#these are not all unique takes! not at all!

[drchucktingle]

As an autistic person, did you struggle to make and keep friends? And have you found friends through the writing world? I ask because my mom always said i needed to find my people. I did finally find them (they are neurodiverse trans nerds, haha), but not until i was like 30. And i wonder if its true of other autistic people too. So i guess my question is: did you find your people, and when?

thank you this is good question. i have always had a LOT of CLOSE BUDS even from a very young age. i would actually say that i am unusually socially adept in my way and that it is partially BECAUSE of my autistic trot. LETS TALK ON THAT FOR A MOMENT

'BUT CHUCK YOU SAID YOU ARE ON THE SPECTRUM AND AUTISTIC BUCKAROOS CANNOT BE SOCIALLY ADEPT' some say. and sure it is UNUSUAL overall, technically speaking, but there is also an important reason we talk about this as a spectrum of buckaroos and not a monolith

when buckaroos ask me what it is like to be autistic i try to explain like this: there are certain cues and markers from the outside that serve as a sort of identification checklist but because of masking they are not always correct. instead i see it as question of WHAT IS IT LIKE INSIDE YOUR BRAIN?

internally my brain is different. its taking in way more information all the time, including the stuff that neurotypical buds block out, and that can become overwhelming. it is hard to navigate because i do not have that automatic neurotypical 'here is what is important here is what is not' function

so yes i can be easily distracted and zone out as i watch the patterns and fractals spin off. and yes i can miss certain things in social situations. in many autistic buckaroos this makes large groups overwhelming and the OUTPUT of behavior matches what we typically know as signs of autism

FOR ME however, same thing is going on inside, but i have managed to HARNESS that information. even from very young age i see that everyone is DOING THE HUMAN ACT but instead of rejecting that and shutting off i think 'well okay i am just going to do THIS because thats what they actually want'

in other words, most neurotypical buds say one thing that has a kind of spiraling social-cue-related OTHER MEETING (they do this ALL the time) and instead of rejecting that i have trained myself to be REALLY REALLY good at knowing the hidden meaning. it is EMPATHY but on a sort of LOGIC BASED level

and because i have always been pretty good at that, people like to trot around me and say 'wow this is a good friend they understand me'. now for ME that can be a little exhausting and there are things i need to do and stims and all that to release the effort, but overall it is worth it to me

OTHER THING is that i was a successful CREATOR AND ARTIST BUCKAROO from an early age which is socially seen as 'cool' especially when you are trotting around in your youth. it is not particularly FAIR but it is true that some level of fame makes buds treat you well even if you are 'weird'.

of course it can be a sort of FAKE 'treating you well' but as an autistic buckaroo it is still more of a chance than you might otherwise get. this timeline has sort of carved out a very special little sliver of social grace for the token odd artistic weirdo to have a seat at each cool kids table

ANYWAY that is the trot of my life. it is a unique trot that i dont get to talk on much but since you asked THERE YOU GO. every chance i get to say 'I LOVE BEING AUTISTIC' and talk on HOW MUCH IT HAS IMPROVED MY LIFE i try to take a moment and do that. when i was young i had few autistic heroes

and OF COURSE it can be difficult and overwhelming and we need to have space for those stories and voices, but i want young buckaroos who get this diagnosis to know there are ALL KINDS of stories and trots on the autism spectrum. MINE IS PRETTY DANG COOL and maybe yours will be too. LOVE IS REAL

[yamumsyadadd]

when the bird sings

reader has selective mutism. Some talks of death, blood, nothing too graphic. Wrote it in a few hours and now I’m off to sleep.

Everyone had their little quirks, things that made them different from everyone else. There were the obvious ones, different finger prints, a unique DNA sequence. But then there are the less obvious, their childhood, their culture, their routines and personalities. Yours was different to anyone you knew. 

Selective mutism. 

It started after your mum died. A lot of things did. You weren’t always mute. When you first moved to Lyon, after two years at PSG, you became mute again. It was something you tried really hard to get out of, but when you were anxious or overwhelmed, it just happened. 

The older players at PSG took care of you. Irene and her partner Lucinda, Christiane and Luana. When it was announced you’d be leaving for the cross country rivals Lyon. They made sure to talk to Wendie and Ada. Christiane, who was also joining Lyon, promised Luana and Irene that she’d take care of you. 

For the first few weeks, you didn’t say a word to anyone on the field or during whiteboard sessions. Everything was new and scary but overtime you settled in. Ada was always there, holding your hand when you were getting overwhelmed. Wendie made sure to report back to the PSG girls. 

You were only 16, so incredibly young compared to the rest of the team and sometimes they forgot about how young you really were. They were reminded during the celebrations of the Champions League in 2021, while they were all getting drunk and dancing, you were sat quietly in your cubby watching along. 

Truthfully you were glad that you couldn’t go out. It was an exhausting game, somehow you’d managed to get the ball off the Alexia Putellas and score the opening goal. That was a memory you’d have in your mind forever. 

For the next two years you were comfortable. The mutism only really occurred on the anniversary of your mums death or during big games or when you were having a hard time. 

A few weeks before the champions league final against Barcelona in Bilbao, you were told that Lyon weren’t going to offer you a new contract. It was a hard pill to swallow. Immediately your agent reached out to other teams, Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern and even a few teams in north and South America. It was a lot to think about and because of that, you went mute. 

The game itself wasn’t that different to other times. It could’ve been a repeat of the 22 season but it wasn’t. The first half was pretty equal but then Aitana Bonmati opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 63’ minute. From the on it felt like a never ending battle. 

When Alexia Putellas came on the field in the final few minutes, the entire stadium went crazy. It was then that you realised the game was over. As soon as she was on the field, everything changed and less than 90 seconds later she scored. Nailing the final nail in the coffin. 

Barcelona has just bet Lyon for the first time. 

It was well after the game that Ada pulled you into her side. She had just been talking to Alexia and her family, alexia had mentioned you and Ada had offered to introduce the two of you. But before she had the chance, she had to give her a quick warning. 

“Y/n, is a bit different. She’s got selective mutism so she probably won’t talk. She is a big fan though! Huge! You’re definitely her favourite player.” Alexia laughed and Ada went off to find you. 

If you weren’t mute before Ada presented you like an award, you would’ve been after. 

“Hola y/n. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” All you could do was nod your head and smile. Slowly she introduced you to her family and her girlfriend. When Irene and Lucinda came over you visible relaxed. Happily listening to everyone chat about trivial things. 

You were about to say something, finally feeling comfortable enough to talk, And then you heard it. Something you’d been hearing all your life, Alexia’s little sister making a comment that to her wouldn’t mean much, but to you it would send you spiralling. 

“She’s weird no? Doesn’t talk just stands there hitting her leg. Her mami didn’t teach her manners.” The tapping ceased immediately. You probably weren’t supposed to understand her but with your Spanish lessons ramping up thanks to the soon to be announced move to Barcelona, you understood. 

All it took was one look from Irene and you felt your eyes start to fill up. 

“Y/n…” you shook her hand off your arm. 

“No no. Do you- do you think I like being this way?” Your voice was shaky, worse than normal thanks to the tears, “this isn’t fun for me. I don’t want to be weird, I don’t want to be this way but I am. I may be weird, but you, you’re a horrible person and I think that’s worse.” You were fully crying now. Alexia and her mum were confused, they hadn’t heard what Alba had said. 

Ada grabbed your hands, unclenching the fists you had made before you could realise. “No don’t touch-touch me. Leave me.” 

Both Irene and Lucinda turned to Alba, both taking in turns to yell at her. Ada ran after you and followed you to a random supply closet. You hated that you were this way. No one usually said anything to your face, sure there were whispers from other teams or fans but your teammates were always there to put their foot down. 

Everything became too much. Breathing, blinking, crying. Your usual post game exhaustion had been multiplied. 

After that game, something changed inside of you. Over the summer you moved from France to Spain. Distancing yourself from your now ex-teammates. Thankfully, a lot of them were in the Olympics or on holidays in various countries so you didn’t have to reply much. 

All summer your brain was in an anxiety faze. You knew you had Irene on the team to help you, but that was it. Irene was older, a captain who had to go off and do extra duties. She wouldn’t be able to help at all times and that scared you. 

Albas words buzzed through your head, “she’s weird” expect it wasnt alba saying it, it was all your new teammates. The club had been given a full rundown of what had happened in the past, and the psychologist was a lovely woman. But it didn’t help much. 

You wanted to go home, to be with your mum but that wasn’t possible. So you carried on the way you knew how. Not talking, not making eye contact, being in a state of fight or flight. 

As the preseason continued on, the girls who competed in the Olympics slowly made their way back. Everyone took the time to introduce themselves but a few in particular stood out. 

After a weird landing, your ankle was a bit sore so you followed the directions Pere had given you and ended up in the medical room. Vicky and Cata were in there getting their preseason checks. 

You spoke quietly to the medical staff, explaining what happened and where it hurts. Thankfully it was nothing more than a sprain and all you had to do with ice it. 

“Hola! I’m Vicky.” She plopped herself down on the bed next to you, “alexia says you don’t talk much but that’s okay because I can talk enough for the both of us.” And boy did she talk. You liked listening to Vicky, her voice was soothing and she was funny. 

After a week, Vicky invited you to hang out with her and Jana. Jana was polite and very caring, she talked a lot too. Slowly but surely more people were invited to the hang outs and you became friends with them all. They all told you their secrets, probably because they knew you wouldn’t say anything since Irene was the only person you spoke to. 

When Christmas rolled around you were finally talking a bit. Not lots like you used to, especially not when you were in training or a big group, but when you were with Jana or Vicky, you talked more than they could imagine you would. 

Just like every new year that rolls around, so does the anniversary of your mums death. You don’t talk about it and no one asks. Irene was in PSG when it happened but she kept the details tight lipped. After all, it wasn’t her secret to tell. 

A pair of cleats to the ribs was enough to keep you out for a couple of weeks, making the time round the anniversary even worse. unfortunately for you, the progress you made had all but disappeared. To those around you it was worrying, but Irene assured them it would be okay in a few weeks, that this was what happened. 

What you didn’t account for was both Patri and Alexia to be injured at the same time. Meaning all three of you were in the gym doing rehab together. For the last seven or so months, you avoided Alexia. 

It wasn’t necessary her as a human that you were avoiding, more the feeling of the months following what her sister had said. Every time she tried to talk to you, you simply walked away. If it was about football you’d listen but anything else was a no go.

“I’m glad you have found yourself some friends on the team.” Patri was off doing her own thing, while you were stuck being Alexia’s partner. “We haven’t really had a chance to chat have we?” 

You stayed quiet, not because you didn’t have anything to say. The complete opposite. It wasn’t Alexia’s fault that her sister’s stupid comment struck a nerve or that you were injured, or for global warming but you just had the urge to scream at her. 

“Irene and Lucinda talk highly of you. Matteo too. They came over for dinner a few nights ago.” Silence. She raises an eyebrow at you but continues on, “when I was 19 my papi died. He was my best friend, biggest supporter. I miss him every day.” Not even that for a reaction out of you. 

Not that it would. You didn’t know your dad, too young to remember him when he left you and your mum. She was your best friend, your biggest supporter. 

Alexia continued to ramble on about her life, to be completely honest you weren’t really listening until she started talking about her sister. You could feel yourself getting frustrated, the memories from that day in the tunnel coming back. 

“She’s a primary school teacher. She’s-“

“Respectfully, I don’t give a fuck.” You walked off, leaving both Alexia and the Physio in shock. Neither had heard you talk much so hearing you swear was crazy. 

You knew that alexia would report back to Irene and you’d get an ear full but you didn’t care. You didn’t want to hear about how her sister was a primary school teacher, that she was patient and caring, because to you she wasn’t. A stupid comment from her sent you spiralling for months. 

Irene did in fact corner you later in the day, but she wasn’t alone. Alexia was stood in the corner like a shadow, with one look from Irene you knew you had to apologise. 

“Tell her.” You shook your head at her demand, feeling like a defiant child. “Tell her or I will.” 

“Irene it’s-“

“No. Enough is enough. Alexia, you didn’t do anything wrong. Alba did.” 

Now alexia was even more confused, “what did alba do?” 

“She said I was weird.” You mumbled out. It was like a lightbulb went off in Alexia’s head. 

That day in the tunnel, Irene and Lucinda pulled Alba away from the original group. No one would tell them what was said no matter how much Alexia pushed. With the Olympics and the new season she had completely forgotten. 

“That’s not all. She said her mum didn’t teach her manners.” Irene’s face softened slightly, knowing she was now needing to tread lightly. 

“She’s dead. My mum.” 

“I’m sorry..”

“Do you want me to keep going?” She knew this was hard for you, but also knew that Alexia needed more information so she could fix this. You nodded slightly, putting your hands over your ears to bring you some relief. Instead of doing it in front of you, Irene led Alexia out to the hallway. 

“Four years ago her mum was murdered in a robbery gone bad. Y/n came home and she was laying on the floor. She tried to stop the bleeding but she couldn’t do that and call for an ambulance. After that she became developed anxiety and the selective mutism. She’s got a few other quirks too.” 

“The hand tapping?” 

“Sometimes she’s convinced she can feel the blood on her hands so she taps to prove to herself that she doesn’t and sometimes it’s just a nervous tick.” 

“How does this relate back to alba?” 

“She said to Olga that y/n was weird and that she wasn’t taught manners. Maybe it was meant as a joke but to her, it derailed everything. She worked hard for years and she knows it’s weird. It struck an insecurity, and my guess is that it also embarrassed her because she looks up to you.” 

“I can fix this right? I can make Alba apologise and talk to her.” 

“I think from you, reassurance is enough. She thinks the girls think she’s weird too. Maybe avoid bringing Alba up.” 

Over the following weeks alexia’s determination never faulted. Everyday she would try and have a conversation with you, even if it was telling you about her dinner or that her girlfriend was home from Madrid. Slowly but surely you became more relaxed around her. 

Because you didn’t have your license, you were often passed around by your teammates. It was alexia’s turn to drive you home and you’d gotten used to her so you didn’t complain. 

It was only five minutes into your drive that you spoke to her, actually spoke to her. “How did your dad die?” She looked over at you, eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry you don’t have to answer that.” 

“Do you ever google your teammates?” 

“No that’s weird.” 

“He had a heart condition. He went into heart failure and ended up passing away from it.” You hummed. Not really sure what else to say. 

People carrying grief differently you realised. Alexia doesn’t talk about her dad much, and you don’t talk about your mum but Vicky does. She talks about her mum a lot, Irene talks about her brother. Sometimes people need to express their grief and sometimes people need to bury it. 

“I need to apologise to you.” To was your turn to look at her with your eyebrows furrowed, “my sister said something unkind to you and I didn’t do anything. If anyone, a teammate, someone from the other team, or even a fan, says something to you that is unkind or makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me. I know you have Irene and Lucinda, Ada and Wendie, but having one more person in your corner couldn’t hurt.” 

“Thanks.” You nodded your head, wiping your sweaty hands on your track pants. 

While you found yourself struggling with grief the following week, you were never alone with it. Mapi and Vicky could go head to head in a yapping competition, Irene and Marta continued to make sure you were fed and hydrated, and then there was Alexia. 

On the bad day, she sat on the floor in the locker room holding your hands, soothingly rubbing over them after she walked into your rubbing them raw. 

When Easter arrived, the entire team and their families gathered on the back fields for a lunch and Easter egg hunt. There were lots of laughs and while you had gone mute, everyone was incredibly patient and friendly. 

There was one person, or really group of people, you were actively trying to avoid. It worked until Lucinda dragged you over to Alexia’s family. The tension was rife, alba looked like she was going to burst and all it took was one look in her direction for her to. 

“I am so so sorry y/n. You were right, I was horrible. I am horrible. I didn’t mean what I said and I don’t think you’re weird at all. I think-“

“Thank you.” It was all you could muster up but everyone looked like they could finally relax. “I was wrong. You’re not horrible. You said something horrible but that doesn’t make you horrible.” Irene wrapped her arm around your shoulders, giving it a squeeze. 

There probably wouldn’t be a time that you could ever talk in front of the cameras, or do general media things. But with a little more time you were able to contribute during training. The days you didn’t speak left everyone feeling a little down, they missed the sounds of your laugh or your imitation of Marta with a fake high pitched voice. 

You never once felt weird, or as an outcast because the team simply wouldn’t let you. To them, you were family. And they were your entire world. 

[backofthebookshelf]

It's not a controversial take necessarily -- it's just that the particular environment of AO3, where you can see how many times your fic was loaded in a browser window and where the little heart button has a different meaning than it does on every other social media site, is uniquely bad for the human brain.

For the VAST majority of history, both the history of making art generally and the history of writing fanfiction in particular, you did not get to know how many people gave your work a cursory once-over, or how many people checked your book out from the library and never read it, or how many people overheard a line of poetry and thought "huh, neat" and never did anything else. These interactions were, as they should be, completely anonymous and uncountable. Even in the pre-AO3 days of fanfiction, there was an understanding that page hit counters were kind of crap (for one thing, they would count you every time you loaded the page, and you had to load the page to check the counter, so that was incentive not to look at it that much).

Even in other artistic contexts where you do now have page hit counters on everything, they're contextualized through marketing research, not consumed as a raw value. Marketing talks about conversion rate, which is the % of people who saw something who then went on to do the thing you wanted them to do - for a business that's probably buy the thing, for a nonprofit it might be donate or sign up for a volunteer session, for a fanfiction writer it's leave a comment. At work I work with multiple major companies you have definitely heard of who spend half a million dollars and 1-3 full time employees every year on something that increases their conversion rate by 1-2%. They do this because the conversion rate on our emails is 5%, which is INSANELY high.

And yes, leaving a comment doesn't cost money, but it does cost time and energy. Writers overestimate how easy it is for people to write comments--my coworkers are out here using chatgpt to write boilerplate work emails, I can't imagine ANY of them ever leaving a comment on a work of art they enjoyed. Verbally, yes--and "in a friend discord is much closer to verbally than in a comment form--but in writing? Absolutely not.

As for kudos, I can't help but think that the "likes don't do anything, you have to reblog" culture of social media like twitter and tumblr affects that too (and yes, by the latter days of twitter I was seeing people saying that on there, because the algorithm was so broken). Kudos is essentially a like button, and like the like button on twitter that used to be a favorite button before they changed it and some people never stopped treating it like one, it has meanings for people you'll never understand. "It's just a click!" It is a symbol with vague connotations but no specific universally agreed upon meaning; it tells you how many people clicked on that button, and that's all.

So yes, actually, I guess I am saying that as a writer, you are supposed to assume that many more people liked your fic than you will ever hear from or even know about. And that's a good thing! You have the chance to touch someone's life even though they have no idea who you are and don't think of you as a person so much as a semi-mythical figure called "the author". And that's part of the magic, to me, of creating things. You pour yourself into a thing and then you set it loose into the world and you hope it means to someone else as much as it meant to you. Sometimes, very rarely, someone will tell you so, and that's amazing, I'm not going to pretend it's not, but you have to have enough faith in yourself to believe it happens whether you hear about it or not.

I really don't understand how "without getting kudos or comments a fanfiction author is going to assume that people who clicked their fic didn't like it" became a controversial take.

I don't know why some people think an author should imagine, or guess that people who click their fic enjoyed it it when nobody is telling them that.

If you're re-reading a fic constantly, or leaving it up in your tab so that it re-loads every day for a hundred days the author is not going to know that unless you tell them. They'd love to hear it. It would make their day.

And if you don't tell them you liked their fic, there's no reason for them to assume you did.

[thealchemistbae]

Cosmic Clout: Astrological Indicators of Social Media Fame 📲👑✨

Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes only.

thealchemistbae © do not copy, redistribute, or edit my content.

If you enjoyed this post, you can leave me a tip via PayPal at goddessguapa@gmail.com or via Venmo @goddessguapa. Thank you.

✨: Mercury - Uranus Aspects (The Digital Genius)

Mercury conjunct, trine, or sextile Uranus -> Quick witted, ahead of trends, and innovative in communication. These people say things others wish they could articulate, often leading to viral content.

Mercury square or opposite Uranus -> Unpredictable, controversial, and shock-value communication. Unexpected tweets or videos can skyrocket them into relevance.

✨: Venus in Aspect to Neptune (The Internet's Dream Aesthetic)

Venus conjunct, trine or sextile Neptune -> Ethereal, captivating beauty or aesthetic that resonates with online audiences. Could be a "Pinterest girl" or someone whose visuals always go viral.

Venus square or opposite Neptune -> Aesthetic is either heavily romanticized or misunderstood. Could face issues with online image distortion but still maintains an allure that keeps people watching.

✨: Pluto in the 3rd House (The Power Communicator)

Transformative words and an intense online presence. This placement gives someone a "cult following" on social media. Think deep, thought-provoking captions, tweets that make people overanalyze, or content that feels almost hypnotic.

✨: Midheaven Aspects to Outer Planets (Public Destiny Tied to Digital Influence)

Midheaven conjunct Uranus -> Sudden and unexpected fame, often through a viral moment. Their career path is unconventional and influenced by digital culture.

Midheaven conjunct or trine Neptune -> Fame built on a dreamy, illusory persona. Think influencers who cultivate a mystical, artistic, or unattainable aesthetic.

Midheaven square Pluto -> Extreme love-hate relationship with fame. They either go viral for something transformative or controversial, or they're polarizing figures online.

✨: 11th House Stellium (Digital Influence & Mass Following)

The 11th house rules large audiences, networking, and digital spaces. A stellium (3 or more planets) here indicates someone who naturally attracts an online following.

Mars in the 11th -> Aggressive networking, viral for bold takes.

Venus in the 11th -> Likeable, people want to befriend or copy them.

Neptune in the 11th -> Mysterious and aspirational. People project fantasies onto them.

✨: 3rd House - Uranus Connections (Innovative Speech & Online Impact)

Uranus in the 3rd House -> Unfiltered, unpredictable, and highly engaging content style. Their posts tend to either spark trends or controversy.

Uranus trine/sextile Mercury -> Naturally goes viral due to a unique way of speaking or delivering messages.

Uranus square Mercury -> Can have a love/hate relationship with how their words are received. One tweet could launch a career or a scandal.

✨: North Node in the 10th or 11th House (Destined for Digital Recognition)

10th house North Node -> Meant for public recognition; social media is often the catalyst.

11th house North Node -> Fame comes through networking, online communities, or being the voice of an era.

✨: Transits That Spark Social Media Success

Jupiter transiting the 10th house -> Major career breakthroughs, public expansion, viral moments.

Uranus conjunct Midheaven -> Sudden, unexpected fame (often through the internet)

Neptune transiting the 1st house -> A period where they become idealized, aesthetic-focused, or seen as a fantasy figure.

thealchemistbae © do not copy, redistribute, or edit my content.

I’m sure there is more but honestly this is all I have for now. Enjoy ⚡️

If you enjoyed this post, you can leave me a tip via PayPal at goddessguapa@gmail.com or via Venmo @goddessguapa. Thank you.

✨

[fanged-fanfics]

☆ No Longer Strangers — Awakened Pure Vanilla x GN Reader Fic ☆

Genre: Fluff, Hurt/comfort || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

A/N: This is a part two to this fic as an apology for the angst, hehehe

──────.𖥔 ݁ ˖˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ──────

It had been troubling, being apart without Pure Vanilla. It felt like a very piece of your souljam had been torn out, leaving you a devestated mess in the meantime. While this "Recluse" took off, you tried to pick up the pieces he had left. Yet, to your surprise, you were now face to face with the same Cookie who had said those terrible things to you. His clothes had a white tinge rather than black, the blues completely gone. The eye of his staff now sported a brilliantly shining star, matching the mark on his forehead. His expression was deeply troubled as he spoke with you. "My dear, I-... I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am" he began softly, voice thick with guilt.

You shook off your surprise at his new form, fixing him with a glare. "You should be. Do you have any idea what it was like, having you talk to me like I was nothing? Hearing you treat me like a problem?". Pure Vanilla winced, his hands nervously rubbing the handle of his staff. "I.. wasn't myself. I was under Shadow Milk's control, and... I thought you'd be safer without me. In some way, I... thought I was helping". "Well you weren't" you replied firmly. Pure Vanilla frowned more, slowly stepping closer to you. He extended a nervous hand, and you noticed how it shook. Your expression softened, and with only a moment's hesitation, you allowed him to take your hand into his.

You watched with a suspicious gaze as Pure Vanilla guided your hand to his lips, gently pecking the back of it "Oh, my dove... you didn't deserve such cruelty. Never in all my years have I ever dreamt of hurting you, even in my nightmares". As he spoke, you heard his tone waver. Something in your chest lurched painfully, but you tried to stuff it down. "But you did," you told him, voice now soft as the old aches returned "I know it wasn't in your control, but I can't forget it". "I understand" Pure Vanilla said.

He then kneeled down, bowing a little. He pressed your hand to his forehead. "Please, let me make it up to you. I'll spend the rest of my life letting you know that I adore you every day, each more than the last" he said, tone having warbled into near-begging. "Pure Vanilla..." You said, and he cut you off by opening up his eyes. You could see the darkness that once suffocated them was now gone, the soft blue and yellow you'd come to love being visible once again. He gently moved your hand to his cheek, and kissed your palm. "I'm sorry, my dove. And I can't say it enough. I can't spend another moment thinking of how you looked that last time we met"

The memory fluttered across your mind, the way it stung seeing your beloved look at you with such disdain. All traces of coldness was gone, now the healer was leaning into your hand like it was the last time he'd ever feel your touch. You felt some dampness from his eye reach your hand, and that alone broke you. You inched closer, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a tight embrace. "I- I thought you'd-" you began, voice breaking up with emotion. Pure Vanilla wrapped you in his arms, a sensation you previously feared never feeling again. "Shh, shh, it's alright. I'm back now, you see? It's just me" he murmured.

You couldn't help but melt into his hold, pouring all the agony you'd felt into tears while dissolving in his arms. He sniffled, a small whimper leaving him as he cried along with you. It took several moments, but when you pulled back, Pure Vanilla began kissing the tears off of your dough, wiping your eyes clean with his hands. "I love you, my dove" he said quietly "More than anything. You don't have to forgive me just yet, but I'll try every day to prove it to you". You chuckled a little. It was so uniquely him, and for the first time in a long while, you felt he was himself again. His voice, the one you remembered, the one that comforted you countless times, was back.

You gave a quick peck to the corner of his mouth. Almost as soon as it happened, Pure Vanilla gently cupped your face, bringing you back in for a proper kiss. It was chaste, but you felt relief fill your form at feeling his kiss again. You held it with him until it slowly broke, Pure Vanilla simply breathing in the moment. He pressed his forehead to yours. "Anything you want, my love, and I'll grant it to you" he said. You smiled, hugging him once more "I'll tell you when I think of it. Can we just stay here for now?". "Of course," Pure Vanilla said, shifting to be fully sitting and putting you right in his lap. He gently pet your hair while keeping a tight hold around your waist. You leaned into him, feeling whole once again.

[atlaculture]

From ATLA to LOK to Seven Havens Pt. 1

So I'm sure you're all aware that Avatar Studios is currently working on a new series starring the new Earth Avatar immediately following Korra. It'll take place in a cyberpunk setting where the four nations no longer exist. To be honest, I don't see myself following this series unless it manages to generate a lot of positive feedback within the first few episodes. I like fantasy and I like cyberpunk, but I don't really want to see a show juggle both.

That said, from a behind-the-scenes perspective, the way the franchise has evolved provides us with unique insight into what Bryke initially wanted for ATLA.

Above is the very first sketch that Bryan ever did of Aang. As you can see, our protagonist was originally supposed to have a giant dog-bear sidekick and the setting was supposed to be futuristic. Hmm... Sounds familiar.

Katara originally had loosely-tied bundles of hair that framed her face. This hard-to-animate type of hair would get passed on to Korra.

Bryke initially wanted all bending to be based on only one style, specifically Northern Shaolin. It was Sifu Kisu that convinced them to have each nation practice a different type of kung fu. With Korra, they were able to integrate the four elements into one martial art as they had originally planned; this time, they used MMA, as it had gotten quite popular by the 2010s.

[ultramaga]

Nope. Tits work for humans. It's not lazy, it's smart. Humans are unique in having boobs.

But I do think it's hilarious to see all the Leftists shrieking their fury in the comments. So many men angry that other men want women instead. Knowing that they will never really be..a woman.

And hyper-stimulation? I don't see anything lazy about knowing how it works and taking advantage.

Drawing porn fanart of a character with small boobs and giving them big boobs feels cowardly to me. Like it's one thing if it's like a breast growth/inflation fetish but if you're just giving them giant honkers because that's how you make things sexy that comes across as lazy to me. Like what you can't figure out how to make a character sexy if she's below a DD? Skill issue.

[salemsinss]

18+ MDNI reader is GN but there are some feminine terms. Not edited or proof read

Part one Gardener!SimonRiley x Oldmoney!Reader

PrivateChef!Price x Oldmoney!Reader

(TW: creampie, breedingkink, jealousy, masturbation, overstimulation, all of these are vague if you read deep into it)

AN: I was not expecting the amount of love my first post got so thank you so much（≧∇≦）

also currently suffering from a UTI, and when I told my partner he was like you have an std 😭 I told him to kys immediately after men are dumb guys (and I chose this voluntarily…)

Anyway wish me luck with my UTI

Oldmoney!Reader like to happily spend their time at home being a couch potato, they already have enough money to put them and the next three generations through life some would they waste their time working when they can take up any hobby they can imagine

Oldmoney!Reader always finding the most unique recipes on TikTok or Instagram and spamming PrivateChef!Prices inbox on all the apps and even iMessage

PrivateChef!Price who doesn’t live on the manors land like the rest of the staff but actually commutes daily to come to readers home, prep food, cook for them, them return to his own home

PrivateChef!Price who does as best as he can to recreate the recipes reader sends him, making sure to do at least one a week, writing down the ones reader likes more and keeping them in a little note pad he tucks away in his apron.

PrivateChef!Price going far beyond readers expectations with every new recipe he tries and convinces the picky eaters that reader is to eat.

Oldmoney!Reader always looking at the new dishes like they are poisonous and vile, wonder just what they where about to eat rather than having price make them their comfort foods

Oldmoney!Reader who likes to invade prices kitchen and sometimes even kick him out so they can make snacks for Gardener!SimonRiley

PrivateChef!Price who is insanely jealous of the brew chemistry between Oldmoney!Reader and Gardener!SimonRiley

PrivateChef!Price trying to find a way to bend reader over the kitchen counter and take them right then and there but has to snap out of his thoughts to not burn the dish he was working on

PrivateChef!Price a food connoisseur but he can’t help but wonder just good reader would taste laying half naked on the kitchen island, back arched as he ate your cunt like it was the most perfect meal he’s ever eaten

PrivateChef!Price watching reader stumble back into the kitchen after seeing both reader and Gardener!SimonRiley disappear into the garden shed for a while, and reader comes into the kitchen clearly having just been fucked

PrivateChef!Price who has words to say to Gardener!SimonRiley, nothing nice of course because Simon got to his bird first when he had been planning and planning just how he would take the most private of reader as his own

PrivateChef!Price having to leave early the day you and Gardener!SimonRiley get freaky disappeared into the garden shed so he calm his own nerves and not kill the other man, but got the hard on he got strains so tightly in his pants as he saw you walk back into the kitchen also made him have to excuse himself

PrivateChef!Price masturbating to the thought of how fucked out you would look from you taking every part of him, picturing how many orgasms he could probably draw from you within a night, while he ate out your cunt, delved his fingers Into you to stretch out your tight pretty cunt, flicking at your clit while pressing on that soft gummy spot deep inside you before he’s spitting on his cock and slipping it between your folds to lube it up before making you take him inch by inch.

PrivateChef!Price cumming so quickly into his own palm but wishing it was deep inside your cunt so he could see you so full of him cum as he fucks it right back into you until that white ring is forming around the base of his cock, and your crying from overstimulation and too many orgasms to count on one hand

[nobody-nexus]

A world of chaos and destruction, not much is known about what exactly the place is aside from the name of a blood bath of a free for all world where death is only a temporary set back... Welcome to...

The Deadzone

The Digital Deadzone is an AU where Caine is the head of a sandbox free-for-all game that the cast are stuck in. Having infinite lives, they're all here to fight and die for the entertainment of a third party

Constant weapons, supplies, and stuff spawn for them and it's supposed to be everyman for themselves, however some form bonds over the years they've spent in constant chaos. Every character has a class, a passive ability, and an active ability- as well as the power to use any and all weapons that Caine provides them

Caine will also force the players and NPCs into teams to do missions to keep everything fresh and unique. But that won’t help everyone during an almost hopeless situation… Well. At least they have each other

Below the keep reading for the main cast! (All Humans + Caine)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: High Attack: Medium Defense: Medium Agility: High Height: 4’11’’ Real Name: Eliza Pavlova Old Occupation: Full Time Modeler and Coder Class: Offense

Passive Ability: Due to her cat-based abilities, her speed, agility, and flexibility is naturally increased. She has retractable claws and a tail that she can use to hold onto things -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: Very High Attack: Low Defense: High Agility: Medium Height: 5’6’’ Real Name: Amanda A. Raggson Old Occupation: Script Writer Class: Support

Passive Ability: She’s naturally resilient to most damage due to her plush and cotton filled body. She can take more hits than usual, and she can fix herself up easily. However, stuff like water, milk, or any other kind of liquid can slow her down if dosed in enough of it -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: Medium Attack: Low Defense: Very Low Agility: Very High Height: 6’4’’ Real Name: Jackson Mendez Old Occupation: Game Tester Class: Offense

Passive Ability: His jumping capability has been increased due to being a Leporidae, making him able to go high into the air and land without taking damage (if he lands on his feet, of course) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: High Attack: Low Defense: Medium Agility: Medium Height: 5’10’’ Real Name: Grace Sezer Old Occupation: Concept Artist Class: Defense

Passive Ability: Being made of ribbons, she’s naturally flexible and can go through tight spaces and reach places most can’t. She also can wrap herself around objects (when she doesn’t have clothes on, which is kinda weird) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: High Attack: High Defense: Low Agility: Medium Height: 7’2’’ Real Name: Zoe Imelda Albrechtsson Old Occupation: Environmental Modeler Class: Support

Passive Ability: They can take themselves apart and put themselves right back together due to their building block like body. This makes them practically immune to a good portion of explosives and limb detachment tactics -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: Medium Attack: Medium Defense: High Agility: Very Low Height: 6’4’’ Real Name: Caesar Kingston Old Occupation: Head of the Game Department / Head Coder Class: Defense

Passive Ability: Due to being made of a strong petrified wood, Kinger seems to not take much physical damage unless it’s from explosives or heavy environmental damages. He can still feel the pain though -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: Low Attack: Medium Defense: High Agility: Medium Height: 5’11’’ Real Name: Daniel Kaufman Old Occupation: Janitor Class: Offense

Passive Ability: His body is blubbery, which makes him less likely to be damaged by bludgeoning or stabbing like damage, however other sorts of physical damage do the same amount of damage to him -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Health: Very High Attack: Very High Defense: Very High Agility: Very High Height: 5’3’’ Real Name: “Master of the Deadzone” Old Occupation: None Class: ???

Passive Ability: He knows everything about every new player as soon as they enter into the world. It’s unknown how this is even possible, but it seems to be something he’s fed through an unknown source. But this does make him want to know more about the minds behind the stories… -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an AU that means a lot to me personally. It will handle topics that I understand and relate to. It'll also be a rather serious AU as well

Once I post more about this AU (which I very much will be doing because I have a LOT about it), I shall make a proper masterpost on this one

And please ASK AWAY ON THIS AU. I legit have spent MONTHS working on this AU because I want it to be perfect

Hope to see more soon!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing a "Jealous" Character

Jealousy - a negative emotion in which a person feels anger and resentment about something another person has.

For instance, you might feel emotional jealousy when your best friend at work gets a promotion you thought you deserved.

Romantic jealousy might arise from seeing your partner enjoy the company of another person.

You might have experienced sibling rivalry as a child, competing with your brothers or sisters out of jealousy for the affection of your parents.

Signs of Jealousy

Jealousy is a complex emotion, and it exhibits itself in various ways. These are just 3 key signs to keep in mind:

Distrust: Suppose you’re in a monogamous relationship with your significant other. Every time you see them interact with someone they might feel attracted to, you lash out at them for committing an act of sexual or emotional infidelity. This jealous behavior proceeds from a complete lack of trust in their love and respect for you.

Insecurity: Jealousy comes from seeing a real or perceived threat to your valued relationships. This might exhibit itself in an extreme sense of dependency on another person. To overcome jealousy, examine and conquer insecurities like these.

Irritability: Jealous thoughts often correlate to a notable rise in irritability. This type of reactive jealousy makes it more likely you’ll lash out at a close friend, coworker, or loved one of whom you’re jealous.

How to Deal With Jealousy

You will likely experience jealousy at some point in your life—the important thing is how you handle it. Keep these tips in mind as you strive to overcome the “green-eyed monster” in a healthy way:

Analyze underlying issues. Evaluate your basic attachment style to determine whether you’re getting what you need out of your relationships. Jealous feelings arise from deep-rooted fears. For example, you might have an unexamined fear of abandonment leading you to lash out at your friends and romantic partners for spending time with other people. If you analyze where this fear comes from, you’ll have a better chance of moving past it.

Build trust. Suspicious jealousy arises when people are in the dark about another person’s intentions or behavior. If it’s appropriate, express to your friends, family members, and romantic partners you want to improve your ability to trust them. Overcoming jealousy requires growing past your own insecurities and letting other people prove you can rely on and trust them.

Heal from past wounds. Real and lasting pain is often at the root of jealous individuals’ negative behavior and emotions. Suppose someone watched their longtime romantic partner commit sexual infidelity with another close friend. They might develop a sense of sexual jealousy in future relationships even if their new partner has no intention of cheating. Taking the time to heal from past wounds like these will help you work toward healthier relationships.

Prioritize open communication. Social psychology indicates people are more likely to become jealous when they refrain from communicating. In your friendships and romantic relationships, keep lines of communication open. Be honest with yourself and with each other. Openness builds trust, and trust stops jealousy in its tracks.

Seek mental health care. Speak with a mental health professional to examine why you experience jealousy in the way you do. Both cognitive behavioral therapy and medical intervention through psychiatry can help you overcome your jealous feelings.

Some Causes of Jealousy

Feelings of jealousy arise from feelings of insecurity.

Low self-esteem and a lack of contentment with your own life and relationships make it very easy to become jealous of others who seem to have it all.

While different types of jealousy might manifest in unique ways, they all grow from these basic feelings of inadequacy.

Sometimes clinical conditions like anxiety, borderline personality disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or even schizophrenia deserve attribution for a person’s jealousy. 

Mental health issues like these can distort how you think in a negative way, exacerbating jealous tendencies into a unique pathology of their own right (morbid jealousy).

Why Is Jealousy Harmful?

Pathological jealousy can disrupt or even destroy close relationships you have with loved ones.

For that matter, obsessional negative thoughts will jeopardize your own happiness, self-worth, and sense of well-being. 

Building trust and practicing compassion toward yourself and others, alongside psychotherapy, can help you put your jealous behavior to a rest.

Jealousy vs. Envy

People often treat jealousy and envy as synonyms, but there are important individual differences between these two mainstays of human behavior.

While both jealousy and envy revolve around coveting something one doesn’t have.

Jealousy focuses more on the anger or resentment of this feeling.

Envy, by contrast, is the feeling itself.

For example, suppose a family member dies and leaves your sibling a much larger sum of money than they did to you. If you’re primarily an envious person, you’d spend most of your time wishing you had the money. If you’re primarily a jealous person, you’d fixate and obsess over how unfair it was your sibling got the money instead of you.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[matchingbatbites]

A lil something for @stmarchmm day one: Courting Rituals.

Steve spots Eddie's van in the driveway as he's passing by the living room window. This isn't weird on it's own; he and Eddie have plans, after all, even if it's just crashing on the Harrington couch with pizza and a cheesy B-List horror movie.

No, what's weird is that Eddie is early.

The alpha is historically late for things. The entire party has a fifteen minute grace period that they wait before they actually start to worry that something might actually be wrong. So it's odd that Eddie is at Steve's house a whole ten minutes ahead of the time they agreed on.

Steve goes to the front door and opens it, only to find Eddie at the bottom of the steps, pacing back and forth. His bangs are frizzy and ruffled, like he's been running his fingers through them, and he has a bouquet of flowers in hand.

The omega hovers in the doorway and smiles when he realizes that Eddie is muttering to himself.

"-think you're an amazing person. You make every day brighter, and- No, shit. Tone it down, Eddie. Don't scare him off from the get go." He turns and continues pacing, his free hand moving to push through his bangs again.

"Uh, we- we've gotten to know each other better over the last six months, and I really like you, and I was wondering if- Fuck! Am I asking him to court or asking him to the homecoming dance? Jesus christ."

Steve's stomach flips at the mention of courting. Is that what Eddie's doing? Hyping himself up before he comes in and asks to court Steve?

He really hopes so; Steve's been dropping hints to Eddie for a while now. Any longer and the onega was going to start the process himself, honestly.

Eddie's just so... Eddie. He's weird and manic and intense, but he's also kind and incredibly gentle, handling every interaction with Steve like he's juggling glass. Like one wrong move will have the whole thing shattering to pieces around him.

It's endearing. It shows Steve that Eddie cares, that he wants Steve to think good of him.

"Hey, Eddie!" Steve calls and Eddie's attention immediately snaps to him. He turns so fast that he nearly slips and eats shit on the concrete, but he manages to catch himself at the last second.

"Hey, uh, hi! Steve!" Eddie shuffles in place and half-hides the flowers behind his leg, and Steve beams. He loves the weird, goofy man.

"Are you gonna hang out here all day? Or are you going to come inside and actually ask me, Alpha?"

It takes Eddie a second to register the question before he's scrambling up the steps and shyly presenting Steve with the bouquet - a bundle of wildflowers in varying colors, each one unique and beautiful. Steve happily takes them but doesn't move from the threshold, instead looking at Eddie expectantly.

"Steve, you are the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out," Eddie starts as he fidgets in place. "You deserve the world, and if you allow me the honor of courting you, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to give it to you."

Steve smiles and reaches out to grab Eddie's shirt. "You're too sweet, Alpha," he mutters as he tugs the alpha closer and places a kiss to his cheek. "I don't need the world, Eddie. I just need you to love me."

Eddie blinks rapidly for a second before his nerves seem to vanish. He smiles and hooks a finger into Steve's belt loop, keeping him close. "Well, good thing I've got a head start on that, then."

[partiallysame]

This is probably an odd idea- but i wanna say what would be their reaction to Price lil wife wanting to have a unique pet (not bunny, hamster, dog, cat) something like a snake maybe? :3 (i love slippery tube dudes)

I might also add Simon's particular reaction considering his past when he was forced to kiss a snek (not cool, very scary for him) but ofc reader and maybe the others don't know that

No pressure ofc..! Love ur writing sm boo, literally everytime i open Tumblr and see ur new post im already kicking my feet happily before i even read it sksksk

at this point im telling my friends we are dating

2. Currently taking notes. Memorizing the snek anatomy. 

They all walk in together and there you are sitting so cute on the couch holding the sweet noodle angel baby as it slithers around your hands. Price is not surprised in the least. Like not at all this is just a Tuesday for you. Kyle? He’s gone. Aint no way he’s taking another step in that house while there is a demon there. What was that? The old man neighbor across the street needs help (no he doesn’t) Kyle simply has to go help the feeble old man bc he’s a nice neighborly gentleman definitely not bc he is shaking in his boots. Johnny? Gun out. Thinks the thing snuck in the house and is about to strangle you. He’s ready to protect the missus at all costs. (Might just lose his own life when Price see’s him pointing a fucking gun at you.) “I’ll protect ye bonnie” Johnny chill. Simon? He’s stuck in the doorway. Half of him wants to be across the street with Kyle but after seeing Johnny’s first instinct was to try to protect you, the other half of him wants to help keep you safe too. Never did it cross Simon or Johnny's mind that you willingly put yourself in this dangerous position. (snuggling on the couch with a snake). “Relax boys, he’s nice look” You lift the lil guy up in the air showing him off. Both Simon and Johnny relaxed as they looked at your big happy eyes staring at the creature you were holding. Johnny put his gun away and was immediately next to you asking to hold him. Simon took a few more steps into the room but was absolutely not going to hold the thing. “You wanna hold him Si?” “absolutely fucking not.” too harsh Simon try again “I mean no thank you.” The snake is back in its vivarium and Simon would go check it out but do not touch him while he’s there bc he def jumped out of his skin when you touched his shoulder while he was focused on the snake. Wait its been hours where’s kyle? Eating dinner outside bc he’s not coming back in with that thing in there.

[sleepycelestialprincess]

I'd like to add, this is something that trans women in particular could easily fall into. DON'T! Sure, you can get yourself a few things, but you don't need to spend all your money and time trying to look "beautiful", you are fine. Being trans is supposed to be a release from pretending to be a gender you are not and living presenting as your true self. Just take your hrt, and thrift yourself some clothes you like and LIVE!

(I know this is awfully over simplified and we each have our unique struggles but I think the overall idea stands, companies will tell you any lies to get your money. They will not hesitate to stoop so low as to tell a trans lady they are ugly to make a sale. Don't believe them.)

companies make billions from you thinking you're ugly btw. only ugly thing is their bottom line. log out of tiktok right now.

[devils-little-sistaaa]

In the last Olympian Percy’s says there were 40 demigods that went fighting into battle of manhattan and later on the ares cabin joined so they weren’t even counted in that 40.

And in the end of the book Percy’s says there were only about “20 odd” demigods that survived and made it back to camp.

Roughly half of the whole entire camp perished in battle of manhattan.

And I’ve done the math and figured out who all the veteran characters are. Most of these are all characters mentioned both before and after the battle of manhattan and some of them were introduced in HoO but said to have been at camp since the titan war. These are the only known true survivors of BoM and it adds up to about 20. This is all of them. None of them are unknown. Do with this what you will

All of the battle of manhattan veterans in order of their cabin numbers :

Percy Jackson

Katie Gardiner

Miranda Gardener

Clarrise La Rue

Sherman Yang

Ellis Wakefield

Annabeth Chase

Malcolm Pace

Will Solace

Austin Lake

Kayla Knowles

Jake Mason

Nyssa Barrera

Harley

Drew Tanaka

Lacy

Mitchel

Chris Rodriguez

Travis Stoll

Connor Stoll

Pollux

Nico di Angelo

Butch Walker

Holly Victor

Laurel Victor

Can you imagine them all going back to camp together in only of those Delphi strawberry busses when they came in four busses. All of them together in a tiny bus grieving their lost siblings together.

Percy Annabeth And Nico went on a wild goose chase after Rachel who had just highjacked Black Jack and that’s how they got back to camp they weren’t on the bus.

Malcolm was all alone and might have believed Annabeth died out there in the streets somewhere or in the Empire State Building. (He’s elated to find her alive at camp later. But god that was a scary couple of hours on the bus thinking he’s all alone now)

Malcolm sits with Butch and Pollux because they’re the only other campers on the bus without siblings. Butch just because he happens to be the only known iris kid at camp and Pollux because he lost Castor in battle of the labyrinth.

All the others sit with their siblings. Or what’s left of them. Entire large cabins that used to have 10-20 kids on average now reduced down to 1-3 kids. Some died. Some joined Luke and probably died soon after.

Edit : And since I’ve seen some Titan army hate in these comments for no reason here’s something else I should have said.

If they joined Luke but somehow survived they were probably wrongfully murdered by the gods for rebelling or brutally punished somehow like Alabaster Torrington. So many titan army kids perished too. Don’t forget them. They fought for a noble cause. They didn’t die for nothing. They were just kids with dreams of making things less shitty for everyone. They suffered just as much if not more than the camp halfblood kids all at the hands of the gods and the titans and even other demigods that were higher up on the Olympus hierarchy. Nico, Ethan, any kid who’s not a child of the big 12 were not treated as equals at camp back then just because of their parentage or lack of powers or unique or scary powers. A lot of titan army kids were from minor gods who suffered because of the big 12 and their children. Camp halfblood wasn’t so nice to them in fact pretty cruel and rude and mean just because of that stupid hierarchy. Of course they felt hurt and fell into Kronos’s trap of trying to make things better. Of course Luke being their counselor at camp cause Hermes takes in all the minor god kids saw all them suffering and tried his best to help. Of course Luke fell into Krnos’s trap as well. and I refuse to tolerate any hate or misunderstanding of them.

[great-and-small]

Tier list of state birds I need to know your takes on this

Oh you know I have many state bird opinions on record here. This is just my most recent ranking (but do know it’s always fluid).

All my rankings are specifically related to the status as state bird because for example I love the Northern Flicker but Alabama loses points because they chose it for a dumb racist reason. Lark bunting on the other hand gets top billing because it has a backstory I find funny. Similarly all the duplicates lose points because we have plenty of birds and I think each state choice should be unique!

For further elaboration and some of my thoughts on better replacements you can peruse the tag #State bird chatter. My worst trait is I really think I alone could fix our state birds.

[drdemonprince]

Imagine a world where we looked at having sex the same way we do going out dancing or grabbing dinner.

Some people really enjoy visiting dance clubs or restaurants, include their partners in these activities, and make them a cornerstone of their social calendar; other folks are quite indifferent, and can take or leave them. Some people might only like engaging in these activities when they are completely alone, and others among us have highly specific preferences for the ways we might participate in them, if at all.

We don’t tend to assume a person’s life is incomplete if they have never been to a rave, and if a new buddy recommends we take an invigorating walk instead of grabbing an order of tibs and injera, we probably don’t bat an eye. If a romantic partner doesn’t share our passion for darkwave it might cause us problems, but we could just as easily call up a buddy with a Boy Harsher shirt and still have a good time.

Most of us recognize there’s potential for trauma surrounding body movement and food, but we don’t consider a person fundamentally broken if their parents forced them to eat vegetables or take a ballet class. We’ll consider it wrong that their feelings weren’t respected, and understand if they never want to join us for Black Swan and cheese fondue.

We don’t clutch our pearls if a child finds out that people twerk or drink wine. Even when forms of these activities are firmly for adults-only, it’s evident to all of us that they can be openly discussed, that no one is harmed by acknowledging their existence. These parts of regular life are not seen as magical, or assumed to be always beneficial or always negative for a person. Sometimes you eat an incredible burger. Sometimes you trip over your feet and briefly look like an ass. Neither defines your life or brings you to ruin.

And in the bold, sex neutral world that I am proposing, we’d have much the same attitudes toward intimacy. If we could view sex neutrally, we wouldn’t necessarily consider it a deal-breaker if a romantic partner enjoyed floggings and we preferred Tantric massage. A person who eschewed all sex or only had sex alone would be a bit of a private type, not a fundamentally different or lacking type of being. If a person was forty-five years old when they made their sexual debut, we’d treat them like someone who found a new hobby later in life, not like they were carrying some major social defect.

When sex was used as a tool of abuse or exploitation, we’d focus a lot more on the facts of the mistreatment, rather than the lurid details of the sex. We wouldn’t treat sex as radioactive, imbuing all it ever touched with a kind of sinister energy. And because we wouldn’t have to push back against such a demonized view of sex, we wouldn’t have to claim that sex was some life-changing, sacred activity that possessed a special ability to cement marriages or alter bodies, either.

Sex would just be a blasé thing, like going to the grocery store, getting a foot massage, taking a shit, or rolling a joint: highly pleasurable to some, completely squicky and uncomfortable to others, varying in its importance over the course of our lifespan, and never fundamentally good nor evil, just a regular part of human life.

We could think dispassionately about sex if this were the case, not viewing gay men in puppy hoods as predators simply for existing in the open air, or penalizing librarians for giving kids resources about their own bodies. We could acknowledge, without flipping out, that fetuses masturbate in the womb, children sometimes tie their dolls up in proto-fetishistic ways, and teenagers have sex with one another.

We would not consider it pathological if a young person had no interest in any of this, or if any person enjoyed sex in ‘unusual’ ways — they’d be no more strange to us than a lover of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches.

And if a child were sexually exploited, or an adult person coerced into sexual activity, sex neutrality would allow us to look to the power and access that made such an awful violation possible. We’d see the problem was that a child had no one but their parent to rely upon, and nowhere else to go when that parent blocked them from seeing friends, restricted their access to food, or used them for personal gratification. Rather than being blinded by our aversion to sex, we’d be able to name all three controlling behaviors as equally wrong, all potentially fraught and traumatic.

I wrote all about sex neutrality and how it helps us to better understand issues of consent, abuse, and desire. You can read it for free (or have it narrated to you by the Substack app) at drdevonprice.substack.com