#this user is comfortable with being called queer

[lgbtq-userboxes]

[tibopansy]

i still can't stop thinking about non-it/its users responses to this post. how an awful lot of people think it's fine to refuse someone else's pronouns because of their own discomfort.

let me tell you a story.

i have been dehumanized almost my entire life. a combination of my race, disabilities, and the mental illnesses that i developed very early in my life meant i was treated like a monster. i started coming out as gay too early for my peers' comfort and that only added to that treatment. my dehumanization is enshrined in christianity. i took on the label of monster on purpose because i stopped relating to humanity. why should i want to be a part of a group who did nothing but hurt me and exclude me in the first place?

i don't need to be protected from my own goddamn pronouns. i don't need to hear about the historical dehumanization of queer people and people of color and disabled people because, like a massive majority of the people using it/its, i fucking know. i have for literal decades.

you know what hurts? telling me i don't know what's best for myself, that your discomfort with my life is more important than treating me like someone who can make its own fucking decisions, and misgendering me because you can't handle being reminded of the things that literally continue to happen to me. i'm not a poor unthinking baby that needs to be saved, and neither are the other it/its users.

if you have feelings about it/its, you can process them on your own time, like every other person uncomfortable with a pronoun set.

and for the love of everything unholy just call me by my fucking pronouns.

[rediimere]

The leaked “AI Aloy” footage from Sony has left such a bitter taste in my mouth that, hours later, I’m still fuming and have even more words to say about the overall sinister nature of its implications.

Let's talk about it.

I want to start by saying that there is a difference between what is colloquially called "AI" as a tool for artists and developers in which their software uses their own sources to streamline the process (for example, the "Content Aware" fill tool that has been present in Photoshop for at least a decade), and "generative AI/genAI" that relies on unauthorised theft of resources to artificially splice data together based on prompts. I have no qualms with the former as it relies on being fed its own sources and is an aid for specific purposes. It is not artificial intelligence, but a tool. GenAI, on the other hand, is immoral, unethical, planet-destroying garbage.

The latter is what is being pushed in that egregious video footage. It is the epitome of tone-deaf, soulless, capitalistic wet dream, dangerously misogynistic slop and I am not exaggerating. And I think it's also the culmination of years of fandom culture being integrated by people who have never interacted in fandom, never bothered to learn the etiquette of a space that existed long before they joined, demanded changes for their comfort, and see it as another commodity.

I'm not the first to say this and others before me have been far smarter about it, but there has been a marked change in fandom culture the past few years. Many have said it goes back to COVID, when people generally not involved in fandom spaces joined because they had nothing else to do.

The thing about fandom is that for pretty much as long as it's existed, it has been a safe space for marginalised voices. It's no coincidence that the transformative works of fandom—fiction, art, meta, etc.—have been places for queer voices, for women, for people of colour, for the trans and nonbinary community, etc. With more people joining, these safe spaces have become less so. There are demands for people to "stop shipping" characters that aren't a canon, established ship. There are personal and threatening attacks on people who have a different viewpoint on a character or plot. People have been stalked. People have been doxxed. This isn't necessary new, but is happening with increased frequency and ferocity, especially by younger members and the terfy crowd. The safe space fandom provided marginalised voices really seems to be shrinking.

Outside of fandom culture itself, there is a rising trend of needing instant gratification, of sacrificing unique protagonists for the sake of "relatability" and "self-inserts." There are readers who ignore descriptions of female protagonists and male love interests in romance books so that they can self-insert (and others are calling for authors to stop describing entirely). There are booktok-ers who, believe it or not, complain about the amount of words on a page. I'm not saying their opinions are wrong in general—there is a market for what they seek—but their reviews are to encourage these stipulations to become the norm. And these influencers get enough engagement that their views are seen as profitable by the corporations and execs in charge.

So it isn't really surprising that now fandom is being seen as something that corporation can milk for all its capitalistic worth. Why wouldn't corporations invade a space they've ignored for years as inconsequential now that it's mainstream? After all, fandom was just full of the "weirdos" before, and now it's full of "normies!" This is a space that has been established for decades, built from the ground up by people who value the source material(s), now full of anyone and everyone who will soak up one morsel of customized instant gratification for the dopamine hit.

And that's where genAI comes in.

Why is this so sinister in regards to Sony's recent leaked footage using AI Aloy interacting with a user?

First off: It's Aloy.

Look, if you've perused my social media or interacted with me online at all, you know I love Horizon. My computer room is full of fan-made merch. I've written almost a million words of fanfiction in three years. I've drawn fanart. I helped construct a fanmade dating sim. Horizon has been a huge part of my life for the past three years.

I'm not ignorant of its flaws. I'm also aware of the fact that Horizon is often hated as an IP, and Aloy is the target of a lot of rage from certain audiences. Not to generalise, but let's be clear: the complaints are largely about Horizon being "woke DEI garbage" (you know, for having a queer female protagonist, for featuring other women and queer characters in prominent roles, for having people of colour be important in the story, for being anti-capitalist and pro-environmentalism, etc.—the same tired, ignorant arguments we've all heard), and about Aloy being "fat" and "looking like a man" (hopefully they stretch before that reach so they don't pull something).

So why would Sony use Aloy to showcase an AI conversation instead of someone like Kratos or Joel, who come from more popular and acclaimed IPs?

One possibility is Sony trying to sink Horizon or Guerrilla Games as a company, spurring so much backlash from the leak that the franchise is doomed and dropped so Guerrilla either goes under or focuses on old IPs like Killzone.

Or the more disgusting possibility is that something like genAI is made for the people who loudly and proudly proclaim how "anti-woke" they are, who have detested Horizon and Aloy from the beginning, and now they have a way to "like" Aloy. They have a way to make her say or do or react to whatever kinds of depravity they want to throw at her. They have a way to control and manipulate a fictional woman to fulfill their own incel agenda.

On top of that—Horizon? The video game about how a defective AI made by a trillionaire wiped out humanity? The sequel that revealed another rogue AI made by thousand-year-old billionaires is set to wipe out Earth again? That Horizon franchise is what Sony is using to showcase AI slop? Let's not even go into how the character responses are literally so painfully out of character they can't be taken seriously at all. The irony is so heavy-handed it's almost crushing.

The other reprehensible part of this is the fact that video game actors are still on strike, and this strike is to protect themselves from being replaced by AI. This test footage did sound like a messed up Siri, but Ashly Burch (Aloy's actress) has been in support of the strike. The insult of using her character to showcase this slop is beyond words.

All I will say in conclusion is that I genuinely hope this is not endorsed, supported, or aided by Guerrilla Games. If this plays any part in Horizon 3 or any future part of the franchise, I speak for myself but can confidently say I am out.

In conclusion please do not support any genAI slop, especially in fandom spaces. Make them know it is not wanted, not needed, and is in fact detested and will lose them money in the end.

On that happy note I'm off to bed.

[alrightbuckaroo]

Mood Ring: the moodboard tag game

The rules: Either: choose one of your published fics (or a WIP if you'd prefer), create a moodboard for it and share it along with a snippet. Or: Create a moodboard for your fave episode of the show, fave character, or a fic someone else has written that you love, and share it with some sentences about why it's a fave! (And tag people!).

29 Going on 30

During a trip to New York City to celebrate TK turning 30, TK and Carlos stumble upon a list of things TK always wanted to do before he turned 30, all of them being references to romantic comedies he loved so much growing up.

While TK is fine with leaving the past in the past, Carlos thinks there's no better time than the present. He thinks that TK deserves to feel the same type of love he loved watching on the silver screen, so he devotes the rest of their trip to just that.

Told through a tale filled with everlasting love, a never-ending trek across New York City and the occasional painful reminder of the past, Carlos learns a little more about the city TK once called home and TK learns a little more about himself.

Here's a snippet 💕

“TK,” Carlos turns to TK, the skyline forgotten and TK follows his motions. “In my vows, I said that you are the dream I would not allow myself to have, and every time I wake up next to you, I feel like I’m still dreaming. Every time I wake up next to you, I think this feels too good to be true.” TK wonders where this could be going, if they’re both afraid of the same thing and if so, what could that mean. “But,” Carlos says. “That’s what I love about it. Every day with you it’s like I get to experience falling in love for the first time all over again. I get to feel the euphoric rush of realizing I’ve found the one and I get to feel that again and again and again.” “I think that part of living life is finding new ways to left love in,” Carlos continues. “Learning that love can be an afternoon serenade, a hideous sweater that you still found a way to look good in or the realization that the love that feels too good to be true is the love that you’ve been deserving of all along.” TK is quiet for a beat; a medley of mixed emotions overtaking him. Love that feels too good to be true is the love that you’ve been deserving of all along. Maybe Carlos is right, maybe he needs to let himself finally feel comfortable with the idea that this type of love isn’t meant to crumble. He won’t have to dig through the remains of what’s left to restore himself. This love has a foundation that’s meant to last. Quietly, he asks, “You still think I’m a dream?” “So much I almost can’t believe my eyes,” Carlos replies with a smile.

Is now a good time to say that I've started working on an unofficial sequel titled 30 Going on Forever where they go back for Carlos' birthday, which is during Pride, and they do all the queer things teenage Carlos never thought he'd get to do (let alone with the love of his life)? I'm excited 💕

Thanks for the tags @heartstringsduet and @carlos-in-glasses for thinking up this fun game! Also thanks to this user for the divider!

[our-queer-experience]

It's so weird seeing Tumblr users drop slurs casually like "I'm a tranny fagdyke freak!" and then two minutes later go "bi lesbians and supporters DNI!!! do not even breathe in my direction 🤮"

I don't know, I have yet to meet one of the spooky scary bi lesbians but I personally think I'd feel more uncomfortable or even unsafe around someone who asks me in public "Haha are you a dyke??? Don't worry I'm not a homophobe I'm reclaiming it" than someone who uses a weird label I don't get. I'm all for disempowering bigots by taking away their slurs, but it seems like people on here treat reclaiming slurs like a silly careless thing while label discourse is the most serious matter in the world. I think you're more likely to harm someone by casually calling them a slur you don't know if they're comfortable with than by accepting someone who uses a label you don't understand.

"Bi lesbians aren't valid! Learn your history!" Hey, do you know why the words you use are considered slurs and you shouldn't call random people that? Learn your history.

I hope this makes sense. Again, I'm not against slur reclamation if it's done sensitively, it just bothers me that some people on Tumblr treat it carelessly while acting like people with weird labels are a huge problem.

(I know people who've identified as bi lesbians longer than I've been alive, and probably longer than most of the Tumblr users have been alive too, so "learn your history" might not be the best argument against that identity, but that's another can of worms.)

its always so funny to me. youre fine being a fagdyke or whatever but being a bi lesbian is just incomprehensible to you ? really ? also queer history isnt always. the best thing to use as a blueprint. especially when it comes to how yall treat bisexuals

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Dead Poets Society, a queer-coded movie from 1989 about conformity. I said, oh I’m sure.

(@bylerfiles @abs-blabs @toivostardust here it is)

Let’s start with

Both take place in a very conservative place (Welton/Hawkins)

It’s set in 1959, same year of the creel murders

A group of friends, who don’t fit in social rules

There’s a club between the friends, innocent, but that it’s seen as wrong and evil and something that should be stopped.

The truth being, they use the club to read poetry/play a fantasy game

(couldn’t find a good picture of hellfire😔)

Also, everyone blaming Keating and saying he influenced the students and that he basically killed Neil vs everyone blaming Eddie saying he killed Chrissy. Both Neil/Chrissy were lying, Neil is lying to his father (who accuses keating of being responsible for Neil’s death) and Chrissy lying to Jason about the drugs (hiding the truth, you could say) and Jason holding Eddie responsible.

Then Eddie is killed and everyone remembers him as a murderer and Keating is fired and blamed for everything, but many students still love him.

And if we’re going with Keating/Eddie then the s5 leaks of Dustin picking up fights with jocks and getting hurt also fit. Charlie almost got spelled for pulling a prank on the principal, cause that’s what he thought Keating meant when he said carpe diem. Knox got beat up by a jock because he kissed Chris’ forehead despite her being asleep and having a bf, because that’s what he thought Keating meant with carpe diem.

But,

In this case, since Eddie is a bit of a hypocrite and we see him fighting with Jason on ep1, maybe it is what he wanted, but it still will lead to Dustin getting hurt and realize it’s not how things should go on.

If the other leaks of the others getting mad at Dustin for putting himself (and themselves) in danger are true, then another similarity, cause the rest of the group is pissed that Charlie signed under the name of “the dead poets society” without asking them, putting them all in danger.

Also, forced conformity is killing the kids vs Neil dying because of forced conformity…

Of course, we also have the “amazing teacher with fun classes who students love and who helps students outside of school” trope with mr Clarke, although I can’t find any more similarities between mr Clarke and mr Keating.

Now to other characters

Todd is quiet, and so is Will

Todd/Will has a talent he’s not 100% confident in

Also the only birthday we see (and is mentioned) in dps is Todd’s. Todd gets a desk set for his birthday gifted by his parents. He’s sad cause he already has one and that just shows how his parents don’t even care to remember or even know what he likes. Neil appears and comforts him.

Will’s birthday is… completely different. But we have the similarity of them being the only characters who’s birthday is shown, ig.

You could even say that Todd’s dad calling him $5.98 is similar to Lonnie calling Will homophobic slurs (the insults aren’t similar, but they’re still made with intention to harm)

Personality-wise, Will is more similar to Todd, but I do think he resembles Neil more ("what??? tumblr user "henry-fox-biggest-stan" what do you mean??”). Let me explain.

Both Neil and Will wearing a costume with a silly hat

And Neil being forced to give up acting by his father and Will being forced to stop playing dnd in s3 by Lucas and Mike who don’t want to play. Happens while they both are wearing a costume (tbh, I don’t think this is a dps reference, but who knows)

Both Neil and Will having non-typically masculine interests (theatre, art)

Both of them are afraid of telling the truth (Neil to his father, Will to Mike)

Also, could I say that Will having fun playing dnd before going home and being kidnapped is a parallel to Neil having fun at the play before going home and killing himself?

After all, both were unwilling to go home and were forced to by a parent (Neil’s father/Mike’s mom)

Neil’s death and Will’s kidnapping happen while they both have their (abusive) father’s gun in hand. I mean c’mon.

It also happens at night, when Neil/Will is alone. Neil had to go from his bedroom to his father's office and Will had to go from his house to the shed.

Neil dies from suicide. Will “dies” and people think it was a suicide (or an accident). However, Will comes back.

Also since we’ve established that Mr Perry = Lonnie then we have both Lonnie and Mr Perry guilt tripping Neil/Jonathan with their moms (both moms are also smokers!)

And the Perry’s are poor, just like the Byers’. Neil felt pressure to go to Harvard and become a doctor to be able to support his family financially, which reminds me of Jonathan working night shifts since he was 15 to help financially at home.

Todd/Mike’s grief is shown in more detail than other character’s, denying Neil/Will’s death and leaving the rest of the group, stading in their (now half empty) shared room and looking at his drawings, making us pay more attention to their grief

Todd meeting Neil on his first day at Welton, when he didn’t know anyone and definitely felt scared and filled with anxiety (and, having no friends and parents who don’t care, we know he also felt lonely) vs Mike meeting Will on his first day of kindergarten, when he didn’t know anyone, and felt scared and lonely.

We have Jeff as the golden, perfect child and Todd as his younger brother who cannot live up to him. Reminds me of Nancy (good grades, usually well-behaved —specially if compared with Mike who got caught plagiarizing an essay or writing in the school bathroom) vs Mike. Karen loves all her children tho.

Todd is a writer, a poet. Mike wants to be a writer, and he’s the dm, the narrator, the one creating the stories.

Todd also wears blue a lot, which is Mike’s colour.

Neil/Mike has a passion that he’s forced to give up for conformity

Neil, Todd, Cameron, and ig Knox are not very thrilled about the fact that Charlie is trying to sneak girls into their club. Reminds me of Mike being very against Max joining in s2.

We also have

Neil/Max who helped Todd/El to truly live, who became his/her closest friend and showed him/her the joys of friendship and having fun. Also, Neil/Max who eventually dies/ends up in a coma. But in this universe, Todd gets a chance to save him (El doing her weird cpr on Max)

The focus on Charlie’s empty seat vs the focus on Will’s empty seat (also works with the scene of Nancy looking at Barb’s empty seat)

Chet is on a party with his gf, Chris. Chris ends up falling asleep and Knox kisses her forehead.

Steve is on a party with his gf, Nancy. Nancy is super drunk and after a fight between them, she’s practically falling asleep. Jonathan takes her home to sleep.

(Both involve a sleeping girl with a bf)

You could also say, Chet/Steve throwing a party in his house, Chris/Nancy attending. Knox/Jonathan are there and do something lowkey creepy (Knox kissing an unconscious girl, Jonathan taking photos of Nancy accidentally). Chet/Steve gets mad and Chet beats up Knox and Steve breaks Jonathan’s camera. Both Knox and Jonathan apologize to Chris/Nancy for what they did.

Chris/Nancy ends up being endgame with Knox/Jonathan

Also

Knox/Eddie is threatened by Chet/Jason, because of something involving Chris/Chrissy

Knox/Lucas being in love with Chris/Max. Lucas being called a stalker by Max vs Knox being a stalker. Knox going to Chris’ cheerleader practice to look at her (she doesn’t know he’s there) and following her into her school vs Lucas talking to Max at school and her making references to stalking. Everything about stalking in st tbh

Oh and Knox brings her flowers aswell (which she does NOT appreciate)

A first kiss, that happens while dancing (except, snowball was all conformity, inside school and only dancing in pairs. In dps, the dancing scene is outside of school, outside the oppressive environment, and everyone is dancing with everyone).

(Mileven is technically not a first kiss, but whatever)

(I have a theory of s5 ending with a dance scene like the one in dps, so maybe we’ll get a knox/chris parallel with byler??)

Neil is celebrated by the whole group after he got his big moment in the play (Puck’s final monologue) / Lucas is celebrated by the whole team after he got his big moment in the game (scoring and winning)

Neil’s mood goes down while in the play when he notices that his dad went to see him / Lucas’ mood goes down before the game when he notices that his friends didn’t go to see him

Neil sees his dad after the play, fully bringing his mood down / Lucas sees his friends after the game, fully bringing his mood down

Both Meeks and Pitts and Dustin manage to create a radio that works

I guess you could say war veteran mr perry = war veteran victor creel

Mr Perry wanted to send Neil to military school, just like how Virginia wanted to send Henry to Brenner. Both Neil and Henry rebelled against this, but in different ways. Neil killed himself, Henry killed his family.

Also smth smth the AV club being founded by Bob but we only see the party participating, same to how the dead poets society was founded by Keating but we only see the poets participating.

And since we’re talking about Keating/Bob

Keating encouraging Neil to join the play and this being what kills him (because his father doesn’t approve and is going to punish him severely) vs Bob telling Will stand up to the mf and this being what makes Will get possessed.

Neither Keating nor Bob wanted the outcomes that came out, they both wanted to help, but they fucked up cause they didn’t know the whole truth (Keating thought Neil had told his father and had his permission and Bob had no idea about all the supernatural and just thought it was a normal nightmare).

Ok this one is a joke but I had to add it

+

Whatever’s going on with Todd and time vs Mike/Will and time vs all the time lines and time traveling references in st. (Mike always being late, for example)

I don’t think it was a dps reference tho, it’s obviously inspired by time travel media, but I wanted to mention Todd’s time weirdness because no one talks about it

Also

Staring at you, Lonnie Byers.

The duffers: huh… what if we make a show inspired by cult classic media, but we make the main characters who die survive and be happy? (Neil, Frodo)

To finish, the main message of stranger things:

[leverage-ot3]

Is leverage redemption worth watching? I love Leverage but idk if i could enjoy the show if hardison isn't in most episodes or if the reboot sells out in some way.

okay so I showed up to this ask like four months late with a smoothie so I'm sorry about that BUT

does redemption have it's flaws? yes, I will be the first to admit that!

however, as someone who deeply loves leverage, the characters and what the show stands for, I still can find myself enjoying redemption.

there's one post that's in my drafts talking about the differences between the og and redemption and the so-called universe physics (how logic works in both shows and how they are the same/differ) and there are definitely some differences. there are some really good posts comparing them in the tags and I'll try to tag them as watch redemption when they come up!

I'm going to be really honest right now and say that (no shade) I feel like redemption s1-2 were lacking because john rogers was not a main writer for them. devlin and the others are great and know their stuff, but redemption was missing some of the grit (balanced with everything else) that the original run had. redemption is more fun and lighthearted (where the og was still fun and had comedic elements but also had a more jaded perspective). I think part of that change is the absence of nate as a character and what he brought to the table, but the other part of that is very much the way the show is written overall

I have seen some criticism about parker being a caricature of what she was in the original run (ex: how she goes to a child's psychologist and uses puppets sometimes, is overtly weird, more loud about stuff, etc) BUT I will say that I think there's some nuance to that

I don't think the child psychiatrist thing is infantalizing- some methods of therapy work for people more than others and that is me speaking as someone who works in mental health. if play therapy and stuff like that work for you as an adult, good for you! whatever works for you is more than enough the overtly and loudly being weird thing I really do think can be taken either way. in the original run part of parker's character progression was that she was learning how to interact with people normally (or at least more efficiently), but her being more out about that now can be taken as she is more comfortable in her skin and acting like she wants because she is surrounded by people who love and support her. maybe she doesn't want to (or have to!) mask all the time and I don't see a problem with that

HOWEVER! there are certain criticisms that are related to her characterizations and overlaps with her autism and I don't want to speak over the autism community about those aspects and how they have manifested in her character in redemption so I'm leaving it there

as for the hardison being absent aspect- I was REALLY afraid of that at first BUT the loss isn't so deeply impactful when you have characters like breanna and harry added to the mix. I went in ambivalent about harry and excited to have breanna (a canon queer) joining the team, but I have come to love and cherish both of them dearly and wouldn't want to replace them or lose them as characters in this found family ensemble. I think the writers handled aldis' packed schedule really well and even though he isn't there in most episodes, his presence is still very much around. parker and eliot talk about him and reference him when he's gone. so do sophie and breanna, even harry. he isn't on the screen but the relationships he's formed with the other characters and the impact he's had on them is very evident.

there are some takes from users about whether or not the ot3 was queerbait, un-canoned, etc in redemption. I have a lot of thoughts about it and a lot of them are incomprehensible but what I can say is that I have renewed hopes for the progression and canon development of their relationship now that john rogers is back as the main writer for s3

[the-indigo-symphony]

Since mottos and slogans have been a hot topic in the plural community lately... I want to introduce one that I've been thinking of for a long while now! It's part rallying cry, part "defiance via continued existence", and part punk in the "spikes as a deterrent" way (if that last comparison makes sense at all, lol – I'm specifically thinking of things like how wheelchair users may put spikes on the handles of their 'chair so others don't try to touch or move them without permission). It's this:

"Plural as in there are more of us than you think."

[PT: "Plural as in there are more of us than you think." / end PT]

I've also considered a longer version that would tie in the queer community/queerness – which I know is intertwined with plurality for many people – and that version would be: "Queer as in here without fear, plural as in there are more of us than you think". What do you all think?

I think it's very to-the-point, and plays on a simple premise: that we're not backing down – not in the face of hate, and not in the face of fear. Especially with the longer version; we're here, we're queer, get over it – and if you refuse to, just know that you can't silence us all, no matter how loudly you try to drown us out. We will always be here. There will always be someone to fight against the hate, to spit in the face of bigotry just by continuing to draw breath. It also has a nod to an older queer sentiment that I think we should bring back for both queer and plural folk alike – that we are everywhere. The cashier that scanned your groceries might be plural. The classmate sitting next to you might be plural. The neighbor across the street might be plural. We are here. There are more of us than you think. And we will not be afraid.

"There are more of us than you think" is also a nod to how statistics are often both misunderstood and just plain lacking in data. People really don't seem to realize just how population statistics translate to real life; how many people they pass by or have brief interactions with fit that "extremely rare" condition they dismissed, because something like "1.5%" doesn't look like a lot on paper, but ends up as a whole lot when you wander out into the world. That's at least one out of a hundred – and that estimate is on the more conservative side about one specific presentation of plurality, and doesn't account for many, many other forms of it. So, yeah, there are definitely more of us than they/you think.

I admit it can be read as a tad aggressive, but that's also part of the point. It's meant to be a very in-your-face type of motto, especially as a spit in the face of pluralphobia and all other forms of bigotry it entangles itself with – racism, sanism, disableism, ableism, religious intolerance, queerphobia, etc.. Yeah, your cashier, classmate, neighbor might be plural – and so what?! Yeah, maybe you should think twice about messing with us, because acceptance is growing and you're not going to be able to excuse your hateful nonsense for much longer without it being called out as such! But on the other hand, I think it can work well as a conversation starter, giving people the prompt to ask, "What does that mean?" In this case, the slogan being so provocative works in its favor! Yeah, actually, I'd love to talk about how plurals go unknown and deserve more awareness, how there are almost certainly more of us than even we can know for certain! And, again, spikes on a wheelchair – taking words as an art form, this slogan is art that's meant to make you uncomfortable, to make you question things; "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.", as Cesar A. Cruz said. It makes you scared or uncomfortable to think about there being more plurals out there than you first estimated there to be? Why does it make you feel that? Is this the result of unconscious bias? Why do you think we, the makers of this slogan, might be comforted by the same phrase that disturbs you?

We're plural as in more-than-one in more than one (lol) meaning of the phrase. More-than-one in this body, more-than-one of us out there fighting the good fight – helping others, breaking down walls, and pushing for a kinder and more accepting future.

Plural as in there are more of us than you think. Fuck your hatred, we're gonna be here no matter what.

[safsunderc]

Queer (2024)

I’ve tried about a hundred times to write this in a delicate and beautiful way, but it's hard to articulate the feelings Luca Guadagnino’s Queer gave me.

I want to start off by acknowledging all the movie aspects of it. The performances, Daniel Craig first and foremost of course, I think allows the film to be as great as it is, he is the entire soul of it, and his performance as Lee is one of the most striking I’ve watched. In a similar essence to other performances I love, Drew Starkey is wonderful in this limited role; Eugene says little, but has lots on his mind, Starkey makes this so evident and, has anyone ever looked so beautiful in a role as he does playing Eugene? The costuming, hair and make-up certainly play a part, but he is simply so chic, so beautiful, so encapsulating. There’s no wonder Lee is so wrapped up in Eugene with him looking and behaving as Starkey does. 

I know I say this about every film I watch, but it was stunning, and more than that, Queer is visually striking. The bars, hotels, scenery, particularly when travelling, that just looked so otherworldly, as Luca’s films usually do (Bones and All particularly is an incredibly stunning film). Some parts with models for sets felt very reminiscent of a claymation; there’s been a lot of comparisons drawn between Space Odyssey and Queer, but Chicken Run seems more adept personally, because it looked and felt so cartoonish in some parts, so unlike the realm of the real world, as though Mexico City and Lee’s life as a queer man were not really his life. There is perhaps always a distance between what you think of yourself and the reality you are living. I always love the texture of Guadagnino films, the smell and taste of them more than look and sound, like you are within the film, more than observing. How dry the place felt, how hot it was, the cool night air, you can feel it all on your skin, close your eyes and be there in a moment. It's not a feature unique to Queer, but of Guadagnino movies generally (particularly Call Me By Your Name, which is a feast for the senses entirely).

Nowadays ‘queer’ is simply a name for a minority group who, while may face hardships, are not condemned to sad, fragile lives as they might have once been. But in this film, by Lee’s definition, ‘queer’ is by no means a good thing. Interactions with other queer men are always bad, the jewelled centipede wrapped around a young man’s neck proves it, hung like a noose - no matter how beautiful the necklace is, however, it is still a parasite. The thought crosses Lee’s mind (or bleats through like a blazing fire) that he might want payment because on what planet would someone want him and not expect a cash payment? The thoughts of self-deprecation, self-hatred and shame are a lifestyle, not weekend habit. Later scenes with Eugene reinforce this, he tries to make a move too soon after the last time, comments he is breaking the contract they’ve made up; why would anyone want him unless there were conditions? 

Another user put it as “Queer beyond sexuality, Queer as a state of mind. A state of being,” and I’ve yet to read something so accurate. Lee’s desire for Eugene is propelled by his immense loneliness, which exists due to his inability to connect, because of his shame, of the unreality of his reality. Not being able to coincide this life with the one you thought up for yourself; “I’m not queer, I’m disembodied.” Denying yourself so easy and so quick you won’t even let yourself think it, question it. “I know.” The strings of comfort you feed yourself, even if you know you enjoy it, can’t help being drawn to everything of it, but you do look away, god, how many people look away from the open door. 

The surrealist gore and unimaginable scenarios are some of the best of the film, my favourite being the morphing of bodies, the becoming of one from two. I have nothing to say really except that scene was beautiful and I have never felt so singular. I try to keep my reviews non-personal because, frankly, I don’t think it aids your point to have a whole segment about your personal experiences in there. For this film, however, it is impossible for me to not speak on the things that touched me so profoundly. 

I’m only eighteen, but I’ve always felt isolated from everyone I’ve ever met. Friendships full of paranoia, people I never really know or even like, family who never seem able to enter into my feelings of disconnect, distant parents, and never a single romantic prospect because I’m always too withdrawn, too caught up in myself that I hardly find space for others. When I do allow myself to think of others, I think so much, and I think and I imagine, I play it over and over in my head like a winding roll of film and I sit beside these people, pretend I have not imagined a thousand things, a hundred lives with them, I make no move toward them; I take no step, I speak no words, and I breathe no breath. I understand nothing except the imagined, except that which does not exist. 

For the first part of the film, Lee is the same, not even motioning toward Eugene, merely imagined touches and caresses, because he cannot face his desire for fear of scorn. He is intimate with Eugene, but the second part finds Lee still merely reaching out, hand desperately outstretched and alone, hand splayed out against the canvas of beautiful skin, ribs all in a cluster protecting the heart from damage. He wants to claw it out and take it for himself. Rather, in the third act, they cough their hearts up; everything comes out with that, and without the distance of singular hearts, the pair are merely bodies, two that can become one. There is no longer any need to reach out when the one you love lives within your skin. Lee finally has what he wants, to communicate without speaking, through touching, the effortless language of lovers, for he’s never had a lover and cannot understand how it works. For Eugene, he still cannot come to terms with his sexuality. He might sometimes enjoy it, but he’s not queer and that’s it, he is slipping from Lee once again. When they leave that jungle, everything is lost. Too afraid, too slow to catch; too much done and not enough said. They are singular once again. 

What intrigued me most though is just how beautiful the film was. Visually, yes, but emotionally, physically, in every realm; how Luca Guadagnino manages to make such immense feelings of deprivation, loneliness, desire beautiful is beyond me. Daniel Craig does a wonder of communicating the beauty of lifetime loneliness, of penetrating desire. Even the sex scenes are beautiful. This film is palpable, you can taste the sweat in your mouth, feel the mud on your skin; above all, the loneliness and desire takes hold of you, and you leave starstruck and hopelessly determined to carve out a better life for yourself. But the next morning you wake and you’re still alone. When you close your eyes you see the merging bodies of Lee and Eugene and that singular feeling is still there, and you feel so completely alone in the world. 

[cherrycolacowboy]

“whatever is wrong with me i’ll take it to bed” | darry, ace, and their queer solidarity — a outsiders musical blurb | middle image creds tumblr user: sweatermuppet

before you read: use of the word queer/fag (60s mindsets about being queer — but also not?), hurt/comfort, big brother darry & little sister ace dynamics, internalized homophobia, a sprinkle of religious/spiritual imagery

⋆✴︎˚｡ — 702 words below the cut

*⁠.⁠✧ ace evans sees the way darrel curtis looks at that curly haired, sweater vest wearing soc boy — or well how he used too. she knew how back when he was a senior he would sneak away at the drive in with paul, she saw how darry would smile so big when the soc would pick him up at his house for a late night drive — ‘a drive around the block’ as he called it. ace found herself looking at a certain blonde haired soc girl the same way. a look of longing — a hope that maybe one day in one of those big cities like san francisco or new york, she could hold a pretty girls hand and not feel like she has to scrub her skin raw that night in the shower. she was dirty for those feelings — that’s why bev ended ‘it’, whatever you could call kissing at the drive in under the bleachers and sneaking away from their friends at any given chance on random nights. the way ace sees it, she’s already dirty and so is darrel — queer or not. she was born a grease, dirt has been in her blood and on her knees since she can remember. she knew she was going to hell one way or the other — it was written in the stars, with being both a faggot and a greaser. how fucking unlucky was she?

darrel remembers the first time he suspected ace was different, it was honestly because he noticed that she never really looked at boys the way girls were supposed to — the spitfire of a girl never flirted back when his little brother soda flirted with her or would tease her — she would just smile and tease him even more. he noticed the way she would make glances at the soc girls at the drive in — the way her brown eyes would scan over their pleated dresses and the way her cheeks would blush when one of them would re-apply their lipstick. more specifically, his little sister would silently swoon over the blonde gal who was friends with his soc boy.

ace knew she was a fag and she had a love/hate relationship with it — she loved women, she knew that. she loved their femininity and their soft spoken words and how they could wear cute skirts and dresses in a way ace never could. she liked boys as people (truly only the boys in their gang, the rest can rot in hell with her) but she could never picture herself marrying one — to ace that would be hell on earth. —“i wish i could wear boys clothes like you do, but my momma won’t let me” she remembers nine year old marcia meyrink telling her back before the divide, when they had no cares in the world — back before the titles of greasers and socs were held over their heads. at the time, ace didn’t know how to express that she would do anything to dress how marcia does. how she prayed for god to make her feel normal.

it’s hot summer day in july — darry had the day off for once. something about his boss not wanting to pay for the hospital bill if someone passed out and fell off a roof because of heatstroke. it didn’t matter — a day off was a day off to darrel. two-bit, johnny, and pony were all playing catch in the backyard, while dally was picking at his nails with his switch a ways away on the grass. ace and darry were just sitting on the porch steps watching the trio absentmindedly. darrel feels the words coming out of his mouth before he even can think to stop himself, “if i go to hell, at least i’ll have you with me ace, ya know?” — a beat of silence, the only sound darrel can hear is the slap of the football leaving ponys hand and falling into johnnys, a distant yell of two saying, “stop hogging the ball johnnycakes” but it’s muffled as he looks into aces brown eyes — the girl smiles looking up at the boy she calls her older brother; a boy who would die for her and she knows it. she whispers, “i know what you mean, superman” and bumps her shoulder with his — a silent “i know you & you’re safe with me”

[radfemsiren]

I'm never so deep into politics, and I'm new to Radblr. Such a shocker to see that it'd somehow give out some sense of comfort. Out of all the platforms I could've tried browsing, it's actually Tumblr that has users with similar beliefs. What's caught my interest is the way Exmuslim women seem to often be more radfem-leaning. I should've tried looking for people with similar geopolitical (or rather, religious) experiences sooner.

It was genuinely exhausting seeing those mainstream, western-centric feminist spaces spouting out *misogynistic* bullshit, often insulting their biology. I was somehow convinced that I was 'ftm' for a few years before I even grasped the concept of sexism and never accessed *that* side of the internet. What. That was definitely one of the most idiotic phases of my life—even then, 'trans safe spaces' were exasperatingly woke that it felt alienating. I was ashamed and disgusted to even call myself trans (inb4 someone says that I just have internalized transphobia)—then in the end, I've finally realized that I've always been a woman. But enough of that, I don't want to turn this into a poorly-written biography.

My point is, I thought I was a 'geopolitically misplaced queer' who also doubled as a bigot for disliking the culture in LGBT and art communities. But at the very least I was wrong, I've just been in the wrong places. I'm glad there's actually a feminist who's actually also from the East and *reasonable* (: Someone with an actually, even in the least, similar background. Hope you'll keep posting.

Surprisingly contrary to popular belief Radblr actually sounds way more mature and rational than they made it out to be. I'm speaking from my experience here as someone who's regretfully spent a bit too much time on LGBT spaces before.

I’m so glad you could find your way here! ❤️

I totally relate 😅 Most woc are radleaning with their feminism, not lib leaning. I learned that by meeting different women from different walks of life, and I think it’s because we face more extreme levels of misogyny often, and radfems are the only ones tackling these heavy, darker topics. So it’s hard to relate to a space that is very concerned about misgendering or super niche queer theory, when you know women that suffered from FGM, or being gay isn’t even legal in your home country, etc. They are very dismissive of the horrors of female oppression and think gender roles are simply having to choose between pink and blue, not propaganda campaigns that kill and victimize women. That’s my theory!

Self acceptance is super important to us and I hope our community gets larger and larger, and more women can come to realize that they are fine the way they are, and don’t need to choose between transitioning or beauty culture. I’m glad you found us girl, welcome!

[lunarsilkscreen]

Complex autonomous networking and ecosystems.

I'll formally introduce the term I coined a few posts ago about "Unaccountable autonomous Networking and Applications" in the past; the reason being is that somebody decided to...

Name a "Dow Clone" called "The Dao" sometimes also "The Dow" on top of Ethereum and smart contract tech; and then everybody forgot what it was called despite using it very frequently.

And despite it being very banal use of tech.

Because, seemingly, nobody seems to understand how technology works; We must start from the combined understanding that everyone; affluent or not; higher education or not; can in-fact pickup programming.

And because of this there are only two technology positions actually open; [new gal] and [old guy]

Because all our New Guys became trans women and floundered up the DEI process by filling all these jobs with a seemingly endless supply of queer-folk.

So I hate to tell you this; Technology is a very Queer Dominated career field. Because they couldn't get jobs elsewhere.

And they were all really good at the thing nobody knows how to do.

And today; we have idiots from all levels of management and government; trying to make taskers where they don't have trust employee voting tactics (or even other managers and employees)

Creating the previous term "DAO " for "Decentralized autonomous organization"

Which likely costs a *lot* of energy to perform what's effectively "American IDOL" voting from the comfort of your own sofa, knowing full well that nobody can hack you without your permission!

Automated Contracts are like Legal Contracts, in that they are legally obligated (automatically obligated at that! With no approval!) to do the thing they were tasked with doing.

Or you know; replacing traffic courts. Which were all gonna cede the fine even when we know we're right because who has time for that anyway?

The big difference and problem between the two is "Legally" mandated and "Automatically Mandated" legally mandated means it is backed by the legal system; which has approval authority. And "automatically mandated" introduced it's [approval] to every individual user specifically.

Who then has the responsibility of proving something didn't happen correctly. And could wind up in a costly mistake.

Which means that if a legal mistake were to occur; there's no measures to say that an action was meant to be ratified or enacted.

And that is all further cost overhead for the internet as a whole across the planet.

And all the work we put into our legal system will still need to be used on the backend after all that "I don't trust anyone" B's that will definitely get your Guild's Free Loot box raided by opportunists...

[freckliedan]

https://www.tumblr.com/freckliedan/769058798077902848/im-sorry-but-if-youve-only-been-a-phannie-since?source=share

i agree with you a lot (saying this as a REALLY new phannie, ive only been here a few months). hugs.

i feel like just simply wondering if someone could be trans shouldnt necessarily be seen as 'creepy speculation', and i notice that in general (with other youtubers/celebs etc not just phan) that when fans question if they're outside of what is considered to be the 'norm' in any way (such as queer, trans, neurodivergent etc) people call them creepy, parasocial, etc. but the same is not done if fans automatically assume them to be cis, straight or neurotypical. i feel like ppl upset with dangender may possibly be seeing it incorrectly, thinking that people are saying 'because dan said/did this, that means he MUST be this' but i haven't seen a singular person who posts dangender act like that, and i follow a LOT of ppl. the vast majority of what i see isn't even speculation, it's just positivity and ppl being happy about things he said/did, and being happy that he's happy.

being trans myself, i actually feel really happy that ppl find comfort/happiness in the idea of dan being of the cisn't variety and see it as a positive and beautiful thing. in media and real life it feels like transphobia is really loud, but little things like seeing people celebrate it here is what keeps me going. i'm not personally someone who believes in the idea per se (to me dan is just dan whatever he is haha), but i like seeing people be positive about it.

of course, not everyone will fuck with stuff like dangender and they dont have to, but like you said blocking/blacklisting words is always the best way to go about that. because otherwise it can come across as demonising something that someone only does to find comfort in. my time on the internet has made me learn that it's not always a personal attack against you if they're doing something you either dont like or find uncomfy. in fact a lot of the time it's not. i say this very gently to ppl against it, a random internet user who posts dangender is not doing it to hurt you or dan.

(linked post, with a lot of great additions in the tags)

anon! i'm really late to replying to this but thank you for chipping in! i sat on a handful of asks because i didn't want to accidentally create a strong discourse or answer asks while emotionally disregulated. and then bc i forgor.

but i'm still answering bc i especially love hearing from people with different phandom experiences & opinions from me 💛 AND because i know that so many people find joy and comfort in these kinda celebrations of whatever it is dan's doing.

i think you're really hitting the nail on the head w the creepy speculation thing—i've seen this reaction be especially strongest when it comes to speculation abt transness (esp transfemininity) and autism. it's a double standard! and it's coming from unexamined prejudice.

i think learning things aren't a personal attack is probably the most important possible piece here. over the years i've seen so many people behave poorly on phannie tumblr bc their feelings of validity in their personal identity were tied to their opinion of dan or phil's identity.

this was happening about sexuality labels before dnp came out, too—people used to get nasty about defending their bisexuality or gayness. and that pretty much always came from a lack of space between self identity and percieved identity of dnp.

i have a lot of compassion and understanding for people in that boat wrt dangender, you know? especially people younger than me. i used to run several queer support groups for young people, and every time someone was being hurtful with their views on gender it came from personal struggle.

i can't like, ignore it or let it slide, though. i love my kids from those groups to this day, but they didn't just hurt each other with some of their views. they really hurt me too. it makes it easy to spot when people are coming from the same perspective on here wrt dangender, even if it might be less overt and intentional shittiness.

i don't want to play dolls online with people who are in that kind of mindset! and that's why we love the block and mute functions of online.

& i also love finding & sharing joy on here about gender bc yeah! it fucking sucks most places. but we're home here 💛

[wolfertinger]

It is true that queer people get wrongfully accused of crimes. Puppychan's 'grooming' of a minor who asked about drawing nsfw is a good example of this, because while it was inappropriate and stupid it is inaccurate to call fullon grooming. However its also true that the nature of queer people as often isolated/lonely/young people looking for connections makes them prone to finding predators. Many are kids or teens or even adults with bad home life who want friends or partners or comfort desperately, which others take advantage of. Wis loves protecting these types of predators, who use the vulnerability of other queers. And then seems to forget that those victims are also queer, when claiming bigotry

it was pointed out, before. out of salem's many past partners. the vast majority (5/6) have been trans women. and of those 4. one was exposed, for being into parent/child incest, including pressuring young users into rping this, under the guise of "coping". another, was exposed for sexually harassing masses of minors, to the point she posted her own id. to reveal she had been lying, and faking her age the entire time. another, was called out for exposing her nude body to strangers on discord, including underage users. as well, as guilt tripping other partners. another, sexually roleplayed with minors on discord, and blamed it on a "head injury".

and wis... is wis. who will sexually harass people, who have asked her not to tell them, sexual things. who will accuse others of being nazis. while admitting, to have blindly supported ethnostates, and been alt-right. as well, as siding with rapists and abusers, because she does not like their victim.

i think, salem has a strange way, of picking partners.

[cccat-in-a-meat-sack]

it/its pronouns are degrading and uncomfortable expecting people to be comfortable referring to you that way is selfish. also wanting be seen as a little gremlin creature, object, or thing, has nothing to do with "queerness" and everything to do with low self-esteem.

They're degrading...to you.

They're uncomfortable...to you.

It/its pronouns are pronouns, and up to the user to decide if they want to use them. If they do, cool! If they don't, also cool!

My pronouns are not up to you to decide if you want to use them. My pronouns are not up to you to decide why I use them. I am not human. I do not like being called he/him, she/her, they/them, but I like being called it/its. Even if I DID have low self-esteem, it is not your place to decide what pronouns I should use. It/its are pronouns, just like anything else.

[wronglennon]

need need need to hear what the 1969 era was like in your daemon AU, like what are yoko and lindas daemons, what was the get back era like, what shape does George’s daemon settle into this fic has taken over my brain

hi!! this is so fun im so pleased you’re invested because me and james @menlove (hi james) have been talking about this constantly. i wanna break some stuff down into bulletpoints, and then theres some stuff i wanna keep for later works because i am definitely planning to write a piece set in the get back era and a piece in the 70s (maybe they’ll kind of conjoin into another longform thing but who knows). i fear this is long so im putting it under the cut but should anyone like to read the fic here’s the link (user only im afraid)

george’s daemon (rimbaud) settles as a snake, specifically a burmese python, which i weirdly only settled on yesterday. james and i had liked the idea for his daemon being a snake but i couldn’t decide between something smaller or smth more akin to the burmese python but james pointed out how well the large snake imagery would go with a lot of goerge’s stuff. i mean. i love the image of a huge snake in the grass on the cover of all things must pass, kind of curled next to him.

linda’s daemon is a sun bear called theseus!! i just love the idea of two very earth bound animals for her and paul, especially how connected and enmeshed in nature they become with the farm etc. i think a lot about one of yokos quotes about linda’s smile being like the sun or something similar (paraphrasing) and i think the warmth and also the care and comfort that comes with the association and image of bears is very her, but there’s still a fierceness and protectiveness that feels very necessary. i liked theseus as a name for her as well because of the greek figure that beats the minotaur and finds his way out of the labyrinth (navigating the john paul relationship in the late 60s is incredibly labyrinthian to me) but also because he is the king in a midsummer’s night’s dream that watches the botched performance of pyramus and thisbe! just felt verryyyy pertinent

yoko’s daemon is a dragonfly called rentaro. i also like the idea of both yoko’s and linda’s daemons being male i think there’s something about the identities and the sort of respective queerness in both their relationships but also yoko with john’s many comments of her being like a bloke in drag etc. i love the notion of a dragonfly for her as they’re largely seem to symbolise and change in perspective and a rebirth of sorts which i think is very much what she meant for john, but also what her relationship with john meant for her. plus the kind of graceful, airborne creature matches thisbe in that they’re both creatures of flight. whereas paul and linda are earthbound, there’s something very untied and abstract about john and yoko. plus, his name is rentaro because of yoko’s father being a pianist, and rentarō taki is a rlly interesting japanese pianist from the late 19th century. he has one composition of a piece that translates to ‘moon over the ruined castle’, which brought to mind allusions of the moon and the sea, the tides etc, and how yoko’s name written in kanji reads as ‘ocean child’. its a sort of tenuous link but felt associatively fitting in my mind, with john and yoko alternating as the moon and the ocean in their relationship

the get back era leading into the separation is obviously a veryyy tense time for john and paul but particularly moreso because there are these creatures representative of their souls and their true feelings which they can’t entirely control and so continue to give them away. john’s residual affection towards paul is shown by how thisbe still flocks to him as though he’s this safe space, and john really starts to resent thisbe for it, and pulls away from paul even more to compensate for it. meanwhile, paul obviously can see that john isn’t completely unfeeling where he’s concerned, due to thisbe, but (and james puts this in a way i love) it means very little when he’s making the decision to convey a lack of care with his actions over and over. there may be a love at the core of everything but it doesn’t matter if it’s not able to change anything. there’s one particular incident at the end of the get back sessions that contributes veryyy heavily to the distance between the two and particularly pyramus withdrawing from the relationship which i am very excited to eventually write on because it breaks my heart.

anyways! that’s a lot of information i am always extremely happy to talk about this au seeing as its on my brain always. im so pleased as well that you liked the fic and want to know more!! not sure when i’ll be able to work on more instalments in the universe (i have some other projects on my mind too) but it’s one of my favourite things to talk and think about so thanks so much <33