#like there's not an ace community in a place with no internet where everyone is so comparatively isolated. so no one would

[a-lonely-dunedain]

feeling that terrible urge to make all my ace characters wear ace rings (so that's *checks notes* all of them) BUT those labels aren't defined yet in the setting they live in so ace rings aren't like. A Thing. tragic! might have them wear it anyway even if it makes no sense. like "hey does that black ring mean anything" "I just think it's neat!"

[myreygn]

kny modern au couples doing the you are out of my league tiktok trend

this is the only tiktok trend that matters to me because it's disgustingly adorable. if you haven't seen it because maybe you have an actual life unlike me, here's a video. (and here's another one because it's my favorite but doesn’t really work well as an example.) also ig i'm spoilering the ships for this au but you know what i'm fine with that, there'll be a more detailed post on these at some point.

taglist: @kokupuffs @rachi-roo (for taglist purposes) @giggly-squiggily @trans-ace-lee @mystwrites (for modern au purposes)

¸¸♬·¯·♩¸¸♪·¯·♫¸¸¸¸♫·¯·♪¸¸♩·¯·♬¸¸

SANEKANA

you know it takes a WHILE for Kanae to convince Sanemi to do this with her

he's not super comfortable showing his face on social media anyway and doing that trend? with Kanae? so everyone can look at it and go "how tf did this ugly bridge troll pull that gorgeous angel"? thank you but no thank you

Kanae of course is outraged at this; "did you just call yourself UGLY [insert long rant about how pretty Sanemi is on the in- and outside and how he should never speak like this about himself ever again]"

he finally caves in because she's so excited about doing it and she gets him his favorite take out to make up for it

OBAMITSU

Obanai avoids social media like the plague and he's not aware of the trend until Mitsuri starts sending him links, hoping that he'll get the hint (he doesn't)

when she finally brings it up to him he's SO reluctant but he agrees to it on the condition that they don't do it in a public spot

they do a few versions of it in the living room of Mitsuri's family when no one's home and he actually ends up having fun

in the end they don't post anything because Obanai just isn't comfortable with it but Mitsuri has all the drafts saved to her phone and rewatches them every day (her favorite is one where she susprised Obanai by scooping him up and he spasmed so hard that he threw her off balance and they both came crashing down on the couch)

SABIGIYUU

Sabito doesn't even ask Giyuu if he feels up for it, he just barges into the room like "hey we should try something" and doesn't wait for an answer

Giyuu has no idea what's going on, he just gets the instruction to walk backwards and he's so confused when Sabito... crashes into him?? starts making out with him??

the video goes viral and people online start gushing over how adorable Giyuu is which prompts Giyuu to lock himself in his room for three days because he can't fathom that internet strangers are calling him cute

he only comes out when Sabito takes the video down (which he did just for Giyuu and definitely not because he was getting a teensy bit pissed off at random people thirsting after his boyfriend)

UZUIWIVES

an absolute catastrophe of a video

Suma is the one who discovers the trend first and the others are on board with it obviously but turns out the trend was not designed for more than two people at once

all of their attempts end in a massive crash and tangled limb chaos on the floor and Tengen fractures a rib (he can take a lot but having three adult women fall on the same bone has to do something to a man)

they upload the fractured rib draft and it's a giant hit with the baby would you peel an orange for me community

RENKAZA

yes Akaza found the trend and yes Akaza sneakily brought it up to Kyojuro and yes Akaza already had a cute spot to film at in mind which they both had a deep emotional connection to but just for the record he thinks it's stupid

he grumbles about how they turned into a corny couple throughout the whole thing but also he's gonna need a second take just to make sure they get it right

Kyojuro happily goes along with the farce, nodding and agreeing in all the right places to make him feel better

they can't decide on a draft to upload because the one where Kyojuro laughs so beautifully doesn't have Akaza's eyes lighting up so marvelously and vice versa and in the end they just say whatever and post both because they've been filming all afternoon and they really need a snack

MUIGEN

the video is cute and all but what really resonates with the audience are the outtakes

take 1: Genya walks backwards from the camera and bumps into empty air. Muichiro forgot his cue.

take 4: Genya starts the video. Muichiro can be seen walking past the camera, so determined that the viewer might actually be tricked into assuming he has somewhere to be.

take 28: Muichiro stands in front of the camera, trying to figure out whether it's already filming. Genya can be seen laughing hysterically in the background and it's unclear whether his outbreak stems from amusement or desperation.

TANOSUKE

NEZUSEN

not much to say, except that Inosuke gravely misunderstands the whole idea behind the trend

Tanjiro barely manages to take a step away from the camera before he gets tackled to the ground from the side

he gets a few bruises, but Inosuke looks so happy about the "surprise hug" that he can't even be mad

also the video shows the aftermath of the tackle™ with Inosuke happily blabbering to him and if that's not Tanjiro's favorite thing in the world then what is honestly

SUSADAKI

honestly these two get together so long after the current point in the timeline and i highly doubt tiktok will be around for that long but let's pretend it is

Nezuko loves the trend and Senjuro asks suggests to do it like the attentive boyfriend he is

he puts so much thought into it too, he literally crafts a whole date night around ending up in that one spot where they had their first date just so he can smoothly pull out his phone like "hey you wanna do that you're out of my league thing"

after the camera has stopped filming he proposes and she says yes and they live happily ever after bye i love them

Susamaru is actually the one who suggests it and it takes a little while for Daki to agree

(she loves her girlfriend but people can't know she has an image to lose)

Susamaru doesn't give a shit about Daki's mean girl image and literally sweeps her off of her feet when she comes rushing into the frame

Daki's so flustered by how blatantly her adoration shows on her face but she insists on posting the video anyway because HELL YEAH THAT'S HER GIRLFRIEND AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THEY'RE AWESOME TOGETHER

[solis-solaire]

TL;DR: Let people hc whatever they want without attacking them,, as long as folks tag correctly and provide ample warning around sensitive topics, it shouldn’t matter what someone thinks about a funny fictional character. Love one another and sing kumbaya, thank you

I find the conversations around fictional characters who are headcanoned by any part of the fandom as gay, or any part of the LGBT community to be really weird. I’m using Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney as an example, but this post reflects my views across all fandoms.

Whenever I see a piece of ace attorney fandom media where Phoenix and Miles are in the same room and interact with each other, but isn’t explicitly shipping them, a lot of people in the comments will imply nrmt (narumitsu/wrightworth) with their comments anyways. And I FEEL THAT,,, because oftentimes it is just on the brain like that,, however if it wasn’t intended it might make the creator of the fanon work uncomfortable,, or make folks who don’t like nrmt upset.

When this happens a lot of shipping folks like to say “well it’s BASICALLY CANON that he’s gay,” which I don’t think is great. Even though I myself hc he’s gay, and a lot of the fandom thinks similarly, and even if that is the intention of the creators of the series, other people are allowed to think differently about it. That’s what’s nice about characters that aren’t confirmed to be any type of way: people can draw their own conclusions or label them as something they can relate to more, and explore what the universe would be like if those hcs - no matter how “out of place” they may be - were the case.

Alternatively, people who respond to the “they’re basically canonically gay” comment tend to say a variety of things that I believe are equally hurtful, if not more so. I get that it can be frustrating for folks who may happen to see Miles as anything besides gay to constantly hear this in this fandom, however I don’t think replying to that with “you’re homophobic for stereotyping gay people this way and immediately thinking they’re gay because they have these traits” is right either.

It’s true that many people see certain traits in fictional men and then like to assume they’re fruity. Miles Edgeworth for example is very well-mannered and kinda posh, he wears a cravat/jabot thing and speaks like he has a thesaurus shoved down his throat. He also drinks a lot of tea and is a closeted fan of a popular kids’ show. These surface traits are often the points folks who argue against the headcanon that he’s gay like to bring up, as these traits are often considered stereotypes of a gay man. As such, many folks argue against the “he’s canonically gay” point with the counterpoint that if you think he’s gay, you’re stereotyping gay men, or fetishizing them, or even that you’re homophobic for hcing that a character is gay if they DARE have any of these traits. And that’s pretty weird to me.

Sure, if this were the only things that could lead a person to hcing that Miles Edgeworth is gay, then maybe they have a point. Even if they did, I personally do not see the harm in hcing a person to be any type of way, as a lot of the folks who enjoy these headcanons are part of the LGBT community. Headcanons can be a way for an audience to relate to a character even more, no matter how out of place they may be to someone who is not within that audience. I think personally that as long as we can all exist in our separate internet spaces where Miles is gay in one and he’s straight in the other, he’s aroace in one and poly in the other, ANYTHING you might like to hc Miles as, that everyone can enjoy themselves and not be upset/offended by what other people think of a fictional man.

However, many people who come to the conclusion that Miles Edgeworth is gay usually like to reference the way he speaks about women and men, and also how he speaks about Phoenix Wright if you like the nrmt route. I like to reference AAI’s Turnabout Airlines for the first point, as there’s quite a few sentences that could be referencing Miles’ sexuality in them. There’s a scene where a man you decide to talk to on the airplane flirts with the female flight attendant accompanying Miles by saying something along the lines of sharing a glass of “grape juice” together. Miles thinks the man is talking to HIM and replies “I’m sorry, but I must decline.” Lots of people like to reference this moment as a hint that he’s gay, as in previous interactions where women have tried flirting with Miles, he doesn’t notice at all (except for Wendy Oldbag because NO ONE can miss that), but when this man flirts, he immediately notices, and sounds almost disappointed to have to decline the offer. Additionally, Miles and Phoenix are VERY WEIRD about each other throughout the entire series, and I’m not gonna talk about that because there is so much and many other people have spoken about it already. MY POINT IS that there are more reasons people like to hc he’s gay than “oh he speaks nicely and drinks tea”.

Not to mention that I heavily dislike that folks believe that we HAVE to assume a character is cishet unless the media they’re in explicitly states otherwise. Like why CAN’T people say this man is fruitier than a fruit salad, huh? The show didn’t explicitly say so? Well, they didn’t explicitly say he was straight either sweetie. Most media doesn’t do that if it’s not a focus in the plot, they’re more concerned about writing a neat, convoluted murder plot. For all we know Miles has had a secret boyfriend all along. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter what canon says, people on the internet can and will do whatever they want with this funny, traumatized little man, and I think it’s awesome that we can all share our ideas in this fandom. But I’m tired of people attacking each other or forcing their headcanons upon one another.

PEOPLE CAN CHARACTERIZE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS HOWEVER THEY WANT. IT SHOULD NOT MATTER WHAT THEY’RE DOING WITH THEM AS LONG AS THEY TAG CORRECTLY AND PROVIDE WARNINGS WHEREVER NECESSARY. GRRRRRRRRRRR

[ilovedthestars]

it's the first aro visibility day, ever! It's also my first pride month where I consider myself to be part of the aro community. there's something about that that I find very satisfying, almost comforting. this is new for me, but in some ways it's new for all of us. it's nice to feel like i'm not figuring myself out all alone.

i already did questioning round 1, back in middle and early high school, and came to the conclusion that I was queer (i used queer to describe myself more often than gay or lesbian, but that was the kind of queer that i meant.) i figured out that i thought girls were really pretty, and couldn't really see myself ending up with a guy, and could sort of see myself dating a girl someday, and once I got that figured out I thought I was mostly done. orientation solved, check! just in time to join the high school QSA and wear rainbows during june and joke with my friends about how everyone we knew was queer.

in retrospect, i definitely sort of knew that there was more going on, even when i went thru that first round of questioning. i learned about aspec identities in middle school, via the internet. i distinctly remember a late-night text conversation with a friend in which i told her I thought I might be demisexual (i think my own sexual and romantic orientations were tied together in my mind at the time, and still sort of are, although it's more complicated now.) I was maybe twelve years old, and had never had a crush, and had stumbled upon some words that maybe explained why I wasn't even sure what a crush would feel like. My friend pointed out that lots of people don't have crushes until they're older, and it didn't necessarily have to mean i was aspec. I don't begrudge her this--at the time it was comforting to hear. I think I sort of put the idea away on a "more data required" basis, and didn't think hard about it for years.

it wasn't until within the last six months or so that I started seriously thinking about the possibility that i might be aspec again. i found a fandom community that was full of proud aspec people, and conversations with them started to ring some bells. I read Angela Chen's Ace, which also described some experiences that clicked with me. it occurred to me that while girls are pretty, and the abstract idea of a romantic relationship sounds like it could be fun, i still have yet to actually think "i want to date this specific person." it's always been a pure hypothetical, maybe-one-day thing. i started to think--okay, so maybe i might be some kind of aro or ace. possibly. perhaps.

so now i'm still deep in the quagmire of questioning round 2, trying to fit together "girls are pretty" and "i think would hypothetically date someone" and "i don't actually know if i've ever felt romantic attraction in my life" into something that I can understand. i still feel weird about calling myself aro--i don't feel like I'm certain yet. i think i'm just starting to get to a place where i feel comfortable saying that i'm somewhere on the a-spectrums. but i'm really grateful have found a community where I feel like I can be uncertain and still be included. thanks to the people who have helped me down this road so far--you know who you are, and i love you.

happy aromantic visibility day, and happy pride, to all the aros (and possibly-aros, and maybe??? aros, and i-think-i-might-be-aro-but-i'm-not-sures) out there 💜

[mikuni14]

Playboyy Ep 3

"Does sex have to be violent, Dad?" "Can't we just have normal sex?"

These two sentences brought me back to Playboyy after a rather weak episode 2 🥳

The series still has the same flaws for me, that is, it's not hot at all, the plot is all over the place, there are a lot of scenes I don't know where they came from, but I decided to change my perspective and look at this series differently.

Perhaps due to my age, my approach to Playboyy was, um, less favorable, but hearing these two sentences and especially watching the scenes with Soong made me realize that maybe I do not understand this series, because it is a series not "about me", but about young people living in the modern world and that it's a bit like Euphoria, which I watched with curiosity, a bit like a nature program about some exotic spieces 😃 with a mix of horror and compassion.

And I decided to look at Playboyy in the same way, I started analyzing this series ignoring let's call it "shockness" of the sex scenes and focusing on something else.

And what is it? The fact that these kids (sorry, for me they are kids, especially the rich twinks) are modern, well-educated sexually, know the appropriate vocabulary, are familiar with trends, freely navigate the Internet, social media and everything related to it, but THEIR EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT TRANSLATE TO REAL LIFE. Their professional sex vocabulary does not translate into COMMUNICATION. They are so free in their approach to sex that they are unable to create any real relationship with another person, because each of them is acually blocked in some way, the declared sexual freedom does not translate into freedom IN actual sex. Sex is treated nonchalantly, as something obvious, which results in tension, expectations that "you have to do it", that "everyone does it and they do it WELL", being "boyfriend ready" means being "sex ready", that good sex is kinky sex and necessarily penetration. They study sex and vocabulary diligently to be good at it and they think that all this is enough, that using the "safe word", "consent" will replace… the trust that should be simply developed. They do all this to avoid problems in sex and relationships, and it turns out that knowing all trends and professional vocabulary and behavior actually leads to disaster. What else catches my eye is that almost no one starts "vanilla", everyone immediately jumps into the deep end of the pool 😃 Not only that, no one is dating. I've already seen this in Only Friends, where dating, once it appeared, was also kind of "task-oriented" and had to be "perfect". In fact, everything has to be perfect and if it isn't, everyone, especially rich kids, folds like origami. In my opinion, Zouey should first go to a therapist, because his visible from space physical recoil from touch, combined with a relatively relaxed approach to other sexual behaviors, indicate something and it would be good for him to calmly deal with it before starting a new relationship and get himself hurt. (I hope that Zouey's approach to sex will be more understandable than Mew's, who considered himself a virgin until anal sex) Again, what I see in young people today, and what TV series are starting to show: recording, taking photos, using it to humiliate others, living on social media… tbh, I feel very sorry for young people. And finally, the rich kids and their complete detachment from reality, living in a sparkly world of illusions and fantasies. Watching Soong and First was painful.

For me, this series is an insight into the world of a group of young people. This reality is, of course, exaggerated, but it shows how much everything has changed. We were also lost because we lacked proper education and had to cope by "trial and error". We simply had no idea about many things because we didn't even know about them! Now young people are also lost, only this time they have ALL the knowledge at their disposal, they are held accountable for this knowledge, they have access to the most hardcore porn. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe that's what this series is trying to show us? Or am I looking into it too much? 😊 Anyway, after episode 3, this is how I decided to approach it (it can of course change, for now my opinion about Playboyy changes after each ep, it's wild)

Just like in Euphoria and Only Friends, here too, it's difficult to really like any of the characters...🤔

[nerdyenby]

As a person on the internet, I have opinions. Here are my thoughts on various mcc games (I love mcc to the ends of the earth, this is as critical as I get, heads up)

Ace Race: 7/10. Solid game, should have gotten boring by now but contestants getting crazy invested and/or losing their minds keeps it entertaining. Very much looking forward to alternate routes spicing it up. Main critique would probably be how individual it is, most people mute for it but that makes it a good reprieve towards the middle of the event. I think it fits best 5th or 6th but no later.

Battle Box: 7/10. I like the multi-round structure where it’s a bunch of 4v4s, it counters a lot of the bad luck that can put teams at a disadvantage in other pvp games. I really do enjoy it in concept but I often find myself zoning out, though that’s highly dependent on the vibe of who I’m watching. Battle box could fit anywhere but I prefer it early-mid event.

Buildmart: 8/10: One of my favorite MCC games conceptually. The best thing about MCC is how there’s something for everyone and there’s nuance and a variety of games that cater to different skill sets. Buildmart gets a disproportionate amount of slack simply because it was popular to slander it almost two years ago. If it got played more people would get better at it and wouldn’t dislike it as much, I bet you. Buildmart is a communication and strategy game first and foremost. It also caters to spatial reasoning and organization, but it really is a unique game that relies on skills that aren’t weighed as heavily in competitions like this. When it comes to game order, buildmart just does not belong in the first half, I can’t explain it, it just doesn’t. Late game or nothing (and for buildmart, it’s usually nothing)

Bingo: 8/10. Bring back my baby girl, she did nothing wrong. Hater’s gonna hate, she did her best. Bingo is probably the only MCC game that caters to skills inherent in Minecraft itself. Its minecraft championships, let people who play the classic game have someplace to shine. Bring bingo back, enable pvp (it would be so funny, please), and keep it in the first half. Scuffed was so real for having it as an early game, ideally I wouldn’t have it first first but I respect the hustle. She’s too intense to be right off the bat, but I think she’s a great 2nd or 3rd game.

Grid Runners: 10/10. Best MCC game, fight me. Bingo is my baby girl in that I will see her in the distance and realize how much I miss her, that I will fight off anyone who threatens her honor. Grid Runners is my love, my darling. The frequent oscillation between chaos and synergy, the panic of being absolutely clueless and the satisfaction of figuring it out, no one else is doing it like her. I’d love to have grid as a 6th or 7th game but I can understand why people put her early, she’s a good icebreaker and doesn’t leave much room to adjust your gameplay based on how the tournament’s going.

Hole in the Wall: 9/10. Up there as one of the more frustrating games to lose but it combats that with its multiple rounds. Hitw is always a blast and somehow manages to consistently make everyone go absolutely insane, it’s amazing and I love it. It’s everything a movement game should be: it’s skill based while still having a luck factor, it’s competitive without being overly sweaty, and it encourages team interaction and communication. Hitw finale in MCC30 was iconic, but she’s also a good opener. Ideally I’d place her mid-late but she can fit well anywhere.

Meltdown: 7/10. Good game, fun concept. They took a familiar game style and put a creative spin on it. I freaking love that MCC has a shooter game, however it’s another game that just feels bad to lose. It’s only really fun when you’re team’s doing well and I don’t feel like I’ve seen enough of my povs pop off enough to properly appreciate it. I think Meltdown solidly fits in the middle of the tournament, ideally being played 4th or 5th.

Parkour Tag: 6/10. If I’m honest, I’m a bit of a parkour tag hater. (I don’t actually hate it obviously, it’s just one of my least favorites). It just doesn’t have much room for fun in it, in my opinion. It’s too tense and stressful and sweaty. That said, it does have its moments and from a gameplay perspective it’s ingenious. Parkour tag is an early game, no doubt about it. 1st or 2nd or not at all, in my book.

Parkour Warrior: 8/10. Was very close to being a seven but the sheer shenanigans of having a bunch of people losing their minds in a discord call bumps it up. Favorite thing about pkw is easily the fact that one of the main vods to review is one of Purpled in which Ranboo is screaming their absolute lungs out in the background. That is the energy of parkour warrior. A team holding hands saying “oh hey I did it” and “OH SWEET FRICK FRACKING SPAGHETTI!!” In the span of ten seconds. Chaos aside, you can tell how much love and care went into making V2 an irrevocably fun and good game. Parkour warrior is an early-mid game, preferably 3rd or 4th.

Rocket Splee Rush: 8/10. As you might’ve been able to guess, I love unconventional movement games. Implementing a common game style in a creative way is the thing MCC is best at (other than everything else, of course). Rocket spleef is a unique twist on movement that allows players with different skill sets get a chance to shine and it incorporates a bit of pvp. RSR is a pure middle game, as long as it’s played, I’m happy.

Sky Battle: 9/10. Best pvp game right here, folks. Like with parkour warrior, the care and attention Noxcrew put into making this game the best it can be is palpable. Skywars is such a classic you’d think it couldn’t be improved upon but they did. It’s always such a beautiful mess with so many glorious moments. Skybattle belongs in the last half, preferably 6th or so.

Survival Games: 7/10. Ah look, the other pvp game. I love survival games as much as the next guy but it is probably the single worst game to lose. It’s stressful and tends to leave little room for banter and is downright miserable if your teams the first or second or third out. That said, every game has its upsides and survival games probably has the greatest opportunity for legends to be made, when people pop off in sg it is not forgotten any time soon. Survival games is probably my default skip, but it definitely belongs towards the end, preferably 7th followed by sot.

Sands of Time: 10/10. It’s time to talk about the second best game in MCC /hj (I genuinely cannot choose between grid and sands, I just say grid is my favorite because it doesn’t get as much hype). Honestly there’s nothing to say about sands of time that hasn’t already been said. It’s a beautiful and brilliant game in and of itself. I am a firm believer that sot should never be out of rotation. It’s not an MCC if it doesn’t end with sands of time (an early sands is better than no sands, but sot was made to be the grand finale).

TGTTOSAWAF: 6/10. It’s pretty good as an early game but is downright miserable to be played late. If people give up hope, they just spend the game messing up other people which just feels eh to me, even when the person I’m watching is the one sabotaging. A bit of bullying is par for the course though, and keeping it light is what makes MCC MCC. Should be played exclusively in the first half imo.

Here’s my overall ranking (my favorite to least favorites)

Grid Runners

Sands of Time

Hole in the Wall

Sky Battle

Buildmart

Parkour Warrior

Bingo

Ace Race

Battle Box

Meltdown

Survival Games

TGTTOSAWAF

Parkour Tag

And here’s a breakdown by my preferred game order:

[saint-starflicker]

Why would we not want to fanonize our faves? I think these two blogs put it really well:

[ fandom hcs are like: shy anxious person is ace - badass but nice girl is bi -mean bitch is a lesbian -bubbly extrovert girl is pan -all men are gay (unless they're flirty in which case they're bi) ] [ follow-up reblog addition from OP sodabutch that says: everyone in the notes is so god damn stupid this is a criticism of bi/lesbo/aphobic fandom culture you shouldn't be AGREEING with the stereotypes ]

[ Fandoms will see a character trait then ask themselves how they can make it racist using the book: subtle racism in the source material isn't enough let's fix it! by sorting our characters according to racial stereotypes. Hooray! Diversity. ]

This is NOT saying that canon is always better or always less problematic. No, creators of the source material are mired in cultural conditioning like the rest of us plebeians. Besides, sometimes to even get the work into a position that it becomes exposed enough to be part of popular culture in the first place does mean that it's insulated from genuinely constructive criticism on the way there.

And I'm NOT even saying that fans can't have fun as though we have to think about the implications of every fandom thing we do or else we're an irredeemable bigot who deserves to be shunned until we think of a more socially-acceptable headcanon than any 15-year-old can think up at 15 on the public information internet, and then plague them about it until they're 55. That's so 2010's, how about we not do that anymore (especially after so many displays of internet-mob self-righteousness was proven to be wrong, even harmful, and in all cases embarrassing.)

But when fandom around the work is a conversation between an identifiable canon work, and the audience...then that creates the space between with an opportunity to check our thinking.

There's been too much "I feel this way so it must be right and true, and speaking up about it is automatically radical" without any exercises in the speaker examining their ulterior motives (we've all got them) or if it's reasonable or applicable.

When a whole community gets to be reactionary because of that social norm, then it becomes queerphobic and racist.

Examining the chain of ideas in the conversation between canon and interpretation is an exercise in asking where this idea is coming from and where it's going. This exercise should be the sandbox for honing that sort of thinking to balance out the "trust your gut, use your voice" sort of thing that is also important but has also gone to harmful places.

(Thread.)

the key to not fanonizing your faves is to simply become academia-brained about it. never make a statement about a character you can’t back up with at least three references to the source material

[webandappdevelopmentscompany]

How to Market and Promote Your Poker Game for Maximum Success

The poker industry shows no signs of slowing down. From casual home games to high-stakes tournaments, the thrill of the cards continues to draw players in droves. But after pouring your heart and soul into developing a fantastic poker game, how do you get people to join the table? This guide equips you with the tools to maximize the success of your poker game development through strategic marketing and promotion.

Understanding Your Players: The Cornerstone of a Successful Approach

Take a step back before you start creating marketing collateral. Who is your ideal player? Are you trying to attract inexperienced players seeking a light introduction to the game, or experienced players seeking a fierce rivalry? It's critical to comprehend the psychographics (social butterfly, competitive spirit) and demographics (age, location) of your audience. This will assist you in selecting the most efficient marketing channels and modifying your message.

Developing Your Brand: Crafting a Unique Persona

Your brand is your poker game's personality. Develop a catchy name that reflects the experience you offer. The ambiance of "Aces High Home Games" is laid-back and friendly, but the mood of "The Royal Flush Challenge" is more competitive. Make a logo that reflects your brand and appeals to the target audience. To ensure consistency, use your brand colors and logo on all of your online domains, such as your website and social media accounts.

Marketing Magic: Disseminating Information Both Offline and Online

Let's go right to the point now. Here's how to use offline and internet marketing to attract the ideal people to see your game:

Social Media Savvy: Social media platforms are a goldmine for connecting with potential players. Create dedicated Facebook groups or find existing poker communities. Post interesting information, such as hilarious stories, game highlights, or poker advice. To reach your ideal audience, run personalized advertising according to their geography, interests, and online activity.

Content is king, so create insightful content that positions you as an authority on poker. Start a blog where you offer free poker tutorials or in-depth strategy guides. Partner with poker influencers for reviews or promotions. This not only builds trust but also drives traffic to your game.

SEO: Get Found Online: Make sure your website or online listing is optimized for relevant keywords like "home poker games" or "[your city] poker night." Conduct keyword research to identify the terms players are searching for and incorporate them naturally into your website content.

Don't Forget the Real World: Offline marketing strategies can be equally effective. Place eye-catching flyers and posters in strategic locations – bars, game stores, or college campuses if your game caters to a younger crowd. Consider sponsoring local poker tournaments or leagues to gain visibility and build relationships with other players.

Establishing a Friendly Environment: Making Players Feel at Home

Players are drawn to your game by marketing, but their experience is what keeps them coming back. Here's how to create an environment where gamers have fun and stay involved:

Fair Play is the Name of the Game: Ensure your game rules are clear, concise, and readily available to all players. Uphold fairness and address any disputes promptly and respectfully.

A Place for Everyone: Welcome players of all skill levels. Offer beginner-friendly options or dedicated tables for new players. A friendly and inclusive environment is essential for building a loyal player base.

Fuel the Fun: Consider offering refreshments or snacks, especially if your games run for extended periods. This small gesture enhances the overall experience and makes players feel valued.

Retention Techniques: Maintaining the Mood

Don’t sit back and relax once you have a loyal player base. The following are some tips to keep your game growing:

Loyalty Pays: Establish a loyalty scheme that gives regular gamers incentives. A point system that can be used to get rewards or savings on future games could be implemented.

Add some spice: Plan special occasions or competitions with intriguing themes or compelling rewards. One excellent method to keep things interesting and draw in new players is to host charity events or themed games.

Your Friend Is Feedback: Ask your gamers for comments on a regular basis. To find out what people enjoy and what may be improved, use surveys or polls. By showing that you appreciate their opinions, you may establish trust and promote a feeling of belonging.

Conclusion: The Continuous Shuffle

Promoting and marketing your poker game is a continuous endeavor. You can draw in players and keep them coming back for more by getting to know your audience, developing a strong brand, and making your space friendly. Keep track of your progress, modify your tactics as necessary, and most of all, enjoy yourself!

[tarotnoob]

PAC: What's happening this week and into next week?

I felt like doing a pretty simple, straight-forward reading around some predictive elements over the rest of the week - maybe into the week after. Also, tumblr is back to doing that cool thing where if you type it up or voice to text on the tumblr app and then go to save - it errors and deletes, so I'd already had this written out.

But, just use your intuition, I'm not providing crystals - and I will show the picture for all piles at once and then give the messages for each pile. It's okay to be drawn to multiple piles.

Pile 1: knight of pentacles and ace of pentacles. so pretty straight forward. for a lot of you this is going to be a new project at work or some type of opportunity for a promotion. it could also be related to studies, of course. for some of you, i'm seeing it as a new job, job interview, or opportunity for advancement. for like maybe very tiny few, sure it could be some type of offer from an earth sign like... a date, but there are no cups. this is more about career/study/project opportunities coming in. for some of you, could definitely be a collab with at least one other person, as well.

Pile 2: oh boy well i had clarified this in my previous attempt because i knew right away that this pile might be affected by a mercury retrograde (and it is merc in gemini right now until may 22). i always read 3 of swords as a potential retrograde or merc retro thing... and mercury is a special card belonging to the deck. so typical things like - issues with electronics, issues with travel, issues with communication/thinking. when i clarified it was like queen of swords, 8 of swords, so very similar in the sense of being trapped by negative thinking, being overanalytical. it could be also having to be mindful of the way you talk or how someone talks to you. it could be receiving bad or disappointing news and having a bit of a downward spiral moment that's like - nothing ever goes right, why can't i do this, why do i feel stuck, etc... i think i made a reference that it reminded me of Elsa because it's sort of drama queen energy but without the fire, so like - i hurt everyone and nothing works and so i'm just going to isolate myself from everyone and live this cold, lonely, painful life... feelings are valid but the 8 of swords coming out tells me that you're exacerbating or causing even more problems with your perspective or the way you're thinking.

it's also possible this may be a person you encounter who might dump a lot of troubles onto you and you can choose to give them space or maybe someone in that energy will want to distance themselves or you're the one distancing bc you're just not in a good place mentally. mercury is communication, travel, internet, thinking... maybe you might want to check out your merc placement and how the retrograde will affect you. pile 2 usually is about our relationships as well so this may be about... no contact with someone or receiving a rejection or verbal fights with a partner or friend or family member. it can be a lot of things so just be cautious of typical merc retro issues and also the way you think or how you talk, etc... there were a lot of negative cards around the clarifiers, like 5 of cups, 5 of pentacles... so disappointment, some type of lack (mentality)... negative thoughts, too much analyzing... not communicating or miscommunications... isolation... etc... if you're aware it's coming or even aware you're making it worse, maybe try to step out of that energy or maybe it's a time to do some shadow work around thinking like that or stuck energy... watch those travel plans, watch out for phone or email malfunctions. make sure the text you wanted to send gets texted, etc... lots of potential scenarios but it seems heavily pointed in the area of communication/thoughts/mental stuff/technology, etc...

Pile 3: Hierophant and Fool, coming out separate

I had such a long message for you but you don't need one, really. So, a few things to point out. two major arcana. Hierophant fell out on its own and I gave another bc everyone else had 2, and you get the fool

could be relevant to taurus season timing in particular

there are multiple layers coming through because of the images and card meanings so one layer is that this feels like a divinely driven opportunity or situation

it also feels as though this opportunity will come from an institution such as a school, government organization, even a religious or spiritual advisor, maybe MAYBE family member

This opportunity will create a whole new path for you in life, one that will change things for you so potentially a relocation, new job, something NEW NEW NEW. for a lot of you - especially if you were drawn to pile 1 - it really feels like an acceptance letter to a school, a visa or government issued thing that allows you to travel or gives you more freedom, or a job offer from an institution like a higher ed place or government work... like if you applied to work at a university or applied to work at the dmv, etc... dmv seems small but there are no small anythings bc the POINT of this new opportunity or offer or even like MASSIVE SET OF NEW BELIEFS, is that it's a doorway to a new path, and one that is part of your divine path. like a literal instruction or divine opportunity from your higher self or someone big and up there

in this hierophant image, it's meant to be your higherself but it looks like you're getting stabbed in the heart, so it's got ace of sword energy to it, so there's an epiphany or download that's kind of being forced onto you. so i see it as an example, let's say you were turned down by several jobs and you're like wtf why does that happen, guess what you get one this week or next week and it's... in another state or country and at the end, they may say yes... and you move, and not only do you live in a new place at a new job BUT this fool card makes me think there will be people you are meant to meet along this journey such as soul tribe or even SOULMATES. look at that fool card and the wolf that's waiting on the peak. it's like your alpha or something and there's still some bit of journey left to get to them but it feels like this opportunity or situation puts you on the path to them... so the whole journey is like... afjsa; a lot bigger than what it may seem.

besides a literal opportunity of some sort for a lot of you, this is also a spiritual shift in the sense of (especially if you were drawn to pile 2 or all piles) but there might have been a feeling of being trapped whether it was in your own beliefs or negative thoughts or an old crappy job or getting no's all the time and no offers - it doesn't matter but the image shows a sense of (the divine) breaking you free of stagnation and putting you on a new path that is closer to your calling type of path... and one that includes folks maybe for you to meet who will be of importance. but there are risks and the usual fool associated stuff involved with this new journey. it may seem scary but i think that's what was keeping you stuck before. now i feel like something whether it's downloads or a sure fire YES that will push you into being okay with taking that risk. it'll feel weird like whereas before you were like no i'm not ready i don't think i want that and now you're finding yourself going hmm that sounds cool i feel excited about that even though i'm not entirely sure how this will work out. so maybe spirit is trying to free you from attachment to results or expectations. i read fool as a uranus card so perhaps anything to do with uranus in taurus is relevant... uranus is in taurus now and will go retrograde in august... so in terms of timing this could be SOMETHING gets started now during taurus season and then another step will happen in august. so this makes sense if you apply or interview for a job and start in august or get some notification about school and classes start in august, etc...

wow suddenly tumblr is applying word limits to "blocks" so i'll end it there before it tries to delete this post though i switched to my laptop or maybe it's merc in retrograde issues.

let me know if any of these predictions make sense for when you read this or if you were attracted to multiple piles and it still fits. as personally i see how and why the piles are connected. pile 2 represents a stuck state, but pile 1 may be the opportunity coming through and then pile 3 is the potential implications of that opportunity and how it'll shift you out of a stuck headspace.

but yeah hope that helps and resonates for some of you! beware of merc retrograde - it's retro in gemini until may 22 so 5 - 22-22. even the numbers are like "change" and then balance/relationships/choices/new paths or decisions!

[vividstardustrevolution]

Yeah, and sometimes, finding people who are 1) interested in the same thing as you who 2) are not assholes can be even harder, especially when you're younger. I remember that I got into The World Ends With You when I was 13, and the only people I could find who cared about it either were on fanfiction.net or only knew about TWEWY because of Kingdom Hearts, but that was it. (I'm still in contact with those old Internet friends, by the way.) I regularly ended up in situations where the only reason anyone around me knew about things like Vocaloid and Ace Attorney was because 14 year old me WOULD NOT SHUT UP ABOUT ACE ATTORNEY AND VOCALOID.

Milgram and Yu-Gi-Oh are two of the first communities (outside of vocal synths) where I actively participated in the community, because most of the time, I couldn't find a place where my hyperfixations and special interests were welcome, or I was pretty shy. Finding in person community is even harder. Since Discord has become a thing, it's been easier to find communities to talk about special interests and stuff, but like, when you have ADHD and autism (and OCD and anxiety too, in my case), it's not uncommon to worry about if you're being annoying or if other people want you to just shut up. I wish everyone could find people who will let them ramble about shit and will listen to them talk for a while about fictional murderers or silly high stakes children's card games or singing computer programs.

Nah man having intense hyperfixations as a neurodivergent person is probably the most isolating feeling in the world

Like all I can think about is this specific thing but I'm not allowed talk about it because it doesn't interest anyone else around me. So instead it just builds up to the point where I feel like I'm going to explode

[on-stardust-wings]

Regarding the good omens post I do believe it's weird useless discourse, but also I cant help but get mad when I see someone say shit like "headcanoning Crowley and Aziraphale as anything other than men is homophobic and transphobic" like yes I've only seen it once and it had a bunch of reblogs but FUCK it's so tone deaf and chronically online that it ruined my day.

Absolutely weird useless discourse, yeah. It helps nobody. It achieves nothing. It just makes people mad at each other over... fictional characters.

The beauty of Good Omens is that especially Aziraphale and Crowley, both as individuals and concerning their relationship, are so easy to read into whatever suits you best. It's one thing that really spoke to me about its fandom, too, when I first came here, the way fans were happy to interpret them as gay men, as genderqueer, as trans, as ace, as so many things, and there was art and fic with it and it all happily coexisted. Like, last year it was normal and celebrated that you'd read one fic, be it canon or AU, where they're gay married and then another where they ace and in a QPR and then one where one of them is intersex and all of them were right and wow look at all our cool rep and the community and the love and acceptance we have for each other here. I loved that. It was such a welcoming place.

And, thing is, I think it still is. The majority of those people are still here. Gatekeepers are a small, loud minority in any community, and looking at the notes on my rant post... yeah, a large number of fans want to have this open to interpretation, this accepting culture around the show and the ship (and are still in fact living it, enjoying a variety of different queer readings of the show and book).

I agree with you, it's very tone deaf.

Also, a thing people forget about Good Omens is that it isn't a queer rep show. It's the adaption of a book, it's a story about averting Armageddon, about finding out who your friends are and where you belong and who you are and learning to do what is right by you own moral compass. It does Good Omens a great disservice to reduce it to "oh, it's queer". It includes queer coded characters. It includes queer themes. But they're not meant to be the core message. They're one element of the story among many. Good Omens is a very rich and nuanced narrative, and some of those nuances include genderless characters and characters in relationships that aren't straight.

But a number of people don't see themselves represented exactly the way they want to, either by Good Omens on its own or by Good Omens when comparing it to other things like Our Flag Means Death, and now they're unhappy about it (because they're hurting), and lashing out at everyone who likes the thing they don't like, not seeing that all it does is hurt other queer people. (I'm starting to be a little bit Internet Old, and this is such a common, sad pattern in online spaces for minorities, especially spaces that tend towards minority activism. It's true for queer spaces, for disability rights, for the fight against racism... A lot of us have been hurt in our lives, and continue to be hurt, and the hurt makes us defensive, and we lash out at each other instead of standing together against the actual problems. Fighting amongst ourselves weakens and distracts us, and leaves us with less energy to deal with the actual problems. ... Sorry for ranting.)

[doughyinwonderland]

Scary Monsters ～Endless halloween night~ Episode 2 (2-1 to 2-2)

Disclaimer: This version of translation might contain many mistakes. Please read it from the TWST wiki when it’s out. 🙏🏻

Many thanks to the wiki EN PR team, Starly and Sonic for helping out with grammar and phrasing! 💚

Episode 2: A sudden isolation 

▼ Translations under the cut

2-1 Where are your manners

The Other Dimension - Hollow Graveyard

Riddle: TREEEEY! ACEEEEE! It’s no use, there’s no response. For the sake of bringing back the students who were taken away and to end Halloween... The entire HalloweEND team dived into the Dark Mirror all at once, but what’s the use if we’re all separated all of a sudden?!  

Ruggie: Hey Riddle. Do we really hafta call ourselves the “HalloweEND team”? 

Riddle: It’s decided by the headmaster. Do you have an issue with it?

Ruggie: More than having a problem with it, it’s so lame that I’m embarrassed... Wait, never mind, Riddle doesn’t have a  strand of shyness in him. Ahh... If only his dorm mates Trey and Ace were here, they’ll do the retorting instead of me~!

Ortho: There is no one around us within a 10,000-square meter radius. I wonder where did everyone go...

Ruggie: Oh yeah, the Enchanted Mirror! We do have the communication device given by Sam. Although we can’t communicate between necklaces, we can get in touch with the teachers, right? We can try to relay our situation to the teachers and discuss what to do for now. Who knows the others might’ve contacted them already. 

Riddle: About that... I've been trying to connect through the necklace since a while ago, but the Enchanted Mirror hasn't given any response .

Ruggie: Eh, it’s already broken?! What a piece of junk! Man, in the end, it's just an antique so old that Trein used when he was young... My expectations have fallen flat. If only I knew where we are, I could go somewhere with a better viewpoint. Hey Ortho, why don’t you go and try to find out where we are?

Ortho: Uhn... There’s no signal here, so it’s impossible do image searching on the Internet, let alone using GPS. The least I can do it tell you is that there’s no such place in my memory. 

Riddle: I have never seen this place before. There's a thick fog, a huge full moon, and endless rows of gravestones. There’s no sign of people and no ambient sound coming from birds and insects. As if time has stopped. 

Ruggie: The place is really open, but there's no wind. Something’s a bit strange about this silence. I kinda feel a chill down my spine.

Ortho: Chills? But there’s only a difference of 0.3 degree Celsius in temperature compared to Night Raven College.

Ruggie: Nah, this isn't about the temperature. It’s more like it’s kinda creepy around here...

Ortho: Oh! You mean it’s eerie around here because of the graves? They do say that the living feels uncomfortable around a graveyard. 

Riddle: That, and ghosts tend to gather around in a graveyard. However, the mana concentration is low in most grounds, so we are unable to witness their forms. You won't be able to know if they're present or not. Even if they are, you can't see them. Fearing the existence of the invisible is what leads to a sense of avoidance. Anyways, it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.

Ruggie: Hmm, maybe...

Riddle: Still feeling uneasy? It’s surprising to see that you’re scared of graves.  First of all, we're students of Night Raven College, where ghosts are always haunting its grounds. Aren’t you used to them? Even if there’s any ghost around here, as long as they don’t suddenly spring out in front of you, there’s nothing to be afraid of! 

Ghost: B O O ! ! !

Riddle: Ahhhhhhhhh— —!!! What an ill-mannered ghost! Look, you scared us!

Ruggie: But I jumped because of your scream though?! 

Ortho: That ghost has a very old-fashioned hairstyle... It looks different from the ghosts at school.

Ruggie: Anyways, it’s a good time to ask for directions. Hey, excuse me—!

Ghost: ...

Ruggie: Hey, that guy over there... No wait, that’s a ghost. Anyways, can you please tell us where we are right now? 

Ghost: You’re... a “living” person?

Ruggie: Huh? Yeah, what about it...

Ghost: A LIVING PERSON! I FINALLY FOUND ONE~~!!

Ruggie: Uwahh. They’re attacking me?!

Riddle: You there! You suddenly surprised us, and now you attacked us... What do you think you’re doing?! 

Ghost: “If you see living people, take every last one of them with you”... is what “that great person” ordered all of us ghosts.

Ortho: “That great person”? Who’s that?

Ghost: Hohoho! It is a secret. Besides, it is nothing that you need to know of. Even if you don't want to, you still have to come with me!

Riddle: You suddenly jumped out and threatened us with that ridiculous attitude... You’ve got some nerve. I will make you regret challenging me to a fight!

*Battle Start*

2-2 Something sparkled?!!

The Other Dimension - Hollow Graveyard

Riddle: Flames, burn!

Ghost: Hiii! Hottt! It burns to the core of my soul~~!! Help me~~~!

Riddle: Hmph. They ran away already? They’re just all bark and no bite!

Ruggie: I mean, most people would have no choice but to turn their tail and run away if you go at them with all you've got.

Riddle: That ghost did say they were going to take us to "that great person".

Ruggie: And that the ghosts were ordered to bring living people to them. It already smells like there's an evil boss behind all this.

Riddle: I wanted to catch that ghost and interrogate them about it... But it's as expected of a ghost to be so quick to disappear. 

Ortho: ...

Riddle: Ortho? Is there something wrong?

Ortho: Fog, full moon, grave, time, stopped, and a clear partition of a ghost... I've narrowed down to a few results after entering these keywords, and we've got a hit. It’s possible that this is their... the Land of the Ghosts! 

Riddle/Ruggie: The Land of the Ghosts?!

Ruggie: So that means... the afterlife?! We're here alive? In the land of the dead?! 

Riddle: I see... Then it makes sense that the Enchanted mirror wouldn't work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a magic tool, one cannot expect to be able to communicate through the afterlife.

Ruggie: This isn’t the time to reach a conclusion! How can you be so calm?! Ughhh, this is the worst. No matter how much it was for the sake of holidays, I shouldn't have poked my head into trouble for no reason. Everything is meaningless without being alive...

*sparkle*

Ruggie: SOMETHING SPARKLED!!

Ortho: That was fast! I jumped off the ground so hard.

Riddle: I think you guys were quicker on your feet than when you were dodging the ghost's attacks earlier.

Ruggie: What the... It’s just an old piece of mirror shard. I thought it was a coin or something.

Riddle: Well aren’t you the same as usual now... At least let me have a look at the thing you just picked up? Ah... I see why Ruggie would mistake this to be a coin. It’s only about the size of my thumb. 

Ortho: I wonder if the ghost that ran away earlier dropped this. 

Riddle: Hmm? There seems to be something else on the ground. It’s a piece of paper... No, wait! T-this is...! 

[ulkoillareplies]

(deleted this once bc it went to main) I think we about 98% agree. I just wanted to bring this side of the coin visible too. There IS a lot speech that wants us to shut up especially about the “ugly” side of asexuality, where we don’t understand ourselves and after giving a very coerced consent for sex end up gagging in shower time after time for the grossness of sex.

I want that sort of things visible. That’s one part of it.

The other part is that I want that younger (sex-repulsed, others too ofc but in this context it’s mostly about the sex-repulsed) aces can grow into their aceness and accept it without having to silently suffer in their doomed relationships first. It means they’ll need to hear about how it feels to be sex-repulsed. For some, it means they will to talk about it. And when ppl (thankfully!) are starting to identify ace in their teens it means that many aces who are discovering themselves don’t yet have the verbal and emotional skills of an adult to put their words wisely and read the room.

For those, I want the same compassion and gentle guidance cishet teens get when they are kissing their first partners seemingly 24/7 and covered in hickeys, or the compassion the queer teens (within the community) get when they are acting “weird” stereotypical roles while testing how their identity fits. It’s unfortunate that for sex-repulsed aces so much of all that is about finding a way to be ok with gross and coming to terms with some sort of a loss, while not much fun and beautiful arrives in its place.

I don’t mean to say that other queer (and also cishet!) kids don’t have to deal with the feeling of loss. They absolutely do. But they also have a community that offers them ways to investigate their identity in a reasonably positive manner that doesn’t readily apply for ace identities. It applies especially badly on sex-repulsed aces. So that repulsion will sometime be stated in a very loud way not suitable for so called polite company. It’s not unlike how gay kids express their gayness, it’s just the context disgust makes it Not Cool to spew out like that.

Anyway, we may spend time in a different internet, but in my experience even the most polite expression of finding sex disgusting, even if the context of discussion was asking it, may end in someone freaking out and accusing the one who spoke out. It’s happened to me – surprisingly much even, considering that I don’t usually speak about these things. I’ve seen it happen to others. Sometimes people come to discussions related to sex-repulsion just to tell mean things and shout their accusations. It’s a small minority who behave this way, of course, but that’s what I mean about speech that tries to silence us.

What I mean by malicious interpretation is that if someone slips out the “sex is gross” instead of “I myself, personally, find sex quite disgusting on a deeply personal level, but of course it is a beautiful thing for others and others should not feel bad for wanting and having it”, it’s often interpreted as an attack and sex-shaming. When, at the same time, if someone says that mashed potatoes are gross, everyone can understand it’s a personal opinion and not an attack to anyone who’s ever enjoyed that with some gravy. I understand that sexuality is way more personal and sensitive topic than our opinions on the proper way to prepare potatoes for human consumption, but still, it’s baffling to see how carefully words must be placed to avoid some people getting butthurt.

as an asexual, when a sex repulsed ace person belittles others, makes people feel gross for having sex, constantly is talking about how disgusting sex is when there's people around who enjoy sex, THAT is fucking repulsive. you have no right to be belittling others for enjoying a natural thing. sex is natural, which doesn't make asexuality unnatural by any means. both are human nature, but putting yourself on a pedestal because you in particular don't enjoy sex or personally find it gross, you should not view others as disgusting for having it or enjoying it. you are allowed to talk about it in the same way people who have sex talk about their experience and enjoyment but not in a harmful, degrading way.

thanks for coming to my ace talk <3 grow up!

[gisellelx]

To The Queer Kids Who Find Tumblr A Safe Space

I called my best friend to ask her to tell her kid that I was enjoying listening to the spotify playlist that Kid introduced me to when I visited two weeks ago and that I really loved it and so did my guests. She told me that Kid was in the hospital again because they had self-harmed. Then my bestie told me something that caught me up short. She said that Kid, who is trying to figure out Kid's gender identity, finds all this wonderful community on the internet but doesn't see the community in the meatspace, and gets despondent, and wants out.

Please, trans kids, and enby kids, and bi kids, and gay kids, and lesbian kids, and intersex kids, and aro kids and ace kids and anyone who isn't a kid anymore and feels safe here...never forget that the people behind the keyboards are real. Yes, maybe it seems like here is the only place where everyone puts a flag behind their avatar in June and people take as a given they need to provide pronouns, and it seems like the cishet people also get it or are working hard to and you look out in the world and it seems like those people don't exist.

But please remember that the same people who are here screaming from the rooftops about how important you are and how loved you are and how you are allowed to be exactly whoever you are...

...we are also sometimes your stepmom's best friend who comes to visit and watches you giggle while you play with your bearded dragon.

These people who love you unconditionally on the internet--we exist in the real world. Even when you feel like we're not there, we are. Please trust that if you stay here, you will find us and we are around you even if you don't know it's us.

Please, Kid, don't leave this world early. I'm waiting to watch you grow up. I can't wait to know the person you're becoming.

[foxsimthings]

Kekoa Mahi’ai for @freakishnature​ ‘s November Charna

Goofball | Glutton | Animal Enthusiast Twenty-eight | Former Wrestler | Current ??? | He/him

v v v

When they chose his name, they knew their son would be strong. How strong, perhaps, remained to be seen.

Kekoa was making history since the night he was born. Nurses crowded around the bedside of his poor mother, chattering and murmuring to one another as the doctor declared the birth of a fifteen pound baby boy - a record-breaker. His three older sisters were all of average size but Kekoa came in nearly double their size. And as Anela and Lokela took in the sight of their only son, he could only be named one thing - the warrior.

Given such a remarkable start, it became less and less surprising that the boy ought to have a remarkable life. Kekoa was something of a Sulani celebrity, if only at first by virtue of his birth bringing all manner of photographer and record-holder to town. And he was hard to miss, a boy larger than his peers all his life. But he also grew to be warm and kind, tending only to anger when brought to the defense of others. Despite being the youngest, Kekoa - affectionately called Koa by most - grew up his sisters’ biggest fan and greatest protector. For all his kindness, none dared for a moment to learn what wrath might fall on their heads should a hair on his family’s heads be harmed. 

By the time he left high school, Koa stood at 7′ tall and nearly 300 pounds. He’d been active on the football and wrestling teams, a moderate student, and graduated with the honour of being recognized for having the whitest teeth in class. 

After school, Koa got up to all manner of madness. He worked as a stunt man, acted in a few movies and commercials, carried on wrestling under the name Tsunami, helped to start and run a local marine wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center, did some men’s mental health work in the prison system. It would seem to most that the man was unstoppable, fueled by boyish laughter and more food than a small village could get through in a week. Kekoa never seemed to worry about much - he always appeared to have just enough of a thing to spare. Just enough money to be comfortable, just enough time to relax, just enough food to bring a plate or two to the vulnerable in his community. 

While life couldn’t be called perfect, for a long while it didn’t seem as though anything could put a damper on his mood for long. 

It was a stupid mistake. It always is. An afterthought, one last little thing that proves to be one’s downfall. Koa knew better, of course, than to swim at dusk. Everyone did. In the end, he wouldn’t even remember why he went out that evening - maybe it was to impress a girl, or fetch something off his skiff without hauling the rowboat out. Maybe he just got caught in a moment of ‘well, it hasn’t happened yet, why should it happen now?’

Bull shark + mysterious dark figure swimming overhead = bad news.

Losing his leg meant a lot of things came to an end, whether they needed to or not. Koa was still in physical therapy when he decided he wouldn’t wrestle any more, no more stunts, no more acting. It felt for a long while as though there might not be anything left for him, and as he sat in his wheelchair glaring at the sea, it got so difficult not to hate the shark, the ocean -- the world. 

But nothing lasts forever. In time, all things become routine. The prosthetic would never feel like skin but it looked close enough that people stopped asking questions. And before long he could walk without all that much of a limp, and he could run again, swim again. Before long, Koa couldn’t remember what having his leg felt like in the first place. 

So now he’s back, albeit a bit directionless. Having given up most of the things he occupied himself with in the past, Kekoa Mahi’ai has set out to see where life might take him next. A shot at love seems as good a destination as any.

Personality:

• Koa is a great lover of a great many things. He adores animals of all kinds and has sustained many injuries at the hands - claws, and teeth - of animals. He’s also terribly protective of his family and has scared most of the men in Sulani away from dating the sister closest in age to him for fear of being folded in half.  • Adventure abound! Kekoa will say yes to almost anything once, which tends to send him on all manner of adventure. That isn’t to say he’s in Strangeville every weekend giving piggyback rides to ETs, but he can easily leave in the morning with nothing in his pockets and come home with a table he learned to make from someone on the beach. • Understandably, the man eats a ton. Not only is he naturally a bulky boy, he’s also pretty active and maintains a... beefy stature. But Koa also loves to cook and delights in sharing Sulani dishes as often as possible.  • He’s the king of loud-print shirts and dad jokes, and Koa never has a problem laughing at his own jokes. Someone has to, after all. • Being exceptionally kind > being exceptionally reasonable • Kekoa is the definition of the guy stereotype who, when asked what he’s thinking about, can reply ‘nothing’ and genuinely mean it. He’s just a generally happy, peaceful dude and doesn’t tend to sweat the small stuff. Or most stuff. • Shy? Not even a little bit. Kekoa is very outgoing and confident, an extrovert to the max - but he’s gentle with his introvert friends and, growing up with a few, knows when to pull them out of their shell and when to wrap up in a blanket next to them and watch Ace Ventura for the 50th time. • Despite not being perhaps the most clever man in the world, Koa is a thoughtful guy, tuned in to others and keenly receptive to the vibes they’re putting out. #goodvibesbutonlywhenyou’refeelinit

Fun Facts:

• Kekoa almost always wears flipflops and shorts. He’ll wear pants to be formal but he’s most comfy in shorts. • He’s one of those people that never upgrade their phone. He’s had the same flip phone since he was twenty and tends to text a bit like a spider falling down the stairs, but his hands are too big for most phones to text comfortably. • Internet lingo is completely lost on him, and he types with one finger. The man is not very web savvy and his work laptop is so riddled with viruses it barely runs any more.  • Koa was June in the Men of Wrestling calendar five years ago and has appeared in a few magazines one might find under their mom’s mattress. • Kekoa’s original wrestling name was Sulani Tsunami, but a porn star with the same name sent him a cease and desist.  • He loves to have his head or back scratched and will almost definitely fall asleep. Speaking of sleep, the man can fall asleep anywhere and everywhere - and will, if he’s even slightly dozy, tip his head back for a quick cat nap. • The man loves to dance and, when traveling, enjoys visiting local clubs to tear it up.

🎵 

[dog-teeth]

Hey, I had heard from someone I was close with (when recommending ur blog artwise) that u, at least 2 years ago, were ace exclusive.. have your views changed since then? I'd really hate to see that it's true but I feel like I need to know.

yeah, ive definitely changes my views, i was just a dumb 16-17 year old with internet brainrot. ive felt differently about it over the years, was a die-hard inclusionist from like age 13-16 and then went the other way for a while. but now i dont think its my place to tell anyone how they should identify or what right they have to be in a community they need / identify with.

honestly though, i don't really believe in a cohesive lgbtqa community. its not one organization, or even one definiton, its just different groups of people connecting with each other and working towards common goals. i feel solidarity with all lgbtqa people, but i dont think of "the lgbt community" as one entity.

so i dont have any hard ideas about who "is and isn't lgbtq" because i dont believe there is one community or one idea of what it means to be queer. i dont waste my time telling other people how to identify or where they belong.

personally, there have been times when i felt just as alienated by cis gay & lesbian people as by cis hetero people because of my gender. there have also been contexts when ive felt more solidarity with a cishet person than with another trans person because of things like culture and politics. my idea of community is not based on a strict definition, and its not universal. i feel more respect & solidarity for cishet people of color than racist lgbt people, id feel more closely aligned to an understanding cis asexual than i would to a transmedicalist/truscum trans person, id rather be grouped with a straight anarchist than a gay military bootlicker, id rather be friends with a cishet that likes the same music&art as me than an lgbt person i have nothing in common with. community does not exist in a vaccum of definition to me.

im still allied with other lgbtqa people of course, but my idea of community isnt a global network of everyone who meets a certain definition, its my friends and social scene, people i relate to.

so, no, i dont believe in excluding ace people from the lgbt community, but i also dont believe in a singular lgbt community that certain people can be universally included and excluded from. ultimately i believe in intersectionality and acceptance, and the uniqueness of each person and each community, and respecting each others experience.