#like on tumblr its not inherently *that old* but. its been a while

[desultory-suggestions]

"It gets better for everyone!" is a insultingly naïve mindset born from luck and having correct circumstances. It factually does not magically ""get better"" for everyone, but people like you get LUCKY and deem that its that way for everyone else, without reflecting that in another life it could have just as easily been different. Are you really going to tell people who have no support system, are in poverty "don't worry because it's JUST your depression making you sad silly!!!". I work with people everyday who have no family, no friends, and can't even begin to dig themselves out of that hole, but I'll make sure to pass on that a 20 year old tumblr user said to "decorate their bedroom" and it'd set them on the fast track to getting better :).

Hello,

I hear what you are saying, and it is clear from your words that you like so many of us have and continue to deal with the incredibly real systemic, chronic, or inherent issues that can make like so exhausting. Most mail like this is sent in the heat of emotional pressure and pain, and I hope whatever it is you are feeling now can be addressed in a meaningful way that supports you.

I thought about giving an answer to this, but it seems obvious to me (and I'd hope to anyone who follows me) that this just doesn't make sense to argue. This blog has never advocated that mental illness or suffering are "silly" or easily fixable, and I have talked candidly and often about how systemic oppression is causing so much of the suffering we are told is all in our heads. I have even talked candidly about how my upbringing, adverse experiences, and struggles with discrimination have effected me.

While many can benefit from the kind of content I share (which is less dense than it used to be, fair!) many will not. Even those who do benefit will still need meaningful help addressing real issues like housing, food, safety, community, etc. Those of us who are able to stop and enjoy a simpler positive post are privileged to do so, and we shouldn't forget that. It doesn't mean we cannot enjoy, support, create, or rely on this kind of content. We all respond to different things, and I know first hand this blog has helped many people. However, we must be conscious of how we can take action to support those around us who need it the most, who are struggling with being unhoused, unfed, unwelcome, unloved.

I am sorry that whatever post you saw sparked so much frustration for you, but I think you already know that not everything is for everyone. Some people are helped by the "little things" and that is wonderful. Of course it never has and never will mean we should ignore the big ones.

Best,

Evan

[utilitycaster]

Inspired actually by me nonstop thinking about the Young Witch Solving The Disappearance Of Her Neighbor's Cat In The Alps tweet since last night and a number of other unrelated posts I have been thinking about the concept of maturity in media, because I think there's a lot of different dimensions to that. It's a series of spectra, rather than a binary, and if you use the terms "mature" or "immature" you can quickly realize that a lot of our societal metrics for what's adult-appropriate vs. child appropriate are very skewed in specific and in my opinion untrue and unhelpful directions. This could honestly be a 10 page essay and I may very well write that when I'm on break but just to give you my outline here:

Stimulation - is it grabbing your attention with bright lights and loud sounds and fast action, or do you have to actively focus? Action films can be just as "jangly keys" as children's animation despite being an "adult" work, whereas something like Mad Men can have vivid colors but would bore a child to tears in terms of pace and action. However, and this will be an ongoing theme, you can have a very choppy, fast-paced narrative that is complex and a very slow and dull one that is incredibly simple and childish.

"Ratings" Subject Matter: Sex/Violence/Profanity. This is the one I think is most misleading, because you can have an incredibly puerile R-rated film, and you can have an immensely complex narrative without any of the above. [note: I have zero patience for people who act like sex and violence are inherently unnecessary wastes of time; they are merely things within a narrative that can be executed well or poorly, but it is true that something can have a simple plot and constant bright lights and stimulation and essentially be big old jingling mobile for infants but there's a sex scene in it so it's Adult Now. Unfortunately a lot of people are like "and this is why YA is inherently better" which we shall see is not the case.]

Other Difficult Subject Matter (I don't have a good name for it, but to give examples, death, racism, genocide, abuse, serious or chronic illness, etc). This one is tricky because all of the above are topics present in works for quite young children, because they can experience all the above or have someone close to them experience them, and fiction is a powerful teaching tool. Obviously the nature of how this is presented varies, and later points will cover it, but while in my opinion the simple presence of these topics says nothing about the work's level of maturity on its own I'm including it because you do get people who think that children should be shielded from all the above and would consider the mere inclusion of those topics as inappropriate. They're wrong, but it's definitely an axis of judgement/categorization that exists.

Adult-level processing of information (probably a misnomer in that teens can do this but like, teens read adult books all the time, and as Tumblr has shown us, many adults cannot do this): does the narrative require you be able to pick up on subtext? Do you need to understand what is relevant to the story and what isn't? Do you need to be comfortable with or at least able to tolerate not knowing entirely what is going on right away? Do you need to have a sense of irony? Is there an unreliable narrator?

Adult-level processing of moral complexity (in my limited, not a parent or educator experience, I honestly think teens do better with the information processing than this, ie, this is one of the last things to develop; also Tumblr is even worse): does the narrative require you accept that sometimes things are unfair and will never be fair? Do you need to accept a story in which the Quote Unquote Bad Guys walk free without real consequence? Do you need to accept a story in which no one's actions are entirely defensible or in which no choices are easy and clean and harmless? Do you need to attempt to understand an alien perspective? Is there senseless tragedy? This incidentally is how you separate out the children's books from the adult books on topics like illness or catastrophic events; a lot of children's books end with a message of "it's hard and sad, but it will be okay eventually" and focus on very relatable POV characters which is understandable! But, to use an example as someone who went to a Jewish school with a robust Holocaust education, elementary schoolers read Number the Stars in which the (entirely fictional) Jewish family escapes to Sweden; middle schoolers read Night in which Wiesel's (real) father dies painfully in front of him.

None of this is to say that escapism/cozy fiction/whatever you want to call it is bad - I am not interested in a diet entirely made of thorny moral quandaries and no happy endings. I enjoy a stupid turn off your brain action movie, or a fluffy romantasy. But I do think that a demand that every ending be happy and that Justice Be Served in every story is no less immature than saying "ew, there's kissing in this???"

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

December Week 1 - Shadow work, Discernment, Synchronism, and seasonal depression

Welcome welcome to the final month of the 2024 Grimoire Chellenge!! It has been such a fantastic year full of fun prompts, but we’re not quite done yet! All the leftover prompts will be added to the weeks this month as bonus prompts. This week is going to involve a great deal of practical prompts in preparation for the new year ahead and to close up the year behind us. So let’s dive in!

Monday - Shadow Work/ Self Reflection and Growth

Terms to look up: shadow work, introspection, self reflection (any other terms you find while researching the terms above)

Research/ New Page - Shadow Work - you probably hear a lot about shadow work in reference to witchy/ pagan introspection. It isn’t inherently a part of witchcraft or pagan beliefs or practices, though it can certainly be a good tool to finding balance within oneself no matter your path and practice. What is shadow work? Where did it come from? Who coined the term? How does it work? What are some methods and tools involved in shadow work! How and when and why do we do it, if we do?

Research/ new page - what are some other forms of introspection we can use to help us look back at life and the lessons we have learned, no matter how old those lessons and memories are? Learn as much about as many of them as possible!

Tuesday - Discernment, Synchronism, Sorting myth and conjecture from truth

Terms to look up - discernment, synchronism

Research - there are many myths and claims that Christians ‘stole’ practices from pagans and witches and vice versa. They come generally around the largely followed holiday calendar some witches and pagans follow but also boil down to general practices as well. What are some of these? Are there some you’re familiar with already? In researching these or even other topics through the year already have you come across any of these? What are they? How can we discern why these beliefs and practices are so similar? Where and how does syncretism come into play here?

Research/ New Page - Herbal Research - pick another herb from your list and learn all that you can about it! Metaphysical, mundane, practical, culinary, medicinal, myths and legends, history….everything!!

Wednesday - Journaling for learning and introspection

Research - so we have been journaling alongside many of the prompts all year. Why is that? What is the purpose of this journaling? What is the purpose of journaling in general? How can we use journaling as a tool for self exploration, introspection, and growth? If you haven’t got a journal to go along with the prompts, think about investing in one for your general practice!

Research - now that you’ve looked into what journaling is and what it is for, what are some different methods and types of journaling? Do these require any specific tools beyond a book and pencil? What are the benefits of utilizing these different journaling methods?

Thursday - Craft Day!

Today’s prompt is practical and hands on. It’s the season of festivities and decorating. Some of us simply buy our ornaments which is absolutely fine. But today, we’re going to MAKE an ornament! Anything from twigs in the shape of a tube, to a witches ball to hang on the tree, a witches bell to hang anywhere or a decorated pine cone! Anything you feel like making to help get you into the festive season ahead of us!

Practical - along with the making of a decoration, let’s make something to eat! There’s plenty of recipes floating around tumblr and endless recipes on the internet at large, or maybe you’ve got a cookbook or one special recipe you’ve been saving. Today’s the day! Gather your ingredients and get to cooking! Feel free to share your meal or snack in picture submission and share the recipe if you’re up for it!

Friday - Seasonal Big Sad

Research - if you’re like me you may experience the big sad this time of year. Seasonal depression can hit anyone, but especially rears its head this time of year. What are some ways to handle and cope with our seasonal depression? Vitamins? Sun lamps? Exercise? Look into how to handle your own seasonal depression as well as ways to help others!

Research / new page - Gem study - pick another gemstone from your list and research everything about it! History, myth, mundane and magical uses and associations, chemical makeup and how it’s formed!

Whew! Another week down! Thank you all for your continued support and participation! Stay tuned for a plethora of bonus prompts all month long!

-Mod Hazel

[sophieinwonderland]

So, singlet here, been on tumblr for a while but only started to join plural spaces when a friend told me they were plural and now I am trying to learn more. Sadly, the first plural creator I found was Aspen and now I’m trying to unlearn all the endo hate I’ve learned in the past month. If you don’t mind, could you tell me what an endo actually is? Whenever I asked them they just told me what I now know to be lies.

Sure! Thanks for reaching out and being open-minded!

In its most simple form, an endogenic system is a system who is plural for reasons other than trauma.

These include created systems, systems who have been plural as long as they can remember, and spontaneous systems who become plural without explanation. And any of these can have spiritual or psychological views on their system. The plural umbrella is inclusive to any plurals regardless of origin.

Here is what we know:

Plurality is old and everywhere: Throughout history, in cultures around the globe, plurality has existed in the form of possession states or communing with spirits or similar phenomena.

Many of the above experiences have been studied, and psychiatrists agree that they generally aren't aversive and shouldn't be considered a mental disorder. There are specific exceptions carved out stating that non-aversive plurality shouldn't be diagnosed as a disorder.

The invention of the internet and ability to connect with other plurals without fear of persecution led to the creation of the first inclusive plural communities online, shared by anyone who was multiple in one body for any reason.

At the time, the term "natural multiples" was used to refer to what we now call endogenic systems. The community replaced the term with "endogenic" around 2014.

Most of the resources used by the modern plural community came out of the inclusive side of the community. "Headmate" was a non-medical alternative to "alter." "Plural" was coined as a non-medical alternative to "multiple" which was associated with "multiple personality disorder" at the time. Fictives and factives both date back to the soulbonder community. And resources like Pluralkit and Simply Plural were made by endos.

What we don't know:

Scientific research into endogenic systems is still in its infancy. And though it indisputably exists, we don't know exactly what causes it... but we also don't know what causes someone to be a singlet...

Our brain is estimated to have 86 billion neurons with over 100 trillion synapses. We don’t understand what make all of these create one single personality.

The theory of structural dissociation suggests that children start with a less integrated personality that integrates over time. But that opens the door to ask, does this integration occur naturally due to biological factors, or is it from sociological and environmental pressure?

It seems possible to me that different environments or genetic factors could lead to certain humans just integrating into multiple people instead of one. This would explain systems who report being plural since birth.

For created systems, one hypothesis could be that it might involve a form of hypnosis. Some doctors have long believed hypnosis might involve dissociated parts, and Dr Samuel Veisseire and Michael Lifshitz, who have studied tulpamancy closely, believe the practices tulpamancers use to create tulpas might be inherently hypnotic.

Stanford University is doing a neurological study into tulpamancers, and I'm excited to see the results of that, but we aren't sure when that study is going to be complete. And that's likely just the first of many, and though it will be another piece of the puzzle, it certainly won't answer our most pressing questions for how this works. But I, for one, can't wait to learn more! 😁

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Propaganda:

For Shadowpeach: "ok so, we all know from that one tumblr post that yaoi is two blokes doing fuckall and yuri is when there’s themes and shit? well these two (shadowpeach) have So Much Themes. they were super close friends for years and years (both immortal) before their epic breakup scene (wukong was trapped under a mountain and macaque refused to free him) (he wasn’t entirely in the wrong but that’s another story) (also wukong killed macaque there was that, that did happen) (its complicated)

from the Moment we see these two, all we know about them is that they’re the most divorced ever. as time goes on, we see the complexities in their relationship, and they introduce a lot of the overarching themes and motifs of the show (hero and warrior pairs, peaches being a symbol of their relationship, etc). also they’re both girls to me

tmnt theme song voice toxic codependent yuri!"

"theyre So So gay divorced and have an incredibly complicated and toxic relationship. also according to that one tumblr post yaoi is when theres two blokes doing fuckall and yuri is when theres themes and shit, and these two have So So So many themes and shit. theyve got motifs out the wazoo. peaches are a motif of their relationship and in the very end of the s4 finale wukong hands macaque a half-melted peach flavored (and shaped) popsicle. this is yuri to me"

"They used to be semi-immortal bff's, but then they fell apart and literally one of them died(bc of the other), then he revived, then got semi-consumed by revenge™ and tried to kill each other for a while, but they are cool now and they gave the sweetest little smiles when they finally talked- *fangirls* ok ok, look at it this way: it's a royalty au but it's canon."

"Well, they are toxic doomed yuri vibes, in my.most opinion. But also their designs are pretty gender I think.. mostly wukongs imo. And ik eyelashes aren't inherently feminine but theyre both some of the few(if not only) male characters in the show with visible eyelashes. Also if it counts, out of the relationships that I've seen compared to theirs, most are canonical sapphic relationships from other cartoons (catradora and bubbline notably)"

For Arthur and Linus: "THEY ARE SOO YURI!! OLD MAN YURI!!! LIKE!!! JUST LOOK AT THEM!!! THEYRE SO ADORABLE"

"A warm, loving caretaker of magical children who are orphans falls in love with the fat neurotic caseworker and changes his life for the better."

For Thoschei: "i. why great

They are each other's narrative foils. They are archenemies. They were childhood friends. They might not have been married, but they are divorced. They call themselves best enemies. They are the "i can fix them"/"i can make them worse" duo. They've proposed to each other (to rule/travel across the universe together), but each declined the offer from the other. They've kissed. They've killed each other. They've killed for each other (the first to do so was the Doctor who is the protagonist and the hero, but this fact was revealed in an audio drama, not in the TV show). The universe's too small for both of them. "The cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about" is a real quote from one of the episodes from the 1980s. They are war criminals. The Master commits atrocities to attract the Doctor's attention and admits it. They are not able to get rid of each other for good, nor they really want to. One of the showrunners literally spent the BBC's money to make his E2L I Can't Decide fanvid for them and make it a part of an episode.

ii. why guy:

They'd been in male bodies for more than 40 years…

iii. why yuri

…until one of them regenerated into a woman. After some time, the other did so too. Sadly, they haven't interacted in their female bodies on screen, but the fandom makes do with fan content.

in conclusion: this is The guy yuri if i've ever seen one"

[calder]

your enoch / mark post lives in my head all day every day bc i’m mildly obsessed w the book of enoch and i’m really interested in how you’re relating apocalyptic text to fallout - i don’t know much abt the games except for nv but i’n interested what lead you to connect texts like enoch to fallout n is dee’s system part of this framework/interpretation?

(i don't know what dee's system is offhand)

ive struggled with how to answer this. i think it is largely that i found the text so movingly beautiful even as it was wrong with every assertion. it is the manic scrawlings of a schizophrenic person, pseudopigraphally attributed to an antediluvian, and purported to be the The First Book. the text is relentlessly vivid and evocative.

he'll spend pages rambling about how the sun orbits the earth and the moon is a woman, then left-turn into vague call for violence or attempts to describe the undescribable. i think this is my favorite part

1. Wisdom found no place where she might dwell; Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens. 2 Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of men, And found no dwelling-place: Wisdom returned to her place, And took her seat among the angels. 3 And unrighteousness went forth from her chambers: Whom she sought not she found, And dwelt with them,  As rain in a desert And dew on a thirsty land.

while i cannot even comprehend Enoch's position, much less agree with it, i am rocked by the scope and beauty of the author's internal life conveyed by the text.

i was already using the phrase "fallout apocrypha" to describe my area of interest. the beauty inherent to people disagreeing about how fallout works & making shit up

i'd like to share my favorite piece of fallout fan art with you. the original post seems to have been blanked by tumblr for some reason. this is quick redraw of an old indigenous Benny concept I drew by Frank Odlaws. his later comment regarding the work is included as a readmore.

-

odlaws: " this was all left in the notes as reply to someone asking why he is speaking spanish if he is native but the context for this comic is that Benny is schizophrenic native american from a mexican tribe “my hc for benny is tailored to my own heritage for self indulgent reasons lol, so in this he is based on my people, which is an indigenous tribe in mexico, i hc that he isnt connected to the actual native language of his people, only the spanish they were forced to assimilate to in mexico just like english in america, and just like many native american mexican people lose touch with their tongue after generations of forced assimilation i sort of figured people would just know but thats kind of foolish of me lol, my people are the purepecha people, who have a long history of exploitation and forced assimilation as well as a running trend of people trying to break from the communities to find better lives because of how actively our communities are suppressed and exploited through actively violent means, history of revolution and communities trying to take law into their own hands even to this day which i think is pretty fitting for bennys arc in the comic and narrative of the game, seeing his story go from abandoning his “tribe” (what nv refers to as tribes lol) in search of dignity and security, and the whole quest to take things into his own hands to take the land, acting as if its rightfully his, feels alot more powerful when seeing it through the lens of a native man whos lost access to the pride of his people and history only seeing the desperate remnants of his once thriving community, where that idea of power and dignity seems so distant and foreign it almost feels like fantasy, the catholic imagery that follows his design also is very in line with my people, who created an entirely unique sort of image of Catholicism after it being so forced upon us they created an image of their own native religion thru the catholic lens as a means to continue our reality without fear of punishment”

[callmearcturus]

what do you mean by TC is a black box? what does that mean?

/pops gum loudly.

Sure, I've been avoiding this landmine a while lemme shove my foot onto it.

TC doesn't do serious interviews. He barely does press. everything out of him is a soundbite, and that's obviously a very deliberate choice on his part that probably has a few motives behind it. He consciously, actively avoids sharing anything beyond his enthusiasm for cinema and his work.

As someone who clearly has found a Problematic Fave in McQuarrie-era Cruise, I have thought about all that a lot.

One. I think that TC had to work consistently and deliberately to rehab his image after everything, and I think he's damn careful not to endanger the tentative equilibrium he's managed to build over literally about twenty fucking years.

Two. I'm old enough to remember Tom Cruise Crazy era, and one of the things that's... interesting to me with the maturity and hindsight of sitting here in 2023 is that, yes, a lot of TC's actions and associations were concerning back in that period, back when he was in the news. But the world didn't react with concern. The world, broadly speaking, called him a fag and a freak in a way that I hope we wouldn't today. I hope that "hey this huge star is part of a cult and is acting erratically" would cause even superficial concern today and not... what it did back then. Because I def remember songs and memes about that shit, and my family made jokes about him being a lunatic. Classmates talked about him being a closet case. It's what everyone did. I didn't realize that was fucked up for a long time.

I do genuinely wonder what TC's relationship with his audience and with the media would be if there was literally an ounce of compassion in the coverage about him. But we'll never know.

Three. TC has been literally world famous since 1983. Forty years. I....... literally cannot fathom that. What that does to someone. The very idea of it hits me with existential terror.

Four. I don't know anything about his life today. I don't really want to know because I've always been of the opinion that... I don't want to know shit about celebrities major or minor. I don't need to know, and I think it's weird that we accept that people must forfeit their privacy for even minuscule fame.

(The disgusting hounding and harassment of Jonny Sims, writer of The Magnus Archives, comes to mind. This is why I don't follow anyone like Neil Gaiman on Tumblr either, it feels invasive to me personally.)

Like, I know this cuts both ways. I am relieved when a famous person is a cool person. But also I would rather know nothing about them, because that inherent demand that they present their self for scrutiny and entertainment seems like bullshit to me. I don't think any of us are entitled to that. I think the fact so many entertainment industries demand that is repulsive and I wish that was a bell that could be unrung.

Point is: I don't know shit about TC's personal life. My genuine hope is that in this part of his life, as he's surrounded himself with people who seem passionate and supportive, i hope he's found his way out of the turmoil of the CoS (or is in the process of doing so). But while that is my hope, I don't think the details are any of my fucking business. And frankly, I think its obvious that he agrees.

Hence, he is a black box. Which I respect, as I'm a big fan of boundaries.

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for 612 2024

This is long overdue, but it's been a bit of a rough week. Most of my activity on Tumblr this week has been from doctor's offices. Nothing really new or important to report there, just lots of doctor stuff.

While long overdue, I've mostly somehow been able to avoid spoilers. The only thing I've been spoiled on is what I kind of new was coming. Oh! And the plush! I know about the plush. Somehow in all the chaos though, my brain kinda didn't connect celebrating 612 with the idea there would be an upd8. Tells you how scatterbrained I've been.

So let's start with that news post.

Oh! James is going to be doing a stream? Cool! I hadn't heard of this. I wonder who with. I'll have to look that up next. James also goes into detail about revenue from the plush. From what I understand, this kind of deal is pretty common for when you supply a design/book/print but someone else does all the production work. Some never go beyond 10% unless you're doing a lot of business.

Looks like we've got apparel coming too! I bought a ton of shirts for 612 from one of the old retailers back in 2015. They are very beat up now. It would be nice to get some new ones.

It doesn't sound like the comic is self sustaining for this size team. I'm pretty sure James wouldn't carry through with his threat to actually put adds in Homestuck, but people deserve to be paid for the work they do.

Finally, this will be the first of two upd8s. Let's see what they have for us!

I think this is the first time we've seen the wings actually poof like that. Before, it was just outfit switches from God Robes to teen duds. We get a little reminder here of the increased age gap, as John has to stretch out the dad bod a bit.

Apparently, Immortals do still have to worry about aging and body degradation. Pretty lousy immortality . . .

Vriska ain't got time for that.

And I'm pretty sure Sollux doesn't have time for it either.

Nope! XD

Things still a bit awkward between John and Roxy. Can't expect things to be stable there yet. They may have had their heart to heart, but the war isn't giving them any time to reconnect. John is also trying to bury what he's feeling by just involving himself in another adventure. Hopefully Roxy will keep him from just getting caught up too much in Vriska's orbit. But I'm pretty sure Vriska won't be satisfied until all of the Candy Timeline revolves around her.

Suitably awesome with a frame break and everything.

So there's no chance this doesn't cross some kind of Universal barrier. The question is, what? The hour glass shape has a lot of people speculating that it's a time machine of some kind. But anything that allows you to cross from one Universe to another would inherently have built in time travel, since from your frame of reference one point in time is much the same as any. The question is, can this escape Calliope's black hole? I can't help but feel like that looks like a singularity there too.

Let me try and compile what I know about this thing.

It's called The Plot Point. Since Homestuck has always been about narrative manipulation, a device that directly impacts the narrative isn't just possible but already has precedence. In a story a Plot Point is something that greatly impacts the narrative. In a normal three act structure, plot points can be used to start or end acts, or in the middle of acts to mix things up or increase tension. They can even be used to change how the intended audience sees the story and its characters. There's basically no limit to what this thing might be intended to do and possibly no limit to what it can do.

This is supposedly the reason why everything got so extreme in the Candy Timeline, the reason why John and Vriska both feel this version of the Universe is fake, why a near full cast has congregated here, why Jane went from being a typical rich neo liberal to being an outright fascist, why Dave ended up fully ascending under such hilariously crazy circumstances. Whatever this thing can do, it's supposedly already doing something just sitting there.

3. While obviously this isn't the same device, it shares some traits with the device from Hiveswap. But they're obviously not the same. The previous device looks a little more ramshackle, more steam punk, where as this one looks more streamlined. In Hiveswap's device, the colors on the serpents are clear references to Calliope and Caliborn, who have dominion over the four Universes in Homestuck.

The colors on these serpents are different. They don't even share a color between their spirals. What they remind me of more are God Robes. Specifically, Roxy and Jade's robes. I think these represent . . .

Oh hell! I think a fan theory might have just been proven right!

Follow me here . . .

I think both of these serpent represent Calliope. The Black and White serpent represents Dead Tier Calliope. As Muse of Space, they have black and white for their God Robes. Additionally, they have been influencing the Meat Timeline through Jade's body. While Dirk may be trying to take full control of that narrative, it's technically Calliope's jurisdiction as now both Muse and Lord of the Alpha Timeline.

But why does the other serpent have Roxy's colors? Because our Calliope, our dear, sweet, fanfic writing Calliope, has been creating the stories of the Candy Timeline from Void. Somehow, through their deep connection with Roxy, Calliope has been manifesting their own narrative in the Candy Timeline. It may not even be this Calliope! It might actually be the Calliope in the Meat Timeline who stayed together with Roxy and grew closer to them. That Calliope is the one that was described as writing and drawing stories on their walls!

So what does this thing do? I think it can create any narrative Plot Point you want it to. I think it can steal the Void attribute of any idea, any character, any McGuffin you need it to! Need Gamzee back in the narrative? Bam! Gamzee's back! Want to bring Jane's dad back? Bam! Done! Need another life ring for dead trolls, or just a story that will eventually result in all the Homestuck trolls coming back to life in full? You got it! Want to write a peaceful resolution and dénouement to the war? Easy peasy!

Who the fuck's idea was it to put Vriska in the same room as that thing!

[generic-sonic-fan]

Why do I headcanon Omega as strongly identifying as male?

(NOTE: this post is by no means any sort of response to anyone, nor is it intended as any kind of argument. This is purely me musing over my own headcanon, and I hold absolutely no shade for anyone who headcanons any different! In fact, I love seeing interpretations of Omega that are nonbinary or with any other sort of gender fuckery. They brings me a ton of joy, even if they aren't my main headcanon.)

Doesn't that seem. . . stereotypical? After all, most big, violent robots are automatically gendered as male in media. Instead of using gender-neutral pronouns, killing machines are so often defaulted to 'he' and 'him'. For example, most recently in one of my old fandom, a character who had previously only been referred to with it/its pronouns got referred to with he/him pronouns in canon, thereby erasing its gender neutral identity. I was pissed beyond belief.

Why, then, would I take this gender neutral identity away from Omega?

Well, the problem is that it's become common now to assert that a robot is gender neutral, yet use he/him pronouns anyway. The Iron Giant displays no gender identity other than the fact that he emulates a human boy that he befriends. Transformers have long since been established to not have human sexes, yet most Transformers characters use male pronouns anyway. Bastion from Overwatch, the aforementioned character who was robbed of its gender neutral identity, often exhibits very feminine traits and even possesses a more neutral anatomy than any of the examples I have mentioned thus far.

All of these robots fall victim to the fact that "male" is considered to be "default". To be "female" is somehow something you must add to yourself, something othering. Masculinity is equated with normality, and in more recent times, with gender neutrality.

Omega is the same. No matter what canon writers state about his gender identity, he will always be referred to as he/him in any source material. He is referred to as male, and maybe as gender neutral, but never as female, because male or masculine-presenting androgyny is default, and you don't see any lipstick or eyelashes on him, do you, huh (/s)?

The thing is. . . looking at Omega's behavior, he's NOT that feminine. He exudes this machismo and bravado about him that, while not exclusive to, is heavily indicative of a more masculine gender. His penchant for violence and his passion for all the manners in which it can be created reads like a boy eager to get his hands on the next COD game.

This isn't default! This isn't normal! This feels like a gender to me. While these traits aren't exclusive to men, they are extremely masculine. I just think he'd identify with that once he learned more about it, y'know? I'm by no means saying that nonbinary people can't use masculine pronouns, or even that Omega isn't still nonbinary under my headcanon- he absolutely is because being a robot is an inherently transgender experience. But I'm trying to subvert the idea that his maleness is "default", and instead proposing that it's an intentional decision on his part. Kind of an exercise in autonomy, if you will.

All of this, of course, is based on my interpretation that there is more going on inside Omega's processor besides single-minded murder, which is not a common interpretation amongst canon or even most of the fanbase outside of my tiny corner of tumblr. My interpretation of his character is that his core drive is his ego- establishing himself as the coolest and most competent robot ever with an identity totally superior to anything Eggman ever planned for him, for example. (With the murder part being the main facilitator of that, of course.) Without this interpretation, the idea of Omega giving a flying fuck about gender kinda falls apart.

TL;DR: I propose Omega identifies as male to combat the perceived notion that a robot with no assigned gender at birth uses masculine pronouns as "default", arguing against the idea that masculinity is somehow default and femininity is weird and different, by making Omega's masculinity as something weird and different and worthy of note as well.

[daevstroders]

ok so i cant find the post that triggered this but it was something about complaining about the wave of cannibalism/dog/tangerine imagery in modern poetry on tumblr and how 'not everyone can relate to that'

while that may be true, and this theme of imagery is popular now to the point of oversaturation (which i actually just kind of think is poetry in and of itself (metaphors about consuming turning into overconsumption? i love it)) i also think its unfair and shows a lack of understanding to society and to the meaning of the metaphors themselves.

(an analysis of sorts under cut)

in a generation of consumption, where we are no longer regarding media casually but consuming it constantly (tiktok, shows no longer having spaced out emissions, never having to wait for a dopamine fix really etc) is it not incredibly in keeping with the times that we would then turn to a metaphor of complete consumption as love? we love our media, we spend our days consuming it, therefore that being translated into cannibalism for the ones you love, consuming them with the same gusto, isn't as far a reach as it is made out to be. also the idea of all of us, the bad parts, the parts we keep hidden, being devoured as lovingly as the parts we share, speaks to a generation of anxious children who have been trained to perfect a persona that is palatable to a wide audience (see, generation of social media)

following that, the fruit metaphor, which i will admit, can be annoying - the constant tangerines, i get it, its overdone (but again see beginning of the post, poetry in and of itself) but the act of peeling away your layers, your facade that is so intrinsic to todays society of social media where your face on the screen is generally not the same face you wear on a sunday morning, to show your mushy insides, dividing them up and sharing them with the ones you love is inherently relatable. a culture of separated parts of self, the idea that there is a person you are online, at work, with certain friends and a different person with others etc, personas that have been watered down, the idea of giving them over to be consumed with the seeds still in, juice on the edge of too sweet, is cathartic. we dont feel we have the luxury to be our authentic selves for the most part, so the tangerine metaphor is an easy way to both express these ideas, and understand them.

and finally, the dog motif, which i think is the most nuanced of these metaphors - the idea that we are either a man or a dog, that we are the hand that feeds or the hand that takes, gives us a place to explore our humanity and what it means to be human- is all that a man is good for is to give? is all that a dog is good for is to take? (i could go on but this is getting to be too long now) calls back to a lot of older imagery, not to far a step from imagery of waves, the pull of the tide - who is the moon, who is the ocean? is it a steady rise and fall, or is it a raging storm? vs is it a symbiotic relationship, or do we bite the hand that feeds? is the hand that feeds also the hand that hurts? i believe there is so many different ideas to explore within this metaphor, and it is again an easy to digest way of presenting ideas, just like the waves once were.

also i just think the whole criticism really calls back to an age of keeping poetry inaccessible and exclusive. like, these young kids who probably dont have any experience of poetry outside of what is taught in school, are exploring in their own way, finding something easily accessible and easily understood, and are using it as a stepping stone to engage with poetry. this is great!! they may start off with richard silken, nina lacour, maggie nelson, but may go on to engaging with maya angelou, naomi shihab nye, paul tran, and even have a better appreciation for the old canon (eliot, cummings, keats, etc). we had this with rupi kaur guys!!! we need to encourage them to explore, not shun them for it!!

anyway tldr, cannibalism/fruit/dogs are incredibly relatable topics and poetry is for everyone. <3

[classicslesbianopinions]

I think for me it's like - sure, I'd be sad if Lloyd won, because I love Antigone, I wanna talk about her, and I want others to know (or learn!) about her and love her like I do! But there's no real gain to winning a silly Tumblr poll other than a but of happiness. So the fact that the second Antigone pulled ahead everyone immediately went "oh, those shitty Greek mythology fans, they WOULD pull a cheat like this to get ahead, especially after how they've been treating Ninjago fans this week".

Because, like, I'm not gonna say there haven't been some jerk Antigone voters in the notes. But first of all - nearly all the 'mean' Antigone voters in the notes are saying things like "How are we losing to a Lego ninja show??" which, while not kind, isn't exactly worth the demonization to immediately assume we're obsessive shitheads who would get bots together OR SPEND MONEY (what classics tumblr user has money to spend on dumb stuff like this, are they real, how can I live like them, let me know blease) to freak out over a. a Tumblr poll. (I'm not talking abt the people who are saying watching a kid's show makes you immature or uncultured, that's silly and wrong.)

Second of all, for as many mean Antigone voters, there are JUST AS MANY Ninjago fans in the notes going "Wow, vote Lloyd to fuck over Greek mythology fans" (augh Antigone isn't even Greek mythology, stop conflating everything that's old and Greek with mythology. Actually, stop conflating everything that's Greek at all with ancient Greece and mythology, but that's a tangent-), "These pretentious shitheads deserve to lose", "Greek tragedy enjoyers are classist and no one even knows who Antigone is these days, vote Lloyd because they deserve to lose", that kind of thing. Like, nothing TERRIBLE, but it's wild to me the leaps in logic right over their hypocrisy. It's shitty to shit on someone's interests because it's media intended for a younger audience, and it's shitty to shit on someone's interests because its media written a long time ago. But now that thoodleoo and Friday Afternoon are swinging in all these Antigone voters (because surprise, just because a story is over two thousand years old and some of us had to read it in school doesn't mean no one likes it! People have always been people, regardless of their time period, and people have always written stories worth reading that people will care about! It scares me seeing so many of my generation reject classic works out of hand! There's a kneejerk reaction to call something old pretentious, dull, irrelevant, and/or problematic, without actually engaging and understanding why it has been so long-lasting, and it's also scary seeing my generation refuse to understand that they are not inherently better just because they are newer, humans have always been writing beautiful and meaningful works!!! Sorry this was also a tangent!!!!!!) suddenly it's "Wow, with the way Antigone voters have been treating Ninjago fans, it's no wonder they're awful enough to rig a vote."

It's just this - hypocrisy, I think, for me. A lot of these people have come to the conclusion that because they are fans of children's media they are being persecuted, but on Tumblr, that's really not true. Most of active Tumblr watches children's media and cartoons, and that's great! There's a lot of good shows out there for kids that have great stories and messages! But they refuse to see they're doing the exact same thing they're accusing us of doing - rejecting a work and a work's fans because of how they generalize the culture. IE, classics culture has to be petty, pretentious, and shitty. That's what's making me upset. I know we have a bad rep for a reason (behold, the scores of shitty cishet rich white men and what they do with classic asethetics and work, good lord) but the same can be said of shitty kid's cartoon fans (I will not go into that kind of person but you know what I mean). There's always going to be bad people who like good things! But equating all people who like what has been a revolutionary and culturally germane tragedy for two thousand years because it is personally relevant and important to them with snobbish jerks who hate you just because you like cartoons, and then deciding there can't possibly be enough of us to win so we have to be cheating... Ugh. Sorry for the rant in your inbox.

yeahhh i just feel like people are making a lot of assumptions which like. yeah that's what people do. but it's frustrating, and also honestly if you reject ancient literature out of hand you might miss out on stuff you'd like! which i mean is also true of just about any media, like i'm not really into kids' shows but also if i mocked and refused to watch any kids' show i would be worse off for it.

there definitely are some antigone voters being genuinely nasty (and particularly in the replies to the poll there are a couple people who really feel the need to belittle people) but i also feel like i've seen pretty nasty stuff from both sides and it's just like... well it would be nice if it weren't like that! And Also most of what i've seen has been pretty lighthearted/all in good fun. so i don't really get the point of acting like either side is 1. a monolith and 2. universally acting in bad faith

i do think it would be silly for antigone to lose in round three of a poll about who's the most tragic character but it's not that big a deal 😭 and also yeah like. who's paying for this. i'm a phd student and i have to pay rent i am not out here buying tumblr votes

[your-god-empress-lavender]

Henrow blorbo

first off, ohmyfuckinggodyouaresocoolllllllllllllllll

secondly, what ya workin' on currently? <- is deathly interested, yes please please please info dump if you have the spoons

- Ryan

Bonjour my furry friend. At the moment i'm mostly working on getting a job so that i can afford rent, but when i'm not doing that, i'm working on designing some new N-substituted 5MeO-tryptamines (in order to avoid being banned for breaking tumblr TOS, i can't say exactly what for, but if you look up 5MeO-tryptamines, you should see). So far i've only managed to make things that make me super sleepy (and maybe a tiny bit inebriated), so presumably my body is mainly metabolizing them into melatonin. I also have been working on working through the details of making a rocket engine which relies on both muon catalyzed fusion and z-pinch fusion (mostly because even though i know it's way above what i'm probably capable of, i just love space so much i desperately need to see it for myself and i figure that since rockets are so absurdly expensive, the only way i'll end up in space is if we can get a whole new generation of ultra-efficient rockets (for example, given p-N14 fusion, if we manage to get 1% or more (i don't really expect more than 0.1% max, but still) of the hydrogen fusing with nitrogen, we'd be able to put 150 tons on the moon from earth with only using about enough fuel to fill a small car (instead of needing a skyscraper sized rocket to send maybe 30 tons)). Now, if it were as easy as my calculations show it to be, i can't imagine how there are any rockets flown that aren't fusion, but seeing as i haven't even made a working proof of concept yet, i'm not in a position to criticize the thousands of aerospace engineers who are working on conventional chemical rockets. I love fusion because it's simultaneously so easy (i live pretty close to an old uranium mine where i can actually pan some uranium out of the creek near me, then use that uranium to make a neutron source (B10(α,n)) which is really just fusion between helium and boron, happening at room temperature because of how high energy the α particles released by uranium are) and so absurdly difficult (without catalysts like muons, it requires absurdly high temperatures and pressures that almost always take more energy put in than they can give out). Anyway, i've also been sorta working on studying a material that a while back i got way too excited over and may have called a room temperature superconductor (almost certainly not the case), but in an attempt to make it more pure and study it for real i've been trying to work on the exact calculations of its composition and finding a better way to heat it up to high temperatures (i might just put it in a flat-bottomed flask, especially since it finally warmed up enough for me to go back outside where the fumes released by its production won't make folks mad).

And then there's the biological experiments, currently with electroceutical tissue modifications since most of the other projects i have planned require me to have a gene printer capable of reliably printing genes thousands of base pairs long and i'm not sure when i'll be able to build that. The most recent thing i've been working on is really exciting because if it works it means that i've successfully done something that has never been done before to a human body (and given the long lasting pain in that part of my thigh, it seems very possible it is working), but i'm hesitant about sharing what the project is because i don't really want folks putting gap junction blockers, calcium channel blockers, and sodium channel blockers into open wounds without knowing how to do it safely and correctly to get the desired results and not just a really messed up wound. If/when this experiment turns out well, i might give directions in private, but i'm still somewhat hesitant due to the risks inherent in this (the biggest and most likely is literally giving yourself a form of cancer, something i'm not eager for others to risk). Soon i might try chemical dedifferentiation of skin cells (thinking on my back or upper arms) followed by some mildly dangerous experiments to test how reliably i can make it turn into other cell types. And while i haven't made good work on it in a while, i've also been trying to make something similar to shimmer from arcane (ideally not addictive or harmful to the user, but most importantly the quick energy burst, decreased pain, and increased regenerative abilities (obviously it won't be anywhere near as dramatic as in the show, so calling it shimmer may not really make sense, but it is where i got the inspiration)).

Then i suppose there's the battery project i was talking about in my last post, and i'm also trying to learn how to make alcohol under my desk (i mean, it's super easy, it just doesn't taste great). There might be a few more things i'm working on but rn i'm super eepy and have talked about a lot already. If this seems like i'm doing a lot or impressive, also note that i'm actively failing out of college (for my own pride: the material is super easy and mostly i already know it, i just can't stand wasting so much of my time doing homework that doesn't help anyone or anything) and not yet working a job, so i have a lot of time and so much free brainspace to think about and do all this. I also work very slowly on each thing because i keep bouncing back and forth between all of them and almost always end up adding new projects before i've finished the old ones and so i almost never see a project all the way through to completion (at least some of the bio projects are just sitting in my body and i am just waiting to see how they turn out in the next 2-3 months, so those necessarily will see completion, even if it's failure). I really hope i see the fusion rocket to completion because if i don't think i'll ever be able to see the earth from afar or the moon from up close.

[asura22zoro]

on the but they broke up argument

I made it obvious multiple times how i feel korrasami in the end was just a last minute retcon ( as in they admitted that when the finale was being made to throw in korrasami because they didnt include lgbt rep before and I partly think it was due to the fact lok was running out of publciity stuntand k/a provided that

I am sorry to say but korrasami being the one queer ship thats canon in lok is irrelevant bad writing is bad writing good writing is more important then the genders involved even if it means that as a result there wouldnt be a same sex ship in lok ( its not like they couldnt include same sex ships lgbt stuff in the future of the series. The notion that if you care about/support the lgbt community you should automatically support korrasami just on the basis of korrasami being a same sex ship is idiotic. being against korrasami doesnt equal being against gay people anti korrasami isnt homophobic. shipping isnt activism

we see tons of ship wars between het ships so why shouldnt there be ships wars between a het ship and same sex ship how is opposing the same sex ship automatically homophobic ( they seem to use it as a shield from criticism

why

would everyone automatically support the same sex ship when that doesnt happen when a het ship becomes canon

so they made it happen at the cost of breaking the narrative and making korra ooc.

certain korra and asami are not compatible personality wise for a romantic relationship given their different needs and handling of conflict

and the narrative pointed to makorra eventually getting backtogether

korrasami shippers will try to claim they broke up due to incompatibility or insult mako to raise up their ship when the truth is they broke up due to mutual flaws neither of them were ready for a relationship with anyone.

they both showed that they will always love each other and the way the b2finale happened pointed to them getting back together.

the issue wasnt that they argued ( arguing isnt inherently unhealthy arguing can be healthy have you heard the term arguing like an old married couple ( I even reblogged post by fantastic-nonsense that went into that

by b4 mako and korra overcame those flaws

I always roll my eyes at the but they broke up as if we haven't seen tons of shows where a couple at first breaks up but gets back together later after some development

or times where while two characters love each other its after some development for if they were in relationship at the start it would have been unhealthy

"

seriously hasnt this person heard of the like old married couple trope “Two characters who seem very comfortable with each other to the point that it seems like they have been married for a long time, though obviously it doesn't apply to couples who actually have been together for a long time. Usually it is done through constant arguments with each other, as only people who are so closely bonded can have such open communication between them”

arguing in a relationship doesnt equal unhealthy

the b2 finale was shot in away that makorra shippers believed they would eventually getting backtogether (after they matured and solved their mutual flaws ( korra wouldnt have worked with anyone in b2 )

it had romantic tension

kirbyspits . tumblr . com/post/639871356603908096/

We have hand holding…

Trouble parting ways…

Forehead touches…

Kissing…

Declarations of eternal love…

there are alot of shows where a couple which broke up got back together later on

"

fantastic-nonsense . tumblr . com/post/111785796250/on-book-2makorra-korras-mentality-about

fantastic-nonsense . tumblr . com/post/111620875135/could-you-take-each-of-makorra-book-2-arguments

2. fantastic-nonsense . tumblr . com/post/108192845975/what-made-makorra-fail-in-book-2-and-what-might

asura22zoro . tumblr . com/658908110062223360/fantastic-nonsense-that-video-is-quite-literally?source=share

[nehswritesstuffs]

Baratie: Home to Chefs, Strays, and the Occasional Sword Goblin - Part 7

Still not dead--just running into a couple plot blockers while busy turning another maladjusted Northern lad into an accidental dad. When all is said and done, this is going to be a bridging chapter (so not filler, but also not too plotty), but I figure a reward for your patience is warranted.

First chapter on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

Prior chapter on [tumblr] - [FFN] - [AO3]

A letter arrives, a snail call is made, and comfort is offered. [3269 words]

Sitting on the balcony outside his bedroom, Sanji read quietly in the warm sun with Asido cuddled into his side. It was a day off for him, so he was spending quality time with his nephew, the boy presently tuckered out after pushing himself hard during training. For not having a directly-altered Lineage Factor, he certainly was unnaturally athletic and capable of learning quickly. Even his little body had limits though and he was now snuggled into his uncle’s side as he slept. Sanji idly scratched at the boy’s scalp, which pulled out a content squeak. He braced the book against his leg as he turned the page one-handed, not wanting to disturb the kid’s nap. Actually, this was nice�� admittedly.

Eventually, Sanji’s ears caught the News Coo coming on the wind. When it was in sight and clearly headed towards him, he put the book face-down and waited for the bird to glide his way. It gave him a letter and waited shiftily, not leaving until it got a bit of the crisps Sanji had been munching on. He looked at the handwriting on the front and knew this was something he couldn’t let slide—Reiju had replied to him, after weeks of nothing, despite the inherent risks involved. Opening it carefully, Sanji checked to make sure that Asido was still sleeping before going over his sister’s flowing script.

‘Sanji,

‘Thank you for letting me know you received the azuki in a timely manner. I was not entirely certain who to gift them to, but I’m glad to know I chose well. Beans like the azuki are said to be auspicious and extremely versatile. I hope they only bring good things to the Baratie.

‘I do not know when it is that I can visit, though it is something I would like to do sooner rather than later. Father is planning future campaigns now with Notice as a physical base, monetarily, militarily, and socially. That much is public knowledge and assumption, making me free to write it. What they do not know—details I’m sure you recall so I do not compromise them—is that I am already going through much of the same treatments Mother did; Father is trying to build his Perfect Germa, and now there’s nothing I can even take to ward him off. All my future children will be perfect in his eyes. He has even taken me off active duty for the duration of the treatments and the lack of things to do is… unnerving. I was placed in Mom’s room; you know the one.

‘Please do not tell Zeff of our correspondences—I know how much he distrusts me. That much is something I would not blame him for, as I’m not exactly the center of charming stories. I think every day of what I have done to you, both in the past and now, and I shall likely never stop. If I could hold you in my arms and never let go again, I would. I wish you could have been at the wedding, that I might be at yours one day, and that they would have both been performed out of love. For now, I guess I shall have to learn to live with being pen pals, in a way.

‘Until the next letter,

‘Reiju’

Sanji carefully stuffed the letter back in its envelope before placing it in his book as a bookmark. His blood boiled at the thought of Judge torturing his sister—let alone anyone else—with his Lineage Factor experiments, but to keep her hostage in their mother’s old room while doing so? The threat was unspoken but clear.

One wrong move and she would meet the same fate as Sora did all those years ago.

After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sanji gently shook Asido awake. “Azuki bean, time to get up.”

“I don’t wanna…” the boy murmured.

“You won’t be able to sleep tonight if you keep going,” he said. Asido rolled out of the chair and flopped onto the balcony floor, making his uncle roll his eyes. “Come on—we can visit with the geezer in the meantime.”

That got Asido perked up and the boy jumped to his feet, seemingly awake in an instant. Sanji shook his head and sighed before following his nephew through his room and over towards Zeff’s.

“Grandpa Zeff! Grandpa Zeff! Uncle Sanji taught me a lot of stuff today!” The boy nearly skipped into the old man’s bedroom, coming to a stop at the foot of his bed. He tilted his head, staring at him. “Why are you back in bed? It’s early.”

“I just feel like it, azuki,” Zeff bristled. He let out a wheezing cough and Sanji paused.

“I don’t like the sound of that,” he frowned. Now that he got a look at him, Zeff was pale, the bags under his eyes more prominent, and the book seemed too heavy for his hands.

“It’s just how I’ve been coughing the past few months.”

“No… that’s how you were coughing when I first dragged Chopper over here,” the younger man said. He checked Zeff’s temperature with a hand to his forehead and hissed—he was hot to the touch. “Shit. I’m getting the fever reducer.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re sweating through the sheets you fucking stubborn old coot.” Sanji pulled a bottle from a nearby table and poured two pills from it into his hand before shoving them into Zeff’s along with his water glass. “Take this.”

“Fussing over nothing,” Zeff grumbled. He took the medication, however.

“I’m fussing because I’m not ready to lose my dad just yet,” Sanji replied icily. Zeff looked away—that was probably the only word that Sanji could use that could get him flustered—and muttered something under his breath. “Hmm? What’s that, shit-geezer?”

“I’ll go when I’m good and ready you prissy little eggplant!” Zeff snapped. Sanji rolled his eyes and glanced over at Asido, who was fidgeting nervously.

“You should have seen him when I first rolled back into here,” he scoffed, trying to seem aloof for the boy. “Don’t worry; part of why we’re here is so that the old man gets better.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah. Now stay here and make sure he doesn’t move while I get some more of the medicine he was on before.” Sanji ruffled Asido’s hair, ignoring Zeff’s grumbling about how he wasn’t going to take the shit anymore. It was all a bunch of hot air, the younger chef knew, and gave his nephew a wink before heading out into the corridor. It was just his luck that Zoro nearly ran into him by the stairs, causing him to jump in surprise. “Ah, fuck, marimo. Perfect timing.”

“What the fuck do you want?” the swordsman grumbled. “It’s my day off.”

“Yeah, and the old man just took a turn,” he said, motioning back towards the door with a flick of his head. “Go watch him as I grab some medicine. Kid’s in there now.”

“Fuck,” Zoro huffed. “I thought we were watching the kid, not traumatizing him with elder care.”

“Just shut the fuck up and make sure they’re both fine,” Sanji snapped. He quickly descended the stairs and went into the geezer’s office where he was storing the rest of the medicine since it generally stayed cooler than the rest of the ship. Bringing it upstairs, he had to dodge a few of the other cooks before he had Zeff’s room in sight. The geezer was still coughing profusely, while Zoro had collected Asido in his arms so that the boy could hide his face in the moss’s shoulder.

“I don’t need that shit,” Zeff wheezed between coughs. Sanji ignored him and began to pour a spoonful of the lime-green liquid into a spoon.

“Don’t be a fucking pussy,” he scowled. Sanji waited until it seemed like Zeff recovered before jamming the spoon in his mouth without warning; it worked and Zeff took the stuff. “There. Was that so bad?”

“Could’ve been better,” Zeff cringed. “Can’t the reindeer make medicine that tastes decent?”

“You know that if there was a way, he’d’ve found it by now.” Sanji deposited the spoon and medicine both on the nightstand and looked over his shoulder—Zoro wasn’t there and neither was Asido. “Alright, now get some fucking sleep and I’ll come check on you for dinner.”

“I’ll just stay here then, wondering if I should murder Patty and Carne when I see them next.”

“Not only you wouldn’t, but you couldn’t.”

“Just wait until I get better and fucking watch me.”

Sanji simply rolled his eyes.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The thing was: Zeff didn’t really improve, let alone get back to where he was before.

He was still coughing a lot, his heavy wheeze reminding Sanji of how he’d get on particularly rough days, making him glad he was attempting to cut back on the cigarettes. A fever would come and go—sometimes high and sometimes barely there—and he was sweating a lot. Between Sanji, Patty, Carne, and Zoro, someone sat with the old man most of the time, only giving him a reprieve if they were all asleep. After nearly a week Sanji had enough of his yoyoing and left the moss-brain in charge of Zeff while he slipped into his room with the Den Den.

It rang. And rang. And rang.

“Hello!” Ah, it was Chopper’s bright and cheerful voice—the last time Sanji had called, Kureha answered. That had been an… experience to say the least. “Who might I ask is calling?”

“Hey, Chopper, it’s Sanji.”

“Oh, hi Sanji! Ah! There’s your eyebrow! The snail must be slow to copy today. Are you calling to give a report on Zeff’s progress?”

“That’s almost why I’m calling,” he replied. “The old man’s having a relapse; started almost a week ago and although it’s stable, it’s not getting any better.”

“Huh… that’s an interesting development. It should be something we can work with, though. What are his current symptoms?” Sanji told him and the snail nodded along. “Has he stopped any of the rest of his treatment?”

“Not that I’m aware of; even put him back on the original shit you left us with.”

“Then that makes this all the more interesting. It might be a delayed immune response by his specific blood type. Instances are rare, but they’ve only been observed in normally-healthy people under thirty-five.”

“Is the medicine still effective?”

“Yeah—there should be no reason for it to have waned in efficacy. I’m just wondering what could have triggered this response.” Sanji could see the snail’s face scrunch as Chopper pondered the situation—he was always such a professional when he got into Doctor Mode. “Have you been giving him additional fever reducer?”

“Yeah, like you showed me before you left,” Sanji replied. “It seems to work for the fever fine, but he still has his cough, and if the shit wears off then it gets real bad before the next dose kicks in, so I’m technically overlapping.”

“It’s good that he’s responding to that at least. At the amount prescribed, he can’t overdose or find his tolerance messing with it, not for a long while yet.” Chopper went quiet for a moment, the only sound being a shuffling of papers. “Do you think you can keep him under control like that for a bit longer?”

“I can do my best.”

“Excellent; I’m going to be coming over in a couple weeks. Robin and Franky are scheduled to pick me up and the five of us will make the trip together. We can make it a pit stop before we see Usopp, Kaya, and the girls.”

Sanji had to think for a moment. Oh yeah, that’s right, he wasn’t the only one in the crew who had found themselves thrust into parenthood over the past few years. “Hey, uh, Chopper? Can I ask you something?”

“Anything!” Sanji could hear the cheer in the reindeer’s voice, which honestly broke his heart.

“Can you make sure you bring along the right equipment to give a young kid a checkup?”

That piqued Chopper’s interest. “Is Usopp dropping the girls off with you early? I know they’re due for one and that you had offered to take them.”

“No…” Sanji bit his lower lip—there was no going back from this. “There’s a young boy I have here, nearly five, and I don’t know the last time a doctor looked him over. You’re the best there is.”

“I see.” The line went eerily quiet as Chopper contemplated the new information; he honestly preferred when the reindeer blushed and swore at such a compliment. “Can I ask how he came to be under your care?”

“You can, when we’re not speaking over a tappable line.”

“Fair. Is he there now?”

“No, he’s with the moss.”

Another pause.

“Zoro’s there…?”

“Live-in babysitter and geriatric’s companion extraordinaire, that one,” Sanji scoffed. He frowned when Chopper didn’t respond. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing—I just have a lot to prepare for,” the reindeer said.  “You know, Luffy’s going to freak out when he learns about this.”

“No one’s seen Luffy in years—he’s going to freak out about a lot of things, to be fair.” They shared a bit of silence, where Sanji could tell his old crewmate was attempting to not panic. “I cut back because the kid’s around, if it’s any consolation.”

“You did?!” The snail’s face brightened again. “That’s great! How often do you go through a pack now?!”

“I dunno… about a week? Five days?”

“That’s already an improvement!” Chopper marveled. “You used to chainsmoke for months straight; being near a pack a week is impressive!”

“Well, let’s say I have some pint-sized motivation.”

“That’s good! That’s good!” There was another voice in the distance—probably Kureha—and the Den Den cringed. “I’ve got to go! I’ll send you some extra medicine by Coo and I’ll see you in a couple weeks!”

The Den Den clunked off and the imitation of Chopper vanished from the snail’s face. He left a snack for the snail and left his bedroom, heading out into the corridor the same time Zoro was exiting Zeff’s room.

“Patty’s turn,” the swordsman grunted. He caught the look on Sanji’s face and raised an eyebrow. “What’d Chopper say?”

“He’s sending more medicine via Coo, but he’s not coming for a while yet,” Sanji replied. “Apparently this shouldn’t even really be happening… not to the old man, anyhow.”

“We’ll get there.” Zoro awkwardly placed a hand on Sanji’s shoulder. “You know we will.”

“Yeah.” Sanji did not brush Zoro’s hand away, although he did walk out of his grasp, heading over to Asido’s room. He found the boy reading at his desk, legs kicking merrily in the air as he jerkily pulled his pointer finger over the varying speech bubbles, sounding the words out quietly. “Hey, what’cha got there?”

“Oh, just Sora,” the boy replied. He held the tankobon up and beamed. “I don’t have to ask for a lot of help with the words! Isn’t that neat?!”

“It is,” Sanji agreed. “Hey, listen: I just got off the phone with another old crewmate of mine. He’s a doctor and is going to come here to check on Grandpa Zeff. Have you met a doctor before?”

“No. What’s a doctor do?”

“A doctor tries to make sick people healthy, or make sure that healthy people don’t get sick. Have you ever been sick?”

“Nope! That’s when you don’t feel good, right? Like Grandpa Zeff? Is that why your doctor-friend is coming over? So that he can make Grandpa Zeff better?”

“He is, and while he’s here, he’s going to make sure that you and Zoro-oji and I are still doing alright, to check and see if we caught anything.”

“Really…?”

“Really-really; his name’s Chopper, and you’re going to love him. He’s a reindeer.” Sanji watched as his nephew’s eyes grew in wonder and a million questions raced through the boy’s mind. Asido’s mouth couldn’t keep up with his brain and the boy began to stutter, only making vague noises instead of words. “He’s not coming for a few more weeks yet, so don’t get too excited.”

Too excited? The boy was practically bouncing off the fucking walls.

It took a while to get Asido calm again, Sanji only really able to do so with promise of updates on when Chopper was scheduled to arrive. With the boy somewhat placated, his uncle slipped back out into the corridor, only to see that Zoro was still standing there with his arms crossed and leaning against the wall.

“Don’t you have anything else better to do?” Sanji sniped. He closed the door behind him, hopefully shielding Asido from whatever fight was about to happen. “Well…?!”

Zoro did not answer, instead remaining where he stood.

“Your room’s that one, if you were wondering,” the blond sniped. Fuck, of all people, it was the marimo he had to put up with. He made a move to head down the stairs again to start on dinner when Zoro pushed himself off the wall and grabbed Sanji’s hand. Before he could react, Zoro had yanked his arm and pulled him close for a hug. Sanji tried to get away, but the idiot’s grip was too tight.

“Calm down,” Zoro grunted sourly. Okay, so at least he wasn’t completely cracked.

“What the fuck is this about?” Sanji hissed through grit teeth.

“Take a breath,” the swordsman said. “You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?!”

“That thing where you’re going to keep fussing and stressing until you drop.” Sanji kept struggling, not wanting to use a kick in such tight quarters. “It was shit when we were with the crew and it’s shit now.”

“You can’t tell me what to do, shitty marimo.”

“No, but I can tell you that the kid’s beginning to pick up on your pissy habits,” Zoro warned. “I’m glad he’s not like your shitty-ass family in the emotional department, but this is going to mean you’ll have to watch it.”

“My nephew, mossball, not yours.”

“…that you want me to help you watch, so put a fucking cork in it.”

Sanji sighed and let himself grow limp, resting his forehead against Zoro’s shoulder and allowing his own arms to fall to his sides while the idiot held him up. There was no fucking use in fighting this, so he closed his eyes and breathed in deep through his nose—at least the marimo had showered recently.

“Alright, alright, I’ll try not to stay so fucking wound up, for the kid’s sake if anything.”

“Good.” Zoro gave one final squeeze before he let Sanji go, the blond pushing away from him with his face flushed pink in embarrassment. “I don’t care how weird you are about it: I will get your head out of your ass if you get it stuck again.”

“I’m not that limber; find a better turn of phrase.”

“If I have to put something else up your ass in order for you to calm down, I will.”

Sanji���s face went from pink to red as he almost ran to the staircase. Stupid fucking marimo saying stupid fucking inappropriate things outside his nephew’s door… worse yet, outside Zeff’s door. He did his best to calm himself down the the time he entered the kitchen, though it still felt as though all eyes were on him.

This was exactly the shit he wanted to avoid with Zoro there, and yet it was happening anyhow.

He was gonna kill Usopp.

[pinkacadessays]

Social Media, E@ing D!sorders, and a Debate I lost in High School: Typed Up Edition

Obvious Warning for Content. I don't necesarily agree with everything herein, its just the nature of debates. Resources for EDs below essay.

Last Warning for those who might be triggered.

An Introduction to Why I'm Doing This

I’ve been haunted by the memory of a high school debate for the guts of a decade since it passed. In class, our teacher paired us up and gave us topics to research, and positions to hold in a binary question- one student for, one student against. To myself and my partner- or rather, my opposition- the question was “does social media cause eating disorders?” and my job was to prove that they didn’t.

Let’s talk a little bit about why I was the wrong person for this as a fifteen-year-old, or whatever the hell age I was doing this, I blocked out most of high school… anyway…

I was a little know-it-all who was sitting on the top-predicted grade in our class, predicted among the top in our year, and that had gotten to my head. I also had an eating disorder and I was in serious denial about it. I’m still working to get better years later…

Oh and also, I knew nothing about social media because I barely used it, and I would delete ALL my accounts over the course of the next two or three years… So, I was NOT educated about either aspect of this topic, are you joking?

But most importantly, I did not do my research, I barely knew how, and I didn’t even get a pity vote in the debate! Hell, I wanted to vote for the other girl- in part because I had a crush on her and no other friends in that class, so there’s that.

So, this is my redemption. I know how to research now, I love doing research, and I’m more willing to confront my own issues head-on… and I’m not going up against my first girl-crush this time, so I might make it work.

An Introduction to the Topic at Hand

Eating disorders are about as much of a part of internet culture as cat videos and vine. It’s not like I’m going to sit here and lie to your faces and act as if pro-ana isn’t a significant community on tumblr, or as if Instagram isn’t a cesspit of anorexia, or any other of the countless problems that could be listed on this topic alone.

But I’m here today to prove to you that the notion of social media causing eating disorders… is bullshit. Social media doesn’t cause eating disorders; it doesn’t cause anything, it’s an inherently neutral force with no biases or agendas.

While I will be addressing the issues, I will also be analysing a history of social media compared to a history of eating disorders, and analysing the benefits of social media too to prove social media’s innocence in the face of this accusation.

Point One: Well, it’s Not Like They Don’t

Not to do my opponant’s job for her, but I’m not going to ignore the evidence just to make a point. There is of course evidence to support the idea that eating disorders are directly linked to social media.

I’m going to confess as well that the only social media platforms I regularly use are among the heaviest hitters…

My point here isn’t to deny that, ot to diminish the horrible affects that are evident here; my point is only to acknowledge that it is not social media itself that is to blame, and that there are benefits to social media too.

Point Two: A Brief History of Social Media

In the grand history of the world, social media is pretty new. We joke about Facebook being for old people and for our grandparents, but its fewer than twenty years old. It’s the oldest on this list, with the newest being TikTok at less than a decade old… are we really going to say the “cause” of eating disorders is something that’s been there for five minutes in the scheme of things?

And yes, I am going to be pedantic about definitions of terms. I have an eating disorder and I deleted Instagram because of it, I need this angle.

Point Three: Eating Disorders Before Social Media

Eating disorders are a whole lot older than Facebook, and even than Facebook’s geriatric userbase, and frankly, the little voice in my head that reminds me to check calories before I get a damn smoothie talks more sense than some of those Facebook mum groups. We need to go a hell of a lot further than twenty years to get the full picture of the true cause of eating disorders, but if we even go back fifty years, we get the true insidious history of these horrible diseases.

In the nineteen seventies, one of the ideal images of a woman, who at the time was the thin, pretty it-girl who would have been as popular on tumblr as Taylor Swift was in 2014. She had the bodytype sought by many in the 2010s. While we’ll touch more on heroin chic later, the highly-romanticised Syd and Nancy have had a social ideal projected retroactively onto their waifish and ill figures- with of course the Sex Pistols being sex icons of the day.

In the 80s, we saw the rise of the exercise video encouraging losing weight from home, including notorious titles such as Jazzercise in 1982 featuring the quote “the bigger the circle, the thinner the waist,” reminding the participants of their goal. I’m sure we’ve all heard of Buns of Steel, even if just referenced by Tai in Clueless.

Speaking of Clueless, we go on now to the nineties and return to the mentioned heroin chic. It Girl Kate Moss really did damage when she practically became of the face of an art movement devoted to people who were skinny due to use of heroin, with a boyfriend of Kate’s, the Libertines Peter Doherty being seen carving into his bare chest in a similar fashion to the previously mentioned Syd Vicious.

Only now do we get into the early days of social media in the early-mid 2000s, and its clear to me at least that eating disorders are a pre-existing condition.

Point Four: But that’s Not All

So, if not social media, then what was the cause of eating disorders? Well, the short answer is that nobody actually knows. But one of the proposed theories is that genetics plays a huge factor in the development of eating disorders from anorexia, to bullimia, and others in between.

Two quotes here from Cynthia M. Bulik and her co-authors on these two papers higlight the truths of genetic factors in eating disorders. “Eating disorders aggregate in families, and twin studies reveal that additive genetic factors account for approximately 40% to 60% of liability to anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED).”

The significant role genetic factors play in the development of eating disorders is becoming increasingly clear. It has been suggested that about 50% of eating disorder cases are attributable to genetics.

Other suggestions include a connection to OCD, dietary requirements or coeliac disease, or even personality traits such as perfectionism. There are also theories relatedto child abuse, parental influences, peer pressure, and yes, social media; because again, it would be dense to ignore that social media can have a part to play, but it would be foolish to condense the argument down to a simplistic yes or no.

Point Five: Benefits of Social Media

I also want to point out that there are serious benefits to use of social media too. And I want it to be known that I deleted most of my social media accounts a few years ago… because they were fuelling my eating disorder. Trust me, I’m as skeptical as anyone else. But I’m going to talk about it.

First, generally, the site Digital Citizenship points out that “Social media, when used in a responsible and age-appropriate way, can help children learn, think critically and build the skills they need for the future.”

Moving onto eating disorder-specific uses for social media, while there are certainly harmful parts of social media, there are also aspects that can be beneficial. YouTuber Ro Mitchell, to name an example, documents her recovery from an eating disorder on her channel, and she’s not the only one.

Conclusion

Social Media in and of itself is not to blame. Blaming social media just creates a scapegoat and shoves the problem under the rug. But do they actually cause them? Or do they exacerbate a problem already there?

The Full Video is Available Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6zdMxb6870

Resources if you or anyone you know needs Help

[transmansplainer]

Yeah, so, PhD in English Literature chiming in here.

I wrote my dissertation on Victorian literature and the birth of science fiction. I have a pedigree, credentials, 24 conferences, and over 20 classes taught under my belt.

So when I tell you that fanfic is real art and absolutely fucking based, I know exactly what the fuck I am talking about.

First, fanfic is old... like, stupid old. We can talk about derivative literature, or get into all the stories which are just reframing mythological narratives. We could talk about how Frankenstein is Paradise Lost but better, or how much "art" is derived from popular narrative. But pretty much as long as we've been telling stories, we've been listening to them and thinking, "huh... I wonder what would happen if...?" And boom! Fanworks.

Second, if you wanna be a real asshole, we could get into what "art" is and how it isn't real at all but is rather a concept that we share among us like a kind of collective fever dream, and that it is, therefore, a constantly moving signifier for which there is no signified... but I would also like to keep this thing short so I'll just say that my bibliography is bigger than yours and leave it at that.

Third, and most importantly, ALL ART IS REAL ART and fanfic, fanart, and adaptation have been around since AT LEAST the birth of the novel.

What makes fanwork unique (and I'll limit myself here to fic bc it's what I know best) is that it an inherently communal and anticapitalist form of creation, which bars it from more traditional markers of legitimacy. It cannot be credited to a single person, so cannot contribute to the cult of the "author" or buy into our dumb creationist mythology of how all great things must derive from a single mind. It also cannot be sold, and therefore lacks both the "aura"* of more traditional forms and the acrural of capital that we use as benchmarks of "success".**

This doesn't mean it isn't "real art"-- only that it openly and purposefully defies the markers of that category. It is an exploration of a shared imaginative space which allows individuals to dream as a collective. It is rhizomatic, with new tropes and head-canons emerging organically among a disjointed, non-hierarchical, polythestic community. It is an inherently blasphemous space which can only be so by both taking the source material very seriously while denying the authority of the Author-God and daring to rewrite it.***

How many times do fic writers take a source text so much more seriously that the showrunners or networks, or actors? How much more do we know about these characters as characters than the people who own them?

This is serious work. It is real art. Even when it is bad, or silly, or stupid, or yes-- racist and bigoted and gross. It is still art.

Unpublished writing is art. Scribbles on paper are art. A drawing o lr a digital sketch or a poem are art.

Because what makes art real isn't some external validation of value and existence by the Other, it is an experience which we go through in its creation, and it is the experience which we have when we encounter it.****

In short-- gatekeeping is fucking stupid, and it sucks hard-core when it comes to the subject of art. How many of us have killed our own dreams because they weren't "good enough"? How many of us have thrown aside our paints because we're not "real artists"?

And how many of us have had to fight our way back to a place of healing where we can be brave and write the damn thing? Or paint the damn thing? Or just put the fear of God into some oil pastels?

So yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. If you want good theory, hmu, otherwise, it is late and god speed and good luck.

*see Benjamin, "A work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction"

**yes, I know that fanfic has been repackaged and sold, but this Tumblr and not my dissertation defense so you get what you get.

***there is a ton of theory behind all this, but Jenkins and whoever wrote "Cyborg Manifesto" are probably the most blatantly ripped off.

****I'm gesturing vaguely to Foucault here from History of Sexuality, Part 1-- specifically in how in a post-Freudian world the subject must "confess" to the Other and have their confession heard and validated to have access to subjectivity and exist under the Law, but christ it is late and I am not pulling quotes.

I am aware I have died on this hill before but people who really strenuously argue that fanfic isn't "real writing" drive me insane. what do you meeeaaaaannn. besides the fact that any attempt to define "real art" vs "fake art" is inherently reactionary, it just doesn't make any sense. it's Writing. people Write it. what the fuck are you talking about.