Amatonormativity has destroyed so many people's understanding and acceptance of themselves, and it's heartbreaking.
Yes, it is normal to be in your 20s, 30s, or older and not have lost your virginity, had a first kiss, or a partner. It is normal to say that you aren't ready for those things, too! It is normal if your life doesn't follow the "college graduate -> engagement -> buying a home -> 2.5 kids and a dog" trajectory that so many people have idealized.
So many people associate maturity with losing your virginity, or having a first kiss, or a serious relationship, and I think that's a dangerous association. Maturity isn't gained through those things, and you don't have to have those experiences to be considered "mature" or "grown." It is not a bad thing to go at your pace. Nobody else can live your life but you. If you end up having those experiences, that's great! But it should be done because you want to experience them, not because you feel "broken" and "immature" without them.
I have to get it out. It's been like 9 months since my binge rewatch of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I'm not going to say that transitioning would've 100% saved Shinji, but it would kill Gendo instantly.
Just, the thought of that dense motherfucker being confronted by the fact that his own son, testament to all of his imperfections, would suddenly start to resemble his wife-- which he cannot handle outside of Rei-- would make him tweak into oblivion and I think that's very funny. just.
*Enter stage left, Shinji being forced through the doors of Gendo's office by Asuka and maybe Misato*
Shinji: Father, I-
Asuka: Just say it!
Shinji: Father, I'm a girl.. I'd like to start hrt immediately.
Gendo:
being an autistic Community fan is wild because you watch a really silly episode about a pillow fight shot like a Vietnam war documentary. and its really silly and super funny and wholesome and everyone is happy at the end and you had a great time. but also you're crying
In the nuclear field once per year we get our annual “body count.” It is a measure of gamma radiation emitting isotopes we may have picked up. The lungs are the primary area, but emissions from other organs are detected as well.
We also get scanned our very first day, and when we leave forever. Naturally, all this data is logged.
The body count scanner is highly accurate. It can show if you had a banana for breakfast.
Bananas have naturally occurring radioactive potassium isotopes. Don’t worry though, they’re still safe to eat. Bananas are good for ya!
Alpha particle radiation from smoking cigarettes is far worse. Smoking is bad for ya.
Anyhoo… We sit down in a chair with this cannon-like detector aimed at core mass. After several minutes, the recording is done, and we can return to our daily tasks. Different models are scaled in various sizes. Ours is a mid-to-large Canberra system.
To learn more, here’s an ebook that explains whole body counters.
I like the subtle world building implications in the differences between the usher foundation and the magnus institute. if the usher foundation and the magnus institute were meant to be direct parallels to each other, then the usher foundation would have been established in like the 1870s in boston or nyc, but no, it's in dc and was founded no earlier that 1955, and that gives me less "old respectable academia" vibes and more "insane reagan era project comissioned to weaponize the supernatural in the cold war that didn't work but was never officially shut down."