#what have i even contributed to the world? with anything???

[copperbadge]

I wanted to thank you for running RFM for so long.

And as we wind down to the end of the year (and the era), I want to ask if there's anything the Tumblr community could do to thank you for the effort you've put into this over the years.

Is there a charity or cause that you support that we could contribute to or other action we could take?

Aw, thank you for asking!

If you want a specific place to give, there are a couple of nonprofits I support. The Anti-Cruelty Society where I got the cryptids is local to Chicago and BAGLY is a queer youth nonprofit local to Boston; you can also give to United Way either locally or nationally, to Planned Parenthood, or to the American Library Association, currently fighting the good fight against censorship. I know people working for all of these orgs and your support means a lot to them. You can also give to my Ko-Fi marked "for donation" and I will give in a lump sum to the org I work for, which funds research into terminal lung disease and outreach to patients suffering from it.

But honestly, I hope the most long-lasting legacy of RFM is that people think consciously about caring for one another and about being kind and compassionate even if you feel judgement for the person asking. Over the years I found myself judging people sometimes when they asked for help, and I had to make a policy that I would not only share their link but publicly defend their right to ask, if necessary, because I am not infallible and nobody else is either. It is not for us to determine who can ask, only who we answer.

I've been on a campaign for about a decade to persuade people that while some nonprofits are indeed not great places to give your money, you should approach giving in the spirit of trust. When we buy something -- say, a box of pasta -- we trust that what the box says is inside actually is inside. When we buy a wool sweater we trust it truly is wool unless we have reason to believe otherwise. We look at the box or the label, we do our due diligence, but we don't automatically assume we are being lied to. If you give to a nonprofit, by all means, read the website, maybe do a quick google about them, but trust that most people who work in this field, which is underpaid and full of burnout, are doing their best to help the world. Find a nonprofit you really like the look of and treat it like starting a new friendship -- get to know them, read about what they do, if they have events, especially free events, maybe go to one and have a look around.

But yeah -- that's what I hope lasts, the idea that giving is an act of community and that the spirit in which you give matters, not whether or not you did the most good in the most moral way.

[buddhistmusings]

I'll just address you directly here - because I think maybe you think you are doing the right thing. Let's talk about what you've said and why it isn't very productive, reflects bias, and promotes the continuation of conflict.

First, you have reified the character of certain nations. This is really a dangerous thing to do - in no small part because it is foundational to ideologies which are hyper nationalist, and because it assigns qualities to something which fundamentally cannot possess qualities, because nations don't exist as actual things in the world. You say people should hate (interesting word choice here) on Israel - but what even is Israel conceptually? It's irrational to hate in general, but especially irrational to hate a nation. What we can, and should oppose, is certain kinds of actions taken by governments and their leaders. Governments can change, actions can change, your opposition to these things is far more meaningful than your opposition to a nation itself.

Second, you have applied an inconsistent standard about whether or not your disdain for these nations, based on traits you have assigned them in your reification process, can be applied to people in that nation. You acknowledge that Israelis are not Israel itself (which you already said you hate). Later, in your response to this person, you bring up his nationality against him. Using somebody's nationality in this way is prejudiced, and promotes the kind of thinking that furthers violence - even if you yourself did not say anything violent.

Third, you are basing your opposition to Israel itself on the idea that has broken international law. I agree - there have been violations of international law in this conflict, but part of what makes conflicts like these so disgusting is that these violations happen pretty uniformly among participants. I don't think that you would say that violations committed by Palestinian actors contribute to the character of Palestine. Why, then, do you suggest Netanyahu's actions, as well as wider aspects of the Israeli government, contribute to the character of Israel as a nation?

Fourth, this kind of rhetoric does not solve the problem, it makes it worse. If you are speaking from a place of hatred, you cannot achieve peace. Peace through violence, in word or deed, is not a real or acceptable form of peace.

You and I probably agree on a lot - the point of this post though is the danger of alienating Israeli people from the peace process. This alienation deepens the conflict and it's harms, so it's important that we at least try to use rhetoric that does not do this.

One difficult thing about having conversations with the Hamas stans is that they work so hard to actively alienate, denigrate, and demean Israeli people (through their antisemitism), who are in the position to most meaningfully impact the situation. Like... the peace activism done by unapologetically pro-Jewish activists in Israel, who want the release of hostages, and a ceasefire, is genuinely inspiring.

This is the demographic who may be most capable of changing the situation for the better. We want peace, we need it. They want it too.

Picking sides, cheering on your team, isn't how we get it.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

let's be honest, in the anime Yuu will be a glorified background character or a secondary character if we got lucky.

[Referencing this post and this news!]

I want to make something clear before delving into this topic: Yuu is the "main character" in the sense that they are who we experience the story through. However, Yuu has never been the "protagonist" (who the story is actually about), despite how the fandom tends to treat them. MAIN CHARACTER ≠ PROTAGONIST. The main story focuses on the OB boys and the general relationships between the NRC students. Yuu being present mainly serves as a vehicle through which the story is delivered to the player, who is encouraged to self-insert as Yuu. The idea of Yuu being a background character or a secondary character for the anime is, then, not a new concept considering where we're coming from (ie the game).

I actually think the anime might have a chance to characterize Yuu a little better than what we have in the manga (and especially compared to the game). I don't think we can go as in-depth as the light novel (since we actually get to peer inside Yuuya's head there), but the anime could be a nice middle ground.

The reason for this is that... well, in the anime, Yuu will again serve as our POV character. However, a POV character is very different in an anime versus a manga (which doesn't always show group shots) or the visual novel style of the game (which doesn't show Yuu at all, only what Yuu sees). In an anime, we'll be forced to see even more of Yuu on-screen, and that forces Yuu to be "centered", as well as much of the framing to revolve around how they perceive things. This can be very useful as a way to demonstrate Yuu's character without necessarily doing it through dialogue. Like, how do they see the world, not just how they react to it. Think of the OB battles; we'll actually get to see what Yuu does to contribute (if at all) fully animated! Think of coming home after class every day to Ramshackle to sleep; that's more time to spend with Yuu and checking in with their thoughts after the day's events. And because of the episode run time + having to follow Yuu around to see things, there's a chance we can see more of their daily life on campus and interacting with the other characters. If anything, this should give Yuu more room to be active, not less.

[dol-dee]

Limone the Human

Name: Limone (Lee-moh-neh) Age: Old Enough Species: HUMAN! :) Plant Person Pronouns: They/Them Height: 153cm “I was voted most boring human at my school!”

Limone is a human! One of the most normal ones around, they will assure you. Please ignore their yellowish complexion, vibrant green hair and leaf ‘accessory’. Those are just fashion statements. Well. Not the skin, that's just how they were born! They’d appreciate it if you didn’t make fun of it.

Fun facts:

They're a plant person but not quite. Some misplaced humanity but not enough to count as human. Limone might be doomed to a miserable and lonely existence.

Limone can morph and freely change their body (with some exceptions). Their regular "standard" appearance is that of a short stack. They purposefully keep more humanoid features (like blunt teeth and a shorter tongue)

Very hedonistic, will often do "whatevers easiest"

Lacks Object permanence (this extends towards people)

They're very used to leaving and being left. They don't really register it and will move on easily. (If you ghost them, that is.)

Limone vacillates between extreme emotional states (boredom, depression, apathy & extreme euphoria and giddiness).

They regularly squish their own undesirable memories/sensations or Inflict Emotional Amnesia onto themself, with some quick n easy DIY lobotomy.

Even though their memories dont remain in the waking world, they occasionally return as nightmares. Haunting their subconscious mind.

Quick to self harm. Its the easiest outlet they have, whenever they don't understand or are unable to deal with emotional turmoil . To be fair. it doesnt matter much. they regenerate quickly.

Their tendency to hyperfixate on people has let to many an accidental love bombing. Its a little like the sun decided to shine its warmest, most pleasant ray on you. It gets cold quick if or when they they lose interest and move on.

They keep a personal Encyclopedia on the people that they get hyper invested in. It looks like something a stalker would make. ...only they aren't a stalker. They just hyperfixate on people and don't see anything wrong with their little hobby. It includes tame stuff, like, extensive doodles, the persons fashion, color, scent, favorite hobbies/media and food preferences. All the way down to what that persons blood, cum, or tears taste like and which one they like best.

They've never actually gone to school

Friends(?) with Harper, they sell their nectar to her on the side for quick cash and keep a variety of part time jobs until they grow bored of them. Harper is equal parts fascinated and annoyed with Limone since none of her experiments seem to work on them. (Yes. Limone unconsciously contributes to the corruption of the town)

The first fully lucid human they interacted with was Eden. She quickly regretted kidnapping Limone.

[pixieswashere]

First off, I agree with everything with what OP said here. I want to also add onto this that it makes no sense for AU!Jinx/Powder not to have her mental illness/psychosis, not only bc of the fact she had it since she was a child....but also bc in that universe.....Vi is dead...like SHE IS GONE. If anything the trauma and psychosis would still be there, if not worsen overtime.

Like at first when I started it, I didn't think much thinking that in this universe she had professionall help in coping with it healthily.....but then the Vi reveal and the fact we didnt see her having some hallucinations or voices is what ruined this......her ONLY last remaining family to her parents and who was very close to her clearly...is DEAD. Jinx loved her sister so much and had a mental breakdown as a kid when she LEFT her to go and find Vander. The only person who was there that BELIEVED in her, STUCK up for her, and practically raised her along Vander. You're telling me, Jinx wouldn't have any slightest of a breakdown or crisis over that??? At all??? Even when considering her mental state???

Adding to this for Viktor (bc I love him and I 100% agree that his character was fumbled)

Viktor NEVER hated himself in s1 let's get that straight. In S1, he makes a very big POINT to show that he has always carried himself and that in whatever he does, he is proud of it because he believed in himself enough to accept who he is and DOESN'T care about what others think of him

"When you're going to change the world don't ask for permission."

"I didn't have the benefits of a patron or a name, I simply....BELIEVED in MYSELF."

You could argue that while yes he is self-assured and confident, he still has some insecurities of how people close to him perceive him....and that could be true, but it's not really ever alluded. He DOES care about making connections but hes isolated himself bc of these judgements that its almost second nature if not a rarity. But he does value companionship, its just not something he is accustomed to a degree, and he sometimes without consideration distances himself from it if it gets in the way of his aspirations (Ex: Sky/Jayce, Heimerdinger/Singed.) In the latter acts of S1 he was DYING he wasn't hating himself because of his "terminal illness" that was killing him or his disability....He was in a vulnerable and solemn state because he felt like his accomplishments meant or achieved NOTHING. This is a character that is selfless, altruistic and a workaholic who worked his way up with dreams of something better and now after so many years in developing Hextech he's seeing that what he strived to achieve for the improvement of his home that's also DYING because of Piltover's ignorance and oppression, is unable to do NOTHING about it now.

He is angry that he has no CONTROL over his fate and the assuredness of his Legacy = helping those in need for the Undercity because of Jayce and Piltover's lack of understanding, especially after they had complied building the Hexgates for their trade disputes first.....over the disputes of lives. Viktor has contemplated death because he knows time is fleeting and he wants to make it count for something good, he doesnt want to be remembered as PERFECT, he wants to be remembered in the contributions that the people of Zaun will FINALLY heal/be helped after so long and not have to live short lives bc of unsafe work environments, manual labour, illnesses cause by toxic chemicals and etc.

He even brushes the idea of when he'll die off, and you could even add that he is ticked off by the fact that hes now being perceived as a "dead man" before he even died (Ex. Heimerdinger convo and Jayce in the hospital, etc). He doesn't like being seen as powerless or as his terminal illness now because he ISN'T and never was. Furthermore, he doesnt use the Hexcore to "PERFECT" himself, he's using it to heal himself of his terminal illness/expand his lifespan so that he can continue his research in helping Zaun.

If he is going to use Hexcore, he needs to make sure that it will work. So, to tests its capabilities, he tests it on HIMSELF. Only to find out that the same thing he created to HEAL ended up killing someone that meant a lot to him. He wasted NO TIME telling Jayce to destroy it bc it harmed someone and he finally realizes that ensuring a legacy = saving people....ended up at the cost of harming people in return.

P.s. sorry this was long. Hope you enjoyed reading it if u did !

I don't have perfect thoughts on it, but I do want to note that I'm not loving how Arcane handles disability.

Viktor hating his disability so deeply, feeling that it needs to be "fixed" so thoroughly, that he succumbs to ~ultimate eugenics for everyone ~ ?????? fucked up

Jinx's psychosis being a manifestation of her being "unhinged" and encouraging her to act out either to challenge or appease them, and then her psychosis magically disappearing in the "perfect" universe????? also fucked up

Vi's alcoholism and (albeit mild) psychotic symptoms never being brought up....ever???? just created as fodder to make her a more angsty and submissive lapdog to facism????? also also fucked up

Let me have my mad/cripple characters who have their shit recognized as parts of their humanity rather than trauma porn plot or things that need to be corrected or traits indicative of rash violence please

[vagueiish]

whiny baby bullshit under the readmore

no, you don't understand, it doesn't matter how i feel about me because that's all stupid illogical bullshit. 'im great! because i say/think i am!' that makes no sense!!! and it works that way with the negative selftalk, too, to be fair, but either way, my worth/etc doesn't count if it's self-appointed because there's no real basis for it

how others perceive me and external validation is infinitely more important for that reason. fuck 'can't love others if you don't love yourself', how can i love myself if others dont? im too close to me, i cant get a good clean view, but others can. and if nobody can look at me like 'yeah, there's something there thats good and cool' how am i supposed to?

[wall-eye]

grown man coworker keeps talking about how homework shouldnt exist and "they have me for 8 hours, and they didnt manage to teach me? they failed" which like. first off you told me you failed math three times cause you couldnt understand negatives. second off, in highschool you have 7 classes. and a lunch. and passing periods. teachers have less than an hour with you. if youre resistant to learning from them in the first place, an hour isnt going to do shit for you. i dont like homework as a concept either but you are not in school anymore and your arguement for it is flawed anyway

[girlscience]

I hate getting into something that has a canon(ish) sapphic couple, but I only end up caring about one of the two women 😭😭😭

[green-mountain-goose]

.

[cruelsister-moved2]

so many peoples allyship to trans women is just 99% calling them beautiful and then only supporting them when you find them attractive like you people are MISOGYNISTS anyway shout out to trans women who look average as hell and are just some girl

[spocks-kaathyra]

really nothing more detestable than a coward

[0uterspacew0rm]

im such a dispassionate person. like im incapable of pursuing anything to completion or maintaining hobbies or delving deep into anything

[peapod20001]

LMAO QUICK. WIPE YOUR TEARS BEFORE SOMEONE SEEEESSS YOUUU

[lady-dulcinea]

I am always astounded by how perfect of a medium ballet is when it comes to the depiction of power dynamics. Because a dance between partners demands a level of trust and reciprocity in it’s movements that we usually associate with lovers, people whose synchrony in dancing is meant to reflect how in sync they are in their feelings for each other. So when one half of the pair is clearly reluctant and distraught while the other is forceful and uncaring, it creates a horrifying distortion of the act in a way that any audience member can easily pick up on the context. It’s simply extraordinary.

Sorry I have to post this absolutely BREATHTAKING clip from a Royal Ballet adaptation of Frankenstein (!) with a pas de deux between Elizabeth and the Creature (!!) that is the absolute ESSENCE of gothic horror (!!!)

[milkman-zahhak]

okay I know I'm supposed to trust the process, but like. What the hell even is this, how do I even work with this shit.

This process of trying to create a drawing for my next Cal and Leo story has taken me almost an entire week and I have 1 day left of fall break. What am I even doing, at this point I give up so hard- I need to have myself put in that fucking mechanism they put squidward in as punishment for my lack of talent.

(The 3d model poses have no genitals but tumblr keeps flagging the post when I try to upload it so I'm gonna see if censoring the crotch area does anything :/) okay I just have to get rid of that pic entirely it seems because tumblr is on my case about it as I've tried posting this 7 times. Just adding ONE of the model photos, so you can see there's nothing sexual dammit.

[Pinterest room inspo -> posing the scenes and models because I have aphantasia and my brain can't visualize -> sketch using the references -> trying to draw it digitally]

I'll continue this in the tags, in case that's what tumblr flagged me for ⬇️

[dredshirtroberts]

y'know. i don't often hate the way my brain is and how difficult it makes certain things for me.

i do a little today though.