at a friend’s place. At that point, I sort of realized that I may be catching feelings for him. Which is against me and my wife’s rules and also just a horrible idea, especially considering the age gap. So, I let him know that I need some distance and he was super understanding. He was understandably a bit disappointed but didn’t complain or anything.

Once my wife came back, I told her about everything. This is just a thing we do because it helps avoid speculation and unnecessary jealousy. We always tell each other about what happens with our other sexual partners, but only if they consent to it. Which most of them do because they’re our friends. She seemed a bit unnerved by it, not because of the fact that I had feelings for him, but because of the age difference. She said it’s weird and predatory and told me she needed some time to think.

Apparently, she went to go check in on M and asked him if I pressured him into anything. He said it was a 100% mutual thing and he’s very much into older guys, so he enjoyed it quite a lot.

This put her mind at ease but I’m still quite shaken by it. I never stopped to consider the fact that the age difference is quite concerning. I can’t help but feel like a nasty creep that bribed some poor 20 year with old band shirts to come sleep with him. I don’t like that I didn’t even think about it. Talking with M came so easy and we share a lot of interests. I’m not about to go and say he’s 'mature for his age' because he isn’t, he acts like any other 20 year old.

I was just so focused on how attractive and interesting he is to me, I fear I might’ve acted extremely selfish and should��ve stopped to take his lack of experience and his naivety into account. Of course he’d sleep with me, he’s 20 and doesn’t know any better. It should’ve been my job, as the older adult, to put a stop to it. Please don’t hesitate to give it to me straight.

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[showyouhowiswing]

Some chyan headcanons:

most people think they became friends during that summer at Lava Springs, after the baseball game and Ryan became more inmeshed with the general student body

it's true enough, kind of.

they weren't friends during junior year, before all that shit went down with Troy and Gabi and the school musical, but they were something

they hooked up a few times during Darbus's detentions, backstage where no one would ever find them and once in the rafters while they were supposed to be painting the top bit of a set

it didnt mean anything. they didnt talk about it. it just sort of happened numerous times. they were both totally chill about it and Chad definitely didnt spend many nights by himself, thinking about what it would be like to not be so lonely. Ryan didnt either.

the first actual night they spent together was after the infamous baseball game, and at some point lying in the dark, tangled up in each other, Chad admitted he didn't know why they hadnt done this before.

"No beds backstage, and we were on a timecrunch. Besides, you wouldn't have said yes if I invited you over."

once they really became friends, Chad spent most of his friday nights at Ryan's, even after senior year started.

it was only a little bit about sex.

Chad eventually confessed that Ryan was his queer awakening. Ryan refused to believe him because he knew he wasn't the first guy Chad had fooled around with.

it's true though.

sophomore year Ryan became the mascot, and the first time Chad saw him take the head off Ryan was drenched in sweat and his hair was sticking to his forehead. Chad went home that night and dreamt about it.

he did hookup with a guy on the track team, convinced that his fixation on Ryan was a fluke.

it wasn't a fluke.

Ryan knew about track team guy not because Chad told him, but because he also used to hook up with the guy and he saw some rather incriminating texts on his phone.

junior year Chad kissed Ryan first, but only because Ryan egged him on.

"If you dont want to chat, Danforth, maybe you should find something else for us to do."

yes it was because of the texts, no he didnt think Chad would actually do it. he was pleasantly surprised though.

after the game it was also Chad who initiated, although it went a little differently.

"I'll do the show on two conditions, Evans. One, you go out for baseball this year. I don't care what your sister or anyone else has to say about it."

"And the second?"

"Take your pants off."

over the course of senior year, everybody kind of figured there was something going on with them, but it wasn't confirmed until the morning after prom. they all shared a handful of hotel rooms, except Sharpay who fucked off to god knows where, and Ryan who specifically got his own room to get away from the eventual chaos.

and Chad, who was of course the exception to the rule.

Zeke woke them up the next morning for brunch, and Ryan (in an attempt to be helpful) tried to cover and say he slept on the floor, obviously there was nothing indecent going on.

Chad, from under the duvet, announced that Ryan was a terrible liar because not only did they definitely have sex last night, it had been going on awhile, and also Chad was very bisexual and anyway they'd be down for brunch in half an hour.

he made a similar speech at brunch minus the duvet and specifics regarding the sex.

everyone was chill, though money did exchange hands. Kelsi was miffed they didnt wait until after graduation so she could win the pool.

they're happy together.

so incredibly happy.

[moonmoonthecrabking]

hi here's my thinkpiece on the religiosity of grace chasity (also op is a christian no clowning in the notes) :)

so she's pretty clearly a critique on christianity, specifically american evangelical christianity. that's because that one's got a lot of purity culture fuckery. she lives in a no-moan household. she wears swimmers to the bathtub. i say evangelicalism not catholicism because of the exchange with detective shapiro.

and her purity is what she finds most valuable about herself. and, i would argue that that and swearing are the most christian* things she adheres to. when she finds herself accidentally masturbating (good on her for finding her spot immediately tbh), she wants to do anything to get rid of it. she thinks kissing and carrying books is sinful (there is nothing in the Bible about this). but she's fine when she commits manslaughter (which the Bible doesn't like super vibe with). and that is the biggest problem with american evangelicalism. that sexual immorality** and doing secular things (swearing, non-christian music) are the worst sins you could ever commit. she loves power, and i've found that evangelicals in my country (australia) have a similarly hell-focused theology to grace (her disregarding catholicism, "she's bisexual and dead where else would she be").

so let's talk about the climax (pun intended) of the musical, which simultaneously shows grace in the best light of the whole show and how the church didn’t help her in her faith. let’s start with the positive: grace giving up what means the most to her so neither of her friends have to die. it’s the most wwjd moment she has in the whole show, sacrificing herself for, if you’ll excuse the ocean-ism, the Betterment of Humanity. however, she gives up her chastity. not her faith, or her relationship with God, or church attendance, or her love for humanity. that last one isn’t really in line with grace’s character, and that’s exactly my point. all these things should be valued over her virginity. but they aren’t, because the us evangelical church is really obsessed with (their definition of) sexual morality. i say this as someone who is allosexual (not het but) and intends to wait until marriage to have sex because of my christian faith.

the finale is also telling. she revels in her power, because i think you’ve seen church leaders who manipulate and hurt. there continues to be an emphasis on her prudence.

now, not to hijack my religious analysis post with my religious agenda but, i feel bad for her. i’m not going to say everything about us evangelicalism is wrong, i like nuance, and for the same reason i’m not even going to say that about their sexual ethics. i do disagree with some interpretations (mainly the queer stuff), but i do believe any christian has the right to interpret the Bible to the best of their abilities and act accordingly. i’ll never say “you’re going to hell for your interpretation of the Bible” (with one major and irrelevant exception). i am fine with christians following the sexual ethics they feel are right/called to.

the issue is, grace, in her environment, hasn’t had the opportunity to do that work for herself. she hasn’t been able to flourish in her faith in any regard because she’s been encouraged (considering what i’ve gleaned, birth) to focus on virginity and not even think sexually about someone else. that hatred is fine but sex will send you straight to hell. and like. the Bible says sexual sin is a big bad (i personally interpret that to be things like rape, incest, and paedophilia), but it also says the greatest commands are to love God and love your neighbour. those can be difficult when you’ve been taught to look elsewhere from your faith community

basically i want to give grace a deconstruction arc so she can be a happy healthy murdering christian :)

[cal-writes]

hi, i'm here with a couple of bits for the ask game! ❤️ in general AND specifically 221 Beika Street series. 💥 for both one piece and detco. and ✨️👓🦋🦈📚💛 please! may you have a blessed day, Cal!

damn you did not mess around! lets hope mobile doesnt destroy me trying to answer

i will put this under read more bc it got long!

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

i have many! generally i like my dialogue the best usually so this one is from my most recent one piece wip

-

Kureha scoffs and waves him off. “Oh, please. You’re practically glowing like a young bride. You definitely got laid.”

for detco i loved this exchange in A Matter of Deduction

“For the record, you’re a terrible liar.” Shinichi threw over. Hattori hung his head briefly with a sharp laugh. He shut off the water in the sink and dried his hands on a dishtowel he threw at Shinichi with too little force, causing it to land on the floor between them.

 

“And you’re a terrible detective.”

-

for 221 beika street specifically i loved writing amuro and shinichi being bitchy at each other

“I like him better than I do you.” He told Amuro plainly. It wasn’t much of an achievement, considering, but Shinichi still felt like it needed to be said. Since they were being so honest with each other after all. 

 

“I’m well aware,” Amuro said, chuckling. “I hate you less than I do him.” He was still idly turning pages in the book and Shinichi slammed it shut in his hands.

 

“If you bring your gun here again I will make you regret it.”

💥 What is one canon thing that you wish you could change?

for one piece i think it would be the reveal of why sanji wanted to have to power to turn invisible. listen i have a tough time liking sanji in canon and i thought when it was first brought up that yknow that could be an interesting thing to explore esp with his backstory later with his shitty family like do something with that! and then they were like nah he wants to harass women in the bath. like i pretend i do not see it

for detco its hard bc i think there is so much thats only debatably canon. for me detco isnt really one continuous story so i like to pick and choose with canon anyway. maybe just more queer representation. or any i suppose (the movies arent really canon but the lupin crossover movie has like two or three lines in it that i despise and wish to delete from out universe entirely)

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

there is a lovely person called hikarinomajin (i forgot what their tumblr user name is and cannot find it for the live of me rn) who made a thread on twitter as they read 221 beika street and linked it in the comments and that was a joy to read. they leave lovely comments but that first one and the thread is special to me, ive never had someone make a thread live blogging them reading my writing.

also @blithe-bee is the best hype woman for my wips, lots of comments from her in my google docs drafts that are a huge motivation, i have posted one of my recent favorites on this blog about stabbing zoro being my brand

also a very different but hilarious one is this one on Glue Trap from BnuuyTales, makes me cackle every time

👓 What helps you focus when you write?

playlists! i make playlists for everything. when im starting to get serious about a story i will sit down and make a playlist. here is part of the 221 beika street one

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write?

they all have their unique quirks. i think i feel the most at home in heijis and laws head bc i can project my own way of thinking on it. a bit scattered and a bit overdrive and run on sentences. its the easiest to write as them i think. a few other characters are fun to write though just because i can use a different style. ive really been enjoying writing robin from one piece and my one shot from sonokos pov bc they think very differently and have different focus and expressions

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

i really struggled with kaito at first. ive mostly seen the movies for detco in the beginning and hadnt read the kaito manga yet so i felt like pulling teeth trying to get his voice down.

for one piece i tried my hand at usopp recently too and i definitely am not as comfortable in his pov yet as other characters but i could see myself really enjoying him down the line

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

@the-pen-pot is someone ive been following since livejournal and shes (i hope thats the right pronouns) a great writer! merlin unfortunately isnt my fandom but if you are into merlin im sure her stuff is still great if not better then when i read her fullmetal alchemist fics back in the day

specific fics is a little though for op and detco bc as soon as i start writing fic i will read less of it in any given fandom xD

but here are some favs

i think a classic for detco is a study in scarlette great work by kittebasu

kaishin power hour, great plot and fantastic pace, also really interesting character exploration

for one piece i absolutely loved Cut My Feelings Clean Off by Augment

zoro as the heart pirates first mate, fantastic dynamics here. absolutely love how their wrote law

if you are into grandmaster of demonic cultivation and horror Post Mortem by Cataclysmic_Calamity was a breathtaking piece of work but do be mindful of the content warnings. the climax is so fantastic i read it multiple times

and for some red vs blue fans P versus NP by @glassedplanets

wash and maine in a canon divergent story. one of my absolute favorites, i followed the progress for years and the author recently started writing one piece too! (that ive been meaning to read as well) so definitely check their stuff out. they also make beautiful art

i wish i was better with names bc i know some of these people have tumblrs too that i follow but i cannot remember the names. i just see vague icon blobs when i scroll my timeline

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

i know its hard especially in this current age of social media but just write for yourself. like i sometimes call writing exorcising things from my brain and i think thats where the passion comes from. dont write for numbers and likes (although those are of course nice too) but they arent a sign of quality or capability.

ages ago on a different website i once did this test where i took the same fic, changed the names into one from a bigger fandom and posted them both. and to see the difference in numbers just based on which fandom or paaring it was from really helped me move on from that mindset of “if there are no comments or likes its bad” sometimes it just means less people have seen it

wow thank you for asking all of them!! this is fun

[stormblessed95]

Hey Stormie. Me again.

So I saw you reblogged an old post of yours that had me wondering; I see this logic of not spreading things that have no proof or can't be confirmed. And I agree. But doesn't creating Jikook spaces automatically "out" them then? With this logic? Like when we point out the secret BV footsies or holding hands behind Suga? Or the secret flying kisses, or what JM stands for. Or all the other hundred suspicious things Jikook do that they clearly thought cameras didn't catch and that Army wouldn't zoom in on and analyse. U know what I'm saying? Whats the difference between normal Jikook blogs that talk about these things that insinuate Jikook is real or someone who claims to have inside information? Both parties don't really know dick when u think about it. And it's up to the reader to choose whether to buy what they're selling or not. I love you, you know I do, but you believe Jikook is real and share posts that allude to this. Don't you think its a bit.... idk... but is it really fair to call out these persons in the name of "lets not out Jikook"? Because isn't that what we are all doing at the end of the day by sharing these moments that prove Jikook is real? Or could be real? Help me understand the difference from your perspective. Coz IMHO, there don't see to be 🤔

Well I would encourage you to go back and reread that reblog again. Because it sort of addresses the difference there. And this might be a good post for you to read too. It touches on some of the same topics you do as well in a simular if slightly different way, but still dealing with what's appropriate in boundaries as fans

Otherwise, the main difference is that creating a blog or space to support jikook is not actually outing them. It's a safe space to support them. Because that's what all you can really do for two queer people who aren't out. You can recongize what they say to you. But it's not confirmation. It's sharing the journey with them that they share with us THEMSELVES.

At the end of the day, my opinions shared here are based on tangible facts. Not gossip. We talk about things that we can ALL see or things that were shared directly with us from the source. From Jimin and Jungkook themselves. Spreading rumors and insider knowledge can actually fall under the sasaeng territory and is violating their privacy. If they don't always notice the cameras, they are still making the choice to be sneaky on camera. They know the cameras are around. They know there is a chance they will be filmed. Rather than speaking about rumors or truth from a third party perspective that has no substance and if it's true, would violate their privacy as they did not consent to that specific information being shared or witnessed. If they are hanging out with their friends, there is implied trust there that what happens while with their friends or within a safe space or within their own homes or out somewhere they feel safe in, would be things where what happened there, stays there. And wouldn't then be shared anywhere else, even with no evidence. We talk about things here that we actually see or we hear from the members themselves or from reliable sources with otherwise substantial but non invasive proof. We hear what Jimin and JK say to us themselves. We do not base these things on imaginary belief. Or what then makes us different from taekookers who are making up sightings of taekook dates or kisses and getting made fun of for doing it.

Supporting their relationship, whatever it may be and talking about hickeys exchanged or footsies being playing, isn't outing them. They put those things out into the world and still people insist they are straight. Outting them is claiming to have substantial evidence to prove they are queer and/or together and talking about it. Joking about it. Making light of it. In a situation that would cause them harm if the rumors are true. This goes for all shippers, who put wanting to prove their ship real above the actual safety, mental and physical, of the members involved in said ship.

So yeah. Read both posts again. And hopefully this helps clear that up a bit more too. At least, how I feel about it all personally. And this isn't even about anything in particular honestly, my reblog earlier. It's about how every few months I've been seeing unsubstantiated rumors pop up and if it's a person's chosen ship, they eat it up. And if it's not, it's ripped apart and made fun of (think taekook beach date rumors for example). A little critical thinking about any of these baseless rumors though too, would make it easy to see, in my opinion, how unlikely they are to be true also. But that's just me.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

So, listening to Do the Right Thing led me to listen to a few episodes of Margaret Cabourn-Smith’s podcast Crushed. I only listened a few of them that looked interesting – Isy Suttie, Danielle Ward, and Nish Kuamr. The format is talking about “crushes”, so mostly from childhood and adolescence when this sort of thing is prevalent. Nish Kumar’s episode had this exchange early on that made me like him so much I had to stop and write it down:

Margaret Cabourn Smith: First crush, who springs to mind? Nish Kumar: When I told my girlfriend I was doing this podcast, she said, “Are they expecting you to largely talk about fictional characters? Because it’s going to be an hour of you talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Who wants that, Nish?”

Guy, I like Nish Kumar so much. I love that the comedian I find funnier than almost anyone else, also happens to come across as an incredibly likeable person. He’s always had significant One of Us energy when he talks about being a comedy and music fan; I think his reputation should be at least as much for his relatable nerdery as for his (also relatable) righteous political anger. Quite a lot of this came across in listen to him talk for an hour with Margaret Cabourn Smith on that podcast. I’d listen to Nish Kumar talk for an hour about anything.

But anyway, I did like that specific quote, which he proceeded to expand on later in the episode, because that is a fairly specific thing that I seem to have in common with a lot of those comedians. Josh Widdicombe once went on a panel show and explained that he spent his teenage years doing math to work out his and his friends’ chances of marrying Sarah Michelle Gellar. And there was, obviously, this. All of that. I guess coming of age while being in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer is hardly an uncommon experience for this generation, but still, I enjoy when comedians give me relatable content like talking about coming of age while being in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Actually, the comedian I most share this with is probably Rosie Jones, as she played Willow in that Amusical that I linked to (if you haven’t seen the pictures and videos at that link before, please do yourself a favour and click on it, it’s fucking delightful and I rewatch this video like once every few weeks), and at the end made a speech about how that show helped her know it was okay to be gay. Which is such a common story for queer woman of the millennial generation (I’ve just looked it up and Rosie Jones is only four months older than me) that it’s almost a running joke, among the ones I know, to say that of course you grew up with Willow/Tara and The L Word and your only scraps of representation, which you watched with headphones on and your door closed so no one would know you were discovering the forbidden lesbianism.

But for me, I didn’t get into Buffy the Vampire Slayer until a couple of years after it had finished airing. So it wasn’t the thing that made me realize I was gay as a teenager. I’d already done that. I’d had my few really difficult years from ages 15-18, as I worked out that that horrible word that I only ever heard in the context of students at school using it as a horrible insult applied to me. I did my journey from denial, to acceptance that I might have been attracted to like one girl one time but that’s it and it doesn’t make me gay, to realizing that some sort of LGBT label might apply to me but not knowing which one; from hating myself for that, to slowly accepting it; from insisting that I’ll never ever tell anyone, to whispering it to a couple of very close trusted friends while swearing them to secrecy because I was convinced that everyone knowing would ruin my life, to finally being okay with it not being a secret.

That coincided with when I got into Buffy – just as being gay had finally become something that wasn’t an internal struggle and conflict and source of pain, I’d figured out that this was what I was and it was okay, and I could finally start to enjoy it a bit. Buffy was the first thing I watched where I could find a female character attractive and it didn’t turn into “Oh my God this might mean I really am gay, how do I know if I’m really attracted to her or if I’m just straight and imagining it, I’ll have to add this to the data as I figure out my sexuality, and it seems to be evidence in favour of the option that scares me.” I was able to look at that show at just think, “Wow, Alyson Hannigan is hot, I’m going to enjoy looking at her. I would sure like a girlfriend named Buffy who could kill a guy with her bare hands. This high school sure is full of attractive people.”

And it was so exciting! I jumped right in to take full advantage of finally being able to feel attraction without hating myself for it, and the first thing I did with that was develop a crush on every single female character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To different degrees, maybe, but all of them. Including Jenny Calendar, the teacher. Including Dawn, who was a rare case of a teenage character playing by a teenage actor, but it’s okay I was a teenage myself at the time. Obviously Buffy and Willow. Faith. Oh my God I had the biggest crush on Faith. I fell in love with Tara the moment she was introduced. Anya. Cordelia. Drusilla. Even Kennedy. Faith. Did I mention Faith? I mean Eliza Dushku was gorgeous but I definitely also had a thing for the character of Faith. Then right after I finished Buffy, I watched Angel and Firefly and Dollhouse, and also fell in love with every female character on those shows.

I’ve felt mildly weird even writing this out, as when I’m 33 and have been out for years, I’m a lot more conscious of whether I’m just objectifying women who have been objectified throughout their whole careers (especially how that we’ve heard about how gross Joss Whedon was and how a lot of those women were treated badly while making the shows in question). It doesn’t seem quite as fun and exciting, and I think it’s probably a good thing to have at least a little bit of restraint in talking about which strangers I find sexually attractive. But as a teenager, after spending years with attraction to women being a source of nothing but confusion and self-hatred, I still remember how fucking cool it felt to enjoy it with no shame or hesitation whatsoever.

…I mean, obviously it was also a good TV show. There were lots of TV shows in 2008 that were full of attractive women, I could have watched any of them, I watched Buffy and the other Whedon shows because they were really good, and a huge part of why they were so good is that the very attractive women were also very good at their jobs. That seems worth acknowledging. I picked those shows to watch because they were made by people who were good at their jobs.

Anyway. Hearing Nish Kumar say that if he’s going on a podcast about teenage crushes, he’s just going to talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer for an hour, made me remember all this and want to write it down. And made me want to say, I love Nish Kumar’s righteous political anger, but I also enjoy his relatable nerd side so much. Also, during the episode he fell over himself several times to try not to sound horribly objectifying, in exactly the way that I do when I talk about these things (including, for example, in this post). Such a relatable thing to try to find a respectful and feminist way to say “Jesus Christ Sarah Michelle Gellar was fucking hot”.

I know it's a problem for a fan to think a person they've never met is as perfect as I think Nish Kumar is. I don't need him to be perfect forever, I promise. I personally promise to not cancel Nish Kumar if it turns out he said a homophobic slur in 2006 or something. Everyone said homophobic slurs in 2006 (I was there at the time and can confirm this). But if he could manage to not do anything massively disappointing for the next while, that would be great, because he's really propping up my tiny scraps of faith in humanity these days.

While I'm at this, I may as well also say that I've been re-watching some Good Place episodes in the last few days, which is reminding me of the phase I had just after my Whedon phase, which was my obsessed with Veronica Mars phase, and involved being incalculably attracted to both Kristen Bell and the character she played. She deserved far better than Logan.

[audhdwitch]

all of the fucking housing spells i've been casting

(a lot of these happened around the same time but i don't remember exactly which order any of this happened. remember: always write down your process when it's fresh in your mind. except for when you're going to be homeless in 3 weeks and don't have the spoons and are just trying to fucking make it)

using "equal opportunity" symbol as nexus point in most spells

lighting candles, burning lavender oil in common spaces and dedicating household chores to hestia

set up semi-permanent altar space in the cavern under my loft bed. dedicated an offering bowl to hestia, offered some trinkets including a key necklace that i started wearing out to showings.

get discriminated against a LOT at showings lmao. absolutely no one wants to house a group of visibly disabled and/or queer polycule of kids that look like they're college freshmen at the oldest.

asked each housemate to donate something to the offering bowl; burned lavender oil and did a tarot spread about our prospects. verdict: final stretch. almost there.

start trying to remember to dedicate a small offering tray of food to hestia whenever i have the spoons to make food for myself. got to have dinner/tea with hestia a couple of times. she makes me feel unmasked. i don't feel any pressure to make myself Look Presentable before her; she is most pleased with me when i am unmasked and feeling safe and comfortable in my own space.

start trying to build hestia playlist. having trouble finding the right vibe; am somewhat drawn to classical music that reminds me of summer camp.

set up temporary altar on dining room table when housemates cook and we get to have dinner together. burn candles and leave offering to invite hestia's presence

created name sigils for housemates with consent. can't decide on a sigil for myself; using my signature seems to work just fine.

started carving name sigils into side taper candles with nexus sigil on bottom. have done this multiple times; have had burned some candles "dry" and others dressed with either peppermint* (luck, prosperity, abundance) OR lavender oil (home, hestia)

started researching crystal grids + sacred geometry. math is hard.

A has a job lined up but it won't start for a while and they're trying to get a better one in the meantime. give up on applying to "equal opportunity" but still absolutely predatory property management company that will gladly take the fee for your application for properties that you won't qualify for, and that you shouldn't bother applying to anyway, and will keep taking your money as long as you're stupid enough to keep trying

established spell parameters. i was definitely the least specific about the time frame; i mostly had the non-specific "before the end of september" floating around in my head even though our lease ends on the 17th. i did consciously decide to not specify further, hoping that by relinquishing a stricter timeline we could perhaps exchange for snagging something within our budget.

took a walk down to the beach and drew sigils (A drew one that I didn't see, and i drew the nexus sigil + name sigils) in secluded areas of sand where the rising tide would wash it away under the light of the recent super blue moon. the ocean is bio-luminescent this time of year in our area; we stood and watched the electric waves crashing onto the shore as the tide crept up.

started gathering materials for crystal grid and research more correspondences. research is not really helping me much tbh; eventually i gave up looking up how-to's and started more going based off vibes. i know literally everyone says so but it really IS better to do things in a way that make sense for your brain. if it doesn't resonate with you, disregard it.

created name sigils for pets. sketched rough approximation of configuration and started experimenting with crystal positioning. got housemates to identify which areas they could use the most assistance in (finances, stress, focus, etc). including the pets really balances the whole thing out tbh.

A applied for a better paying job that it really wants. assigned crystals for financial stability/prosperity at their request.

spent literally hours painstakingly building the final version of crystal grid configuration in image editing software. could i have probably found something that would have fit the bill? probably. i didn't do that tho. i built the whole damn thing myself lol.

family spotify plan got cancelled. rip, can't afford premium myself until we have a fucking house.

brainstorming for spell jar to use as a "battery" in the center of the crystal grid. initially conceived it as a sweetening jar to make landlords

broke up with bf. having a weird time of it. it was the right decision but i feel so bad about it. also, now that i'm no longer worrying about my relationship, i have more time to worry about being homeless.

collected dandelion puff and started drying some leaves in my space

we visit some university resources about housing and ebt.

had A rubber duck for me/got A's opinion on crystal positioning/grid balancing. am somewhat concerned about the grid overdoing it bc this is definitely the most complicated spell i've done to date; some worry based on the fact that i've been using crystals for financial prosperity/stability for M in grid brainstorming and after we got back from uni resource center M got a call from the county saying their ebt was deducted for working more hours in the summer. honestly kind of a huge blow to them; they've been recovering from top surgery and haven't been able to work for almost a month, so this is going to cut our grocery budget quite a bit.

and also... A got the job!!! great news - we can start including its offer letter with hours/ in our packet.

i do some tarot readings abt my life trajectory. oof. i have disorganized attachment style and hella ptsd. additionally, it looks like it's time for a career change; i apply for a part-time position i got an email notification for the other day.

initially was considering burning tea lights on top of the spell jar to burn off excess energy and avoid it collapsing in on itself. if feels ready to implement.

spell jar giving me trouble. yes, sweetening landlords' perceptions of us would probably help. we have been applying to places and writing personal statements and building The Packet to hopefully appeal to them, but places get snatched up in seconds here so we mostly just need to get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. also, ants are a problem and i'm a little weary of using honey (i don't have a whole lot of ingredients at my disposal)

i do, however, have a lot of bee pollen. that might work. pollen is more associated with hard work than honey (which i associate more with reward) and we just need shit to finally pay off.

at a client's house and had a slow day on the craigslist rental listings grind and was trying to burn off extra nervousness by checking the complexes we'd signed up for email notifications for. lo and behold - a single unit available, fits all our criteria and they only require we make 2x rent (almost unheard of in our area). got in touch with my housemates to start trying to apply NOW bc the way their website works, it's literally first come first serve - the second an application is submitted, the listing is marked unavailable again until the applicant completes the approval process (at which point the listing will go back up on their website).

we managed to be on the apartment complex website in the 20 minutes between the listing going live and the time email notifications went out about its availability. A submitted their app first and we called first thing the next morning to confirm that they received it - they have. we're in the system.

okay. we all submitted on friday - too late to be approved same-day, but we'll hear back from them on monday. it's the waiting game now.

try to go home to finalize the crystal grid in a more formal ritual like i'd been planning. doesn't work out; i can do it at my client's house, though. it's not ideal and i think the grid would possibly be more effective if it were housed in the place we all currently live, but that's fine. i feel safe enough in the client's house (they are so kind to me, it's like sleeping over and grandma and grandpa's)

finally established crystal grid with emphases on luck, endurance, financial stability, and a minor glamour to make us more appealing to property managers. used "hard work paying off" spell jar as battery. i suspect the crystals on top of the spell jar don't hurt us but they do feel somewhat superfluous in the context of the grid. may donate them to hestia's bowl instead; the garnet was hers already. was initially going to burn candles dressed w peppermint oil but decided on lavender oil instead.

starting to feel like "liked songs" on shuffle is perfectly acceptable to dedicate to hestia; after all, she's most comfortable when i'm most comfortable.

i actually think i'm going to burn more carved and dressed candles to charge it; i feel the hematite balances out the grid enough that i'm not risking overloading. could also be feeling more balanced bc it's not at home feeding off all four of our energies, just mine? plus it feels good to do something while we wait.

please. please. please.

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

5, 8, and 9 for the disability asks!

Hello there!

Disability Asks~

5. if you have multiple disabilities: do they affect each other? how?

I do have multiple disabilities. I have autism, adhd, anxiety, and depression. (Also a boatload of religious trauma but that doesn't really count as a disability.)

and Hoo boy do they! My adhd and autism are constantly fighting against each other it seems, as my needs for either are radically different. For instance, my adhd craves adventure and variety, while my autism needs rigid structure and predictability or i will breakdown. making sure the needs of both are met is a very fine line.

and my experience throughout the day will be radically different depending on who is driving the bus that is my brain: if adhd is driving we're going at least a hundred miles per hour, loud rock music is blasting through the speakers, and autism is tied up in the passenger seat, desperately trying to get free. if autism is driving, we are going exactly the speed limit not a mile over or under, classical music playing at just the right volume on the speakers, and adhd is in the backseat trying to light a firecracker. of course there are days where they're both at the wheel fighting tooth and nail over it, and then very rare days where they work together to make my day even worse.

my autism/adhd also makes my anxiety and depression worse, with time blindness and forgetfullness, the sheer intensity of emotions that I feel, or just plain internalized ableism making me feel worse about myself. (thinking about requesting to go on adhd meds to help with that, but we're just not sure yet)

8. does your disability affect how you experience other parts of your identity? (gender, queerness, culture, even hobbies/life goals you're very passionate about)

I don't think about this much, but it does. I've never noticed or thought about it much, but there does tend to be a correlation between neurodivergency and queerness, especially genderqueerness. It may or may not be due to my disabilty, it may be due to my aroaceness, it may be due to the religious trauma, or maybe even all of them- but I am very disconnected from the idea of gender all together, and I'm forever confused about the concept of gender as a whole.

In the aroace aspect, due to my autism, sexual innuendos and romantic innuendos and or flirting do tend to go over my head, unless I notice the pattern and pick up on it or someone tells me that's what's happening. But make no mistake, I tend to also have the dirtiest mind in my friend group and can make the best sex jokes- it's just that when it comes to me personally I may miss when people are trying to flirt with or hit on me (also, side note, is there a difference between flirting and hitting on someone? or are they the same thing? I can't tell).

9. How do you measure your energy (spoons, battery, something else?)

(already answered, but I think i'll copy and paste my answer here because it's very detailed and i like it)

I can't remember who or where, but a while back someone on the internet introduced me to a theory that more accurately describes my energy than spoon theory or battery ever did: ✨Ticket Theory✨.

Ticket Theory is similar to spoon theory, but more accurate for executive dysfunction and the thing where autistics/ADHDers have a lot of energy but can't do certain things. Here's how it works:

each ticket is one unit of energy

the tickets are each labeled with specific tasks or activities

the amount of tickets i get and what they're labeled with are never consistent or predictable

the tickets can and will expire quickly without warning

i cannot exchange, refund, or get back any tickets

I have zero control over how many tickets I get and what task they will be labeled with or how long they will last

and i can only use a ticket for the task/activity it is specifically labeled with.

For instance: it may have a lot of 'dishes' tickets, but no 'laundry' tickets, this means I may have a lot of energy, but no laundry is getting done while dishes will, no matter what I do. I may have a bunch of 'art' tickets, but no tickets for anything else, so even though I have a ton of energy the only thing getting done is art, despite how much I want and need to do tasks like cleaning or hygiene. and the worst one of all: I have tickets for everything, all the tasks and chores and activities- but the one thing I don't have a ticket for is getting out of bed. <- it's like having tickets for every ride at a theme park EXCEPT FOR A TICKET TO GET INTO THE PARK ITSELF, and it is so fucking frustrating.

This theory has been so helpful for explaining to impatient people or neurotypicals who just don't understand why I may have a lot of energy, but things I want to get done or need to get done won't get done no matter how much I want to or try. And it's honestly been more helpful to help myself understand what's going on in my head. Before being introduced to ticket theory, I used spoon theory, but it didn't quite fit and just made others more confused about my dysfunction and the randomness to my energy levels.

Thanks Anon!

[love-to-lgbtq]

Ah.. sorry if this is a bit much but.…. do you know of any good wlw sex ed masterposts (possibly one that covers general stuff too since in my experience the sex education system is just generally bad let alone for Igbtq+ stuff)?

I'm a (older) minor so I totally understand if you don't want to answer this but I'd really appreciate it bc I can't do my own research ;-;

Hi anon,

Sex education is something that shouldn’t be withheld from people. I actually work with a lot of places trying to make queer sex ed more accessible. Since I’m assuming you’re trying to avoid links/webpages I’ve decided to compile my own master post for you.

Strap in (no pun intended)

Let’s start with the basics, anatomy and care:

Vulva: the outside of the vagina (the part that’s visible)

Vagina: the internal structure in the female reproductive system

STI: sexually transmitted infections, caused by direct exposure to an infection, can be transmitted orally, through intercourse, or contact with bodily fluids.

Yeast infection: the pH of a vagina is very specific, as is the bacterial microbiome , and if it’s thrown off too much it overproduces yeast, which causes an uncomfortable infection. It’s treatable though!

protection:

For oral sex on a vulva or anus there are dental dams. They come in various flavors and are like a sheet of latex that you hold in place while performing oral. If both you and your partner have been tested and don’t have to worry about any STI exchange, these aren’t necessary.

- just because you can’t get pregnant having wlw sex doesn’t mean you can’t get Sexually Transmitted Infections

There’s also toys that can be used for wlw sex, such as strap ons, dildos, and vibrators. These typically need to be purchased online or at a store that specializes in sex supplies, but some of the basics can be bought at target, cvs, and other similar places. As a minor you can’t buy these things yet, but for future reference now you know.

Lubricant:

For oral, lube isn’t really necessary, but know that there are flavored lubricants labeled for oral use. DO NOT USE THESE. These are meant for penises. If you use flavored lube on a vulva/vagina it can cause yeast infections.

Best practice is to use water based lube (it’ll say the base on the bottle/package), which is safe to use for all purposes.

There are also silicone based and oil based lubes, but I recommend steering clear of those since they’re not compatible with toys and other silicone products.

Where to get it? - any CVS, Walmart, target, etc. will have lube of various types in the aisle they sell condoms in, which is usually near the pharmacy.

Some major things to steer clear of:

- douching of any sort: this can lead to yeast infections. The vagina is naturally cleaning, so don’t think you need to put any sort of cleanser up there. Summers Eve is a scam.

- rushing things: what you see in the media is a dramatization. It’s important to take your time and talk about things with whoever your partner is before rushing into anything.

Your local planned parenthood will also have lots of resources to help you, and if you have any local LGBTQ+ organizations you can get to, they often have lots of resources for this stuff too. I don’t know if you’re closeted, but if you are and this is hard to get to for you, then I recommend going to the library and using one of their computers to do any additional research.

And always remember to practice consent!!! Remember FRIES for consent:

Freely Given

Reversible

Informed

Enthusiastic

Specific

If you have any more specific questions I’m also here as a resource for you through DM and asks, and I don’t find it bothersome at all, that’s why I’m here! This is one of my areas of expertise so I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

Let me know if you need any more info!

-Day

[starfieldcanvas]

couple causes:

- rise of mass-use impersonally-moderated social media platforms over the personally-moderated community sites of the earlier web, exposing ever-larger numbers of people to content they did not seek out

- rise of internet-connected camera phones, exposing ever-larger number of people (including several generations of teenagers) to ever-proliferating new types of smartphone-based sexual harassment, revenge porn, and oversaturation of unwanted sexual content

- rise of algorithmic feeds over self-curated experiences giving ever-larger number of users the sense that it is the platform, not the user, who must take responsibility for what content users see

- passing of USAmerican laws that put more responsibility on (frequently US-based) internet platforms to prevent digital sex work and on major banks to prevent the exchanging of fees for physical sex work

- in response, platforms clamp down on freedom of sexual expression, teaching users to heavily self-police sexual expression in the name of trying to avoid idiosyncratic, inconsistent, inexplicable enforcement; self-censorship becomes a norm taught to new users like the "use firehose to spray the monkeys that climb the ladder to get the banana and they will teach new monkeys not to climb the ladder until no monkey remembers the firehose but they all know not to climb the ladder" experiment

- buckets of money poured into anti-trans, anti-gay legislative movement by the far right; aggressive new anti-queer political initiatives across the globe

- ad-driven digital capitalism finding greater profit in "family friendly" spaces for employed, moneyed adults than they do in either R18 adult spaces or "child-friendly" spaces for unemployed children, leading to the disappearance of both child-focused Internet playplaces and casually mixed SFW/NSFW places for adults, forcing the bulk of Internet users into an awkwardly consumer-focused space with a bunch of confused children attempting to make the space more comfortable for themselves because it's all they've been given

---

Mix all of that together and you've got a great recipe for a moral panic about queer kink and sex work being somewhere children might possibly find it and be corrupted by it... even within the queer community where we ought to know better than to fall for that shit.

who should you fight? probably american congresspeople. specifically the democrats who enable terrible sex work policy. a hell of a lot of this can be traced to sesta/fosta and its consequences. and fighting conservatives is always a safe bet.

but also, fight for platforms that give you the option to make communities with rules enforced by humans, that are actually on the Internet proper and NOT isolated inside an app (looking at you, discord 😠). old-school forums, dreamwidth, blogs, bobaboard (we're working on it!), pillowfort i guess, even tumblr communities —anything that helps Internet users make the groups they want to make rather than, as you say, "squish horny and non-horny spaces into one stupid jumbled space."

genuinely what is the reason for the internet becoming so prudish?? who can i fight about this

[nercury]

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Plot Synopsis

cw// mentions of csa

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 coming-of-age film that takes place in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1991. The film follows protagonist Charlie Kelmeckis, an introverted, anxious teenager who, like many adolescents his age, struggles to make friends upon entering his first year of high school. Though not explicitly stated, Charlie’s suffering from depression is alluded to over the course of the film, evident in frequent, worried exchanges between him and close family members. 

Charlie eventually befriends two older seniors, step-siblings Sam and Patrick, who take him under his wing, gradually integrating him into their friend group. It was only until this point that Charlie felt like he belonged, genuinely astounded that people cared to pay him any attention. Over the course of the film, Charlie experiences many “firsts” – going to his first party, doing recreational drugs for the first time, and having his first kiss to name a few. 

Despite all of these things, Charlie often finds himself troubled by the relationships in his life – specifically the dynamics of these relationships. Charlie learns that his older sister, Candace, is in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, after witnessing him striking her across the face in the middle of a heated dispute. When Sam reveals that her first kiss happened when she was 11 with an older man, he realizes that she, like his Aunt Helen, had been abused as a child. Charlie also learns that Patrick, who is openly queer, is in a secret relationship with Brad, a closeted football player who pretends to not know him at school. 

These observations prompt him to ask his English teacher, Mr. Anderson – whom he develops a strong connection with over the course of the film – “Why do nice people choose the wrong people to date?” to which he responds “We expect the love we think we deserve”. 

More hijinks ensue up until Charlie has a brief falling out with his new friend group. Charlie is able to make amends when he saves Patrick from being jumped by Brad and his friends – a scuffle that broke out in response to Brad calling Patrick a slur historically primarily used to refer to gay men. It is through this encounter that Charlie demonstrates that he cares about them, unconditionally.

As his first year of high school comes to a close and all of his senior friends graduate, familiar feelings of loneliness and abandonment threaten to encroach upon his newfound confidence. Things come to a boiling point when Charlie has a severe mental breakdown, of which he blames himself for the death of his Aunt Helen. He is swiftly admitted to a mental facility where he is sent to recover after, what the film alludes to, an attempted suicide. Soon after it is revealed that, unbeknownst to the rest of his family, his aunt had molested him as a child, repeating the cycle of abuse due to her unhealed, repressed trauma.

Charlie continues to write letters in recovery. During this time, he is frequently visited by close family members. He even receives a letter from Sam, who insists that she come visit him at Penn State sometime. Eventually, Sam and Patrick return to Pennsylvania to visit Charlie. The movie concludes with Charlie declaring that he finally feels like he belongs somewhere.

Overall, this movie explores themes of identity and socialization. Charlie learns to explore who he is through navigating new friendships and relationships. This is exemplified in how his growing relationship with Sam and Patrick ultimately help Charlie develop feelings of purpose and self-worth, facets of his personality that were not present at the beginning of the film.

[ailelie]

"Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke"

This is an epistolary short story/novella by Eric LaRocca and boy are opinions on GoodReads divided.

A flurry of 1 star reviews and comments on reviews suggest that the story is trauma porn with poorly developed characters and just gross.

The story does have viscerally disgusting moments, but I think a lot of the criticism isn't that earned.

From this point onward there will be spoilers and a story summary.

Also, all the content warnings--self-harm, abuse, vore, etc.

The story involves Agnes and Zoe in the year 2000. The year is actually important for the theme, but I'll get to that. Both women are part of an online queer community and Agnes posts to sell an antique apple peeler.

Zoe responds, but pushes to learn the full story (since Agnes expresses reluctance in her emails). Once she learns the apple peeler was her grandmothers and was the last thing and reason for conversation between her and her mother before Agnes came out as gay, Zoe refuses to buy it. Agnes is only selling to help with rent anyway.

Instead, Zoe asks if she can send Agnes rent money because everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes and queer people need to look out for each other.

This turns into a quick friendship with Agnes immediately being possessive of Zoe's attention and time. Then it turns into an online relationship. Zoe asks Agnes what she's done to deserve her eyes that week and explains her father used to ask that--what had she done to continue to enjoy that which she took for granted.

Zoe tells Agnes to do some things and Agnes does them, eventually getting fired (the firing may have come post TPE convo and agreement), but feeling free regardless.

Zoe explains that what she really wants in a relationship in a total power exchange. To her surprise, Agnes immediately volunteers. When Agnes mentions gratefulness, Zoe backs off and says 'no.' But then Agnes says she genuinely wants it.

Zoe sends her a contract and Agnes agrees to it. Zoe promises Agnes that she'll provide whatever Agnes wants. Agnes says she wants to have a baby. Zoe points out that isn't doable, but Agnes is adamant.

Zoe then tells Agnes to catch a salamander and carry it with her all day in her pocket. Then, in the evening, to bash it to death with a rock. Agnes balks, but does it. Then she cuts off contact with Zoe.

A month later, she reaches back out apologizing and promising to never waver again. Again she expresses her desire for a baby, this time, specifically with Zoe.

Zoe asks for time to think and returns suggesting that Agnes contract a tapeworm and suggests how (this involves eating maggot-filled meat and is what most people point to as disgusting).

Throughout the conversations, Zoe shares disturbing thoughts, such as digging her fingers into Agnes' flesh, consuming her, and killing her. Agnes is super into all of this.

Agnes contracts a tapeworm and is overjoyed. She calls it their son. She refuses to take medication. Zoe points out that eventually she'll pass the worm even without medication, but Agnes refuses to hear it. Zoe realizes that Agnes has compromised her physical health and could die, but is too enamored with "their child" to get help.

Zoe cuts off contact with an email that explains that they're making each other worse. Zoe wanted to break Agnes. She got pleasure from seeing how far she could push, but Agnes has scared her because Agnes doesn't have a breaking point.

(Rather, Agnes already reached and passed her breaking point with the salamander incident, but neither realized it at the time).

Zoe later says that she did love Agnes and could have continued doing so, but she can't love Agnes like this.

Agnes is angry. She does pass the tapeworm and compares it to a ribbon like her mother used to put in her hair all "shiny and bright." She tells Zoe (who she never met) that the worm has Zoe's eyes and smile.

Then she sends a final email with terrible implications. She is holding the tapeworm and her apple peeler and wonders if she deserves her eyes.

Of course, thanks to the intro to the story, we know that Agnes is dead and Zoe is implicated in her death.

People are saying this has no themes and poor character development.

Agnes starts as a young woman selling off family treasures to make rent. Important, though, in her first post about the apple peeler she talks about family as "a brotherhood and sisterhood afflicted with the same terminal disease." The apple peeler was her great-grandmother's who convinced her husband to buy it for her by injuring him with a sewing needle hidden in an apple.

Agnes, from the start, views family as a shared disease and love as manipulation. However, she has not acted on these beliefs yet. She is a 20something with a job she dislikes and an apartment she can ill afford. Normal. Her email and IM handle, by the way, is "agnes_in_wonderland." This is very fitting because her relationship with Zoe is going to send her through the looking glass. She returns home once (when she cuts off contact with Zoe), but then decides to live in the mad world of Wonderland instead.

Agnes also expresses a desire that the apple peeler be passed down to children and expresses regret that this is unlikely for her. From the beginning, children and legacy are important to her.

Zoe then, unintentionally (in my opinion), sets herself up as family to Agnes. First, she wires Agnes rent money. Then, she mentions family in email saying, "When you're gay, you have the privilege of choosing your family. [...] I, like you, have a responsibility to my fellow queer brothers and sisters to aid them with my blessings." Finally, during their first online chat, she asks Agnes to promise to keep the apple peeler. The apple peeler means family for Agnes and this seals Zoe as her new family.

Also, the conversation sets up the dynamic that will grow and be a problem between them. Zoe asks if Agnes will make her a promise and Agnes responds, "Anything." That's when Zoe asks her to keep the apple peeler.

The next morning, Agnes sends Zoe an email saying she's thinking about her all the time and says that Zoe makes her feel "more like [her]self."

Zoe's email back is polite and says she'll be online that night if Agnes wants to talk, but later than usual because she has plans. When they chat, Agnes is immediately jealous. Zoe explains that she and her girlfriend had just broken up. The girlfriend returned her keys, too.

This is important--Zoe is in pain and Zoe is going to inflict that pain on Agnes.

During the conversation Zoe mentions watching a program about ritualized "pretend death" in Thailand. This, like the year 2000, is important because it relates to the theme that Zoe carries, which is rebirth. 2000 is a new century and a new year. The pretend burial allows someone to die and be reborn. When Zoe tells Agnes to kill a salamander, she justifies herself by saying, "the salamander is a symbol of rebirth in many cultures--a sign of change, transformation, and growth."

Zoe wants to be reborn (Zoe wants to stop hurting). Zoe's handle, by the way, is crushedmarigolds. Marigolds symbolize happiness and joy, but hers are crushed. Also, marigolds, in some cultures, symbolize the connection between life and death.

The salamander moment does lead to rebirth--Agnes'. She does it and then cuts off contact with Zoe. In her email she talks about seeing a mother rabbit devour its newly born baby rabbit and being told that this was a good strategy on the mother's part because something was wrong with the baby and its corpse would attract predators.

Agnes' theme, throughout, is consumption. Before the TPE contract, she talks about the fear of being devoured and her trust that Zoe wouldn't do that. She talks about the mother rabbit devouring its young.

A month later, Agnes resumes contact with Zoe and (later in their reunion, during their first online chat) talks about abuse she'd experienced as a child--being forced into a closet holding an egg and then being forced to eat the egg, shell and all, raw if the egg was cracked. (Again, devouring). She tells Zoe that she chooses her because other people are worse and asserts that she and Zoe belong together.

At this point, Agnes is transformed (or broken). Her desires are all-consuming. She no longer has barriers. She would let Zoe kill her. She tells Zoe point-blank that "when [she] was little, [she] thought that if people hurt your, it meant they loved you."

Up to this point and beyond it, Zoe has maintained clear boundaries. They do not meet in person. She doesn't even seem to have sent Agnes a photo. Once they enter the TPE, she decides when and how they have contact. She shares her disturbing thoughts to push Agnes away, but when Agnes doesn't leave, she keeps upping the ante. She wants to break Agnes. She stops, though, when she realizes that Agnes has already broken and that Agnes no longer has guard rails. Zoe needs boundaries. Once she realizes Agnes has removed them, she runs. She doesn't know this yet.

Zoe shares a horrible dream that involves removing Agnes' ability speak, seeing her in horrible pain, fantasizing about killing her, actually killing her, and then taking her place, but with no one to kill her. And then tells Agnes she loves her.

And Agnes says she wants a baby. Zoe points out this is impossible and then notes that she'd basically felt pregnant that time she got a tapeworm overseas and that babies start out as parasites, so... she can't give Agnes a baby, but she does know a way Agnes can carry life inside of her: a tapeworm.

Agnes asks if it will hurt and Zoe responds "Change always hurts."

And so the disgusting scene of eating 'sun-cooked' meat filled with maggots.

Zoe is shocked. She'd thought Agnes would refuse. This is when Zoe starts to pull away, realizing that Agnes no longer has boundaries. When Agnes does get sick, Zoe sends her to the doctor and only says she's happy if Agnes is happy.

Also, Agnes would never refuse Zoe, but especially not on this. Remember, from the start Agnes has associated family with illness. Getting herself sick in order to hold life (Zoe's interp) or have a child (Agnes' interp) makes perfect sense to her now-twisted way of thinking based on that earlier belief.

Then they chat and Zoe points out that the tapeworm is going to pass, that this isn't permanent, but Agnes refers to it as their child and fantasizes about sleeping with Zoe with the worm coiled between them like a rope. That's when Zoe stops the relationship.

She writes:

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but you deserve someone who won't pretend to care for you while they are meanwhile banking on your misfortune. [...] For the first time I'm thinking of someone other than myself. It scares me. But letting something happen to you scares me more. [...] I can't take ownership of your destruction. I want this to stop."

And this is Zoe's moment of rebirth or refused rebirth. She has realized what she has done and is becoming and says "no." She refuses to become a monster and instead becomes someone who is no longer inflicting pain on someone else to deal with her own.

But Agnes already chose to transform. She threatens self-harm at one point, but doesn't carry through.

She passes the tapeworm. At first her language is clinical. Then she associates it with family. Then she refers to it as their child. Then she takes the apple peeler and tapeworm to the bathroom and contemplates her eyes.

We don't know what happens next. Does she destroy her eyes? Does she reconsume the tapeworm so that it (and Zoe) never leaves her? How does she die?

And people say there is no character growth, but we very clearly have one woman's descent into, I hate to use the term, madness and another woman's ascent from despair and cruelty. We have three clear themes carried across as well: rebirth, family/love as pain or disease, and devouring/consumption as an act of love.

It is short. The ending could use a few more details. But it holds together very well, imo.

[n0tamused]

arranged marriage fics w ayato got me in a chokehold.. theyre initially a bit cold to each other but something happens and they slowly warm up… and i extra love when the wife is a clever, snarky woman too do ya mind writing this one

• Rocky beginnings

A/n: Hey anon, I can definitely do that :) Arranged marriage is one of my favorite tropes too, I will have to admit. On another note, this would be my first time writing Ayato on here, so I so hope it's satisfactory and not too out of character. Enjoy!

Content: drabble, a little bit of suggestive words, still SFW, f/reader.

Words: 1.098

What once was a bitter seed of their marriage blossomed into a sweet tree bearing fruit of honey and sugar. Ayato was a stranger to the sensation, never expecting himself to warm up to his wife, as adverse as that was.

However queer this was, he could not help but gravitate towards it, not refusing it. Little by little, he grew fond of this new entity in his home. It's a miracle such a fragile seed survived all their harshness. His wife would seldom spend quality time with him, and when she did it was to appease the public or the family. It was all out of obligation, Ayato knew. He always felt a specific kind of disappointment, seeing how his marriage was compared to the one of his late parents. How sad too. He always wanted a marriage like theirs, yet the future didn't look any better.

The start of their relationship was clear. Something so rocky cannot be forgotten, it can only be overshadowed by these newer experiences. When did their marriage start to take turns for the better; when did they start sleeping in the same room; when did they start being with each other for other reasons than obligation? Neither of them could pinpoint the exact moment or time.

And now when she smiles at him through closed eyes and the cup pressed to her lip, he knew some droll thought had shone its light to her mind. “What is it?” he questioned immediately, turning to face her with his hand placing his own cup down.

“You'd like to see me in a silk kimono” - she drawled, eyes narrowed and reminiscent of that of a kitsune roaming the wilderness around the Estate. For a moment he thought he was too harsh to say which clothing would suit her for the occasion. The answer wasn't something he really expected, and it did not sate his curiosity in the slightest. But instead of calling her out, being straight forward like anyone else, he grabs hold of his love by the arm gingerly, drawing her attention away from her drink and to his face.

“I would love to see you in such silk garments..” - he leans into her ear, one hand cupped so no one else around could hear, even if they were alone. “.. so I could tear it off you” - he finished, his azure eyes watching her own as the realization of his words sunk in. A light of something mischievous and undefined glimmered behind her irises and when their gazes met again, he knew his little jest barely did anything to place him in a higher position. Oh, how he was not used to this shift in control. She wasn't one of his retainers, he will have to be reminded again and again.

“Should you tear my silk kimono..” she started, eyes sharp and fixed on him, her hand that discarded her cup on the table sliding up his side despite the danger of Ayato's retainers walking in and witnessing this rather inappropriate exchange.

“..I will blacken your eye..” she finished with a curl of her lips, smirking at her love who felt just as mischievous, but at a loss for proper words to bite back. Her hand suddenly disappeared, and he found himself missing the touch, as foreign as it still was. Her body stepped away, looking over the rest of the foods they came to try, to pick the most appropriate ones for the upcoming anniversary, one of their own wedding.

“We have enough time to see who will last longer. But I warn you, you will find no easy game with me” - Ayato cautioned as he clutched two pairs of hashi, handing one to her once they sat down.

“Good. I loathe a dull challenge - if you can even call it that when it comes to you. But I should remind you, my father will not like it if he finds me bored in this place. You ought to be at your best behavior once he arrives” - (Y/n) told Ayato, placing one hand to her chin in thought of which dish to sample first. She had to make sure to avoid any dishes that may cause harm, or to which some of their known guests may be allergic to, their taste came first to her own. Thoma was kind enough to make a vast assortment of all kinds of dishes - sweet and savory and everything in between.

Ayato scoffs, placing a clean cloth across his lap and giving her a nearly scornful look, only the ghost smirk on his lips betrays each intention of that edged look. “As if I treat you with anything less of respect, '' he pointed out.

His eyes widened in the slightest as she picked a mini onigiri and offered it to him. When he goes to bite it, the treat is moved out of his reach and directly into her mouth. She chomps thoughtfully, holding eye contact with her husband whose mouth hangs agape like a fish plucked from water.

“Close your mouth, it's not appropriate to gawk at someone like that” Her finger pushes his jaw shut, the motion in its nature is gentle, but it mocks him and teases him. Once more, Ayato is at a loss, for both words and rational thought. "Oh- Don't make that face. Here, it's no joke this time” And as she promises, she feeds him one of the delicious Onigiri, not surprising considering who the chef was.

“Mm..It will be difficult to decide which dishes to pick, hm? All of these are packed with enough flavor and are in no way too heavy on the gut” - Ayato commented once he swallowed, taking a look at the other dishes, recognizing all of them from times before, only few were unfamiliar, and he was sure those were safe to consume. Thoma wasn't the one to spice food too much. “You can feel free to disregard me from making a choice here, as I will fare well with all of these. I'm not picky. Thoma made these according to our tastes, whether he wants to admit it or not”

“A difficult task. But I will not allow you to slip away so easily. You will stay here, with me” - His wife's voice stopped him before he could even place his hashi down, earning a curious look from those tender, ocean eyes.

Ayato looks at her, trying to gauge out any signs that she was jesting once more, but after he finds none, he simply sighs and nods. “As my lady wishes” Ayato smiles, picking his chopsticks up and grabbing another piece of a savory dish, offering it to her.

Ⓒ n0tamused 2022. Do not repost, translate, edit, and/or copy any of my works. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

[crackdkettle]

Canon versions of Supernatural characters as undergrad professors

Dean: Acts like he hates his students but is everyone’s favorite. Hilarious but you’re not sure if you’re allowed to laugh. Lectures are fun, interesting, and informative, but you have to decode his pop culture references and you will drop a whole letter grade if you say anything even vaguely disparaging about Led Zeppelin (or, god forbid, don’t know who/what Led Zeppelin is). Believes in hands-on learning, so there’s a lot of in-class activities. Not approachable in the least, but very understanding and willing to help anyone who has the guts to ask. Casually drops the most insane details from his life and moves on; refuses to elaborate when questioned (also there’s no way he could have done all the stuff he’s claimed he has when he’s still this young?). Could have a knife stuck in his chest and would still come to class, but will get one text from his husband or kid and end class forty minutes early. Exams are challenging but easy enough if you attend class and take decent notes.

Sam: Not an easy A, but not a difficult one either. Definitely a case of “you get out what you put in”. Happy to grant extensions on projects, but you basically have to have a therapy session with him in exchange. Interesting if you already like the subject, but probably won’t get you interested if you don’t. Seems about as normal as any academic but at least once a week will say something completely out of left field and act like it’s not the craziest thought anyone’s ever had.

Charlie: Spends the first class showing you how to pirate all your textbooks. Super fun, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that means she’s a pushover. Uses Lego action figures to reenact ancient myths, and offers extra credit for LARPing. Adopts any and all baby queers. In lieu of a final exam, the whole class has to do a dramatic reading of Lysistrata in the school’s amphitheater wearing chitons she taught you to make earlier in the semester to an audience comprised solely of her and her best friend.

Rowena: Terrifying in lower-division classes; fun and chill in upper-division classes. Doesn’t tolerate insolence in lower-division; loves when you challenge her in upper-division. Genuinely wants to help you learn. Rewards ass-kissing but rewards effort more.  Reassures you when you mess up that you can never be as good as her anyway. Invites your 400 class over for dinner and makes a joke about the food being poisoned in a way that makes you feel like maybe she’s not joking? Possibly having an affair with the dean. Heavily attended office hours.

Crowley: Genuinely hates his students (except for the elite few he likes), but a weirdly forgiving grader. Very easy to distract and get off on a tangent. You probably won’t learn much but you will have a good time. Exams are either a cake walk or downright impossible. In a feud with the dean.

Bobby: Both the most knowledgeable and the wisest person you’ve ever met. You want to record all his lectures and then transcribe them because every single thing he says is the most profound thing you’ve ever heard. Sincerely wants you to succeed. Everyone wants him as their advisor. Never assigns essays in his GE classes because “the students don’t like writing them, and more importantly, I don’t like reading them.” In a feud with the dean, and extremely smug in the knowledge that the dean can’t do jackshit to him because he’s tenured.

Castiel: All his lectures are either insultingly elementary and broad or doctorate-level technical and specific. No patience for stupid questions. Constantly refutes things in the textbooks but refuses to cite his sources beyond “I was there” (when writing was invented??). Cancels class at least once a week “due to a family emergency”, but then you run into him at the local arcade with his husband and/or son. Never returns homework and seems put upon/confused when you ask about it (usually says something like, “Human markers of academic success are meaningless,” and just squints at you if you ask what he’s doing in academia then). In a feud with the dean, the provost, and the university president. Essay-only exams. Rumor is he’s never given anyone an A.