#literally a clump of cells

[isawthismeme]

[schizononagesimus]

it is so fucking patronizing to live in a country where i am in the literal worst pain of my life and they HAVE to have a pregnancy test in order to give me pain medication despite the fact that not only is that sexually not possible for me to be pregnant but i am MEDICALLY STERILE. im allowed to refuse, but not if i want medication for my fucking SPINE INJURY. it doesn't matter what you tell them because it is literally THE LAW that they have to make sure youre not pregnant.

[secularprolifeconspectus]

Quick Pro-Life Responses

Keep in mind: the fundamental disagreement between pro-life and pro-choice is on whether a fetus is being formed into a person, or if the fetus is already a person and is simply developing.

Confidently assert, “you say that because you think a fetus is not a person yet.”

They may concede fetuses are people in word, but still not conceptualize them as full people worthy of equal consideration.

“I have the right to bodily autonomy.”

Abortion is literally suffocation, poisoning, or dismemberment of a living human organism.

Abortion induces fetal demise by depriving a human of oxygen, blood, or vital function.

Bodily autonomy does not justify abuse of power and excessive force over a helpless person.

Abortion, a disproportionately brutal response to a passive threat, is aggressive violence.

“No one has the right to use my body.”

Correct. But, a prenatal person does not use a pregnant person’s body. They have no agency.

A pregnant person’s body takes care of the prenate. This care is ordinary and healthy.

Abortion is not like refusing care to a dying person, it is like murdering a healthy captive.

No one has the right to murder someone who they caused to be dependent on them.

“I have the right to revoke my consent.”

When you give consent, you agree to accept the foreseeable outcomes and risks of an action.

The creation of a bodily dependent is a foreseeable outcome of consensual intercourse.

You cannot revoke consent to outcomes. You can revoke consent to actions.

You may not violently sacrifice a helpless person to “mitigate” a risk of a consensual action.

“Anything dependent on my body is a parasite.”

If you make parasites, then you’re a parasite; it’s misogynist to suggest women are parasites.

The female body would not actively try to make pregnancy happen if it were parasitic.

Prenates never directly cause pregnant people harm; they are not aggressors or parasites.

Using developmental dependency to justify murder is simultaneously ageist and ableist.

“An embryo is just a clump of cells.”

Human embryos meet NASA’s criteria for the characteristics of distinct living organisms.

Human embryos are self-directed and their development follows a body plan.

Human embryos are organized and individual. They already have inherited capacities.

Tumors and gametes do not follow an organized body plan.

“Early humans have no cognitive capacities.”

By week 3, the embryo has a spine and is developing a nervous system.

By week 5, the embryo has a rudimentary brain that controls their pulse.

By week 8, the embryo has pain reflexes and can move their limbs.

It’s incredibly ableist to use the cognitive inabilities of a human being to justify their murder.

“If a fetus is a person, so is a brain-dead human.”

A brain-dead human is, obviously, dead. It’s an oxygenated corpse, the remains of a person.

Death occurs when human organisms stop resisting entropy and lose organic integration.

Preborn people actively resist entropy (decay) and have organic integration (unity).

An early human organism isn’t dependent on a mature brain to organize her vital functioning.

“Later abortions only happen for medical reasons.”

According to two studies by pro-abortion researcher at UCSF Katrina Kimport, this is untrue.

Kimport’s studies found that the reasons for later abortions are similar to early abortions.

Later abortions aren’t euthanasia; infants are stabbed with lethal injections and dismembered.

Perinatal hospice and palliative care relieve suffering. Dying babies deserve love, not murder.

“What about rape and incest?”

Abortion is not evidence-based treatment for sexual trauma. Abortion is traumatic as well.

A preborn child should not be condemned to the death penalty for their father’s crime.

It is safe for most menstruating children to carry pregnancies to viability with sufficient prenatal care.

Children conceived in incest are likely to have disabilities; that’s not reason to murder them.

“What about health of the mother?”

Every abortion ban in the US has exceptions for if the mother’s life or body is in grave danger.

We are not against tragic cases of triage. We are against elective induced abortion.

Some procedures coded medically as abortions aren’t legally or ethically defined as abortions.

Pro-life doctors report that the bans have not impeded their ability to treat their patients.

Your Core Arguments

There is no sound evidence or consistent logic that proves the preborn are the only class of human beings exceptional to the rule that humans are people with equal rights.

If a being is in the dynamic process of bonding with us as kin, then that being is a whole actual person by the manner of actively and inherently relating to our collective humanity.

Embryonic humans are full and equal people like us because they latently embody our same capacities and are manifesting them as we are, on account of sharing our nature.

[lantur]

the bad, (tw for discussion of early miscarriage), and the good,

I had a positive pregnancy test on the night Sunday, January 26. It was my seven year anniversary with David of the night we went on our first date. It was so beautiful and lovely and exciting because I had noticed some subtle changes over that weekend and the test that Sunday night confirmed it. It was extra special after going through an emotionally and physically exhausting round of fertility treatment in January. I was so excited. David and I counted the months out and we expected an October due date. I felt so happy during that time of Saturday - Monday afternoon because I felt like I was going through life with my new little friend inside me, literally sheltering them with my body.

I had an early miscarriage overnight on Monday/Tuesday morning. It was physically and emotionally very painful and devastating. I hadn't felt anything like that pain since my dad died. It was very hard. Yes, it was only five weeks' gestation, only a chemical pregnancy, only a clump of cells, only smaller than a single grain of rice -- but I loved it already and I was so excited to be a mom.

It was a hard week. I still had work and school. I wondered if it was my fault for going on a run on Monday morning, or traveling by plane over that weekend. I reminded myself, and David and my friends reminded me, that early miscarriages are so common, and that it wasn't my fault.

I wish it hadn't happened. I could have happily gone my entire life without experiencing that. But amidst all that bad, there was good. David was there for me during the worst time of my life, again. My friends supported me hard. My cat sat on my lap and purred. It was a terrible and unfortunate thing, but I never felt alone, and I'm grateful for that. I knew from the beginning of it through to now that I was loved.

Fuck January, it was bad. I'm taking February off fertility treatments and I'm going to visit my cousin in Florida. I'm also going to Istanbul at the end of this month, as a reward for finishing my quarter of classes at school as of February 21, and finishing a big work conference I've been planning in that third week of February. I've gone on travels before during significant low periods of my life - Nova Scotia when my dad was sick, Greece after he died - and its always helped.

I had hoped Japan last March would be my last trip before I had a kid, but who knows - I still have time, and I'll travel until that (hopefully) happens.

I am afraid it's going to happen again, but I remind myself that a lot of people experience chemical pregnancies/miscarriages and go on to have healthy pregnancies and deliver healthy babies. We'll try again in March, and hope for a better outcome. Until then, I'm looking forward to spending time with my family and friends and myself, having fun, this February.

I already feel much better this weekend, after going out to brunch with David yesterday, getting to spend time with friends this weekend too. :)

[mariacallous]

Earlier this month, the Alabama Supreme Court issued an opinion, complete with a wildly theocratic concurrence from Chief Justice Thomas Parker, that functionally outlawed in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the state.

In the wake of the ruling, Republicans have tried to unwind this mess, with the Alabama legislature considering passing a law to ensure IVF access and Donald Trump coming out to say he strongly supports access to IVF. 

All of this is a bit of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, as the damage is done. The entire spectacle was inevitable once the GOP gave the party over to anti-choice zealots decades ago.

In brief, the reason the Alabama Supreme Court’s opinion implicates and outlaws IVF is that the state has a Wrongful Death of a Minor statute, and the court decided this applies to “all unborn children, without limitation.” But there’s no language in the statute that says this. Rather, it’s just that over the last 15 years, the Alabama Supreme Court has issued a series of rulings saying that the undefined term “minor child” in the statute can be stretched to “unborn children” regardless of what state of development the embryo is at. Once the court created such an expansive definition, the decision that frozen embryos are people was inescapable. 

To be fair, though, the Alabama Supreme Court is entirely made up of conservative Republicans, they were a bit hamstrung in their decision. Alabama’s state constitution states that “it is the public policy of this state to ensure the protection of the rights of the unborn child in all manners and measures lawful and appropriate." But that doesn’t necessarily mean the court was required to, as it did here, extend that “unborn child” definition to what it calls “extrauterine children” — embryos frozen by people pursuing IVF. 

That IVF is even controversial is an indictment of the GOP

An IVF cycle is designed to produce multiple eggs that can be retrieved in one procedure. The more eggs produced, the greater the likelihood of a viable embryo that can be implanted, hopefully resulting in a pregnancy. Because of this, multiple embryos often remain, and people freeze those for several reasons. People may use them if the first attempt at implantation doesn’t work, thus avoiding multiple egg retrieval cycles. They may save them for later if they decide to have more children. They may donate them to other people struggling with fertility issues. 

For people not saddled with the misguided anti-choice belief that a tiny clump of cells is the same as a person, this is a non-controversial process. It enhances the chance of pregnancy and allows people to plan for future children without undergoing multiple invasive egg retrieval cycles. But if one subscribes to the notion of fetal personhood — that a fetus is quite literally a person, with all the attendant privileges that confers — then those frozen embryos are the same as babies. 

This is, of course, a religious, not scientific belief. Chief Justice Parker, in his concurring opinion, made clear that his vote, at least, stems directly from his religious beliefs rather than being grounded in the law. Citing Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, the Ten Commandments, and the King James Bible, Parker concludes that “even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory.”

Notably, none of those things are legal precedent. Indeed, in a country founded on the separation of church and state, they shouldn’t inform a court holding. However, since religious conservatives dominate the US Supreme Court, that separation has largely collapsed. This has emboldened conservative litigants and conservative state and federal judges to take ever more anti-choice stances. 

Reproductive health activists have been sounding the alarm about the anti-choice attacks on IVF for years, particularly in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade. At least two prominent anti-choice groups, Americans United for Life and Students for Life, have railed against IVF. The chief legal officer for Americans United for Life, Steve Aden, called IVF “eugenics” and said that IVF created “embryonic human beings” that were destroyed in the process. Students for Life called IVF “damaging and destructive.”

These same anti-choice groups also hate birth control, and the Dobbs decision paved the way for them to mount a theocratic attack on it too. Christopher Rufo, who ginned up a panic over benign diversity initiatives and helped force out the first Black president of Harvard, Claudine Gay, has already telegraphed that this is his next attack.

Over on Elon Musk’s increasingly Nazi-fied social media site, X, Rufo is spewing rhetoric about how “the family structure disintegrated precisely as access to birth control proliferated” and that recreational sex is bad and leads to single-mother households. 

Rufo isn’t alone. The Heritage Foundation, which is also busy with a blueprint for a second Trump presidency that would destroy the administrative state and whose leader is still pushing the big lie that Trump won the 2020 election, has also called for the end of birth control. Also over on X, Heritage’s official account posted last year that “a good place to start would be a feminist movement against the pill and … returning the consequentiality to sex.”

And there you have it. Religious conservatives are calling for a return to a world where sex isn’t recreational or for pleasure but is instead fraught with consequences — namely, pregnancies that can’t be terminated even when the pregnant person’s life is in danger. To do this, however, they would need to succeed in getting the Supreme Court to overturn Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 case that invalidated restrictions on birth control. 

More importantly, Griswold affirmed the constitutional right to privacy. It’s that right that not only underpinned the right to an abortion in Roe but also underpins other cases related to the rights of Americans to pursue sexual and marital relationships without government interference. In Lawrence v. Texas, decided in 2003, the Supreme Court relied upon Griswold to throw out laws that criminalized sexual contact between members of the same sex. Twelve years later, that same reasoning was used in Obergefell v. Hodges to affirm a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. 

Justice Clarence Thomas hates the right to privacy and has made no secret he wants it gone. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs, he called on the Court to “reconsider” all these cases and overrule them as “demonstrably erroneous.” Justice Samuel Alito has been a bit more evasive about this, writing in Dobbs that “nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion.” However, Alito’s Dobbs opinion is littered with references to “fetal life” and how abortion destroys an “unborn human being.” As recently as last week, Alito wrote a statement decrying Obergefell because he doesn’t think it’s fair that people who are bigots about same-sex marriage ever get called bigots. 

It isn’t just Thomas and Alito. During her confirmation hearing, Justice Amy Coney Barrett refused to say whether she thought Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell were rightly decided. In 2012, she signed an open letter stating that the Affordable Care Act’s required coverage for birth control was an assault on religious liberty. Similarly, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in his confirmation hearing, also wouldn’t say whether Griswold was correctly decided. Justice Neil Gorsuch did the same. 

That makes five likely votes — with Chief Justice John Roberts a possible sixth — for a rollback of privacy rights in America. With that pillar of law gone, states would be free to outlaw same-sex marriage, get rid of birth control, and impose any other theocratic conditions they’d like. 

The dog that caught the car

Right now, Republicans are scrambling to undo the damage they’ve wrought, realizing that an anti-IVF stance is alienating to most. Last year, the Pew Research Center found that 42 percent of adults had used fertility treatments or knew someone who had. From 1996 to 2018, over 1 million babies were born as a result of fertility treatments. Mike Pence has spoken publicly about how he and his wife used IVF and that the procedure should be protected. 

In Alabama, Republican legislators are planning to introduce a law that would say the embryo isn’t a person until implanted in a uterus. But legislation doesn’t trump the state constitution, which means the Alabama courts could throw out any law they deem contrary to their fetal personhood interpretation of the constitution. Several Alabama fertility clinics have stopped IVF services, citing the legal risk. The state’s GOP attorney general, Steve Marshall, said he wouldn’t use the decision to prosecute IVF providers or people seeking IVF treatment, but that’s a slender reed to rely upon. What provider or patient wants to rely upon the vague assurances of the attorney general rather than a law that protects access?

And it isn’t just IVF. Elected officials in states that have banned abortion have openly mocked those people who have come forward with horror stories of being refused abortions even as they developed sepsis or faced the possibility of permanent future infertility. Doctors have no clear guidance on when they can terminate a pregnancy to save the life of the pregnant person, leaving them vulnerable to prosecution. People who currently have frozen embryos have no idea what to do with them, and nor do clinics. If the hardest-line anti-choice people get their way, access to birth control will become as spotty and politicized as access to abortion is now. 

This type of amorphous fear is a feature, not a bug, of the post-Dobbs landscape. When the entire spectrum of reproductive health is murky, and the threat of prosecution looms large, doctors won’t perform abortions or IVF treatments. Patients won’t seek abortions even as their health deteriorates to a level that could result in death. People who can get pregnant will have their lives narrowed to nearly nothing as they try to sidestep the landmines of an ever-shifting jurisprudence over their bodies. 

And that’s exactly the way conservatives want it, no matter their current feeble attempts to get out from under an IVF disaster of their own making. The GOP made common cause with the worst people in the country on this issue, and now we’re all stuck with the consequences. 

[ridiculousn3sswrites]

Midterms, Mutual Pining, and a Meddling Roommate

*Zuko (ATLA) x GN!Reader

*Summary: Reader moves in with Sokka and his roommates when they transfer to their school. Why was one of them so cute?

*Warnings: Swearing, drinking, Sokka, emotionally awkward Zuko. Let me know if I missed anything!

*A/N: This one took a lot longer than it should have, shout out the Anon that requested this! Have I ever mentioned how much I love best friend Sokka?

Tip Jar

**********

Sometimes you questioned if moving in with your best friend was really worth it. You had grown up with Sokka and Katara, but when they moved off to college, you decided to stay back for a bit and just get some work done at the local community college. A couple years later here you were, your stuff packed into your car driving out to the apartment you were going to share with Sokka and his other roommates. You hadn’t officially met them yet, but they’d popped in to say hi a few times during your video calls with Sokka. You figured they couldn’t be that bad if Sokka lived with them.

But then you realized you actually had to live with Sokka. He was a great dude, but sometimes you wanted to throttle him. Like now, as you were trying to make dinner. “Sokka, I swear on the spirits that if you didn’t clean out the rice cooker last time I will end you!”

Sure enough, when you opened the rice cooker, there were clumps of old rice lining the bottom and stuck to the sides of the pot. You actually wanted to scream. Just as you started to throw a litany of curses out to the apartment, sure Sokka would hear you over whatever he was doing, the front door opened and one of your other roommates walked in.

“So I’m guessing dinner isn’t going well?” Zuko asked, closing the door behind him.

“I haven’t started yet, because someone didn’t clean out the rice cooker last time,” you called the last part out, hoping Sokka would hear. 

“Alright, you get started on whatever else you need. I’ll clean the rice cooker and get the rice started.” Zuko’s tone left no room for argument, so you just followed his directions. He quickly went about putting on his house shoes and putting his backpack down at the table, grabbing an apron before going to join you in the kitchen.

“You know, you really don’t have to. Like, I’ll complain about it a bit but I’m still fine with cleaning it,” you still tried to argue, even as you went to grab your ingredients from the fridge.

“Too late, I’m already washing it.” Sure enough, Zuko was already fighting to get the stuck on rice out of the pot and into the trash can.

“Didn’t know rich boy knew how to do that.”

“I literally work in my uncle’s tea shop. You know I know how to do dishes.” Zuko’s deadpan delivery without even sparing you a glance made you laugh, any irritation that you had at Sokka melting away for the moment.

You had to admit, you could definitely have worse roommates. Other than the occasional mess you expected from college dudes, they were honestly pretty chill and really considerate. Zuko, other than being rich, was honestly really chill and down to earth, which you really appreciated. He was quick to offer help with dinner or cleaning around the place, and he was mostly quiet. Aang was also sweet, and his two pets were honestly doing wonders for your mental health. You could only imagine how cathartic it would be to cry into Appa’s fur around finals time. The only downside you could really see to Aang was the fact that him and Sokka seemed to share a brain cell when the two of them were together. Actually, the three guys together all shared one brain cell when they were all together. Then there was Sokka. He was alright.

Kidding. If anything, you and Sokka had a sibling-like relationship. You spent your time complaining about him, but you knew if you really needed him, he’d cancel everything to just make sure you were okay. But when he didn’t clean up after himself, especially when he knew you’d need the things he’d used, well, you kind of wanted to kill him. It was all love though.

Cooking dinner went a lot quicker with Zuko helping you, and you had to admit, he was one of the only people you allowed in the kitchen while you were cooking. It was a big honor, not that he would admit that. Everything was great until Sokka finally came out of his and Aang’s room, and then you remembered just how annoyed you were with him.

“Oo, what’d you make? I’m starving, I was working on-”

“Fuck you, keep starving.”

“What’d I do?”

“You know what you did.”

**********

“Momo, I beg you to stop throwing shit off my shelves,” you whined, throwing your pillow over your eyes. You were trying to catch a nap, absolutely exhausted from the week you’d had. It was one of the few nights both Sokka and Aang were out, so that meant the house was quiet for once. Well, about as quiet as it could be with Momo deciding that he wanted to redecorate your shelves by throwing all your books and knickknacks down. You thought he would be nice and just take a nap with you, but you should’ve known better.

After about ten minutes of pleading with Momo - which was futile - you just got out of bed, grabbing your blanket and going off to search for a new place to nap. Your room was now compromised, and you didn’t even want to look at the mess was previously your nice and neat bookshelf. You figured the living room would be a safe bet, since Zuko normally hung out in his room, but you were surprised to see him just lounging on the sofa, scrolling through Netflix. “Oh, hey, I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“Yeah, I heard you arguing with Momo,” Zuko replied, looking back at you with a little smile. As if terrorizing you in your room wasn’t enough, Momo followed closely behind you, swatting at your blanket when you paused.

“He’s a dick, he wouldn’t let me nap. You mind if I hang out with you instead?”

“Go for it,” Zuko said, motioning to the open sofa beside him. You didn’t know if that was actually an offer to share the sofa, but it would definitely be more comfortable than the other chairs in the room, so you took him up on it. Sure, you were as close to the other arm of the sofa as you physically could be, but it was still on the same sofa. Momo opted instead to sit on one of the chairs, just watching you two. “You wanna watch anything?”

“I’m good with whatever, I’ll probably knock out anyways,” you told him, trying to hide your yawn. Zuko hummed in acknowledgement, going back to his browsing. You debated getting on your phone until you fell asleep and inevitably dropped it on your face, but instead opted to just watch him. There was something about the slight frown on his face as he tried to find something that piqued his interest - at least enough to stay put for a while. Or maybe it was the was he was completely casual, just in some black sweats and a random t shirt. Or maybe you needed to get some sleep, because why was he looking so-

“Alright, what’s going on?” Zuko asked, putting the remote down on the arm of the sofa beside him.

“What do you mean?” You weren’t sure if you should be grateful for him jolting you out of whatever spiral you were going down.

“You’re staring. What’s up?” You just decided that you weren’t grateful. Damn him and his directness. Well, not always direct, especially when he was uncomfortable.

“Nothing, sorry, I was just zoning out.”

“Okay, well zone out staring somewhere else.” You rolled your eyes at that before picking up a stuffed animal you’d won at the arcade and throwing it at him. Of course he caught it before it hit him, but you got your point across. “What the hell?”

“Stop being a dick!” Momo’s sudden loud meow interrupted the two of you, just enough to break whatever the hell was going on. As soon as you both shut up, Momo went about making the chair more comfortable for himself.

“Alright, I’m going to take a nap, pick something to watch.” You said, pulling your blanket tighter around yourself. Your exhaustion from earlier was coming back, and you just needed to close your eyes and maybe have whatever Zuko wanted to watch in the background and-

“And I’m telling you he definitely cheated!” Sokka’s voice rang through the apartment, paired with the sound of the door crashing open. 

“I think you’re just a sore loser,” Aang’s slightly calmer, but still pretty loud response came not long after. You shifted, not opening your eyes quite yet. You were hoping for the chance to go back to sleep, but there wasn’t much hope for that now that the others were here.

“Hey, can you guys shut up? They’re napping in here,” Zuko called out in a hushed tone.

“Why aren’t they in their room?” Sokka asked, his voice getting closer. “I thought they hated falling asleep in here.”

“Well, we did come in kind of loud,” Aang immediately sounded sheepish, which you definitely appreciated.

“And they tried napping in their room but Momo was being a terror,” Zuko explained further.

“Aw, but how? He’s sleeping so peacefully!”

“I believe it,” Sokka chimed in.

“Alright, so can you guys be quiet so they can finish taking their nap?”

“Since when did you get so invested in their sleep?” Sokka asked, probably leaning over the couch to look at Zuko closely. You just hoped he wouldn’t accidentally flip himself over the back of it. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Just shut up already.”

**********

You’d hoped that whatever little demon had taken hold of you and made you find Zuko (more) attractive would die down eventually as you just continued living with him, but unfortunately it just grew stronger. So that’s how you ended here, with your council: Sokka, Katara, and Suki.

As soon as you guys got to the little diner and sat in your corner booth, you looked at them and took a deep breath to signal that you were ready to drop some news on them. Immediately Katara and Suki perked up, watching you closely.

”Alright, spill it,” Katara said after a moment of you all just looking at each other.

”Spill what?”

”Whatever you brought us here to talk about,” Suki chimed in.

”Yeah, should’ve known that you don’t just offer me free food for nothing.” Sokka said.

”I never offered you free food, I asked if you wanted to get food and you jumped at the chance,” you immediately corrected. Even if you loved Sokka like a brother, your wallet could not afford his appetite.

”Whatever, details, details. Now spill.”

”Do you guys think Zuko is cute?” You asked, trying to soften the blow.

”What?” they all asked at once, staring at you like you just suggested getting rid of Appa. 

“Damn, okay, guess not. I’ll shut up now.”

”No, you don’t get to do that! Why the hell did you ask that?” Katara asked, leaning across the table to look at you closer.

”Is this why you guys have been acting weird around each other? Did something happen between the two of you?” Sokka asked, not even giving you the chance to answer his sister.

”What? They’ve been acting weird around each other? Why didn’t you tell me?” Suki asked, turning to her boyfriend.

”I thought it was weird but didn’t really think anything of it! I figured we were all just burnt out from exams,” Sokka said with a shrug.

”Spirits, will you guys just let me answer?” You finally interrupted the chaos erupting around you. “And what, you’ve never thought Zuko was cute?”

“Well,” Katara trailed off for a second before shaking her head. “Actually, no. Can’t say I have.”

“I’m telling Aang you hesitated,” you tried to use her moment of weakness to your advantage.

“Shut up. Normal people don’t ask that question.”

“I refuse to believe no one here has found Zuko attractive.” You argued.

“We just got over it,” Sokka chimed in. Suki immediately shot him a look. “What? Am I supposed to lie and say the guy’s not objectively attractive?”

“I’ll take it.”

“No, that doesn’t end the conversation!” Suki said, lightly smacking her hand on the table. “Why are you asking that? Do you have a thing for him?”

“I don’t know, maybe? Like, he’s cute and he helps me around the apartment and we hang out when the others aren’t there-”

“I’m gonna stop you there. The second you have multiple ‘and’s going on, you’re trying to talk yourself out of something,” Katara said, taking a drink of her coffee. “You’re gross.”

“I never even said anything! I just asked if people thought he was cute.” You knew defending yourself was pointless, but you would still die before giving in to your friends.

“You’re basically asking us to validate you, and I’m not gonna do that for no reason.”

“I will,” Sokka shrugged. “If you wanna be delusional, go for it.”

“That’s the kind of support I’m looking for. Sokka, you’re my number one now.”

“Okay, but good luck getting him to keep his mouth shut. This is the same guy that spilled Aang’s crush to me within a week of knowing it.”

“Yeah, but it took him like a year to even realize Aang had a crush on you in the first place,” Suki tried defending her boyfriend.

“Thanks, babe. I think.”

**********

You could practically feel the effort Sokka was going through to not say anything about your crush on Zuko. Everytime Sokka walked in on the two of you hanging out, or cooking dinner, or even the one time you ran into each other on the walk home and came in at the same time, you could see his brain short circuit. He would either go silent, which Zuko noticed, or he would walk right out, which Zuko definitely noticed. He would look at you with a confused little frown, and you would try to ignore the way you immediately felt warm at it. You’d wave him off, and he would drop it normally.

And then finals ended, and you and your friends decided to have a night in, drinking and celebrating the end of classes. Aang was designated adult, so you all had the chance to let loose a little. You were on the couch next to Zuko, listening intently as he rambled on about something his sister had done when they were children. There was a little blush sitting high on his cheeks, the cider he’d been drinking in one hand (probably) the culprit. Maybe you were sitting a little closer than you should have for a purely platonic thing, but you used the excuse of Toph’s growing volume to validate it to yourself. You should’ve known things wouldn’t be this nice for too long, especially since you didn’t exactly know the last time you saw Sokka leave the kitchen.

As you started getting into a story from one of your classes - one that Zuko had definitely heard before, not that he would stop you - you turned to fully face Zuko. You trailed off, getting caught up in just looking at him. It really wasn’t fair that he was so pretty. He gave you a little shy smile, tilting his head in an unasked question. And then suddenly, your view of him was blocked by Sokka’s face. His hazy eyes met yours, and you could feel something was about to happen, but you didn’t exactly have the capacity to figure out just what is was. Before you could say anything, Zuko spoke up.

“Hey, buddy. What’s up?” Sokka turned his attention to the other man.

“Are you guys gonna get together yet or what?” He was so nonchalant about it that you almost missed the slight slur of his words. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol all night. But you did know better, so you immediately started scanning the room for Suki, hoping she’d be able to rein in her boyfriend quickly.

“What’re you talking about?” Zuko asked with a nervous laugh. You stood, hoping that would give you a bit more visibility. Sure enough, you locked eyes with Suki. She took one look at the situation and handed her drink to Toph before grabbing a water bottle from the counter and making her way to you.

“Well, they have a giant crush on you and-” And just a second too late. Suki pulled Sokka back by the collar of his shirt, putting the water bottle in his hand.

“Sokka, honey, why don’t you drink this and leave them alone?”

“C’mon, I’m being like the best wingman!”

“You really aren’t,” Suki muttered, putting her arm around him. She then mouthed a sorry to you before redirecting Sokka back to a chair in the kitchen.

“Uh, well, I think it’s time for me to call it a night,” you said, reaching down to grab your phone from where it fell off your lap. Any buzz you’d been feeling was now completely gone and you just wanted to get out of there. Maybe just hide under the covers for a bit and watch YouTube.

“Oh. Uh,” Before Zuko could even start to form a response, you already started making your way to your room, waving goodnight to everyone you passed. As soon as you closed your door behind you, you allowed yourself to take a deep breath. You were so ready to end Sokka, but maybe there was still a way to salvage this. Sokka was way gone, so maybe you could explain it as drunken ramblings. But then what about your swift exit? And Suki saving you? You groaned, not really wanting to think about it any more. You could deal with this in the morning. You hoped Sokka’s hangover was terrible.

You went about getting ready for bed, shooing Momo off of your hoodie so you could put it on. Just as you were about to turn out the lights, there was a light knocking at your door. You looked to Momo like he would answer it, and then there were another couple knocks. “Hey, uh, it’s me.”

Of course Zuko would want to check on you. You took a breath, steadying yourself for a quick little explanation. Oh, hey. Yeah, I have no idea why Sokka said that. I’m really sorry if he made you uncomfortable. You’re covering dishes tomorrow, right?

You opened the door, half expecting Momo to barrel his way out of your room. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Can I come in? I don’t think you want everyone listening in,” Zuko asked, straight to the point. You stepped out of the way, letting him in. “So, uh, what Sokka said-”

“Listen, I’m really sorry about that,” you said, cutting him off. “Sokka’s pretty fucking gone right now and-”

“So, uh, was he telling the truth or just messing with me?”

“Wait, messing with you?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Okay, uhm, I’m confused. Why would he be messing with you?”

“Well, this wasn’t exactly how I wanted things to go,” Zuko trailed off, looking around the room and finally settling on watching Momo sleep on your bed. “Momo comes in here a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, he knows he can bully me. So are you gonna tell me why Sokka would be messing with you?”

“Listen, don’t feel obligated or anything, and I get this is weird because we live together-”

“Zuko, please get to the point.”

“Sorry, sorry. I think you’re a cool person and I like hanging out with you, and I was talking to my uncle about it on the phone and Sokka kinda just barged into my room. I get if it’s weird since we live together, and I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable-”

“Oh my spirits, I’m an idiot,” you said. Zuko looked at you in confusion, waiting for you to elaborate. “How long ago was this? Zuko, remember when I took Sokka, Suki, and Katara out to dinner a bit ago?”

“Uh, yeah. Still a bit rude I didn’t get an invite.”

“You didn’t get an invite because we were talking about you. Wait, not in a bad way. It’s just I was starting to have a crush on you and I had no idea what to do about it so I called in the council to deliberate.”

“You’re really making that sound a lot more formal than it was.”

“That’s the part you’re stuck on?” After a few seconds, Zuko’s eyes widened in realization. “There you go.”

“Wait, you’re being serious?” Even in the dim light of your room, you could see the way his cheeks burned bright. His amazement was incredibly cute, and it took everything in you not to show it.

“Yeah, do I need to call Suki in here? She can back up what I’m saying.” 

“No!” Even Zuko seemed a bit surprised with how forceful that was. “I mean, no, it’s okay. I believe you. So, uh…”

“Right, uh. What now? This hasn’t actually happened to me before.”

“I don’t actually know.” The two of you stood a couple feet apart, trying to figure out what exactly this meant. You didn’t know what came over you, but you closed the distance, reaching for his hand. His touch was a bit hesitant at first, taking a second to relax his hand into yours. You looked up at him, yearning to touch him more.

“Can I kiss you? It’s okay if-” Zuko cut you off by pressing his lips to yours, the faint taste of the cider he’d been drinking earlier lingering. It was a quick little thing, leaving you wanting more. But you didn’t know if that would make you look desperate or not. He pulled back, and you didn’t know if the flush on his cheeks was new or still lingering from earlier.

“Sorry, I’d been wanting to do that for a bit and you gave me the okay.”

“Don’t apologize, it was nice.”

“Just nice?”

“Really nice.”

“I’ll take it. So, uh, do you want to go on like an actual date? With me?”

“Yeah, I would really like that. But what if things get weird?”

“We live with Sokka, it’s not like things can get much weirder.” And just as though Zuko had summoned him, there was pounding on your door.

“(Y/n)! I’m sorry! Please don’t hate me!” Sokka’s drunken pleading quickly followed. You could hear Suki trying to pull him away and couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe Zuko was right.

[fred-erick-frankenstein]

my official stance is a pregnancy is whatever the pregnant person wants it to be. if it’s a 4 weeks old clump of cells and they wants to call it a baby it’s a baby. if they're 20 weeks and they want to call it a parasite it’s a parasite. if they're 39 weeks and call it a fetus it’s a fetus. “why are you so sad about miscarrying at 6 weeks it was literally just an embryo” because that was their baby. “how can you get an abortion at three months” because that wasn’t a baby. hope that helps.

[the-most-humble-blog]

The Great Disconnect: Why Pro-Lifers See Pro-Choicers as Literal Monsters

When You Think You’re Fighting for ‘Rights’ But They See You as the Devil in Yoga Pants

There’s no middle ground in the abortion debate—just two groups staring at each other across the moral apocalypse, each convinced the other is batshit crazy. But here’s where it gets real interesting:

Pro-lifers don’t just disagree with pro-choicers. They don’t just think they’re misguided.

No, no, no—they see them as full-blown, selfish, soulless, degenerate female monsters.

And honestly? From their point of view, it makes sense.

Let’s step inside the mind of a pro-lifer for a second. Not to agree, but to understand why they see pro-choicers the same way you’d look at a dude kicking a puppy for fun.

1. The “Kill a Baby, Call It Self-Care” Mentality

Imagine you’re a pro-lifer. You believe life begins at conception, that every fetus has a soul, and that killing it is no different than drowning a toddler in a bathtub.

Now, imagine scrolling Twitter and seeing a chick with blue hair posting:

💅 "Got my nails done, had my latte, and aborted that clump of cells! Self-care, ladies!"

To a pro-lifer, this is a horror movie. It’s like watching someone casually update their Instagram story:

📸 "Just poisoned Grandma for her inheritance! #Blessed"

In their minds, you’re not just wrong—you’re a literal death cult member bragging about body count like you’re collecting Pokémon.

2. The “Shout Your Abortion” PR Disaster

Now let’s get into the really unhinged part.

The Shout Your Abortion movement told women to be loud and proud about their terminations. From a pro-life perspective, this is like watching someone remix genocide into a TED Talk.

Think about it: If you truly believe abortion is murder, then a woman gleefully “shouting her abortion” is no different than a dude wearing a “Shout Your School Shooting” T-shirt.

This isn’t debate to them. This isn’t politics. This is straight-up serial killer energy being marketed as feminism.

3. “B-but What About the Men?!”

Oh, but it gets worse. Because pro-lifers don’t just see women celebrating abortion—they see them acting like it’s some kind of empowering flex.

Picture this:

A guy gets a girl pregnant. He says, "Nah, I don’t wanna be a dad," and ghosts her. Society calls him a deadbeat loser.

A girl gets pregnant. She says, "Nah, I don’t wanna be a mom," and gets an abortion. Society calls her brave.

To pro-lifers, this isn’t equality. It’s feminist hypocrisy on crack. You wanna be equal to men? Cool. That means taking responsibility like them too.

But instead, they see modern women happily skipping down the "Do Whatever the Fuck I Want" road while men are expected to shut up and pay up.

4. Abortion as “Plan C” (After Bad Decisions and Birth Control Fails)

Then there’s the fact that abortion has become the backup plan to the backup plan.

Plan A: Don’t sleep with dudes you don’t trust.

Plan B: Use protection.

Plan C: Fuck it, let’s just get an abortion!

To pro-lifers, abortion isn’t some tragic, rare necessity. It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card for women who made reckless decisions and don’t feel like dealing with the consequences.

Imagine watching someone speed drunk through a school zone, hit a kid, then casually sue the school for “not having a better fence.”

That’s how pro-lifers see pro-choicers. Not as people making difficult choices, but as reckless degenerates shamelessly sidestepping responsibility.

5. "If You Wouldn’t Kill a Puppy..."

And then there’s the biggest, most frustrating argument pro-lifers have against pro-choicers:

🐶 "If we put a puppy in your womb instead of a fetus, you’d be pro-life instantly."

The same people screaming "Free Palestine!" and crying over factory farming will swipe left on their own flesh and blood like it’s a bad Tinder match.

Tell a pro-choicer they should feel bad for terminating a pregnancy, and they’ll say "My body, my choice!"

But tell them "Hey, maybe let’s not mass-exterminate baby seals," and suddenly they’re gluing themselves to the freeway in protest.

To pro-lifers, this double standard is pure insanity.

You wouldn’t microwave a kitten, but you’ll crush a fetus for being inconvenient? Yeah, okay, lady.

Final Thoughts: Monsters vs. Monsters

The real disconnect here is that pro-choicers see abortion as personal autonomy, while pro-lifers see it as a straight-up war crime.

And once you see someone as a baby-killing, morality-free gremlin who laughs in the face of what you consider sacred?

There’s no conversation left to have.

So while pro-choicers are out here chanting "My body, my choice!"

Pro-lifers are looking at them like, "Nah, bitch, you're a walking horror movie."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the divide isn’t closing anytime soon.

🔥 Follow The Most Humble Blog for more brutally honest, no-BS takes. If you're mad, take a number, because you're not the first.

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

I recently reblogged this thread recently and I have to say, it's mind blowing to me. This is a great thread but looking through the replies is mind numbing. Women have children. Aside from RARE exceptions this is a biological fact. The thing that causes this to happen? Sexual Intercourse. The thread is shown here:

Now. Let me start this off by saying that I don't have solid beliefs when it comes to Pro Life or Pro Choice. I really don't. I know several people I follow are pro life and would not be happy with me saying that but I mostly sit on the fence for this one. I lean more towards the Pro Life side of things but I'm honestly not 100% pro life. And I'm not good at articulating why. But that's something I personally have to live with.

However the reason I'm making this post is because of some comments I saw. Specifically from one person. Now, I didn't see the things they were replying too, but I can still approach what was said in the comments as they were statements that need no context to understand. I'll address them kind of together but also separately.

Here are the comments:

So let me make this blatantly clear. All of this is bullshit. All of it.

A fetus is a HUMAN fetus first and foremost. Meaning it is human from conception. And yes. Children have more rights than adults. Why? Because you can get charged for neglect towards a child. As well as other things. Kids have varying protections under the law that adults do not. So it's not, "More rights than a regular person". It's "More legal rights and protections than an adult."

A fetus is NOT a corpse. And even in the case of a miscarriage, there should still be a level of dignity given to the lost life.

"By allowing people to chose to terminate a pregnancy, that ensures both the parent and the child have equal human rights" No it doesn't. It means that the child has no right to life and the mother has a right to destroy said child before it is delivered. Even after said child is viable. When functionally a fetus is viable after a point in time where it can survive outside the womb. If it has to come out either way at that point, why kill it? Oh right, because you don't view it as a living human.

This here is a load of shit. Bodily autonomy stops the moment another life is added to the equation. "It means no one can use your body without your consent."

*SIGH*

YOU LITERALLY CONSENT TO THE CHANCE OF HAVING A CHILD THE MOMENT YOU DECIDE TO HAVE SEX. EVERY THING YOU DECIDE TO DO IN YOUR LIFE HAS CONSEQUENCES! IF YOU WANT TO HAVE SEX AND NOT HAVE KIDS GET FUCKING FIXED! And if you can't get fixed, the reason is because doctors have been SUED for letting people get fixed when they were too young to realized they'd eventually want kids. And after a LOT of legal issues most doctors will no longer fix people under a certain age without X amount of kids. Unless you opt to freeze your eggs first. However there are doctors that will still do it.

If you are so concerned, find those doctors. THEN when you decide ok now I'm ready, I hope you lose in court against the doctors or hospital you sue.

Nah. This is the sentiment of MOST pro choice advocates. It used to be "Safe, Legal, and Rare." Because back then, we understood life started at conception but very FEW exceptions were made. We did NOT call it "Just a clump of cells". We did not call it, "Just some tissue". It was, "As early as possible" "Not after a certain point" and "Put it up for adoption if you change your mind".

Now a days, it's "It's not a life at all, it's just some tissue, and it's only a baby when I PERSONALLY decide it is". <You all admitting you don't care about science or logical fact. It's human in it's developmental stages from the moment the egg is fertilized. And the only reason people DON'T want that to be the understanding is because people think it's their right to have consequence-less sex and have zero repercussions at all. It's people not wanting to take responsibility for their actions.

And here's the kicker. I have casual sex. I LOVE SEX. However, if I EVER got a girl preg and she kept it, I'd be a responsible adult and help take care of it. As the child would be half mine.

And contrary to the idea that denying a woman's ability do "Chose" is somehow, "Boiling women down to just their ability to give birth", No it's not. Not even remotely. It's just saying if you make a choice, and that choice results in a new life being created, you opted to make the choice that created it. It's not making women less than. It's holding men AND WOMEN accountable for their actions.

However, there is another element to this too. Which is another fun part of this WHOLE BS narrative. MEN are the only ones expected to have to be responsible. Both by society AND by law. They also, (in the west) do not have legal say over keeping the kid if the mother wants to get rid of it. So basically, your stance is probably, "Women should have carte blanche to have sex with NO consequences what so ever, but if the mother decides to keep her child the man has ZERO choice is if he has to pay child support in most of the western world. So again, we come back to this narrative of infantilizing women saying they can't be held to account for actions they themselves take. But others can be held to account for them.

How hard is it to stop having sex or don't have sex at all? Really though. Try being physically addicted to it to the point your mind actually gutter bombs into "It's fine I can stop living". A lot of Nymphomaniacs live that reality and often have to be on heavy medications to more or less kill their libido entirely. Except less than 5% of the world populace has that problem. It's a want that you are trying to pass off as a need.

This is an annoyed post mostly and probably moderately incoherent but honestly? This whole argument pissed me off. Women are not toddlers. Please stop pretending that being exempt from consequences is somehow "Empowering" and "A human right". It's not.

[triforce-of-mischief]

my official stance is a pregnancy is whatever the pregnant person wants it to be. if it’s a 4 week old clump of cells and they want to call it a baby it’s a baby. if they're 20 weeks and they want to call it a parasite it’s a parasite. if they're 39 weeks and call it a fetus it’s a fetus. “why are you so sad about miscarrying at 6 weeks it was literally just an embryo” because that was their baby. “how can you get an abortion at three months” because that wasn’t a baby. hope that helps.

slightly edited and stolen from a terf don't like this post? keep scrolling. clowns will be instantly blocked

[pfaugh]

my official stance is a pregnancy is whatever the person wants it to be. if it’s a 4 week old clump of cells and they want to call it a baby it’s a baby. if they're 20 weeks and they want to call it a parasite it’s a parasite. if they're 39 weeks and calls it a fetus it’s a fetus. “why are you so sad about miscarrying at 6 weeks it was literally just an embryo” because that was their baby. “how can you get an abortion at three months” because that wasn’t a baby. hope that helps.

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

I love how deeply Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is about Motherhood.

I think deeply on it a lot by now.

Same goes for how those themes are present throughout all of Elden Ring...

...and even moreso:

All of From Software's Souls games.

Like. All of theme have themes of motherhood present in at least some small way. Even as far back as Demon's Souls, with Maiden Astrea, I'd say!

Also. It goes without saying that Bloodborne is probably one of the most VISCERAL examples of this.

Like.

Nightmare of MENSIS

The Blood Dregs literally look like clumps of Sperm Cells.

All the symbolism with pregnancy and birth, and all the themes that come with it.

Like once you see it, it just becomes so clear what so many things in Bloodborne are supposed to represent. Things that thematically made no sense without this perspective, begin to make perfect sense.

Like just. You fundamentally cannot understand Bloodborne if you do not understand how themes of womanhood play a role in it.

[anamericangirl]

Hello! I thought about you when I watched this.

Here's the link, shortened for convenience: https://shorturl.at/eikOS.

I used to buy in the clump of cells narrative. Back then, I would of looked at this story and thought that this could of been prevented had she aborted. But now? I'm hurt that she didn't even think to put the baby up for adoption.

I'll include a link to the full story

But you are right this is so sad and so unnecessary. The "clump of cells" narrative is so harmful because it allows women to think of their babies as disposable. And pro-aborts might acknowledge this was the wrong thing to do but they advocate for literally the same thing if it's done just a little bit earlier.

It was just so unnecessary. She already had the baby and adoption or taking them home would have been the right thing to do here. There is no justification for what she did. That baby did not deserve that. Unwanted children should not be killed and I hope there is justice for the innocent life that was taken.

Thank you for sharing this story with me!

[acerikus]

my official stance is a pregnancy is whatever the person who's pregnant wants it to be. if it’s a 4 week old clump of cells and they want to call it a baby it’s a baby. if they're 20 weeks and they want to call it a parasite it’s a parasite. if they're 39 weeks and call it a fetus it’s a fetus. “why are you so sad about miscarrying at 6 weeks it was literally just an embryo” because that was their baby. “how can you get an abortion at three months” because that wasn’t a baby. hope that helps.

[potatosapien5]

okay this might seem like a really random post, but I am incredibly angry. It is absolutely awful how society, though specifically the US for me, treats pregnancy. The amount of predatory clinics designed to make someone feel like they have options and then scare them into not choosing abortion is insane. The first results on the internet for not wanting to be pregnant are these places. There’s an anti-abortion clinic literally RIGHT NEXT to my local planned parenthood. It has all positive reviews, but it is so obvious from the moment I checked the website that they do not want anyone to get an abortion and will actively attempt to stop people. Even the way that normal people will talk about regretting pregnancy is horrendous. Everywhere I’ve looked the answer to someone very clearly stating “I regret getting pregnant, I don’t want this” is to go “are you sure? You must be depressed. You’re just anxious, everyone gets anxious. You’ll get over it.” Sure, this can be true in some cases, but it still feels so icky to me. I’m not talking about this because it’s a problem I personally am having to deal with. But it still feels incredibly overwhelming to see. I hate that I live in a world where this is normal. I hate that I feel like if something were to happen, the world would be on the side of my reproductive organs(ones I don’t even want) and not me. I hate that I am considered wrong for finding the concept of pregnancy disgusting, not in the least because of how it is treated by society. Maybe it’s not my fault that I feel this way, maybe it’s actually justified to feel disgusted that pregnancy is considered essential to an afab person’s worth by so many people, that the life of a clump of cells matters more to the world than the fully fledged person who is forced to carry it. I don’t know. I’m really tired.

[rollercoasterwords]

the thing that fucks me up abt being a twin is that it's like.....i was a twin before i was a person. like at the earliest stage of existence i was a clump of cells beside another clump of cells which means before i had lungs or a brain or a heartbeat i had a twin which means before i had a body i had a twin. it is highly likely that the first words ever spoken about me when the nurse looked at the ultrasound were "it's twins!" which means that quite literally every growing cell in the clump that was my body was shaped by the clump growing beside it not only in the womb but in the mouths of the people outside the womb. from our conception my sister and i shared not just a physical space but an ontology, because we existed not as individuals but as a shared conception of identity that could not be separated from itself: we were not two distinct people, we were twins. for any other kind of sibling birth is the moment in which you grow closer and more tangible, but for a twin birth marks the point in time from which you are destined to only ever grow further apart, until one day you are expected to un-become the very thing that you have been since before you were even human. i think if i were to outlive my twin it would be like spending the rest of my life carrying a corpse around on my back.