#the it gets serious

[starship-trolls]

If someone sends you my art as a reference please respect my wishes and DO NOT USE IT AS REFERENCE NO MATTER WHAT.

Unless you get my express permission to use my art for any purpose, don't use it. Don't reference it. Inspo? Maybe. Still just ASK. Please. It's not that hard to respect me as a person.

[lifeafterpsychiatry]

The worst thing is that there is so much potential for exploring the horror of psych wards from the angle of medical abuse, ableism, forced treatment/drugging, loss of autonomy, power imbalance, demonization, dehumanization, etc, and YET the horror genre keeps defaulting to "insane asylums and psych wards are scary because there are mentally ill people in there"

[shadesofmauve]

I want to step away from the art-vs-artist side of the Gaiman issue for a bit, and talk about, well, the rest of it. Because those emotions you're feeling would be the same without the art; the art just adds another layer.

Source: I worked with a guy who turned out to be heavily involved in an international, multi-state sex-slavery/trafficking ring.

He was really nice.

Yeah.

It hits like a dumptruck of shit. You don't feel stable in your world anymore. How could someone you interacted with, liked, also be a truly horrible person? How could your judgement be that bad? How can real people, not stylized cartoon bogeymen, be actually doing this shit?

You have to sit with the fact that you couldn't, or probably couldn't, have known. You should have no guilt as part of this horror — but guilt is almost certainly part of that mess you're feeling, because our brains do this associative thing, and somehow "I liked [the version of] the guy [that I knew]", or his creations, becomes "I made a horrible mistake and should feel guilty."

You didn't, loves, you didn't.

We're human, and we can only go by the information we have. And the information we have is only the smallest glimpse into someone else's life.

I didn't work closely with the guy I knew at work, but we chatted. He wasn't just nice; he was one of the only people outside my tiny department who seemed genuinely nice in a workplace that was rapidly becoming incredibly toxic. He loaned me a bike trainer. Occasionally he'd see me at the bus stop and give me a lift home.

Yup. I was a young woman in my twenties and rode in this guy's car. More than once.

When I tell this story that part usually makes people gasp. "You must feel so scared about what could have happened to you!" "You're so lucky nothing happened!"

No, that's not how it worked. I was never in danger. This guy targeted Korean women with little-to-no English who were coerced and powerless. A white, fluent, US citizen coworker wasn't a potential victim. I got to be a person, not prey.

Y'know that little warning bell that goes off, when you're around someone who might be a danger to you? That animal sense that says "Something is off here, watch out"?

Yeah, that doesn't ping if the preferred prey isn't around.

That's what rattled me the most about this. I liked to think of myself as willing to stand up for people with less power than me. I worked with Japanese exchange students in college and put myself bodily between them and creeps, and I sure as hell got that little alarm when some asian-schoolgirl fetishist schmoozed on them. But we were all there.

I had to learn that the alarm won't go off when the hunter isn't hunting. That it's not the solid indicator I might've thought it was. That sometimes this is what the privilege of not being prey does; it completely masks your ability to detect the horrors that are going on.

A lot of people point out that 'people like that' have amazing charisma and ability to lie and manipulate, and that's true. Anyone who's gotten away with this shit for decades is going to be way smoother than the pathetic little hangers-on I dealt with in university. But it's not just that. I seriously, deeply believe that he saw me as a person, and he did not extend personhood to his victims. We didn't have a fake coworker relationship. We had a real one. And just like I don't know the ins-and-outs of most of my coworkers lives, I had no idea that what he did on his down time was perpetrate horrors.

I know this is getting off the topic, but it's so very important. Especially as a message to cis guys: please understand that you won't recognize a creep the way you might think you will. If you're not the preferred prey, the hind-brain alarm won't go off. You have to listen to victims, not your gut feeling that the person seems perfectly nice and normal. It doesn't mean there's never a false accusation, but face the fact that it's usually real, and you don't have enough information to say otherwise.

So, yeah. It fucking sucks. Writing about this twists my insides into tense knots, and it was almost a decade ago. I was never in danger. No one I knew was hurt!

Just countless, powerless women, horrifically abused by someone who was nice to me.

You don't trust your own judgement quite the same way, after. And as utterly shitty as it is, as twisted up and unstead-in-the-world as I felt the day I found out — I don't actually think that's a bad thing.

I think we all need to question our own judgement. It makes us better people.

I don't see villains around every corner just because I knew one, once. But I do own the fact that I can't know, really know, about anyone except those closest to me. They have their own full lives. They'll go from the pinnacles of kindness to the depths of depravity — and I won't know.

It's not a failing. It's just being human. Something to remember before you slap labels on people, before you condemn them or idolize them. Think about how much you can't know, and how flawed our judgement always is.

Grieve for victims, and the feeling of betrayal. But maybe let yourself off the hook, and be a bit slower to skewer others on it.

[mythtakens]

“these characters should be mentally healthy before they get together 😌” ummm no I actually think we should smash their mental illnesses together like clumps of play-doh and see what colors it makes

[talesfromthecrypts]

[cumaeansibyl]

I was just browsing around here at random and I think the current generation of social media users need to re-learn a certain truth:

the Secret Service will investigate all perceived threats to the president or top government officials, even if they are clearly unserious.

Now, they aren't going to arrest you for joking about it. They are going to show up at your house with printouts of your tumblr and other social media and ask you some very pointed questions and it's going to be extremely uncomfortable. They want you to know that they know what you said, and that if you were planning to do more than talk, you should stop that, because now they have their eye on you.

And yeah, in the back of their minds they're thinking "what if this seemingly harmless poster actually turns out to have a gun and a plan, and we dismiss them because we think they couldn't possibly be serious?" But mainly the first thing.

Let me make one thing clear: I am expressing neither approval or disapproval of this practice. I am stating the fact that they've done this for decades -- it's not a particular feature of the new administration. And given that their one and only job is keeping some very unpopular people alive, it makes sense that they're being damn sure no one slips through the cracks. Because it only takes one.

Oh, and just for the record, if you use common censorship techniques to talk about "unaliving" or "k*lling" someone you shouldn't, they can still find you. Some of these people have been on the social media beat for years by now, you know they speak fluent TikTok.

Be safe out there, okay? Don't get put on a list for a dumb joke.

[mausolealdrift]

its baffling seeing people on here being all shocked about how other ppl didnt have sex or do drugs or drink or go to parties etc etc in high schools like. sorry i was too busy getting bullied to do all of that stuff i guess. why are you surprised that there’s losers on the cringe loser website

[prlssprfctn]

Jason-theatre-kid-Todd, who physically cannot stop making dramatic speeches before taking down an enemy, which absolutely contradicts the way League of Assassins work, which in turn pisses Ra's Al Ghul off.

Ra's Al Ghul: I was going through reports. Why did the last mission take you... an hour and twenty minutes to finish? The target was right there - defenceless atop of that.

Assassin: ...General was speaking.

Ra's Al Ghul: How long his speech took?

Assassin: ...Let's say, he took the target down within twenty seconds.

Ra's Al Ghul: ...What a one can talk about for an hour and twenty minutes, for God's sake!!!

Ra's: Had you spoken to a kid? Had you reminded him that he is not under Dark Knight's wing now? That I won't tolerate talks about justice?

Talia: I, in fact, did.

Ra's: So? What did he say?

Talia: Do you want me to quote him or just to summarise it?

Ra's: Humour me. Be as precise as you can.

Talia: He said, and I quote: "Ra's can [indescribable string of curses that they had never heard before]"

[katsinspats]

Thematically appropriate comic for Make a Terrible Comic Day!!

I saw the original post this morning and it made me get out of bed to make something, so thank u Pseudonym Jones mission accomplished

[starship-trolls]

A small update.

I've been working my security job almost a month now. However, I took on extra shifts as I needed the money for some doctors visits, these shifts were eight hours, so some days I would work a six hour shift at my original placement then an eight hour shift later that day.

Typically I worked 10 AM to 4 PM at my usual job but on Sundays I would work 4 PM to 10 PM. This was my usual schedule.

Now, below will sound quite ventish but I think it's very necessary information to tell as I do feel guilty for letting my life essentially overrun me and get in the way of what I love to do.

Content Warnings; Dehydration, Heat Exhaustion, Description of harsh Conditions as well as Unhealthy Behavior.

So without further ado; what happened?

So, as stated, I took on eight hour shifts. My job is security and at the facility I work I typically gain above 12k steps a day and my highest step count ever to date has been 23k+. This is to state my job requires a lot of walking, which really saps my energy. Now, usually I am inside and have access to water. But as my work went on I would be placed outside or need to walk outside during my break times for food/drinks.

This was not bad, however I have to note I do already have issues with my body keeping sugar, water and other necessities so I did understand I was already pushing myself further than my limit, which is a reason I wished to see a doctor. That way maybe I could find out what's going on.

Doctors cost quite a lot and so I couldn't afford one, therefore I pushed myself even further and wound up with eight hour shifts for the weekend and a day.

These shifts were midnight to eight in the morning, I figured that since these were the hours I already wished to work anyway I would be able to do them no problem. I needed the money, the time was comfortable and it was a new location that I was excited to work in.

For Friday I worked 10 AM to 4 PM and couldn't sleep, I got up and went to work at midnight and came home the next morning exhausted. I had been awake 25 hours at that point, which I already knew was bad but I figured maybe if I sleep enough (as I don't work on Saturdays) then I would be fine.

Well, another thing important to note is usually where I sleep it is 90° WITH the AC on and a window open. So, dangerous levels. Without getting into other things I have to say unfortunately I do not feel comfortable sleeping anywhere else where I live.

To add onto all of this though, I only slept five hours before waking up extremely dehydrated and sweating from nightmares. I figured since I was up though I should get ready and so I went again to an eight hour shift; midnight to eight in the morning. That day was completely fine.

Then Monday happened, needless to say all issues stated before cannot and did not leave within a day and so I was suffering. Sundays 4 PM to 10 PM followed by immediately going to my 12 AM to 8 AM was genuinely not the best idea but I thought it would help the person who drove me so that's what I decided.

The person who drove me couldn't pick me up as they worked on Monday too and because I didn't know the area all too well I spent about four hours in the sun in my already thick uniform just trying to find the bus stop to get home.

When I finally got through my emotions (being upset from lack of sleep as well as heat), the pain (15 hrs on feet basically) and everything else I found the bus stop. I was wiped as one would imagine but I thought when I got home everything would be fine and that I'd have about two days off to help myself.

Unfortunately, I pushed way too hard and I am paying the price now.

Not only am I experiencing what I believe to be heat exhaustion but I've lost all of my personal and important cards. My bank card, my ID, my Social Security Card even. All gone. Stolen, I believe when I was on the bus home but I can't be sure. I'm livid, I'm distraught.

This isn't to make anyone feel guilty as I did this to myself, some solace to all is I've gotten replacements for two of my monetary cards that are coming in maximum ten days. However my ID and my SSC will be much harder, which stresses me to no end.

While I'm out of work though (as I could not obtain my license for having my personal items stolen) I'll work on commissions to make up for lost money.

I would like to apologize properly, I'm very sorry I've let my personal life eat up all of my time. I should have managed it properly as I am an adult. I will work to do better with time management, as it's important for daily life anyway. Thank you all for your patience as well. You are those who help me through rough times- therefore you have my utmost gratitude.

Thank you for reading, I will be visiting a doctor as soon as I can afford it. But as it is now, I would not be able to be treated without identification unless I was in a life or death situation. As I am still remaining conscious with extended movement, they will not see me without these requirements.

Thank you all again, please have a swell day.

[lifeafterpsychiatry]

It's a lot healthier to go for a daily walk than to sign up for a gym membership you won't be using because you hate that kind of exercise. It's a lot healthier to eat a frozen meal than to skip a meal because you were too tired to cook something healthy. It's a lot healthier to take a quick shower than to procrastinate an elaborate routine for days. Don't aim so high that you won't be hitting anything!

[awsok]

HER BEST AND ONLY FRIEND HAS JUST DIED

— Ariana Grande, on Glinda the Good

[dangeroustaintedflawed]

[hotdogmchiggin]

Company Mandated Fancy Fits on the Tulpar 😏

Also had to include the REAL star of the show (and a bonus)

Based off of this and this. Thank you very much joetastic for being inspirational 👍

The REAL reason this is late

[chimchiri]

gideon & harrow OR rd and sf as cowboys please please please

It's the cowgirl necro and her gunslinger cav! Who is so damn extra she's got three guns: one left, one right, and one in pole position! (She swears the ladies love it!)

[electrocentric]

“Antiship is punk!” has the same energy as “being conservative is the new punk!”

Proship is an inherently punk ideology. The production of transgressive and taboo art is an inherently punk thing. You cannot be against the production of weird fiction and be punk because punk is about liberation for the weird and estranged people of society and the right to freedom of expression.