#which shouldn’t be the weird social faux pas that it is these days

[bumblydumbly]

I was yesterday years old when i realized rizz is short for charisma can we stop making new slang for 3 milliseconds please i can’t keep up

[ailelie]

The word "sassy" feels like a very feminine word to me. When used for men, I see predominantly used for men of color (or effeminate gay men). I remember seeing the term used a lot for President Obama. I'm seeing it again a lot in the 911 fandom for Eddie Diaz.

(It also carries some childish connotations to me, which is one reason I bristle when it is applied to women, too. It feels dismissive.)

Now, to be completely and utterly clear: I have absolutely no problem with men acting in a way that aligns with definitions of "sassy." I do think it is weird, though, that I see it used mostly for black and brown men.

After writing the first sentence above, I did a quick search for "sassy gender" to see if I was alone in my impressions, and I'm not.

From a 2024 op-ed in Essence: When a man is sassy, he’s exhibiting feminine traits, which many women believe are forbidden. To drive the definition home, some examples of sassiness include men doing dances that incorporate waist movement, wearing Van Cleef & Arpels bracelets, or rocking crossbody bags. Another common grievance women point to is men being “too emotional.”

[...]

Another reason using this emasculating language to describe men exhibiting feminine traits is harmful is that it perpetuates the toxic masculinity we women say is harmful to us. As a reminder, some common traits of toxic masculinity include homophobia, stoicism, violence, and emotional suppression. We want men to unlearn these unhealthy traits but won’t let them embody other ways of existing without questioning their masculinity. We complain men are emotionally repressed but reject every expression that doesn’t align with our archaic views of masculinity.

On Reddit, a non-native English speaker asked for help with the use of "sassy" as a word and whether it could be used for men. Here is some of the advice given:

I am really surprised by the people saying sassy isn’t gendered because a.) whether you want it to be in a perfect world or not, it is, and b.) answering OP with a mindset that it shouldn’t be is unfair when OP finds themselves in a situation where they call a man “sassy” and don’t realize the implication would 100% be that they’re implying the man is effeminate. Is it good that sassy is gendered? I mean, a discussion could be had. But don’t tell non-natives that something is fine to use with men when in reality you’re sending them to make a potential social faux pas in many situations.

and

You can, but it does have a bit of a feminine undertone. Women have traditionally been called "sassy" just for standing up for themselves, and for the same behavior that would go unremarked upon in men. So men typically have a higher threshold for being called sassy than women do. If you want it to be less gendered, just say "he has sass" rather than "he is sassy".

This search also led me to the absolute rabbit hole that is "sassy man apocalypse," which basically seems yet another way to complain about the lack of "real men" in the world these days. I think it worth noting this, though, because again underscores that "sassy" is a gendered term, and that it is explicitly wielded as a gendered, even insulting term.

So then I decided to look up "sassy black men" and "sassy brown men" to see what came up, to see if others were noticing the same thing and what others were thinking.

In this Reddit thread from r/MensLib, the following comment seems rather on point.

That’s an interesting comment - it makes me think of the idea that masculinity is something that must be constantly attained and defended.

But let's get away from Reddit for a bit. This article from The Reckoning talks about "sassy" and "zesty" as homophobic dog whistles.

But the words sassy and zesty are rarely if ever, used to uplift or empower Black men. Instead, they are weaponized against Black men to maintain archaic, dangerous, and unsustainable views of what it means to be a “desirable” Black man. The words are also almost always tied to notions of femininity in Black men, and in turn, these traits are framed as harmful/undesirable. Noticeably, when the words are uttered, hatred and homophobia are implied but never confirmed. The toxicity has a mask; the vitriol hides behind the cloak of comedy and shade. Black gay men invented shade, so we certainly can identify it when we see/experience it.

[...]

One individual was even told that their smile “made them look zesty.” As a response, the gentlemen told me, “So now I smile less in front of women, “ or “I try to make sure my smile looks more masculine.” When I asked what that meant, he said, “Man, I wish I could tell you,” unveiling a world of constant ridicule, pressure, and speculation.

[...]

As briefly highlighted above, the words sassy and zesty do not just impact straight Black men; it also begins to demean the queer world as well. First of all, these words continue to conflate “feminine” behaviors with sexuality, which inherently perpetuates dangerous ideas of who is gay and how it manifests itself. This inevitably begins to dictate how people act in the public sphere. Second, the words automatically frame “sassy” qualities like dancing, hygiene, and cleanliness as feminine and bad, making average life skills and positive traits of self-care unsavory. This is ironic and problematic, considering the majority of the rhetoric stems from Black women, who often find power and pleasure in their femininity. The biggest problem with these words is that they fundamentally lack accountability and allow for grand gaslighting. For example, on several occasions, when people have probed, some have pushed back, saying, “I did not say gay; I said sassy.” Or, “you are the problem because YOU said gay, I never said that word; I said zesty.” But these feeble defenses assume that context or implications are not impactful. As Black people, we do not have to be called the n-word to experience racism or know when something has racial undertones. Same with sexuality. Allowing these words set the stage for large-scale conversations around sexuality that lack insight, respect, or correction; sassy and zesty get to be thrown around in the same way “urban,” “ghetto " and "thug " do. All are harmful.

And, I admit, the tone of some posts and articles using "sassy" are complimentary. Like, this article from Northwestern gives an example of "sassy" used for President Obama.

“His speech was great; I never realized how sassy he could be,” said Axel Boada, a sophomore at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. “He was throwing shots at Moscow and Beijing, but that’s part of what I liked. It gave me a sense of pride in the USA.

But, President Obama is hardly the only politician or public figure to wield sarcasm and sly quips against rivals and enemies.

Why is it only "sassy" when he does it?

Other characters on 911 communicate disbelief without words, make sly comments, and such, why do I only see Eddie Diaz described as "sassy" for those behaviors? (Part of this might just be I'm only engaging with fandom on tumblr. I did do a search and found some references to sassy Bobby and sassy Buck (primarily connected to Eddie or Tommy or Buck's bisexuality though) on TikTok and X.)

If the term is entirely complimentary, why is the use so narrow or weighted?

Or am I just an over-sensitive white, cis millennial (queer!) woman?

Anyway. It bugs me, and I figured I'd share to see what others think.

[copperbadge]

It's very weird but apparently true, according to the research, that Adderall doesn't just help with focus and clarity, it lowers rejection-sensitive dysphoria for some people. Those don't seem like they'd be governed by the same brain chemicals but nature is wild I guess.

Taking an Adderall before attending a social event doesn't make me behave differently, because my behavior was actually fine to start with, but what it does do is soften the impact afterward. I don't spend the hours and days following the event dissecting every interaction for what I did wrong. I knew intellectually that I was fine and my faux pas weren't that memorable when they happened, but now I know it intrinsically as well. The memory of the awkward (which wasn’t even awkward!) is dulled, which is nice.

It does bring a certain clarity about what the real issues are, though -- like I can see through the insecurity and pinpoint what was actually awkward. I think something I need to work on is accepting compliments gracefully, because I'm not good at it. I don't process them very quickly and usually respond...not incorrectly, but not appropriately either. Not so much random people, like the dude who complimented my hair as he passed me on the sidewalk today, but friends and acquaintances in a social situation, that requires more work. 

The correct thing to do would be to say thank you, say something brief about what was complimented, and then turn it around and say something nice to the other person. I just get shocked that someone thinks there's anything particular about me to compliment, and I don't know how to reply without mitigating the compliment and then going off on a tangent. There’s a pretty easy script for all this, it’s just remembering to employ it rather than panicking -- just say “thank you!” brightly, which I already do, and then some nonsense like “I’m very pleased with X” instead of “Yeah it’s cheap but I like it” or whatever, and then “Hey you’re also XYZ, nice” instead of talking more about myself.

This all sounds extremely neurotypical I think you will agree.

Anyway, I just need to remember when I hear a compliment not to be weirded out that someone else thinks something nice of me, and instead remember to say thank you and compliment them in return. There is no reason people shouldn’t think nice things of me, I was literally diagnosed as being extremely charismatic. Also I am forty three years old and have two college degrees and own my own home, I am capable of learning to make better small talk. Lord I hope, anyway. 

[illusionsofdreaming]

How about a Cale proposing/asking out Reader for marriage/date?? I love your fics and this is just a thought that I often imagine (It's usually people asking him out but this might be a nice change!? I think...)

Ft: Cale

Tap tap tap tap tap-

It was the soothing rhythmic sound of not getting anything done. Concentration having long since fled the premises as he stared blankly at the notes on the table, watched as the blue nib danced up and down and up and down again.

The notes were important he supposed but his heart wasn’t into it, mind occupied and consistently distracted by a particular receipt on his table.

It’s been several days and he has yet to hear a reply.

He’s not quite sure what to make of it. Certain social rules of this world clashed with his modern-day knowledge of social cues. One would think he’d have an advantage as one who transmigrated into a novel he’d read, but The Birth of a Hero never properly introduced the social decorum of the world in detail. 

Perhaps the only reason he made it thus far with his half baked knowledge of etiquette was thanks to Cale’s trashy reputation which, ironically enough, made people more accepting of his faux pas. Alas, if it weren’t for Hans’ persistent nagging that he should handle this important matter ‘the proper way’, he really wouldn’t have bothered. Now he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Would it mean anything if he were to send a follow up letter? Or perhaps he should go there himself-

A knock on his door distracted him from his thoughts and he glanced up to see the origin of his headaches, Hans, peek in. 

“Young master, you have guests from the _________ household and-“

Cale was out the doors before Hans finished.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

Despite having your back to him it was almost embarrassing how quickly he was able to pick you out amidst the crowd of people.

“__________.” He greeted, snow crunching beneath his boots as he neared your side, he hoped his breathing wasn’t too quick as he’d rushed over as soon as he’d learn of your visit. The burning question rested on the tip of his tongue, the cure-all to his worries as he reached for your hand. “I have been wait-“

“Cale! Just the person I wanted to see!” You turned, smile brightening your features as you pulled him closer, close enough that he could see how the cold had already kissed your cheeks pink. 

“Did you receive-“

“Yes, that’s why I’m here!” 

A flutter of nerves was set alight in his chest that made him weirdly jittery. How unusual. He’d always been so assured of the results of his plans (and he’s confident in his prediction of your response) yet he couldn’t help but feel flustered. He understood nothing of this world’s customs and Hans did mention a response would’ve usually been sent by letter. Does you coming here in person symbolise something he’s not getting again?

Something was pressed into his hand and his heartrate spiked uncomfortably as he glanced down to receive the scroll you passed to him.

He hesitated, frowning at the brown parchment. Noting the ugly frayed edges and wondering, why couldn’t you have just told him what’s written within since you’ve travelled all the way here anyways.

“Take a look.” you urged him and he sighed.

“Can’t you-“ his words faltered off abruptly as he unfurled the paper to reveal a mess of lines and sketches, his mind blanked as he stared uncomprehending at the contents. “W.. what is this..”

“Isn’t it exciting?” you glanced at the paper, delight and unadulterated joy shone through your eyes. “The designs for the waterways are finally complete! We can finally move onto the next phase, I’ve even gathered the others to discuss this! It shouldn’t take long, we just need to iron out the logistics and-“

He’d tuned out as he stared at prototype on the page, his mind struggled sluggishly to make sense of what’s happening. Cale’s expression remained carefully blank as he lifted his head up to look at you and finally noticed the circle of vassals awkwardly standing around them. 

Huh? 

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

“..implementation of the new waterways will greatly improve the situation in the slums and if we...” 

If looks could set things on fire, the conference table would’ve long turned to ashes with how hard Cale’s been glaring. He had rested his two elbows on the oak table, fingers weaved together to create a net that supported his chin. To others, the firstborn son of the Henituse household may seemed to be in a contemplative mood, in truth, Cale had zoned out since the very beginning.

Perhaps there’s been a mistake. Maybe you did not receive it or perhaps he’d missed another social cue. Did he unknowingly commit another taboo?

“…Cale?”

He shouldn’t have listened to Hans’ ridiculous suggestions when he knew he had no patience for the roundabout and overly complex ways people liked to handle things here. He ran a tired hand past his face. Right, next thing he’s going to change in this world would be the removal of all redundant and confusing social constructs. First, he’ll start with the books on courtroom etiquette-

“Cale.”

A hand landing on his shoulder jolted him from his thoughts and he looked up to meet your frustrated gaze. He gaped, caught off guard by your ire.

Your long sigh pricked at his conscience but you interrupted him before he could explain himself. “I sent the others out for a break.” You sat on the edge of the table facing him, although clearly annoyed, there was concern in the slight dip of your brows.

“You’ve been distracted the entire meeting Cale.” 

He rubbed the back of his neck, pressing against the tension building there. “Sorry.” He admitted softly. 

“Is something on your mind?”

You. 

“It’s nothing.” To admit that his thoughts were in shambles all because of an unanswered letter would’ve been far too pathetic. Gods, when have he fallen so low. “I need a drink.” he decided abruptly and would’ve gotten up and escaped, but you knew him too well. With a subtle shift of your weight that looked all too natural, you leaned forward and your two hands rested against his armrests to support yourself in a comfortable lean, effortlessly and efficiently caging him in. 

“Cale.” Your tone broke no argument. It was clear he was not going anywhere until he cleared this matter up.

He sighed, slumping against the chair in defeat as he dragged his gaze slowly upwards with the reluctance of a child who’d just been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and was now forced to admit their wrongdoings. He hesitated when he caught a glimmer of something on your shirt. 

Somewhere along the meeting, as the room got warmer you must’ve taken off your thinner overcoat, it would’ve explained why he hadn’t noticed such an obvious accessory from the beginning. But now that he had laid eyes on it, Cale can’t seem to look away. His hand reached out cautiously, brushing over delicate work, the building tension within him eased away as he reminiscences at the nostalgic sight. 

It had only been several weeks ago when he’d went out to find the best jeweller in the Kingdom to have a specific brooch made. A bright golden shield with the Henituse’s family mascot emblazoned on, two magnificent rubies inlaid as eyes. 

With the solid feeling of the brooch under his fingers, his previous worries melted off like sleet to be replaced with an indescribable warmth in his chest.

“It suits you.” he finally says. It really does. 

Cale never liked things made in his honor, but something about you wearing his symbol made him feel a lot of things. 

Your rumble of laughter made him look up and you brushed a hand through his locks, amusement in your eyes. “Is that it? That’s what’s been bothering you all morning?” you mused.

He snorted and slumped forward, resting his face on your lap. “You wouldn’t reject it.”

“Confident, aren’t we?” you laughed and carded your fingers through his hair.

It was the truth which you both knew. He had never been a stickler for rules. The relationship between you happened as a gradual process, you two clicked and it just eased into your daily routine and became the norm. There was never any need or desire to announce it officially. But as someone who transmigrated into this world, who also decided to continue living in it, he wanted to do it your way. Because in the end, even if it was bothersome, annoying and baffled his 21st century mind, the gesture would mean something to you.

Now that he’s solved the mystery, satisfied he didn’t botch up some weird etiquette, he had time to analyse the day’s events and realised one thing. He lifted his head from your lap, “You orchestrated this. The waterways weren’t that urgent.” he deadpanned, stuck between feeling awe that you took all the effort to tease him and indignation that you’d dare.

“It’s not often one gets the chance to fluster you.” you admitted, not at all feeling guilty when you got the chance to witness his bewilderment first hand.

“Aigoo..” he clicked his tongue and in one swift movement, stood from his seat, forcing you to lean back as his arms landed by your sides, effectively reversing your positions. “You’d bother the vassals for this, how bold.”

You blinked innocently up at him. “I bothered no one actually, they all volunteered to help.”

He frowned. Traitors. The whole lot of them. He could actually hear them cheering outside the room. He’s going to have to tell Basen to talk to them about their loyalties soon. Well. Not that it would matter much. He glanced down at the gleaming brooch on your chest and his lips twitched into a satisfied smile despite himself. 

Perhaps there’s a reason behind such silly traditions after all.

Notes: So I combined these two asks because they’re pretty similar and to answer your questions: I believe Cale’s not one for grand gestures and formal things but he’ll occasionally abide by certain traditions if it has special meanings and especially if it’d mean something to you. 

[morkitten]

I got exactly 01 hatemail and I immediately deleted it because replying to those is just a waste of time, but the more I thought about it the more it painted a really sad picture in my mind. If you’re the one who sent it, here’s my earnest reply to you: 1. I didn’t need to know their name. This is why I’m not using gendered language either. I don’t care about their name, gender, or anything like that, and you absolutely shouldn’t reveal that information about someone else to a stranger 2. “I didn’t understand what you said which clearly shows that you’re just trying to shroud your racist intentions towards my friend”. This is what concerns me the most. First off, each reply was less than a paragraph long, and the idea that I’m imparting is not really complex (“don’t set up people as harassment targets for innocuous faux-pas & then associate islamophobia/xenophobia with it”). I know sometimes my prose reads weird, but I don’t think it’s really difficult. English is not my first language, so that might be part of the issue. If there’s anything specifically that was confusing, you can just ask me. Secondly, this is an anti-intellectual line of thinking at best, and cult-like behavior at worst. Your first reaction to not understanding something should be to try to figure it out, and not “this is clearly just a bigot skirting the fact that they don’t want to admit it”. Do you understand how thinking this way won’t let you grow as a person, or help you get equipped with the tools necessary to actually sniff out lies, dogwhistles, bad-faith discourse and manipulation? It may feel like an armor, but it sets you up for being someone who’s easy to manipulate instead. I didn’t know they were muslim, but I still think this behavior should be called out regardless. I’ll admit that comparing that reply to an upvote-thirsty redditor was something I maybe wouldn’t have done if I had that information already. I know how it can be frustrating to see people seemingly not care or understand a huge issue that affects you personally, so I could have called that out in a less shitty and demeaning way, in a way that acknowledges and empathizes with this hurt. I still think it sucks. I’ve lived through a lot of 2015-ish twitter to see these easy “quote retweet dunks” over slight faux-pas or taking shit out of context in the name of social justice that really just amounts to bullying people who were ascribed way more perverse intent for likes & RTs. It may not have been the intent, but this is what it does in practice. 3. You’re the one who called your friend a slur. I didn’t even know that was a slur until two days ago, when I saw a random tweet calling it something that “only brits use”. You’re the one who wanted your friend to be called a slur. I want you to think about that. (I know the irony in replying to someone who basically complained “tl;dr” with a much bigger reply, but if you want to engage with me I require at least as much effort as it takes to read this. then I’ll know you’re at least trying)

[someobscurereference]

tbh i feel like a big thing that isnt really acknowledged alot is how Leo and Niles would react to learning that Odin "My darkness is darker then yours" Dark is a prince of all things. Thats got to be some major mindfuckery for thme right there

I actually really like plotlines where they do find out!! Because technically, it doesn’t really matter anymore? Like, even if Owain had never traveled to Nohr, there’s still an alternate version of himself who is now a baby who inherits the title of Prince of Ylisse rather than him. Because he’s the heir from another Ylisse, not this one that he saves in FE13. So he’s both a prince and not. A man who was a prince in another life and is now whoever he wants to be, traveling into different worlds and fighting new wars under a new name.

Like. Maybe in another world where Leo and Niles and Odin never meet, where Odin is still named Owain and Ylisse was never overrun by monsters, he would still bear the title of “prince” more. But again, those are worlds where he’d never meet Leo and Niles anyway, most likely. Not unless Anankos came looking for help in those worlds instead (which is probably a fun story on its own.)

So what I’m saying is that the title of “prince” doesn’t really matter for Owain, probably? Or that it does, because he takes pride in his homeland and his family, but he’s not really going to inherit anything? Like, there’s no chance he’d be Exhalt one day. There’s another Lucina and Owain for that. 

But!! The idea of them still finding out is pretty cool!! Especially with the Brand and stuff. Ophelia gets it when she’s a teen even if Odin’s Brand has been magicked away, and while he could probably say it’s a mark of his bloodline and means nothing in Nohr (which is true), most people? Don’t have a mark like that?? Most people don’t have a “Brand” for their bloodline? Unless it’s a curse? And Odin could maybe play up the curse aspect or something to be dramatic and obscure the truth, but also he wouldn’t want Ophelia to think she’s cursed, but also he wouldn’t want to say it’s really the mark of the chosen ones where anyone else could hear because that would lead to some unwanted questions. But!! Also!! Why shouldn’t Ophelia be able to feel good about being “chosen” when that’s all she’s ever wanted and it’s true? It’s a long circle of thoughts.

What I’m saying is there would be a lot of explaining to do and a ton of questions to answer about the fact Owain is a prince (who maybe never really got to fulfill a ton of princely duties since Lucina was there and the Risen overran the kingdom while they were all pretty young?) (and maybe Leo feeling weird about a prince serving as his retainer because that’s Just Not Proper and they’re at the point where it doesn’t matter anymore, but seriously, social faux pas. And Owain is not princely At All), but I really like fics where Niles/Leo find out and I should really write more some day because I do like it as a plotline. (Which is why I’ve alluded to it once or twice in some fics but never go for the full reveal because I’m not entirely sure how to make that interesting. But! It’s interesting to me!)

Anyway, I appreciate you bringing this up because it’s something I don’t comment on a lot but I do super enjoy.

The long and short of it is that somewhere Niles makes the joke that he only falls in love with blond princes.

[funnynewsheadlines]

40 Epic Clothing Disasters (New Pics)

Just because some of us are stuck at home doesn’t mean that fashion rules suddenly fly out the window! Whether you’re staying inside or going out for a quick breath of fresh air (remember social distancing, people!), it’s important that you look good. If you look good, you feel good.

Unfortunately, there are some truly horrific fashion disasters out there that each and every one of us Pandas should steer clear of! (Socks with sandals? Unintentionally hilarious outfits? Yuck!) However, some people have become victims of fashion fails. That’s why Bored Panda brings you this list that should act as a warning for all of you fashion-minded individuals out there.

Remember to upvote your faves and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever fallen prey to fashion fails yourself.

#1 Perfect Pattern Placement

Image credits: Patpatnotstar

#2 Someone Thought This Was A Good Dog Graphic

Image credits: Big_Jamal_AMA

#3 Totally Invisible

Image credits: ubaldejason

The best way to avoid fashion fails is to go for stylish wins, wouldn’t you agree? Cosmopolitan has some great advice for women who want to be at the cutting edge of Spring/Summer 2020 trends that designers are hyped up about. 

They can wear shirt dresses and short suits, go for Victorian necklines, give ankle chains (or shoes with them) a try, and wear mixed floral patterns. Not all at once, though!

#4 Imagine Having To Wear This For Your Job

Image credits: sovietmetalhead

#5 For The Hot Summer Days

Image credits: miyagawadai

#6 The Burning "Eye" Of Sauron

Image credits: rebelsmarket.com

Meanwhile, Ask Men has a lot of different things on their radar for what men should wear if they want to be hip and fashionable in the first half of 2020. What’s in right now are billowy bowling shirts in tropical colors, denim on denim (a callback to the 1990s perhaps?), animal prints, and bomber jackets (always in vogue, in our opinion).

If none of these are to your liking, Ask Men says satin clothing is also trending. As are pinstriped suits, belt-cinched waists, as well as vests and tank tops. We’re hyped up for pinstriped suits and bomber jackets, but it’ll take some time for us to get used to these other fashion trends.

#7 That Dress Has Some Problems

Image credits: Gundarian

#8 Something Ain’t Quite Right Here

Image credits: DeanSonOfDave

#9 Perfect For The Woman Who Wants To Relive The Fears From High School

Image credits: Weird Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared

When it comes to both men and women’s clothing, there are several faux pas. Things that you should never ever do. For example, if you’re wearing a cotton shirt, it has to be ironed! No excuses.

Also, unless you’re doing this on purpose, avoid clothes that don’t fit like the plague. Your clothes should be tailored to your build, not oversized or undersized. You should also avoid high heels that you can’t walk in, clothes with holes in them, and Ugg boots outside your home (more like Ugh boots, are we right?). Last but not least—don’t wear socks with sandals. Just don’t.

#10 Today In NYC. Yes, That's The Actual Baby's Face

Image credits: sarayewo

#11 I'm Not Sure I Understand

Image credits: nifflermoon

#12 Crappy Skirt

Image credits: djcubedmofo

#13 Orchestra Teacher's Shirt Design For Students Looks As If People Are Being Hanged Together

Image credits: Anon20306699

#14 We Decided Grandma Shouldn't Wear Her Bahamas T-Shirt With A Sweater

Image credits: rtowne

#15 These Pants That You Can Get For 907$

Image credits: zoofashions.com

#16 Wallet Chain Ankle Crocs - Thank You Small Town Malls

Image credits: ghosted_

#17 T-Shirt My Dad Won In His Nursing Home

Image credits: dontwanttomakeslime

#18 This Makes Me Feel Uncomfortable

Image credits: nordstromrack.com

#19 My Daughter's Dumbo Jumper

Image credits: MartynC65

#20 Adorpion?

Image credits: Tire236

#21 Wow, Look At Eiffel Tower Which Is In New York And In Sweden

Image credits: damla_is_cringey

#22 Why You Shouldn't Wear A Brown Dress In A Swimming Pool

Image credits: mrriousz

#23 Someone Needs To Work On Differentiating Their O's And A's

Image credits: slicehix

#24 Why?

Image credits: Jameel88

#25 These Socks

Image credits: electrolytebitch

#26 This Shirt When You’re Walking

Image credits: kawaigirl

#27 My Friend Found This In Thailand

Image credits: GirlBart

#28 Um?

Image credits: imgur.com

#29 Elf Shoes? I Raise You Hoof Shoes

Image credits: jakewithar

#30 The "Ghosts" On This Dress Look Like Something Else To Me

Image credits: unique-vintage.com

#31 I Guess You Could Mistake These Jeans As The Japan Flag

Image credits: seventhheaven

#32 I Think These Are My New Favorite Socks

Image credits: Haggether

#33 I Do Not Think This Word Means What You Think It Means

Image credits: WhammyShimmyShammy

#34 This Shirt

Image credits: ahmadswalihck

#35 Someone Was Wearing These At The Mall And I Had To Double Take

Image credits: kan-neigh

#36 All Three Butterflies Are Exactly Alike

Image credits: GeneBeean

#37 Fashion Is Evolving

Image credits: girolski07

#38 If Only The Eiffel Tower Looked Like One Of The Letters In The Word "Paris"

Image credits: gabebider

#39 This Is What $2850 Can Get You

Image credits: Raf Simons

#40 What To Wear If You're Double-Headed With Four Arms? Ah, Here You Go

Image credits: Dragon_Scale_Salad

from Funny – Bored Panda https://ift.tt/2UAduFd via IFTTT from Blogger https://ift.tt/3dwN2ET

[pumastuffs]

The 30 Day Non-Human Challenge (but all at once and slightly modified)

1. What is your species? I am a puma!

2. Have you told anyone?  Who? I've briefly brought it up with my younger sister, and I've also told my husband.

3. How old were you when you realized you were not human?  What made you realize it? My "official" awakening was a couple years back, sometime around 2012 or 2013.  I've always felt like a cat, and that was when I finally learned a word to briefly summarize my identity.

4. Do you identify as a part of the otherkin or therian community?  What communities do you identify with? When I first discovered the communities, I lurked mainly in the otherkin tags and used 'kin terminology.  With the recent influx of fictionkin in the otherkin community and tags, I've shifted more towards therian spaces.  Nothing against 'em, I just feel more comfortable with the therian crowd.

5. Tell the story of the first person you told. I think the first person I told was my little sister.  I don't remember it all that well, but I think it started as me talking about the concept and then admitting that yeah, I am one.  We're close and she's cool, so it went well.  Basically a "yeah, that makes sense," kind of thing.

6. Have you faced any abuse because of identifying as nonhuman? Nope!  I'm not very vocal about it irl or on my main blog, and I don't tag my personal posts here with the relevant tags, so I have no audience that could turn on me, haha.

7. Do you have a favorite nonhuman character? Judy Hopps!  When the movie came out, I was the same age as her, and I just really loved her personality.  She's a very relatable character and I love her.  I have a lot of "favorite" characters, but she's the first one who came to mind, and also the most recent.

8. Do you believe there should be nonhuman pride?  What do you imagine it being like? It'd be nice to be able to be a bit more open about it in public without fear of being made fun of, but I don't think "pride" is appropriate.  More just general acceptance.

9. What does being nonhuman mean to you? It means experiencing the world as an animal and a human.  It's kind of a best of both worlds situation.  I'm a feline at my core, but I get to do all these fun things that are inherently human experiences.

10. What have other people said about your nonhuman nature? Nothing, really.  The two people I've told have been supportive, but it's not a thing that we actively talk about because it doesn't *need* to be talked about.

11. Nope.

12. Your favorite nonhuman Tumblr site. Kinfood is probably still my favorite, even if they are inactive.  Lots of good recipes, and it was one of the first kin blogs I followed.

13. Your favorite nonhuman website. Buddy, I have no idea.  I know it's a faux pas, but 99% of my online consumption of therian stuff is tumblr.

14. Tell us about a time you met another nonhuman, whether in real life or online. I don't really actively socialize with other people in the community aside from the occasional reply, and I've not met anyone irl, so I don't think I can really say I've met someone.  Encountered, yes; met, no.

15. Your favorite nonhuman celebrity/person. I've forgotten how to spell it, but I did enjoy watching Kaniishta Njaiuk's videos.  Doggrin was also a favorite.  I loved those little rambling videos while they cooked.  Genuineferalswagger was another blog that I enjoyed going through, although they've since deactivated.  I hope all of 'em are doing well.

16. Your favorite nonhuman book (as in, nonhuman characters are the main focus). Anything with cats as the lead, haha.  Redwall is a classic series.  Watership Down is a good one.  I recently remembered The Grand Escape, but I haven't read that since elementary school.

17. Your favorite nonhuman movie. The Lion King is up there.  Zootopia and Brother Bear are also candidates.  I'm really bad at picking favorites.

18. Tell us a funny joke about being nonhuman. Otherkin don’t real.  A classic joke.

19. Is being nonhuman spiritual for you? A complicated question!  I believe that I'm a purposefully misplaced soul that was nurtured by my close relationship with my childhood cat and dogs.  So basically a mix of spiritual and psychological stuff (the latter being some kind of imprinting).  However you spin it, I believe my nonhuman identity was intentional on behalf of a higher power to help me get through life.  It sounds super cheesy, but it's the easiest way to describe it.

20. Tell us a few thoughts about what it's like being your species. Being feline is so innate that it's sometimes hard to pick out feline behavior from normal human traits.  It's comfy, though.  The worst part is being weirdly territorial  on some things; I don't like people touching my things, and I get this weird, uncomfortable feeling when people come over for the first little bit, like they shouldn't be there.

21. Your favorite nonhuman quote. I can't think of any off the top of my head, sorry!

22. What do you believe causes nonhuman identity? It depends on the person, honestly.  For some it's spiritual, for others it's psychological, and it can even be a mixture of both!  All I know is my vague, wishy-washy views based on my own experience.

23. What is your favorite nonhuman pride image? Uh, the theta-delta?  It's a nice little symbol, and it's a little more subtle than shouting "HEY I'M A CAT" from the rooftops, lol.

24. Write something or post a picture about nonhumans that upsets you. I'm a little bothered by the Tumblrkin(tm) taking over and warping the terms and everything.  I'm also weirded out by how fast it went from a small community on this site to literally everyone on tumblr is fictionkin.  I'm not losing sleep over anything, but like, how did this happen?

25. What is the worst argument you've heard against being nonhuman? They're all a little tired at this point, but the "your body is human" is an obvious one.  Like, yeah, of course.  You sure showed me, buddy.

26. Who is your biggest ally? I'm gonna be cheesy and say my husband.  He's not a spiritual person at all, but he accepts my views and gives me scritches and pets and calls me a cat sometimes.  It's nice.

27. What is your favorite type(s) of cake? Ice cream cake is my jam.  Red Velvet is good, too, followed by confetti cake.

28. What is your favorite type of pie? (Alternately, is pie an acceptable replacement for cake?) Pumpkin pie and buttermilk pie are both so good.  I used to think French silk was amazing back in the day, but it's probably a little too rich for me now.  Pie is definitely an acceptable replacement for cake.

29. Where did you first learn about being nonhuman? Here on good ol' tumblr.  I first saw the word on a post someone made about otherkin going into their ask box to complain about their interpretation of a character.  That lead me to looking in the tags to see what it was about, delving into the blogs (of which Tsu's was one of the first), and deciding "hey, this fits."  All of this was shortly before Tsu went off the deep end.

30. Tell us anything about being nonhuman that you want to end with. I did this all in one go so my mind is pretty tapped for comments or good advice or whatever.