#they only call me with problems which yeah they can but

[hrnngsoup]

Oh maaan. Oh man this is anti-honey vegan levels of ignorant. Look yeah it's gonna be unpopular opinions, and I am NOT saying there are no abusive-towards-dogs cops out there, but no, k9 forces are not generally abusive.

Here's some facts:

K9 units serve much more jobs than just take-downs. Ever had a recently missing kid? A good police force will call on a k9 unit, which you can give them a piece of fabric or toy to sniff, and then that good doggo will track that kid down. Many, MANY children, seniors, and other people who are lost with mental disabilities have been sucessfully found this way.

Another job they do? Drug sniffing. And yes, I know there have been nasty rumours about cops just training a dog to Mark on a person's bag on command, but besides the trash cops that exist, the drug sniffing training is ACTUALLY very specific and fun for the dogs. I've seen a lot of people over at twitter say they are good at fact checking, feel free to fact check what I just said with unbiased sources.

Most K9's are not just murked when they are retired. This was another rumour. A lot of them are retire with their owners, who form deep personal bonds with them, or are adopted out, in the case of the officer not being able to take care of them... like when the officer has died. The only exceptions are when k9's unfortunately develop the common health problems that german shepherds as a breed are privy to, and their quality of life massively decreases.

K9's are not just "stored" at a precinct in crates or something. They go home with their officers most of the time with only a few job-related exceptions.

It's not actually true that every person who gets taken down by a canine are maimed. Most of the time, it's "hold/release", which still needs stitches, but not even near a maim. but I guess these very common events aren't really covered in media much because they are less sensational....

Calling k9 units on anyone who is not actively fleeing a crime and/or armed is not a thing that happens often. That's a huge waste of money, time, and what, do you think they start off arrests with a k9 unit? No! (Exceptions: when someone has felonies on their record, has been known to be aggressive in past arrests/chases, or have commited grand theft auto)

While this one is only anecdotal, I have never with my own two eyes seen a unit abuse their dog. I have seen many of them baby talk the shit out of their doggos or give them probably too many treats, and well, if you want to see that, I recommend police cam vids. One of my relatives which was a k9 unit absolutely adored her k9, Duke, and she had him for many years after they retired- and Duke was happy and healthy until he passed naturally. A lot of people don't realize that if a k9 unit abused or hurt their dogs, and the other cops saw.... they would be considered the shit under their shoe for the whole precinct.

Now let's talk about why they're necessary in a healthy police force

Ever hear of the terms meth heads, crackheads, etc? These groups of people, if they decide to do crime, are INCREDIBLY dangerous. Drugs of a certain hardcore variety LITERALLY change your brain composition. These are the kind of people that can, and will, run out naked with two steak knives and try to stab anyone around them "because they looked at me funny"... if they are even capable of reason and clear speech in a drug-induced rage. Many do not even feel pain at this stage. There are two ways to stop someone in this state. Gunfire. Or a k9 unit. The good thing about using a k9 is that they are fast, much faster than humans- and that helps reduce the amount of injuries and deaths that occur when something goes wrong.

Humans are instinctually wired to be afraid of dogs. A lot of violence from... really, anyone, is severely diminished when even the threat of a k9 unit being called happens, and when you're facing someone who's weilding a machete, that fricking means something.

Look. I can understand being incensed at anyone who does treat their dogs badly. I am too. But you have to inform yourself on what the facts are, and everything I have said is factual unless someone can prove me wrong which, okay, then i will retract what someone proved me wrong about.

Banning a very important, very life-saving part of a healthy police force is a BAD idea. Note i said healthy police force... there are a lot of UNHEALTHY, CORRUPT police forces that needs from the bottom up reform.

All banning k9 units will do is increase crime and the collateral damage from it, make us lose non-take down services they provide which is VERY important to missing persons cases... and probably increase the amount of german shepherds put down in shelters, ultimately doing much more harm than good.

All k9 dogs are abused hands down if you post any pro k9 stuff on my dash you’re unfollowed I don’t care if we’ve been mutuals for years, you can claim to be anti-cop or a leftist or whatever but if you post k9 dogs with like “a good doggo! A good boy!” fuck off, if I lose followers over this then good riddance

[grandpeachpersona]

can u do a fic where joe has surgery and starts saying crazy stuff after anesthesia to the reader

Ask and you shall receive!

Joe Burrow x Black!oc Sierra Riley

Warnings: Fluff and Joe's medicate language.

Have you ever had that feeling when you wake up with a gut instinct that something bad is going to happen?

Well, it didn’t happen to me; it happened to Joe.

I was watching the Bengals vs. Ravens game from home when I saw Joe walk to the sideline with an unhappy expression on his face.

Then the cameras caught him attempting some practice throws when suddenly, his wrist gave out, and he squatted down in pain.

As an athlete myself, I recognize that reaction all too well: it’s an injury. Not the kind you can shake off to get back into the game, but one that requires surgery.

Now, here I am in the hospital waiting room while Joe is in surgery for his wrist.

“Family for Burrow,” one of the nurses called as she entered the waiting room.

I immediately stood up and approached her. “How did it go?” I asked as she led me down the hall.

She nodded with a smile. “It was successful—no problems at all.”

“Great,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Can I see him?”

She stopped in front of a door, which I assumed was Joe's. “Sure. Just know he might still be sleeping because of the anesthesia, but feel free to go in anytime,” the older nurse said.

I nodded my head. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem. I hope he has a speedy recovery,” she replied as she walked away.

Me too... Me too.

I opened the door and stepped into the room, the door clicking shut behind me. I was greeted by the sight of a sleeping Joe. His hair was slightly messy, most likely from the hairnet.

I quietly pulled the chair closer to the bed, trying not to wake him. But despite my efforts, I heard a slight rustle of the sheets followed by a muffled groan

“Hey,” I said softly as I settled into the chair beside him, wincing slightly at the sterile smell of the recovery room.

Joe turned his head towards me, his expression sluggish, his eyelids drooping as if they carried the weight of the world. “Hi, I guess,” he mumbled, the words slurring together.

Suppressing a chuckle, I could already see where this conversation was headed, and I was determined to tease him mercilessly.

“You guess? Are you not happy to see me?” I asked, giving him a playful pout, my heart swelling at the thought of his reaction.

His brows scrunched together in confusion, but then his face lit up like a Christmas tree, the excitement radiating from him like the warmth of morning sunlight. “Oh, hi, baby!” Joe exclaimed, trying to lift his injured arm in a jubilant gesture, only to freeze as he remembered the constraints of his bandage.

I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, my fingers trembling slightly, partly from his excitement and partly from concern. “Be careful, you're not even an hour out of surgery.”

“SURGERY,” he echoed, eyes growing wide like a child learning a new word for the first time.

Quickly, I raised my finger to my lips in a shushing motion. “Shhh,” I whispered, trying to keep the ambiance calm.

“Sorry,” he murmured back, his voice barely above a whisper. “Surgery,” he repeated, still in disbelief. I nodded my head reassuringly. “Yep.”

His gaze shifted down to the bulky cast encasing his arm, and a hint of worry flickered across his features. “I’ll be okay, right?” he asked, his lips forming a cute pout that tugged at my heartstrings.

With a small, warm smile, I replied, “You'll be one hundred percent before you know it.”

Silence settled between us for a few moments before Joe's attention was drawn to the TV mounted on the wall. The image on the screen captivated him: the Braves game was currently airing, their vibrant jerseys and energetic atmosphere almost tangible.

Suddenly, Joe grasped my hand with his good arm, his excitement palpable. “That’s you!”

Following his gaze to the TV and back to him, I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that’s me.”

“How are you there and here at the same time?” he asked, his eyes wide with amazement, as if he were trying to grasp a magical phenomenon.

I shook my head with a smile, my laughter bubbling just underneath the surface. “It’s an old game, baby.”

Joe smacked his lips in a playful manner. “Sure it is,” he drawled, his playful skepticism underlined with a grin. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

Furrowing my brows in mock confusion, I asked, “What secret?”

He beckoned me to lean closer, and I did, intrigued. He lowered his head and whispered conspiratorially into my ear, “That you can teleport.”

Deciding to play along with his fanciful notion, I grinned and asked, “You won’t tell anyone?”

He nodded seriously, letting go of my hand to place it over his heart, his expression earnest. “Scout's honor.”

“Good, now I’m holding you to it,” I pointed, my finger playfully accusing.

His gaze dropped again to his cast before returning to me, eyes filled with childlike sincerity. “How am I going to hold it?”

“In your heart,” I replied, laughter bubbling up again.

“How am I going to hold my heart?” he questioned, his tone imbued with genuine curiosity.

I shrugged, laughing a little. “I don’t know, with your hand, I guess.”

“But I can’t,” he whined, a pout forming on his lips once more. I fought to keep a straight face, biting my lip to stifle my laughter.

“Yes, you can. You have a whole other arm!” I replied, pointing out the obvious.

He glanced down at his left arm, the reality of his situation settling in. “I don’t like this one; I like this one,” he said, gesturing towards his uninjured arm, a touch of longing in his voice. “Will you hold my heart for me since I can’t?”

Hearing his sweet request made my heart flutter. I knew he was still under the influences of medication, but the sincerity in his eyes was unmistakable.

“Yes, baby, I will,” I promised softly, my voice barely above a whisper, knowing in that moment that I would always be there to hold his heart, no matter the circumstance.

[aishangotome]

Luke & Gilbert's Story of Reminiscence [The Day We Became a Fake Family] - Part 3

Part 2

The one-eyed youth, clad in the scent of blood and gunpowder, was smiling refreshingly as always.

It didn't take long for me to realize that there wasn't much difference between the youth's environment on the battlefield and in everyday life.

His stagnant verdant eyes were intently focused.

There was no disgust in them, but rather—

Luke: It's nice, isn't it? For you.

Gilbert: Hehe, is that so?

At his words, which almost sounded like admiration, the youth smiled gently as he wiped the blood with linen.

Luke: You can kill all the bad guys and the ones you hate, so you don't have any worries, right?

Gilbert: I do. I'm full of worries.

Luke: Liar.

Gilbert: You know, I hate lies.

Luke: Then, do you have worries?

Gilbert: Yes. Obsidian, you see, is also known as the country of deceit and corruption.

Gilbert: It's full of rotten people everywhere, and there aren't enough hands to clean it all up.

Gilbert: Even if I kill them all and clean it up, new filth will soon emerge. My worries never end.

Luke: Are there that many rotten people?

Gilbert: Isn't it the same around you, Luke?

Luke: Yeah. I've talked to all sorts of people since I started living here...

Luke: I don't think it's as dirty a country as you say.

Gilbert: Is everyone kind?

Luke: If you're not pulling strings behind the scenes, then everyone is kind.

Gilbert: Even I don't control "goodwill." Not many people know that I'm your guardian.

Gilbert: If you don't see corruption in your eyes, then my cleaning wasn't in vain.

Luke: ...It must be tough for you too.

Gilbert: It is tough, but someone has to do it.

Gilbert: I want to make it a country that promising young people like you can be proud of.

Luke: You're a promising young person too, aren't you?

The one-eyed youth just smiled quietly, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

Luke: ...Could it be that you...

Luke: Are more of an "old man" than I think?

The one-eyed youth, after a moment of bewilderment at the boy's serious and shocked expression, burst into laughter.

Gilbert: Ahaha... To call me that... you're probably the only one... haha!

Luke: ...You don't have to laugh that much!

Gilbert: Sorry, sorry, don't sulk. I was thinking that being called "old man" isn't so bad.

Luke: Don't you hate it?

Gilbert: Why? It's proof that I've lived a long life, shouldn't I be proud of it?

Luke: ...Hmm.

The youth, after laughing for a while and wiping his tears, peered at the boy who had turned away.

Gilbert: Hey, do you like Obsidian?

Luke: More than Rhodolite, anyway.

Gilbert: Oh?

Luke: What's with that smug look?

Gilbert: I'm just glad.

Luke: About what?

Gilbert: Because you—.......

-

???: Yo, mind if I join you guys?

—...Suddenly, a third voice rang out, and the seat next to Luke was filled.

Luke: Huh? Jin?

Jin: I happened to see you guys as I was passing by.

Gilbert: "Happened," huh...?

Even with the sudden intruder, Gilbert didn't change his expression and started to gobble down the honey cake that had been brought to the table.

Jin: What are you doing with my little brother?

Gilbert: Hehe, what do you think?

Jin: ...Were you having an eating contest?

Luke: That's right. His stomach is abnormal.

Gilbert: Luke, you're a light eater considering you're taller than me.

Luke: Compared to you, anyone would be a light eater.

Jin: If you're such a big eater, I'll let our chef know next time.

Gilbert: Eh, will you increase the portions? You're so kind, unlike Chevalier. Thank you.

Jin: No problem at all. In return, though, would you mind not bullying my little brother?

Gilbert: Don't be silly, I'm not bullying him. He's in the foreign affairs faction, so it's his job to entertain me, isn't it?

Gilbert: Besides, today's "sightseeing" has been cleared with Chevalier.

Jin: Oh? I can't believe you were so considerate.

Jin: But there are others in the foreign affairs faction, right?

Jin: In particular, our Clavis and Nokto are professionals at diplomacy...

Gilbert: Of course, I know. I also appreciate their skills.

Gilbert: But if I ask Clavis, things will get complicated, and I hate that foxy boy because he's a liar.

Gilbert: Chevalier is out of the question, so by process of elimination, I have no choice but to ask Luke, right?

Jin: Then next time, include me as an option. I know the town well.

Jin: As an older brother, I'm not comfortable burdening only the youngest.

Luke: Jin...

Gilbert: ...Hehe, good. I've been wanting to have a proper chat with you.

Gilbert: I'll consider you for the next sightseeing guide.

Luke: ...Hey.

Gilbert: But right now, I'm asking Luke.

Gilbert: A wise eldest brother like you understands what the most appropriate choice is in this situation, right...?

.

.

.

Part 4

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[cosyvelvetorchid]

For One Night Only.. Maybe

My new Bucktommy fake dating/clipboard Buck au!

Read on AO3 or below.

Enjoy!

🩶

**********

Chapter 1

Rating: G (for this chapter. Will be M or E later on)

w/c: 4320

Summary:

Tommy Kinard asks Evan Buckley to be his fake boyfriend for one night to keep his aunt Clara off his back about dating.

The problem begins when it goes well.

Too well.

Tommy tries to ignore the fact that he’s falling for a straight guy.

While Buck is trying to figure out what these new strange feelings he’s having mean.

**********

“Thanks again for dinner.”

“No problem, Tommy.” Chimney said clearing the dinner table. “I’m just glad we actually found the time to properly hang out”

“Yeah and not in the back of a helo in a hurricane.” Hen added.

“Anybody ready for dessert?” Chimney called from the kitchen.

“Oh, no.” Tommy patted his stomach. “Anymore food and my shirt will burst.”

“Yeah, like it’s not already pulling at the seams from your ridiculous muscles.” Hen joked. Tommy lifted up his arm into a bicep curl with a grin and Hen rolled her eyes as they laughed.

“You should definitely join me and Eddie at our pick up basketball games.” Chim said sitting back down at the table.

“I’d love to. You play as well, Evan?”

“Oh he hates basketball.” Chim answered for him.

“What?!” Tommy responded looking at Buck. “How can you hate basketball ball? It’s the sport of kings!”

Buck shrugged. “Just never interested me.” He replied honestly.

“Travesty.” Tommy teased.

“I’m gonna make coffee.” Chimney stood up.

“I’ll help.” Hen followed him into the kitchen.

“So what hobbies do you have?” Tommy asked.

“Uh, I-I love to cook.” Buck said. “Bobby’s been teaching me pretty much since I arrived at the 118.”

“Man, I miss his cooking. Those family dinners were the shit.”

Buck chuckled. “They still are. Actually he’s having a dinner this weekend. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you came too.”

“Ah, I’d love that but I got family coming to visit this weekend.”

“The queen is finally asleep.” Maddie said walking out into the living room.

“How many stories did you have to read?” Hen asked.

“Four.” She said. “In the end I had to make one up about Tommy.”

“Me?” Tommy questioned.

“Oh you’re the star of the evening—Daddy’s friend who can fly. Right now you’re the coolest person she knows.”

“She’s not wrong.” Tommy joked, popping his collar.

“Maybe I should tell her the story of Maurice.” Hen said.

“Oh, come on!” He replied.

“Who’s Maurice?” Buck asked. Hen and Chimney looked at each other and laughed.

“Well..” Chimney began the story as Tommy shook his head in embarrassment.

*****

Buck sat at his island eating his breakfast checking his texts. He’d received one from Maddie thanking him for coming over for dinner. It never failed to make him laugh the she always did that, even though there was no need—he was her brother.

It had been a nice evening all around. He loved getting to spend time with Jee, who didn’t miss the opportunity to make Uncle Buck promise that next time he came over they’d bake cookies, and he’d enjoyed getting to know Tommy more.

He’d heard the stories from Hen and Chim about Tommy’s time at the 118, and he knew that he’d helped them out with that fire at Doheny park years ago. They had talked about him with fondness how it would be nice to catch up with him- though neither of them thought it would take a capsized cruise ship and a category 5 hurricane to do it.

Tommy was just so cool. But in an understated way—he didn’t talk or walk like he thought his shit didn’t stink, but instead seemed quite humble and on more than one occasion seemed a little uncomfortable when Hen or Chim were praising him. Which just made him even cooler.

What Buck noticed the most was just how masculine he was. He was tall, broad and muscular. His hair was similar to a regulation military cut, perhaps a little longer and his lower face was caressed with dark stubble. The cleft was something Buck couldn’t stop himself from looking at the most. He’d always admire the feature on a man. And Tommy was indeed a man.

But his masculinity what balanced, however, by his deeply blue eyes surrounded by long dark lashes. He was somehow incredibly handsome and equally pretty. Strangely, Buck couldn’t stop looking at him.

As he threw his breakfast plate into the sink a knock on his door echoed in the apartment and he opened his door to the last person he expected.

“T-Tommy.”

The man smiled. “Hey, Evan. Can I come in?”

“Uh, sure.” He stepped aside to let him through.

“Wow! Maybe I’m working at the wrong station.” Tommy said as he looked around Bucks living space.

“Is-is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” He said waving away Buck’s concerns. “I actually have a, uh, favour to ask.” He scratched the back of his head. For as confident he’d seemed so far, this morning he seemed.. nervous? Perhaps not nervous but certainly less confident that he had been the evening before.

From the moment Tommy had met them at Harbour station weeks ago, he’d done nothing but ooze confidence. His body language, the way he spoke, the way he did his job—Buck had watched in awe at the way his hands delicately glided over the controls as he flew the helicopter back after the cruise ship rescue. In the handful of times they’d met since then, Tommy always seemed to come across quite squared away and sure of himself.

“Uh, sure.” Buck walked over to the counter. “You want a coffee?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“So what’s the favour? Nothing illegal is it?” Buck teased pouring them both a mug.

“I- What if it was?” Tommy enquired with a curious look to his eyes.

“That would depend on what it was.”

“Wait, so there’s some illegal activity you would be willing to engage in if I asked?” Tommy raised an eyebrow. Actually if he looked at Buck with those eyes Buck probably be willing to do a lot.

“Well, like murder? No. Breaking into a lab to rescue animals—I’d be down.” He answered placing Tommy’s coffee mug in front of him on the island.

“Thanks, and duly noted.” He chuckled. “No, it’s nothing like that. You remember last night I mentioned I had family coming to town?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s my aunt Clara who’s coming.” Tommy said.

“Is she not very nice?”

“No, she’s great. Practically raised me after my parents-“ He abruptly stopped himself from finishing the sentence. “She’s a great lady. The problem is that from the moment I came out to her a couple of years ago she has constantly been trying to set me up with men she knows. And, God love the woman, but her taste in men is awful.” Buck couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you wanting me to set you up with someone? ‘Cause, I’m sorry but I don’t think I know any single gay men.”

“Oh, no, that’s not- That wasn’t the favour.”

“Oh?”

“I’m actually not looking to date anybody, which she cannot seem to accept. But, when she wouldn’t let it go on the phone last week, I kinda, sorta lied and told her I already had a boyfriend.” He admitted.

“And now she’s coming to visit..” Buck said picking up what he was getting at.

“She’s expecting me to introduce her to him.”

“Oh.” Buck responded.

“So-“ He elongated the word. “I was wondering if you would consider.. pretending to be my boyfriend for an evening?

“Oh.” Buck said again. He had zero idea of what the favour was going to be but he never would have guess that.

“She’s only on town for 1 night and it would just be a couple of hours for dinner, which I’ll pay for so you’ll get a free meal out of it.”

“Why me?” Buck asked, truly confused as to why Tommy would pick him of all people. Tommy was effortlessly cool and accomplished—Buck was a dork, who never shut up.

“Two reasons, really. Firstly, I don’t have anybody else to ask. She met Chimney a couple of times back when I was at the 118 and knows he’s straight. That leaves Bobby, which, absolutely not, or Eddie and no offence to him but he screams straight guy—no way he could pull off queer.”

Buck laughed at the true statement. “But you think I could?”

“God, I hope so.” Tommy said. “Plus, you’re closer to my type anyway so it’s more likely that Clara would believe it.”

Tommy’s face was kind of adorable, really. Buck wasn’t sure if he was deliberately putting on those puppy dog eyes, but they were working, regardless.

“What would I need to do?”

“Just have dinner with us.”

“That’s it?” Buck asked.

“You’re expecting more? I’m not sure that would be appropriate at the dinner table, Evan.” Tommy winked and Buck’s cheeks immediately pinked up.

“That’s not what I meant!” He protested to Tommy’s amusement. “I just meant like, would I have to hold your hand, have my arm around you etc?”

“You wouldn’t have to. Not if that would make you feel uncomfortable, I mean.” He explained.

“I-I don’t mind. When is the dinner?”

“Friday night.”

“Okay. That gives us 3 days to plan.” Buck said unlocking his phone and opening the notes app.

“I’m sorry.. plan?” Tommy said confused.

“Well yeah.. If we’re going to make this believable we need to make sure we get our stories straight.”

“She’s my aunt, not the Spanish Inquisition, Evan.”

“And what happens if-if.. Say I order you a drink and it’s one you hate and she knows that you hate it.. wouldn’t that be weird? Or-or if she asks how we met and we give different answers.”

“I think you’re overthinking this a little.” Tommy said gently.

“I think you’re under thinking this a lot.” Buck countered.

Tommy looked at Buck for a few seconds and sighed resolutely. “I’m not going to win this am I?”

“Nope.” Buck replied with a grin.

Little did Tommy know that he’d just met Clipboard Buck.

***

“So, what sort of plan do you have in mind?” Tommy asked as they walked through a local park. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day—the first in almost a week of cloudy, drizzly weather. If nothing else, Tommy could at least get some vitamin D out of this ridiculous plan.

The thing is he admired Evan’s commitment to the cause, but it really was just going to be for one night of dinner. And it’s not like Clara was going to torture them for information to test their “relationship.”

But, though he wouldn’t admit it even on threat of death, Tommy actually found Evan’s excitement of it all quite adorable.

“We need to learn basic things about each other like favourite foods, where we grew up etc. You know—stuff your partner would know after.. how long have we been together?”

“2 months.”

“Right, after 2 months together. But we don’t have a long time to do it.”

“So, we need the cliff notes of each other is what you’re saying.”

“Exactly.” Buck said.

“Is there a form I could fill in for this?”

“See, I just learned something about you.” Buck said almost triumphantly.

“What?”

“You’re quite bitchy.” Buck informed him. There was no malice or judgement in Buck’s voice—it was actually one his favourite qualities in Tommy so far.

“I am not!” He protested. Buck just gave him a look. “Yeah well, you.. yap. You’re a yapper.” His face was smug as though he’d figured out something nobody else knew.

“I know.” Buck said without a hint of shame. And he truly wasn’t ashamed. A few years ago, he’d have thought differently. On more than one occasion Taylor Kelly, his ex girlfriend, had called him a yapper and never meant it affectionately.

After that ended, he started working on a newer and improved version of himself. (Although he couldn’t remember if he was supposed to be Buck 4.0 or Buck 5.0. So what? At least he was trying to improve, right?)

“We could play 20 questions or something like that?” Buck asked.

“I’m sorry are we 14?” Tommy replied.

“Sorry.” Buck said looking down. But Tommy could tell that he thought he’d done something wrong. Maybe Evan was right about his bitchiness. Guilt pricked at his chest.

“I’m sorry. You’re right—it’s actually a good idea.” Tommy conceded and Buck threw him a skeptical look. “I promise.” He smiled softly. “I guess I was just being bitchy.” He added with a deliberate smirk. Buck playfully rolled his eyes before continuing to walk alongside Tommy.

“I guess I’ll start—What’s your favourite movie?” Buck asked.

“Love Actually.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“What?! How have you not seen it?” Tommy asked.

Buck shrugged. “Just not a big movie watcher. My sister and are were kinda sheltered from a lot of movies and shows as a kid so never really got into them. I love documentaries though.”

“Noted. Worst injury you’ve had on the job?”

“That would be the engine that crushed my leg.” Buck answered. Tommy stopped still.

“Wait that was you?!” Buck nodded. “I remember watching that on tv.”

Buck scoffed. “So did my girlfriend at the time. She didn’t handle it well. Broke up with me as soon as I got out of hospital.”

“Charming.” Tommy responded sarcastically. “How long did it take to heal?”

“Uh, about 5 months for my leg to heal to pass my physical, but then I threw a blood clot in my lung and set me back another 2 months thanks to the blood thinners.” Buck explained.

Tommy couldn’t not notice the sadness on Bucks face as he remembered that time in his life. He recognised the look from his own reflection when he caught himself thinking about his own past. He tried not to allow himself to do that much as it was too painful. But every so often those memories would slide their way into to his consciousness.

“What about you?” Buck asked.

“Chopper went down in Afghanistan. Got a punctured lung and broke my arm in two places.”

“You were in the military?” Buck asked, surprised.

“Army.” Tommy replied. “Enlisted at 18. It’s why I transferred to Harbor—I missed flying.”

“I bet it feels like having a super power.” Buck said back.

“On occasion.” He said.

“Man, I would love to be a be able to fly.”

“I can give you lessons if you want?” He offered. 

“Really?” Buck questioned excitedly.

Tommy nodded. “It’s the least I could do for helping me out.”

“I don’t think that’s equal.” Buck argued. “At least let me buy you a beer. Actually, speaking of—what do you like to drink?”

“Like every other boring cis male I mostly drink beer. Occasionally a nice red wine. You?”

“I like an IPA. Just keep me away from the Margaritas.”

“Do I want to know?” Tommy eyed him up.

“I kissed Lucy.” He admitted, embarrassed.

“Donato?!”

“Yeah. Actually, she kissed me first for the record. But I-I, uh.. had a girlfriend at the time.” 

“Oh.” He said elongating the word.

“Yeah, not my finest moment.” Buck said.

“Are you still together?” He enquired.

“Oh, no—we broke up a few months after that. Different reason though.”

Tommy didn’t push the subject. They continued leisurely walking around the park trading basic personal information: Where they were from—Tommy was born and bred in L.A, Buck from Pennsylvania; music tastes—Buck liked pop music and whatever was on the radio on his drive in to work, Tommy liked what Buck teased as dad rock; Favourite place to eat—Tommy loved a local pizza joint, Micellis, Buck liked Sushi Palace.

It was, admittedly, not as hellish an afternoon as Tommy had been expecting. In fact it had actually been quite pleasant. There was an ease talking to Evan. He wasn’t arrogant or judgmental like a lot of men Tommy had met that were Evan’s age. Instead, though he was confident, he was also open; wasn’t ashamed of the things he liked and certainly didn’t seem to be putting on any airs and graces to impress Tommy.

**********

“Hi, Evan.” Tommy answered the phone just as he sat down in Habors rec room. “What’s up?”

“What are you wearing?” 

“Wow, and so early in our relationship. I dig it.” 

“Hilarious, Tommy.” Buck said as Tommy chuckled. “I’m talking about tomorrow night.” 

“Uh, I don’t know. Haven’t really thought about. I’ll probably just grab a shirt from my closet. I might even wear clean jeans. Why?”

“I was thinking we should coordinate.”

“It’s just a casual dinner, Evan. It doesn’t really matter all that much.” 

“But I-I want to make a good impression on your aunt.” 

Tommy couldn’t help but smile at his ridiculous new friend. Chimney had told him that he was the type to go all in with whatever he did and he wasn’t kidding. 

“Evan, you really don’t have to worry. I’m sure you’ll look great whatever you wear, and honestly Clara isn’t going to care.”

“I can’t help it—I’ve never been on a date with a guy before.” He said earnestly. “You asked me to help and I want to do a good job for you.”

And didn’t that make Tommy feel a certain way he definitely shouldn’t be. 

“I appreciate that, Evan. And you for helping me. But really, you don’t have to worry. I promise.”

“Okay.” Buck said back but Tommy heard the concern in his voice.

He was probably going to regret his next suggestion. “If it will make you feel better, why don’t you come to my place before dinner and you can pick my outfit.”

“Really?” Tommy could practically hear the grin on Bucks face.

“Really.”

“Cool.” 

**********

Tommy walked into his house desperate for a shower. He’d been working ground support on a landfill fire and smelled like what could only be described as burnt plastic wrapped in fish. 

He took three steps up his stairs when his doorbell rang. He’d hoped it would be Larry across the street whom he hated for being the neighbourhood busybody who would complain about anything and everything. He’d love Larry to get a big old whiff of him right now. 

He was surprised however to see his aunt on the other side of the door. 

“Aunt Clara? I thought we were going to be meeting at the restaurant.”

“I wanted to surprise my favourite nephew.” Her small 5 foot frame stepped forward and she reached up to grab Tommys face, planting a kiss onto his cheek; her long black flowing kaftan, despite her small stature, almost enveloping him. 

“I’m your only nephew.” He reminded her which she ignored. 

“Grab my bag, darling.” She gestured behind herself. “Did something die in here?” She remarked.

“Oh, sorry that’s me. I was just about to have a shower.” She waved her hand in front of her face trying to waft away the ripe stench coming from him.

“Is there a problem with your hotel?” Tommy brought her bag inside as she turned and made her way into the kitchen. 

“Some issue with their power. They’ve cancelled all reservations for tonight. I hope you have better coffee this time, and not that cheap crap that tastes like it’s already been through somebody.” She opened and closed his cabinets until she found his coffee, which as it happened was better than what he used to buy.

“So, you’re staying here?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Uh, no. No, of course not. It’s- I just wasn’t expecting it. I haven’t set up the guest room.” He said.

She waved her hand; the sound of her beaded jewellery clacking as she moved. “You don’t have to go to the trouble, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Tommy looked at her incredulously. “I wouldnt be caught dead sleeping on a couch—I have standards” - that’s a direct quote from you.” 

“People change, Thomas.” She argued as she squinted at Tommys coffee machine trying to figure out what buttons to press. “What happened to just using a simple coffee pot? Your generation are obsessed with these damn robot machines.” 

Tommy chuckled. “Aunt Clara, you go sit down and I’ll make the coffee.” 

“Thank you, darling.” She affectionately tapped the side of his face. She stopped after taking a step past him. “On second thought you better take that shower first—you smell like my first husband. After he died.” 

***

Tommy emerged from his shower feeling like a brand new man. He threw on some sweats and a T-shirt and headed downstairs to make his aunt coffee.

He found her standing in front of his fireplace admiring the photograph of his mother that sat on top of the hearth. His mom was standing by his grandmothers Christmas tree with a 1 year old Tommy in her arms. Her smile was big and happy—the picture taken back at a time when her smiled outnumbered her cry’s.

“She was so beautiful.” Clara remarked hearing Tommy enter the room.

“Yeah.” He agreed.

“Shame she met your piece of shit father. Actually, that’s not entirely fair—she got you of it,” she patted his upper arm. “The only good thing to ever come from him.”

She walked back over to the sofa and sat down, tucking her crossed legs underneath herself.

“Speaking of pictures—I want to see one of this Evan boy.”

Shit. Evan. He was going to be coming over soon and judging by the nerves he’d already had at the prospect of tonights dinner, he was probably going to shit himself entirely when he turns up and gets an early and unexpected introduction.

Also, how was he going to explain not having any photos of Evan? Perhaps his reassurances to Evan that tonight would be fine was preemptive. 

“I- it’s a new phone so I don’t have any pictures.” He said on the fly and hoped she’d believe it.

“What about his social media? You kids post everything in there these days.”

“I don’t really use it.” That was the truth. Lucy had made him set up an instagram account once but he’d posted one picture of a sunset taken from the helm of his helo and that was it.

“Oh you should, darling—I’ve met some wonderful men from instagram. I haven’t paid for a dinner in months!” She said happily.

“Aunt Clara!” Tommy chastised “You can’t just meet random men from the internet! Do you know how dangerous that is?”

“Sweetheart, when you get to my age, danger is just a little extra excitement.” She told him “Besides, a woman has needs that must be-“

“Woah!” Tommy threw his hands up. “I so do not need to know the rest of that sentence.”

Clara rolled her eyes. “It’s 2024, Thomas—women like sex too. It’s not something to be ashamed about.”

“Yes, I get that, and agree. However I don’t need to know about your sex life, thank you.” He told her and she laughed. “Besides, since when did you use social media?”

“I told you—to meet men.”

“You joined social media to get laid?” He said; incredulity all over his face.

“For company, Thomas. At our age people are dropping like flies.”

“You’re 62, not 90.” He reminded her.

“Yes but the men my age that haven’t eaten or drank themselves into a heart attack, all want housewives; women to wipe their asses for them like it’s 1950.” She shook her head. “I want to spend my final years on this earth eating good food, drinking fantastic wine and having mind blowing orgasms,” Tommy grimaced. “And only the younger ones know how to give those.”

“How.. how young are we talking?” Tommy asked mildly terrified of the answer.

“The last one was..” she looked up at the ceiling as she recalled the answer. “41.”

“Christ, Clara he’s my age!”

“And all the better for it.” She winked.

“Okay!” He abruptly stood up. “We’re done with this conversation—I’m going to make that coffee.” He quickly made for the kitchen to the sound of Clara’s laughs behind him.

He closed the kitchen door and pulled out his phone to call Buck, swearing to himself when there was no answer because presumably it meant that he was already driving to Tommy’s.

He made himself and Clara coffee then hovered near front door to hopefully catch Evan as he arrived. Luck was on his side when he spotted the jeep pulling up against the curb. He quickly ran to meet him.

Buck lifted out a bunch of hangers, each holding a different shirt. “Hey, so I brought a couple of options for-“

“She’s here.” Tommy interrupted.

“Huh?”

“My aunt. She’s here. Turned up like an hour ago.”

“I thought we were meeting her at the restaurant?” Buck asked.

“So did I. But there’s an issue with her hotel so she’s staying here tonight.”

“Wow. Okay.” Buck looked toward the house to see a woman with dark curly hair wiggling her fingers at him with a smile. He took in a deep breath. “We haven’t discussed our relationship, yet. Like-like who asked who out, what we like to do on dates, and-“

Tommy placed his hands into Bucks shoulders to, let’s be honest, shut him up. “It’ll be fine. But.. I should probably have warned you that she’s.. well, she’s not like most women her age. She’s remarkably progressive and very open about a lot of things. She also sometimes forgets her boundaries, so prepare for some invasive personal questions.”

“You couldn’t have told me all this before?” Buck argued.

“I was going to when you got here but I wasn’t expecting her first. If you don’t want to do this I completely understand. I can tell her your sick or-“

It was Bucks turn to interrupt. “No, I want to. I promised I would help. It’s fine.” He gave a somewhat nervous smile.

“Okay.” Tommy nodded. He turned and held out his hand for Buck to take. “You ready?”

Buck slid his fingers into Tommy’s and was immediately surprised at how soft his hands were. Tommy led them up the path and into the house.

[fairielux]

snip snip snippeeeeettt

landoscar's first meeting in the restaurant owners au

i love them sm, they are idiots but they are MY idiots

@fanboyoff1 this one is for you 🫶

find the previous snippet here

"Lando reached the entrance of the pub and almost took the door with him as he burst through. He rounded the bar to head to the back of the seating area - Alex said they got their usual booth, which was almost at the other side of the pub. He was about halfway into his journey when he heard Crofty's usual "lights out and away we go" and came to a halt to turn to the nearest screen. He could find his friends when the opening lap chaos had died down -

"Uhm, sorry there mate, you are kind of in my way..." that broke him out of the stupor. He turned to the stranger he was apparently in the way of.

"Oh I'm so sorry." He started shuffling to move out of the stranger's path when a collective gasp went through the pub. He looked up to the screen again where the sight of two crumpled cars greeted him. Fuck, from the aftermath it looked like a bad one, too.

"Yeah that doesn't look good. I'm sure they'll replay it in a sec."

Huh? He finally turned to look at the stranger - he was still in the way of -, and almost collided with them. But that wasn't his biggest problem, as the impending gay panic hit him right in the face - damn the stranger was - "Very handsome."

"Uhm... the crash... they are replaying it. And, uh, thank you?" The handsome stranger in front of him was fidgeting with his hands, blush creeping up his neck to tint his cheeks brilliant shades of pink. "You are not so bad yourself," he added. Only then did Lando's brain finally catch up to his mouth.

"Shit, did I call you handsome out loud? I'm so sorry..." Great. He embarrassed himself in front of the handsome stranger. What a way to make a first impression, good job Lando.

"Yes, you did, and you are still standing in my way, too." Now it was Lando's turn to blush. Yeah, right he was meant to move. He awkwardly shuffled to the side to let the handsome stranger go, only he didn't move. Instead he looked at Lando, with a glimmer in his eyes. "I reckon you can make it up to me by giving me your number? If you are comfortable with that of course."

Oh. That wasn't what he was expecting at all! He blinked at the handsome stranger once, twice, before finally getting the reply out.

"Sure." He accepted the phone that was offered to him and started typing his number in a new contact. "But it's only fair if I get yours in return."

A few minutes later, he finally made it to the table where his friends (George mostly) were more than happy to remind him about the importance of punctuality. He didn't mind and cared even less. He was only half listening to them, thoughts still occupied with the handsome stranger - Oscar - and his number in his phone."

[brownwomanisland]

Like clockwork, I'll see some notable members of the "radfem" movement or really just the "against AGP" movement from the global west and I'll go searching their tweets and they don't actually give a fuck about Palestinian women, Congolese women, Sudanese women.

Yeah, no wonder you have so little allies. You're too busy blaming people for their death. Their liberation of women actually just ends at the borders of their country lmao. That's why I would quicker follow nameless anonymous rad fems who mention women around the world when they can vs the ones with their names and faces on it because they only care about their little paradise not turning into something they hate.

Funny how women and girls everywhere want that. And if you bring up their silence or they're gonna say you're in support of grooming gangs or something like that. Because if you're against war mongering, you must be in favour of ... smaller scale war mongering?

Why cannot I be against genocide and also religious backed grooming gangs? Can I not be against torture against a dispossesed people (which are almost always women and children because they bare the brunt of war) and the trans nonsense of taking up women's spaces? Can I be against religious persecution and also the right for people to practice their religion humanely?

It's then when you realize we do not see the source the same. They do not see the problem of male behavior, male violence, male depravity. They do not see it as that because for them, Islam is the worst thing. And pornography. And I agree.

I also think all religion gives a backing for terrible men to abuse women under a system of respectability that so many people have not recognized. They are so caught up in what faith is their biggest enemy they're inadvertently running cover for terrible men in the faith they see as respectable. How many women and girls go unseen by them?

I wish they would stop calling themselves terfs and just call themselves TE. I don't see what's so radical feminist about knowing your sisters are dying somewhere but not caring because they happened to be indoctrinated into the wrong religion.

Sorry if you don't want to hear me talk about the blindness of our movement. We can't be against male violence everywhere and then go some exclusions may apply™️.

It's the same principle where I find women who push and enlist girls for Only Fans extremely dislikeable and yet the moment they say they want out, I will support their posts. The same way I find phallic obsessed lesbians (calling your girlfriend "boyfriend" lesbian, gagging on strap tweets, obsession with "top" double mastectomy surgeries) gross but I will help them call out an injustice that has occurred. The same way I find the bloodthirstyness of Zionist women appalling and yet I will never believe that she deserves to be raped.

We're either in this together or we're not.

[lobotomy-lady]

How did you figure out you were autistic? I know this is gonna sound ignorant because I am ignorant but from my very limited interactions with those on the spectrum you act pretty differently. You are heavily sarcastic and seem to understand when someone is joking in your asks versus not even over text. Idk. I know there's like levels and stuff but you seem pretty socially aware and funnier than most so now I'm just like what makes you different from a neurotypical? I tried googling about autism and it seems a lot of high functioning people have like sensory issues and are picky eaters but like, is that it ? Just curious

I am not self dx so I never "figured it out", I was diagnosed aspergers (back when that was the dx for high functioning tism) when I was 6, my mom took me to a psychiatrist. at that time I was selectively mute-ppl at school thought I was incapable of speech bc between ages 4 to 9 didnt talk at all except at home to family. I had frequent meltdowns due to emotional regulation problems and also cuz of severe sensory issues (sound, the feel of clothing which led me to wear the same outfit every day for years, temperature). Even when I started talking a little more at school I was TERRIBLE socially. I was made fun of constantly & didn't get what i was doing wrong but they always thought I was weird & they thought it was funny that I didn't understand that I was being made fun of until they started laughing & even then i didnt get what i was doing wrong. It didnt help that i was 5'9 and 140 pounds by age 9 I was very aware I stood out a lot both physically & behaviorally

So yeah like most kids on the spectrum I was bullied relentlessly for the childhood years due to my social ineptitude and general awkwardness & it continued until I managed to group in w/ the other unpopular "weird" girls with bad social skills in junior high. Still friends with some of them. So i wasnt as much of a target then tho I was still gossiped about, ppl started a rumor that I never bathed due to my habit of wearing the same thing every day (I had multiple versions of that outfit but not as if they would know). Special interests were a huge thing too obv. I read probably 8 hrs a day mostly books related to space or when I was younger dolphins.

But anyways, bc of my experiences when I was younger I knew I had to learn to assimilate, or mask as I later learned it was called. I studied that shit like it was my PhD. I learned how to talk enough (but not too much!) I learned how to make eye contact (but not too much!!), learned how to be playful but not be rude, learned to run to a bathroom before having a meltdown in public, learned to buy different clothes out of similar material, to not be seen eating the same exact food every day for months. Learned how to not infodump about an interest unless I knew the person cared about it. I had learned most of this well enough by halfway through high school to stop being seen as a total freak, & by adulthood I was not only not BAD at socializing but actually GOOD at it, tho it still was (and is) exhausting & requires a lot of recovery time alone.

Anyways tldr basically my point is the person you perceive now was constructed out of necessity to avoid being a pariah forever which is what I knew would happen if I didnt change. I was an autistic kid & now I'm an adult who very easily passes as allistic. I've been doing it so long that most of it doesn't take much effort anymore. I've always been good at learning things. sarcasm and humor can be learned & I've been at this awhile needless to say

[katerinaaqu]

Hello! This may seem like generic ask but I have questions about Greek Gods since your discussion about Greek mythology enlightened me a lot about both the myths and culture of the greeks that most of the internet sources doesn't cover properly, so I specifically want to know about the relationship between Poseidon and Athena.

Like do they really hated each other? The one I know where there was anger and animosity between the two was the contest for Athens, but thing is Poseidon have a lot of contest for patronage of Greek cities with other Gods as well, even his sister Hera. And all of this was contests, of course there will be resentment if you lose. Then, there was another myth that said Poseidon tried to convince Hephaestus to marry Athena because he hate her, and all the passages that I found about those myths was only talking about Hephaestus attempt for Athena, there was no line about Poseidon involvement. The same could be said about the myth where Aphrodite and Ares was caught in Hephaestus net, where people said Poseidon convinced Hephaestus to released them because he wanted Aphrodite to be indebt with him so that they could you know, do the 'thing', but again, I found no line that said that?

Then there was also an obscure myth I found online where it was said that Athena was actually Poseidon's daughter..? But because she hate him, she asked Zeus to be her father and Zeus being the King, complied her wish.

Either I'm not very good at looking for sources or this was just interpretations.

Then again, from what I gathered, like Wikipedia said that in Athens, Poseidon was the second God in importance second only to Athena, which again, not strange because all the Gods are worshipped together even if the cities have one patron God. Besides that, Poseidon have two myths that I know where he work together with Athena like in the iliad where they both on the side of the Greeks, the one I remember vividly was when both Poseidon and Athena swoop down to help Achilles when he was pushed away by the river Scamander, by both gripping each of his arms to pull him up and give him courage. Like, that's a good teamwork right there. Also the ones where they stage a coup against Zeus, see here they also worked together. Of course, there was no problem if there was dislike between the two, it doesn't hindered them being worshipped together and have myths where they work together. They were family after all.

I know in most myths, Gods quarrelled a lot with each other and it have to do with symbolism and explanation for natural phenomenon in that time. It just the way Poseidon and Athena was talked about, it was always sounds like they so despised each other and can't even be in the same room.

Anyway, thanks for answering and I'm sorry if I sound ignorant!

For starters oh goodness Anon you are very kind and I am really touched that you find my stuff useful! It really means a lot! And of course you must never call your question "generic". There is no such thing as "generic" in the interpretation of the past!

Now in regards to the gods; all Gods have likes and dislikes loves passions and rivalries because they are as human as humans themselves can be.

Now in regards to the events with Hephaestus it seems that our mythographer is connecting this with the beef of Poseidon with Athena for their rivalry over the city of Athens, you can see my answer to another ask about it:

So yeah in regards to that incident it seems it was Poseidon being bitter about losing Athens. Which again belongs to the realm of the gods acting like humans and have human weaknesses and human likes and dislikes. And the version of Poseidon being behind the attempt of rape of Athena seems to be given by Hyginus as I said above

But at the same time that doesn't mean that the gods have eternal rivalries. For example they are not having specific roles to like or dislike each other exclusively unless it is something about the symbolism of the lore (for example Ares being by n large a hated god even among his peers is basically how Greeks thought the idea of war is something to be hated in the first place but still necessary and with its own reason to society, thus the fact that Ares is no minor god but an actual god of the Olympian pantheon.

So Athena and Poseidon still appear to work together or have common goals which they try to see through. In one way it definitely seems to link them to their roles as protector of heroes (Athena) and of royalty and status (Poseidon) so in one way both of these ends of the spectrum are connected together. So of course Athena and Poseidon appear to work together.

As for Poseidon's contribution to the dispute between Aphrodite and her husband the most ancient source comes, ironically, from the Odyssey. In the 8th rhapsody of the Odyssey it speaks on how the singer Demodocus starts singing on the love of Ares and Aphrodite and at lyrics 344-345 it says:

But Poseidon did not laugh but he kept insisting for Hephaestus the great craftsman to set Ares free

(Translation by me)

Their rivalry is of course set more to the claim of Athens, which of course seems to be a set of myths that wish to show how important of a city Athens is both strategically and culturally thus having two major gods (an actual son of Kronos and the first and arguably most powerful child of the strongest god of Olympus) and eventually they get co-worshipped because even if Athena is still the patron goddess, Athens has deep roots which they speak on their indigenous nature (an interpretation of the myth of Ericthonius that I mention to the link I provided) thus the importance of both Athena as protector of heroes who were important for Athens but also Poseidon as a protector of the noble lines. What is more Athens is also a potent naval power thus once again the co-association with Poseidon being essential.

In here Poseidon takes the more mature role. All other gods laugh and speak on how they would want to be in Ares's shoes and be tied up with Aphrodite so but Poseidon acts like older and more mature than the rest of them telling to Hephaestus to release them. In a way he speaks as an authority there

In one way that has a multiple meaning in Homer given how not only the presence of Poseidon is always hovering over the heads of everyone in general and Odysseus in particular but also serves as an allegory of the war since Demodocus is about to sing also on the Trojan war, which shall bring Odysseus to tears and he will confess who he is to his listeners. The war started off as an act of love or at least seduction (Aphrodite) and ended up in a bloodshed (Ares) and both were released by a craftsman (Hephaestus) which also connects him to Odysseus himself given how Hephaestus and Odysseus share the same epithet "of many wiles)

As for the version claiming that for some reason Athena being the daughter of Poseidon I believe you are referring to one version of Pausanias in his "Descriptions of Greece" where he mentions Athena as daughter of Poseidon because she has blue eyes unless I am mistaken.

I hope this answers part of your question! Forgive me if I missed some of your asks and I will be happy to elaborate further and please never EVER call yourself ignorant for making good questions! You made me look through plenty of sources to answer you and that is awesome! Please do not be discouraged to ask! And forgive me for being late!

[newpartnerincrime]

i dont like being an older sister actually.

[cosmicredcadet]

I hate those posts like "this is about aromanticism, don't tag as ace or aroace!" as if aroaces aren't aro enough because of our asexuality, and non-SAM aces relating to aros is somehow a bad thing. Also some of the aroallo accounts are so quick to regurgitate ace discourse talking points because they think aces are erasing and oppressing aros, I hate that so much

Yeah, to an extent I can completely understand where people are coming from when asking this. I have similar issues with people tagging autism posts as ADHD because they show up in my feed because of the ADHD tag even though the post only mentions Autism. It can be frustrating to be looking for posts and get something completely different. But on the other hand...it feels like some people are taking the idea of these tags way too seriously. Tagging is a minimal issue in the grand scheme of things. Tagging does not actually derail a post as much as people act like it does. Tagging a post you reblogged does not make that post show up in the main tags. I understand that AroAllos do not want to have their personal experiences conflated as Asexuality because it can feel like erasure when you write a personal experience about you identity only to have it tagged as something that is not you identity. But also I don't think people realize how much overlap a lot of aromantic and asexual experiences have. Acting like they are so incredibly different and can't have any overlap is willful ignorance at best and malicious separatism at worse. And it's incredibly disheartening as an AroAce to see how many Aro people seem to have gotten comfortable and even feel justified in the low-key bigoted things they've said against aces and aroaces.

Some of the absolutely wild takes I've seen can range from "AroAces shouldn't post in the aromantic tag" to "Don't tag your post as aromantic if it doesn't mention aromanticism [aka doesn't mention an experience in which the viewer deems as an aromantic experience]" to literal straight up acephobia or aroacephobia and it's absolutely wild because as someone who exists in both tags I've seen this happening basically solely in aromantic tags.

It's genuinely wild to me how we even got to this point in the aspec community where people are arguing over tagging to the point of trying to exclude certain aros from the aro tag completely because they feel less seen as compared to others and act like it's the fault of those other aspecs that they are being oppressed.

I was someone who was around when the Aro and Ace communities were mostly a united force. Because when the entire world was against us we at least had each others back. half the problems people mentioned when it came to the reason to split the community so drastically were not problems I ever actually saw. Hell they still aren't problems I see. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen but I personally have not seen anyone assuming or saying that if you're aro you must also be ace, which makes me thing it's not actually as big of an issue as people seem to think it is. the aro and ace communities being united didn't mean that aromantic was a subsection of asexual, though I believe it'd be lying to ignore the split attractions model in the creation of the aromantic identity and how both the Aro and Ace identities as we know them today kind of emerged from that model.

As I said not too long ago: the separation of the aro and ace communities has done more harm than it's done help. We are making it easier for people to target us by splitting up the way we have. By making enemies out of fellow aspec people you give aphobes the space and comfort they need to start pushing us out again.

We are literally in the same boat. if that makes you upset then you can get on your own raft but you can't then demand everyone else get on their own rafts too or try to sink the ship that everyone else is on.

the tag discourse is stupid. there are more pressing issues to be upset about rather than tumblrs shit tagging system. This helps no one. If aroaces posting in the GENERAL AROMANTIC TAG upsets you THAT MUCH then you can literally go into the aroallo tag to find the content you want to see or better yet MAKE THE CONTENT YOU WANT TO SEE. If an asexual tagging a post they relate too with ace bugs you that much then fucking block them. it's not erasure when someone of a different sexuality feels represented by your post. If an aroace tagging a post as aromantic when you feel it is only about asexuality makes you that mad then you can literally block them. You cannot decide how someone should tag their posts because you personally do not know their experience. Grow the fuck up.

I'm rose repulsed. there are barely any spaces and posts about rose repulsed people in the main aspec tags. You want to know what I did? I made my own fucking space. i went to the romance and sex repulsed tags and posted there. I made posts about being repulsed. I have a fucking blog and a discord server centered around repulsed people. Yes it sucks when other people don't make content you like but that's when you have to accept you need to make it your damn self and not throw a fit over tags on tumblr dot com.

apologies for a long rant, If this ask was bait then congrats you got a rant out of me but also I think if people really want to block me over this instead of having a conversation like adults then so be it. Those who think this sort of exclusion is justified and correct are not people i want to be interacting with in the community. they are not people I want following me. I support AroAllos. I support all aromantic people. I understand where they are coming from in their pain. I do agree that they deserve more recognition because they often moralized to be morally bad for their existence and as a repulsed person NO IDENTITY should be viewed as inherently bad. I have no ill will towards AroAllos making posts about ther experience, they deserve to have their experience shared. But the way some people have been acting in the aromantic community is not acceptable and should be called out because at this rate some people are really toeing the line of the ace discourse that happened in like 2016 and as someone who went through that I REALLY don't want to see it repeat itself.

[pa-pa-plasma]

kind of frustrating that people took "fat does not equal unhealthy" to mean "fat is not unhealthy." sometimes being obese IS unhealthy & excess fat can cause a lot of problems. ignoring health issues isn't progressive. real "oranges kill people with depression" moment

[seaofreverie]

We should normalize bringing these sort of "small talk ideas" cards to meetings with other people so that it's possible to avoid the awkwardness of not knowing what to talk about to kick things off or if it's considered normal to talk about this specific thing and AUGHGHFCG all this stuff.

[phagodyke]

kind of annoys me sometimes how I can happily listen to my roommate explain the entire plot of whatever she's currently into but when it comes to my interests she can only listen for a few mins before wordlessly walking out of the room

[blye-flower]

✨Rant in the tags✨

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Just remembered I have a psychiatrist appointment so early tomorrow. And I obviously dyed my hair so recently because there's green staining on my face. I don't think it's going to look great for the bipolar diagnosis, to disclose that I was feeling impulsive and wanted to get control over something, so I dyed my hair at midnight.

[arolesbianism]

I may be failing my plan to not make any isat aus. So there's this guy her name is Euphrasie right. What if I took her and combined what could be 3 separate au concepts into one. And in the process forced myself to go back and reread a bunch of shit to make sure I know how to maximally fuck over this sad wet puppy of a woman