#she's not willing to do her own research and she isn't willing to be educated either

[olderthannetfic]

I think you've talked before about how it's wrong to assume the only people who enjoy taboo kink like race play are bigoted white people, right? Tumblr's search remains garbage. I've been trying to formulate some thoughts on it after seeing some videos on "bad books" but I don't really know enough about real world kink culture to know what's valid critique of racism or anti-kink just hiding behind it. So I remembered you'd mentioned the topic at some point and might have some thoughts?

--

Well, first, one should apply basic logic: If shittons of women kink on the ways in which society abuses women, why wouldn't at least some ethnic minorities kink on the way society abuses them?

Second, social media overflows with jackasses saying "Listen to POC" as a thought-terminating cliche, but it's good advice as long as you grasp that you do have to evaluate which people you're listening to and what basis you have for trusting that they know something about a subject.

Honestly, I don't think this topic is that complicated. There are just a lot of cowardly white people around who are too scared of ever being seen as wrong to be willing to do a little research or stand up for anything even remotely controversial. They'll parrot the first anti they run across but not bother to engage with the comments of nonwhite kinksters who are long-time community members with informed opinions.

The person I'd listen to, personally, is Mollena Williams-Haas, a kink educator and submissive. She has talked about race play here, among many other places.

Her comments boil down to it being about consent. If kinksters want to play with a concept and everyone involved is on the same page, it's not the business of outsiders to tell them it's off limits.

Playing with heavy topics in an agreed upon way is completely different from having that thing sprung on you without warning. We're used to making this distinction when people are playing with the trappings of rape but, somehow, lose our goddamn minds when the topic is racism.

Now, yes, there are plenty of gross white creeps who think nonwhite kinksters will inherently be interested in this sort of thing and should cater to them... but how is that any different from your usual pest in a bar chatting up uninterested parties and refusing to take no for an answer? The problem isn't squicky kinks that many of us don't want to hear about: The problem is jackasses treating others as a fantasy and/or kink dispenser instead of a person with feelings and needs.

Frankly, most of the arguments against this sort of kink are your usual "As a woman, you should be setting a good example!" bilge that's leveled at all submissive women but on steroids because a woman of color is extra, extra, extra responsible for living her whole life as An Example. (And I notice that it's generally submissive nonwhite women who come in for the most abuse even though plenty of other dynamics exist. Quelle surprise.) It's bullshit. People should mind their own damn business.

As for "bad books"... Are we talking bodice rippers with nonwhite heroines or what? Are we back to colonizer romance wank? Books about characters engaging in race play in a BDSM context? I think it's reasonable to critique books that don't seem to know what they're doing—e.g. not seeming aware that a rape scene is one—but stupid to worry about iddy trash that is trying to be iddy trash. People will always like socially unacceptable id fodder. Some books will always cater to that.

[s-wave-entertainment]

Also, fuck it, a vague mention isn't enough (I will talk about Murder Drones: Eps. 5 and 7 here so just in case I have any new fans!):

For my main audience, I have an AU for you too! It is also still being workshopped, but it has a lot more structure than the TADC one does. Basically, I built a "What If?" scenario in which The Solver had kept its promise (ACTUALLY, DON'T GET INTO TECHNICALITIES WITH ME I KNOW THE LOOPHOLE I KNOW) and not discarded her. If she had survived the massacre and been left to fend for herself, until The Solver needed her again.

Tessa walked away from the massacre that night. Not okay in the slightest, but physically unharmed. She had no known relatives or family friends (that would be willing to take in a child, that is), so for a while JCJ housed her themselves in a cleared-out office room. This is when the researcher who rescued her that night, Dr. Lisa E Merit, decided "this is bullshit and this child needs Actual Help," and decided to adopt her herself - and actually pay for the counseling Tessa needed.

There was a drone involved eventually - who was originally Lisa's work assistant - named Mary. Lisa realized after a few days that Tessa didn't exactly do great all by herself in a house all day, so she eventually asked her to come home and assist her adopted daughter instead of assist her at work. Mary agreed (initially reluctantly as she had no idea how in the hell to interact with a kid), and her and Tessa became pretty fast friends.

I actually gave her a pretty good family, so you're welcome for not torturing her any more! ...That is until a few years down the line (Tessa is maybe 23, 24 when this happens) when the Solver appears In Her Apartment and basically tells her "Hey I'm gonna fuck this bitch up in three days, and you have those three days to decide if you wanna help me (and live) or not (and die). I've got a peace offering for you in case you're still mad about the whole 'killing your entire family' thing." And that peace offering is Serial Designation J, in her disassembly drone form.

Obviously, beyond J being her friend, I should explain a little more. Tessa, after she concluded her education, was easily recruited into JCJ. She didn't want to do this, but if she had any hope of finding the truth about what happened to her friends that night, she needed the company to help her do it. So basically Tessa is running her own operation under the JCJ name behind everyone's backs (except for Lisa, who knows about it and actively helps her). So there's that.

Anyway, this is why she took J as a peace offering but had her help hijack a ship and escape Earth before shit got fucked. The whereabouts of Lisa and Mary are unknown to me currently - I may have Tessa have taken them as well since in CANON she arrived with three ships, but at the moment they did not make it off the planet. I have a little content, mostly writing, but what do y'all want - should I drop it?

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Perfect on Paper Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD What's the best advice you've ever received or given? ❓ 🦇 High school junior Darcy Phillips has a secret identity as the relationship advice expert behind Locker 89. Leave a letter along with $10 and she'll provide the perfect solution to your relationship woes. So far, she hasn't been caught...that is, until Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters. He'll keep her secret...if she can fix his relationship post-break-up, that is. Can Darcy help Brougham win his girlfriend back (without strangling the entitled, rich, yummy-Australian-accent-slinging swimmer) in the process?

💜 Perfect on Paper was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award (Best Young Adult Fiction - 2021) and it's no wonder. This was the exact book bisexual baby me needed a decade ago. Though I've read a multitude of books featuring bisexual FMCs, Sophie Gonzales is the first to capture the authenticity of internalized biphobia. I'll admit I was sheltered enough that it took me a while to realize bi was even an option for me. Bisexual erasure didn't help; once I self-identified, I was given the oh-so-cliche, "that's not real," and "it's just a phase." Bitch, I'm a moon goddess; I'm in a new phase every day of my life. ANYWAY. Darcy is authentic in her concern that a crush over a guy invalidates her bi-ness. The Queer & Questioning Club scene where Darcy's community validates her was everything (and truly got me misty-eyed).

💜 The advice column aspect of the story was brilliant. Darcy's letters are written in a tone that's patient and empathetic yet informative and encouraging. She'd obviously done her research and it shows, but you see her mentally unravel the moment there's personal bias and it's BEAUTIFUL. Darcy isn't perfect. She's a high schooler, still figuring herself out. Yes, she's flawed, but she's also self-aware, willing to grow and change and take her own advice (or the advice she gets from her AMAZING trans big sister, who I adored).

💜 While this is a queer YA romance, there are so many layers beyond that. There's a mixed bag of diversity and personal trauma (and with that, potential for growth) to explore.

💙 The story DID take a minute to pick up speed, so the beginning left me waiting for a catalyst for momentum. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm no a fan of the miscommunication trope. HOWEVER, it does fit here, and proves how easily a tiny moment of misunderstanding can completely alter the course of a friendship. I did have to put the book down at one point, when Darcy's best friend outs her (I was super frustrated on Darcy's behalf because that betrayal was intense). I was disappointed that no one stepped forward and THANKED Darcy for her advice when she was getting attacked as the person behind Locker 89. People were upset BEFORE their letters were taken, but no one thanked Darcy until LONG after the situation cooled. Given Darcy's self-proclaimed success rate (was there a mention of HOW she knew she was successful, beyond the lack of refunds?), I expected a lot more praise for her abilities beyond one person.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Leah on the Offbeat and Imogen, Obviously, with a hint of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Netflix's Sex Education.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 💌 Bisexual FMC (w/ Internalized Biphobia) 💌 Queer Young Adult Rom-Com 💌 Lots of Rep 💌 Hate-to-Love 💌 Friends to Lovers 💌 POC Sapphic Side Ship

💬 Quotes ❝ "Do you think there’s a chance that [...] you’re intellectualizing things so you don’t have to, you know, feel them?" ❞ ❝ I was sitting in the space between a sound and its echo. Brougham had asked a question, and I had to answer it. It was that, or keep dreaming about love, and working toward helping others find it, while never letting myself risk it. ❞ ❝ In some ways, we mirrored each other. We shared cracks in complementary places. ❞ ❝ Bi people are part of the queer community, and their identity does not change depending on who, if anyone, they happen to have feelings for or date at any given moment. ❞

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝐑𝐄-𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆… 𝐌𝐘 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒

❝ Samantha Ross had been obsessed with all things paranormal from a young age. Though her parents worried for their daughter, often encouraging her to take up more "normal" interests - as if normal was even a real thing - Samantha had always been perfectly content to be that weird kid who told the scariest ghost stories at sleepovers, knew all of New York State's urban legends by heart, and spent most of her nights reading horror novels under her covers with a flashlight.

Her interest in the scary and macabre continued into her adulthood. Earning degrees in both parapsychology and education, Samantha bounced around several different schools in New York City as a substitute teacher before earning a position at a university in Manhattan, where she met three of the strangest men she'd ever met. But Samantha had always liked strange, and she was quick to make friends with her three fellow scientists, settling into a routine that she quite enjoyed. She would help Peter with his various psychological experiments, do her own research on various ghost stories and urban legends from around the world, and occasionally step in as a substitute professor when it was needed. Life was good, if a little weird whenever Ray and Egon dragged her along on their ghost-hunting expeditions.

And then, immediately after coming across a real ghost at a public library, the four scientists are fired from their positions at the university, and Ray has the genius idea to open up a ghost-capturing business. Samantha isn't sure how she feels about going into business for such a thing - who's going to pay to get rid of something most people don't even believe is real?

Still, it's not as if she has anywhere else to go, so Samantha follows her friends into this odd business venture, pleasantly surprised when they actually receive some clients. And then it turns out some big bad demon-god thing wants to invade Earth and use New York as a doorway, and that Samantha, Peter, Egon and Ray may be the only ones equipped to stop it.

Well, Samantha supposes, this is what she gets for taking a job that requires her to introduce herself as a Ghostbuster. Still, she's willing to fight with her friends - and the man she's come to love - and defend her city, even if it might mean becoming a ghost herself. ❞

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations, @stanshollaand, @ginnystilinski-reblogs, @luucypevensie, @ginger-grimm, @arrthurpendragon, @fakedatings, @impales, @claryxjackson, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @lucys-chen, @ocappreciationtag. (Also tagging @manyfandomocs.)

[wcrldcfvtlvs]

@mostmagicals asked: 👥 (Isadora and Victoria?) // Send 👥 for a headcanon relating to both of our muses | accepting always!

Victoria helps Isadora with her pastry shop, out of the Atlas', Victoria is fairly good at baking and has improved her skills for the sake of Isadora if she ever needs and extra hand. If Victoria isn't baking, she's helping with cashing out customers, greeting them educating them on the various baked goods that Isadora has to offer.

In addition, Victoria has taken the liberty in giving the pastry shop an overall nature themed aesthetic with a hint of fairy aesthetic as well to really pull everything together. Isadora and Victoria's signature colors are displayed through the shop.

Lastly, Victoria has offered to bring by her own tea leaves so they can also be sold to the customers along with the tea. Rosalie after hearing that Victoria is helping Isadora, has also offered to do research on various affordable coffee houses that would be willing to ship to Isadora's shop so coffee can be an option as well for those who don't drink tea.

[shipcestuous]

You're comment about stories focusing a lot on uncle/nibling (love that word, btw!) relationships until they actually turn out to be parent/child made me think of a non-incestuous example in His Dark Materials. (All canons, it's important to the plot to ever be lost in adaptation.)

At the beginning of the story, main character Lyra Belaqua is (platonically) smitten with her uncle, Lord Asriel. She's been told she's an orphan and her parents were Asriel's brother and sister-in-law, and due to their family connection and his obligation to their deceased relatives, Asriel kindly pulled some strings to have her raised and given a full education in Jordan College, not taking care for her himself but having her be around important scholars and their research since a very young age. Lord Asriel himself isn't around too much, being busy with his own research and his adventures around the world, but besides being Lyra's benefactor, he's intelligent and cunning, charismatic, strong-willed, fierce, and aloof in a bit of a "noble rogue" way, with an air of mystery and danger about him, so whenever he comes visiting, Lyra is immediately drawn to him and trying to get his attention. They're actually rather similar, with her being also very stubbon, resourceful, quick-witted and good at thinking on her feet, with an indipendent and rebellious streak. As the plot of the first book/movie/first season of the HBO show goes on, there's at least two separate occasion when she has reason to believe he's in danger, and her first instinct is to come save him.

However, the truth about their familiar relationship is revealed well before the start of the second installment of the story and, suffice to day, even if she still cares about him, Lyra is not happy at all about Lord Asriel lying to her through her whole life. Them only reuniting after the fact and Asriel being devastated and furious at her sight because he thinks for a moment he'll have to sacrifice her in the experiment that will kick off his grand plan doesn't help... neither does him being relieved to realize she's brought her best friend along and deciding to sacrifice him instead. (For extra context: Lyra's just been through hell and back to save said best friend and a lot of other children along with him. Even later, his death at the hands of her own father, after she herself caused them to meet through her attempts to help them both, as well as the knowledge of what Asriel is willing to do for his ideals, haunts her.)

An extra layer of complication is also added by Lyra finding out the identity of her real mother, Mrs. Coulter, around the same time as all of this goes down. When Mrs. Coulter first shows up in her life as a sort of mentor figure, Lyra is immediately enchanted by her. Mrs. Coulter is an independent woman with important connections in a very religious and patriarchal world, she's beautiful and elegant and refined but also well-educated, passionate and unafraid to speak her mind, witty, and well-respected. It's been ages since I read the book, but I'm pretty sure that, before she learns the truth, Lyra actually fantasizes about her and Asriel meetting, falling in love, getting married, and adopting her or at least taking her on their joint travels around the world. However, under her perfectly put together appearance, Mrs. Coulter hides a dark, unstable side. When she finds out she lied to her, Lyra must confront that and the fact that her mother has been involved in some genuinely horrifying things... things that would have harmed Lyra herself in a very direct manner, if Mrs. Coulter had not intervened at the last second. And even then, Lyra is faced with the devastating fact she only intervened to save her own daughter, and was absolutely willing to let so many other children go through the same process because she counted them as acceptable losses while trying to achieve her goals.

The backstory to Lyra's parentage and its secret is that Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter met when they were younger and fell in love, drawn to each other's passion and intellect, but she was already married at the time. Their affair resulted in baby Lyra, but when Mrs. Coulter's husband realized that "his" daughter actually looked a lot like a Belaqua, Mrs. Coulter faked Lyra's death and entrusted her to Lord Asriel, who in turn hid her away in a country house he owned with a nanny. However, Mrs. Coulter's husband eventually found out and stormed the secret house. Luckily, Asriel engaged him in a duel before he could get to Lyra, and finally killed him. After that, with the scandal brought to light by her husband's death and her reputation and her reputation ruined, Mrs. Coulter refused to have anything more to do with her former lover or their daughter.

After rebuilding her standing as a dignified high society woman and academic, and becoming involved in the thing mentioned above, the one actively targeting and harming children, Mrs. Coulter ended up thinking back to the daughter she herself had given away, worrying about her safety and, perhaps, even wondering if things could have gone differently. So, years later, she tries to keep Lyra close to keep an eye on her and reconnect with her in her own way, still with revealing their true relationship to each other. But while Asriel is distant and close-lipped about anything too personal, Mrs. Coulter deals with the need to hide everything by developing a possessive, even obsessive attitude towards her that gets increasingly uncomfortable (at least once involving violence, another time essentially keeping Lyra prisoner) as the story goes on.

And yet, at the end of the day, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter deeply love Lyra, even if not in healthy ways. Their ending, for all their high ideals, selfish actions, and dramatic gestures, is agreeing to sacrifice themselves for Lyra, knowing they're going not just to die but to destroy their souls, but accepting that fate for the chance to save their daughter.

Both relationships are incredibly intense and, while I've never shipped either (the age difference would be a bit much for me, and Mrs Coulter in particular crosses a line at one point that squicks me out beyond repair, I'm afraid) but if it turned out other people shipped one or both, I'd honestly just say "oh, yeah, sure, I get it."

I'm rather familiar with this series. I read the books when they came out, so I'm pretty rusty on those details, but I've seen the movie a few times, and I watched the first season of the series from a few years ago.

This is another great example of a prominent "uncle" that turned out to be the father. Although this might be one situation where I'm OK with it.

I've always shipped Asriel/Mrs. Coulter a lot, so I was kind of stuck on that and never really looked at the relationships with Lyra in that way. But it's really interesting that the dynamics with both parents are Lyra's fascination with a glamorous figure. And then, as you described, slowly learning some horrifying truths about what they are each willing to do.

Particularly with Lord Asriel, when he comes to visit, it's like a celebrity that's coming. She's shy and excited and all that.

[thegoober010]

My Hero x Mob Psycho 100

@princeasimdiya12 requested:

So for my request, can you write a oneshot featuring Mob taking Momo out on a date please? It's based on a crossover AU where Mob gets transported to the mha dimension and enrolls in Class 1-A to be a hero. In the fic, he gets the idea to use his powers to fly himself and Momo across the city to a romantic dinner on top of one of the buildings.

Interesting request hmmm.... HELL YEAH I CAN!!! Although I may not personally ship it since I don't really do crossover ships often this seems like an adorable idea and ask- and you shall receive >:)!!!

word count -> 2,081/2k!

not proofread because I don't wanna right now 😞

"The first one to ever like me back..."

Shigeo Kageyama, also known as 'Mob', is also a psychic who was taken suddenly from his world and somehow ended up in a whole different reality! This reality being a reality filled with people who had powers, just like him, or well almost like him! Mob, unsure of where he was started to learn more about this reality and quickly adapted to where he was, but he has been trying to find ways to go back to his own reality. While he was learning more about this new reality he was in, he decided to enroll into a school so that he wouldn't be behind in his education, U.A. Problems did arise when he had to find a way to excuse why his parents weren't with him and such, but he made up a rather convincing lie saying he was an orphan and he built up on the story as he continued. It was just something he went with for now until he found a way back home. He thought U.A was a regular school if we're going to be a hundred percent honest, mostly because he didn't really do much research on it and just went with it, but oh dear, he did not expect this entrance exam to be so brutal, luckily he passed with flying colors thanks to his abilities, and not gonna lie, being a hero doesn't sound all too bad. It is a bit too much pressure for him though, he just wants to be a normal kid but... too late to go back now I guess!

A good few months later he made many friends in this class, mainly a young girl, Momo Yaoyorozu, who he may or may not have caught feelings for. She was always so kind to him, helping him with his studies and inviting him and her other classmates for study sessions at her mansion. Mob appreciated the kindness, and he couldn't help but start to develop feelings for her. They would talk very often and he was always willing to give advice to help with her quirk and how to use it better and she was always amazing at comforting him whenever it was obvious he was unsure if he should use his abilities or not during training and such. They would often help eachother with schoolwork as well, Mob was very appreciative of Momo, and he was very observant of her especially, noticing every little detail of her physical appearance as well as how she would act near him and around others, he just couldn't help but look into every little detail about her for some reason she was so captivating to him. Maybe staying in this reality isn't so bad.... In all honesty he does miss his mom and dad, his brother, Reigen and really everyone else in his reality, he does miss them, he never stops thinking about them. But, this reality isn't as bad as he thought it would be when he first got so suddenly teleported there, there were many accepting people here, especially... her. It was... nice, to have someone like that, someone kind and caring, someone who listens to you and someone you can listen to, someone who helps you with your problems and someone who gives that same respect back to you and to be in a place where there are people similar to you. He is of course still trying to get back to his reality but at the same time he doesn't mind staying longer as well, at least not anymore hah.

Mob walked through the halls trying his best not to bump into anyone in this crowded space. Students were all rushing over to the cafeteria for lunch meanwhile Mob was just trying to his best to make his way to the outside of the school. Why you may ask? Well- "Mob! I've been waiting for you." Momo grinned as she waved over at him, quickly motioning over at him to come over to her. Mob tiptoed through the crowd, "Sorry- woops, excuse me- um sorry just passing by-" Mob would mutter out softly to many people as he hastily made his way through the crowd over to the doorway which Momo was at. He waved back as he was finally out of the crowd. He made his way to her, rubbing the side of his neck. "Ah- yes I know, I'm- I'm sorry it was quite crowded, heh." Mob tried explaining, his sight shifting from Momo's face to the ground. Momo allowed a soft chuckle escape her lips before giving Mob a pat on the shoulder. "It's alright Mob, no need to worry about it, the halls get quite crowded during lunch hour since everyone's trying to make their way to eat and so on hehehe! I was just excited right now since... you asked me earlier to go outside with you, what's going on Mob?" Momo tilted her head.

Mob's face turned a slight shade of pink as she mentioned what he told her, he continued to look down and quickly shook his head, trying his best not to seem so nervous. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he rubbed his hands together trying to find out how to say what he wants to without sounding weird. He hummed in thought but all that he could muster up was a quick sigh. "Um- uh you'll see." Mob said with a small smile forming on his face. He motioned for Momo to follow him outside and over to the side of the building. Momo did so with a huge smile on her face, she wasn't sure of what could be going on but, it's not like she really cared, she was just glad that she could hang out with Mob really. "Hm alright." Momo hummed. Mob fidgeted with his hands as he sweated anxiously. Once they finally made it to the other side of the school building he turned his head over to Momo. "Hold on to me real quick, I'm not really strong but I'm going to carry you uh quickly for something- a surprise- oh uh is that- is that... alright?" Mob asked, he stumbled over his words, his nervousness becoming rather apparent to Momo as she tilted her head. She seemed confused, "A surprise?" She thought to herself. Momo nodded, "Of course it's alright! I trust you Mob." Momo said before she held onto his shoulder, Mob's face turned into a darker shade of pink before he held Momo in a piggyback position. He used his powers to levitate off the ground. As he quickly flew them onto the top of the building he tried his best not to drop Momo, taking extreme care where he placed his hands and making sure his grip was tight so that she wouldn't fall because that'd be an entire problem. "Careful... careful.." He thought to himself as he placed her back down gently once they were on top of the school building.

"U-um I made you a little uh dinner- picnic thing up here, It's not much but it's a um... thank you for uh helping me out throughout the year and uh..." Mob stumbled over his words, his heart beat faster and he felt his entire body heat up. Sweat dripped down his forehead, his palms getting all sweaty as well as he rubbed the side of his neck, turning his head to look at Momo, it seems like he wanted to say even more. Momo stared with a shocked look on her face at Mob and then at the small picnic in front of her. Her cheeks turned a slight hue of pink before she gave Mob an appreciative look. She quickly pulled him into a hug causing Mob to look up at her in shock. He hugged her back slightly, patting her back since he was a bit unsure of what else to do, it was a bit awkward for him. "You really didn't have to do this Mob! I love this so much it's amazing!" Momo grinned pulling away from the hug to look at Mob. His mouth was agape as he looked up at her grinning and appreciative face. His face turning redder by the second before giving her a soft smile. "Really? Thank you, I'm uh glad you like it." Mob replied as Momo gave him a pat on the head. "Like it? I love it!" Mob continued to look up at her, absolutely entranced. He loved it when people appreciated him and his efforts for even something as simple as this. He truly did. "Come on, the food won't eat itself." Momo chuckled bringing Mob to sit down with her to start eating. It wasn't much, just some sandwiches and juice boxes with a small candle in the middle, but it was enough for Momo

Mob let a soft smile form at her words. As he sat down next to her and grabbed the sandwich, he closed his mouth, looking at her as if lost in deep thought. His eyes slightly wider than usual as he stared at her. "Um Momo, I, ehm, kind of have something to tell you.." Mob started, his hands started to shake, he put the sandwich down with gentleness before he looked down at the floor. Momo looked at him as she took a bite out of the sandwich, tilting her head she gave him a concerned look. "Are you alright Mob? You're acting very unusual." Momo asked. Mob gulped before he looked over to the side opposite of where Momo was. "Yes, I-I'm fine but um... I just wanted to tell you that uh I kind of... I kind of like you, a lot.. and I know it's a bit weird but I just thought you should um- you should know and I understand if you're not ready for anything bu-"

"Oh! So that's what this was about!?" Momo interrupted, her eyes wide and her mouth wide open. "Oh my- sorry for interrupting I was just a bit surprised!" Momo added quickly, covering her mouth in embarrassment. Mob looked over at her confused. He was so anxious to tell her this, he'd been planning to do this for weeks now and had everything ready for today, he expected rejection almost instantly but all that he was met with was a shocked look and exclamation. His head immediately had turned to face her. Both of them were red in the face. "What do you mean?" Mob asked "Well I kind of already knew- well at least I suspected it but I didn't want to say anything because I was worried you didn't like me and that my intuition was wrong! But I guess I wasn't wrong to think we liked each other heh." Momo explained, she gave Mob a reassuring smile as she curled the side of her hair with her finger, trying to get herself to seem more calm and collected.

Mob seemed to be in a state of absolute bewilderment "Sorry- but uh you're telling me- uh, you- you like me as well? You uh like me back?" Mob questioned, he seemed a bit surprised confused and thrilled. Momo gave him a quick nod, she averted his gaze quickly as she was slightly embarrassed to admit it, but she was also somewhat glad to finally get her feelings out after months. "Heh, yeah... Did you really believe I wouldn't like you back?" Momo tilted her head raising a brow as her head rested on one of her hands, the other holding the sandwich she was eating. She finally looked at Mob who was a sweating, relieved and blushing mess. Mob scratched his neck as he thought of a response. "Well, kind of if I am being honest." Mob muttered before changing his seating position to being criss-cross.

Momo let out a soft chuckle as she took a bite out of the sandwich. "Oh I could never reject you." Momo said with a soft smile on her face. "Now come on, these sandwiches aren't eating themselves Mob! Eat up you deserve to have a good lunch after confessing your feelings, not everyone does that so well!" Mob nodded in acknowledgment to her words, a huge grin forming on his face as he took a bite out of his own sandwich. "I love you." Mob uttered as he ate. Momo turned her head over and stared for a bit before patting him on the back with on of her hands.

"I love you too."

[glapplebloom]

So let’s give this another look.

Back in 2019, I made a little article about defending Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood using context from the one episode. Though I still see people calling them Bad Parents. You know who else gets called a bad Parent? Goku. Yes, it's a funny joke about how he usually is either training or dead (sometimes both), but Goku does care for his family and has shown it numerous times. Even TFS worked to fix that joke by using it to build their version of Goku. So the question remains: are they bad parents?

As a childless single man, I can tell you I have as much knowledge on raising kids as I have knowledge of quantum mechanics, which is to say little to none. But I am a researcher so looking for articles and information is what I’m good at. And I’m using  healthline.com's article about “Bad Parenting: Signs, Effects, and How to Change It”. Using the stuff here as well as evidence from the show and comic to see if they show signs of it or not.

1 - The Big 2

There are two things that happen that automatically puts you in the Bad Parent category. The first being the most obvious one to disprove: Abuse. Since their job takes them around the world, they have no opportunity to do any kind of abuse onto Scootaloo. And when they are there, there is no physical abuse, emotional abuse, or the other one I refuse to say about an underage kid. Even the comic wasn’t physical abuse since those were controlled environments that Scootaloo could have outed herself at any time.

The other is Neglect. You think being away means they got this. But let’s look at nspcc.org.uk to see what Neglect is. 

Physical neglect: A child's basic needs, such as food, clothing or shelter, are not met or they aren't properly supervised or kept safe.

Scootaloo is in a home with Aunts and were given their blessings by the parents.

Educational neglect: A parent doesn't ensure their child is given an education.

Scootaloo goes to school.

Emotional neglect: A child doesn't get the nurture and stimulation they need. This could be through ignoring, humiliating, intimidating or isolating them.

The parents ensured that Scootaloo had someone taking care of her prior to the Aunts' permanent residence in Ponyville. They don't ignore her as they continue to write letters to her. She's not isolated as all of Ponyville knows her, and the only humiliation she gets is by her own actions.

Medical neglect: A child isn't given proper health care. This includes dental care and refusing or ignoring medical recommendations.

Pretty sure she has access to a good medical care when needed.

So no, neither Scootaloo’s parents (and Goku while we’re at it) do not show these two things, The only time Gohan was physically neglected was when Piccolo kidnapped Gohan while Goku was dead.

2 - Over or under involvement

They’re not helicopter parents, so take that over involvement out. But while they did provide scootaloo with shelter and food, did they ignore Scootaloo’s needs beyond that? I don’t think so. Remember, their plan to move to a closer location with Scootaloo was because they wanted to give her more attention beyond writing letters to her. When she finally stopped trying to trick them into staying in Ponyville and showed them why she needed to stay, they were willing to accommodate her need.

And the comic shows that they’re involved greatly as they stopped what they’re doing when Scootaloo finally says something about what is happening and listens to her when she insists on going to the ice cream parlor before their own plans. Having a job that takes you away from them doesn’t mean you’re not under involved with them. It's just that to provide them with everything they need, they have to go where the job takes them. And ensuring that they have people who can give them emotional support on the spot when they can’t show that they are invested in their kid.

3 - Discipline

Is Scootaloo left for herself? Prior to Flight to the Finish people joke about Scootaloo being an orphan. It wouldn’t be until that episode that shows she has a place to live in that looks pretty good. And it was the books (I forget if it’s the Chapter Books or the Comics) that confirm she has Aunts to take care of her. Add to that the episode that finally established Scootaloo has alive parents and showed that she has an entire system of ponies who take care of her. Between her Aunts, the Cakes and Rarity I’m pretty sure she has enough people to discipline her.

In fact, one of her caretakers is Rainbow Dash. And she has shown that she can let Scootaloo be on her own to make her own decisions but will be there to give her a helping hoof when needed. So I think it is safe to say Scootaloo is not disciplined too strictly or loosely. And when with Scootaloo, they didn’t yell. They didn’t make strict commands. At worst, they did let her off to do her own thing but she was with friends so they knew she was in good hooves.

4 - Withdrawing affection and attention and Shaming

They have never shown to withdraw their affection for Scootaloo when she disagrees with them. They ensured that they loved her and were planning this move to give her the attention she wanted. And when they saw how much Ponyville meant to her, they were willing to let her stay and continue the letter writing and visits. They didn’t shame her for not listening to them or not liking the things they do. They respected her wishes and likes. 

So no, Scootaloo’s parents are not bad parents. They have a job that is important to Equestria and that takes them away from Scootaloo. They ensured that she has an emotional support system by having the Aunts take care of her. They continue to write letters to Scootaloo. They listen to her when she speaks. They respect her decisions. In short, they’re good parents. They gave Scootaloo everything she needed as best as they could given their circumstances. 

Did this convince you or do you have a different outlook? Feel free to reply about your take.

[messerkampf]

Ask for Drexel! A1, C1, E5, F11, G4, L2

What of the Meyers-Briggs personality types they most fit into? INFP, ENFT, et cetera…

I went and took an assessment for her out of curiosity and got ENTJ for her! Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging. "Commanders are bold, imaginative, and strong-willed, always finding a way – or making one." That's all very fitting for her. She demands control of nearly any situation she enters, whether people really she's doing it or not.

Does your OC have a moral code? If not, how do they base their actions? If so, where does it come from, and how seriously do they take it?

In her own way, but it doesn't ever really match other people's. I guess she's most easily described as a pragmatist-- she follows other people's moral codes and expectations when it benefits her overall. There's very little she isn't willing to stoop to (and she doesn't really consider it stooping). She has no tolerance for crimes against kids, though. She's less likely to chew you out for it and get angry rather than just kill you for it and move on.

What’s their highest education level? Do they want to continue their education?

Drexel never went to any traditional schooling, but she's very well read. She does a lot of studies on her own or finds people to learn from and study under, and its unlikely to stop.

What are some of their favorite things to do for recreation?

She's obsessed with cybernetics and how far you can push the body and its augments, so between her research on that and chasing down any and all knowledge she can find on it, she finds time to enjoy fashion and design-- whether figuring out her own outfits or keeping up with developments in the fashion world, etc.

What kind of childhood did your OC have?

One she doesn't like to think about much. Drexel was born to poor human parents and was involved in an accident in her building that resulted in her parents needing prostheses. She became obsessed with prostheses and body modification around then. Her parents became less involved in her life for various reasons until they died while she was still young, and she moved in with some more well-off corporate family members. She mostly figured out her life on her own from there.

What do you consider the biggest themes in your character, if any?

Drexel is my 'mad scientist' character, sort of-- half mob boss and half driven inventor. There's a lot of themes around selfishness, vulnerability, and how we should pursue knowledge and our questions.

[miniconsuffrage]

on your education post, you mentioned book recommendations, would you be willing to share them? I am also not in a position of worrying about school for kids yet, but I'm curious to know about more options?

ABSOLUTELY. here are some good ones to get you started:

so the whole thing (at least in the US) started with john holt, who wrote a book called how children fail about his experiences working with elementary school-aged children in schools and how they were spending a lot of time being taught but they weren't really learning anything in an intuitive or comprehensive way. he spends a lot of time specifically talking about math, which is a big deal because a lot of people arguing against self-directed education (SDE) are absolutely sure kids won't learn math unless they're forced to sit down and do worksheets. I haven't read his other book, how children learn, but I'm sure it's just as good. after this he started pioneering unschooling as a philosophy.

next, the homework myth isn't specifically about SDE but the author has been in these spaces. it goes over all the research about homework and standardized testing and other related topics and how for most ages, homework actually does more harm than good for kids' academic performance. another thing that stuck with me from this book was a study that followed one group of kids who were introduced to algebra in middle school and then again in high school, and another that didn't see it until high school, and the ones who saw it for the first time in high school performed better than the group who'd learned it twice. which suggests to me that the ages schools introduce things to kids at and the ages kids "need" to know certain things is based on nothing.

I haven't actually read raising free people because it was published after I moved on to other things, but I have no doubt it's good, because the author akilah s. richards has a fantastic podcast called fare of the free child, I highly recommend checking out her website and podcast. her focus is on school as a tool of oppression against children of color and how these children especially are harmed by the system. she has a lot of very cool guests, it's a great option if you want to try podcasts on the topic.

(I also liked the exploring unschooling podcast when I was listening to podcasts on the topic.)

lastly for books, the teenage liberation handbook is written with teenagers as the target audience, but I have to put it on my list because it literally changed my life. before I knew anything about this philosophy or that it existed, I found this book at the library when I was maybe 15 and it completely changed my ideas about what was possible for me, what the world could look like, and what I was capable of accomplishing on my own. highly highly recommend.

I also want to recommend this blog, idzie desmarais is an adult who was unschooled and wrote a lot about her experiences and the philosophy as a whole both when she was younger and into adulthood.

I don't have specific resources to point to, but I would also recommend reading about sudbury schools, democratic schools, agile learning centers, and maria montessori's philosophies. there's lots out there! and probably more since I stopped being active in the space. but I'm always happy to Discuss 👀

[stormblessed95]

you seem to be very active in the fandom, so im wondering if you’ve seen anything about bts appropriating indigenous culture in permission to dance. i saw someone mention it, but they didn’t explain, so im lost. for the life of me, i can’t find anything that’s uniquely indigenous in the video. maybe i misread what the person was saying?? i can’t find the original post mow anyway… lol idk

What an important question. Thanks for asking.

Yes, I've seen that. No this isn't a new issue either. Here is a great thread from a Ojibwe Native ARMY explaining the issue, taking the time to break it down. As well as at the end of the thread providing a petition you can sign/email you can use to send to BigHit/Hybe.

The main issue I am seeing here is about the dreamcatchers. They are made for purpose and based off legend and culture. They are woven with sacred items. Now I have heard that it is okay to own and use dreamcatchers, but only if you purchase them through Ojibwe weavers specifically. They can craft one for you and don't mind. PLEASE correct me if this is not right. I am not Native and do not want to be spreading incorrect information around. The purchasing and using off dreamcatchers that are not woven by natives or done so correctly IS cultural appropriation and it is NOT okay. It is important to recognize, learn and grow from mistakes. Many people tend to just simply not know, but it should be respected when they are told.

I personally tend to learn best through books. I am actually currently reading this book, and I find it very enlightening and interesting. I am learning a lot. I have also done a lot of individual research to try and understand things better. I bought this one off Amazon for under $10 and would encourage you to pick it up if anyone is interested.

Another account that I follow on Instagram is this one below. She is an Ojibwe Native and spends a significant amount of time educating people through her posts. She has typed up a long caption about dreamcatchers before last year I believe. She is a book focused account and recommends lots of wonderful Native focused stories and nonfiction books. Her captions are always well written and good to read as well. You can and should check her out if you want as well

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dani Sally-Anne (she/her) (@thunderbirdwomanreads)

No one is mad at BTS for this. Not really. Indigenous people just want for their culture to be respected, just like anyone else. They are taking time out of their day to post and explain things to ARMYs in hopes that maybe that education can reach BTS and their company as well. It's okay to not know things. It's okay to make mistakes. No one thinks BTS would be harmful on purpose. The dreamcatcher use needs to stop though. I do know that emails over concerns with Hybe tend to be noticed more when they come in Korean from k-army. That makes sense. Hopefully if anyone who follows me here IS k-army and can follow that Twitter thread to the link for the email and are willing to do so, will. Everyone deserves a chance to learn and grow 💜

I don't want to get into it too much because it's not truly my place, but if anyone who IS Indigenous has more information to share, please feel free to do so. I don't want to speak over or for anyone that I shouldn't be and I'm still learning and growing myself. Hope this helped a little though!

[punkscowardschampions]

Sick Kids

ihatemyguts: Hey, who's about today? brainpain: 👀 brainpain: 👃 brainpain: 👅 ihatemyguts: Uncanny brainpain: I know ihatemyguts: Artistic endeavors keeping you busy? brainpain: [a selfie of her dramatic 🌈 makeup aesthetic] ihatemyguts: Okay but I'm gonna need a tutorial ihatemyguts: I never even mastered lipstick brainpain: I'll hook you up brainpain: check your private msgs ihatemyguts: 👍🙏 ihatemyguts: if my face is gonna be 🌚 from now on, it should really look pretty ihatemyguts: #juststeroidthings brainpain: it's a good face brainpain: + if I can rock a half shaved head with my brainpain: 👀 brainpain: 👃 brainpain: 👅 brainpain: not a time to still be alive brainpain: LMAO ihatemyguts: no doubt you rocked it so well everyone thought it was a choice brainpain: you gotta act like you're starting a 🌚 worshipping cult brainpain: I'll do a tutorial for that brainpain: full face of silver ihatemyguts: I can get down with that ihatemyguts: 🙌🌊🩸🐺🙌 ihatemyguts: am here on a bit of a recruitment mission, actually brainpain: my housemates & I are all synced 🩸 wise so you'd be doing me a favour, newbie brainpain: living battle royale over here brainpain: not trying to recruit you to fight to the death by my side though, we're good brainpain: what's the job? ihatemyguts: That sounds delightful, man ihatemyguts: also lowkey how has that never happened, not even with my ma ihatemyguts: clearly just that cold and standoffish she's like nah ihatemyguts: maybe I should wait 'til Zach is here too 'cos it was kinda his idea but if I give cred now, we're all good and I can take the blame if it's a big nope brainpain: you're still a 👶 not even gonna be synced with yourself yet brainpain: hold up I'll drag him by his curls brainpain: out there having a life like a real boy 😤 ihatemyguts: 😂 ihatemyguts: he'll get tricked into going to a weird Funland island and get turned into a donkey for his crimes, it's okay brainpain: sounds lit brainpain: [inandout has entered the chat] inandout: 🤥 ihatemyguts: How's your conscience? ihatemyguts: 🦗🦗🦗 inandout: 💎 clear ihatemyguts: 🤨 suspect inandout: you're not my wine mum inandout: or vodka aunt ihatemyguts: How rude ihatemyguts: Put some respect on your cult leader inandout: 🙇🙏 inandout: no food offerings ihatemyguts: safe bet gotspoons: 👋 I'm here! gotspoons: having a great day today, actually got energy, whaaaa?! 😲🤭 inandout: quick! float the idea while she's on cloud 9 gotspoons: You make me sound like an ogre, Zach 😜 gotspoons: what's going on? brainpain: Princess ogre ihatemyguts: Fiona ihatemyguts: v chic ihatemyguts: anyway, as we're all 👍 besides battle royale 🩸 ihatemyguts: we was thinking, and talking 'bout, a potential meetup ihatemyguts: thought we'd float it, see what y'all 💭 brainpain: I've got a 🍳 I'm 👍 + in ihatemyguts: which princess is that? one with crazy long hair, I 👀 it ihatemyguts: it could be cool, yeah? and why not, we'd have to make sure everyone who wants to can obvs or what's the point but apart from that brainpain: Princess me, unless the bleach makes it all fall out 😬 brainpain: [a very her style location] 📌🌎 inandout: we're not doing it there gotspoons: This is the problem, guys 😩 gotspoons: it would be really awesome but there is SO much planning you'd have to do to make it safe for everyone gotspoons: and picking a place for everyone that meets all the requirements inandout: we're willing to do all that inandout: planning + safety stuff ihatemyguts: totally ihatemyguts: like we could even go to a park or somewhere totally neutral ihatemyguts: or see if we can find some council-owned hall or something, 'cos places like that HAVE to be accessible ihatemyguts: I don't mind calling around and I bet Rich knows lots, and you will think of ALL the ways to keep EVERYONE safe and happy, right Rosie? brainpain: where I used to have support group would actually work brainpain: [a decent location that's like a community centre of something] ihatemyguts: 🙌 that looks legit ihatemyguts: if we explain what we're tryna do, bet they won't even charge us brainpain: I've got a hook up as ⭐ pupil brainpain: had my pick of those circle of chairs tigerbalm: 🙀🙀🙀🙀 tigerbalm: are we REALLY going to be able to meet up in person?! inandout: possibly gotspoons: How are we going to do this, IF we can gotspoons: you have to think about food and drink and seating and how we'd cover that, even if they did give us the venue for free inandout: I'm great with funds, it's assumed and expected gotspoons: but is that fair? gotspoons: I know some of us have none or very little inandout: I won't charge any of you a fee to come through the doors inandout: not that Jewish gotspoons: Oh, Zach! ihatemyguts: 🤑 is an accessibility issue, this should be a service, it should exist for free ihatemyguts: but it doesn't ihatemyguts: so if we can do this for ourselves, and offer it for free, for as little expense as possible ihatemyguts: maybe people will pull their finger out and consider actually doing their job ihatemyguts: you can write about it on your blog, get the word out brainpain: I'll fund-raise on stream, I've got your backs, nerds ihatemyguts: Right? High🖐 ihatemyguts: it's for US, so all of us that can, will put money into it ihatemyguts: no pressure on the ones that can't, fuck that, if anyone is gonna be that arsehole then they aren't welcome, yeah? tigerbalm: my parents have a people carrier, cos of course they do, but my creepy uncle won't be invited if any of y'all need rides ihatemyguts: 🤩🤩🤩 gotspoons: I'm going to do some research gotspoons: A LOT of research gotspoons: I would hate for anything to happen to anyone is this group tigerbalm: Where's Rich? tigerbalm: he would love to be on the front lines about this gotspoons: He would be a big help gotspoons: I feel like he had a uni thing today, an open day or something like that??? gotspoons: ugh my memory letting me down AS PER tigerbalm: how exciting! tigerbalm: I'll have to quiz him when he shows gotspoons: I know! gotspoons: He always checks in though, he'll be here later brainpain: Moving on, for those of us too brain damaged for further education gotspoons: 😔 brainpain: just me & my raging hormones LOL brainpain: he'll be such a happy nerd gotspoons: that's for sure gotspoons: he'll probably know so many answers to our questions already enablednotdisabled: I thought this group existed in lieu of an in-person group? brainpain: sup dude, it does enablednotdisabled: wouldn't it be potentially exclusionary to take this offline then? enablednotdisabled: realistically, there will be some of us who simply cannot get there inandout: if you wanna get there, we'll make it happen inandout: facetime you in if nothing else works enablednotdisabled: I'm not talking for myself, just others who might not feel confident enough to inandout: collective "you" inandout: we've all got phones enablednotdisabled: I just feel like this group can be quite us vs. them at times enablednotdisabled: hard to get heard if you aren't in the core group tigerbalm: There isn't a core group tigerbalm: everyone is listened to & respected enablednotdisabled: With all due respect, you are a part of it enablednotdisabled: so, of course, you feel that way enablednotdisabled: I'm not suggesting you can't break off and do your own thing, but the main chat of this forum that is meant to be for all of us, isn't the place for it brainpain: this group is what you make it, man brainpain: + the main chat brainpain: hit us with a topic you wanna talk about whenever inandout: it was brought up here so everyone knows they're invited ihatemyguts: I'm new and everyone I've found has been really receptive and welcoming to whatever I've had to say ihatemyguts: it sucks that you've not had that experience yourself but no one here is excluding you right now, least of all Robyn enablednotdisabled: There's a definite atmosphere here, whether you want to acknowledge it or not enablednotdisabled: the guidelines of what is expected and what is acceptable need to be clearer enablednotdisabled: and the moderators, who I've never actually witnessed in chat, should be quicker to put people on the right track, making this more therapeutic/beneficial to all, ban people if necessary brainpain: If you 🔎 hard enough for an atmosphere, it's findable brainpain: when you come in with a definite attitude of your own that's not gonna help none gotspoons: There's no need for us to have an argument, this is supposed to be a positive space gotspoons: if you have a complaint you'd like to make @enablednotdisabled, there is a link to contact the mods directly gotspoons: but I'd be happy to talk to you, privately if you'd prefer, and then we can take it from there? enablednotdisabled: I can handle my own complaints, thanks enablednotdisabled: and this isn't a positive space for me, and plenty other people I've talked to gotspoons: It hurts me to hear that, I'm really sorry and steps do need to be taken to attempt to rectify that then handicapable: I agree, it's cliquey here, unless you're one of the 'popular kids' or core group as @enablednotdisabled said, nobody cares handicapable: @ihatemyguts may be new but her finding a way in doesn't mean the walls aren't there for the rest of us handicapable: I barely log in any more gotspoons: Then let's tackle this culture head on gotspoons: do either of you have suggestions on how we could go about that, so I'm not dominating the conversation handicapable: You're not the one who dominates the conversation ihatemyguts: Don't think we need to @ people with specific comments like that ihatemyguts: not speaking for myself brainpain: @ me, baby brainpain: At least then I could defend myself brainpain: 🤐 though ihatemyguts: You've got the floor, like tigerbalm: It's not a safe space for Lauren if she can't say what she wants to say at risk of being accused of dominating the chat tigerbalm: either you want people to feel listened to or you don't ihatemyguts: And yeah, I am new, but I know Lauren, or anyone else in the chat rn, would not shoot you down if you wanted to change topic enablednotdisabled: It's about who always seems to be dictating the topic enablednotdisabled: we could change it, but then you feel like an interloper ihatemyguts: The conversation has to start somewhere, by someone ihatemyguts: @handicapable admitted to barely logging in now, of course the people who are here more will talk more, that's a given, it doesn't mean you're not allowed to contribute or come in to the convo ihatemyguts: there's no way to avoid that...prompts? mods only? that's not natural, or practical inandout: bible quotes inandout: 1 Peter 5:10 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Why are we quoting scripture? inandout: Lauren's been here for like 2 years but suddenly she's a disruptive force tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Well that's bullshit tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: unless you're a incel on her stream brainpain: you know me brainpain: how was your open day, babe? brainpain: (unless I'm a domineering b word for asking) tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Decent, despite the fact no one was expecting the wheelchair kid tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: despite the fact I called ahead tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: you can dominate me all you want but let me catch up with this apparent shitstorm I've missed brainpain: what a sexy proposition brainpain: I knew I'd missed you enablednotdisabled: Right, that's that conversation over then enablednotdisabled: 👌 brainpain: come on, man ihatemyguts: This is ridiculous ihatemyguts: people have formed meaningful relationships here, they're not allowed to acknowledge that in case someone feels left out, if you've talked to plenty of other people about the state of this forum, then clearly you've formed deeper bonds with them too ihatemyguts: no one here begrudges you that ihatemyguts: you're bound to get on with certain people over others, there's nothing discriminatory about that, it's to be expected tigerbalm: Like, are we supposed to take everything to PMs now? Cos I wanna hear about Rich's open day too but maybe he doesn't wanna type everything out to separate people lots of separate times ihatemyguts: ^You're just being rude, for the sake of it ihatemyguts: Rosie has offered to privately message about this, or you can put it all in an email to the mods tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Okay tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: literally, 'we' (I'll include myself in this core group that you see, even if I don't see that as a valid argument), have done nothing to you two, have never excluded either of you tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: everyone here is welcoming, and was welcoming you before your complaints tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: which aren't rooted in anything I can see as factual tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: what's the actual issue here? you're just hitting out buzzwords handicapable: and you're just jumping to the defence of the girl you like flirting with brainpain: Whoa now! That's not all I am in here tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: See, that's multiple times you've personally made jabs at Lauren tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: none of us have made any comments on you two personally tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: it seems like you're more cliquey than us if you can't see her as a valued member of the group brainpain: I'm not gonna leave cos you want on Rich for being hot af brainpain: shoutout to the new girl for letting that be known though tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Thank you, m'dear (somewhere between 🎩 and 🧢) tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: but thanks for implying I'm so desperate that I'd flirt with a girl I'd never seen before @handicapable tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: things are not quite that bad, I can assure you inandout: we're all that desperate, where have we heard that before? inandout: @normal people tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and we don't deserve any relationships that are deeper than strictly clinical and professional inandout: which is why we don't need to talk to any one person more than once tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Shout your grievances into the void and move on tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: but don't be too depressing about it ihatemyguts: This group doesn't work, you're right, just not for the reasons you're giving ihatemyguts: but we're all welcome to do what we must about making it work, even if I disagree with yours personally ihatemyguts: at least we try, and if you view us as an 'us' then you also view yourself as a group ihatemyguts: which isn't how I see it, or it's meant to be ihatemyguts: it's a group as a whole inandout: I wanted to organise a meet up to make things cooler inandout: sometimes you don't wanna shout shit into the void inandout: you wanna look someone in the eye when you're talking to them inandout: so you don't have to feel othered ihatemyguts: ^^ inandout: I get to do things with all my other friends inandout: that's what you guys are tigerbalm: I don't have other friends, I'm not saying it to make anyone 😿 tigerbalm: but I don't tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: you've got us tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and we don't need to apologize for being friends tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and I think meeting up is a really good idea, I'll be happy to help brainpain: It's okay, Robyn, none of us have done anything wrong gotspoons: I've contacted the moderators, I'll let you know when I get a response brainpain: I did too ✌️ gotspoons: Good, everyone who feels they need to, should gotspoons: I'm glad your open-day went well, Rich brainpain: me too, hot 🤓 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Thanks, guys tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: it's got potential tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: once I get there and make some changes, of course tigerbalm: 🙌 You go, Rich! 🧡 tigerbalm: not to use a banned word but you do inspire me for when I get to uni myself tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: We'll allow it, well I will because I love a compliment tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and you'll be great when you do tigerbalm: I hope my parents won't make me stay local tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: If you don't want to, you shouldn't tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: don't let anything stop you tigerbalm: I'll try not to tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: when you need them, I can throw all the resources and info at you tigerbalm: thanks brainpain: Can we talk about me now cos that's the ONLY reason I'm here LMAO ihatemyguts: @Zach, gonna come at her with your famous line? inandout: you've built it up now ihatemyguts: 🙄 ugh, baby inandout: are we at pet names? cool ihatemyguts: 😂 shut up ihatemyguts: but don't, all voices welcome inandout: yours is dragon ball z inandout: for today ihatemyguts: romantic ihatemyguts: we're meant to be talking about Lauren inandout: Lauren's is low blow ihatemyguts: got a real talent, kid ihatemyguts: may as well do the entire group inandout: wouldn't wanna exclude anyone ihatemyguts: 😏 ihatemyguts: no one will be devastated about that, trust me inandout: damn inandout: or dang ihatemyguts: is that another group rule I've shamelessly flouted? 😬 brainpain: It's a me rule, dragon ball brainpain: you're safe in this safe space ihatemyguts: I'll do my best to mind my Ps & Qs ihatemyguts: 🤞 brainpain: you're fine I'm just aware of my 👵 status brainpain: don't wanna spook the 👶s ihatemyguts: thoughtful ihatemyguts: 👌 brainpain: who knew? brainpain: check me out, not being a huge b word ihatemyguts: honestly, disappointing brainpain: @ my exes ihatemyguts: they aren't here, are they ihatemyguts: @fibro not included brainpain: only my next brainpain: when I snag Rich for myself brainpain: gotta tame that playboy ihatemyguts: so many 💔💔💔 @ this news brainpain: long as you're not brainpain: he's too old for you, babe tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: I feel used tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and yes, much too 👴 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: be your ex-husband at this rate brainpain: I'm not gonna say, you can use me too, in front of the children brainpain: but mutual love & respect, boy tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Shocking behaviour, Mrs brainpain: asking for discipline would also be over the line, sir gotspoons: OKAY gotspoons: putting a stop to this convo thank you gotspoons: 😳 gotspoons: 😳 gotspoons: 😳 gotspoons: 😳 gotspoons: have I covered it? brainpain: g dang it, Rich! Have I not been involved in enough controversy for one day? brainpain: turn away from me, you sexy beast gotspoons: you're very cute but terrible gotspoons: ogre princess putting her foot down on this one tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: I'll take the blame tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: rushing to your defense again brainpain: 😍 ihatemyguts: sure wish someone would run in and change the topic ihatemyguts: it's like mum and dad have had too much 🍷 inandout: could be a prime time for you to ask Robbie on your first date, dbz ihatemyguts: Oh yeah! 💡 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 💘 is in the air tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: careful, Zach ihatemyguts: Robyn, have you decided what you're gonna wear to your party yet? tigerbalm: I have a moodboard tigerbalm: would you like to see it? ihatemyguts: Um, absolutely tigerbalm: [that moodboard] ihatemyguts: So, you'd be up for going into town to try-on stuff, right? ihatemyguts: I can think of some shops with some unique stuff tigerbalm: 😺!!! ihatemyguts: Is that a yes 😺 or a I'm calling the police 😺? tigerbalm: I'd love to tigerbalm: my parents might call the police though ihatemyguts: that's alright, I've given you a fake name tigerbalm: they would think so tigerbalm: but their name choices are pretty boring ihatemyguts: at least you've got a super cute name ihatemyguts: if it'd make them feel better though, I'll come meet them or whatever tigerbalm: oh thanks x2 tigerbalm: that's so nice ihatemyguts: 'course ihatemyguts: who doesn't like shopping? inandout: I don't inandout: that much ihatemyguts: that'll be why you didn't ask yourself inandout: I would never third wheel your date inandout: very uncool ihatemyguts: well, if anyone does wanna come along, that'd be alright brainpain: happy to invite myself into any convo or situation ihatemyguts: 🤓 or 😎 ihatemyguts: you could do our makeup ihatemyguts: because not joking about the trainwreck it is when I do ihatemyguts: 🤡 not the theme brainpain: to avoid a spooky 🤡 resurge brainpain: I shall gotspoons: 😱😱😱😱 gotspoons: I hate clowns tigerbalm: SAME! my brothers love the 🤡🎈 films but I can't watch 🙀 gotspoons: Nooooooo gotspoons: even the advert was scary tigerbalm: ever since I went to the 🎪🐘🤡🍿 as a child I'm like traumatised inandout: once I got dragged along when my parents went shopping for a sofa and there was a clown there inandout: as a mascot or something gotspoons: 😭 THAT'S HORRIFYING inandout: fever dreams are made of this inandout: he kept trying to ruffle my hair ihatemyguts: definitely a bad omen ihatemyguts: that clown was there to warn you about...something inandout: I'm not classing it as a date though, you still get to go first inandout: the warning'll simply be my impending death ihatemyguts: your first bad omen ihatemyguts: n'awh inandout: cute, right? ihatemyguts: 🐭 🐹 🐰 inandout: 🐿🦔 ihatemyguts: 🦄 brainpain: sure, I'll chaperone you two brainpain: ✨ ihatemyguts: result brainpain: arms length, Zachary gotspoons: I feel like I'm on a dating site brainpain: there'd be way more fibros if we were gotspoons: I've never even attempted to date gotspoons: such a minefield brainpain: if you change your mind, I'll get my sister to list off which ones to avoid brainpain: she feeds me a new spooky story weekly gotspoons: see, it's bad enough without the added 'who I am' drama brainpain: get yourself a love interest with more 🚑💊💉 drama than you, that's what I do brainpain: you're the chill one by comparison gotspoons: Rich is still here lurking, you know 🤭 brainpain: he knows what we have is deep + meaningful tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 👌 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: very serious brainpain: I'm coaching Rosie for her first venture into dating not discussing our lengthy but ultimately doomed love affair tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: doomed because 💀💀 or doomed because someone will join the group with ultimate 🚑💊💉 drama and better hair? brainpain: @Zach with that death clock bs brainpain: doomed cos you'll meet a hot 🤓 at uni brainpain: nobody has better hair than either of us tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Okay then, I won't be pre-offended and call you out on that nonsense brainpain: that isn't a promise that you'll still have time for me brainpain: we're all waiting, Rich tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: depends how hot and how nerdy this university girl is, of course brainpain: Profess your undying love for me or get out, honestly tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 😏 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Rosie will shut it down again brainpain: 😉 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: She's a hater 💔 gotspoons: 😱 Rich! gotspoons: I'm very supportive brainpain: LOL gotspoons: 😥 gotspoons: I love love brainpain: you're a 🧸 brainpain: I love you, Rosemary brainpain: feel free to ignore my husband gotspoons: I ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜 you all too gotspoons: even if you test my nerves sometimes, it's only in a good way 😅 tigerbalm: So, if one of us had  a 'normal' crush, would that be doomed? tigerbalm: asking for a friend 😳 gotspoons: OF COURSE NOT gotspoons: you're beautiful gotspoons: spill spill! tigerbalm: there isn't much to say except his running route goes past my house tigerbalm: we've 👋 at each other but no conversation has happened gotspoons: HOW EXCITING ihatemyguts: You've gotta talk to him ihatemyguts: such a meet-cute tigerbalm: I have no idea what I would say ihatemyguts: a hello to go with the 👋 to start ihatemyguts: you'll know what to do tigerbalm: a 'how are you?' to follow but what then? ihatemyguts: something like...you run this route often? ihatemyguts: do you run anywhere else? ihatemyguts: are you single? tigerbalm: 🐱 gotspoons: Oh! gotspoons: What does he look like? gotspoons: Can you take a picture? gotspoons: No, perhaps not gotspoons: I've got snap happy now 😅 tigerbalm: I'll try if I can do it without anyone else noticing tigerbalm: it's okay if my cat judges me, but no humans tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: I cannot officially endorse this behaviour, ladies tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: but I'm sure he would be very flattered and consider himself lucky, Robyn tigerbalm: Oh Rich, you're such a big softie 😸 brainpain: LMAO brainpain: forget the boy, I want pics of your cat tigerbalm: [cat pics] 🧡 inandout: that is a potentially judgemental looking moggy, be careful tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: girl or boy? tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: he or she is very distinguished looking, I feel tigerbalm: me & my mum were feeling outnumbered, so she got adopted too tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: fight the power ✊ tigerbalm: I have rabbits too but they would probably encourage me, they're pretty naughty tigerbalm: for fairness tigerbalm: [rabbit pics] brainpain: I had 🐭🐭 as a kid brainpain: LOVED those critters brainpain: [picture of kiddo Lauren with mice on her shoulders] ihatemyguts: I wish I was allowed pets with fur ihatemyguts: scales only inandout: I'm not either inandout: my brother's allergic ihatemyguts: maybe we have the same brother ihatemyguts: slightly concerned now inandout: yours isn't as old as mine, we know that inandout: unless some kind of freaky time loop or something has happened ihatemyguts: I'm you in a parallel universe inandout: before I agree to co-sign, do you have any pets with scales? ihatemyguts: 🐉 🐲 inandout: cool inandout: I accept our parallel lives ihatemyguts: [pics of your dragons 'cos probably have one each lowkey] inandout: if I'm the only petless one in the "core" I will have to hang my head ihatemyguts: you can have joint custody ihatemyguts: don't worry inandout: pet names + a pet share? What a day ihatemyguts: v generous inandout: I'm making that discovery ihatemyguts: 🎁🔍 inandout: I wish we were doing a treasure hunt inandout: that's gonna be date 4 ihatemyguts: challenge accepted ihatemyguts: you gotta find the treasure outside then rehide it though ihatemyguts: more fun inandout: rules accepted ihatemyguts: if you happen to find 💰💎🏺🧭🔮🧿📿 then we'll bury it inandout: what happens if I find a 🗝? ihatemyguts: #5 finding the 🚪 or 🔓 it fits brainpain: Wait, how many dates am I chaperoning you 👶🤓s for? brainpain: gotta find a ✏️ to write this down ihatemyguts: technically, Zach wants to wait 'til he's not 🔞 ihatemyguts: unless you're well dedicated to protect and serve ihatemyguts: also plenty of time to lose that 📄 inandout: don't listen to her, the first date is Robbie's party and we've all 📅 ihatemyguts: might be a double date ihatemyguts: 💃🏃 tigerbalm: I'm so happy that you're both coming! tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Of course they're not missing the event of the season tigerbalm: 😸😺 tigerbalm: I better plan some more tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: It is your forte tigerbalm: compliments are yours tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: and hair tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: humility, less so brainpain: I can vouch for that being why we're soulmates tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: it's the way you can dominate a conversation tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: like a girl with something to say brainpain: 😏 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Tease brainpain: you'd be into it if I were tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: now she speaks 🤫 tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: If Rosie isn't sleeping she'll be 😖 brainpain: I know how to behave, you're the bad influence here tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Gladly take that reputation tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: much worse could be said about me brainpain: catch that 2nd wave of drama when the haters log back in tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: I hope so brainpain: only cos you missed the kick off tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: Not taking politics for nothing brainpain: they can 🔫 @ me if it means you get your 🎓 babe tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: long as I can 🛡 without being fibro about it brainpain: you did tooexhaustedtolivevicariously: 👍 gotspoons: I was thinking gotspoons: maybe if we make more boards for specific topics, that would be better? gotspoons: then the chat could be just that, a casual chat that isn't necessarily disability related but us related, as people gotspoons: what do you guys think? brainpain: I'm in inandout: me too inandout: I was gonna make a similar suggestion but it was my last idea that started everything earlier gotspoons: It's not your fault, Zach gotspoons: I just need to do some admin, update the site tigerbalm: I can help if you need any gotspoons: Thanks, Robbie

[documentaryfilmnapier]

Documentary Research:

Our documentary is about the imposter syndrome; therefore, our first port of call was to research the syndrome in greater detail.

As a group, we each went off and did our own research, which would help inform our approach to the topic. I found out that imposter syndrome is more than a feeling of anxiety or self-doubt. Someone who deals with it feels like a fraud, they feel like any success they have is due to luck, and they are undeserving of their accolades. The Harvard Business Review description of the syndrome is very eloquent. "Impostor Syndrome is a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. 'Imposters' suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence."

After this research period, we all felt more prepared going into the next stages of production.

Finding our Focus:

Initially, we wanted to explore the imposter syndrome as a whole, delving into the philological side and gaining a real insight into how the syndrome manifests. And then, we were going to interview several people who have dealt with the syndrome and explore the feeling of exile and isolation the syndrome causes. Then we hoped to bring all the interviewees together, along with the phycologist, and have a round table discussion about the imposter syndrome and convey that these feelings of exile are untrue as many people feel the same way. As a group, we recognised that this idea was unfeasible in the 8 minutes we had for the project; however, this was the style of approach we wanted to take for the documentary.

When trying to find people to interview, we had fantastic access to Emily's friend Heather. Heather was Emily's original inspiration for the project, and Heather was willing to be interviewed. Alexander also spoke to his brother, who is currently studying acting, and mentioned that imposter syndrome was quite prevalent among actors due to embodying characters and method acting. Alexander also said that his lectures had told his brother that he had imposter syndrome and others in his acting classes. Therefore, we had excellent access to another interviewee and potentially others. We noticed a pattern among university students developing the imposter syndrome, which was also backed up by our research which stated that the syndrome is most common amongst academics. Therefore, as students, we had a keen interest in how the syndrome affected and developed in university students.

However, this plan kind of fell apart; before our treatment were still gathering interviewees and toying with the idea of making the documentary solely about Heather. When we mentioned this in class, Sana told us that we did not have enough people to interview, and it would be in our best interests to do the documentary on Heather. After class, we discussed the project and decided to move forward, focusing on Heather's story. At the time, Heather was not entirely comfortable having the whole documentary about herself; however, Emily spoke with her several times, and Heather came round to the idea.

Having decided the documentary would be about Heather, we scheduled a meeting with her as Alex, and I had not met her yet. This meeting went well; it was a very informal chat to discuss several topics we thought we might cover in the documentary. From the interview, we found out some very interesting things. Firstly, Heather disscussed her transition from high school to university, where she recognised imposter syndrome development. Heather went to Baldragon Academy, which was ranked one of the top ten worst high schools in Scotland. At school, she was considered a gifted and high achieving student, having achieved A's in her advanced highers and was only six people in her year to go to university. After high school, Heather went to Edinburgh University to study law, one of the most prestigious courses and was plunged into a world full of privately educated people and immediately felt inferior. She felt like a fraud because when it came to uni assessments, she was getting C's and her peers were achieving A's and felt her place on the course was undeserved. However, one day, Heather watched a YouTuber who was also a law student, and they discussed the term imposter syndrome, which is how she first found out about it. Heather mentioned how overwhelming the syndrome can feel, and she suffers from anxiety. On several occasions, she has gotten to the point where she has emailed her lecture to say she is quitting the course because the feeling of indecency have gotten so bad. She talked about extracurricular activities she does to help distract from university pressure, including singing in an acapella group. From the interview, we gained a lot of insight. But I could tell Heather wasn't too comfortable delving too deep into some of the more personal aspects of our conversation, which only to be expected as it is the first time we have met Heather, and she bound to be nervous. Therefore, we need to have future follow up interviews to make Heather more comfortable in our presence.

Additionally, we have looked at other short documentaries to help inspire our stylistic approach to the documentary. The ones which I found and watched include:

Meet the Reclusive Artist Who Creates Detailed Models of 1960's America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvRWx51Cbyc&list=LL&index=3. What I liked most about this documentary was the way it incorporated its archive images. They are placed amongst the models, denoting that they are part of the artwork because his experiences have influenced his art.

A Young Woman Struggles to Stay Afloat in the Rough Waters of Her Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F-QmEqmAVU&list=LL&index=4 What was most influential in this documentary was the way the film depicted what it felt like to have depression. Therefore, the films visual language was impressive in this film and gave us a lot to think about when it comes to our approach.

Can You Hear Me Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB86pd_VRgc&list=LL&index=6&t=104s This documentary gave me a lot of inspiration when it came to interviewing approach. It isn't a standard question-answer interview; it's more of a traditional style of the interview, which has then been rewritten into a form of lyrical prose which the interviewee reads aloud. And I thought the camera style of the interview matched perfectly with the narrative arc of the interview. At the begging, we only see the man mouth or the top of his head, and as the narrative progresses and the narrator lets us in more, the more we see of the narrator.

Virus: Inside the minds of the music community: https://vimeo.com/250953592 Similarly to Can You Hear Me, this documentary gave me a lot of inspiration in terms of visuals and interview approach. Especially in terms of capturing B-roll and recreating element, such as when the interviewee is writing songs or playing music.

There have been many others that I have watched during my research processes, but these four were the most influential.

Moving forward, as a group, we need to bring all the research we have done together and start to create a more formalised plan and approach to how we plan on filming and editing the documentary. This means creating some form of storyboards, schedule and interview method.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

INTRODUCING... MY GHOSTBUSTERS ORIGINAL CHARACTER, SAMANTHA ROSS

❝ Samantha Ross had been obsessed with all things paranormal from a young age. Though her parents worried for their daughter, often encouraging her to take up more "normal" interests - as if normal was even a real thing - Samantha had always been perfectly content to be that weird kid who told the scariest ghost stories at sleepovers, knew all of New York State's urban legends by heart, and spent most of her nights reading horror novels under her covers with a flashlight.

Her interest in the scary and macabre continued into her adulthood. Earning degrees in both parapsychology and education, Samantha bounced around several different schools in New York City as a substitute teacher before earning a position at a university in Manhattan, where she met three of the strangest men she'd ever met. But Samantha had always liked strange, and she was quick to make friends with her three fellow scientists, settling into a routine that she quite enjoyed. She would help Peter with his various psychological experiments, do her own research on various ghost stories and urban legends from around the world, and occasionally step in as a substitute professor when it was needed. Life was good, if a little weird whenever Ray and Egon dragged her along on their ghost-hunting expeditions.

And then, immediately after coming across a real ghost at a public library, the four scientists are fired from their positions at the university, and Ray has the genius idea to open up a ghost-capturing business. Samantha isn't sure how she feels about going into business for such a thing - who's going to pay to get rid of something most people don't even believe is real?

Still, it's not as if she has anywhere else to go, so Samantha follows her friends into this odd business venture, pleasantly surprised when they actually receive some clients. And then it turns out some big bad demon-god thing wants to invade Earth and use New York as a doorway, and that Samantha, Peter, Egon and Ray may be the only ones equipped to stop it.

Well, Samantha supposes, this is what she gets for taking a job that requires her to introduce herself as a Ghostbuster. Still, she's willing to fight with her friends - and the man she's come to love - and defend her city, even if it might mean becoming a ghost herself. ❞

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @auxiliarydetective, @foxesandmagic, @stardustocs, @artemisocs.

[knightbrienne]

First of all I want to apologise for calling your father something he isn't, I'm really sorry about that. Now I live in Germany and if the same happened here as in Charlottesville, it would be iilegal. They hold Nazi swastikas, which is considered a crime here, since it falls under Volksverhetzung (= incitement of the masses/people/to hatred). That doesn't mean that Germany doesn't have free speech. I can scream from the top of my lungs that Angela Merkel is a piece of shit or I could insult 1/6

a foreign head of state using offensive language (Böhmermann-affair) and it would be fine, but if I, for example, denied the Holocaust or gave the Hitler Salute, I’d be commiting a crime. Both America and Germany have free speech but I could say stuff in America I can’t legally say here and you couldn’t say stuff here you can say in America. The whole ‘crime or free speech’ is really controversial and it differs from justice sytsem to justice system as which something is considered. Limiting 2/6

free speech in that context shouldn’t be seen as ‘limiting free speech’ but rather preventing hate to spread and therefore a repeat of history. Honestly, when I found a few years ago out that Nazi symbols and gesture are legal in America, I was shocked. Personally, I don’t get it. Why legalise something even though you know it’s wrong and lead to WW || and the killing of millions of innocent people? It doesn’t make sense to me to legalise it just to discuss how to solve it. For changing 3/6

views, there are two persons that come to my mind. One is a classmate of mine who absolutely loved Erdogan because that’s what her parents taught her. I used to have very heated discussions with her about him and I always became frustrated that she didn’t have facts to reason with. My parents are Alevi Kurds and he’s the reason why they became refugees, because they coudn’t name their true believes and nationality without getting in jail. At some point my classmate started to educate herself 4/6

some point my classmate started to educate herself. She questioned her opinions, researched, and now she hates him as much as I do. She’s not my only classmate that changed her views but she’s the only one who did it so drastically. The other person is someone on tumblr who was islamphobic but didn’t think he was. Our discussion lasted for weeks, he said so much bullshit about refugees, Alevis and Islam but at the end he apologised. 5/6

You’re completely right in that free speech differs from justice system to justice system! Unfortunately, some radical groups on the left and right wing want to take judgment of free speech into their own hands, instead of seeking the legislative or judicial backing that Germany utilizes. In a very similar way, a lot of local leaders in American cities are calling for the removal of Confederate statues without public discussion. While I agree with the decision to remove the statues, the fact that they’re doing so without some prior forum for discussion and consensus is somewhat disturbing. My dad likened it to the mandatory defacement and destroyal of (far less offensive) historic statues in China during the Cultural Revolution; it bears uncomfortable similarities to authoritarian governments.

You brought up two cases of people with whom you had meaningful conversations before they changed their views. I think it’s safe to assume you didn’t attack their personal characters or tell them to just shut up because their worldviews were dehumanizing (which is what a lot of liberals are doing to alt-right figures right now). Perhaps individual debates and discussions are the path to change, but that necessitates people being willing to respect, listen to, and spend time peacefully expressing their opinions to people who hold opposite and potentially offensive stances.

If we’re denying Neo-Nazis the right to assemble and tearing down Confederate statues without attempting to discuss and educate first, we’re asking for further polarization. It will incite more of the bitter, irrational hatred that we’ve been condemning, simply because we have not made an effort to reach out to the opposite side, consider their beliefs, and explain our decisions to them. I understand that some people believe that it is not our responsibility to inform oppressive/privileged people, but there are also people like you who are willing. Anon, you’ve personally engaged with people with hateful, racist worldviews that hurt you and successfully switched their perspectives. That is incredible, and I hope that inspires more people to do the same.

Edit: Also, apology accepted. :) And no worries, I know my original post was pretty charged, and I wasn’t too happy with my dad at the time either.

[phandom111]

-On a more serious note I really dislike the babying of children in Christianity, like okay I understand to an extent with gory and bloody things and maybe sexual stuff and extreme swearing for when their in younger elementary. But when they are in highschool you cannot expect them to never hear a swear word when literally everyone around them is cursing like a sailor. You can't expect then to not know if sexual things when what teenagers seem to love talking about is only sex and boyfriends/girlfriends. You can't expect them to not know or see gore when teachers show documentaries and educational movies.

Okay my parents were never that level of strict, so maybe I don't understand fully the pressure strict parents give but I do understand some of it.

You know what I loved that my mom did? When I was seven and my sister was nine (or maybe we were older, I'm not sure) she sat us down and talked to us a little further about God and Jesus. We had already been church loving children but we kinda just went cuz it was a part of what we always did. She told us we had to choose God, we can't be forced into loving him. She asked us if we wanted to be Christian and commit to God and that we shouldn't make this choice because of her or our dad, that if we choose to stop at any time that she will accept that and won't force anything onto us. Her only request was if we do choose to stop being Christians that we make sure we really know what being a Christian is about first and really do some research. Then if we don't like it she'll let us do our own thing. Being so young we of course didn't change our minds and she prayed with us, officially making us willing believers.

Now if every Christian parent could do that without pressuring their children into Christianity there would be so many stories like yours.

Of course every child has their rebellious phase and honestly, mine is watching Harry Potter when I go to my friends house, listening to musicals and watching YouTubers who aren't family friendly. Oh and the other day I saw Love, Simon with my friend and told my mom it was a chick flick and explained nothing further.

This is not me saying 'you just had a bad view of Christians!!' Or 'if your parents were less strict you'd still be Christian!' I just want to say parents really need to ease up. My parents always let me decide what I felt was right and wrong (of course we're going through some issues right now because my dad's not as okay with letting us decide cuz you kno, that media manipulation)and it really helped me strengthen my faith.

GETTING OFF TOPIC HERE SORRY-

Point is, no matter who you are or what you believe you should never impose on other people's beliefs. Christians shouldn't try to convert agnostic or other religions and vice versa. The only acceptable way, is if they were curious about your religion and beliefs and wanted to learn more AND asked you personally.

You know what really gets me mad? When someone goes; "Okay how can you be a Christian if you're not all homophobic and transphobic and all that?" And when I try to explain my beliefs they go "Okay okay quit preaching!" Or "stop trying to convert me!" LIKE BRO-

YOU ASKED I ANSWERED

Once my sister invited two of her friends to our church (Unreligious, but both curious about being Christians) and when she asked afterwards how it went for them they said that they said some things they just don't agree with and that particular day was literally just "here's the story of Jesus being born, pretty cool right?".

I was like low-key pissed because like this isn't a moral debate this is a story? You 'diagree' with a story?? Do you believe it never happened cuz if that's the case why are you here we are literally followers of Jesus Christ?? What did you expect, a teaching about abortion or homosexuality that just makes you disagree with us more???

I went off topic again I'm sorry I do that a lot.

But you got the point right? 😅

you don’t need purity in the material you consume

you have a brain, you are capable of critical thinking, you can sift through the material and keep what is edifying for you and discard what isn’t

flaws don’t necessarily make material worthless