#so no tags and no rbs

[broodsys]

this has been on my mind a lot lately, so i'm going to talk a bit about "delulu" and why i'm so staunchly opposed to it

but first: i do not experience delusions. i prioritize own voices and personal experiences, so with that in mind, i'd urge people to seek out the opinions of actual delusional people. however, the general opposition is something i have seen delusional people discuss

delusions and delusional are actual experiences. they are symptoms of mental health conditions and are quite serious; as with all mental health symptoms, severity differs, so i won't say they're always miserable experiences or always fine ones, but they are symptoms.

they are not traits, they are not aspects of personality, they are not deliberately held beliefs - despite this, delusions are, of course, part of what and who a delusional person is. but you aren't delusional if you don't have delusions, y'know? it's not a characteristic

"delulu" specifically takes a real, psychiatric term and makes it into a joke. i'm going to address some of the arguments i've seen in favor of delulu now:

"it's not that serious" - well. but it is? language matters. how we communicate matters. we are a social species, and linguistic communication is our primary form of communication, whether verbal or written. the words we use matter.

"the way some people use delulu means something else" - this is kind of the exact problem. similar - but not the same, of course! - to how "gay" was a catch-all term to insult people with while i was growing up, where calling something gay meant it was stupid, illogical, pointless, etc., twisting the real term into something else dilutes the meaning and complicates the experiences of people with real delusions.

(note before anyone jumps down my throat about this: i am in no way pathologizing sexuality here, i am simply making a comparison that might hit closer to home for queer but neurotypical people. i am also aware of the history of pathologization of sexuality and am not trying to make light of it. comparisons are useful, but can be complex; i hope you'll all take this as intended)

but i'm using it to refer to actual delusional people and experiences! - okay, well, first, i don't think that makes it any better. if an actual delusional person wants to call themselves delulu, i'm certainly not going to object, but to have someone else come in and slap the label onto people is bad for a number of reasons.

1) armchair diagnoses are never a good thing, really, there's no good version of this,

2) whatever one's intent is, the impact can serve to reinforce the confusion around the term, and

3) whatever one's intent is, the impact can serve to alienate the people around you who experience delusions or other stigmatized symptoms.

simply put, if you use it, you contribute to the social distortion of the term, and you make it harder for neurodivergent people to trust you

this tedtalk ("How Gen Z's 'delulu' culture impacts their reality"), which is genuinely really interesting and i'm not condemning at all, explores that part of the utilization of the term amongst Gen Z is based in their current reality feeling completely untenable.

thus, "i'm delulu" becomes less about true delusions and more about maintaining hope when the world around you seems hopeless.

first, i understand this pov. second, the tedtalk presenter understands this pov, but also gently encourages people away from it.

this perspective also serves to pathologize hope, which i don't think is particularly healthy for the people using delulu to describe themselves in this manner. so really, everyone loses with this.

to make some comparisons:

the r-word was widely used when i was growing up as an insult (and is still in use today, for that matter). for people who are diagnosed in this way, or who were previously, the term has gained a lot of unnecessary baggage and complexity, its actual meaning being diluted

saying someone who is neat and tidy is "so OCD" also dilutes the meaning and nature of the condition. this is one where i do speak from experience, as i have OCD and genuinely do not even want to admit that or say the acronym or name anymore because of how deeply it's been made into a one-dimensional parody of what it truly is

feeling that a person is truly a bad human being and calling them a psychopath or sociopath has so deeply distorted these actual psychiatric terms that it's not only complex but can be actively dangerous for someone who is so diagnosed

and, again speaking from experience, borderline personality disorder is another deeply stigmatized disorder. my therapist and i agreed that i have it, but we also agreed that it would be safest to not diagnose it, because if i was ever hospitalized i would likely be subject to psychiatric abuse and/or negligence. people with bpd are described as toxic monsters, as stalkers, as violent abusers; people who are violent abusers are often armchair diagnosed with bpd.

but i really want yall to sit with this for just a second: my therapist knew that this disorder remains so stigmatized within her field that she did not want to diagnose me with it, even tho i have it. to have that diagnosis might endanger me. a large part of this stems from the distortion and corruption of the term to mean something else, to apply only to a certain type of person who makes certain choices, as a catch-all term for someone who's abusive and irredeemable. and it's far from the most stigmatized disorder out there!

all this is to say, the path from "casually" distorting the meaning of a specific psychiatric term to actively harming the real population who experiences that disorder or symptom is not hypothetical; it is real, it is recurrent, and it is profound and insidious. i could keep listing villanized mental disorders or symptoms, but this has already gotten quite long, so all i'll say is that there are many, many others i have not discussed here

you might feel that "delulu" is innocuous. a silly meme. or you might agree with the tedtalk presenter's pov, that it's meant to uplift people who are experiencing profound uncertainty, a rejection of the fatalistic view of reality for a more hopeful, optimistic one. but memes are not always harmless, jokes are not always harmless, and i truly believe that individuals are capable of saying what they mean rather than hiding behind very loaded terminology

so i just want to end by saying... if nothing else, don't personally use delulu. it's not going to be a big loss to retire one very new term from your vocabulary

[butchfalin]

the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again

[zytes]

this manatee looks like it’s in a skyrim loading screen

[yumishisu]

wade calling him everything but logan

[reedsues]

@swsource​ star wars week: day 5 – don't make me nickname you clones & chosen names

no guarantee or ambition for absolute completeness

[artrealla]

[troutreznor]

text transcribed under readmore

SMALL DOG SYNDROME 

small dog you’re so funny when you snap small dog you’re so funny when you shake small dog you’re so bad when you bark small dog you never learned the rules

small dog lays flat on the floor  and sighs and whines  while it waits for you to come back from wherever you go  all day small dog doesn’t know if you’re coming home small dog hides under the bed to puke does it quiet eats its shame before you ever smell it  small dog’s bark is worse than its bite  small dog you are so funny when you bite  small dog it’s so funny when you’re mad  so by all means pick it up throw it around  lock it in a cage while you laugh small dog you are so funny when you cry

small dog can’t remember being a wolf  can’t remember being big  howling in harpstring harmony  like a plucked and quivering note in a catacomb  sleeping in a warm pile of bodies in a dry place that smells like family  the taste of fresh hot blood and wet bone iron fire honey salt 

small dog run free beneath the moon in your dreams

small dog is so happy you’re home!! small dog loves you!!!

JMGD

[an-absolute-trainwreck]

(If you like specifically the diet or sugar free version of any of these, just vote for that option. Same thing for specific flavors, eg. cherry coke, or mtn dew red, etc.)

[sunflowers-and-scales]

almost christmas

[ginumo]

made myself these references!!

for. no reason whatsoever teehee

[nekrosmos]

They're going on a date 👍​

[kishdoodles]

Happy New Year! My yearly Davesprite is here to usher in 2024... it's been a quite the 2023! This also marks 10 years since I started this tradition... yippee!!!

I made the piece this year listening to @toontitsgoopbrain's davesprite tracks (give them a listen they're really good!)

2023 has been on the quieter side for me, nonetheless I'm overwhelmed by the support I've had during it anyways. Thanks to everyone who stuck around!

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

[taikin4]

the seeds 🛐

[the-king-of-lemons]

connoreatspants sweep

[rayfishandchips]

ra9 please take this as my tribute for entering the fandom *throw a chunk of my dbh wip into the wild*

edit: for the physical version of the tsum tsum Connor, check this

[itsbait]